Carpet Cleaning is a seemingly simple service. The reality however is Carpet Cleaning requires much more than just spraying water and sucking it up. If the wrong chemicals, improper pH, excessive water, or improper water temperature occur your carpet can easily be ruined.
The purpose of this article is to help describe the science behind cleaning and help the homeowner understand the importance of hiring a professional carpet cleaning service. We will discuss all the steps necessary to provide a quality carpet cleaning and what you should look for when hiring a carpet cleaning company.
Fiber Identification Could Save You Thousands Of Dollars
As a professional carpet cleaner knowing the kinds of fabrics you are cleaning is extremely important. The fabric type helps a true professional determine the types of products they can or should use to clean it. There are many different types of fibers that are installed in wall to wall carpets such as Polyester, Nylon, Olefin, and Wool. There are key differences between these fiber types but the most important to know is when dealing with Wool a Wool Safe Cleaning agent must be used. Wool carpet can easily brown if not treated with the proper low pH vs that of a high alkaline used to clean Polyester, Nylon, and Olefin. A simple mistake by a novice carpet cleaner or a DIY job can turn into a couple thousand dollar replacement job.
Why Vacuuming Is Crucial
I highly recommend vacuuming of your carpet prior to a professional carpet cleaning. Some carpet cleaning services have opted to pass the savings of vacuuming on by having the clients vacuum the home prior to their arrival. Other cleaning companies have continued to vacuum prior to service. Regardless of your budget be sure to have the carpet vacuumed prior to service as this will help remove the dry soiling that is embedded into the carpet.
The dry soiling removal that vacuuming does plays a crucial role when dealing with pet odors. I have had countless homeowners call and tell me they are moving into their new home soon but the house still has a dog odor from the previous owners. If a carpet cleaning company came in and simply steam cleaned the carpet without vacuuming it is likely the odor would get worse. By vacuuming prior to steam cleaning and after the carpet dries, the chances of the dog odor persisting decreases.
Vacuuming is not only important for odor but also for removing the particles that could cause wicking. Wicking is a term used to describe resurfacing stains. By vacuuming you simply increase the quality of your carpet cleaning but you also extend the lasting effects of the service.
Pre-Treatment And Your Carpets Warranty
There are some homes where your carpets warranty is simply not a question. Why? Because the carpet is in so poor of shape that the scenario of having an applicable warranty is out the window. That said, as a professional carpet cleaner I have gone into many many homes where the carpet warranty was in tact. This for me meant that I needed to use a proper pH that wasn’t too high in Alkalinity and wouldn’t cause damage to the fiber as well as cancel your carpets warranty.
At UpFront Carpet Care we use a quality Pre-Treatment that has a safe level of Alkalinity that can clean even the dirtiest of Carpet without sacrificing the warranty. Our Pre-Treatment is 99% green and leaves no residue behind that could create rapid resoiling issues. What is rapid resoiling? It’s when your carpets pH isn’t properly balanced and a sticky residue is on the surface that attracts the dirt. Sure you had the carpet cleaned a month ago but it looks like it did before you had it cleaned. Choosing a quality cleaner that uses quality Carpet Cleaning products is extremely important. At UpFront Carpet Care we are ambassadors for Pros Choice products because we believe in having professional carpet cleaning products on our trucks and in your home.
Be on the look out for companies that don’t even offer pre-treatment of your carpet. Always ask if the carpet cleaning company will treat the spots and traffic lanes prior to cleaning the carpet. There are some unscrupulous carpet cleaners that will bait you in with a low price and then switch the price upon arrival.
Steam Cleaning and Why Its The Best Choice When Having Your Carpet Cleaned
Yes, there are many many other Carpet Cleaning methods out there. These methods and some gimmicks include Dry Foam, Carbonated Cleaning, Empowered Water, and Encapsulation, but the tried and true method recommend by the largest carpet manufacturers in the world is Steam Cleaning.
Steam cleaning your carpet is a lot like washing your clothes. First you pre-treat, then you rinse, and finally you dry. You wouldn’t lather up a foam in your hair and just leave it. You wouldn’t wash your clothes with soda water. I’ve even seen guys go on TV and drink empowered water, another term for alkaline water as a gimmick to show their cleaning products are safe. At the end of the day the tried and true steam cleaning method is a simple one. Sadly, some cleaners make it more complicated than it is by using poor quality cleaning products and not using a high quality rinse to eliminate any potential residue.
By steam cleaning your carpet you are disinfecting the carpet, sucking up allergens, and softening the fibers. Carpet should be professional steam cleaned at a minimum of once a year but I recommend every 3-6 months to keep them fresh. Think about this, carpet is your largest air filter in your home. You wouldn’t not change your filter in your AC unit right? So why wouldn’t you keep your carpet clean?
Is Air Movement Necessary?
During a professional carpet cleaning process the use of Air Movers is ideal. The reason is to help expedite the drying time. Ceiling fans are a perfect option to help speed up the drying time. I always liked to have a couple fans in the house while I worked so that by the time I left the carpet was nearly dry. Not all situations warrant air movers but they certainly are helpful when cleaning. Simply put, run ceiling fans if you have them and you will dry the carpet faster.
What Is Carpet Protector?
At UpFront Carpet Care we utilize a special blend of Fluoropolymers created by CTI specifically for our company to protect your carpets fibers. It’s important to apply carpet protection after every cleaning to ensure that your carpet stays cleaner longer. What carpet protection does is coat the fibers and it’s dye sites to help prevent staining.
New carpet fresh from the factory already has a form of carpet protector on it. I recommend applying stain protection even to new carpet however to ensure that you have the best carpet protection possible present.
The chemistry of our Carpet Protector alters the molecular charge on the carpet fibers to prevent stains and soil from sticking to the fibers. This results in the highest level of protection from spills and tracked in soils.
I have seen shady carpet cleaners apply just water instead of applying carpet protection. If you do opt to purchase this treatment I recommend having the carpet cleaning technician show you the product they use and watch them mix the product to guarantee you are getting what you paid for. It is simply too easy for a cleaner to lie and say they applied something they clearly did not.
Why Choose UpFront Carpet Care For Carpet Cleaning Katy TX?
When hiring a Carpet Cleaning Katy TX service it’s easy to base your decision solely on price. At UpFront Carpet Care we not only offer an affordable price but an excellent value for the price you pay. If you are ever not happy with our service we will come back out at no charge. If you’re still not happy we will refund your purchase.
