Before You Hire A Carpet Cleaner Read This!

Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake#1

Choosing a carpet cleaner based on equipment alone.

 No question, your carpet cleaner needs first-rate equipment. But he also needs something else. He needs employees who are skilled at operating that equipment. Many companies own hot water extractors, but very few companies teach their employees how to use them properly. The best way to know that the carpet cleaner’s employees have been properly trained is to make sure the cleaner has been certified by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC). Before you choose a carpet cleaner, ask to see written proof of the company’s and the technician’s IICRC certification.

MISTAKE #2:

Low price could be a problem in three ways:

 (1) Low price can be the bait that attracts your phone call. But once the cleaner gets into your home, he pressures you into a much more expensive job. (2) Low price can be for single-process cleaning. Rarely does the consumer know what this means and, when told, asks s for dual process cleaning instead, which costs much more. (3) Low price means the carpet cleaner has cheap equipment, which will not effectively clean your carpet.

MISTAKE #3:

Choosing a carpet cleaner based on a single telephone call.

Instead, invite the person to your home and ask for a specific written quotation. Then you’ll know exactly what the carpet cleaner recommends – and you won’t be the victim of high-pressure tactics when the technician steps into your living room.

What to Expect from a Good Cleaning Company

Knowing what questions to ask is essential in avoiding problems. The Institute of

Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification is a non-profit certification body

that sets and promotes high standards and technical proficiency within the cleaning

industry.

Here’s what they say you should expect:

•

 No hidden costs. Expect itemized costs for services and firm prices before

technicians begin each portion of the work sold. Consumers should never feel

pressured to accept anything more than the services they request.

• Customer satisfaction. Cleaning firms should offer workmanship guarantees in

writing.

•

Vacuuming. The cleaner should start by vacuuming high traffic and open

areas where soils accumulate.

• Moving furniture. Unless clearly specified, moving of most furniture to clean

carpet underneath should be considered part of the normal cleaning job.

•

 Spot-cleaning. Special attention to spots is included in normal job

performance. However, time-consuming specialized spotting may incur an

additional charge. Customers should be advised of additional charges before

extensive spotting procedures are undertaken.

•

 Preconditioning. Special treatment with “preconditioning” agents in heavily

soiled entry, traffic and general areas should be included in the cost of the

cleaning.

•

 Minimal drying time. It is the cleaner’s responsibility to ensure that the

carpet is dried and returned to normal use within a reasonable time frame.

The amount of time required for drying will vary with different methods, the

degree of soiling and the aggressiveness of cleaning necessary. But under no

circumstances should drying require more than 24 hours with proper

ventilation. However, the consumer’s cooperation in providing continuous air

flow and/or ventilation to expedite drying cannot be overemphasized.

NORMAL VS. SPECIAL

There should be no differentiation between a “normal” cleaning job and “special”

cleaning job. Cleaning is cleaning. Diligent effort must be made to remove as much

soil as possible from the carpet. And technicians must take steps to leave fibres as

residue-free as possible to prevent accelerated resoling.

Do not expect an exact price quote over the phone. Honest, reputable carpet

cleaning companies almost never price carpet cleaning by the room. Carpet cleaning

is usually priced by the square foot; if you’d like to know the exact cost, you need to

know the exact number of square feet you want cleaned. To get an accurate

measurement, cleaners should use a measuring wheel or tape measure to calculate

the exact size of the carpet area.

Other variables affect the price as well:

• The type of carpet. Some are harder to clean than others.

• The amount of soiling. Carpet that hasn’t been cleaned for 10 years will take

longer to clean than carpet that was cleaned within the past six months.

• The amount of furniture that must be moved. In many cases, if you move

your furniture, you’ll save money.

DIFFERENT METHODS AVAILABLE

In shopping around for a cleaner, you’ll find out that there are several different

cleaning methods offered. Obviously, each company will be biased toward their own

method. And each method does have advantages. But most carpet manufacturers

recommend only hot water extraction cleaning (steam cleaning), so check your warranty before

making a final decision.