Before you set about hiring carpet-cleaning services, you just might want take the following considerations into mind. What may appear to be a simple job can actually end up being a royal pain in the butt if you're not careful? What are we talking about? We're talking about things like your health, your carpet's warranty, and maintenance.
A Brief but Important Warning
We don't mean to scare you, but if you suffer from allergies, ask your contractor or carpet cleaning service about the kind of shampoo that will be used to clean your floor. If you haven't heard or learned about Kawasaki Syndrome before, now's a good time to do it!
In short, Kawasaki Syndrome, a lethal disease in small children might be linked to the chemicals (shampoo) use to clean carpets. Nothing is crystal-clear on the subject however reports have shown that children (five years old and younger) who developed this disease were near a carpet cleaner in use.
You can learn more about this disease by asking your doctor and by checking your family history. If there's no trace of this illness in your family tree, you can most likely forget about it - although if you or someone in your home is prone to allergens, you really should make arrangements to leave the area that's being cleaned.
Not only is this healthy for you and your family, it's convenient for the carpet cleaning service that's shampooing your floors!
Work with Your Carpet's Warranty
For the most part, the majority of homeowners largely ignore a carpet's warranty. But a warranty exists for very good reason - and that's longevity. If you want your carpet to last and you want to keep it looking new for years to come, read the warranty and ask your contractor if he's familiar with its warnings.
A carpet's warranty may specify when it should be cleaned, how it should be cleaned, and how often it should be cleaned (not to mention, the appropriate way to remove stubborn stains). This is because the carpet's fibers respond best to specific chemicals, treatments, and/or processes.
Your carpet cleaning service - being the professionals that they are - will know what the information in that warranty means better than you will so it really is in your best interest to discuss it.
Maintaining the Work of Carpet Cleaning Services
After your hired crew has done a beautiful job in cleaning your carpet, follow instructions on how to keep it looking beautiful until it's time for another cleaning. Don't make the mistake of using your carpet until it has dried within the time specified by your carpet cleaning services. Don't replace your furniture or allow pets to enter the room until you've been given the 'ok.'
These instructions aren't meant to inconvenience you - they're actually meant to prevent carpet mold growth and mildew. Any carpet cleaning services will tell you that mold and mildew isn't easy to get rid of and its removal requires the use of some pretty strong and dangerous chemicals!
When I contemplated putting my home on the market a couple of years ago I realized once again just how important carpeting is. Carpeting adds warmth and comfort to a home and makes it look and feel cozy. The color and style of carpeting complements furniture, wall coverings, and the overall look of rooms, halls, and every other part of a house. I also realized again how important carpet cleaning is. And furniture cleaning. The dust and stains sneak up on you, and before you know it, cleaning everything has become a major project.
I am actually pretty good with cleaning. I vacuum the entire house from top to bottom every week or two. I also do all the furniture and upholstery and my house almost always looks neat and clean. But sometimes life gets in the way and before you know it, you've fallen behind and things look a bit grungy. Kids tend to spill things. And while my three cats are pretty good, accidents happen and pet stain removal is a fact of life. The cats are well trained and always use the litter box, so urine and odor removal isn't much of an issue, but they certainly shed a lot. Sometimes I am surprised they have any fur left.
Tile cleaning is another issue. I don't know how tile can get so dirty and grimy, but it does. My kitchen is all tile, so that's a lot of area to keep clean, and then there are the bathrooms. It just never stops.
The answer, of course, is to call in the professionals. There's nothing to keep a house neat and clean and fresh smelling like a good steam cleaning! I have mine done fairly frequently and I just love the clean look and feel and smell when the service is done. The costs are fairly reasonable, and sometimes I wonder why not more people take advantage of carpet cleaners, especially since many services also do fabric cleaning, tile cleaning and other special cleaning tasks.
Problem is, when it comes to picking a carpet cleaning service, it's not just a matter of price, it's a matter of being able to trust a company. These days, you don't let just anyone into your house; the risks of theft, personality and otherwise, are just too great. And there are too many reports of incompetent or careless steam cleaning outfits that often do more damage than good. Unfortunately, this is a business that attracts folks who just want to make a quick buck, and as a result, few steam-cleaning outfits make it past five years or so.
Fortunately, that doesn't go for all of them. My service has been in business for almost twenty years. No business can survive and prosper for that long without word of mouth and a record of reliability, honesty and good work. You can see that kind of work ethic in all parts of a business. Steam cleaning, for example, isn't as simple as it seems. Different carpets may require different treatment. Different stains require different kinds of treatment. And the proper and safe use of cleaning chemicals is mandatory. That means expertise and training, and my service has it. Those guys always know what they're doing. Yours should, too. Don't expect anything less. When it comes to carpet cleaning and furniture cleaning.
Both Paulglover & Chris Robertson are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
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