With all of the talk about indoor air quality these days, one thing many people do not think about is having their carpets cleaned on a regular basis. Not only should your carpets be cleaned every six to twelve months, but you should have this service performed by a reputable, IICRC certified professional carpet cleaning company.



The first, and possibly most important reason to have your carpets cleaned regularly, is the health of you and your family. Carpets tend to retain a large amount of particulate matter. This is the unhealthy tiny particles of dust and dirt which float around in the air of all residential dwellings. While it is true that regular vacuuming will help to control this problem, with time the build-up of this "indoor pollution" becomes increasingly more difficult for your vacuum cleaner to remove.

There is also the issue of dust mites. Dust mites are a common problem in most homes, and can be the cause of many allergy problems. As more dust, dirt, dust mites, and debris build up in the carpet fibers, a professional extraction is the only way to remove all of the contaminates which have accumulated over a period of time.

Many people purchase home steam cleaning machines. While these machines are effective for quick removal of spills and spots, they are not effective for whole room (wall to wall) carpet cleaning or removing contaminates. In fact, over time, these machines tend to do much more harm than good to both your carpets, and your indoor air quality.

The proper method of cleaning carpets is never fully explained to the homeowner. The lack of understanding the science of carpet cleaning leads to overwetting, and a build-up of residue on your carpets. The excess water can cause mold and mildew, and the residue tends to re-attract new dirt very quickly.

Because these machines are mass produced to be affordable to the homeowner, they are not capable of extracting all of the water which they release onto your carpets. This is what leads to overwetting, and possible mold and mildew issues.

In order for these manufacturers to make a home steam cleaning machine that works effectively, the end result would be a machine that costs the consumer well over $1,000! They probably would not sell many machines at that price.

In order to keep the end cost reasonable, these machines are essentially vacuum cleaners with liquid jet sprayers attached to them. They are only capable of extracting a small amount of the liquid which they release onto your carpets. This leads to two problems.

First, you are left with large amounts of water soaked into your padding. Second, this excess water takes a large percentage of the dirt and allergens deep down into the carpet with it. Over time your carpets start to become "dulled over" from the dirt build-up. We get many calls from homeowners who have experienced this problem.

Professional extraction equipment is very expensive, and is made to extract dirt and residues from deep within the carpet fibers, all the way to the backing of your carpet. We have had experiences where we literally pull up mud as a result of large amounts of dirt being pushed down through carpet. This is a direct result of repeated cleanings with a home steam machine.

The machines which you rent at your local grocery store are even worse for your carpets, and your health! They are not cleaned or maintained on a regular basis, and typically have more germs in them than a non-flushed toilet! We have found that people usually rent these machines when they want to clean something which they prefer not to clean with equipment that they own. You can use your imagination on that one!

You are also left with the residue problem, because, again, you are not given any instruction on the proper way to clean a carpet. The shampoo must be rinsed from the carpet fibers with a quality "acidic" rinse. Otherwise, you will most likely experience a rapid re-soiling problem from the leftover shampoo residue.

If your carpet is under warranty, your warranty specifically states that you must have your carpets cleaned within a certain time frame, usually 12 to 24 months. This must be done by an IICRC certified company, using the hot water extraction method.

If you are having your carpets cleaned for warranty reasons, make sure that the company you choose is certified by the Institute for Inspection, Cleaning, and Repair Certification (IICRC), and that they use the hot water extraction method. It is important for you to know "do-it-yourself" cleanings, and dry cleaning methods will not uphold your warranty! This could end up being a very costly mistake.

So remember, it is very important to have your carpets cleaned on a regular basis by a professional, certified company that uses the hot water extraction method of cleaning. It is well worth the few extra dollars it will cost, as opposed to doing it yourself. Do not take a chance on voiding your warranty and ruining your carpets.

You need to have deep, hot water extraction with professional equipment, by a certified company. This will greatly reduce the risk of mold, mildew, and rapid re-soiling. This will also keep your warranty in tact, should you ever need to use it!