There are many times where you should forgo doing something yourself and hire a professional, and carpet cleaning is in that arena. You don't want to create more damage, so it is best to leave it to the experts. Here are several things to ask any company before you go into business with them.
You may want to move furniture yourself before the carpet cleaning company arrives. While some companies do this free, many do charge a fee if you ask them to do it for you. As expensive as carpet cleaning can get, you will want to do whatever you can to save.
Be wary of any carpet cleaning service that charges you per room for their services. Every room is not the same size, so it is not logical for them to offer this type of pricing. The only time this is acceptable is if it is offered at this rate as a promotion.
When hiring a carpet cleaning company, make sure you do some research and find one that has a good reputation. Talk to your friends and family to find one who worked for them. That is a good place to start. If you do not know anyone who has used a carpet cleaning company, search online for reviews from others who have used a service in the past.
When you see that there is a stain on your rug, do not wait to clean it off. The best chance that you have to get a stain before it sets into your rug is within the first few minutes of the occurrence. This will help you keep your carpet from acquiring permanent marks.
Ask which cleaning products will be used by the company. Are they environmentally friendly? Are they safe to use around children and pets? Do they work on pet odors or stains? Are the the appropriate choice for the type of carpeting you have? Are they known to trigger allergies or asthma?
Coffee stains everything it touches. Blot spilled coffee from your carpet immediately with an absorbent dry cloth. Apply a solution of one quart warm water, one teaspoon mild fabric detergent and 1 teaspoon white vinegar to the spill. After this solution dries completely, apply carpet cleaning chemical. Allow the treated area to dry before vacuuming.
When selecting a vacuum for your carpet, purchase a product that has a good reputation. Trying to save money on cleaning products will only cost you in the long run with the money that you will have to spend on new carpets. Test the product in your house to determine if it fits the bill.
Companies that do carpet cleaning normally charge by the square foot. In order to make sure that you are not paying any more than you should, measure the area you plan to have cleaned ahead of time. If the figure quoted is much higher than you expected, you are probably dealing with a shady company.
Pouring water over stains will make them appear lighter but it will also cause them to sink deeper into the carpet. The best thing to do is blot the stain and scrub it with some water and vinegar or with a cleaning product. You should pour water on your carpet only to rinse out the cleaning products.
Even if you are good at keeping your carpet clean yourself, a regular steam-cleaning has its benefits. Steam cleaning your carpet cleans it more thoroughly than many other methods, like cleaning by hand. It also kills bacteria that are residing in the carpet fibers. This will eliminate carpet odors.
The larger the engine for the carpet cleaning machine, the most suction that it has. In order to truly clean carpets, you must have a great deal of suction to pull out the dirt deep in the rugs. If your carpet cleaner uses a machine that they can carry, there is no way they are getting the suction that they need.
There are many people that fail to ask the right questions when it comes to having work done on their home. You don't want to end up with a larger problem than you had to begin with. The questions here are a good way to figure out if the carpet cleaning company you are considering is worth it.