As part of our continuing effort to educate and inform the public about carpet cleaning and the industry itself, we are more than happy to provide the following information.

On this page, you will find the SIX Common Misconceptions people have about carpet cleaning, our THREE Suggestions regarding carpet cleaning and the SEVEN Questions you should ALWAYS ask when considering a carpet cleaning company.

Six Common Misconceptions About Carpet Cleaning

#1 You should wait as long as possible before cleaning your carpet.

Unfortunately no. Dirt is an abrasive, like sandpaper. Every time you step on your carpet, you grind dirt into the carpet fibers. This cuts your carpet, just as if you had used a knife, causing it to wear out faster. A dirty carpet will not last nearly as long as a clean one. And while vacuuming helps — by itself it's simply not enough. The longer you wait to have your carpet professionally cleaned, the more damage you do to your carpet and the faster it wears out.

#2 The only reason to clean carpets is to get out the dirt.

There are an infinite number of health-related reasons why it is vital to have your carpets professionally cleaned. Click here to read more about the health benefits of a clean carpet.

#3: One method of carpet cleaning is as good as another.

No. You can choose from two primary methods: Dry Cleaning or Hot Water Extraction. Most people believe that dry cleaning your carpet is like dry cleaning your clothing. This is simply not true.

ALL carpet cleaning methods use water in one from or another. Here are the three methods of dry cleaning carpet.

Dry Foam
When a carpet cleaner uses dry foam, he applies shampoo to your carpet, allows it to dry and then sucks the dried shampoo into a vacuum. Can you imagine applying shampoo to your hair, allowing it to dry and then removing the shampoo from your head with a vacuum???!! This method can leave a residue in your carpet, which is one reason dry foam is not very effective.

Dry Chem
The dry chem method is similar to dry foam. The major difference is that when dry chem is used, the company sets a large cotton bonnet on your carpet. Using a machine, the bonnet spins from side to side, absorbing the dirt that's in the carpet. After the bonnet is saturated with dirt, another cotton bonnet is applied. Think of it this way: Bonnet cleaning is like trying to use a large towel to rub the dirt out of your carpet. Like dry foam, it's not very effective.

Dry Compund
The dry-compound method spreads an absorbent mixture that looks very much like someone cut some trees down in your home, then it rained all over your carpets; in other words, wet sawdust. A machine brushes this mixture into your carpet, which in theory causes dirt to absorb into the mixture. When the mixture has dried, a vacuum cleaner sucks the material out of the carpeting. Because the carpet is not rinsed in any way, this method is not very effective.

The second carpet cleaning method is called Hot Water Extraction.

This is the preferred choice of most professionals. CarpetClean and more… is proud to offer this form of cleaning.

A misconception about Hot Water Extraction is that hot water damages your carpet, but this is not true. By washing and then rinsing your carpet with hot water, we clean your carpet completely — in the same way that the person who showers and then rinses off the dirt and soap will be much cleaner than the person who takes only a sponge bath.

#4: Having the right equipment is all a company needs to clean your carpets properly.

Anybody can purchase the equipment. That's the easy part. The hard part is learning how to use it. All of our technicians are IICRC certified. The Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification is the world's most recognized certification organization for carpet and upholstery cleaners. We hold a Master Cleaner Designation, which is the highest designation possible for professional carpet cleaners. Leading carpet manufacturers recommend only firms certified by the IICRC.

#5: The company that offers the lowest price is the company you should hire.

Not necessarily. Here are two important points to consider.

Point #1: The price you see offered may not be for the services you want and need. Before you select a company, decide what you want to accomplish. If you want the carpet cleaning company to remove only some of the dirt, you can choose from hundreds of companies that use small shampooers or other cleaning methods. Or, you can even rent a machine at the grocery store and do the job yourself.

On the other hand, if you want your carpet thoroughly cleaned — if you want to remove the harmful dirt, bacteria, pollens, chemicals and tobacco residues — then price should not be the ONLY factor. You need to hire a company that uses a hot water cleaner mounted in a truck. This is the only way to ensure that your carpet remains healthy and free from dirt, disease-causing bacteria, and harmful chemicals. So remember that the price you see offered may not be for the services you want or need.

Point #2: The price you see advertised may not be the price you pay. Many homeowners have learned the hard way that the low price they saw advertised was not the same price they ultimately paid.

Unfortunately this industry is rife with unscrupulous companies. Offering dirt-cheap (no pun intended) prices — usually between $3.95 and $9.95 per room — and then pressuring you into paying a lot more for services you simply do not need once they get inside your home. Some of them may even break the law by using illegal bait and switch tactics.

As in all businesses and professions, the carpet cleaning industry has its share of bad apples. I take no pleasure in telling you this, but some are unethical -- and, sadly, a few are dishonest. By their misleading advertising and false promises, they cast a dark shadow on our entire industry.

#6: Any honest and reputable carpet cleaning company will be able to give you an exact price quote over the telephone.

If it were only that easy, but unfortunately it isn't. Consumers often think that if they want to clean four rooms and the advertised price is $6 per room, then the price will be $24. But this isn't always true. Honest & reputable carpet cleaning companies will usually factor in the square footage of the room(s) to be cleaned.

Don’t worry if you can't rattle of the square footage of the room(s) you want cleaned. You have enough to deal with day in and day out.

We will gladly come to your home or office and conduct our free, no-hassle audit . We will gather all pertinent information which will allow us to provide you a detailed quote in regards to how much it will cost to have your home or office cleaned.

In addition to the square footage, here are the other factors we need to consider when quoting a price to clean your carpets:

Type of carpet. Certain types of carpet are harder to clean than others.

Amount of soiling. Carpet that hasn't been cleaned for ten years will take longer to clean than carpet that was cleaned within the last six months.

Amount of furniture that has to be moved. If we have to move your furniture, the bid will include a cost associated with the labor to move the furniture. By all means if you want to move your own furniture, you'll save money!

Every single aspect of a quote is gone over and agreed upon before any work will commence. We want you to fully understand how we arrived at the price quoted and will answer any questions or concerns. And we will NEVER push you or "encourage" you to get additional service you do not need.

Three Suggestions:

#1: Make a commitment to yourself to get your carpets cleaned. The longer they remain dirty, the sooner they'll wear out. Plus the longer you have to breathe all the pollens, fungus, chemicals and dust mites that live in your carpet.

#2: Ask yourself the following questions -
Do I want only the dirt removed, something I could do myself with a rented machine — Or do I want the harmful bacteria, fungus, chemicals, etc. removed? Do I want to work with an honest, reputable company — or am I willing to risk working with a company that offers me the lowest price — knowing that company might not be in business tomorrow.

#3: Once you're satisfied that you're working with an honest, competent professional, invite them into your home and ask for a specific quotation in writing. A written quotation gives you the assurance that you know exactly what your job will cost —no surprises.

By following these Three Suggestions, you'll gain all the information you need to make an informed, intelligent decision.

Seven Questions

It's just like we were taught as children. The best way to get an answer is to ask a question. Here are the questions we recommend you ask of ANY carpet cleaning company:

1. What method of carpet cleaning do you recommend?
2. What type of equipment do you use to clean carpet?
3. What does your equipment remove from my carpet?
4. How often should I get my carpets cleaned?
5. What training have you had in cleaning carpets?
6. Are you a member of any trade associations and, if so, which ones?
7. Do you guarantee your work in writing? Allow me to answer that last question in regards to CarpetClean and more…

HAPPINESS GUARANTEED… or it's FREE!

We guarantee ALL of our work. That's right. We fully guarantee every carpet and upholstery cleaning job we do. If you are not happy with our work, we will re-clean the carpeting or upholstery for FREE.

If you still are not pleased, you pay NOTHING. Not one cent.

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