Myth #1: You
should wait as long as possible before cleaning
your carpet.
NO! Dirt is an abrasive, like sandpaper. Every
time you step on the carpet, you grind dirt into
your 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 carpet. Frequent vacuuming
extends the wear of your carpet but that’s not
good enough. The longer you wait to have your
carpet cleaned, the more damage you do to your
carpet and the faster if wears out.
Myth #2: The only
reason to clean carpets is to get out the dirt.
No. Outdoor air contains pollens, fungus,
bacteria, air pollution, cigarette smoke, car
exhaust and hundreds of other chemicals. When
you and your family come into your home, you
carry those pollens, bacteria and chemicals in
your hair and on your skin, clothing and shoes.
Not surprisingly, all those chemicals, pollens,
and bacteria wind up -- you guessed it -- in
your carpet.
If you have allergies, asthma, emphysema, or
other breathing problems -- one major source of
your problem could be the pollens, fungus, and
chemicals in your carpet.
In
addition, as you may know, tobacco smoke
contains over 4000 different chemical compounds,
43 of which cause cancer. And even if you don’t
smoke, those chemicals get on your shoes, you
track them into your home and you leave them in
your carpet.
If
you’re sensitive to cigarette smoke, you might
find that you’ll breathe easier after you hire a
professional carpet cleaner to get those harmful
chemicals out of your carpet.
Myth #3: One
method of carpet cleaning is as good as another.
Our company feels that hot water extraction is
the best method for cleaning carpets. Hot water
cleaning solution, under high pressure, is
forced into the carpet and then sucked out of
the carpet. Shaw Industries, the worlds largest
carpet manufacturer, recommends hot water
extraction and you can choose from two different
types: Portable extraction, which is done with a
small machine, or Truck Mount extraction which
means the large cleaning machine is mounted in a
truck or van. PRO-TEC Carpet Care has both
machines; our smaller portable machine even has
its own heater to heat the water to the same
temperature as our larger machine.
No
question, the most effective way to clean
carpeting is with a hot-water unit. It’s the
most powerful way to clean your carpet of dirt,
harmful bacteria, fungus, chemicals, pollens and
tobacco residue.
Some people believe that hot water damages your
carpet, but this isn’t true. By washing and then
rinsing your carpet with hot water, we clean
your carpet completely -- in the same way the
person who showers, then rinses off the dirt and
soap, will be much cleaner than the person who
takes only a sponge bath.
Myth # 4: Having
the right equipment is all a company needs to
clean your carpets properly.
Not true. Many companies own hot-water cleaners
-- but employees don’t always know how to use
the equipment. That’s why its important that you
choose your carpet cleaner carefully, preferably
one who is IICRC* certified. A carpet cleaning
professional with years of experience, who has a
thorough knowledge of carpet fibers, and
understands the chemistry of cleaning compounds,
is the one you should hire.
Myth #5: All
truck-mount carpet cleaning companies use the
same process, so choose the company offering the
lowest price for its services.
The price you see offered may not be for the
services you want performed. You may want more
or less, perhaps, than the offer: for example --
if you want the carpet cleaner to do a quickie
job which removes only some of the dirt, you can
choose from hundreds of companies that use small
shampooers or other cleaning methods.
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 you need to hire a
company that uses a hot water cleaner mounted in
a truck.
Another point -- the price you see advertised
may not be the price you pay. Many homeowners
have learned that the low price they saw
advertised was not the amount they were charged.
And if you’ve ever hired a carpet cleaner, you
too may have been the victim of false or
misleading advertising. You probably learned the
hard way that some carpet cleaners offer a cheap
price--usually between $3.95 and $9.95 per
room--and then pressure you into paying a lot
more once they get inside your home.
Then you’ll find other carpet cleaners --
professionals like our company who keep abreast
of all the current improvement in the industry
and continually attend classes and seminars to
learn how to better serve you, our customer.
PRO-TEC Carpet Care, as part of improving our
profession, has dedicated its business to
educating the public. The only way you, the
consumer, can make an intelligent decision is to
have all the facts you need. Through business
expos (such as the Kern Valley Expo 99), columns
in the local newspaper, and reports such as
this, you can make wise and economical
decisions.
Myth #6: Any
honest carpet cleaning company should be able to
give you an exact quote over the phone.
We
wish this were true, but it isn’t. Consumers
often think that if they want to clean four
rooms and the price is $15 per room, then the
price will be $60. But this isn’t always true.
You’ll be glad to know that the carpet area to
be cleaned is not nearly as great as most people
think. For example, if you want your entire home
cleaned and your home is 1200 square feet, the
amount of carpeting to be cleaned might be only
700 square feet. This is because most home
measurements are outdoor measurements, plus we
deduct the area taken up by walls, room dividers
and the like. The result is that the actual area
to be cleaned is usually only about 60% of the
square footage of the home. So even though we
may not be able to give you an exact quote over
the telephone, here are items we consider when
quoting a price:
First, the type of carpet. Certain types are
harder to clean than others.
Second, the amount of soiling. Carpet that
hasn’t been cleaned in the last year or two will
take longer to clean.
Third, the amount of hand edging around any
objects which cannot be reached by the cleaning
wand; we get into every nook and crannie, around
edges of cabinets and hard to reach corners.
Now you can see why every quotation is
different.
In
summary -- if you want your carpet and
upholstery to be completely and thoroughly
cleaned, then we invite you to call us. We will
be happy to answer your questions, provide you a
cost estimate over the phone, or come into your
home and give you a free written quotation,
without obligation of any kind.
* IICRC - Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and
Restoration Certification
