Carpet Cleaning 101: Everything You Should Know

If you have a lot of carpeting in your home you no doubt are aware of the need to keep it clean. Just like periodic tile floor cleaning and hard surface cleaning are necessary upkeep, your home's carpeting requires maintenance. On a day-to-day basis that means vacuuming in order to remove surface dirt and debris and perhaps the occasional spot stain treatment using a commercially available stain removal product. But there's more you should know about cleaning your carpets. Below we're going to go over six things of those things as well as what you should expect from carpet cleaning services.

Six Carpet Cleaning Facts

Whether you're about to have your carpets professionally cleaned or already have and now have questions, here are six things you should know about the process and its aftermath.

1. Pre-vacuum - The carpet cleaning service should do a thorough pre-vacuuming of your carpets prior to the actual cleaning. This is so that dirt, pet hair, pollen and other contaminants don't turn into a kind of super-mud that gets ground into the base of the carpet during the cleaning process. If the carpet cleaners don't start by vacuuming your carpets something is not right and you need to ask them about it.
2. Not all carpet and rug cleaning systems are created equal - While most carpet cleaning services use some type of manually operated shampooing machine to clean your carpets, Steve's goes the extra mile. Our truck-mounted steam cleaning machine goes beyond what any simple shampooing machine can do. It also doesn't leave behind gallons of residue that take hours and hours to dry afterward, since most effluence is vacuumed up and returned to disposal tanks in the truck.
3. Stain removal - Professional carpet cleaning services should be able to remove most stains during the cleaning process. At Steve's Carpet Care & Restoration, the truck-mounted steam cleaning machine we mentioned scours your carpet right down to the base of the pile, lifting out some of the most stubborn stains you may have. That said, customers need to be aware that some stains will not respond to any type of chemical cleaning solution or steam cleaning. While such stains are rare, they do sometimes occur.
4. That smell - Many homeowners are taken back in the immediate aftermath of carpet cleaning by an odor that smells like a thousand wet dogs. (Okay, maybe 2 or 3 wet dogs.) They fear that this will be the new normal for their home. Fortunately, their fears are unfounded. That wet dog smell is actually the result of certain gases that are released from the wool in the carpet after the fiber gets wet. Once the carpet dries thoroughly the smell will dissipate. Keep in mind too that if your carpet does not contain wool fibers you should not smell wet dogs in the living room.
5. Your stain protection should continue to work - Many carpet manufacturers apply stain resisting chemicals to their carpets. Some homeowners wonder if having their carpets professionally cleaned will remove this stain protection along with the dirt and grime. The answer is that it shouldn't. While it's impossible to state flatly that in every case, the stain protection will emerge unscathed, the fact is that normal traffic on the carpet will typically do more damage to the stain protection than will shampooing or steam cleaning.
6. The carpet should be groomed - In cases where carpet cleaning services use standard shampooing machines to clean your carpet they should follow up the cleaning with grooming of the carpet. Because standard shampooing machines leave behind so much moisture grooming helps to separate the fibers so they can dry a bit faster. It also helps to ensure the pile is all aligned in the same direction. If the carpet cleaners don't groom the carpet it may wind up being flatter than before with the pile falling over to the side rather than standing up. The longer drying period may also open the door to molds taking root.

Why You Should Have Your Carpets Steam Cleaned

The truck-mounted steam cleaning machine we employ at Steve's Carpet Care provides numerous benefits other methods of cleaning simply can't touch.

• Eliminates dust mites - Dust mites are microscopic parasites that thrive by eating the dead skin we all shed. Dust mites in turn shed skin of their own and this material is known to cause allergic reactions and respiratory distress. Having your carpets steam cleaned will put an end to the dust mite dynasty that's taken over your carpeting.
• Removes molds and bacteria - Molds are opportunistic microbes that float on the wind seeking out moist places to build a home. Damp carpeting turns out to be an ideal place for them because they can bury themselves deep in the pile and not have to worry about being discovered. But mold spores can create all types of respiratory distress and can, in some case, be fatal when inhaled. Our truck-mounted steam cleaning process will eliminate harmful mold and bacteria in your carpeting.
• Boosts your home value - The cleaner and healthier your home, the greater its market value should you ever decide to sell. Steve's steam cleaning process provides a deeper level of clean than most other Boulder carpet cleaning services can provide.

Truck-Mounted Carpet Cleaners: What are the Benefits?

When carpets are cleaned, some form of equipment will inevitably need to be used to achieve the desired end goals, but there's not just a single option; in fact there are many. A truck-mounted carpet cleaner is one such option that firms specializing in carpet cleaning in Westminster, CO make use of to restore the appearance of their clients' carpets and prolong their lifespan. As the name rather suggests, this machine will typically be attached to either the floor of the van itself or to a trailer, and these cleaning systems generally have hot water running through them in order to "steam clean" the carpet. Concealed inside the firm's van, if you speak to any contractor in Boulder that specializes in the cleaning of carpets, oriental rugs or upholstery, they will likely tell you that a truck-mounted system offers many benefits over other equipment intended for these purposes.

The Different Types of Truck-Mounted Carpet Cleaners

In general there are a couple of different types of truck-mounted carpet cleaning systems - slide-in truck-mounted cleaners and van powered carpet cleaners. The first option features its own engine and therefore powers itself, and is sited inside its own frame, which is then bolted onto the floor of the van. The main advantage with this type of system is that it can be used in a wide variety of different vehicles and can even be transferred from one to another. Van powered systems actually utilize the vehicle's engine to power the unit and are generally more compact in design so take up less space.

The Benefits that Truck-Mounted Carpet Cleaners Offer

Regardless of whether a carpet cleaning firm uses a slide in model or a van powered model, these systems offer several significant advantages over portable carpet cleaners, which you would be well advised to learn about. Here are some of the main points to consider:

• Capable of Achieving High Water Temperatures - The temperature of the water used during carpet cleaning is extremely important and the general rule is that the hotter this water is, the better. Water that is heated to extremely high temperatures will cause the reaction between the cleaning solution and the dirt and grime on the carpet to take place quicker, helping break it down at a molecular level so it can be removed and the carpet fibers can be cleansed. One of the most significant advantages that truck-mounted steam cleaners offer is the ability to heat water to over 200 degrees, which is far hotter than is achievable with even the best portable carpet cleaning machine.
• Less Risk of "Accidents" Taking Place - Even the best carpet cleaning contractors can accidentally spill cleaning solution or dirty water when trying to fill and empty the machine, which could lead to nasty stains on your carpet - the exact thing you were trying to avoid by hiring the contractor in the first place. This risk is considerably lower with a truck-mounted steam cleaning unit, since everything is located outside of your home inside the firm's truck and the capacity of these machines is nearly always far greater than that of a portable machine. Usually the only thing that will need to pass over the threshold of your home is a hose and a cleaning wand.
• Extremely Quick and Easy in Operation - Think about it for a second. If the company that you hire to get your carpets looking like-new utilizes a portable carpet cleaning device, they will have to unload all the equipment from their van, as well as the solutions and anything else necessary, before properly setting them up in your home. However, with a truck-mounted system, everything is ready to go, so the contractor can begin cleaning shortly after arriving at your home, meaning they'll take less of your time up to get the job done and you won't have to wait around all day and make significant changes to your normal routine. Packing up again after the work is done is equally as quick and easy.
• More Power - As well as being able to heat the water to significantly higher temperatures, the additional power that these unit have means that they are able to provide a much more consistent flow of water, as well as a stronger level of suction, which ensures the best possible cleaning job is done and your carpets are returned to "like new" condition. These advantages will also mean that your carpets will dry a lot quicker than they would do if a portable machine had been used to clean them.

Steam cleaning is generally considered to be the most effective way to clean both carpets and rugs, as well as upholstery and tapestry and most manufacturers of these products highly recommend it over other types of cleaning. Many Longmont-area residents that are not familiar with the cleaning of these items are often concerned that exposure to extremely hot water could actually damage the individual fibers, but that isn't true and once the entire cleaning treatment is complete, you carpet will not only look better, but it will smell better too. If you live in Boulder, CO, or any of the surrounding areas, and you're interested in having your carpets professionally cleaned (read here about the benefits of doing so), then get in touch with our team. We've helped to maintain and protect carpets in hundreds of residential and commercial properties over the years and have the skills, expertise and equipment necessary to do the same for you.