Hire a Professional Carpet Cleaner or do it yourself?

Hire a Professional Carpet Cleaner or do it yourself?

Cleaning your carpet must be done, but is it worth the hassle to save a few dollars? Will you get the same results if you do-it-yourself? This article takes a look at why hiring professionals, like Pro Floor Restore, may be the way to go! However, if you decide to do-it-yourself, we will give you tips on the best way to go about it and things you should avoid.

We all know that vacuum cleaning can remove the majority of dry soil, but it is also recommended that you clean your carpet on a fairly frequent basis to remove that sticky, oily soil that builds up in the fibers as a result of various odors and dirt that is tracked in from outside. If you can, clean the carpet before it becomes too bad. This way the cleaning chore will be easier to do and a lot more successful.

You may have heard that cleaning your carpeting before it really becomes necessary will cause it to get dirtier much faster ... well, this is just a myth! But, the choice of the right cleaning solution is very important. Some solutions can leave residues behind, and when this happens this residue will promote re-soiling, basically defeating the whole purpose of cleaning your carpet in the first place.

Typically, the average home's carpet should be cleaned about every 18 months or so.  This will depend, of course, on the number of family members living in the home and the amount of traffic they create walking in and out of the home. Pets are yet another factor in determining how often your floors need cleaning.

Professional Carpet Cleaners: 

It is in your best interest to use an IICRC (Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification), professional, simply because their experience will enable them to do a much better job than you can do yourself. The equipment they use has more extraction power than the units available to you, and the carpet will dry faster as well. (Pro Floor Restore uses state of the art equipment and has the knowledge to use it to its highest capability. That being said, most carpets we clean are completely dry with-in 2 to 4 hours; we use fans when possible to speed the drying process. We have had carpets dry with-in 20 minutes, but normally 1 to 2 hours is all it takes.) IICRC professionals also know the correct cleaning agents to use; and they know the differences in carpet construction and fibers. The upside is that if you hire a professional cleaner that is certified through an organization like the IICRC, your carpet will be left cleaner; looking almost like new and come with a guarantee!

Cleaning Your Carpet Yourself:

If you have made the decision to rent or buy a steam cleaning machine and do the job yourself, you should check on several systems before you make a selection. Most rental units will not clean your carpet thoroughly and may actually even end up damaging your carpet.

Therefore, you should always consider the following:

* Several rental companies offer cleaning equipment that is similar to what some professionals use. The equipment should have enough vacuum power to allow the carpet to dry within 6 to 8 hours of cleaning. You should always avoid rental units found in retail and grocery stores that don't have the power to extract the cleaning solution from the carpet fast enough, as it can actually damage the carpet due to over wetting.

* Make sure you avoid over-wetting the carpet. Any prolonged dampness can lead to mildew growth and bacteria in the carpet, or cause a separation of the backing. Carpeting that remains wet for any longer than 24 hours is prone to developing problems. You can control this by using proper equipment and the right training.

* Carpets that have stain resistant treatments have to be cleaned with products that are formulated for this very purpose or the stain resistance will be impaired and the warranty will be voided. Never use cleaning or spotting solutions that contain bleaches as they can mess up the color of the carpet.

* Never use any silicone based treatments on the carpet.

* You can help to reduce the drying time by using several fans to move the air around the carpet. You can use a dehumidifier as well, as it will pull moisture from the air.

We hope this article has given you some answers to help in making your decision on whether cleaning your carpet is best left in the hands of a professional like Pro Floor Restore, an IICRC Certified Firm or whether this is something you can handle on your own. Either way...it inevitably must be done!

Steam Cleaning vs Chem Dry

Don’t Fall for the Chem-Dry Hype...

You’re looking for a carpet cleaner in the Greater Appleton area. You do a diligent search and you find a few listings for Chem-Dry services. “What the heck is that?”, you may ask yourself. You’re likely to come across pages with titles like “Chem-Dry vs Steam Cleaning” or something to that nature. If you read on, you’re likely to be convinced that the chem-dry process is the best carpet cleaning method ever devised! Not so fast. Let’s cut through the marketing hype and take a look at what is really going on.

What They Say About Steam Cleaning

Let’s break down the marketing brochure bullet points regarding steam (hot water extraction) cleaning. The chem-dry marketing brochure (which these claims come from) will state that steam cleaners use strong chemical cleaners. Absolutely! Guilty as charged! Firstly, “strong” doesn’t mean harsh and “chemical” doesn’t mean unsafe. After all, your toothpaste is a chemical (stannous fluoride). Is that unsafe? Baking soda is a chemical and is used in cleaning solutions, too! Salt? That’s a chemical as well. This is grade school chemistry, folks. Don’t believe for a minute that the industry would allow unsafe chemicals to be used in households. Besides, look at the name of this competing product: CHEM-Dry! Obviously, they use chemicals, too!

Steam Cleaning Has Long Dry Times

Another of their talking points is that steam cleaning has long dry times. That is a false statement. You can trust that your carpets will be thoroughly cleaned and will dry quickly. Drying times do depend on weather conditions, thickness of carpet, and airflow. You can find out more on our Frequently Asked Questions page.

Steam Cleaning Uses High pH Cleansers

Now we’re about to get to a point that is really misleading. The claim is that steam cleaning uses high pH cleansers. This is total nonsense. No knowledgeable cleaner will ever use anything above a pH of 10. (Neutral pH is 7.) So, if a cleaner is using a cleanser that is 7.2 pH, they can claim that it is a “high pH” cleanser. Don’t fall for it.

Steam Cleaning Promotes Stain Recurrence

Another claim is that steam cleaning promotes stain recurrence. Once again, this is assuming the cleaner does inferior work and leaves a messy, wet carpet for you. Once again, refer to the FAQ page to see about drying times. You’ll also see that you can walk on your carpet with clean shoes soon after the cleaning is finished.

Steam Cleaning Has No Green Certification

They will claim steam cleaning has no green certification. Really? Take a look at the Green Seal Certified Products that Pro Floor Restore offers. Many companies now offer quality green certified products that are formulated to meet or exceed the EPA‘s Design for the Environment program guidelines.

Fact: Steam Cleaning is the Preferred Method of Cleaning of US Carpet Manufacturers

Finally, as Pro floor Restore’s Promise to You states: steam cleaning is the preferred, accepted method of cleaning of every US carpet manufacturer. This—steam cleaning—is the method Pro Floor Restore uses.

Why Choose Us? We are an IICRC Certified Firm!!

IICRC Certified Firms have earned the right to display the IICRC logo as a symbol of quality. In order to achieve IICRC-certified status, firms must meet a rigorous list of standards in business ethics and expertise. Pro Floor Restore has met or exceeded all of these requirements!

When it comes to carpet cleaning, nothing is more important than making sure that you find someone to professionally do it for you. Why bother doing it on your own, when Pro Floor Restore will ensure that your family carpet remains clean and taken care of?

We understand how important time is for you. We don’t want to limit your activity because you’re stuck with a tedious carpet cleaning job. Let’s do that for you while you spend quality time with your family and friends, or why don’t you just sit back and relax while waiting for your carpet to be cleaned? Doing it on your own just puts your carpet at risk for further damage, not to mention your family’s health at great risk too.

Without you knowing, there are hidden dust particles, microorganisms and even mold that may build up in your carpet if you attempt to clean it on your own. To avoid these from building up and to ensure your family’s safety, entrusting this job to us is the best decision that you can make

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What Makes Us Different from Other Professional Carpet Cleaners

We value your time and money. We will always make sure that the services we provide will meet your standards, budget and schedule. Additionally, we also know how expensive a new carpet may be and with our new equipment and carpet cleaning methods, we’ll make sure that we’ll take care of your family carpet, make it look new while prolonging your carpet’s life.

Expect our courteous team to assist you with your needs and address all the concerns that you may have.  Our state of the art cleaning methods will give you the clean carpet that you have always wanted without hurting your budget. Give us a call or check out our website to learn more about our services.