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MISCONCEPTION #1: You should wait as long as possible before cleaning your carpet.
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. This cutting causes your carpet to wear out faster. A dirty carpet
will not last as long as a clean carpet. And while vacuuming helps, by itself, it's simply not enough. The longer you wait
to have your carpet cleaned, the more damage you do to your carpet and the faster it wears out.
MISCONCEPTION #2: The only reason to clean carpets is to remove the dirt.
No. As you probably know, outdoor air contains pollens, fungus, bacteria, air pollution, cigarette smoke, car exhaust
and hundreds of other chemicals. When you 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 and toxins wind up in your carpet.
If you have allergies, asthma, emphysema, or other breathing problems one major source of your problem could be the pollens,
fungus, smoke and chemicals in your carpet.
MISCONCEPTION #3: One method of carpet cleaning is as good as another.
No. The dry cleaning methods which are dry foam, dry chemicals, and dry compound do not rinse your carpet in any way.
Instead, they leave a dirty residue. You might say they clean your carpet only halfway. The most effective cleaning method
is hot water extraction. Hot water extraction means a hot water cleaning solution, under high pressure, is forced into your
carpet and then sucked out of your carpet. Shaw Industries, the world's largest carpet manufacturer, recommends hot water
extraction as the primary method of cleaning carpets.
MISCONCEPTION #4: Having the right equipment is all a company needs to clean your carpets properly.
Not true. Many companies own hot-water cleaners but many companies understand how to use them properly. This is why
it's important that you choose your carpet cleaner carefully.
MISCONCEPTION #5: The company that offers the lowest price is the company you should hire.
No. I've seen so many problems arise from lowest-bid companies that I suggest you NEVER hire the company that quotes
the cheapest price. The two most common problems are:
(1)The price may not be for the services you want performed. The company may be equipped to remove only the dirt from
your carpet. But you may want bacteria, fungus, pollens, dust mites and tobacco residues removed as well.
(2)The price you see advertised may not be the price you pay. Many homeowners have learned that the low price they saw
advertised lasted only until the carpet cleaner got into their home. Then they were pressured into paying a lot more for
a variety of add-ons. (Some carpet cleaners even break the law by using illegal bait and switch tactics.)
MISCONCEPTION #6: Any honest, reputable carpet cleaning company should be able to give you an exact price quote over
the telephone.
I wish this were true, but it isn't.
Honest, reputable carpet cleaning companies almost never price carpet cleaning by the room. Instead, carpet cleaning
is usually priced by the square foot. So, if you'd like me to tell you the exact cost of cleaning your carpet, I need to know
the exact number of square feet that you want cleaned. To get an accurate measurement, I use a measuring wheel to calculate
the exact size of the carpet area.
To give you an idea of how we quote the cost of cleaning, here are the three things that we consider:
First, the type of carpet. Certain types of carpet are harder to clean than other types.
Second, the amount of soiling. Carpet that hasn't been cleaned for ten years will take longer to clean than carpet that
we cleaned within the last six months.
Third, the amount of furniture we have to move. If you move your furniture, you'll save money.
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