Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Carpet Freshening Powders

Having your carpet professionally cleaned can save you money versus trying to do it yourself. Think of it like this, by the time you rent a carpet extractor and factor in a dollar amount for your time and the fact that you may not know the chemistry involved in removing certain spots and stains, it could be a lot cheaper to let a professional clean your carpet properly rather than risk setting a stain or damaging the carpet. There is also a big difference in equipment from a small electric do-it-yourself machine to a van-powered carpet cleaning machine with a trained technician running it.


Professional cleaners use similar methods to home cleaning, but they should have the knowledge, equipment, training, and experience necessary to do a more thorough job of removing embedded soil. When selecting a cleaning service, look for an IICRC certified firm and an IICRC certified technician. Ask reputable carpet retailers in your area who they recommend. Friends and family that have used a particular cleaning service before may also be able to give you a good referral. Stay clear of cleaners offering ridiculously low advertised rates. Many times you will never get the low price or you will get a cleaner that will leave your carpet wet for days and might make it worse than it was before they arrived.

When the cleaner arrives at your home for the cleaning, it is a good idea to point out any spots and stains or areas that you would like to receive extra attention. Professional cleaners will have many different spot removers on their truck and should be able to remove lots of different types of spots. They should give you a firm price before they begin the work and you should not pay until you are satisfied with the job. Some cleaners might even give you a demonstration in the worst area before they begin with no further obligation. If you have never used the company before this would help ease your mind as to the quality of work they were going to do.

Regular and thorough vacuuming can remove over 70% of all dry soil that is in the carpet fibers, thus keeping their appearance good and extending their life. For the most soil removal use an upright vacuum cleaner with a beater bar. Most carpeted areas in a home need to be vacuumed once a week, maybe more. Vacuum using several slow strokes over the same area then go over the same area from different angles. When carpet is not vacuumed regularly, the dry soil from shoes, crumbs, etc. may stay on the surface of the carpet for a short time before working their way down into the carpet where it can scratch and abrade the carpet fibers.

Room size rugs should always be sent to a specialty rug cleaning plant. An area or oriental rug should not be cleaned in your home. Rugs can be expensive and sometimes delicate, so it's important to have them maintained properly to protect your investment. To clean a rug properly involves many steps and specialized equipment that can not be transported to your home. A professional rug cleaner will check for dye stability of the colors in the rug and advise you as to any issues they foresee before cleaning the rug. They might also offer a discount if you bring your rug to them for cleaning rather than them picking the rug up.

Did you know that a rug can hold nearly a pound of dry dirt per square foot and still look clean. An 8x10 rug could hold nearly 80 pounds of dry dirt. So, to check and see whether or not your rug is dirty, pick up a corner of the rug and while holding it with one hand, hit the back of the rug sharply with the other hand. If a cloud of dirt flies out of the pile, the rug is dirty and needs to be cleaned. You could also take a vacuum cleaner with a beater bar and with the rug face down on a hard surface turn on the vacuum and leave it in one spot for 8-10 seconds. Then flip back the rug and if there is some dirt on the floor beneath it then it is time to clean the rug.

A professional rug cleaner can also dry a rug thoroughly after cleaning. A wool rug can hold 30% of its weight in water and still feel dry to the touch so it is important to make sure the rug is dry before putting it back down on a wood floor.

So think twice before deciding to clean your carpet or rugs yourself. There are many tools and tricks professional cleaners know that will result in your carpet or rugs being cleaner and lasting longer than if you did the cleaning yourself.

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