BROWSE HOW TOs

How to Hire a Carpet Cleaner

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

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Accidental spills or overall general use can soil carpets beyond the cleaning ability of household products. A professional deep cleaning can make carpets look as if they were new and can add years to their life. Some allergy and asthma suffers can benefit from periodic cleanings.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Step1

Decide what kind of professional cleaning service you want to use. There are steam cleaners and several kinds of both dry and wet chemical cleaning systems available in most areas (see Tips, below).

Step2

Make sure you use a cleaning system that is compatible with the type of carpeting you have. Some natural fibers such as wools and cottons should not get very wet due to shrinkage and possible discoloring during long drying periods.

Step3

Choose a reliable company by using references from friends and family, a list of satisfied clients or businesses that use the company's services, or recommendations from the local business bureau or chamber of commerce.

Step4

Find out what is considered basic service and what might cost extra such as heavy stain removal. Ask whether the company moves furniture or whether that costs extra. Also ask whether, if the process has a prolonged drying time, the company provides fans to speed the drying.

Tips & Warnings

The absorbent-pad method uses a machine similar to a floor buffer, which removes soil with absorbent spin pads. The dry-extraction method uses an absorbent compound saturated with detergents and solvents to free the dirt from the carpet pile so that it can then be be vacuumed up. Dry-foam cleaning uses a detergent solution whipped into foam and applied to the carpet with a brush machine before being wet-vacuumed up. Steam cleaning commonly uses a chemical treatment to suspend ground-in dirt followed by a pressurized cleaning solution injected into the pile and then extracted with a high-powered vacuum.
Some services offer products that can neutralize pet odors in carpet and upholstery.
They can also offer clean up after water and smoke damage caused by fire.
Remember, when you hire anyone for a service such as this, you're basically allowing strangers access to your home. Make every effort to choose a service that comes recommended from someone you trust.