Good Housekeeping recommends having your carpets professionally cleaned once every 12-18 months. Doing so will prolong the life of the carpet, keep them looking clean, and keep your carpet free of bacteria.
Searching online for a carpet cleaning service in your area will give you tons of options, but how do you know which service to choose?
Choosing a Cleaning Method
There are several methods of cleaning to choose from when it comes to professional carpet cleaners.
Having your carpets cleaned using a wet method will prevent you from walking on the carpet until it has fully dried. This may not be convenient in high use rooms.
Using a dry method will allow the room to be used soon after cleaning, but may use chemicals that could adversely affect small children or pets.
Several cleaning companies offer environmentally friendly cleaning products which should reduce any adverse effects.
It is important to determine which method works best for you and your family prior to calling carpet cleaning companies.
Do Your Research
Knowing what method you want used will narrow down your carpet cleaning options; it is now time to get to know the prospective companies.
This requires speaking to potential vendors and asking questions that will give you a better perspective, in order to further narrow the field.
- How long has the company been in business? The answer to this question can reveal much about the company.
- What certifications do your technicians hold? It is best to hire companies that ensure the technicians have proper certification such as from the IIRC.
- How does your pricing structure work? Be wary of companies that price “by the room” as room sizes differ; these companies are generally looking for the up sale. The best pricing is by square foot; know your measurements before you call.
- Can you give me an estimate over the phone? Nothing is worse than getting a surprise regarding cost after a job is complete. Work only with companies that will give you an estimate with which you feel comfortable.
- Can I get the names and numbers of previous customers? This is an excellent resource when attempting to determine the quality of work the company provides.
Asking these questions should once again narrow the options for prospective services.
Now it is time to go online and look for online reviews of the companies still in the running. Entering the name of the prospective companies should net some good results for this information.
There are sites available that are primarily for the purpose of reviewing services. You may want to check those sites as well.
Feeling Comfortable With Your Choice
Allowing a stranger into your home is always an uncomfortable feeling. So you will want to ensure that the company you choose does thorough background checks on its technicians.
Going through these steps will help you find a professional carpet cleaning company that meet your needs and make you feel comfortable.
With any luck, you will have made an excellent choice, become a repeat customer, and forego all these steps the next time your carpets are in need of professional cleaning.
My husband and I are moving into a new house, but before we bring in all of our stuff we want to deep clean everything. Since neither of us know how to clean carpets, we are wanting professionals to come in and do the job. But I am curious on what we need to look for in a good carpet cleaning service. It’s good to know that we need to look into their pricing structure so that we can see whether they charge by room or by the square foot. That will be helpful so we can make sure we are not paying a crazy amount of money. Thanks for all the different information!
The flooring in our home is in need of some serious deep cleaning, and I would like to hire a service to come in to do the job. I never hired someone to do this before, and I need advice on how to go about doing it. It’s good to know that one thing I need to do is choose a cleaning method, that way I can find the company that offers that option. To me personally, I like the idea of choosing a company that offers environmentally friendly methods to prevent any adverse effects. It will be nice being able to get the carpets cleaned, and not have to worry about something happening to my family from the products.
I hadn’t thought about looking at the history of a carpet cleaning company and seeing how long they have been in business before hiring them. We’ve been in our home for about 3 years now, and we’ve never had any carpet cleaning done, so my wife and I decided we should probably hire someone to do it. I’m going to have to keep your tip in mind to look at how long a carpet cleaning company has been around and be sure that we’re going to benefit from their experience!
I like that you mention that it’s important to ask what an estimate would be before you decide to hire a carpet cleaning company. that is a sign that they are open and honest with their clients, which should make the clients feel more comfortable to work with. I just bought a home and I want to get the carpets cleaned after everything is moved in, so it’s important to me that I find a company that is efficient and trustworthy.