Carpet Shampooers

Included here are the hidden secrets most carpet cleaners don't want you to know when you're choosing a carpet cleaner.

Although I did NOT personally write this entire consumer guide myself I found it to be truthful and very helpful with total accuracy that many honest and reputable carpet cleaners and certified education associations agree with. The opportunity to provide you with this information about carpet and upholstery cleaning and to help you choose a good and honest carpet & upholstery cleaner is an honor to me.

I was an owner of a carpet cleaning company and a certified & licensed member of the IICRC (Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification)as well as the ARCCA (Australian Restoration & Carpet Cleaning Association). I was in the carpet cleaning industry for over 16 years and in that time; I've learned that carpet cleaning is the subject of much confusion. People have so many false impressions about the carpet cleaning industry, so I decided to give out this Free consumer information guide to help you when you select a carpet cleaner, (whether it be a carpet cleaner I recommend or one you choose by yourself) so you can make an informed intelligent decision based on the facts.

I'm about to share with you six VERY COSTLY false impressions about carpet cleaning. Plus I'll offer four of my personal recommendations as a former certified & licensed carpet cleaner. I'll also give you six questions you should ask a carpet cleaner before you invite them into your home.

False Impression 1: You should wait as long as possible before cleaning your carpet.

No. Dirt is abrasive - it's similar to sandpaper. Every time you walk on carpet, you grind dirt into your carpet fibers. This tends to cuts your carpets fibers, causing it to wear out sooner. A dirty carpet will not last nearly as long as a clean carpet. While vacuuming helps, 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. Beware the carpet sales person that tells you otherwise as they have had NO TRAINING or have no CERTIFICATIONS in carpet maintenance. The quicker your carpet wares out the quicker you are back spending money with them to purchase new carpet. Think about that.

False Impression 2: The only reason to clean carpets is to get out the dirt & stains.

No. As you probably know, outdoor air contains pollens, fungus, bacteria, air pollution, cigarette smoke, car exhaust - and hundreds of other chemicals. When you and your family members come into your home, you carry those pollens, bacteria and chemicals in your hair, your skin, clothing and shoes. Not surprisingly, all those chemicals, pollens and bacteria wind up - in your carpet.

If you have allergies, asthma, emphysema or other breathing problems - the major contributors of your problem could be the pollens, fungus, and chemicals in your carpet.

As you may know, tobacco smoke contains over 4,000 different chemical compounds, 43 of which apparently cause cancer. Even if you don't smoke, those chemicals end up on your shoes, you track them into your home and then in your carpet.

If you're sensitive to cigarette smoke, you might find that you'll breathe a whole lot easier after you hire a trustworthy carpet cleaner to get those harmful chemicals out of your carpet.

Therefore, in addition to getting rid of dirt, another important reason to clean your carpet is to get rid of pollens, fungus, harmful germs and bacteria, chemicals and the tars and residue from tobacco smoke.

By the way, any honest carpet cleaner will tell you that some stains cannot be removed (depending on what they are and what type of carpet you have). So don't be fooled when you hear the cheap & dodgy carpet cleaner say... "Yes we can get all the stains out". It's only a con to get you booked in so they can up-sell you later. Try not to fall for the cheap tricks!

False Impression 3: One method of carpet cleaning is just as good as another.

No. You can choose from two primary methods: Dry cleaning or hot water extraction.

First, I'll explain dry cleaning. Many people believe that dry cleaning your carpet is like dry cleaning your clothes. This couldn't be further from the truth. It's just not true. All carpet cleaning methods use water in one form or another. Here are the three methods of dry cleaning carpet.

1. When a carpet cleaner uses dry foam, he applies shampoo to your carpet, allows it to dry, and then sucks the dried shampoo into a vacuum. Can you imagine applying shampoo to your hair, allowing it to dry and then removing the shampoo from your head with a vacuum? This method can leave a residue in your carpet, which is one reason dry foam is not very effective.

2. The dry - chem method is similar to dry foam. The major difference is that when dry-chem is used, the company sets a large cotton bonnet on your carpet. Using a machine, the bonnet spins from side to side or in circles, absorbing the dirt that's in the carpet. After the bonnet is saturated with dirt, another cotton bonnet is applied. Bonnet cleaning is like trying to use a large towel to rub the dirt out of your carpet. Like dry foam, it's not very effective.

3. The dry-compound method spreads an absorbent mixture that looks like wet sawdust all over your carpeting. Then the machine brushes the mixture into the carpet, which in theory causes dirt to absorb into the mixture. When the mixture has dried, a vacuum cleaner sucks the material out of the carpet. Because the carpet is not rinsed in any way, this method is also not very effective.

The second carpet cleaning method is called hot water extraction or as we know it today; steam cleaning. This is a fancy way of saying that hot water cleaning solution under high pressure is forced into the carpet and then sucked out of the carpet. As I said just a second ago this method is also referred to as steam cleaning even though steam is not used.

Shaw industries, the world's largest carpet manufacturer, recommends hot water extraction ONLY and you can choose from two different types: Portable extraction, which is done with a small machine. Or truck mount extraction which means a large cleaning machine (that runs on petrol, LPG or diesel) is mounted in a truck or van.

Not surprisingly, the truck mount extraction cleans much better because it heats the water to a higher temperature and shoots the cleaning solution into the carpet at high pressure which breaks up the dirt, bacteria and pollens. Then the machine uses high suction to draw the dirt out of the carpet. This is the method I used when I was cleaning. Most carpet cleaners won't invest the $70,000 to $140,000 for this kind of specialised equipment.

What would you prefer...a carpet cleaner who has pride in his business and invests at least $70,000 to $140,000 in his/her equipment or a fly-by-nighter who relies on cheap and sometimes dodgy equipment? Think about this...your carpets are most likely the second or third most expensive item you own, so do you really want just any carpet cleaner working on them? Or a trusted certified professional that has invested in their equipment and themselves so they can do the right thing by his loyal customers.

The most effective way to clean carpets is with a hot water petrol, LPG or diesel driven machine mounted in a truck or van. They are the most powerful cleaning machines on the market and the only machines that thoroughly cleans your carpet of dirt, harmful bacteria, fungus, chemicals, pollens and tobacco residue. Please be careful not to be tricked by those cleaners who mount their portable in the back of their van or truck. The difference is a true truck mount runs on fuel and the portable will usually run on electricity or a smaller generator sitting separate in the vehicle.

Methods that use cold or even warm water (portables or small truck mounts)remove some of the dirt, but are not in any way as effective as the big hot-water truck mount method.

Some people believe that hot water damages your carpet, but this isn't true. I know some carpet sales people even say that you should not have your carpets steam cleaned or they say wait as long as possible before you get them cleaned. But are they trained certified professionals in carpet cleaning & maintenance? NO. By the way, if your carpet is not cleaned regularly and it does wear out quicker who do you think profits when you return to purchase new carpet? The very same salesman that told you not to get it cleaned often. We've been over this haven't we? By washing and then rinsing your carpet with hot water, your carpet is cleaned completely- the same way a person who showers and then rinses off the dirt and soap will be much cleaner than the person who takes only a sponge bath.

False Impression 4: The right equipment is all a company needs to clean your carpet properly.

Not true. Many companies own hot-water truck mount petrol, LPG or diesel driven cleaners - but a large number of employees don't know how to use them and they may be unlicensed and uncertified. You may know someone who purchased the newest software on the market - but didn't learn how to use it for a year or more. The company may own good equipment, but the employees may not know how to use it properly.

This is why it's important to choose your carpet cleaner carefully. After all for most people, your carpet is the second or third most expensive item you own apart from your home and car. Very few people wise up to this fact and hire a cheap carpet cleaner, by then it's too late. So don't just get any body to clean your carpets just because they fooled you with a cheap advertised price.

The best carpet cleaners are those that have been certified by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification, known as the IICRC and/or the Australian Carpet Cleaning Institute, known as the ACCI (and carry a WRITTEN GUARANTEE). Another two good accreditations a cleaner can have are from the Wools Of New Zealand and also the Wool Safe Approved technician.

A carpet cleaning company cannot buy this certification. The carpet cleaner must earn the certification through study, experience and examination. With the IICRC, ACCI, WNZ and WSA they have earned a degree in carpet cleaning.

The IICRC & ACCI provide written credentials to the carpet cleaners they certify. So before you choose a carpet cleaner, ask to see written proof of their IICRC or ACCI certification.

False Impression 5: The Company that offers the lowest price is the company you should hire. Alright, I'm not going to pull any punches here!

Tell me...What do you believe? If they are offering a low price there is obviously a reason for it. There always is. Lets get real...You aren't unintelligent! You know that you get what you pay for, right? Do you really believe if a professional has invested $70,000 to $140,000 in their equipment alone and then spends a fortune in fuel, insurance, chemicals, certifications, licensing, tax and all the rest - that they are really going to give you a cheap and nasty carpet clean for just $15 a room. I don't think so. I know that it does cost a good carpet cleaner much more than most people think to clean a single room of carpet.

Any good carpet cleaner is, will and should charge anywhere from $45 to $88 for an average to medium size room depending on soiling and time to do that room. That means an average home or slightly larger. If you were in business and invested $70,000 to $140,000 just in equipment and with today's petrol prices that run these high powered machines together with repayments on your equipment...WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU WOULD CHARGE? Like I said, lets get real. Some people expect to get the very best for very little. Are you one or those people or are you smarter than that?

Here are two important points to consider:

Point 1: The price you see offered may not be for the service you want performed.

Before you select a carpet cleaner, decide what you want. If you want the carpet cleaner to remove only some of the dirt, you can choose from hundreds of companies that use small shampooers or other cleaning methods. Or, you can even rent a machine at the grocery store and do the job yourself. I guarantee you will do a much better job than if you hired the amateur carpet cleaner.

On the other hand, if you want your carpet thoroughly cleaned - if you want to remove the harmful dirt, bacteria, pollens, chemicals and tobacco residues and you want to lengthen the life of your carpet - then you need to hire a carpet cleaner that uses a hot water petrol, LPG or diesel driven cleaner mounted in a truck or van. Not a portable or semi detachable unit. This is the only way to ensure that your carpet lasts longer, remains healthy and free from dirt, disease-causing bacteria and harmful chemicals. So remember, the price you see offered may not be for the service you really want.

Point 2: The price you see advertised may not be the price you pay.

Many home owners have learned that the low price they saw advertised was not the amount they paid.

If you've ever hired a carpet cleaner, you too may have been the victim of false or misleading advertising. You probably learned the hard way that some carpet cleaners offer a cheap price - usually between $5 and $15 per room - and then pressure you into paying a lot more once they're inside your home. This is because there is simply NO PROFIT in $15 per room given that the job is done correctly. In some countries this is against the law and is called illegal bait and switch tactics.

As in all businesses and professions, the carpet cleaning industry has its fair share of bad apples. Some are unethical - and a few are very dishonest. Their misleading advertising and false promises cast a very dark shadow on the entire industry and make it almost impossible for the honest and hard working carpet cleaner to then ask you to invest what is the right and fair amount to clean your carpets properly. The perception of carpet cleaning prices out there is $5 to $15 per room because of all the low priced misleading advertisements. Then you may be fooled into believing that a good quality clean is going to be $20 - $25 per room at the most. You are an intelligent person, so don't kid yourself or fall into that trap...this is just NOT TRUE.

However, it's comforting to know that you can still find professionals who work hard to earn your trust and respect. With any carpet cleaner I personally recommend you will expect to invest around $55-65 a room on average. These QUALITY PROFESSIONALS are certified and licensed carpet cleaners who have invested over $70,000 to $140,000 in their business equipment alone. As I said earlier... don't expect the best for a pittance. Just because you have a convincing and fast talking sales man on the phone or at your door doesn't mean you're not being fooled.

False Impression 6: Any honest carpet cleaner should be able to give you an exact price/quote over the telephone 100% of the time.

I wish this were true, but it isn't always. Consumers often think that if they want to clean four rooms and the price is $65.00 per room, then the price will be $260.00. But this isn't always true.

An honest and reputable carpet cleaner will usually price carpet cleaning by the size of the carpeted area, how soiled it is & the difficulty and time it takes to do the job. The carpet cleaner will have a pricing structure for most average size homes of course, but if your home is larger than average, has difficult access and requires extra time to complete the work or takes longer to clean than normal because it is very dirty, then it may be a larger investment. Like I said earlier and I'll say it again... You are an intelligent person, so don't expect a good carpet cleaner to work his or her heart out for a pittance, after all they are humans too and they went into business for the very same reason every other person in the world goes into business...to make a comfortable life for them and their families.

So if you need an exact cost for cleaning your carpet, sometimes the carpet cleaner may need to know the exact size of the carpeted area and state of the carpet to be cleaned.