Six Costly Misconceptions about Carpet Cleaning

Misconception #1: You should wait as long as possible before cleaning your carpet.
 

No. Dirt is abrasive like sandpaper. Every time you step on your carpet, this grit grinds your fibers. A
dirty carpet will not last as long as a clean carpet. Vacuuming often is a good idea, but it is not
enough. I prevacuum every carpet with what I call my "mega-vac". It has a lot of suction, but, more
importantly, it runs on two counter-rotating cylindrical bristle brushes. It lifts the pile and brings the
grit up and out of your carpet before we start to clean. If you ever saw what it removes from carpets
just vacuumed by the client, you would be amazed.

    Also, many say, "It seems like my carpet got dirty so much faster after I cleaned it the first time."
True. Some of this could have to do with a cleaner leaving a detergent residue. This is usually not the
case. More likely, they flooded the carpet and dissolved fine dirt that had penetrated the porous
backing of the carpet and accumulated on top of the pad. Hot water extraction equipment can saturate

below the backing but can only extract above the backing. A fluid, like air and water, always takes the path of least resistance, through the surrounding fibers as he moves the wand. The mud below the
carpet backing begins to wick up as the carpet dries, long after the cleaner has left. This causes what I
am often faced with - "re-deposition." This is dirt that was dissolved but not removed, and has now
wicked up and "re-deposited" inside the fibers. It is harder to remove than dirt that is walked
onto the fibers.
    You can test my theory if you have a carpet that has been down for two or three years. Take a glass of distilled water and pour it into a clean area of the carpet - where there are no spots and out of the

traffic pattern.Then walk away. If you come back tomorrow and see a spot or ring of brown, that's the
dirt accumulated in and under your carpet. If it were a brand new carpet, you would obviously see
nothing.

Misconception #2: The only reason to clean the carpet is to remove dirt and stains - to

make it look nice.

 

No

As we've discussed, there is an accumulation of fine silt down in the carpet that I remove with my

mega-vac. This is stuff nobody could see. Sometimes, depending on a client's vacuuming efficiency,
this stuff could not fit in a 1-gallon zip-loc. If you put a handful of that stuff under a microscope,
what do you think you would see? Pollen, mold and mildew spores, bacteria, fleas, dust mites,
parasites (or their feces and carcasses).
    Now think about the cigarette smoke, car exhaust and the lawn fertilizers, pesticides, and herbicides carried in on the children's shoes or pets paws.These chemical contaminants can't be seen, either.Studies have shown that the carpet is a major contributor to allergies or respiratory disorders of any kind, including asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, red itchy eyes, sinus infections, headaches, etc.

Misconception #3: One cleaning method is as good as another.

 

No.

Because I started out in hotels which were open and active 24 hours a day, I was rooted in the dry

method. I have since investigated all of the other dry methods - 'dry-foam' and the 'powder method.' I
wouldn't give you a nickel for either.The former always leaves a residue. I know, because I experimented with a dry-foam machine for upholstery. It worked exactly like that same company's carpet machine (the industry icon for dry-foam). Every solution I tried in it, the one formulated by the equipment manufacturer, as well as several local brands, left residue. I also studied half a dozen of the leading brands of carpet foams in aerosol cans available to consumers - again, every one of them left a residue.

    The latter, the powder method, is designed to be a do-it-yourself method because the powder is

supposed to take 6 hours to do it's thing before you vacuum it up. This eliminates professional use. I
served half a dozen Holiday Inns in New Jersey in the early days. When they switched to 60-day pay,
I put them on 'cash-on-completion.' That lasted a couple of months. The one in New Jersey, started
using the powder method in-house to maintain their 6000 square feet of banquet rooms. After 2 years,
the executive housekeeper sheepishly hired me to come in and touch them up. When I got there, I
found literally not a place in a 6000 square-foot room I could set my foot without stepping on a spot.

    I pre-sprayed and scrubbed it with my "spin-bonnet" and it came up like new. The powder hadn't

absorbed a single spot in 2 years! We discussed hot-water-extraction under rip-off #4. I've tried to

incorporate new breakthrough approaches to "steam" (hot-water extraction) when they came out with
a new kind of wand or power head that was supposed to increase mechanical action (scrubbing) and
decrease saturation. I've never found an approach using the spray-and-suck thing that didn't over-
saturate the carpet - which always means the mud they make under the carpet will wick up later as it
dries. And, when they try really hard to get a neglected carpet clean, that's when they really saturate

the pad underneath and, if it takes more than 48 hours to dry (despite what you may hear in ads, this
is all too common) you have mold and mildew. Mold remediation (killing it before it spreads) is a
very expensive proposition! (Studies show it is the major contributor to asthma).

    Also, cleaners who use truck-mounted hot-water-extraction will be the first to admit that those who
have not been successfully trained to use that equipment can do more damage than good. We
discussed under Rip-off #4 how many cleaners actually get trained and how effective the training

can be in eliminating problems. Not all the guys who attend training are the guys who got A's in
school. On the other hand, many are not the type who did well in "shop class", either. You want
someone who did both - not always easy to find.

Misconception #4: Having expensive, high-tech equipment is all a company needs to clean your carpets properly.

 

Not necessarily. They need to be

sucessfully trained to use it. I told the story under Rip-Off #4 about a guy who got trained and the

training opened up whole new vistas for cutting corners and cheating. But anybody can cheat
using any method. I didn't send my own son out alone for the first time until he went through the
training class, and took extra courses on spotting, and worked with me for over 3 months.Then there are guys like Tim Taylor who say, "If one is good, two is better. Let's use more heat, more

chemical, more water, more suction, more power, arh, arh, arh! We'll get done faster and make more
money!" Having operators that are trained and certified does not mean they will exercise restraint on
your carpet on any given day.

It looked better...after 1500 cleanings! Wet-cleaning a carpet always deteriorates it, like laundering new blue jeans- they just get floppier
and floppier. Dry methods always restore a carpet the way dry cleaning restores a wool suit.

I had a 3-foot square of carpet left over from having new carpet installed in my house just
before I started cleaning. I used it to demonstrate our methods in 5 homeimprovement trade shows.
On the way back from the last show, I figured up the number of times, in 5 shows, that piece had
been cleaned. I came up with 1500! When I got home, I marched it into the living room and threw it
down in the middle. It looked better than carpet that was barely two years old! Then I threw it back
on the front porch where it had always served as my welcome mat.

 

Misconception #5: The company that offers the lowest price is the company you should hire.

This may be true for landlords and people moving out of rental units. Since they don't have to live
there, they can say they had the carpets professionally cleaned even if it looks worse than it did before. I'm not saying all landlords practice this. I do business with many landlords who require their
tenants to use my services to protect their investment in carpeting. I also have been hired by landlords
to come and clean after a tenant tried renting the rug doctor or hiring the cheapest guy. I usually

remove a bucket of dirt with the mega-vac before I start, besides all the stains they left. I find it hard
to explain that.

    If you have to live there, or if you will be the one who pays to replace it, I suggest you throw out the lowest three bids. Just like in the automobile industry, the difference between the cheapest and the
best may be a factor of 10 times or more. Like a used Yugo for $300 or a new Rolls for

$300,000.Consumers who find themselves irresistibly attracted to the lowest price often go through very painful experiences before they have their first "painless" carpet cleaning experience. I hear their

stories.

 

Misconception #6: Any honest carpet cleaning company should be able to give you an exact price quote over the telephone.

I wish this were true, but it seldom is in most service businesses. Rip-offs #1 & #2 described the "bait

-and-switch" and "add-on" scams used by unethical cleaners. Honest, experienced cleaners charge by
the square foot because all rooms are not the same size. So, I need to know the exact number of
square feet. I use a tape to measure each room. To determine how long it will take me to clean the
carpet, I need to know 3 more things:

1) The type of carpet. Some carpets are easier to clean than others.

2) The amount and type of soiling. Carpet that hasn't been cleaned in 10 years will take longer than
one we have cleaned in the last 6 months.

3) The amount of furniture that will have to be moved. A room with furniture typically takes at least
twice as long to clean as one that is clear. If you can move it out or work around it, you'll save
money.

Now, for new customers, we like to schedule an in-home

carpet care consultation.'

We open a new file and actually leave a folder with you. In it, we identify the face yarn in every

room, determine the current condition and remaining useful life, assess the potential for permanent
stains which can be  patched, and stains requiring special procedures, and then suggest a 
maintenance approach that would be "traffic- relevant." We then offer a price to do all or just that
part you want done at that time.We also include a signed copy of our written 100% money-back
guarantee. That way, you can meet us, evaluate what we recommend about your carpet, and ask
specific questions before you decide.We feel this is a better way to start a relationship with a client

ProCleanersNJ

we hope to do business with for a long time.