Frequently Asked Questions
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How often should I clean my carpets?
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How much does proper carpet cleaning cost? Isn’t it expensive?
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How long will freshly cleaned carpets take to dry?
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Do the carpets get dirtier faster after they have been cleaned?
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Do you “Green Clean” carpets?
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Are your cleaning products safe for my children, pets, or someone in my family with allergies or asthma?
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Will steam cleaning (HWE) my carpets get the padding or sub-floor wet, causing mold, mildew, or damage to the carpeting?
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Will steam cleaning (HWE) cleanse the backing/padding of my carpet of containments and urine?
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How do I maintain the manufacturer’s warrantee on my carpet?
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You also offer a dry-cleaning process, what is the best system for me?
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I am highly sensitive to odors. Will the cleaning have a smell afterward?
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What is rotary extraction . . . do I need it?
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I have Kool-Aid and/or other synthetic dye stains. Will they come out with the cleaning?
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Can you guarantee that every stain will come out of my carpet?
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I’ve seen coupons for $10 per room. How do they clean carpet so cheap?
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It seems like everyone has a coupon for a “whole house special”. How much is your whole house special?
If you have any questions that I have not answered here please
do not hesitate to call me at 719-268-1611.
A: Each home is different. However, in a home with carpeting the carpet acts like a large air-filter. It absorbs odor, dust, oil, spills, and so on. Like an air-filter, as the carpet gets more saturated it becomes less capable of filtering, and holds onto debris which is periodically vacuumed away. This actually reduces the quality of your indoor air and leads to more dust forming on everything else in your home (and in your lungs). On top of that, the more this soil and dust gets trampled into your carpet, the more and more difficult it becomes to restore it to a “like new” appearance. This is due to the abrasion and discoloring that is occurring. With that in mind I usually recommend that the average home with two adults should have the carpets professionally cleaned every year. People with more traffic (pets, children, multiple house guests, etc…) will need them cleaned more often. This investment in cleaning will not only make your carpet last many years longer, it will also lead to a healthier indoor environment.
Did you know cleaning your carpets every year has much a bigger positive effect on your indoor air quality than cleaning your air ducts every five years? back to top
A: No, not necessarily. I can do a proper cleaning in many homes for under $100. The different packages and rates I offer will help you keep the cost reasonable. Also, the truth is, if you maintain your carpets in a sensible time frame your carpets will last twice as long; leading to savings in the long run. The flooring in your home is one of the most expensive parts of your house. If you can keep it looking better longer my carpet cleaning service will pay for itself. How long would your car last if you never changed the oil? back to top
A: In most cases your carpets will take 2-4 hours to dry. However, this can vary greatly depending on the drying conditions in your home. Running fans and opening windows (on a nice day) will dramatically shorten dry times. On the other hand shutting the house up completely will make it take much longer to dry out. Think of placing a moist piece of cloth in an air tight bag. Will it ever dry? back to top
A: No, because I only use the best cleaning products, leaving your carpet clean and neutral. Your carpet will actually stay cleaner longer. If a cleaning is done with improper/cheap rinsing agents it can leave a residue that is prone to attracting dirt. When technicians cut corners the carpet will gather dirt at a faster rate. Some infamous cleaners are known to use soaps that actually get the carpet dirty faster on purpose, so you will have them cleaned again sooner. Another thing to keep in mind: if you purchased brand new carpet with built in stain/soil protection after a few years that stain/soil protector wears off. Point being, your carpets will now become soiled faster than they used to. That is why carpet manufacturers recommend having the stain protector reapplied after every cleaning. I always carry a full line of stain/soil protectors. Please ask if you have interest in these products. back to top
A: Yes we carry a full line of organic cleaning agents, which are designed for the sensitive people in your household. These products are optional. If have any interest in this please let me know. 719-268-1611 back to top
Q: Are your cleaning products safe for my children, pets, or someone in my family with allergies or asthma?
A: They are absolutely safe! The cleaning agents I chose are of the highest quality and are designed to be safe for the home. In my ten years in the industry I have never come across anyone who’s had an adverse reaction to my cleaning agents. However, if you desire we also carry a full line of green cleaning solutions, as well as anti-allergen cleaning products. If you have an interest in these products please inform me on the phone as I do not always have a full stock on the truck.
Q: Will steam cleaning (HWE) my carpets get the padding or sub-floor wet, causing mold, mildew, or damage to the carpeting?
A: Not at all, when done by an experienced professional, steam cleaning (HWE) is the safest/best cleaning method. Also, it’s the system which is most consistently recommended by manufacturers of residential carpet. Portable units, rentals, and store bought equipment are all known for causing over wetting issues. That is why I use top of the line truck mounted extraction for my cleaning procedures. back to top
A: No carpet cleaning system will clean the backing or padding of carpet. If someone tells you they are deep cleaning all the way down into the pad, they are lying. If you have containments that you’d like removed from under the carpet (urine, large spills, etc…) please let me know. I can perform sub-surface extraction or injections to fix these issues. However, I do not recommend this be done to the entire carpet. Extreme wetting of the backing on a large scale is not good for the carpet. In severe cases (if the issues are larger) I can actually uninstall the carpet and treat the problems directly. These are the only ways to fix backing/padding issues, regardless of what someone else may have told you. back to top
A: Each manufacturer will have a specific set of requirements. The most common is that you must have your carpets professionally cleaned (by a certified firm that offers hot water extraction a.k.a. HWE or steam cleaning) at least every 18 months. Also, the proper protectors must be reapplied after every cleaning. I meet all of the above criteria for maintaining your carpet manufacturer’s warrantee. back to top
A: In my ten years of working with both systems I usually end up recommending the truck mounted steam cleaning (HWE). It’s the most consistently recommended system by carpets manufacturers. Also, HWE is not limited by chemical strength alone. Allow me to explain. Dry-chem procedures are based on the principle that a chemical agent will absorb the soil/oils, and that most of the chemical will then be extracted by a dry vacuuming after the cleaning, or absorbed into pads. A problem arises in moderate to heavily soiled areas (like your living room walkway) when the product has reached its maximum capacity and the flooring is saturated with chemical. At which point the cleaning potential has stopped. On a positive note, some of these chemical agents will stick around after the cleaning and continue to absorb and repel soil. This is why I usually recommend this procedure for office buildings, where soil levels are moderate and people/babies don’t tend to lay on the carpet (or eat things off of it). However, I also believe that the customer knows best. If you have a preference for a particular type of system, please let me know. back to top
A: That is entirely up to you. The truck-mounted cleaning system I use is so powerful that it will leave the carpet smelling like almost nothing at all. If you desire I can apply a mild topical deodorizer post-cleaning at no cost to you. If there are odor issues with your carpet I also carry a full line of high-end enzyme treatments and many other great odor destroying agents. If you have an odor concern please let me know. It must be properly addressed before I begin the cleaning. back to top
Q: What is rotary extraction . . . do I need it?
A: This is such a great question I have made a whole page dedicated to answering it. Click here or go back to top
A: Yes and no. I carry a wide assortment of high-tech pre-cleaning agents. These products will remove almost any organic stain as well as some synthetic stains. I always use these products at no additional cost to you. Unfortunately, certain synthetic stains (like Kool-Aid, markers, inks, dyes, paints, and some miscellaneous food colorings) cannot be flushed from your carpet with pre-sprays and cleaning alone. In these cases specialty stain removers will have to be used on each stain individually. The products that remove these stains are super powerful, somewhat unhealthy (rubber gloves must be worn to even handle the chemicals), and rather expensive. They cannot simply be applied to the carpet as a whole. It wouldn’t be good for the carpet nor for you. Whether or not specialty stain removal will be necessary is usually decided during the pre-inspection prior to your cleaning. back to top
A: No, it’s simply just not possible/realistic for anyone (including myself) to guarantee that each and every stain can be removed from your carpet with cleaning and treatments alone. Even with the most powerful specialty stain removers in some cases it will be impossible to remove certain stains. I have seen people pour bleach on a stain and take the color of the carpet out without touching the color of the stain (that stain was leather dye). However, I also provide carpet repair and patching services. So if you have a situation where a stain has become permanent, but it must go away, patching is sometimes a final option (but is not always recommended). back to top
A: The truth is that they can’t and stay in business. These folks are known as “bait and switch” carpet cleaners. The goal of these unethical cleaners is to lure the consumer in with a cheap deal and then send a professional sales person to your home to quadruple the price. I had a customer that received a $60 phone quote that turned into a $300 in-home quote. That particular customer called me out the next day and got the work done for under $150. She also informed me that the cleaner had a plastic portable in the backseat of his sedan that he was planning on doing the cleaning with. I know it’s cliché but you get what you pay for. This “bait and switch” scam is such an issue that entire news stories have been made about them. Watch the video on the right. back to top
Q: It seems like everyone has a coupon for a “whole house special”. How much is your whole house special?
A: I don’t have one and I never will. The “whole house special” is a gimmick. Years ago I worked for a company that did nothing but advertise their super whole house special. Only about one out of fifty homes were cleaned for the quoted rate. The issue is that it doesn’t make sense that a 5000 square foot home would be priced the same a 1600 square foot home. This is just another case of bait and switch unethical carpet cleaning and is why I do not offer a “whole house special.” back to top