Beware of companies that solicit business over the telephone, or offer cheap prices through mailers, newspaper and other media.
Check references by asking friends who they have used and been happy with.
Ask the store you bought the carpet from or another local retailer for names of reliable cleaning companies.
Call the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification for names of certified companies in your area. That number for the computerized referral directory is (800) 835-4624. or IICRC on line.
Regardless if the company is recommended or certified it is always a good idea to check references from more than one source.
Have a representative of the cleaning firm visit your home and inspect the carpet for cleaning. Insist on a written estimate in advance of the job. Have the representative list the steps they are going to take and services that are include so that you can compare estimates. If large pieces of furniture such as beds, dressers, hutches and entertainment systems are to be moved, have it listed on the estimate.
Warning! Many cleaning companies quote a low price in the newspaper or on the phone. When they arrive at the house they add on a variety of services, many of which should have been included to begin with. E.g., spot removal, preconditioning, deep cleaning, triple processes, pile setting, vacuuming, sanitizing, etc. They charge and additional fee for each of the additional services and in most cases you are paying more for a poor job than you would have paid to the quality company who appeared more expensive in the beginning.
A carpet will not look good unless it is properly maintained. Good maintenance is not difficult but will require a small amount of effort on your part.
Vacuum deeply and frequently at least once or twice a week. As floor covering inspectors we go into homes where people often claim to vacuum several times per week and even more often and perhaps they do. Upon inspection we find many of these carpets full of fiber-damaging abrasive soil that has not been vacuumed out. A person that is vacuuming frequently and not getting the soil out is not vacuuming properly or is using an inefficient vacuum. Thorough vacuuming requires two or three, slow, methodical passes of the vacuum head to remove that embedded soil. In the higher traffic areas and in areas such as an entrance or next to a hard surface floor covering such ceramic, laminate or vinyl, take extra passes. A once-a-week thorough vacuuming such as this will do more good than the daily quick over. CRI Vacuum Cleaner Testing Program.
Frequent cleaning is a must. The Carpet and Rug Institute recommends deep cleaning every 12 to 18 months. Various carpet and fiber manufacturers have minimum recommendations of their own and you must be familiar with these for the carpet that you purchase. A carpet with an active family and pets will usually require more frequent cleaning than one with an adult couple and no pets. Remember that the longer a dirt or stain is there the harder it can be to get out.
If you have a spot that will not come out, call the Carpet and Rug Institutes toll-free information line for assistance. The CRI can be reached at 1-800-882-8846 or CRI on line
Carpet and Rug Institute, cleaning, CRI, fiber damage, spot cleaning, vacuum, vacuuming carpet, wear
Beware of companies that solicit business over the telephone, or offer cheap prices through mailers, newspaper and other media. While reliable companies advertise in many of the same media the bait and switch companies offer prices that appear too low to be true and they usually are.
Check references by asking friends whom they have used and been happy with. Ask the store you bought the carpet from or another local retailer for names of reliable Cleaning companies. Call the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification – IICRC for names of certified companies in your area. That number for the computerized referral directory is (800) 835-4624.Whether the company is recommended or certified it is always a good idea to check references from more than one source.
When feasible have a representative of the cleaning firm visit your home and inspect the carpet for cleaning. Have them explain to you what they are going to do and obtain a written estimate in advance of the job. Written estimates not only help you to compare services it protects you against later on being charged for services that were already included. If large pieces of furniture such as beds, dressers, hutches and entertainment systems are to be moved, have them listed on the estimate.
Warning! Many cleaning companies quote a low price in the newspaper or on the phone. When they arrive at the house they add on a variety of services, many of which should have been included to begin with. E.g., spot removal, preconditioning, deep cleaning, triple processes, pile setting, vacuuming, sanitizing, etc. They charge and additional fee for each of the additional services and in most cases you are paying more for a poor job than you would have paid to the quality company who appeared more expensive in the beginning.
