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Today, I’m continuing with the tips presented by Glenn Rowe of Courtesy Care. I’ll be talking about who you want to clean your carpets, what system they should be using and how often you should have your carpets cleaned.

The Who

Unfortunately there’s several carpet cleaning companies that will try to take advantage of homeowners. Wouldn’t it be nice to know who to call? You can always call the pros over at Courtesy Care, but what do you want to look for in a carpet cleaning company?

The first thing you want to make sure of is that they are certified with the IICRC (The Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification). The IICRC has been training and setting the standards for the cleaning and restoration industry for over 30 years. And don’t just look to see if the company is certified. Make sure that at least one of the technicians is certified. A certification is no good unless someone knows how to use it, right?

Also, check around with others to see if they have had any experience with the company. Don’t be afraid to ask for referrals. A quick google search can sometimes pull up information about a company.

And make sure of what all is included in the carpet cleaning. Sometimes you see ads for a whole house being cleaned for $5. This should send up some red flags. Obviously that is a bit of an exaggeration, but companies that advertise dirt cheap prices are usually taking shortcuts. They normally survive on up-sells (sometimes companies won’t use any cleaning solution unless you pay more).

The What

How should your carpets be cleaned? One of the largest carpet manufacturers, Shaw Floors, says that the carpets should be cleaned using hot water extraction, sometimes called hot water truck-mounted extraction, or better known as steam cleaning. In fact, if you don’t show proof of having the carpets cleaned in this way it can void the warranty.

I know this may come as a shock to many, it did to me, but you don’t want the cleaning company to use shampoo. There are other solutions that companies can use, but shampoo leaves a residue on your carpets. What does this mean? After the shampoo that’s left on your carpets dries it becomes sticky. You may not be able to feel it with your hands, but it’s there. And the sticky residue attracts dirt and your carpets end up getting dirtier faster.

Be wary of anyone that says they can get all the shampoo up from the carpet. It’s just not possible. Shaw Floors, in a test using the best extraction equipment available, tried to remove all the shampoo from the carpet and couldn’t. It’s just not possible to get all shampoo removed, so it’s best to not use it at all.

The When

How often should your carpets be cleaned? At least every 12-18 months. Of course the more traffic there is on the carpet, the more often it needs to be cleaned. But if your carpet is not cleaned at least every 18 months, some carpet manufacturers won’t honor the warranty. It’s necessary for the longevity of your carpets to have them cleaned often.