If you are looking for a carpet cleaning company, you need to be careful. This is a business where, regrettably, there are more bad companies than good ones. If you are looking for carpet cleaning in Dallas, hopefully you will choose us but if not, we would still like to help you find a good service. Here are the things that you need to look for.
Cleaning Method
There are a lot of carpet cleaning methods out there but nothing beats steam cleaning. Dry cleaning methods were originally developed for commercial carpet cleaning where the carpet had to be ready for use quickly. You might think that if it could handle commercial carpet , it could handle residential but this is not true. The thing that you have to remember is that commercial carpet is cleaned weekly, if not daily. The ability to remove heavy soil is not as important as the quick drying ability.
Steam cleaning, on the other hand, is geared towards heavy soil removal. On the average 5 room home, your carpet cleaner will run about 50 gallons of water through your carpet. This has the capability of removing a lot of soil and you need this ability since residential carpets are cleaned once a year at best. It is this ability to remove soil that has led to most carpet mills recommending steam cleaning and some even requiring it to maintain a warranty.
Cleaning Equipment
There are two ways to steam clean a carpet. With a portable machine or with a truck mounted machine. There are situations where a portable machine is required. These situations include things like apartments and commercial situations where doors must be locked. In all other situations, a truck mounted machine is the preferred method.
Truck mounted carpet cleaning machines are much more powerful. They are powered by gas engines and produce more heat and much more vacuum power. They can remove more soil and moisture. With a truck mounted machine, a carpet cleaner can get your carpet clean and dry in about 6 hours, on average.
Up Front Pricing
The carpet cleaner should clearly list all prices that they charge. You never want to have someone come to your home without first getting a price quote. This just opens the door for them to overcharge you. We, for example, list our carpet cleaning specials clearly on the website so that you know exactly what you are getting.
Prices should always include what is needed for an average cleaning. This includes vacuuming, pre-treatment and basic spot cleaning. There may be additional charges for things like pet stains and complex spot cleaning such as red dye.
The thing to really watch out for with pricing is charges for heavily soiled carpet. This is what bait and switch companies do. They may charge a fixed price per room and then charge a high per square foot charge for “extra soiling.” Do not fall for it.
Reputation
A good reputation is priceless. Do a quick search for your company online and see what kind of reviews there are. The reviews should be predominantly good. One bad review does not rule out a company but you should note how they address it.
If, you search for a company name and no information comes up, you should use caution. This might mean they are brand new which could be a problem. Everybody needs to start somewhere but you don’t want to be guinea pigs for a company.
Overall Feel
Trust your gut. If you talk to a company and you don’t like them move on. If they are short with you and not very social, it will not get better when they are in your home. Remember, they will be in your home for about two hours for the appointment, you need to feel comfortable.
In Conclusion
Hopefully, if you are in Dallas, you will call on us. If not, please be sure to take the time to research your company. It will pay huge dividends and your carpet and your pocketbook will thank you.
