Common Questions From Our Customers
- Why Hire a Professional Carpet Cleaner?
- Do you use steam cleaning or dry cleaning?
- How long does the carpet take to dry?
- What payment methods do you accept?
- How long before I can walk on the carpet after its been cleaned?
- If I want to make a cleaning appointment how much lead time do I need to allow?
- How long will it take to clean my carpet?
- I’ve heard that once I clean my carpet, it will get dirty more quickly from now on.
- Are the cleaning agents that your company uses kid and pet friendly, are they safe?
- Can you guarantee that every stain and spot on my carpet will be removed?
- Should I remove all furniture from the room? Do you move furniture?
- Do I need to vacuum first?
Why Hire a Professional Carpet Cleaner?
A rug doctor is a carpet cleaning machine that can be rented from most big box stores for a low price. They use an electric vacuum with a suction power of roughly 80 cfm or cubic feet of air per minute. The standard truck mount, by contrast, has a suction power between 175 to over 350 cfm. The stronger suction means carpet cleaned by a professional carpet cleaner with a trunk mount will dry more quickly and will extract more of the cleaning solution and the dirt from your carpet. The results from carpet cleaning with a Rug Doctor or similar at home carpet cleaning machines is stiff feeling carpet, uncomfortable to the bare foot and dry times of two (2) or more days.
Consider this experiment: Take a sponge and soak it in water filled with your favorite liquid dish soap. Then try to suck the water out with a straw. Results, a lot of water and dish soap left in that sponge, not to mention, it will take a relatively long time for that sponge to dry. The same will be true of carpets cleaned with a rug doctor. Such carpets will still be quite dirty, and they can take days to dry.
Properly cleaning carpet or anything else also requires heat. As per basic chemistry, heat excites molecules and loosens bonds. It thus makes it easier to get the dirt and or grease out of carpet. Nobody uses cold water to wash dishes, and nobody uses cold water to clean carpets. The typical rug doctor uses water from your sink, which on average heats up to 120 degrees. A professional truck-mounted carpet cleaning machine can heat water up to 220 degrees. The industrial grade machines also has the added benefit of being able to adjust the heat that the machine puts out. That means it can be used on a greater variety of materials – including those that react well to high heat.
Truck-mounted carpet cleaning machines also produce water at a higher pressure than rental carpet cleaning machines. The higher the water pressure the more agitation occurs in the carpet being cleaned. This allows for dirt and other spots to be loosened away from the carpet and then removed by the high power suction. The higher the water pressure, the more thoroughly the carpet gets cleaned. The average rental carpet cleaning machine can spray at 125 psi, while a professional carpet cleaning machine can spray at 300 to 1000 psi.
In sum, the problem with DIY rental carpet cleaners is that they are simply too weak for effective carpet cleaning. To effectively clean your carpet or other upholstery, you need high pressure, hot water, and high suction. The type of technology that would be needed to effectively clean carpet with a DIY rental carpet cleaning machine has not yet been developed or implemented.
Do you use steam cleaning or dry cleaning?
We use steam cleaning which is the most sanitary and most recommended carpet cleaning method used in the industry. We are able to remove dirt and stains from your carpet using hot water mixed with our specialized cleaning solution. High pressure pushes the water and cleaner deep into your carpet followed by high suction that extracts the water and pulls dirt, allergens and pet hair from your carpet.
How long does the carpet take to dry?
It depends on the temperature and humidity inside the home. On average it takes 4 hours for the carpet to dry. If you have overhead fans or other fans, we recommend turning those on to facilitate dry time.
What payment methods do you accept?
- Check
- Cash
- Credit Card
How long before I can walk on the carpet after its been cleaned?
You can walk on it immediately, you just don’t want to go outside and track dirt and debris back in on the carpet while its wet.
If I want to make a cleaning appointment how much lead time do I need to allow?
We try to schedule appointments ASAP, so usually within 2 days of you contacting us!
How long will it take to clean my carpet?
An average size house takes 1-2 hours max.
I’ve heard that once I clean my carpet, it will get dirty more quickly from now on.
This is false, if cleaned correctly there will be no sticky residue left behind to attract dirt faster.
Are the cleaning agents that your company uses kid and pet friendly, are they safe?
Yes, all chemicals that Spotacular Carpet Cleaning use are perfectly safe for you and your family, including pets.
Can you guarantee that every stain and spot on my carpet will be removed?
Unfortunately, there are some stains that are permanent, therefore we cannot guarantee that every stain and spot will come clean. We value honesty and transparency and will do our very best to determine if the stain or spot can be removed. The age and type of carpet along with the age and type of stain are all factors that will affect the results.
Should I remove all furniture from the room? Do you move furniture?
We typically do not recommend removing all furniture from the room. Particularly large furniture that remains in the same location, prohibiting foot traffic in that area. Small, movable furniture would certainly be OK to move. Due to liability concerns, we do not move heavy furniture. If you have smaller items such as decor, end tables, etc., we request that those items be moved prior to your appointment.
Do I need to vacuum first?
Vacuuming is not required, but highly recommended. Our crew may pre-vacuum certain areas depending on the amount of debris on the carpet. There is an additional fee if we vacuum the area.