Frequently Asked Questions
A: No. Years ago, some carpets would shrink when cleaned because manufacturers used jute as a backing. Jute is a natural fibre that can shrink when it gets excessively wet, and old steam-cleaning equipment would sometimes cause that kind of over-wetting. Today, nearly all carpet has a synthetic backing, which helps prevent shrinking. In addition, our powerful extraction equipment helps prevent the carpet backing from getting excessively wet.
Q: Why do some carpet cleaners advertise extreamely low prices and when they arrive to clean my carpets they always charge me extra?
A: This is an old trick called bait and switch. Put simply, they want you to book with them so they make the price too good to refuse. When the carpet cleaner arrives at your home you will be told that you need to pay for a whole bunch of extra stuff like extra treatment for stain removal , extra for an industrial clean, extra for medium to heavy soiling, extra for deodorising, extra because the price you were quoted was for very small rooms, extra for sanitising, extra for scotchguarding and the list goes on and on. A professional carpet cleaner (even at the risk of loosing your business by telling you the truth and the real price up front) will include any spot and stain removal, heavy soiling, deodorising...etc in the price quoted over the phone.
Q: I've heard that once you clean a carpet it gets dirty quicker. Is that true?
A: Not with the two-step Deep Clean system. Residue that gets left in the carpet from inferior cleaning processes is what causes rapid re-soiling. Our two-step deep cleaning process uses pressurized hot water and advanced cleaning agents to loosen soil. Then we remove the dirt and the cleaning solution with a pH-balancing rinse and powerful vacuuming, leaving your carpet soft and clean.
Q: When you clean my carpet, does the underlay or sub-floor get wet?
A: No. While the Two-Step Deep Clean system does use a very powerful, deep-cleaning fibre rinse, the system extracts the rinse, the cleaning solution and the dirt very effectively in the same step. That gets your carpets as clean as possible while leaving your underlay and sub-floor dry.
Q: How long will it take my carpet to dry?
A: Factors like carpet material and type, and the relative humidity in your home affect the drying time. It can take from 3 to 24 hours to be completely dry, but you can walk on it right after cleaning, if necessary. Ask about our special shoe covers.
Q: Why is the 2-step hot water extraction the method most carpet makers recommend?
A: In order to get anything truly clean, you need to use water to flush out the cleaning agents and dirt. Hot water extraction is the method that uses a flushing process to remove dirt. (Imagine washing your clothes and not rinsing them. That's what happens to carpets cleaned without the hot water extraction method.) Two-Step Deep Clean system uses a two-step cleaning process: a pre-conditioning cleaning spray to loosen soil and a combination hot water fibre rinse and a powerful vacuum to extract and remove both the cleaning solution and the dirt.
Q: I've heard water can ruin carpets. Is that true?
A: Yes and No. What harms carpet is poor quality machinery that doesn't remove enough of the water to allow the carpet to go through the drying process properly.
Q: Does Carpet Protector really work?
A: Absolutely. Carpet protector is an outstanding product that Genuine Carpet & Upholstery Care professionals recommend highly. In fact, most new carpet has protector on it - applied by the carpet manufacturer. However, protector wears off because of foot traffic on the carpet,
frequent vacuuming, etc. Also it can sometimes have a less than good reputation because of the number of un-certified and under qualified carpet cleaners applying protector that has been massivly watered down.
Q: Why is vacuuming important?
A: The most important thing you can do to keep your carpet looking great is to vacuum it thoroughly and frequently, particularly in high-traffic areas. Vacuuming helps remove dirt particles which dull the carpet's appearance and damage the carpet fibres. Also, use walk-off mats at entrances to minimize dirt particles being tracked onto the carpet and to reduce soil accumulation. Also see the Consumer Warning.
Q: I know regular vacuuming is important. What type of vacuum should I use?
A: A good vacuum cleaner is extremely important in prolonging the life of your carpet. Almost any vacuum cleaner can remove surface dirt, but only a quality machine can effectively remove the soil that's embedded in the pile. We recommend using a vacuum cleaner with a rotating brush or beater/brush combination that agitates the carpet pile to loosen embedded soil. (Note that some thick loop pile carpets can become fuzzy when cleaned with a rotating brush-style vacuum cleaner. For those carpets, we recommend a good quality suction-only machine. Ask a Genuine carpet technician for advice.)
Q: How can I maintain my new carpet warranty?
A: There are three key things to do to maintain your new carpet warranty:
1. Vacuum frequently
2. Clean spills promptly (get a Free bottle of spot remover with your booking)
3. Have periodic professional carpet cleanings
Q: Why is professional cleaning important?
A: When vacuuming no longer removes all of the soil or you have not been able to remove spots following the recommended carpet care and cleaning procedures, it's time to have your carpet cleaned by a trained and qualified professional cleaner. At the Carpet Cleaning Consumer Guide we know the latest information on carpet construction, carpet care products, and safe, effective cleaning methods to help maintain carpet beauty. For this reason, we recommend, and most carpet manufacturers' warranties require, periodic professional cleaning.
Q: How often should my carpet be cleaned?
A: We recommend professional cleaning at least every 12 months.
Q: I've heard it's best to put off having your carpet cleaned as long as possible, is this true?
A: No. In fact, many of the major carpet mills today recommend professional cleaning at least once per year. The build up of soil in your carpet in combination with foot traffic creates abrasion that breaks down your carpets' fibres. The higher the traffic in a given area, the more germs and bacteria and the more often the carpet will need cleaning.
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Q: What is Encapsulation and Does it work. These two questions are really good questions so I've added an article by Geoff Algar from Hastings Carpet Cleaning, Port Macquarie NSW who is a leading expert and practising professional when it comes to this process.
Encapsulation Carpet Cleaning – using today’s technology to clean carpets.
A dictionary explanation of encapsulation is the process of enclosing (as in a capsule). But how does this clean carpet?
Encapsulation Carpet Cleaning is known as a very low moisture cleaning system (VLM). The process uses new technology and improved cleaning chemicals. Polymers in the detergent trap and surround dirt particles and detergent residue which crystallise as they dry, and are simply removed by subsequent dry vacuuming. As no sticky detergent residue is left to attract dirt, carpets remain clean longer.
Does it work?
A sales rep gave me some samples to try with steam cleaning last week. I haven’t used them yet as every clean since has been with encapsulation. Being winter, people want their carpets dry and ready to use, and don’t want to leave windows and doors open as you can in summer.
Does it work?
The last job I did I had intended to use my encapsulation system but when I arrived the carpet in one room was very heavily soiled and I assumed that it would need steam and strong detergents to get it looking acceptable. I advised the client not to expect it to look perfect, due to the level of soiling.
The living areas were not as dirty and were suited to encapsulation cleaning. As I unloaded the encapsulation cleaning system first I thought I would use it to scrub the heavily soiled carpet to break up the dirt. I was amazed, then impressed, as the system worked to remove the dirt from the carpet fibres, leaving them far cleaner than I had expected. The low amount of moisture used also meant that there would be no wick back of dirt from deep in the pile that would have occurred if the carpet had been steam cleaned.
Does it work?
Yes. Although designed for flat commercial carpet that requires limited downtime for cleaning, the industry is finding encapsulation will work on most carpets in domestic situations. The encapsulation detergent that I personally use contains a fluoro-protector, which leaves carpets even more soil resistant.
The essential steps
1. Dry vacuum with a quality commercial upright machine. Approximately 85% of soil in carpets is dry soil that can be removed by initial vacuuming. Vacuuming also prevents this dry soil from turning to mud when moistened.
2. A quality encapsulation detergent is applied and massaged into the carpet by a quality machine. The remaining 15% (approx) of soil, adhering to the carpet fibres, is encapsulated in this process
3. Carpet is groomed to remove swirl marks left by some machines. Some clients prefer leaving the swirl marks as they can make the carpet look “cleaned”.
4. Dry vacuum will remove the encapsulated dirt and residues. This is best completed 24 hours after the clean to enable the polymers to crystallise.
Encapsulation in action Crystallised detergent
Encapsulation carpet cleaning is not the be all and end all in carpet cleaning, but it is a major leap forward in technology, and should be embraced as part of an overall carpet cleaning operation. I watched the introduction of encapsulation cleaning with a healthy scepticism for 18 months on the Internet, firstly in the USA and then Australia, but today am a firm believer in the value of it in my business.
By Geoff Alger
Hastings Carpet Cleaning
Port Macquarie NSW
Contact - 02 6582 4391
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