Consumer Alerts
Any carpet cleaning companies advertise low prices. That are so much lower than any competitors. It always seems like too good of a deal to pass up. It very well seems to be. But if you take a step back and give it a second look, you’ll wonder how they would cover, gas, technician hourly rate , supplies, etc. There must be a reason why the price is so low. This could very well be a bait and switch cleaner. Don’t be fooled by bait and switch companies. As you can be in for a huge surprise!
Price alone should not be a reason to choose a carpet cleaning company. That’s where many people fall into carpet cleaning scams. If a carpet cleaner really is as cheap as they claim to be, you have to wonder where they are cutting costs. Are they cleaning or restoring the carpet or just wetting it?
Here Are Some Tips And Things To Look For When Hiring A Cleaner
- Do they have liability insurance?
- Do they offer a warranty or workmanship guarantee?
- Get the price for services in writing before they start the job. Not during the cleaning process or the end. This will insure you don’t over pay or get nickel and dimed. And you’ll know exactly what work is going to be done for the price you are paying
Ask them to explain your cleaning process and everything that is included for that price? - Look for consumer reviews around the web to see what past clients are saying
- Is there company drug, alcohol and
criminal free? Companies that don’t screen their employees can put you and your loved ones at risk. To be on the safe side, do not deal with companies or cleaners who don’t pre-screen and drug test their employees. - Are their cleaning solutions safe for family and pets?
- Are their technicians uniformed and trucks or vans marked with company logo?
- Are they IICRC certified
Don’t become another victim of dishonest carpet cleaners. The best way to protect yourself from these dishonest companies is to do research on the company and always ask good questions. Make sure you are informed about their carpet cleaning process and price before agreeing to anything.
Consumer Alerts
Vacuuming:
Something as simple as regular vacuuming can have the largest impact on your flooring. Not only cleanliness or helping preserve the life of your carpets but it’s helps clean the air you breathe in your home. When vacuuming, vacuum slowly and in an over lapping sequence. A quick once over doesn’t do much. Vacuuming frequency should be at least once a week. But the more foot traffic, the more you need to vacuum.
Spills:
Immediately remove any spills from your carpet by pressing firmly with clean, white cloth towels working from the outside of the spill inward to avoid spreading. Continue blotting (blot do not rub) until no moisture transfers to the towel. Keep doing this with more towels until non of this spill will transfer to the towels. You can also place a heavy item on the towel to help compress. For solid spills, scrape up solids with a spoon. Then follow the blotting instructions above. For red wine dab with a white cloth dampened with club soda to neutralize the spill and remove any possible stain. Let dry. Many times the stain disappears. If not, give us a call to assist you.
Carpet Cleaning Frequency:
We recommend having your carpets cleaned between 8 months to 12 months. When soil starts to appear. To prolong the life of your carpets. Adding carpet protector after cleanings is highly recommended to help protect the carpet fibers from spills that result in stains.
Tips For Pet Owners
- Vacuuming regularly will help reduce pet hair. Two to three times per week.
- Vacuum furniture
- Reacting immediately to urine accidents can help minimize the damage. Placing a heavy item on an white cloth towel laid over the urine will remove much of the moisture, but you still need to get the area professionally cleaned.
- When using pet spotters follow the instructions carefully
- Call the professionals. Its worth investing in professional carpet cleaning once or twice a year.
- Buy a hand held extractor to help remove liquids from the carpet
- Baking soda can be used on pet stains to help eliminate or mask the odor. Baking soda will not take the place of a deep cleaning
How To Prepare Before Your Cleaning Visit:
- Keep the side of the driveway closest to the front door clear
- Please remove nick- knacks and breakables
- Keep children and pets away from truck, equipment, and work areas
- Although we vacuum before the cleaning process. Its recommended but not mandatory to vacuum prior to our arrival. This will help to remove as much dry
soil as possible. To get best cleaning results and to help prevent wicking - In good weather open windows to allow more airflow. And turn on any ceiling fans.
- In rainy weather open windows a half inch and put the heater on
- Let us know during the scheduling process if the building has no water service or electrical service
- If you are in a gated community. Let us know the access code or give us instructions on how to enter
Common Carpet Problems:
Filtration Lines
Filtration lines are dark lines or bands of soil that you find along walls, under doors that are kept closed for a length of time, under the skirting of furniture, and more. They are composed of oil and the molecules of soil that are so small that cleaning them or removing them from fibers without carpet cleaning services is difficult.
Permanent Stains
Although our team at Steamworks Cleaning & Restoration has a great overall track record, keep in mind that some stains may become permanent. In these cases, the stains can change the original color of the carpet. These stains are most commonly caused by pet urine, vomit, Kool-Aid, grape juice, various medications, and cleaning agents. When this happens, you’ll need professional carpet cleaning that includes carpet cleaning services like carpet dyeing or cutting the damaged section of carpet out and replacing it with a new patch of carpet.
Buckling
When a carpet buckles shortly after it was installed, chances are that not enough padding or the wrong type of carpet padding was installed underneath.
Bubbling
It’s a common situation for homeowners to have their carpet cleaned only for it to dry and have bubbles emerge. While they might think the cleaning was to blame, this is far more often the result of carpet that was not properly stretched before it was installed. This problem can easily be averted by pulling and stretching the carpet over carpet tacks
Shedding
Some carpets, like staple fiber carpets, shed. While this is a normal process for a month or two after the installation, shedding after three months is not. You can prevent this problem by either choosing a non-shedding carpet, such as bulk continuous filament carpet, or by picking one of higher quality.
Carpet Shading
When the carpet is installed, the carpet nap is laid in the same direction. Shading is normally found in high traffic areas like hallways and is the result of multi-directional foot traffic that forces the nap to lie in opposite directions. When viewing the carpet in these areas, it looks either lighter or darker, depending on where you are standing. This condition is not reversible. One way to slow down shading is to vacuum your carpet in one direction only.
Discoloration Spots
When various household chemicals and bleaches are dripped onto the carpet and not immediately removed some may lie dormant. Not appearing until rinsed out by the carpet cleaning. Some of these chemical agents are medications, ammonia, and household cleaning agents containing bleach. Please notify the cleaning technician if you are aware of any of these kind of spills.
Traffic Lane Graying
Over time, carpet fabrics become worn or to the degree that they no longer retain their original texture and shape. This causes a physical change and creates a gadded appearance. Our cleaning and grooming will improve a worn carpet, but may not restore it to a new appearance. This is also known as Traffic Lane Graying. Other causes of this and overall wear involve adjacent blacktop surfaces and sand. The chemicals used to blacktop driveways and pavements can in time, gray out the areas of carpeting in entryways/doorways. This is most notably apparent in white and lighter colored carpeting. Sand is a major culprit in wear due to surface scratches. Frequent vacuuming will help.
Pet Odors
We use advance odor treatment methods to eliminate minor odor problems, some odors thoroughly invade the carpet, pad, and in some instances, sub-flooring. We cannot guarantee to completely eliminate these odors with general cleaning. These cases would involve considerable restoration, which includes removal and treatment of both sides of the carpet, pad replacement, sub-flooring cleaning and re-installation of the carpet.
Steamworks will do everything in its power to make sure you are absolutely thrilled with all our cleaning services and for you to continue to use Steamworks for all your cleaning needs.
Steamworks has grown primarily by client referrals and word-of-mouth. As a company that offers carpet cleaning services, we appreciate this and want to reward you for your referrals. Learn more about our referral programs and special offers for new and existing clients now!
Choosing a company to come into your home can be a daunting task. Contact us today for a free consultation or to get started on carpet cleaning and other services.