Cleaning Your Carpet: The Professionals vs. Doing It Yourself

Cleaning Your Carpet?
Here Are Tips On Using A Professional vs.
Doing It Yourself

Cleaning your carpet must be done but is it worth the hassle to save a few dollars? Will you get the same results if you do-it-yourself? This article takes a look at why going with the professionals may be the way to go! However, if you decide to do-it-yourself, we will give you tips on the best way to go about it and things you should avoid.

We all know that vacuum cleaning can remove the majority of dry soil, but it is also recommended that you clean your carpet on a fairly frequent basis to remove that sticky, oily soil that builds up in the fibers as a result of various odors and dirt that is tracked in from outside. If you can clean the carpet before it becomes too bad, the cleaning chore will be easier to do and a lot more successful.

You may have heard that cleaning your carpeting before it really becomes necessary will cause it to get dirtier much faster ... well, this is just a myth! Typically, the average home's carpet should be cleaned about every 18 months or so, but this will depend, of course, on the number of family members living in the home and the amount of traffic they create walking in and out of the home.

The choice of the right vacuum is very important. Some vacuums can leave residues behind, and when this happens, this residue will promote re-soiling, basically defeating the whole purpose of cleaning your carpet in the first place.

Professional Carpet Cleaners
It is in your best interest to use professional cleaners simply because their experience will enable them to do a much better job than you can do yourself. The equipment they use has more extraction power than the units available to you, and the carpet will dry faster as well. They know the cleaning agents to use, and they know the differences in carpet construction and fibers.

Cleaning Your Carpet Yourself
If you have made the decision to rent or buy a steam cleaning machine and do the job yourself, you should check on several systems before you make a selection. Most rental units will not clean you carpet thoroughly and may actually even end up damaging your carpet.

Therefore, you should always consider the following:

Several rental companies offer cleaning equipment that is similar to what the professionals use. The equipment should have enough vacuum power to allow the carpet to dry within 12 hours of cleaning. You should always avoid rental units found in retail and grocery stores that don't have the power to extract the cleaning solution from the carpet fast enough, as it can actually damage the carpet due to over wetting.

Make sure you avoid over-wetting the carpet. Any prolonged dampness can lead to mildew growth and bacteria in the carpet, or cause a separation of the backing. Carpeting that remains wet for any longer than 24 hours is prone to developing problems. You can control this by using proper equipment and the right training.

Carpets that have stain resistant treatments have to be cleaned with products that are formulated for this very purpose, or the stain resistance will be impaired and the warranty will be voided. Never use cleaning or spotting solutions that contain bleaches as they can mess up the color of the carpet.

Never use any silicone based treatments on the carpet.

You can help to reduce the drying time by using several fans to move the air around the carpet. You can use a dehumidifier as well, as it will pull moisture from the air.

Hot water extraction - The hot water extraction system is highly recommended, as it considered to be one of the best methods for carpet cleaning. Also known as steam cleaning, the process consists of spraying a mixture of water and detergent into the pile and recovering the water and soil with a powerful vacuum that puts it into a holding tank. You can use a truck mounted unit or a portable self contained unit as well. This method is easily one of the best, and is ideal for pet stains that you have been unable to get out or for otherwise heavily soiled carpets.

We hope this article has given you some answers to help in making your decision on whether cleaning your carpet is best left in the hands of a professional or whether this is something you can handle on your own. Either way...it inevitably must be done!

For more articles of similar interest click these links:
Want A Clean Home? Tips To Make It Easier
Deep-Cleaning Your Home The Organized Way
Cleaning and Other Uses for Alka-Seltzer
Removing and Organizing Clutter
The Many Uses of Baking Soda

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Cleaning Your Carpet? Here Are Tips On Using A Professional vs. Doing It Yourself

Cleaning Your Carpet?
Here Are Tips On Using A Professional vs.
Doing It Yourself