Frequently Asked Questions About Carpet Cleaning
How often should my carpets be cleaned? |
This is a great question. The EPA and associations such as the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) have published cleaning frequency guidelines. Wall-to-wall carpeting in most homes should be cleaned at least twice each year. When families include more than four people or have more than one pet, the cleaning frequency should be increased. An important but often overlooked reason to clean carpets is for health reasons - not just carpet appearance issues.
The most common myth about carpet cleaning is that “wet” carpet cleaning systems will ruin carpets. This isn’t true. There is also the popular understanding that carpet cleaning causes rapid re-soiling problems. This statement is can be true because some carpet cleaning systems leave detergent residue which often cause re-soiling problems. Let’s begin by exploring these two issues. |
Does cleaning ruin carpets? |
Carpet history 101 -- when carpets were first introduced for wall-to-wall installation after the second world war, they were made of natural fibers such as wool or cotton face yarn and jute or hemp string for carpet backing. These fibers were prone to shrinking when they were cleaned. The original cleaning system was shampooing which used a great deal of water. It left a carpet wet for many hours, even up to two days. Often carpets would buckle and/or shrink. Then manufacturers of carpeting began to introduce synthetic fibers and water proof backing materials. Within twenty years most wall-to-wall carpets became water proof. Carpet cleaning equipment also improved over the years. When hot water extraction was introduced, it quickly became the process of consumer choice as well as the method by which the carpet manufacturer required in order to maintain the consumer warranty. By the 1970’s shrinking carpets became a thing of the past.
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Does carpet cleaning cause re-soiling? |
Carpet construction has continued to improve. As stated earlier, today’s carpets are water-proof and they resist mold growth. Dyes are strong, carpets last longer, everything about them is better. Sad to say, though, most carpet cleaning techniques and carpet cleaners have NOT kept pace with the ever improving carpets. The truth is that the carpet cleaning methods that do not use hot water extraction leave detergents or other chemical residues on the fibers. These residues are a big part of what causes re-soiling problems. Of note: The majority of spot cleaning products available to the consumer also leave residues behind.
Nalley Steamway uses a HOT WATER EXTRACTION, which is the method recommended by carpet manufacturers. Small amounts of detergents are pre-sprayed onto the heavily soiled areas of the carpet. Then extremely hot water (170 degrees or higher) is used to super activate the detergents and flush them away. Hot water has incredible cleaning power. It flushes soils away and kills most bacteria. Nalley Steamway understands and applies this technology. The EPA has studied and reported on the power of hot water in cleaning. It is great because bacterium do not become resistant to hot water like they do to chemicals. |
Call Nalley's |
You will experience the most thorough carpet cleaning ever or IT’S FREE! Every job Nalley Steamway does comes with an iron-clad, 100% risk free guarantee. We guarantee you’ll have the healthiest, longest-lasting carpet cleaning possible. If you are not happy with our work we’ll re-clean it again for free. If you are still not pleased, we will refund your payment in full. We feel that there is nothing more important than your complete and total satisfaction.
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