Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning FAQ
Find Answers to Common Questions in Our Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning FAQ list:
Is it worth having carpets cleaned?
Yes, absolutely, as long as you get your carpets cleaned professionally. This type of cleaning normally referred to in the industry as 'Hot Water Extraction' is very thorough, and will give your carpets the best chance of improvement. Not only will having them cleaned, restore a high sanitary level, but regular professional cleaning will actually prolong the life of the carpets. To see some recent results from our carpet cleaning in Street, Glastonbury, Wells, Somerton and surrounding areas in Somerset see the Gallery in the Methods section.
What is the best way to have carpets cleaned?
Generally speaking, professional carpet cleaning takes the form of a process called 'Hot Water Extraction'. This is the most thorough method of carpet cleaning there is. When comparing a carpet cleaning quotation it is important to check that the price quoted is for this most thorough format of cleaning. Otherwise it is not a comparative quote. Our Street carpet cleaning customers agree that the right method is important. Read more on our Methods page.
How often should carpets be cleaned?
Like anything else around the home, carpets need to be cleaned regularly. As an average guide, have them professionally cleaned once a year if you have children and/or dogs. If you live alone or if only a couple of people live in the household then about every 18 months. Having a regular carpet cleaning program like the above will keep your carpets clean and will slow the process of them wearing out. This is because continued day in, day out use of dirty carpets increase the irreversible wear in the carpet. So cleaning them periodically will prolong the investment of your carpets.
Do carpets get dirty faster after cleaning?
It depends. If the carpet cleaning method used a high level of sticky detergents, or if any product used in the cleaning was not thoroughly rinsed from the carpet then the answer will be yes. A professional cleaning process involves what might be called a 'last step rinse'. This is the machine stage of the cleaning where the dirt and any product is removed from the carpet using power vacuums and basically just clean water. Other reasons why a carpet may seam to get dirty after the cleaning may be because it was not dry vacuumed thoroughly by the cleaner before the wet cleaning commenced, or because of the inferiority of the cleaning system, not all the dirt was removed. Of course our determination is not only to clean your carpets but look after them the right way. If you live in the Street, Glastonbury, Wells and Somerton area of Somerset we hope you'll choose us to look after your carpet cleaning.
More Questions...Click the Question to see the answer:
What carpet cleaning system do you use?
What solutions/detergents do you use?
What is Carpet/Upholstery Protection (or scotchguarding)?
How long will my carpets take to dry once cleaned?
Why would you say its best to get my carpets/upholstery cleaned professionally, can’t I do it myself?
In between having my carpet cleaned properly should I use Vanish or 1001 type carpet shampoos to treat spots and stains?
A friend of mine has had carpets cleaned before and said they get dirtier sooner once you start having them cleaned, is this true?
Do you steam clean carpets?
Can you guarantee that a stain will be removed?
What exact areas do you cover?
Can you clean stair carpets?
What carpet cleaning system do you use?
We use the industry’s 5 step cleaning process found on our carpet cleaning process page. Generally this is based on a hot water extraction system to clean carpets. This involves the controlled application of water with small and exact measures of professional industry leading detergents. This system is extremely thorough. Water temperatures can be completely controlled to fit the specification of carpet, and the machine will heat up to steam if required. Some carpets such as Belgian Wilton’s require Low moisture (LM) cleaning. Water would shrink them. We can apply safe alternative method of cleaning.
When it comes to rugs, variations of the above system can be used. Many rugs, such as Chinese, Persian & Middle-eastern rugs can be cleaned successfully using water extraction. Occasionally some variations have to be dry cleaned by hand. As you would expect, we will inspect all carpets and rugs thoroughly prior to cleaning so that the best choice can be made with regard to which system will be used. Dye testing with rugs is an important factor – this also will be tested prior to cleaning. Please see our Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Methods page which goes into much more detail.
What solutions/detergents do you use?
We use only professional cleaning products. The most product is used in pre-spraying the carpet prior to extraction cleaning. Then it is rinsed using the extraction machine with what is basically just water. Very little in the way of product is used. Our detergents are specially formulated to be healthy for your carpet and for people. They are all non-stick to eliminate premature re-soiling. All are biodegradable. Of course we have a selection of what you might call problem solver additives, to treat specific stains. These too are specially formulated for use in the home, and are even rinsed from the carpet as well.
What is Carpet/Upholstery Protection (or scotchguarding as some call it)?
In short Carpet Protection helps your carpet deal with the everyday things life throws at it. A Carpet Protector is a coating applied to the carpet, which adds resilience to stains and general soiling. A common misconception is that a carpet protector or scotchguard (a brand of the above), stops the carpet from becoming stained or soiled. Instead the protector will help hold up a spillage, giving you time to blot up excess liquid; if not fully removed by blotting, the stain will respond better to Professional cleaning than normal because of the carpet protector. Another benefit of carpet protection is that generally speaking it assists the cleaning of the carpet as a whole. The applied coating helps the majority of general soiling stay away from the actual carpet fibre, making it more responsive to extraction cleaning.
If you would like to add carpet protection to any existing carpets or seek additional information on the subject please feel free to ask when we see you next, call us anytime to find out more or read our Stain Protection section.
How long will my carpets or upholstery take to dry once cleaned?
We generally advise allowing about 24 hours for them to dry, depending on pile or fabric type. Although often they will be dry in less time. It is best to wait for the carpets to dry entirely before replacing furniture or rugs.
Why would you say its best to get my carpets/upholstery cleaned professionally, can't I do it myself?
To answer this question lets consider some problems caused by either getting it cleaned unprofessionally or by self:
Carpet/Fabric type incorrectly identified: If the carpet type, including the construction of the backing, fibre and the pile type is not taken into account properly many problems will occur.
Over-wetting: Can cause shrinkage, stretch the carpet, bring damp to the underlay, inflict a long drying time, smell and cause rapid re-soiling. In the case of rugs especially of the Persian variety no control of the water will amongst other things lead to inevitable dye bleed.
Spots and stains incorrectly treated: If stains are not treated correctly, they will simply not respond. It may even set them – See next question for more.
Hire machines not powerful or engineered enough: The machines you can hire to clean your carpets usually don’t control water well enough, as above this leads to over-wetting. Professional cleaning ensures control over water and the detergents do not cause rapid re-soiling. See next question for more.
Please see our photo galleries for examples of the results that can be had when you get your carpets or upholstery professionally cleaned. See the Carpet Cleaning Gallery on this site our YouTube Channel or Cleaning Photos on our Google Business Profile. (Opens in a New window)
In between having my carpet/upholstery cleaned properly should I use Vanish or 1001 type carpet shampoos to treat spots and stains?
No. Every week we see the effects of these shampoo’s. These shampoo’s cannot be rinsed from the carpet or upholstery. This means, that even if it removed the spot, a white foam gets left in the carpet. Not only can it appear bleached, but it can also actually bleach. A recent customer had used the above on a red nylon carpet. The result was it turned orange. In the short term it is best to gently blot spots and stains using a damp cloth, press on the spot repeatedly, don’t scrub.
To see more on what you can do in between professional cleaning, read our article: How to Keep Your Carpets Looking New.
A friend of mine has had carpets cleaned before and said they get dirtier sooner once you start having them cleaned, is this true?
As referred to earlier, when carpets aren’t cleaned professionally problems arise. In this case the carpets can’t have been cleaned professionally. Some reasons for it getting dirtier sooner could be:
No Pre-Vacuuming. If dusty dirty carpets aren’t vacuumed prior to water based cleaning, a muddy sludge can be created and not removed.
Over wetting: Soiling in the carpet gets forced downward and resurfaces as it dries.
Cleaning machine had week power – leading to loss of control over water (Over Wetting).
Shampoo based cleaning agents when used can’t truly be rinsed from the pile – causing a mild degree of stickiness, not tangible by touch – but attracts dust and soil – then holds onto it.
Carpets were cleaned using something other than industry approved non stick detergents.
Do you steam clean carpets?
Yes, if steam will help the cleaning of the carpet and as long as the heat wouldn’t damage the carpets’ pile. When we do clean at these temperatures, it isn’t just steam because if you think about it, it’s effectively only a gas then. It is more water heated to the point of steam, so you have plenty of penetration into the pile for cleaning. The correct carpet cleaning procedure and the right equipment mean that steam is part of the cleaning process, not solely dependant on it. We very rarely use heat (to the point of steam) when cleaning upholstery as it damages the fabric.
Can you guarantee that a stain will be removed?
We are unable to guarantee that a stain will be removed. For example: If we go to a job where a person has dropped hot tea on a 100% wool carpet, we will inform the customer that although the carpet in general will respond very well to cleaning, we can’t be certain the tea stain will be removed. Wool as a general rule holds on to water based stains, especially if it was hot when it went down. However if it is going to come out – we’ll get it out! Sometimes even when a stain is stuck in the carpet we can use some different additives that may over time diminish the visual extent of the stain. In conclusion to this question, there are many variables that determine whether or not a stain can be removed. A basic few are: Spillage type, temperature of spillage, carpet type, time elapsed.
What exact areas do you cover?
Our Carpet Cleaning Service Areas
Compton Dundon, Long Sutton, Pitney, Upton, Keinton Mandeville, Barton St. David, Charlton Mackrell, Charlton Adam, Kingsdon, Knole, Cary Fitzpaine.
Walton, Ashcott, Pedwell, Greinton, Shapwick, Moorlinch, Stawell, Edington, Catcott, Chilton Polden, Cossington, Woolavington.
Butleigh, Baltonsborough, Meare, Westhay, Godney, Polsham, West Pennard.
Henley, High Ham, Low Ham, Huish Episcopi, Curry Rivel, Othery, Middlezoy.
Ash, Stapleton, East Lambrook, West Lambrook, South Petherton
Ansford, Alhampton, Alford, Hornblotton, Lovington, North Barrow, South Barrow, North Cadbury, South Cadbury,
Croscombe, Pilton, Pylle, East Pennard, Evercreech, Ditcheat.
Coxley, North Wootton, Dulcote, Dinder, Wookey Hole, Priddy, Yarley, Henton, Panborough.
Theale, Mark, Blackford and Burtle
Ashington, Chilthorne Domer, Yeovilton, Odcombe, Montacute, East Coker, West Coker, Mudford
Very simply the answer is yes. They are cleaned just as easily as any other carpet area. We have the specific tools to cleaning stairs thoroughly, as pictured below:
You can also watch us clean some particularly dirty stair carpets:
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