Rob Allen

Originally Posted by Rob Allen

There are so many different myths and facts out there about what is the best carpet cleaning procedures. Here are a few, if you have more, feel free to add.


Myth: You should wait to have your carpet cleaned the first time, because it will never look the same again.
Fact: Waiting for your carpet to be cleaned will do nothing but create possible health hazards and make the job harder for your carpet cleaner. As long as you’ve hired a trained professional, your carpet should look better every time you clean it.

Myth: Carpet cleaning may shrink my carpet.
Fact: Your carpet will not shrink unless the hired cleaner leaves the carpet extremely wet. A professional cleaner will not allow this to happen, but play it safe and check for wetness before they leave your home.

Myth: You should not vacuum your carpet very often or it will deteriorate.
Fact: Studies have shown vacuuming your carpet 4 times a week does no more damage to your carpet than vacuuming it twice a month. In fact, the build-up of dirt and residue in carpet fibers can be harmful to your health, so vacuum frequently.

Myth: I only have to clean my carpet if it has been stained.
Fact: The dirt and residue that can build up in your carpet over time is not always noticeable on the surface. It is smart to have your carpet cleaned at least once a year by a professional, especially if you have small children in the house.

Myth: I don’t have to clean my carpet because it has built-in stain resistance.
Fact: Although carpets with stain resistance will help with accidental spills, dirt still gets under the fibers. Treat your carpet the same as any other.

Myth: Cleaning your carpet often is bad for it.
Fact: You can never clean your carpet too much. In fact, the more often you clean your carpet, the longer it will retain its original appearance. Carpets aren’t cheap to buy; cleaning simply protects your investment.

Myth: Carpet cleaning can destroy my stain resistance.
Fact: Although stain resistance is by no means permanent, foot traffic actually loosens it up more than anything. Have a carpet cleaning specialist re-apply stain resistance every 3rd cleaning.

The store where we purchased our carpet said it had to be dry cleaned only.
Fact: This could not be further from the truth. This opinion among carpet retailers (salespeople) is derived from carpet cleaners who consistently leave the carpet too wet with water and residue. This causes a great amount of soiling to be left behind, which wicks back to the surface after drying finally occurs. This opinion has no factual or proven claims to back it up, it is just that — their opinion, and it is WRONG!

Myth: Dry Cleaning is better than Steam (wet) Cleaning because it is dry.
Fact:This myth comes from the overbundance of *bad* steam cleaners. By using the term *BAD*, I am referring to steam (wet) cleaners who leave the carpet way too wet (and there are plenty that do this). Someone came along and figured the opposite of very wet would be better (dry). To improve upon this further, steam clean with a solution that will remove existing residues and leave your carpet or upholstery extremely clean and fresh. Now that's the BEST way to clean — period.
Dry cleaning, on the other hand, has a BIG tendancy to leave a lot of residue in the carpet. There is either no extraction, or very little extraction involved with dry cleaning. Guess where the soiling and cleaning residues remain? IN THE CARPET!!!

Myth: Cheaper cleaners do just as good a job, only for less.
Fact: Don’t hire a cleaner simply because their price is the cheapest. A bad carpet-cleaning job can leave your carpet worse off than it was to begin with.

Myth: I have my own carpet-cleaning machine, so I don’t need to hire a professional.
Fact: Although having your own machine is useful for small stains and routine cleaning, most home machines don’t have the suction power professional machines do. Because of this, the stain gets loosened up, but the residue is not completely removed from the carpet itself. It’s best to still have your carpet cleaned by a professional on occasion.