The carpet manufacturers recommend having your carpeting cleaned by an IICRC-certified professional, via the hot water extraction (or steam cleaning method) every 12-18 months. Check with your warranty for regulations.

However, the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency), suggests having your carpets cleaned a lot more often than that. Why? Carpet serves as a major filter for dirt, dust and other contaminants that end up in your home. And just like the filter in your furnace or home air cleaner, it requires maintenance.

Tempted to rip the carpeting out? Removing the carpet to help prevent dust in the home is a very common misconception. Read here for more information about how carpeting can actually HELP increase the air quality in your home.

With normal soiling conditions and the proper air flow in the home, carpets take approximately 3-6 hours to dry. If a carpet is more heavily-soiled, the dry time may increase. Also, if windows are closed and no air circulation is flowing through the home, the carpet will also take longer to dry. The best way to minimize the time it takes for the carpet to dry is to open up windows (if the weather permits) and turn on fans in your home.

Many people are not aware that there is a certification board in the carpet cleaning industry. The IICRC ( Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification) is the leading authority of standard setting in the carpet cleaning industry. You cannot buy their certification. Technicians must take classes and pass a rigorous exam to earn certification. In addition, technicians must also take continuing credits in order to maintain their certification. Why is this important to consumers? If you hire a general contractor to complete a renovation in your home, you want to ensure that the person you hire is licensed, insured and knows how to complete the job you are hiring them to do. But many people hire a carpet cleaning company without doing research. As with many industries, not all carpet cleaning companies are the same. It’s imperative that whoever you hire knows how to clean according to industry standards, in order to maintain carpet warranties. Otherwise, you could be dealing with less than acceptable cleaning results, not to mention a potential headache down the road.

Carpet Protector adds a protective layer on your carpeting to keep spills and dirt more surface level, allowing you to clean up the spill or to vacuum up dirt more quickly and efficiently. Over time, foot traffic on your carpet causes soil to become ground in and trapped in your carpet’s fibers. All of this soil acts like tiny saws, cutting into the protector, exposing and damaging the delicate fibers. Now exposed, spills and soil can penetrate deep into the heart of your carpet. This causes your carpet to wear out faster. It can also expose the fibers to the possibility of permanent staining. Renewing carpet protection after each cleaning reinforces your carpet’s original factory protectant. Spills will become easier to remove. Vacuuming will be much more effective. Most importantly, your carpet will look better for much longer than it would with just the original protectant alone.

Although many people think this will be helpful in removing a spot, any over-the-counter spot or stain removers actually worsen our chances of removing a spot. We do not recommend using any over-the-counter spotters. Why? Many of them leave behind a residue. Imagine putting soap in your hair and not rinsing it out. How dirty will your hair feel? Without rinsing any soap or cleaning agent out of your carpeting, you are only adding residue to your carpet, which attracts dirt. In addition, some cleaning products may react with our cleaning products. Some oxidizing agents can actually bleach out your carpeting over time and with continued use. And one of the best reasons not to use a spotter before we arrive is that some spotters can actually set the stain or add a layer between the spot or stain, making it impossible to remove. Our cleaning products are made to clean spots and stains and are extremely effective. We also give all of our clients a free spotter bottle that is completely neutral so that it will not leave a residue behind.