How often should I have my carpets cleaned?
This depends on your own comfort levels. Your comfort levels may be based on being blissfully unaware of the health issues of failing to clean your soft furnishings often enough. Over the years, various surveys from reputable organisations like WHICH? have arrived at conclusions that our floor coverings are as much as 7 times as dirty as the pavement outside.
Let us also not get confused with allowing a little dirt to build up in our soft furnishings which enables us to build up some natural resistance with the build up of allergen like dust-mite faeces.
Carpets and upholstery need to be cleaned regularly. Some need to be cleaned more often than others. Based on what we know, you need to consider having bedroom carpets, upholstery and mattresses cleaned at least once per year together with your lounge suite. Lounge/diner and hall and stair carpets need to be cleaned more for appearance and to protect your investment.
Recommended Carpet Cleaning Frequency:
Environment |
Normal Conditions |
Contaminated Outside, Dusty |
High Humidity (high biological activity / contamination) |
| House | 6 – 12 months | 2 months | 4 – 6 months |
| Day Care Centre | 2 – 3 weeks | 1 week | 1 week |
| Nursing Home | 4 – 6 weeks | 1 month | 1 week |
| Restaurants / Pubs (food outlets |
1 month | 1 week | 2 weeks |
| Commercial (retail shop, bank) |
3 – 6 months | 1 month | 2 months |
| Office Building (ground floor) |
3 – 6 months | 1 – 3 months | 2 – 6 months |
This table has been constructed based on data that can be found in “S001 Carpet Cleaning Standard” a standard reference guide for professional cleaning of installed textile floor coverings (carpets) produced by the IICRC (Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification). |
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I have a child that suffers from allergies, does your cleaning process use chemicals?
All carpets and some upholstery/curtain fabrics can be cleaned with water only. But then you can also wash your hands, take a bath or shower, wash your dishes and put your clothes in the washing machine all without chemicals. You would also know that water is not effective on its own. Detergent washing up liquid or shower gel or basic soap or washing powder helps as do hot water, agitation and detergent contact time.
With few exceptions, all chemical solutions in the carpet and upholstery that are water based are fit for purpose and will be safe to the vast majority of the population, although there will always be someone who may react when exposed to a particular substance. But then that is true of peanuts and milk and pollen etc. etc. etc.
All carpet cleaning methods involve the use of water based chemical solutions. Non-water based “dry solvent” methods for delicate fabrics are more hazardous and some specialist treatments such as (rust removers) require that your carpet cleaning technician uses appropriate personal protective equipment and advises you to keep your distance.
Otherwise, you should fear basic carpet and upholstery cleaning solutions as no more harmful than the soaps and detergents you use in your home for your skin, clothes or cooking utensils.
How long will my carpets take to dry?
Drying of your carpets and upholstery depends on the following factors:
- The method of cleaning best suited to get the best results without damage
- The absorbency properties of the fibres in the item (wool, nylon, cotton, polypropylene etc.)
- The degree of soiling the item has suffered
- The level of sophistication of the equipment being used
- The competence of the cleaning technician
- The ventilation provided
- The humidity conditions
- Whether artificial drying systems are added to the process e.g. air movers
Regardless of all the above, based on published standards, drying of soft furnishings must be achieved within 24 hours or the technician may be deemed to be at fault.
However, with all conditions at their most favourable, carpets can be dry in as little as 30 minutes to 2 hours.
My carpets are wool... will they shrink ?
If you consider that this problem doesn’t appear to worry sheep, why does it worry us? The truth of the matter lies more in the construction techniques of the item being cleaned than the fibre alone.
Yes, it is possible to shrink a wool carpet in the same way as it is possible to shrink a synthetic one, IF the carpet cleaner fails to recognise the risk potential of the carpet construction. A trained technician will be able to recognise the carpet construction, switch to an alternative method of cleaning if necessary or manage the moisture more carefully.
On the other hand, the riskier your carpet is to clean in terms of its construction and its sensitivity to moisture, the more often you need to have it cleaned to prevent it getting to the point where it looks dirty. As a rule, the dirtier your carpet, the more moisture you need to “carry” the detergents needed to clean it effectively!!
The Carpet Cleaning Pro DO NOT shrink carpets.
I heard that once you clean your carpets the first time they get dirty faster afterwards. Is this true?
This was once true many years ago when oils such as coconut oils were used in cleaning. Today’s synthetic detergents have eliminated that problem. This may only happen now if an incompetent carpet cleaners fails to observe manufacturers instructions and doesn’t understand how the solutions work and interact with each other or with soil and fibres.
I have a sisal, coir or natural fibres carpet. Do you clean those?
Yes we clean natural plant fibres carpets and rugs.
If you have a natural plant fibres carpet or rug – sisal, coir, jute, sea grass etc. these fibres can only be cleaned using the dry cleaning system due to the risk of damage from water.
Please note that due to the fibre construction of those types of carpet it is very unlikely some stains to be completely removed. We will perform a very thorough cleaning process and your carpet will be fresh, clean and healthy although in some cases stains may have become a permanent damage due to the discoloration of the natural carpet fibres.
Please call us on 01709 880447 for a free no obligation quote for dry carpet cleaning.
Only my lounge and hall carpets need cleaning... My bedroom carpet doesn’t need cleaning does it?
The lounge and hall carpet may look a little grubby, but it is almost guaranteed that your bedroom carpets are a less healthy environment even if at first glance they look cleaner. Look at the dust levels under your bed!!
Does the room have to be empty?
No, but it would help if it was tidy. Removing valuable vases and picture frames to another room would also help. Otherwise we move any item of furniture if it is safe to do so and then we put it back placing protector pads underneath to prevent staining the carpet with rust or unstable furniture dyes and varnishes. Please note: Our technicians are happy to remove and replace sofas however, sometimes due to the weight this may not be possible. Due to the complexity, our technicians will NOT move beds, wardrobes, televisions and Hi Fi equipment.
What are those black lines along the edges of my carpet? Can you remove them?
Have you ever wondered what those black lines are on your carpet? Either along the edges or under doorways, particularly airing cupboard doors? They’re often dismissed as dust, but when you vacuum them, you find that they can’t be removed.
Whats the problem? and what causes this?
We call this “filtration soiling” or “draught marks” and it occurs when air moves through the cavities; under the skirting and floorboards.
As air draws through, the carpet acts as a filter trapping these tiny floating particles that are often greasy soils.
Smoke, fireplace ash, cooking oil, traffic fumes (if you live near a busy road) are just some of the causes and this is why they’re so difficult to remove.
What Can I Do About It?
You’ll need to prevent the movement of air between floorboards, skirting and any gaps. This is done by sealing joints and small gaps. If you’ve got the old style floorboards in your home, you could overlay these with hardboard and tape the joints. All of which your floor fitter can fix before installing new or reinstalling your carpet.
It’s important to note that however well we can remove or reduce these draught marks, they’re more than likely to return over time as the cause of the problem is not with the carpet itself.
Since every carpet and it’s environment differs, 100% removal success is not always achievable on filtration soiling and you’ll be advised of this during your pre-inspection by our technician.
PLEASE NOTE: Should you wish for us to attempt to remove the draught marks there will be an extra charge for a treatment required. This can be discussed with technician on day of cleaning.
Will the stains come out?
The process of routine cleaning is a process which is about the removal of soil and particle contaminants. Most spots and marks will therefore come out as part of the cleaning process although a little encouragement from some special “spray and go” type of treatments may be necessary. However, stains result from transfer of dyes and may need specialist treatment to remove them. A major factor is the absorbency properties of the stained fibre. More absorbent fibres will stain more readily. Stain removal using skilled technicians with a good understanding of the chemistry of cleaning is more expensive and may be charged on a time and materials basis.
If we know the carpet/upholstery fibre and if we know what the stain is, we can usually predict the outcome. Otherwise it would be complete guesswork.
My dog has weed on the carpet. Will ordinary cleaning get rid of the stain and really bad smell?
In short NO!!! The best treatment to remove pet urine from carpets and upholstery fabrics is “ACT FAST” … call a professional such as The Carpet Cleaning Pro. We can apply a neutralising solution to the affected area and completly rinse the area of urine. This will not only neutralise the urine, it will kill any bacteria, stop any stain from forming and prevent any foul pet urine odours in your home. We can also supply you with a ready and easy to use safe professional pet urine treatment should any future accidents happen. Please ask our technicians for more info.
Do you need to park on my drive?
We do NOT need to park on your drive however, this can sometimes make it easier for our technicians. If you don’t have a drive don’t worry, we can park outside your property on the road. When parking on the road we MUST be on the same side of the road as your property and within 100ft away from your entrance door. This is because our machines are bolted into our company vans and therefore we need to run hoses from the van into your property to carry out the work.
Do you need our hot water?
As a rule we do NOT normally need any water from your property. This is because our machines are self contained and we have large water tanks in our company vehicles.
Do you work weekends?
Yes, we do work weekends. We work most Saturdays and even some Sundays during busy periods. Weekend appointments are very popular so if you need a weekend appointment please book early as these appointments get snapped up very quickly by other customers.
How do I pay?
We do NOT ask for any upfront deposits when your booking is made. Unless otherwise agreed at time of booking, full payment is to be made to the technician on completion of works and can be made by credit/debit card, bank transfer or cash. A full receipt is available upon request.