Carpet Care Frequently Asked Questions

Steam cleaning. Whatever is in your carpet, steam cleaning will remove more of it than other methods. Dirt, soil, oil, germs, dust mites and their droppings, fleas and their eggs are all eradicated.

No, we're not saying steam cleaners are exterminators. We're just stating that whatever's in your carpet, more of it will be removed by steam cleaning than by other methods. Steam cleaning is also called the "restoration method." If other methods could clean a very heavily soiled carpet better than steam cleaning, then THEY would be called the "restoration method."

Steam cleaning. Besides removing more of everything (see above), we use Very Hot Water. Most of us realize hot water cleans better / faster than cold and, of course, kills more germs also.

The reasons spots return are:

• There is soap in that spot. Soap is tacky/sticky and will attract soil to it. We do not like most of the on-the-shelf carpet spot cleaners. Most are very soapy.
• There is oil in the spot. Oil is very bad for carpets. Oil attracts dirt. The oil and dirt can then penetrate/soak into the carpet's fibers where it's hard to remove.
• The previous carpet cleaner didn't do a thorough job.

Carpets will re-soil quickly if they are soapy (soap is tacky/sticky and will attract soil to it), usually from self-cleaning or a professional using the wrong cleaning product.

Carpets also re-soil quickly, depending on the method used to clean the carpet. Steam cleaning removes more soil than any other method (80 to 90%). All or most of the different techniques remove about 20%. If only 20% of the dirt is removed from your hair, clothes, or dog, it won't be long before they seem dirty again.

Your carpet may be Olefin / Polypropylene. With Olefin, there are two problems:

• Olefin attracts oil, just the nature of the beast.
• It also cleans up best with chemicals explicitly made for Olefin carpets. If not cleaned properly, soil can wick back up the fibers as it's drying.

Please take a few carpet fibers and put them in a container of water. Hold them underwater and squeeze them. Let them go and come back in a few minutes. If the fibers are floating, they are Olefin. If they sank to the bottom, they are not.

No. But we've used water-based paint. (The water has evaporated, and what's left in the carpet is paint. After water-based paint dries on the wall, it's not going to wash off, nor will it come out of the carpet when cleaned/washed. )

Spots, yes. Thick hard globs, no. Paint doesn't come out easily, and we will have to charge extra to remove it. We strongly suggest using prevention/protection and immediately cleaning up spills.

Many people think they can handle this themselves. After 3 or more days, they start smelling mold and mildew, and THEN they call in a professional—our recommendation: get a professional on the job, the sooner, the better. We have a particular machine with powerful suction along with a unique tool. Together they suck the water out of the carpet AND the pad below (without pulling up the carpet). Fans and heat can finish the drying process. We suggest you call someone else for major flooding (whole house and/or up on the walls).

If thick or chunky, scoop / scrape up. If liquid, blot up as much as you can. Please do not rub it in. If there's still a problem, call Cleaner Carpets.

Scotchgard protection, frequent vacuuming, removing shoes, and regular steam cleaning.