Finding a Carpet Cleaner that will do a good job at a reasonable price can be a frustrating experience!
All the ads are different, all the prices are different, there are many different methods of Carpet Cleaning i.e. dry,
steam, hot water extraction, warm water extraction, encapsulation and the list goes on.
Who do you believe and where do you start?
Obviously you’ve found your way to our website so it’s a beginning.
My aim is to hopefully increase your understanding about Carpet Cleaning what we offer
and how we can perhaps solve your problems.
I don’t promise to be able to solve everyone’s problems and if we can’t we know of many other companies we can refer you to who can perhaps help you out.
The Industry
Unfortunately the Carpet Cleaning industry has a poor reputation.
This is predominantly due to the fact that it is unregulated with less than 10% of all carpet cleaners having any form of formal qualification or training.
As a result the Carpet Cleaning industry is filled with many ‘cowboys’ who see it as a way to make a quick buck!
These so called professionals can pay as little as $1000 for a second hand extraction machine; spend a few hours learning the trade from their mates before calling themselves ‘professional carpet cleaners’.
Unfortunately the unsuspecting public wrongly assumes these ‘professionals’ know what they are doing and can be attracted to their low low prices.
The results are hasty ‘in and out’ cleans which can result in long term damage to the carpets as well as have detrimental effects on the health of the building occupants.
Make no mistake Carpet Cleaning is a profession that requires skill and expertise, professional equipment, knowledge, and formal training.
Beware Some Common Carpet Cleaning Consumer Rip Offs
1. Bait and Switch
To some degree, all of us are attracted by low prices. Unfortunately many carpet cleaners use price as the bait for their false and misleading advertising. They offer a cheap price and then, once they are in your home, they use high pressure tactics to pressure you into buying "add-ons".
2. Unwanted Up Selling
Many technicians are trained to up sell you into other services such as Carpet Protection even when it is unnecessary. A large proportion of their income is derived from these ad on sales.
3. "Our method is best"
Obviously, each carpet cleaner will be biased toward their own method. And each method does have its advantages. So I suggest you look to what carpet manufacturers say.
Shaw Industries, the largest carpet manufacturer in the world, recommends only hot water extraction (steam cleaning) with a truck-mounted unit used by firms that are IICRC Certified.
So you don’t get too confused hot water extraction is the proper technical term for steam cleaning. Proper hot water extraction can only be done by a truckmount machine that heats its own water-not a portable that uses the water out of your hot water tap.
Questions you can ask to avoid getting ripped off!
Do you have industry based training and knowledge?
Carpet Cleaning has historically been viewed as a commodity - a menial task that anyone can do. Long before sophisticated textiles and complex indoor environments were created, cleaning may have been a simple, easy task, but that is no longer the case.
Complex flooring systems, sensitive fabrics, and new-age soiling conditions have created a need for advanced education in the cleaning industry.
Unfortunately, many cleaners (and consumers) do not understand this concept.
Cheap prices in ads give the consuming public the idea that Carpet Cleaning should be that cheap even though the advertiser has no intention of cleaning for those prices.
These so called "cleaning" companies also happen to be the ones that don’t educate themselves or their employees. The result is that carpets and fabrics are being ruined every day by uneducated and uninformed carpet cleaners.
They are facing soiling conditions they have never seen or heard of due to a lack of education. Or worse, they create a situation on a carpet or fabric that they have no idea how to fix. Some examples would be that they leave sticky residues in the carpet that causes the carpet or fabric to re-soil rapidly or discolor.
Top-notch education is readily available in our industry. There is no excuse for cleaners not to educate themselves (and provide useful education to their clients). We attend as many courses as we can in order to bring you the very best. Many of these courses require travel interstate and can be quite costly. We believe however, as fibre technology changes and as floor coverings become more complex, proper education is becoming even more important.
We also have a network of professionals whom we can call on for advice.
This way, if a unique situation arises in the field, we can offer a suitable solution.
The bottom line is that you have a tremendous investment in your textiles and flooring systems and it is our duty to know how to best care for them. Understanding cleaning technology at the highest level helps to reduce cleaning residues and creates a healthier indoor environment by eliminating invisible germs and bacteria.
We are certified by both The Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration (IICRC) and The Australasian Carpet Cleaning Institute (ACCI).
This certification is gained through study, experience and successful completion of formal written examinations.
Is their equipment capable of doing the job?
Many cleaners use outdated inefficient equipment.
At Freshen Up we only use the latest truck mount machines from the leading Carpet Ceaning machine manufacturer in the world- PROCHEM USA.
Our Prochem Legend SE produces higher temperatures, more airflow and more vacuum.
Anything less cannot compete. (See InClean article below).
Carpets are cleaned above 200°F which means not only are they properly sanitized they take very little time to dry.
Did you know that for every 18 °F increase in temperature above 118 ° F you double the waters cleaning ability? So if the water temperature is 136° F it will clean twice as well as water that is 118 °F. 154 °F water will clean four times as well as 118 °F water and so on until you reach water temperature of 2560 °F. Our machines can exceed 200 °F.
The majority of carpet cleaners use portable machines that do not produce their own hot water. They use the hot or cold water of the property they are cleaning.
Their results cannot compete.
The PROCHEM truck mounted hot water unit is simply the most effective cleaning system available today. As a consequence it is also one of the most expensive.
These machines when new cost well over $40000.
The world’s five largest fibre producers--Allied, BASF, Du Pont, Hoechst Celanese, and Monsanto as well as Shaw Industries the world’s largest carpet manufacturer all recommend periodic professional cleaning using hot water extraction (steam cleaning) by a trained professional as the best method for Carpet Cleaning.
CARPET
12th August 2005
Equipment Development Never-Ending
Our US correspondent Bill Griffin reports
X-Ray Fluorescence (XRF) The Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) has partnered with NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and Key Master Technology to use XRF technology to analyse what's left behind after carpeting has been cleaned. They recently sponsored a presentation on the subject at the Connections Cleaning Show in Orlando, FL.
A hand held XRF unit (about AU$45,000) sends energy in the form of x-ray photons into a sample matrix (fiber, paper, plastic, metal) and the x-rays strike electrons in the shells of the atoms present, sending a signature back to the hand held device. This measures the energy and number of returning x-rays to determine the quantity and type of elements present in the sample.
In recent tests of this technology, technicians found that home type portable extractors removed 6% of the soil present, rental unit extractors removed 15% of the soil present and truck mounted extractors removed 95% of the soil present. Once the price comes down and the size of the device shrinks, the subjective process we now call quality control inspections will take on a whole new meaning based on quantitative measurements. Once the price comes down and the size of the device shrinks, the subjective process we now call quality control inspections will take on a whole new meaning based on quantitative measurements.
Do they use top quality products?
Many cleaners use cheaper chemicals that have a higher pH so that they can get through their jobs quicker. Unfortunately this can leave a sticky residue and can damage the carpet fibres.
We stock only the very best products from the top manufacturers.
We refuse to use cheap products.
The products we use are effective, efficient, and safe for the occupants, the carpet and the environment.
Do they clean for Health?
Experts recommend that textiles and floors be cleaned at least once per year for maximum performance and a healthy indoor environment.
Studies have proven that carpets, fabrics, and floors do not perform as well and are subject to contributing to an unhealthy indoor environment, if not cleaned regularly.
Dr. Michael Berry of the Environmental Protection Agency USA has stated "Based on what I have learned from researchers working in the United States, Canada, and Western Europe, I have reached the conclusion that carpeting and fabrics not cleaned and properly maintained have the potential to cause a variety of health problems inside the building environment."
He continued "Cleaning for health is an integral part of an effective cleaning process. When you clean properly, health protection is given.
Cleaning is the process of locating, identifying, containing, removing and properly disposing of an unwanted substance from a surface or environment. What people have called cleaning in some cases has been nothing more than treatment. The two are different. I can treat something and change its appearance, and I can clean something and actually reduce a person's exposure to something that isn't wanted in a surface or environment".
"Anybody who professes to be a professional cleaner really is a manager of an indoor environment" says Dr. Berry.
It’s important to remember that just because your floors look clean doesn’t mean they are clean.
Soils, pollens, bacteria, fungus, cigarette smoke, car exhaust, asphalt, insecticides, urine, faecal matter and hundreds of other chemical pollutants are transferred to your furnishings daily-especially if you have pets and children. Your carpet acts like a sink and collects and filters all of these contaminants. In addition soil is corrosive by nature and eats away at the fibres of your carpet like sandpaper.
Almost any carpet cleaner can make a carpet look good but is it really clean, has it been sanitized and have all the contaminants been removed?
You can hire someone for $55 who will wet your carpets (often soaking them!) and make you think their clean.
But if you’re smart and you want to protect you and your family’s health, as well as your investment in your carpets then contact us immediately.
Our knowledge, training, education and state of the art machinery removes all these harmful pollutants as well as giving you complete peace of mind!
Do they offer a Guarantee?
Our Guarantee You rightly deserve quality work completed in a timely manner. If you are not delighted with the work we do for you, we respect your right to withhold your payment
As you can see there is probably more to Carpet Cleaning than you originally thought.
If you would like a quote or if you need more information than the website can provide please call us on 1300 765 164 or fill in the Online Enquiry Form.
Finding a Carpet Cleaner that will do a good job at a reasonable price can be a frustrating experience!
Is their equipment capable of doing the job? 