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Carpet Cleaning FAQ

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What cleaning method do you use?  

Cleaning is done by technician certified or supervised by an IICRC certified technician, using truck-mounted hot-water extraction, commonly referred to as "Steam Cleaning".  This is the only method recommended by Shaw Industries, the world's largest carpet manufacturer.

   Hot water extraction is a combination of hot water, high pressure, and a powerful vacuum to remove dirt & harmful pollutants from your carpet.  High pressure shoots cleaning solutions to the base of your carpet fibers to loosen soils & pollutants.  The hot water rinses out dirt, grease, grime, pollens, and environmental pollutants from your carpet.

   This rinsing step is very important.  You would never shower, put shampoo in your hair, and then just let it dry!  The shampoo needs to be rinsed out, and the cleaning solutions in your carpet need to be rinsed out or you'll be left with residue that attracts dirt like a magnet.  Rinsing with hot water (and not all carpet cleaners have equipment that can get this hot) sanitizes your carpet by killing dust mites and bacteria.

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How long will it take my carpet to dry? 

Your carpets will be slightly damp to the touch when we leave and will be completely dry in 4-6 hours, depending on humidity and air circulation in your home.  Using a fan can decrease drying time below 4 hours; and leaving your house closed up will extend drying time.  We provide you with shoe covers to slip over your socks or shoes - and pets and children can be on the carpet immediately (just avoid a lot of indoor/outdoor traffic so they don't track in soil)

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I've heard that wet cleaning carpets will cause mold and/or mildew growth?  

The moisture left in your carpet after your cleaning from EnviroCare will not harm your carpet.  Companies will try to scare you with mold and mildew growth; but there are no risks in even heavily saturated carpets that still dry in less then 36 hours.  Our trained professionals know how to clean your carpet to keep the drying time under 6 hours for normally soiled carpets. 

   On the other hand, you need to avoid a cleaner that over wets your carpet, even if it is dry in under 36 hours.  Over-wetting can cause damage to carpet backing and seams, but will not happen when proper equipment is used by a trained professional.

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I live on a third floor, will your hoses reach? 

Yes, we will be able to clean for you.  We have extension hoses for our truckmount; and we do have portable cleaning for units in a high rises, hotels, etc.  Please let our office know your situation, so we can determine what needs to be done to get your carpets clean.

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Why is a truck-mounted steam cleaning better than a rental or home-unit? 

Personal extractors are excellent for maintenance and emergency spot removal.  However, none of them can replace the deep cleaning of a truck mounted steam cleaning system. 

   A truck mounted system has much more water pressure and vacuum power to provide a deeper cleaning.  Plus, the water temperature is much hotter.  Water needs to be 210 degrees at point of contact to kill bacteria.  Also, the truck-mounted cleaning system flushes out the cleaning solutions and doesn't leave residue. 

   There are also other reasons to choose professional cleaning:

1. If your carpet is under 5-10 years old, you should check your warranty to see how often truck-mounted steam cleaning is required to keep your warranty valid. 

2. Over-wetting and/or improper use of cleaning solutions can delaminate your carpet backing and cause seam damage.  This is super easy to happen with discount store home units. 

3.  Cleaning carpet is VERY labor intensive and takes extended amount of time and energy with such small machines.  It even takes us about twice as long to thoroughly clean carpets with professional portables - I can't imagine how much time would be needed with a little machine.

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Will cleaning get rid of new carpet smell?

Cleaning may help, however, cleaning only goes down to the base of the fibers.  Most of the chemical smell of new carpet comes from the glues and other agents used in the backing, where cleaning can't reach.  It seems that carpet that has been in the warehouse tends to have time to air out and is not so strong.  Many commercial clients have us clean the carpets right after they've been installed to improve the situation as much as possible.  We just can't make any guarantees on totally removing new carpet smell.

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