A clean carpet is a beautiful carpet

January 28, 2006

Keeping a house clean is a priority for many homeowners, and one of the most important parts of a house to keep clean is the carpet.

A carpet cleaner can not only make a carpet more attractive, it can make a house environmentally healthy.

You should hire a professional cleaner to keep your carpet looking good, said Holly Wheeler of Clearly Better, a carpet cleaning company in Yuba City.

“The soil that becomes embedded into a carpet can decrease the appearance,” she said. “Walking across (a carpet) can sometimes be like sandpaper.”

A clean carpet will also be beneficial to those with allergies, since cleaning removes dust, pet hair and other things that may be a problem, she said.

Professional carpet cleaners will also keep the carpet's warranty intact, said Kevin Brown, owner of Ace Carpet Cleaning in Yuba City.

If you have a new carpet, some warranties require it to be professionally cleaned every 18 months to two years, he said.

“Dirt is sharp, and if you keep walking on a carpet with dirt on your shoes, you'll upraise the fibers (of the carpet), and decrease its durability,” he said.

Homeowners have a variety of options for carpet cleaning, such as steam cleaning and dry cleaning.

A steam cleaning uses equipment also more powerful than conventional consumer vacuums.

“For the home units people buy, the water doesn't become hot enough to remove solutions from a carpet,” said Kris Shortridge of A1 Carpet Cleaning in Yuba City.

The water of the RX 20 rotary extractor, a truck-mounted machine used to clean carpets, can get much warmer, according to Shortridge.

“This can remove up to 97 percent of waters and solutions in a carpet, and provide a deep clean. A normal vacuum can't do that.”

Anyone can put water in a carpet, but they can't take it out the way a professional carpet cleaner can, Brown said.

The truck-mounted RX 20 offers the deepest cleaning ability and is recommended by carpet manufacturers, Wheeler said.

The difference between using an RX 20 and a conventional vacuum is like sponging clothes and putting them in a washing machine, she said.

Dry cleaning a carpet uses mostly chemicals to treat stains, and dries a lot quicker, according to Brown. “It only takes about an hour or two to do, but it's not a deep clean.”

The chemicals carpet cleaners use are safe, but some homeowners request different services because of allergies.

“Some customers request we only use hot water,” Wheeler said. “We can still do a decent job then.”

“All of our soaps are very mild,” Shortridge said. “We've never had a customer call back and say it affected them.”

A professional carpet cleaning can help the allergies of some since it gets rid of dirt and pollen, Brown said.

A good carpet cleaner will also be a member of the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification, Wheeler said.

“It's the standards and certification organization for the (carpet cleaning) industry,” she said.

Those receiving certication from the institute have current liability insurance and receive on going training in carpet cleaning.

“Some people can use the same machine with drastically different results, and certification is a good standard for someone who knows what they're doing,” Wheeler said.

Cost for carpet cleaning varies depending on the size of the house and the services the homeowner requires.

Appeal-Democrat reporter Josh Kendrix can be reached at 749-4707. You may e-mail him at jkendrix@appealdemocrat.com.