Carpet cleaning prices

We get 3 bedrooms, the lounge carpet and the rug in the entrance and under the kitchen table done for $80, they are always sptoless and there has never been any damage to the carpets. So i think you can get the job done much sheaper the the $40-50 your saying if fair, and still get a very good job. Not that i don't think there would be a fair few doddgy carpet gry cleaners out there.

Thanks for the response. That may be a fair perception, and you aren't alone. The thing is, it does not compute. If a company is cleaning to the Australian Standards at that price, they are going broke. So there MUST be shortcuts they are taking. It may be reasonable to accept a job like that, that improves the carpet's appearance, but it is far from the standards that could/should be provided.
You say "never been any damage". But you don't know that! You would be happy with the service because they answered the phone and handled your booking nicely, arrived on time, and were courteous etc. They did the job without any drama or obvious damage, and acted professionally (and you didn't pay much). OK. There are hundreds of companies that can do that, but it doesn't mean it was cleaned correctly or value for $$$.

So what could be wrong with the budget clean, and why pay more???

For starters, its likely that at that price, they did not pre-vacuum. A thorough, detailed pre-vacuum is the first step in proper cleaning. It should take around 30% of time on the job. (on your place, about 1/2 hour+) So not doing so is only doing 2/3rds of the job, and risking 'wick-back' and other problems.

Cheap or inappropriate chemicals may be used, (and left in the carpets, resulting in rapid resoiling). These may lead to carpet damage you cannot see, such as destroying stain-release qualities of nylon carpets, long term damage to dye stability and other issues, and may void any warranties.

Operators may not have proper training or accreditation. So, they have learned the basics, but if they encounter any unusual probs, they have no idea how to handle it. A business doing cheap work might not have appropriate insurances either.

I could go on & on.

A highly qualified, professionally equipped technician will give you 10 times the value for money, than a budget operator.

I have to admit, we have had out carpet cleaned numerous times in our last home, and are still to find someone that we are 100% satisfied with.....or even 80% happy with to be truthful.

Each time, we tried a different company and not only looked at pricing, but reputation/quality etc....shame there are not more contractors like you in Melbourne Ash....those that really take pride in their work....

We will keep up the search when we get the wool carpet in the new place....
Ash do you have any recommendations for competant cleaners in Melbourne???

Thanks Ash, i'll look him up...

Much appreciated...

At the end of the day, in my opinion, you spend a lot of money on carpet, so why would you skimp to keep it looking it's best??? Unless you want to depreciate your investment???

Oh BTW, here is the point I'm making as presented by the ACCI

http://www.accinst.com.au/how.htm?#basicclean

NOTE: I have been, but am no longer a member of the ACCI. I am ACCI trained (having attended a dozen or more of their courses, including Master Carpet Technician course) but no longer am a paying member. So I have no financial interest in promoting the ACCI.

In fact, I don't quite agree with what they say about pricing. They say prices should only be expressed in $ per sq/m, suggesting that a MINIMUM of $4 and up to $7 per sq/m is fair.

I apply prices that vary according to a whole range of criteria. (A furnished room will cost more than an empty one etc). I often charge much less than the $4 per sq/m that is suggested. Example: 2 days ago, I cleaned an empty 2 story home. Seven large rooms (around 20 sq/m average) plus a staircase. I cleaned the carpets according to Aust Standards for $275.00

That's about $1.75 per sq/m. Why? Because it was local (being 1 km from home) empty, easy access, in good condition, and only took me 2.5 hours. If I had rigidly applied a $4> per sq/m rule, I would have charged $640 which is just not warranted.

On the other hand, cheapies might have charged $150, and taken 2 hours loading up the high quality wool carpets (value around$18.000) with alkaline detergent and effectively halved their lifespan!





Ash.

I seriously DO NOT RECOMMEND DIY CARPET CLEANING!!! I could write a book on the reasons. OK it ain't rocket science, but there are a lot of skills required that only come with years of experience and technical training. This cannot be duplicated by the DIYer. Besides, a state of the art professional machine is worth $60,000> and a hired portable is a toy by comparison.

Despite this, it is quite possible that you did a better job than the 'professional'!:(

The Australian Standard 3733/1995 requires that carpets are NOT left with chemical residues that may promote resoiling. This rule is frequently broken by many so called 'professionals', especially the cheapies. You're on the right track in thinking that rinsing detergents out is necessary. But there are ways and means that get too technical here.

A stair tool is part of a professional kit, along with other specialised tools for various purposes. The edge of stairs is a high traffic area and is naturally going to require special treatment). .

Its a big topic that could require a lot of info to cover fully, so a very brief response here.....
There are pros and cons for each.
Despite the rubbish promoted by advocates of many larger franchises, 'dry-cleaning' is NOT a substitute for 'steam-cleaning'. Carpets (according to Aust Standards) should be cleaned with 'hot-water injection and extraction cleaning' (steam cleaning) on average about once per year. Bonnet cleaning (dry cleaning) may be useful as an INTERIM CLEANING METHOD ONLY in between the steam cleaning to enhance its appearance until the next steam cleaning. So...

Steam cleaning is defined as a restoration cleaning method, whereas...
Dry cleaning is an interim maintenance method only. So, if your carpets have gone for a year or more without cleaning, they should only be steam cleaned.

Also, many carpet manufacturers state that 'bonnet cleaning' is NOT recommended and will void warranties.

Nevertheless, a really competent technician can and will offer both of these, and possibly other cleaning methods, or even combine different methods in certain circumstances. There is a (sort of) new method that many techs now use called 'encapsulation' that is similar to dry cleaning, but features advanced new polymer technology to minimise resoiling (that can occur with normal dry-cleaning).

The bottom line is... there's too much hype about the benefits of this or that method, (and it usually favours the method the company wants to sell, and bags the others) A true professional technician will advise and apply the method/s that is most appropriate in each case.

Simple answer for domestic carpets... pretty much, yeah.

Maintenance methods (dry cleaning, encapsulation and others) are more suitable for commercial applications. So, the whole wave of franchises promoting 'dry-cleaning' in domestic applications is far from being in the consumers' interests!:( And that includes the world's biggest carpet cleaning company 'Chum Dry'

Here's some info from the web...

Cleaning methods can affect new-carpet warranty
Be sure to check warranty’s fine print for approved maintenance processes.
It’s up to cleaning professionals to make sure their choice of cleaning methods doesn’t negate or limit a carpet manufacturer’s warranty.
By Dominic Tom, Managing Editor
Carpet Void

Collins & Aikman Floorcoverings, a Dalton, GA-based carpet manufacturer, states in its maintenance guide that the company "will not warrant problems caused by poor or improper maintenance."

The company identifies four "non-approved" carpet cleaning methods:

* Dry foam. "Detergent is difficult to remove, contributing to rapid re-soiling. Does not deep clean."

* Rotary brush. "Detergent is difficult to remove, contributing to rapid re-soiling, and the action of the brushes can cause pile distortion. Does not deep clean.

* Bonnet. "This method only affects the surface of the carpet. The buffing action can distort the carpet pile and grind dirt deeper into the pile, and the spinning action of the pad can distort face yarn."

* Dry powders. "Not recommended as a primary cleaning method for [company] products. Use instructions for dry powders must be closely followed to make sure powders do not build up in the carpet which result in performance problems."

Collins & Aikman says that water extraction "is the recommended and most effective method to deep clean."

Preferred Cleaning

Carey Mitchell, director of technical services for carpet manufacturer Shaw Industries Inc., says his company won’t void its warranty based on cleaning methods used. He says Shaw "recommends hot water extraction by a professional carpet cleaner" as a preferred process.

The company’s recently revised maintenance program states its recommendations "are based on significant laboratory work and many years of experience in the field."

In its maintenance program guide, Shaw Industries opposes bonnet cleaning its carpet:

"It is not a substitute for hot water extraction. It has very limited capability for soil removal and often leaves most of the detergent in the pile. The spinning bonnet may distort the pile of cut-pile carpets and leave distinct swirl marks. Shaw’s experience has been that more customer soiling complaints result from this system than all other causes combined. The bonnet system may damage the edges of some carpet tiles."

OK they clearly under-charged then.

The difference in approach to the job is a bit like this.....

My biz was like I was cruisin down the freeway in a V8 doing 110km/hr (virtually idling) and a little Suzuki 650cc car is alongside doing the same speed (screamin at 6000rpm). We're both getting there, but one of us will soon run out of puff.

Yes there are many businesses like that. They are busting their guts day after day for petty income. After they've worn themselves out for a few years, they pack it in, and sell it to someone else.

The difference is in the value of time of a highly trained tech with a truck-mounted set-up (around $100> per hour) and an energetic but less than qualified 'cleaner' with a portable (around $30 per hour). A qualified tech achieves so much more. Its not to say the other guys didn't ultimately do a good job, but a qualified tech with a $60k truck-mount will do it better, faster, with less chemicals, and it'll dry much quicker. The bottom line is when we have invested thousands in training, accreditation, insurances, and hundreds of thousands of $$$ in equipment, we are worth much more, because we provide a more efficient, competent and valuable service.


Ash.