Browse Forums Flooring & Floor Covering Re: Carpet cleaning prices 2Jan 06, 2008 4:49 pm Building again . . with Redink Pre-start 04/12 Keys - 03/13 Finishing off. . . Painting/Floor Tiles/Carpet - 04/13 Walk In Robe/Lighting/Blinds and Moving 05/13 Gates/Front Landscaping / Pool 05/13 Re: Carpet cleaning prices 12Jan 06, 2008 7:47 pm Casa2 Ash, I've always wondered about carpet cleaners. I've had our carpet “steam” cleaned three times. Once by one of the big names and twice myself. Can't remember if the carpet cleaner vacuumed first. It was academic since I vacuumed before they arrived and moved all the furniture out. Only left the bed and desk in the house, everything else was on the balcony. They did a few spots for spot removal and then did one pass. I always wondered if this was the best approach. I could tell that detergent was sprayed on the carpet and then sucked up. Would this not leave residual detergent the carpet? Of course this is great since your carpet looks clean and the detergent residue can collect more dirt later and you become dependent on more frequent "professional" carpet cleans. For the next two times I did it myself. I did the following: 1) Vacuum 2) Standard steam clean 3) Steam clean with water only. It took longer but I felt that it was a better long term solution. Also, "professional” carpet cleaners have no idea about stairs. I get dark areas at the leading edge, which at least when I did it was better. Has someone created a curved attachment for stairs? It would be great. Cheers, Casa 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). . Re: Carpet cleaning prices 13Jan 06, 2008 8:20 pm Okay Ash, he's a curved ball for you????
What are the pro's and con's of Steam Cleaning carpet Vs Dry Cleaning in Wool's and Nylons or blends???? It's not a trick question, i really want to know???? Re: Carpet cleaning prices 14Jan 06, 2008 8:58 pm **Phoenix** What are the pro's and con's of Steam Cleaning carpet Vs Dry Cleaning in Wool's and Nylons or blends?? 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. Re: Carpet cleaning prices 15Jan 06, 2008 9:03 pm Ash is that the same advice for wool, nylon and blends then??? Re: Carpet cleaning prices 16Jan 06, 2008 9:14 pm 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." Re: Carpet cleaning prices 17Jan 07, 2008 8:24 am royalblue stonecutter1309 Our real estate agent recommended a carpet cleaner for after the movers took our stuff out. $90 for master bedroom, lounge & dining - the carpet had not been cleaned in 6 years - and it came up looking like new! But was it 'clean'? As you were vacating, it wouldn't matter to you. Empty rooms are quicker and easier to clean than furnished, so it may have been reasonably well, but not as well as it could/should be. I'd probably charge about $110-120 for a job like that, and be there a little over an hour. The contractor probably did it in 45 minutes or less. A carpet looking clean and being technically cleaned properly are different things. Because so many customers are content with an improved appearance, there's little scrutiny of standards. We got the real estate agent's discount price (our agent booked it) - I asked him what the normal price would be and he said $120 was standard. There were 2 guys there doing the job - took them 1.5 hrs. This included pre-vacuum, treatment of heavily stained areas and steam cleaning of the rest. Re: Carpet cleaning prices 18Jan 07, 2008 9:05 am stonecutter1309 royalblue stonecutter1309 Our real estate agent recommended a carpet cleaner for after the movers took our stuff out. $90 for master bedroom, lounge & dining - the carpet had not been cleaned in 6 years - and it came up looking like new! But was it 'clean'? As you were vacating, it wouldn't matter to you. Empty rooms are quicker and easier to clean than furnished, so it may have been reasonably well, but not as well as it could/should be. I'd probably charge about $110-120 for a job like that, and be there a little over an hour. The contractor probably did it in 45 minutes or less. A carpet looking clean and being technically cleaned properly are different things. Because so many customers are content with an improved appearance, there's little scrutiny of standards. We got the real estate agent's discount price (our agent booked it) - I asked him what the normal price would be and he said $120 was standard. There were 2 guys there doing the job - took them 1.5 hrs. This included pre-vacuum, treatment of heavily stained areas and steam cleaning of the rest. 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. I think the proposal that a supply and demand curve are a natural law are well exaggerated. 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