TLDR: When you need your carpets cleaned it is imperative to find a company who is transparent in their practices, provides the best techniques, uses the best equipment, knows the materials they are working with and provides options to increase the longevity of your carpeted floors.

While carpet cleaning is a service that any homeowner or business owner will need at some point, it can be challenging to know which carpet cleaner will get you the results you want. Cleaning your carpets is the best way to stay healthy in an environment, as it removes allergens and bacteria, increases the overall air quality and prevents the build-up of harmful residues.

As such, getting the best cleaning for your money is incredibly important! Here are the best ways to know that a carpet cleaner is worth paying for and will provide you with the best cleaning.

Looking For a Carpet Cleaner Online

How a carpet cleaner communicates with their customers is an important aspect of shopping around. For example, while many cleaners offer free quotes, having the option to calculate the prices ahead of time and without having to call them directly makes shopping around easier. When you visit the website the company has put up, the critiquing process has already begun!

Protip: Some people prefer to call a carpet cleaner first to get a feel for how they talk and pitch their services. If this is what you would rather do, have some questions about how they work and what they can guarantee about their service ready.

When you visit their website, or Google Business Profile here are the things to look out for:

• Do they have their number listed clearly and on every page? 
• Can you click the number and call from a mobile device? 
• Is there a quote form, price calculator or booking form with all of their service options available? 
• Do they display testimonials and reviews where you can see them and do they have a link to where the reviews were sourced? 
• Is there a list of the processes they utilize for cleaning your carpet? 
• Are the service areas laid out specifically with a map and list of the counties/regions/cities they operate in?

All of these details mean that the company has invested in proper website design and is being transparent about how they will operate once they enter your home or office. 

The Proof Is In The Process

After you verify that they have invested time and money in their website you can start to look more closely at how they plan to approach cleaning your carpets. This includes the step-by-step process, and what carpet cleaning techniques are utilized. Here is an example process that is all-encompassing and best covers most customers’ needs:

1. Inspecting the carpeted area for problem spots, high-traffic areas, and fiber type. 
2. Applying the correct cleaning solution to your carpet based on the level of soil and the fibers that comprise the carpet. 
3. Agitation of the carpet, both to knock loose any deeply embedded dirt, grime, and soil as well as coax stains from the fibers. 
4. Utilizing steam to further break down remaining residues.
5. Hot water extraction to remove the loose debris. 
6. A “dry pass” to further remove any remaining water to reduce drying times.
7. More thorough drying utilizing fans to ensure you can begin enjoying your clean carpets as quickly as possible.

All of these techniques make for a better carpet cleaning experience, but the equipment being used also matters.

The Best Equipment For Carpet Cleaning 

There are several options for the equipment that is used by a carpet cleaner but you want to look for the company that utilizes the best-of-the-best. There are two kinds of cleaning methods that most carpet cleaners use:

Extraction Carpet Cleaning:

This involves spraying the carpet with hot water while simultaneously vacuuming the water, as well as any debris that is broken up by the water. This is generally considered the most effective method. 

Fewer chemicals are needed for this type of cleaning, however, it uses massive amounts of water, and as such if the excess is not properly removed remaining moisture can be a breeding ground for bacteria. 

Protip: The best water-extraction machines are high-powered, truck mounted units. Look out for cleaners who use this specific type when shopping around.

Bonnet Carpet Cleaning: 

Bonnet carpet cleaning is a bit old-school, though its use been preserved due to its efficacy. This method is not completely dry either, instead utilizing a mixture of cleaning solutions and water. The key difference is that it uses a buffer-like device to agitate and scrub the fibers.

While thoroughly breaking up and dissolving dirt and grime, this method tends to leave chemicals behind that can leave carpets crusty if not handled correctly. This method is also quicker and uses much less water but is ultimately inferior, due to being unable to completely remove bacteria from your carpets. 

Key Takeaways:

With numerous carpet cleaning companies on the market, looking at specific details can help choose the best option for your home or business. Specifically:

• Do they invest in transparent and user-friendly website design?
• Is their process clear and encompasses the whole job from start to finish, taking into consideration the type of fiber and level of soil in your carpets?
• Do they use better equipment that provides thorough cleaning and makes your carpets healthier?