Carpet Cleaning Tips

AVOID HAZARDS! Your home has already suffered and the last thing you need is an injury. Be extremely careful of the deadly combination of water and electricity. Also when you’re walking around, wet carpets and floors are slippery, be cautious. Stay away from RAW SEWAGE backups because they contain nasty bacteria and can be harmful to your health.

STOP THE SOURCE! If you haven’t located the source of the water, call us immediately at 859-264-7795 and we will guide you through this (It is crucial to know what to do). if you’ve stopped the source already…

TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION By calling New Life Cleaning and Emergency Services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Remember, time is crucial so…after you have called us and we are on our way…you should…

REMOVE FURNITURE! Wood furniture will stain carpets and these stains cannot be removed. Rust stains from metal are extremely difficult to remove and may be permanent. Ninety-five percent of water damage jobs are restorable and of the 5% which aren’t restored, most are caused by not doing this. So either move furniture that’s even near water or place something under the legs.

How to Avoid Four Carpet Cleaning Rip-Offs

RIP-OFF #1: UNBELIEVABLY LOW PRICE. To some degree, all of us are attracted by low price because we want to work within a budget. But some carpet cleaners use price as the bait for their false and misleading advertising. They offer a cheap price–usually between $3.95 and $9.95 per room–and then, once they’re in your home, they pressure you into buying “add-ons.” It’s as if you were buying a car and found that the dealer was charging you extra for the tires and steering wheel. Carpet cleaning is not as cheap as some unethical carpet cleaners would like you to believe.

RIP-OFF #2: BAIT AND SWITCH. Dual process carpet cleaning describes the process of shampooing or heavy preconditioning, followed with hot water extraction cleaning. Unfortunately, unethical carpet cleaners often use dual process as a bait-and-switch technique. Here’s how it’s done: First, they “bait” you with a basic cleaning (single process) at an unbelievably low price. Then, when you call, they try to “switch” you to more expensive dual-process cleaning. If you don’t fall for their switch and choose their basic service, you’ll likely receive poor workmanship using little or no chemicals and they will not guarantee their work.

RIP-OFF #3: UNSUPPORTED CLAIMS. “THIS CLEANING METHOD IS THE BEST.” You’ll read this in almost every ad. You’ll hear this from virtually every carpet cleaner. Remember this: The method that’s best for you is the method that achieves your goal. If you want a method that dries quickly, then a method that takes a long time to dry isn’t the best for you. So before you choose a carpet cleaner, identify your objectives. Then select the method that best reaches those objectives.

RIP-OFF #4: OUTDATED BELIEFS. “HOT WATER DAMAGES YOUR CARPET.” Years ago, many people believed this was true because their carpets were damaged by “technicians” who didn’t know how to properly clean using hot water. But today, we know it’s false. By washing and then rinsing your carpet with hot water, your carpet is thoroughly cleaned–in the same way that the person who showers and then rinses off the dirt and soap will be much cleaner than the person who takes only a sponge bath. Obviously, each carpet cleaner will be biased toward his own method. And each method does have advantages. So I suggest you look to what carpet manufacturers say. Shaw Industries, the largest carpet manufacturer in the world, recommends hot water extraction.

RIP-OFF #2: BAIT AND SWITCH. Dual process carpet cleaning describes the process of shampooing or heavy preconditioning, followed with hot water extraction cleaning. Unfortunately, unethical carpet cleaners often use dual process as a bait-and-switch technique. Here’s how it’s done: First, they “bait” you with a basic cleaning (single process) at an unbelievably low price. Then, when you call, they try to “switch” you to more expensive dual-process cleaning. If you don’t fall for their switch and choose their basic service, you’ll likely receive poor workmanship using little or no chemicals and they will not guarantee their work.

RIP-OFF #3: UNSUPPORTED CLAIMS. “THIS CLEANING METHOD IS THE BEST.” You’ll read this in almost every ad. You’ll hear this from virtually every carpet cleaner. Remember this: The method that’s best for you is the method that achieves your goal. If you want a method that dries quickly, then a method that takes a long time to dry isn’t the best for you. So before you choose a carpet cleaner, identify your objectives. Then select the method that best reaches those objectives.

RIP-OFF #4: OUTDATED BELIEFS. “HOT WATER DAMAGES YOUR CARPET.” Years ago, many people believed this was true because their carpets were damaged by “technicians” who didn’t know how to properly clean using hot water. But today, we know it’s false. By washing and then rinsing your carpet with hot water, your carpet is thoroughly cleaned–in the same way that the person who showers and then rinses off the dirt and soap will be much cleaner than the person who takes only a sponge bath. Obviously, each carpet cleaner will be biased toward his own method. And each method does have advantages. So I suggest you look to what carpet manufacturers say. Shaw Industries, the largest carpet manufacturer in the world, recommends hot water extraction.

“I have reached the conclusion that carpeting and fabrics not cleaned and properly maintained have the potential to cause a variety of health problems inside the building environment. ”

“From a public health perspective I would find it impossible to justify the installation of carpets indoors without the existence of effective cleaning methods using environmentally sound cleaning technology by individuals properly trained in the application of those methods and technology.”

“…every time carpet and fabrics are emptied of their pollution build-up through professional cleaning methods, there is a health benefit”

“We are also finding that typical vacuuming does not reduce fine particle levels indoors. Fine particles of less than 7 microns pass through vacuum cleaning bags. These particles tend to build up over time and have the greatest potential to cause harm as they penetrate deep into the human lung.”

“Until such time as the fibers are cleaned, the potential for human health risk remains high.”

“…the benefit of extracting is the overall reduction of respirable particles which cause most of the health effects, reduced cases of biological induced illnesses, reduced lifetime cancer risks, and reduced complaints and liability for building owners and managers.”

Sincerely yours,

Michael A. Berry, PhD
Deputy Director, Environmental
Criteria & Assessment Office