What's better, hiring a professional or doing it yourself?

This is a very common question and with the direction of the economy, many people think it is a good idea to save a few extra bucks and clean their carpet, upholstery, tile, and grout themselves. Sometimes this can be a true statement, but most of the time it's not.

There is a lot more to professional textile cleaning than most people think. Did you know if you put the wrong cleaning agent on the wrong soil on the wrong type of material, you can permanently damage the material? Reflect for a moment and see if you can think of any white spots you may have discovered after spot cleaning.

Has it ever taken more than 6 hours for your carpet to dry after cleaning them? A common misconception is if a spot does not come out, then put more soap and water on it. There are a series of problems here. First, the spot being cleaned can be diluted down and spread to other fibers as well as contaminate a significant amount of the primary and secondary backing of the carpet. Second, the spot can be pushed down into the pad. Once the spot is in the pad, it may have a tendency to go away for a moment, but then come back to the surface. This is called wicking. Third, if there is a lot of water in the pad and does not dry, mold can start to grow in as little as 48 hours under the right condition. Finally, excess cleaning agents and water can change the chemistry of a spot and permanently change the color of the fiber.

Did you know many over the counter cleaning agents can take off the protective coating of your fibers? Any cleaning agent that has a pH of 10+ has the potential to remove the protective coating, leaving the material vulnerable to damage due to future soil.

For these very reasons, many carpet mills state in their warranty a company must be certified by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification (IICRC, www.iicrc.org) program in order to keep the warranty. In fact, when it comes to carpet, the warranty states you must have your carpets cleaned every 6 months to 1 year. If a non-certified company/person cleans the carpet, you run the risk of voiding the warranty.

USClean is a IICRC firm and we send out skilled and trained technicians. We are also a member of the BBB and the Society of Cleaning & Restoration Technicians (SCRT). Take advantage of hiring a professional to do the work for you. In the long run, you will save yourself money because your carpet will last longer and look better. We are trained to identify what products to use on specific soil to maximize what comes out of your carpet.