Cost-Benefit Analysis of Professional Carpet Cleaning
Why should you pay a professional to clean your carpet? How does it compare to doing the task yourself? Can’t you simply get cleaners from the store, scrub down those stains on the carpet, or even rent a machine for the task? What’s the catch? If such questions are running through your mind, in this post we will look at different aspects that affect the cost of the carpet cleaning, and why bringing in the pros will end up benefiting you.
Consequences Of Ignoring Quality Carpet Cleaning
- Early wear and tear
The dirt and grime that accumulate in the carpet are key causes of its deterioration. Here, the particles gradually grind down the fibres of the carpet, causing them to weaken and wear down – and you may even have a case of ‘shedding’, where the fibres keep coming off the carpet. You end up being forced to replace the carpet much earlier than had been anticipated, yet this could have been avoided by the preventive care that you get with professional carpet cleaning.
The pros come equipped with high-powered machinery that allows them to flush even the deeply ingrained soiling from the carpet. The industrial-grade machines – coupled with the experience of the personnel operating it, ensures that gunk is effectively got rid of.
- Damage during DIY cleaning
Giving your carpet a thorough wash entails more than just sloshing it with soapy water and scrubbing it down. In fact, soaking the carpet in too much water is one of the common causes of extensive damage, where it can get delaminated – basically separating from the primary backing. Using too much solutions can also result in colour bleeding, where the dyes that the carpet has been treated with get leached out, causing the carpet to lose its appeal.
An excessively wet carpet will take long to dry. The same thing will happen for situations where the DIYer does not have drying equipment that is powerful enough to remove the bulk of the moisture from the carpet. With each passing day that the carpet remains wet, there are risks of mould and mildew growth. The fungi spread through the carpet structure, ruining the material, and even putting the health of other persons on the premises at risk, since the fungi release spores and mycotoxins into the indoor airspace.
The choice of cleaning solution also factors in. Popular formulations used when dealing with the stains around the household – the likes of vinegar, lemon-based or ammonia-based solutions can wreak havoc if used on carpets that they are not compatible with. Harsh chemicals corrode the carpet’s fibres, and there are also those that will bleach out the dyes. All these result in the carpet getting ruined, and needing to be replaced.
- Renting Costs
Equipment like hot water extraction systems used during carpet cleaning comes with a hefty price tag. Given that buying them is not feasible for a few rounds of cleaning needed during the year, the next option is renting them from local dealerships. This will add costs to the DIY process, where the equipment usually comes with daily charges.
Note that for the duration in which the rented carpet cleaning equipment is in your possession, you will be responsible for its maintenance – which also includes repair in case any components get damaged. The higher likelihood of damage is another risk to contend with, given that the DIYers usually don’t have the requisite skills to handle the heavy cleaning machinery, and rely on blogs and video tutorials to use them.
- Health concerns
A soiled carpet is a health hazard for persons on the premises. That build-up of allergens and contaminants exposes your loved ones to risk – from the particulate matter that gets kicked up into the air space, to the kids crawling around on the carpet, then putting their hands on their faces and in their mouths. For improper cleaning measures that leave the carpet wet for too long and cause fungi to grow, you then end up being faced with an increased concentration of spores and mycotoxins in the indoor air space.
Get More Bang For Your Buck With Professional Carpet Cleaning
When you turn to the pros to work on your carpet, you can rest assured that you will get quality results at the end of the process. The dirt and stains are got rid of without putting your carpet at risk.
Moreover, carpet manufacturers usually include the need for professional carpet cleaning as one of the terms in their warranty. In fact, damages made during the typical DIY jobs are not covered. With the pros on the other hand, your get to maintain your warranty.
Consider This When Choosing A Carpet Cleaning Company
The success of all is tied to the kind of company you hire for the carpet cleaning tasks. There are different factors to consider, including:
- Experience level
Have the carpet cleaning crew been trained, and how long has the company been in business? You want to ensure that your carpet is in the hands of the professionals – and dealing with a trained and certified crew is part and parcel of this. Within it comes to the years of operations of the business, this serves to build more confidence in the firm. Sure, new start-ups too can get the carpet cleaning done, but there’s the peace of mind that comes with hiring a business that has been established for years – with a long track record of providing the residential and commercial carpet cleaning services.
- Type of cleaning method
There are different modes of carrying out the carpet cleaning – including both dry and wet methods. Encapsulation, shampoo cleaning, bonnet cleaning, to hot water extraction – which method does the particular company use? Each has its advantages and disadvantages, and these will need to be weighed in consideration to the particular requirements for your premises. For instance, dry cleaning methods allow the carpet to be walked on immediately after the cleaning, but typically still leave behind residue within the carpet. On the other hand, with hot water extraction, a deep cleaning is carried out, but it takes comparatively longer to dry. Suction systems used by the professionals can extract the bulk of the moisture in such cases, allowing the carpet that has been cleaned through this method to dry within the same day.
Are there any arrangements that you will need to make in readiness for the cleaning? For instance, will the contractor handle moving the furniture themselves, and if so, will it be at a cost? Speaking of preparations, if there are pets in the household it is recommended that you make alternative arrangements for them. The presence of heavy machinery and more people in the household can unnerve cats or dogs.
- Reviews and references
The focus here is on what other clients have to say about the firm. Just as you do before making online product purchases on ecommerce stores, going over the reviews will help you gauge the credibility of the firm in question. For carpet cleaning businesses, these reviews can be seen on their social media pages and business directory listings. Contact the company and ask for their references. A business that has plenty of satisfied customers won’t miss a few that you can call up and ask them about the quality of work they received. Gathering all this information enables you to come to a well-reasoned conclusion about the firm.
- Range of services offered
Additional aspects of carpet care can be considered in order to prolong the lifespan of your unit. For instance, does that company apply carpet protectors? Other situations call for unique cleaning modes, such as when you’re dealing with flooding damage in the house, which has left the carpet drenched in dirty water.
Usually, the company providing the carpet cleaning services can also have other services like upholstery and rug cleaning. This is particularly handy if you want to get other surfaces and materials in the premises worked on. The company can even be providing the carpet cleaning as part of a wholesome top-to-bottom clean of the entire establishment, including the walls, floors, bathrooms, windows and outdoor surfaces. Getting this broad range of services from the same firm would be convenient, especially if you’re after a thorough cleaning of the entire premises. This largely boils down to personal preference.
- Quality of customer service
What perception do you get from your interaction with the business staff? Are your questions answered well? Do they seek to address your concerns, or do they put you off? Do you feel heard? You can pick up on this feedback when you’re speaking to the company staff, be it in person, social media, phone or email. How do they respond to you? Are they friendly? Through your interaction with them, you will be able to gauge their level of professionalism, before committing to outsourcing the carpet cleaning job to them.
Uniform also plays a role here. Having a company that has consistent branding – from the vehicles they travel with to the uniforms that the personnel wear, helps in building their credibility.
- Licence and insurance
Only engage with legitimate businesses. In this day and age, anyone can put up a Facebook page claiming to be a carpet cleaning contractor, and have ulterior motives. The last thing you want is to invite trouble into your home. There are also those shady firms whose owners or addresses can’t be verified – which is a red flag. Be sure to check with the company about their licences for providing the cleaning services in your area.
When it comes to the insurance, this is for both your protection, and that of the carpet cleaning company. Even the most proficient and established businesses cannot claim that they will never have an accident when delivering their services. Sure, they should put in place safety measures to ensure that everything goes according to plan – but the very nature of an accident is something unexpected occurring. Insurance coverage comes in to protect you from liabilities in case of damages that happen during the carpet cleaning. The personnel themselves should have a worker’s compensation plan to cater to any injuries that they may endure in the course of their service delivery.
Costs are definitely a key consideration. You want to get value for your money. It’s a balance where the goal is to get a company with affordable prices, but not so cheap that it compromises on the quality of services rendered. Get different quotations from local carpet cleaning services. This will enable you to gauge how much your particular situation should cost. Pricing here can be driven by aspects such as the size of the carpet, its material, all through to the presence of particularly troublesome stains, and other additional treatment measures that will need to be carried out. Usually, an in-person visit will be required to give you an accurate quotation. Speaking of which, ensure that you get the quotation in writing before you give the desired company the go-ahead to work on your carpet. This includes a detailed breakdown of exactly what you’re paying for. Also, ask about the guarantee that the company has. In case you’re not satisfied with an aspect of the service, what procedures will be used to seek redress? Getting this clarified at the onset will avoid arguments later on.
Be wary of companies whose services come at very cheap rates. Here it could be a sign of issues like the firm not hiring qualified staff, using low-capacity machinery, not having insurance or even simply one taking shortcuts during the cleaning. You don’t want to be in a situation where you will need to reschedule another round of carpet cleaning immediately after the services have been provided, due to getting subpar results – or worse still, the carpet getting ruined due to the wrong methods being used on it. While pricing is a critical factor, it should be used together with other considerations mentioned above to narrow down your choices.