Project Description
There are numerous carpet cleaners out there offering “specialist”, “professional”, “unbeatable”, “five star reviews”, “fully insured”, carpet cleaning services. So how do you, the consumer know who to choose? Surely all carpet cleaners do the same thing, it’s just a question of price isn’t it? You can be forgiven for believing so, since many “FaceBook videos” seem to show them getting fantastic results on seriously grubby carpets. Sadly those videos only tell half the story. Yes the carpet is being made clean, no doubt about that. Getting the carpet clean can be quite easy. The whole story involves much, much more. Today’s case study is going to deal with just one of those “much, much more” issues. Drying time!
Specialist Carpet Cleaning in Dover Case Study
I was called to a young family’s home where they had engaged a local carpet cleaner who advertises himself as “probably the best in Kent”.
When I got within 20 yards of the house, I could smell mould. The smell was awful and this young family was living in it. The carpet cleaner had cleaned the carpet nearly two weeks ago and when I tested it, it was still wet. Further inspection revealed the back of the carpet was black with mould, and the underlay too was soaking wet and growing mould.
The furniture had to be cleared, the carpet pulled up, and the underlay disposed of. The sub-floor had to dry out, and then new underlay was fitted. Following this the carpet backing was treated, cleaned and dried. Finally the carpet was re-fitted and then cleaned properly. The carpet was dry in a little over an hour. Needless to say the couple were delighted, especially as they were just about to put the home on the market and wanted to make a good impression.
This family’s problem is not unique. The carpet took so long to dry because the cleaner they engaged is not properly trained. If he had been properly trained, he would have understood that the carpet he was cleaning needed extremely controlled use of moisture to avoid any problems. With proper training a carpet cleaner identifies risks, and potential problems because he understands the nature of the carpet fibre and construction.
Different carpet fibres, along with different construction methods (i.e. the way the carpet is made), all affect the chemistry and protocol used to carry out the cleaning.
A carpet should never be left wet longer than 24 hours, otherwise there can be mould issues. A properly trained and certified carpet cleaner will have your carpet dry long before mould could become an issue.
The couple in this case study payed a very cheap price for their carpet to be “cleaned”. The price they had to pay to remedy the situation was many times more than if they had engaged me or another qualified specialist to start with.
Avoid choosing a carpet cleaner by price alone. Check to see if they are what they claim to be, “fully insured”, “specialist”, etc.
The NCCA has a website where you can find your local trained and certified specialist. Just click on this link Trusted Local Cleaners type in the service you require and your postcode.
You’ve worked hard to furnish your home, don’t risk it being harmed by using an untrained cleaning service. Use a trained and certified professional. Remember the old saying “Buy Cheap, Buy Thrice”.
For more information please visit our Specialist Carpet Cleaning page.
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Accreditations
You can trust KD cleaning specialists to deliver the best possible service. We meet Government Endorsed Standards ‘Trustmark’. Our team is trained and certified by the National Carpet Cleaners Association (NCCA) and the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification
