How often should my carpet be cleaned?

The majority of carpet manufacturers recommend carpet cleaning by a professional carpet cleaning company, such as Albemarle Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning, every 12 months.  The time frame may vary with individual needs such as children or pets, which usually require carpets to be cleaned more frequently.  Carpet manufacturers also recommend cleaning companies, such as Albemarle Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning, because of the knowledge and training required to provide effective cleaning.

What cleaning system should you use?

Albemarle Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning uses Hot Water Extraction, or what is commonly referred to as Steam Cleaning, in conjunction with a type of equipment known as a truck mount.  The water in our equipment reaches temperatures of 230 degrees Fahrenheit, helping to loosen the majority of soils.  These soils can then be removed with high vacuum generated by this same machine.  Hot Water Extraction is the method of choice by most carpet manufacturers because of its greater effectiveness for removing soils and leaving your carpet looking its best.

How soon can I walk on the carpet?

The homeowner may use the carpet lightly immediately following the cleaning by wearing socks or the booties that we provide. Try to keep children, pets and regular traffic off the carpet for 4 hours.  Some carpets may feel slightly cool to the touch for up to 8 hours depending on humidity, air flow, type of carpet and soiling condition.  This is normal and will not cause any problems.

Carpet and Fabric Protector Notice

Unfortunately there is probably as much confusion in the carpet cleaning industry about carpet protectors as there is about cleaning. Uneducated, uninformed, and sometimes downright unscrupulous carpet cleaners cause a great deal of confusion by giving out false information or intentionally misrepresenting the product.

A nylon stain-resist carpet is made with two protective properties: The first is an acid dye blocker that is basically a clear dye that fills the extra dye sites in a fiber. This helps to keep “foreign” dyes (such as red dye in a beverage) from penetrating the carpet fiber. The second property is called a “fluorochemical”. It is commonly known as  DuPont Teflon ®. This treatment helps keep spillage from actually getting to the acid dye blocker, but its biggest job is to resist dry soil.

By resisting dry soil, less soil bonds to the carpet, therefore being picked up by your vacuum or cleaning. Making sure that you have a sufficient amount of protector on your carpet will help keep the soil from bonding to the carpet. Once it bonds to the carpet, it acts like sandpaper on your traffic area. Once the traffic area yarns are broken down, there is no way to bring them back to their original state.

2 primary ways that factory protector is removed from a carpet… 

1.  Regular foot traffic.  Over a period of 6 months to 2 years depending on the traffic, a significant amount of protector can be removed from your traffic areas and needs to be reapplied.

2.  High alkaline cleaner. Many cleaners use harsh chemicals on the carpet that will strip it’s factory protection. If you have had your carpet cleaned in the past, there is a good chance the cleaner that removed a significant amount of protector. It needs to be reapplied.

4 Mistakes Other Cleaners Make In Applying Protector

1. Not using high quality protector. Discount protectors are not as effective and sometimes void the warranty of the carpet. Our Company uses only the highest quality, recommended protectors.

2. Not using a dedicated container. Using the same container for carpet protector as other cleaners can contaminate the carpet protector making it gummy and ineffective. Our vans have a dedicated container reserved ONLY for carpet protector. 

3. Not applying the product properly.  Some cleaners either under apply or over apply the protector. Under applying it   doesn’t allow for complete penetration on the carpet yarns. Over applying it causes the carpet to become overly stiff and   crusty. Our Company technicians are diligently trained for proper application.

4. Not grooming the carpet. For the best performance, the product should be groomed into the carpet for maximum penetration. This ensures contact with all surfaces of the carpet yarn and proper distribution and drying. Our Company thoroughly grooms the protector into the carpet pile.

5 Reasons You Should Always Get Carpet Protector

1. Reduces permanent stains

A great looking carpet can be ruined by an ugly spot. Unprotected carpet doesn’t repel spillage as well as protected carpet. Being able to remove spots and spills more effectively, you can avoid permanent staining.

2. Helps save your traffic areas from becoming destroyed

Traffic area soil is very abrasive and cuts carpet yarns like a knife. This damaging soil can easily bond to an unprotected carpet. By applying protector, you will increase the life of your carpet dramatically. When you vacuum your protected carpet the soils will release from the carpet pile much more effectively.  

3. Make spots easier to remove

The easier a spot is to remove, the less cleanly you will have to use. The less agitation you will have to use, and the less time it will take. Many spots can be removed easily with just water.

4. Makes your next professional cleaning more effective

Having protector applied to your carpet will enhance your next cleaning. More soil will be removed the next time your carpeting is professionally cleaned.

5. Helps avoid costly service calls

Although you want to call us out to handle any spot you cannot remove immediately, carpet protector helps you remove more spots than you could without protector. You may be able to save a minimum charge by removing the spot yourself.

Fabric Protection is Guaranteed to Work or Your Money Back!

Will having my carpet cleaned make it get dirty faster?

Proper professional cleaning will not cause the carpet to get dirty faster. When you see that happen, it’s usually because the cleaner used improper cleaning compounds, did not rinse and neutralize the carpets thoroughly or does not have sufficient vacuum pressure to remove the cleaning compounds. All of these can leave a sticky residue behind causing rapid re-soiling.