We all want to keep our homes clean and free of nasty molds, bacteria, etc, and one of the worst areas for this is the carpet – yet most people will come up with many reasons why they won’t get it professionally cleaned. Most of those ‘reasons’ are completely false, however – totally mythical, in fact, at least nowadays – so herewith a few of those myths and the truth behind them.
My carpet is only a year old, it’s not really dirty yet/it will never look the same again after cleaning
The first is a common assumption, but not true. If you remember how much of the carpet is not visible to you and think how much harmful debris is building up down there before it gets to the point where you can see it, you’ll get some idea of why professional rug cleaning is not something that should be left until the carpet actually looks dirty! For the second, the opposite is true – as long as you get it done by a competent professional, carpets should always look better after cleaning, not worse!
Professional cleaning uses loads of harmful chemicals
While this used to be true and indeed some companies may still do so, most are now much more ‘green’ and committed to avoiding these problem chemicals. If the company you call is not willing to use environmentally friendly, non-toxic cleaning agents, call another, because most are.
My carpet will shrink when it’s cleaned
The only reason a carpet would shrink would be if it is left extremely wet after cleaning, and no professional worth the name would do this. If you are worried, check the carpet to see that it is not too wet before the company leaves.
I have stain resistance so my carpet doesn’t need cleaning/cleaning would ruin this
Stain resistance helps with specific accidents such as spills, but doesn’t prevent general dirt getting in between the fibres, so proper frequent carpet cleaning is still necessary; and stain resistance is by no means permanent – it will be loosened/broken up by the feet walking on it, anyway. Professional cleaners can actually help here as they can re-apply the stain resistance occasionally, at your request.
I vacuum regularly, so my carpet doesn’t need professional cleaning
It would be good if this was true, but unfortunately it isn’t. Vacuum cleaners just don’t get deep enough to remove all the harmful dirt, fibres, etc that can cause respiratory and other health problems. Even the most diligent housekeeper needs to get their carpets deep cleaned at least once in a while.
I can buy spot cleaners/ home cleaning machine and do it as well myself, and more cheaply
Spot cleaners that are available in mainstream stores are not nearly as good as the professional grade versions available to those in the industry, and at prices that non-pros would never be able to match. In fact, many store-bought removers either simply do not work or, worse still, they contain bleach, and can ruin darker carpets completely. With regard to home cleaning machines, most of these are simply not powerful enough to do the job properly – and if you were able to obtain one that was, the cost involved would start to rival that of professional carpet cleaning, whilst still leaving you without the knowledge and skills needed to use it to do the job properly.
To be quite honest, the peace of mind you’ll get from knowing your carpet has been cleaned properly and thoroughly, with none of the risks mentioned above, is surely worth the possible extra costs involved!