If you have allergies, asthma, emphysema, or other breathing problems - one major source of your problem could be the pollens, fungi, and chemicals in your carpet.

In addition, as you may know, tobacco smoke contains over 4000 different chemical compounds, 43 of which can cause cancer. And even if you don't smoke, those chemicals can get on your shoes, and you may track them into your home and you leave them in your carpets.

If you're sensitive to cigarette smoke, you might find that you'll breathe easier after you hire a carpet cleaning company to get those harmful chemicals our of your carpet.

So, in addition to getting rid of dirt, another important reason to clean your carpet is to get rid of pollens, fungi, bacteria, chemicals and the tars and residue from tobacco smoke.

Dry Chemical and Hot Water Extraction methods have a tendency to leave dirt attracting sticky residues on your carpet and either fail to thoroughly remove the soil from the fibres or take several hours, even days to dry if the technician doing the cleaning doesn't know what they are doing! Know whether or not you are getting a truck mounted cleaner or a portable system. Portable steam cleaners cannot provide the type of deep cleaning you may require, where as a truck mounted steam cleaner may.

The Chem-Dry method is a hot carbonating extraction method that utilises a patented cleaning product called the "Natural®". The "Natural®" is a mineral based solution that contains no soaps, detergents, bleaches or brighteners. This process is offered only by Chem-Dry franchises and most carpets dry in 1-2 hours.

There are some very good steam cleaning and dry chemical companies on the market today. What you need to understand is what it is you want and what they are offering before you give them the go ahead to have your carpets cleaned. You need to know how long it will take for your carpet to dry and what kind of guarantee they offer. What you need to ask a cleaner is provided in another section.

Then how do you know who is qualified to clean your valuable carpet and upholstery investment?

Chem-Dry technicians follow strict industry standards each and every time they clean your carpets or upholstery. They receive training updates a minimum of twice a year keeping them abreast of the latest techniques in carpet and fabric care.

Chem-Dry is the leading domestic carpet and upholstery cleaning and disaster restoration company in the UK. We have won the respect of home owners, business owners and the country’s largest insurers. The Chem-Dry carpet and upholstery cleaning process is world renowned, in fact, every 4 seconds someone, somewhere invites Chem-Dry to clean their home, cleaning over a billion square feet of carpeting a year. In addition we conform to ISO 9001 Quality Standards.

On the other hand, if you want your carpet thoroughly cleaned - if you want to remove the harmful dirt, bacteria, pollens, chemicals and tobacco residues - then you need to hire a company that uses a deep cleaning restorative cleaning process. This is the only way to ensure that your carpets remain healthy and free from dirt, disease - causing bacteria and harmful chemicals.

So remember that the price you see offered may not be for the services you want performed or for the way you want them performed!

Point #2
The price you see advertised may not be the price you pay. Many home owners have learned that the low price they saw advertised was not the amount they were charged. This is called "Bait and Switch" and these types of operators are the bane of our existence. By educating yourself on their tactics and methods you can protect yourself from falling prey to their methods.

And if you've ever hired a carpet cleaner, you too may have been the victim of false or misleading advertising. You probably learned the hard way that some carpet cleaners offer a cheap price ... usually between £15 - £20 per room or area ... and then pressure you into paying a lot more once they get inside your home. Some of them may be breaking the law by using these illegal "bait and switch" tactics.

As in all businesses and professions, the carpet cleaning industry has its share of bad apples. I take no pleasure in telling you this, but some are unethical ... and, sadly, a few are dishonest. By their misleading advertising and false promises, they cast a dark shadow on our entire industry. I have dedicated myself to finding these unscrupulous operators and exposing them to the public.

However, you will find many carpet cleaners out there who are professionals, who offer excellent customer service, guarantee their work and who offer fair value packed pricing ... in a word, "professionals" who work hard to earn your trust and respect each and every day they come to work. Find them and use them.

Size of your home
Professional and reputable carpet cleaning companies usually price carpet cleaning by the square metre.  So if you want  us to tell you the exact cost of cleaning your carpet, you will need to know the exact number of square metres that you want to have cleaned. To get an accurate measurement, an in-home inspection of the carpeted area may be required in order to calculate the exact size of the carpet area to be cleaned.  The in home inspection and quotation is not a gimmick.  It gives the carpet cleaner a chance to measure the areas to be cleaned, to see the carpeting to be cleaned and to answer any questions you may have.  For the customer, it is a no risk means by which you can get a firm written quote, it gives you the opportunity to ask questions and also gives you a chance to see if this is the type of company you want to do business with.

You'll be glad to know that the carpet area to be cleaned is not nearly as great as most people think.  For example, if you want your entire home cleaned and your home is approximately 150 square metres in size, the amount of carpeting to be cleaned might only be 100-120 square metres. This is because most home measurements are outdoor measurements. Plus, when the areas taken up by walls, room dividers and the like. are deducted, the result is that the actual area to be cleaned is usually only about 75% of the square metreage of the home.

In addition, you may only want to have the "high traffic" areas of your home cleaned.  This makes sense if the furniture in a given room has always been in one place and will likely always be there.   Why pay to clean areas of your home that are covered up and are not dirty.  High Traffic cleaning can save you money.

So even though a professional carpet cleaning company can't give you an exact quote over the telephone, don't dismiss them as not knowing what they are doing. On the contrary, they need to see the carpets to be cleaned so they can give accurate advice and accurate information.

The type of carpet
Certain types of carpet are harder to clean than others. So before a professional carpet cleaner can give you a quote, they need to know the type of carpet you want cleaned.

Second, the amount of soiling
Carpet that hasn't been cleaned for ten years will take longer to clean than carpet that was cleaned within the last six months. In addition, carpets that are regularly maintained and have a stain guard applied are easier to clean than those that are not maintained and have let the stain guard protection inherent in modern carpets get walked off.

Third, the amount of furniture that has to be moved
Obviously if there is lots of furniture to move this will mean the job takes longer and this will be reflected in the quotation given.  On the other hand if your rooms are clearer with little furniture to move then this will also be reflected in the price.  Without visiting, a professional firm cannot tell what furniture needs to be moved and how this will affect the price.

Summary
To recap, professional cleaners will consider the type of carpet or upholstery to be cleaned, the amount of soiling on the carpets or upholstery, and the amount of furniture that has to be moved. So, as you can now imagine, every quotation is different and in many cases is very difficult to provide over the phone.

A reputable carpet cleaning company will offer a free in home quotation for the cleaning that you will require. This quotation should be free, no obligation and should include a written report that is a firm quote for the work to be completed. Take advantage of the inspection and quotation process, it gives you an up front, painless method to see who you are dealing with. Besides, it will give you the opportunity to test out the information you have learned in this consumer information section of our website.