Quality Clean Carpet Cleaners | Professional Carpet Cleaning Company PA

Frequently Asked Questions

1. How is my carpet warranty affected by carpet cleaning?

Carpet warranties require the carpeting be cleaned within the first 1 to 1-1/2 years of owning the carpet or the warranty is void! It has been experience that homeowners do not pay attention to this warranty and it could be costing them thousands of dollars in replacement costs that could have been avoided. Few owners understand the importance of proper care. Proper cleaning of carpet will: Extend the life of the carpet as much as twice as long, maintain the carpet warranty, improve indoor air quality, reduce permanent staining of the carpet

2. Carpet Protection: Does it really work?

The average carpet is replaced every twelve years, even though it begins to show signs of poor care after only three to five years. The carpet industry refers to this as "Uglying Out". (Notice, they do not call it "Wearing Out")

STEP 1: From the factory fibers are fresh, new & protected

STEP 2: Carpet fibers are attacked by soil, pollen and mites

STEP 3: The solution is to Renew Your Carpet Protection

3. How long will my carpet take to dry?

In most cases, your carpet will be dry in 4-6 hours. This depends on the humidity, temperature of the home, the density of the carpet fiber and how soiled the carpet was.

4. Post cleaning instructions?

Please do not slip and fall.
Damp carpet can be slippery. Please be careful when using stairs and also when walking from the freshly cleaned carpet to any hard surface, such as vinyl or tile. Your shoes will be damp and you could fall. Please keep children and pets off damp carpet until it dries.
Moving air dries carpet quicker. The boudary layer of air, the few inches of air above the carpet, is usually high in humidity as the carpet is drying. Air movement will bring dryer air in contact with the carpet thus speeding drying. In the winter or on cold days pleae turn on the heater. Warmer air holds more moisture and dries the carpet quicker. On hot humid days you may want to use the air conditioning to create dryer air movement. Otherwise, open windows and doors and have any fans you have blowing on the carpet. Ceiling fans should always be turned on, no matter what the weather.
Try to keep traffic off the carpets for at least 2 to 3 hours. After we are done cleaning, the carpet fibers are left standing up, much like it was from the factory. Heavy traffic will simply lay the fiber back down. This also may increase the dry time. Also, damp carpet can pull dirt off the soles of your shoes, especially dark soled shoes.
If furniture has been blocked please leave the leg protectors in place for 24-48 hours. Even though the carpet may feel dry to the touch after several hours, we ask that you leave the blocks in place for at least a full twenty four hours. This will protect your furniture as well as the carpet. We want to prevent wood stain transfers as well as rust from metal clips found on the legs of some furniture.
Some carpets may stretch when cleaned. This occurs in carpets that are in need of stretching and shows up as ripples in the carpet after cleaning. It usually goes away and lies back down within forty-eight hours. If not, you may need to have the carpet re-stretched.
Try to take care of spots and spills as soon as possible. Most spots and spills can be taken care of by yourself if you get to them right away. Hopefully you will have a carpet spotter and a white towel handy. Do not panic! Most damage is done when someone is in a hurry and they go after the spot too aggressively. If you ever have any question, please call us. We will be more than happy to walk you through the process.

5. What is the "No-Brainer" program?

You get every other cleaning for free, you only pay for the Teflon. If you have 4 annual cleanings and 4 half price cleanings, then your 5th year cleanings are absolutely free.

6. What do you mean by "1 year spot free guarantee?"

If you spill something, we will clean it up at no charge. The carpets have to be treated with Dupont Advanced Teflon in order for this warranty to be in effect. If the accident is from a pet stain, odor treatment will NOT be covered. See warranty information provided with the client folder.

7. Do you clean furniture?

Yes, we are professional upholstery cleaners. (Save an additional 10% if you add a sofa, loveseat, or two chairs the same day as your carpet cleaning appointment.)

8. Can you remove pet odor and stains?

In some cases the stain may be permanent, but we can take care of the odor. This would be an additional charge.

9. Do I need to be home during the cleaning process?

No. You are welcome to leave after the paperwork has been signed and we are paid. Our technicians are insured and are employees of Quality Clean Carpet Cleaners, NOT Sub-Contractors.

10. How long does it take to clean the carpet?

We are able to clean approximately 500 square feet per hour. This can vary slightly depending upon the amount of soil, how much furniture needs to be moved, specialty spotting procedures, and setup time.

11. Do you pre-spot?

Yes. All pre-spotting, pre-spraying, and preconditioning of the traffic areas and spots is included with the price of your cleaning.

12. What do I do if I need to reschedule my appointment?

Please give us 48 hours notice. You can schedule an appointment as far in advance as you would like.

13. How often do I need to clean my carpet?

Every 3-6 months for multi-resident homes with pets, and at least once per year for single resident homes.

14. Do you move furniture?

For liability reasons, we do not move china hutches, entertainment systems, pianos, or other valuable belongings. We can move smaller + lighter furniture upon request.

15. What about reocurring spots?

If a spot returned a day or so after cleaning: it may have been oily or sticky and was not completely removed, or “wicked back” due to the nature of the spot, or possibly it’s not a spot, but a permanent stain. Please call us with any concerns and we will attempt to remove the spot a second time.

16. My carpet has a bleached or faded spot; can you correct that?

If you have spots or small areas that have been bleached out, they may be spot dyed, depending on the type of carpet fiber.

17. Can you fix indentations from heavy furniture?

No guarantee can be made on removing indentations from heavy furniture. In addition to the pile of the carpet being crushed, the backing of the carpet is indented. Heat, moisture, and hand grooming with our equipment may help, but it will take time to release back to normal, if at all. Severe cases may be permanent.

18. How often should a carpet be cleaned?

No doubt this question has surfaced at one time or another during the years you’ve owned carpeting. The frequency of cleaning will vary from one household to another depending upon the number of occupants and level of usage. At a minimum, you should clean once a year.
I have had some homeowners express their fear that once the carpet is cleaned, it will re-soil quicker. This fear is the result of improper cleaning on the part of many cleaning companies. Many of these companies, in an effort to cut costs and save time, will buy the cheapest cleaning solutions, won’t provide the proper training for their technicians, and will not offer a separate rinse step in order to remove detergent residues. If detergent is left in the carpet, accelerated re-soiling will occur.
Quality Clean uses the Bane-Clene System which is recommended by almost all of the major carpet manufacturers. This method removes deep down soil and leaves no detergent residue to accelerate the re-soiling process. The fact is... the best thing you can do for you carpets is to have them regularly cleaned by a qualified professional carpet cleaning company. Poor carpet appearance begins with the buildup of soil on the surface of the carpet. Foot traffic grinds the soil against the carpet fibers and causes a sand paper effect. This causes the fibers to become dull and worn looking.
Major carpet manufacturers such as Dupont and Shaw Industries recommend that you have your carpets cleaned every 6-18 months, and with most of todays carpet, in order to satisfy the warranty requirements, you must save your receipts from your cleaning services. There are other considerations that can increase the frequency of cleanings, such as smoking habits, number and ages of children, soiling conditions, humidity, health status of occupants, allergy conditions, and number and types of pets, just to name a few. Heavily traveled areas may require quarterly cleaning, while other less frequented areas may not need cleaning more than every 18 months.
Either way, it makes good sense to have your carpets cleaned regularly not only from an appearance and investment protection point of view, but also from a health standpoint. Regular deep cleaning of your carpet removes bacteria, dust mites, germs, and the substances upon which these organisms live .

19. Why Should I Clean My Carpet?

Biocontaminants, volatile organic compounds, combustion products, asbestos, dust mites, chemical contamination, outdoor pollutants, pesticides, allergens, grease and oil deposits, sand, soil food particles, bacteria, and a host of other really gross stuff will make its way into your carpet. Quite simply, your carpet acts like a sink. It collects and filters all of the above mentioned contaminants. This collection and filtering process traps these contaminants within your carpet, which in turn cleans the air you breathe and allows you to live a healthier life. Hard surface floors may allow contaminants to “roam” throughout the indoor environment.
But like any other filter, your carpet needs to be cleaned on a regular basis, or it will lose its filtering ability. If these contaminants are in your home, they could be contributing to you family’s health and allergy problems. Dr. Michael Berry, Deputy Director of the Environmental Criteria and Assessment Office of the Environmental Protection Agency stated, “Based on what I have learned from researchers working in the United States, Canada and Western Europe, I have reached the conclusion that carpeting and fabrics that are not properly cleaned and maintained have the potential to cause a variety of health problems inside the building and home environment.”

20. Can you get out (fill in the blank)...?

At Quality Clean we can remove any spot that is not a permanent stain. However, there are conditions where permanent staining is present. The following is a list of conditions which may or may not allow spots to be removed.
The percentage listed next to the condition is the percentage of CHANCE we have of removing it, NOT the percentage of stain that will be removed.

Yellowing (50%) – Yellowing can be as simple as neutralizing the spot or area spraying a solution on it, or it can be impossible to remove. There are many unknown causes for yellowing. It is so common that we have several different products on our van just for yellowing.
Filtration Soiling (25%) – Filtration Soiling is the black marks you see around the edges of your baseboards. Typically we can get these lines to lighten, but seldom do they come all the way out. The particles in filtration soil are so fine, and go all the way down the sides of the yarn and through the backing of the carpet. This makes it very difficult to remove.
Vomit (50%) – Same as urine. (If red dye is present in dog or cat food, see red dye removal.)
Blood (75%) – If no hot water of alkaline cleaning products have been used, chances are good.
Rust (85%) – Chances for rust removal are excellent.
Red Dye (5%) – Red Dye is almost impossible to remove unless conditions are exactly right.
Lipstick (50%) – Chances are good that we will be able to remove it with solvents. However, some lipstick may be in the red dye category which gives it a slim chance for removal.
Furniture Stain (01%) – Almost impossible
Soft Drinks (95%) – Usually not a problem
Tea & Coffee (50%) – Tannin spots sometimes cause a permanent stain. Many time when coffee or tea is spilled, it is very hot. This can cause a stain to be set into the carpet.
Ketchup (50%) – If ketchup has red dye in it, it could leave a stain. But, without red dye, it’s not a problem.
Mustard (15%) – Mustard can be very difficult to remove
Paint (20%) – If it is a fresh spill the chances are much better. If it has already dried, chances are slim.

21. What's the first thing I should do when I discover a pet accident?

Try to get as much of the substance off the carpet as possible with very little agitation. For urine, try to blot as much of it into a dry towel as possible. NEVER SCRUB! Scrubbing the carpet causes friction and the heat can unravel the carpet fibers, causing the carpet to look damaged.

22. Can I clean the affected areas myself?

You can begin spraying a little warm water from a spray bottle onto the area and continue blotting. You can then add a very small amount of detergent that is safe for laundry and carpet, and carefully agitate that detergent into the affected area. (NEVER SCRUB!) You need to use a dry white towel to blot in order for you to transfer the wet material to a dry surface. A damp sponge or towel will not be helpful. The success in cleaning the affected areas yourself is limited, because you most likely won’t have the ability to rinse out the area as sufficiently as a warm water extraction system. Depending on the amount of urine or feces contamination, it may be impossible for you to rinse out the areas well enough to ensure that the bacteria and other contaminants won’t be harmful to your environment. Unfortunately, spotter bottles that promise to clean pet accidents are largely unsuccessful and insufficient in doing what needs to be done.

Note: The more detergent or cleaning solution that you add to the carpet, the more difficult it will be for you to get those chemicals out. Chemicals left in the carpet will attract soils and make the carpet look dirtier as time passes.

23. Are there health concerns related to my pet accidents?

If there is enough urine or fecal volume, the only way to really go after the potential breeding ground for bacteria and other contaminates is to have the carpet thoroughly rinsed out with a warm water extraction system and appropriate cleaning solutions.

24. My pet odors seem to come and go, why is this and can we fix it?

Dormant pet problems are often activated with humidity and poorly ventilated areas. This is why pet odors in dark basements often stand out much more than that spot in the living room under the picture window. We us odor-neutralizing chemicals that destroy or control microorganisms (bacteria and fungi). The success of these odor neutralizers depends on the level of urine saturation. We may be able to neutralize a large portion of the odors to make the smells minimal, if not obsolete. However, urine can spread down to the backing of the carpet, the pad, and the sub flooring. If this is the case, it may be necessary to get under the carpet and take care of the source. This may require removing the pad and cleaning the back of the carpet and the sub floor. Most of the time, we are able to treat the problem areas and get the best possible result, short of doing carpet repair work.