Carpet Cleaning Myths

Myth: After my carpet is cleaned it will get dirtier quicker.

Fact: This ‘Myth’ can actually be true BUT only if you use the wrong carpet cleaner. Outdated cleaning methods such as shampooing can leave cleaning products behind in your carpet, this can even happen with hot water extraction (the most widely approved cleaning method for the majority of carpet types) when done by untrained technicians. These cleaning products, as well as being unwanted soiling themselves, attract and hold onto dust and dirt meaning your carpets look dirty quickly. A professional and knowledgeable carpet cleaner should never let this happen, all products should be washed out with a water rinse when cleaning, preferably a soft water rinse like we do at Rothwell’s. This would completely avoid product residue and therefore avoid rapid re-soiling.

A second reason can be if you had a carpet stain protector applied to your carpet but then did not have it reapplied after cleaning. These stain protectors make your carpet more resistance to water and oil-based stains making them easier to keep clean. But they do wear off over time and need reapplying after 12-24 months and cleaning can remove them. Ask your carpet cleaner about applying one after your carpets are cleaned.

Myth: Cleaning your carpet often is bad for it.

Fact: This is not only untrue but the opposite of the truth. Dust and dirt within your carpet creates a sandpaper effect rubbing against the carpet fibres scratching and wearing them out. This ages them before their time and will lead to them being replaced much sooner. Carpet cleaning can remove this soiling from your carpet and slow the aging process down. It is recommended by most carpet manufactures as well as the IICRC to clean carpets on average once per year (6 – 24 months depending on use and other factors).

Myth: I can clean my carpet with a DIY hire machine, or one brought from a shop.

Fact: These machines can be useful for spot treatments of spills as they were original designed for, they are much better than a cloth at removing a fresh spill. But they do not have the power of true professional machines, they only use a fraction of the water used by professional machines and they are not very good at removing the water they do use.  They can deal with lose stains when dealt with straight away but cannot remove the general dust, dirt, bacteria, dead skin and other deep-down soiling that needs to be professionally removed once per year. The other big factor here is the operator, no offense but you will not have the same knowledge compared to a fully trained and experience professional, so even without the handicap of much worse equipment the results are not going to compare. If I did not own a carpet cleaning business, I would probably have a small home machine but I would only use it to treat spills as they happen and I would leave the yearly deep clean to the professionals with the powerful equipment, correct carpet cleaning products and know how.

Myth: Any store brought stain remover will do on all stains.

Fact: All stains have a different chemistry to them and need to be treated in a different way, and carpets are not all made from the same material so what works on a tea stain on a nylone carpet won’t work for a juice spill on a wool carpet. Many of the store brought products have ‘whiting agents’ bleach in them and can do more damage than good. If you do have a stain, please follow the Rothwell’s stain removal guide available on https://rothwells.biz/spot-stain-treating-carpets/ or a similar one on the National Carpet Cleaners Association web site https://ncca.co.uk/top-tips/spot-and-stain-removal-guide/

If you want high quality carpet cleaning that will look after your carpet and sofas for years to come, call Rothwell’s on 01638 428 060 or email info@rothwells.biz.

See more about our carpet cleaning here – https://rothwells.biz/services/carpet-cleaning/