Things to Know Before Hiring a Carpet Cleaning Company
Carpet cleaning is not something you think a lot about until they need it. You may need help with the food stain from the last family get together. You may be looking to get rid of those spots from your new puppy. No matter why you are looking for a carpet cleaner, there are a few things you should look for in a carpet cleaning company.
Length of time in business can be deceiving. Often, we use how long a company has been in business to judge it. In carpet cleaning, that may not mean much at all. Just because the company has been around for 30 years that does not mean they have 30 years experience. It may not even mean that the owner has had it that long. It simply means that company has been in business that long. This has little to do with your satisfaction level.
You want to know how much experience of the crew who will be cleaning. It does not matter if the General Manager has been cleaning carpet for 10 years. Most likely, he will not be the one cleaning your carpet. You want to know about the people who will actually do the work. After all, it is their level of experience that will determine how well your job is done.
Ask for references specific to that crew. Even an experienced crew does not tell the whole story. Of course, the person on the phone is going to tell you they do good work. After all, they are being paid commission to sell you on the job. It is perfectly ok to ask for references. You probably have done this on other contractors. However, make sure the references are specific to the crew that will be doing your cleaning. Again, you do not want hand picked customers from their best crew. You want them for the crew who will be doing your cleaning.
Ask what criteria they use to hire. Many carpet cleaning companies will tell you that every employee undergoes a drug and background check. This is true. However, you want to know what they consider acceptable background. Do they hire people with felonies, as long as they are not violent ones? They are carpet cleaners. You probably are not going to get an out of work rocket scientist. You have to decide what type of person is acceptable in your home.
Make sure you are comfortable with the crew in your home. There are many horror stories about devil worshipers being in a home, crews using your front lawn as a bathroom, and many other unprofessional events. Use your best judgment. If you are uncomfortable with the crew then ask for another one. It is your home. You have a right to be comfortable. If they look like they are casing your house then they probably are.
Review their listing on Angie’s list. Angie’s list is a great way to find about any contractor. While not ever company in the country is on Angie’s list, the good ones are. Angie’s list will give you information about the quality of their work…from other customers. These are people just like you that have used this specific carpet cleaner. It is like having a friend recommend someone.
Find out what method of cleaning they use. There are tow may methods of carpet cleaning, steam and dry. Dry cleaning uses a powder to encapsulate the dirt then vacuums to suck it up. Steam cleaning uses hot water extraction. Steam is used to loosen the dirt and suction is used to get rid of it. Choose which ever you are personally comfortable with. Are you ok with your carpets being damp for up to a full day? Or, would you prefer carpets that are dry immediately?
Find out what type of equipment they use. There are two types of cleaning equipment. Portable units and truck mounted units. Portable units run off of a self contained cleaning motor. While truck mounted units work off of a truck mounted cleaning motor. Of course, truck mounted units are more powerful then portable ones.
Be careful of hard sells. Many carpet cleaning companies do not pay their employees an hourly wage. Cleaning crews are often paid a commission on each job. They are receiving a greater commission on everything they add onto the ticket. While some recommends such as Scotchguard may be beneficial to your carpet make sure the extras are truly needed. I have heard of crews that are even trained on how to pit a husband and wife against each other to get a sale.
Make sure and ask for discounts. Whether it is the customer service representative booking your phone call or the crews trying to make add-on sales, always ask for discounts. Often, customer service representatives have access to unpublished discounts. Cleaning crews also are given some discretion with add-on pricing. It does not hurt to ask for any discounts. How large a discount you receive will depend on how busy the company is. If it is the slow season then you could receive a substantial discount.
If the customer service representative is not able to or won’t give you a discount then turn to the internet. Often, companies will have online only discounts. This is due to the fact that booking a job online means they don’t have to pay a customer service representative commission. Many, will pass this savings on to you.
When you are thinking about hiring a carpet cleaning company, do your research. Yes, this does take a little time. Yes, you might make the customer service representative a little uncomfortable with these questions. However, cleaning your carpet can be a sizeable monetary investment. You want to make sure it gets done right. Asking the right questions upfront and doing some research helps to ensure you get the best possible cleaning.
