Carpet Disasters – Showcasing Some of Our Favorites
Carpet cleaning in Minneapolis should be something that a homeowner or commercial property owner or manager can easily hire a reputable vendor for. Unfortunately, this often isn’t the case. In fact, there are very few service providers that receive more Better Business Bureau complaints than carpet cleaners. Why is this and what can you do to avoid a bad carpet cleaning experience?
Carpet cleaning in Minneapolis seems like a fairly straight forward service. You hire a company to come to your home and clean your carpet with a combination of water, solutions and strong suction. Yet, we are often called to repair the damage done by improper providers of carpet cleaning in Minneapolis, so we have seen some common problems that drive negative complaints and online reviews.
First, carpet cleaning in Minneapolis is truly one service where the home or business owner will get what they pay for. As much as we all love a great deal, we all also need to be careful when a deal seems too good to be true. Most homeowners see carpet cleaning in Minneapolis offers in their mail, newspapers and other media. Sometimes, these offers are reasonable attempts to encourage you to try a new provider and there is nothing wrong with this type of offer. Examples of this type of offer typically include a number of rooms being cleaned for a fixed price.
The problem often starts before the carpet cleaning in Minneapolis offer is received by property owners. It doesn’t take a lot of money to start a carpet cleaning business and this can attract poor performers. We suggest that you don’t choose a provider that has less than 5 years of provable carpet cleaning experience with a single brand and company.
In an effort to create new business, new carpet cleaning in Minneapolis providers will create VERY attractive offers. But, are you going to get value for your money? There are a few concerns you should have.
First, you are inviting a virtual stranger into your home or business. This isn’t a problem for a seasoned carpet cleaning in Minneapolis provider like us because our technicians have been working with our customers for many, many years and we have NEVER had any issues. A brand new carpet cleaning in Minneapolis provider may have hired the first warm body that responded to their help wanted ad with no background check whatsoever. This can and does sometimes lead to theft and other crimes.
Inexperienced carpet cleaning in Minneapolis providers with inexperienced employees are much more likely to use too much water during your carpet cleaning. We get calls every month to “repair” water damage that was created by a Minneapolis carpet cleaner that used too much water. Too much water is likely to generate water stains in the carpeting.
Although water damaged carpet is a specialty of ours, this water damage is most typically from a broken hot water heater, cracked pipe or other type of water distribution leak. We understand and can sympathize with business or home owners who are incredibly upset when the water damage was caused by the carpet cleaning in Minneapolis business.
Carpet cleaning in Minneapolis vendors with little or no experience are also much more likely to use cheap and ineffective solutions during your carpet cleanings. A proper carpet cleaning solution works to chemically alter stains, dirt and debris in your carpet. This chemical reaction means that the things you don’t want in your carpeting are unable to maintain their hold on the fibers in your carpeting and can be then easily vacuumed away.
But, a low cost solution is not going to create the total chemical reaction needed to completely clean your carpets. So, although your carpets will initially appear clean, they show dirt and stain more quickly because new grime is attached to the old substances left in your rugs. The best solutions typically use oxygen as the primary change agent, just as Oxy-type cleaners and hydrogen peroxide do. This is a very natural reaction.
We have spent decades working with carpet manufacturers and we consistently meet or exceed their expectations for carpet cleaning and maintenance. Did you know that the wrong cleaning solution used on your carpeting can void the warranty you received with your new carpet purchase. Many providers can’t even name a carpet manufacturer and they certainly don’t have over 20 years of combined carpet cleaning in Minneapolis experience.
One of the newest misleading service offerings is “dry” or “zero residue” carpet cleaning in Minneapolis. These providers hope to attract your business by giving you exactly what you think you want, but the reality doesn’t match the marketing hype. First, there is no effective “dry” carpet cleaning solution. It doesn’t exist. If you believe in “dry” carpet cleaning, you might want to try a “dry” shower or bath. The result would be the same.
“Zero residue” is the newest carpet cleaning in Minneapolis fad. What we find interesting is that many of these providers use the same cleaning solutions and the same truck mounted equipment that we use. If these providers were being truly honest, they would refrain from using “zero residue” and change their message to “low residue.”
A properly cleaned carpet will have minimal dampness and minimal cleaning solution. As the carpet finishes the drying process, all of the water and solution will evaporate, leaving behind a clean, stain-free carpet within a few hours.
So, what suggestions do we have for ensuring that bad things don’t happen to you or your carpet due to a bad carpet cleaning in Minneapolis service provider? First, take some time and research the provider you are considering. We don’t suggest only using one review site, such as Yelp or Thumbtack, but rather checking several review sites. Completely read all reviews, including any company responses. Sometimes, you will see a carpet cleaning in Minneapolis company that is committed to customer satisfaction helping a customer resolve a customer concern or complaint and this is a good sign.
Unfortunately, you will also see an occasional very nasty negative review. Although the carpet cleaning in Minneapolis review sites do what they can to police reviews, these often overly harsh reviews are actually being generated by competitors. If you notice an overly harsh review, look at the city where the review was generated. Is it in the same geography as the provider? This is a strong signal that the negative review should be discounted or ignored. Even the storied Better Business Bureau is not immune from these types of fraudulent reviews, but a carpet cleaning provider who is focused on the long term success of his or her business will be noticeably aware and involved in the reviews process.
We also suggest that you find a good provider, such as us, and continue to use them over time. A good carpet cleaning in Minneapolis company maintains notes on when your carpet was cleaned and special stains they might encounter. Most reputable providers and carpet manufacturers recommend that you have residential and commercial carpets professionally cleaned twice each year. When those cleanings happens is up to you, but we generally suggest mid-winter and mid-summer.
There is a lot of information available to you on the indoor air quality of your home and/or business. Most studies show that the air inside many structures is actually more polluted than the outside air. One easy way to improve your indoor air quality is to have your carpets professionally cleaned. By scheduling one of your biannual cleanings for mid-winter, you reduce the pollutants floating in the air because your home has been closed up for cold weather protection.
Also, many homes and businesses see an increase in foot traffic, pet traffic and stains during the holidays and a mid-January or February carpet cleaning can restore the health and shine of your carpets while removing contaminants from the air during the vacuuming process.
Mid-summer cleanings give your carpets a clean healthy look as you head into the fall months and the holidays. Summer is also often the most active season for microscopic bugs that would like to live in your carpets and we work to remove all bugs, eggs and other remnants of these unwelcome visitors.
One additional service you may want to consider is carpet re-stretching. Carpet, particularly in high traffic areas, will sometimes develop “speed bumps” or other raised spots. These spots will wear faster than the surrounding carpeting, but they also create a tripping hazard for anyone walking across your carpeting.
Most often, carpeting imperfections stem from a poor initial installation. If you have ever watched carpet being installed, you have no doubt watched the installers use a device they hit with their knees. This is a carpet stretcher and it is used, in theory, to stretch your new carpeting towards the outside edges. A properly installed carpet will be stretched equally in all directions and proper installation will dramatically improve the life and wear of your carpet.
Some installers are only interested in quickly completing the job and don’t spend enough time correctly stretching your new carpeting into place. This is the birth of the “speed bump.” We can easily remove these imperfections, removing the tripping danger and restoring the overall look of your carpeting. We have special equipment that most carpet cleaning in Minneapolis businesses don’t have, allowing us to re-stretch your carpets instead of replacing them prematurely.
So, in summary, if you want a great outcome to your need for a carpet cleaning in Minneapolis, do some homework, work with a reputable provider like us, enjoy any specials or promotions we/they might be offering and enjoy the benefits that clean carpets and cleaner indoor air quality will have for your family, your tenants or your employees. We look forward to scheduling an appointment with you at your earliest convenience.