Carpet Cleaning Myths (15 Lies Revealed) - DC Metro
Quick Summary of Carpet Cleaning Myths (15 Lies Revealed):
- Use Ammonia To Clean Carpet
- Use Dish Soap To Clean Carpet
- Use Hair Spray To Clean Carpet
- Use Vinegar To Clean Carpet
- Vacuuming Too Much Is Bad For Carpet
- No Need To Vacuum New Carpet
- No Need To Clean Carpet After A Flood
- Dry Cleaning Carpet Is Better Than Steam Cleaning
- Steam Cleaning Shrinks Carpet
- Cheap Carpet Cleaning Is Just As Good
- Any Carpet Cleaning Solution From The Store Is Okay To Use
- Repeated Professional Carpet Cleaning Makes Carpet Get Dirty Faster
- Steam Cleaning Promotes Mold And Mildew Growth
- Powder Deodorizers Get Smells Out Of Carpet
- The Presence Of Carpet Causes Allergies
In the age of online DIY videos that flaunt hacks and home remedies for just about everything, it's best to view them with skepticism. We've watched a lot of these carpet cleaning-related videos and heard even more word-of-mouth "solutions". Not only do the majority of them not work, but many are actually harmful to the carpet. Let's pull the curtain on some of these.
Though there are certainly more carpet cleaning dc myths than the ones covered here, these are some of the most common.
1.Use Ammonia To Clean Carpet
You wouldn't believe how many videos and articles online promote the use of ammonia on the carpet. This is a bad idea. Any high-alkaline solution like ammonia is a sure-fire way to damage carpet. Plus, ammonia is toxic! Inhaling its fumes can lead to respiratory problems. Do not use ammonia to clean the carpet.
2. Use Dish Soap To Clean Carpet
If dish soap was meant to be used on carpet, it would be called carpet soap. This is not a product that should be used on carpet. For one, its effective use is predicated on being able to rinse it off after use. This is easy with dishes but difficult with carpet. Most of the time, dish soap makes stains worse.
3. Use Hair Spray To Clean Carpet
We'll be the first to admit that hair spray does have some surprising effects when used in untraditional ways. Cleaning carpet, however, is not one of them. We've seen many instances where the carpet was permanently damaged from using hair spray. Also, the chemical makeup of hair spray leaves a residue that captures dirt and other contaminants.
4. Use Vinegar To Clean Carpet
There's a popular notion floating around the internet that vinegar mixed with baking soda is an effective cleaning solution. Many videos show people using this mixture to remove carpet stains. The truth? This is not a good idea. It's ineffective at removing carpet stains compared to other methods. It leaves a pasty film on carpet that can be difficult to get off. Plus, this mixture creates peracetic acid which is a skin irritant and breathing inhibitor.
Like hair spray, vinegar does have use beyond the kitchen. But from a cleaning perspective, vinegar is a disinfectant, not a stain-remover.
5. Vacuuming Too Much Is Bad For Carpet
Who knows where this rumor got started, but there's no truth to it, especially when dealing with modern carpet. These days, carpet is designed to withstand unlimited amounts of vacuuming. If your carpet is begin ruined from vacuuming, it's almost certainly your vacuum's fault; not the carpet. Some vacuums have settings that are overly aggressive. Or you may have a vacuum that's simply aggressive by design. But even this is rare.
Vacuuming every single day is not alone completely safe, it's recommended (high traffic areas, at least). In fact, vacuuming regularly is THE most effective way to prevent carpets from becoming dirty over time.
6. No Need To Vacuum New Carpet
This is flat-out wrong. You SHOULD vacuum the new carpet, particularly right after it's installed. This is will start your new carpet off nicely by removing all unwanted material right from the get-go. Just because you can't see the dirt doesn't mean it isn't there. Most likely, it's there. Most modern carpet is made to conceal soil as best as possible. This means that when soil and stain become visible, it's already well past stage 1, so to speak.
For most households, it's recommended to have carpets cleaned every 6-12 months. Any longer than that and you're risking the longevity and long-term appearance of your carpet.
7. No Need To Clean Carpets After A Flood
This misconception stems from the false notion that when flooding soaks carpet, all you need to do is dry it. This is not true. Even if the offending water was clean and you dried everything up quickly. In a situation like this, the carpets should be cleaned as soon as possible. If you don't, it can take as little as 2-3 days for mold and mildew to grow, even if the carpet was dried. There's specific equipment that cleaning companies use on carpet that's been flooded.
If your carpet has been flooded, definitely get it cleaned. This is a standard procedure.
8. Dry Cleaning Carpet Is Better Than Steam Cleaning
There are pros and cons to both methods and we won't get into that debate here. But there is one thing that is certain when comparing dry cleaning carpet to steam cleaning. By its very nature, dry cleaning can't be described as deep cleaning. It's more of a surface cleaning. Whereas steam cleaning is certainly deep as it uses hot water extraction. This does not mean that one is better than the other in every case. There are definitely scenarios where dry cleaning carpets is the best choice. And the dry method certainly eliminates the hassle of drying the carpet after cleaning, which is nice.
But there's no extraction involved in the dry cleaning process. Because of this, the residue is often left on the carpet which promotes faster re-soiling. But again, depending on what type of carpet you're dealing with, the dry method may be the way to go. So the answer to the myth is that dry cleaning carpet isn't better, but neither is steam cleaning. It depends.
9. Steam Cleaning Shrinks Carpet
This is 87% not true.
That's because data shows 87% of all carpeting is steam-clean safe. This is because synthetic materials are used to make most modern carpet. Synthetic material doesn't shrink. But what about the remaining 13%? If you know that you have an unusual kind of carpet, it's probably best to ask your carpet cleaning company if steam cleaning is safe. Chances are it is, but it certainly doesn't hurt to ask.
10. Cheap Carpet Cleaning Is Just As Good
In almost every case, this turns out to be false. Sure, some carpet cleaning DC companies have legitimate sales every so often. But when you see an advertisement for a deal that seems too good to be true, it probably is. Watch out for bait-and-switches. Unfortunately, the bait-and-switch technique has a history in the carpet cleaning industry. Low advertised prices end up being not so low when you get your bill.
Inexpensive carpet cleaning DC companies often do not use the best supplies, have contemporary equipment, or adequately train their employees. This can lead to a less-than-satisfactory job.
11. Any Carpet Cleaning Solution From The Store Is Okay To Use
This is definitely a carpet cleaning myth. Not all products are created equally, as you would expect. With countless brands to choose from, sometimes we make the mistake of assuming that they're all interchangeable. And we don't just mean that some work better than others. Some products actually do more harm than good. You would do well to look up information on the ones you're considering using. Reviews online are one of the best sources of information, as is asking a professional.
12. Repeated Professional Carpet Cleaning Makes Carpet Get Dirty Faster
This is true only if the carpet cleaning in DC is not done properly. To be more specific, using the same company on a regular basis who leaves sticky residue behind. Consistent improper cleaning makes carpets more vulnerable to quickly become dirty again. This is a reason to make sure that you hire the right company for the job. Don't simply choose the most inexpensive one. Doing that increases the risk of something like this happening.
13. Steam Cleaning Promotes Mold And Mildew Growth
This should not be true, but unfortunately, sometimes it is. If you've had your carpets in DC steam cleaned the right way, you've never experienced this. But steam cleaning done right does not promote mold and mildew growth. It's actually one of the benefits of steam cleaning.
Here's the bottom line. People who've had to leave reviews online saying their steam-cleaned carpets are still wet after several days need to switch companies.
14. Powder Deodorizers Get Smells Out Of Carpet
We're not saying that powder deodorizers don't smell good. Of course, they do. But what they don't do is offer a permanent solution. These products only mask the smell temporarily. They do no cleaning whatsoever. Spreading the powder on the carpet and vacuuming over it is the same thing as lighting a scented candle. Does a scented candle clean your house? Neither does powder deodorizer. Take pet urine, for example. Spreading powder is not going to eliminate urine that's soaked through the carpet, the carpet pad, and onto the subfloor.
Many people do this as an alternative to carpet cleaning, but it's not a good practice. If you really want your carpet to smell good, you need to remove the source of the bad scent. You'd be much better off spending money on carpet cleaning 2 times a year than buying cans of powder deodorizer every month.
Another thing. A practice made popular on YouTube is mixing powder deodorizer with baking soda. Do not do this. It never vacuums all the way out and can cause a lot more friction and wear on the carpet. Professional carpet cleaners can always tell the homes where people have been doing this. The machines have a more difficult time getting this concoction out of the carpet.
15. The Presence Of Carpet Causes Allergies
Apparently, this is a thing. People advising other people to rip their carpet out because it's causing allergies. We suppose that in extreme circumstances where carpet maintenance has been or ignored completely for long periods of time, then sure. Perhaps someone in this scenario has flat-out ruined their carpet beyond repair. But the keyword here is maintenance.
There's no reason your carpet should be an allergy catalyst if properly maintained. Yes, soil, dander, and dust will collect in the carpet fabric. This is why you need to vacuum and have them professionally cleaned regularly. But here's another thing. The amount of soil, dust, and dander entering your home has nothing to do with whether or not your floors are carpet or tile. If you're not properly maintaining your carpet, chances are you're not going to properly maintain whatever you replace it with. The allergies will remain.
Carpet Cleaning DC Myths (15 Lies Revealed) - Conclusion
We'll be the first to admit that finding DIY hacks that actually work is exciting. There are many unusual and unorthodox tricks found online that make our lives easier and save us money. But you need to be careful with carpet cleaning hacks. The last thing you want is to ruin an area of your carpet because you tried something you saw on YouTube. We've been privy to many stories like this and we don't want you to add yours to the list.
Hiring Zerorez® to clean your carpets guarantees avoiding all these things. There are certainly minor carpet-related incidents where you should be able to take care of it on your own. But in most cases, we recommend having your carpets cleaned professionally. And nobody does it better than Zerorez, in the DC area or anywhere else. We pride ourselves in offering the best carpet cleaning service in DC and the best customer service. Call us today!
ZerorezDC.com / Get 3 Rooms Cleaned For Only $149 + a Free Hallway! / 703-382-1221
