Q: How much does it cost? (see residential prices)
A: Residential prices start at forty five cents per square foot. If the carpet is highly soiled and latent with stains, restorative cleaning may be required at an additional cost. We will always give you a price after a pre inspection is performed.
Q: Every once in awhile I see a coupon for $9.95 per area or $6.95 a room. How can they clean carpet so cheap?
A: That's a very good question. BUYER BEWARE: These companies are the ones that you want to avoid. They are what the industry refers to as "bait and switch" operations. Remember the old saying, "If it sounds to good to be true, it is".
They bait the customer with a low price so that they can get into your home, usually after you have reserved the time to have this cleaning performed. That's one of their tactics. Some of these companies even have the audacity to claim they do not practice bait & switch tactics! Once they are in your home, they explain to you that there is no way that your carpet is going to yield satisfactory results with the sale price. They may even ask if you would like a demonstration.
This tacticis usually performed with little or no cleaning agent. Then they will explain that it will cost you much more than you originally expected if you want your carpet cleaner and may even offer a demonstration with the cleaning agents they will use. So you are left with the feeling of either having them do the cleaning or you just wasted your whole day for nothing if you don't.
ATTENTION: Make sure that they will not charge you if you decide not to use their service when you call to schedule the appointment. They will try to sneak your money from you even if you don't use them. Pay close attention to the small print on the coupon because if it isn't printed on the coupon that they require a service charge for estimating the work, you don't owe them a dime.
If you've had one of these unscrupulous rascals in your home, you should have your carpets thoroughly cleaned by Ultra Steam Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning and we will make sure that any residue that may have been left by them is removed and your carpet is properly cleaned & neutralized.
You never want to base your cleaning needs on price alone. Although there are many carpet cleaning companies out there, carpet cleaning is not a commodity. We believe in being upfront with our potential clients. Our prices reflect the actual cost of doing business. So you get what you pay for. Ultra Steam Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning uses only the highest quality and most advanced, state of the art equipment on the market today. We refuse to use discount cleaning agents. Discount products can damage your carpet or upholstery costing you more in the long run.
Our company invests in education and keeps current with the latest technology. This ensures that the latest cleaning technology is applied to your job. It's impossible for a company to provide the most outstanding service experience if they can't afford to invest in the best education and equipment.
Q: How long will it take my carpet to dry?
A: Every home is different. So there are many variables for each situation. Factors like the type of fiber, and the relative humidity in your home affect the drying time. In most cases we can have the carpets dry before we leave.
Q: Do Carpet Protectors really work?
A: Absolutely. When it is applied to manufacturers specifications. Carpet protector is an outstanding product that Ultra Steam Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning highly recommend. It only makes sense to have this applied when you have cleaning performed to prevent future soil and spills from sticking to the fibers.
Q: I have had carpet protector applied before and I didn't think that it worked at all. Why should I think that when your company applies it that it will be any different?
A: Unfortunately these cases do occur but not with Ultra Steam Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning. We offer you a one year "Spot & Spill" warranty with the product you purchase through us. Much of that problem exists because the technician has improperly mixed the product, did not use a dedicated container or is using a mixed product that's too old. Sometimes the product has even been frozen and then thawed, thus rendering it ineffective. Using the same container for different products can cause a significant adverse effect on how well the protector works. Different brands of protector have a "shelf life", meaning that they are only fully effective up to a certain amount of time after they are mixed.
BEWARE: Some companies offer protector for free or include it in the cleaning cost and tell you that you are getting "Teflon" applied, leaving you thinking that you're getting a bargain. In fact they are using a cheap product that contains low levels of Teflon that is inferior to DuPont Teflon Advanced. That's why they give you such a great deal and say that they are giving you Teflon.
Q: I've heard that once you clean a carpet it gets dirty quicker. Is that true?
A: Not with Ultra Steam Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning. Residue that gets left in the carpet from inferior cleaning processes or uneducated carpet cleaners is what causes rapid re-soiling. Our deep cleaning process uses pressurized hot water and advanced "green cleaning" agents to loosen soil. Then we rinse and extract the carpet, properly balancing the PH to neutral.
Q: How often should my carpet be cleaned?
A: click here We recommend professional cleaning at least every 6 to 8 months. With children or pets, cleanings should be more frequent; at least every four months.
Q: Why is hot water extraction the method most carpet makers recommend?
A: Good question. In order to get anything truly clean, you need to use water to flush out the cleaning agents and soil. Hot water extraction is the only method that uses a rinsing, flushing process. When performed to standards it has been proven to be the most effective process to the manufacturers of carpet. NOTE: Bonnet, encapsulation or oscillating pad (also known as very low moisture or VLM) cleaning can be effective and definitely has it's place in the cleaning industry. Unless the company is using a certified pile lifter or a very powerful vacuum in conjunction with VLM cleaning, it isn't as effective as it ultimately can be. Most companies use a standard commercial vacuum cleaner that doesn't have enough power to get the soil at the base of the fiber but has enough power to reveal an acceptable appearance. However it can be very useful in the cleaning industry and shouldn't be disqualified as an alternative method. For instance, stains that return shortly after hot water extraction has been performed, VLM cleaning has been proven to eliminate this problem. Also the carpets dry faster without the need for high velocity air movers. This is where good communication between the cleaning company and the home owner and the education of the technician is imperative. Remember, every cleaning company wants you to believe that their method is the best but only you can decide what is ultimately right for your particular situation. If you would like to read a press release from Shaw Carpet Manufacturing click here.
Q: I've heard water can ruin carpets. Is that true?
A: No. Not when it is performed correctly. What harms carpet is improperly trained, uneducated & uninformed personnel or poor quality machinery that won't effectively rinse and extract the carpet.
Q: When Ultra Steam Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning cleans my carpet, does the padding or sub-floor get wet?
A: No. While our method does use a very powerful, deep-cleaning fiber rinse, the system extracts the cleaning solution & rinsing agent, and the soil very effectively in the same step. That gets your carpets as clean as possible while leaving your padding and sub-floor dry. Some cleaning companies can cause the padding to get wet if the pressure in which the solution is applied is set too high.
Q: I know regular vacuuming is important. What type of vacuum should I use?
A: A good vacuum cleaner is extremely important in prolonging the life of your carpet. Almost any vacuum cleaner can remove surface dirt, but only a quality machine can effectively remove the soil that's embedded in the pile. We recommend using a vacuum cleaner with a rotating brush or beater/brush combination that agitates the carpet pile to loosen embedded soil. (Note that some thick loop pile carpets can become fuzzy when cleaned with a rotating brush-style vacuum cleaner. For those carpets, we recommend a good quality suction only machine.) Also a vacuum cleaner that has attachments is helpful. You will be able to clean crevices & steps, as well as your furniture.
Q: How can I maintain my DuPont warranted carpet?
A: There are three key things to do to maintain your DuPont warranted carpet:
1. Vacuum frequently
2. Clean spills promptly
3. Have periodic professional carpet cleanings
Q: Why is vacuuming important?
A: The most important thing you can do to keep your carpet looking great is to vacuum it thoroughly and frequently, particularly in high-traffic areas. Vacuuming helps remove dirt particles, which dull the carpet's appearance. Also, use walk-off mats at entrances to minimize dirt particles being tracked onto the carpet and to reduce soil accumulation.
Q: Why is professional cleaning important?
A: When vacuuming no longer removes all of the soil, or you have not been able to remove spots following the recommended carpet care and cleaning procedures, it's time to have your carpet cleaned by a trained and qualified professional cleaner. Ultra Steam Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning knows the latest information on carpet construction, carpet care products, and safe, effective cleaning methods to help maintain carpet beauty. For this reason, we recommend, and manufacturer's warranties require, periodic professional cleaning.
Q: Will your cleaning method shrink my carpet?
A: No. Years ago, some carpets would shrink when cleaned because manufacturers used jute as a backing. Jute is a natural fiber that can shrink when it gets excessively wet, and old steam-cleaning equipment would sometimes cause that kind of over-wetting. Today, nearly all carpet has a synthetic backing. Some wool carpets are susceptible to shrinkage with uneducated and uninformed personnel. However, Ultra Steam Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning is highly trained and experienced in safely cleaning wool carpeting as to where no shrinkage occurs.
Q: What procedures do you use to clean carpet?
A: We use a 12 step process. Most of the carpet cleaning we do is the "hot water extraction" method, also known as "Steam Cleaning". We use green cleaning agents that are safe and very effective. We also perform very low moisture cleaning that has been proven effective for lightly soiled carpets in between scheduled hot water extraction cleanings.
Q: I've heard it's best to put off having your carpet cleaned as long as possible, is this true?
A: No. In fact, many of the major carpet mills today recommend professional cleaning at least once per year. The build up of soil in your carpet in combination with foot traffic creates abrasion that breaks down your carpet's fibers creating worn down traffic areas. The higher the traffic in a given area, the more often the carpet will need cleaning. Once the carpet fiber has worn down, there is no way to restore the fibers to it's original state. A regular maintenance plan is required to avoid this situation.
