Getting Rid Of Carpet Contaminants
As the carpet continues building up dirt and grime, routine deep cleaning will be needed. The vacuuming will remove the loose soiling that’s on the material, but it doesn’t have the power needed to yank out the debris that’s below the surface- and there’s lots of it. In fact, the carpet can hold more dirt than its own weight, with the particles being held within the lush pile.
Health risks of a dirty carpet
The grime that is in the carpet consists of substances like dust particles and pollen grains, which are allergens. When walking, clouds of the particles get released into the airspace, and when breathed in these trigger reactions such as coughing, sneezing, all through to cases of asthma attacks. The dust itself is a cocktail of different substances. This includes pet fur and dander for those households with cats and dogs, that no doubt enjoy sleeping on the lush and cosy carpet, to faecal residue and body fragments from dust mites. Speaking of which, with dust mites, they are a common cause of allergic rhinitis. Their body waste- plus the dead mites themselves, contain protein elements that cause the bodies of sensitive persons to have immunologic responses. This results in anything from the respiratory symptoms, irritated and itchy skin, inflamed eczema, to conditions like bronchitis getting worsened.
Mistakes like overwetting that are made during the DIY carpet cleaning process prolong the drying time. Here, it’s not just the inconvenience that is an issue. The longer the carpets take to dry, the higher the chances of mould growing. Airborne mould spores latch onto the carpet’s fibres, and when the material is wet for too long, the fungus will thrive. Once it gets a footing, mould will spread rapidly. It’s not just the unsightly growths that will be formed that will be a problem. The mould produces more spores, increasing the allergen concentration in the interior space. They trigger reactions that resemble symptoms of a cold, and cause difficulty in breathing. Some of the species of the fungi also produce mycotoxins, which have adverse effects once they get into the body system. Professional carpet cleaning processes include high-powered drying mechanisms, which extract the bulk of the moisture content from the material. This enables the carpet to dry in just a couple of hours after the cleaning has been carried out, thus avoiding issues like mould growth.
Then there is the bacteria. The soiled carpet is a breeding ground for colonies of the microbes. These range from the bacteria responsible for decaying of the organic matter, to stains that cause a wide range of illnesses. Take Campylobacter for instance. It is common to find it in carpets that are moist or damp. Others like Salmonella may be spread onto the carpet by contaminated food that has spilt onto it, or for those cases where pets that have been outdoors- or even people, accidentally step on faecal residue and track it into the building. E. coli is another notorious pathogen that has different sources, from raw food products to the grime that is tracked onto the carpet. The contagious Norovirus, a stomach and intestinal virus, can survive in the carpet for long- even up to 4 weeks. This is one of the reasons why Norovirus outbreaks are difficult to bring under control. The carpet cleaning processes that are put in place destroy the colonies of these pathogens. This is a combination of the power of the cleaning products that are used, to aspects such as the high temperatures that are involved in the process.
The carpet material will also readily absorb smoke that is in the premises. This can be cigarette smoke for those households and commercial establishments where there are persons smoking cigarettes, or for that meal the was burnt in the kitchen and the odour permeated across the household, all through to fire incidences on the premises. This adds to the increasing health risks, and also discomfort for the persons in the building. After all, you can barely relax when there is a lingering smoke odour filling the room.
In addition to enhancing the health standards of the premises, the deep carpet cleaning also enables your installation to last. Actually, carpet warranties usually stipulate that the item should be professionally cleaned every 12 to 18 months. This is because the grime that accumulates within the carpet is a threat to its structural integrity, and there are also numerous blunders that can be made during the DIY carpet cleaning process.
Questions to ask the carpet cleaner
Before hiring the company, there are a couple of things that you should get cleared up first. Here are questions to raise:
– Which methods will be used for the cleaning?
The different situations call for different methods of carpet cleaning. There are those where shampooing and drying cleaning methods will be used, others will call for hot water extraction. Some stains will require pre-sprays, and there is also the issue of drying systems, where wet vacuum units are used to extract most of the moisture content from the rinsed carpet in order to cut down the drying time. You want to be well versed with the procedures that will be followed for your particular situation, that way know what to be expecting.
-Are you insured?
Accidents can happen anytime. While the professionals should be putting in place safety measures to prevent them, and have the skills and experience needed to determine the most appropriate method for cleaning the carpet, the company still needs to be insured for the off-chance that something may go off the rails. Industry best practices emphasise on the need of companies being insured for the protection of their staff and equipment, plus the property of the client who is being attended to. This gives you the peace of mind that you will be protected in case of any liabilities.
– Do you have a guarantee?
What happens when you’re not satisfied with the results- such as when there are missed spots that weren’t worked on? What policy is in place to protect you as the client? Work guarantees are common amongst the carpet cleaning businesses, but conditions in which they are offered vary from one company to the next. Asking about the specifics upfront will enable you to make the right decision.
