Getting Your Carpet Cleaned After An Illness
When someone has been ill in the household- like during the flu season, a clean-up is required of the surrounding environment. From bad colds to stomach viruses- without proper care there can easily be an outbreak in your household that affects the rest of your family members. With all that coughing and sneezing, the snot that gets released into the surrounding airspace- these contribute to the increased concentration of pathogens in the home. The pathogens lurk on the different surfaces- and the couches and carpet are some of the most affected. A thorough upholstery and carpet cleaning is key to get rid of the germs and bacteria and protect your loved ones.
Destroying the pathogens lurking about
Different approaches can be taken when cleaning the carpet, depending on its material and what will be safe for the unit. Some of these have a higher efficacy when it comes to destroying the colonies of germs and viruses calling your carpet their home. Take hot water extraction for instance. Here, heated water is pumped into the carpet at high pressures. This, coupled with the powerful cleaning agents that are incorporated into the process, clean out the grime that is in the unit. The temperature of the water plus the action of the cleaning formulation kills those pathogens, thus protecting the occupants in the building.
This is not just for homes. Even in commercial establishments, you don’t want a situation where you have a disease breaking out and spreading through your workforce like wildfire. Cases of employees calling in sick, those who actually report to work having their efficiency affected, and infections even spreading to your customers- it is not how you want things playing out. Ensuring that the carpets are thoroughly worked on- especially during those months when there are higher risks of disease outbreaks like the flu, will protect your employees and customers, and contribute in keeping your operations running normally.
Get professional help for your carpet cleaning
Who you hire to work on your carpet will be key in determining the success of the operations. Going for rookie companies- or those offering the cheapest rates, puts your unit at risk of getting damaged. The wrong equipment or chemicals being used for the process will wreak havoc on your carpet. The different materials that they come with, from the natural fabrics to the synthetic variations, require their unique cleaning methods. Working with formulations that have incompatible pH, cases where the temperature of the water being used is too high such that it ruins the fibres of the carpet- these all reduce the lifespan of your installation, weakening it and negatively affecting its functionality. Mistakes like overwetting and overshampooing, that are usually witnessed during the DIY carpet cleaning jobs, also have detrimental effects. For instance, with the overwetting, it increases the drying time of the carpet, which puts it at risk of mould and mildew growth. These increase the allergen concentration the indoor airspace, as they release more spores. Note that there are species of fungi that produce mycotoxins, going further to put the health of the persons on the premises at risk. Some carpets are even sensitive when it comes to water being used on them, as it can cause shrinkage. Careful selection needs to go into the process of picking the carpet cleaning method to use. You don’t want to worry about this. Get things done right by hiring professionals for the task.
You want a company that uses quality machinery for the task. During the site visit to assess the condition of your carpet, ensure that you get a detailed explanation of the processes and systems that will be used to work on your unit. This also goes for the quotation, as you want to be sure you know exactly what is being paid for. A written quotation with a breakdown of the costs will enable you to avoid a situation where there are hidden costs cropping up later on.
How do you know what to look for? Different companies have their varying modes of operation. Work ethic, cleaning systems used, guarantees offered for the services- they all vary from one company to the next. You want to ensure that you’re dealing with a company that fully understands your needs. When going through the reviews and ratings of the company on social media platforms or business directories, what do other clients say about their experience when they were having their units worked on? To gauge the experience of the company, aspects such as its track record- how long it has been in operation, the training that is given to the cleaners themselves- such factors can be used to give you a picture of what to expect from the company. The safety of the operations, eco-friendly nature of the products and systems used- these also weigh in to the final decision made of the company that you will go with.
Caring for your carpet
After the cleaning has been carried out, there are measures that you can put in place to further protect your unit. Take walk-off mats for instance. Using entrance or walk-off mat comes in handy in reducing the amount of soiling that gets tracked onto the carpet from the outdoors. These mats should ideally be positioned at all the entrances into the building. Note that their role means that the mats themselves will get soiled at a fast rate, hence they will need to be cleaned regularly.
In homes, having a ‘No Shoes’ rule in the house, where the occupants take of their shoes at the door, will reduce the amount of dirt being tracked in. You can have slippers placed at the door to encourage guests to make the switch when they get into the house. For spills, these should be dealt with the moment you get an opportunity to. Allowing them to remain on the carpet for an extended duration will cause the stain to set deeper in the material, becoming more difficult to remove. However, it is not all gloom and doom for those dealing with stubborn stains. Calling in the expert carpet cleaning team will enable you to have those particularly frustrating spots dealt with.