Q1: How often should my carpet be cleaned?

A: We recommend professional cleaning at least every 12 months.

Q2: 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. At Atlas Carpet Cleaning we know 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 most carpet manufacturers' warranties require, periodic professional cleaning.

Q3: How long will it take my carpet to dry?

A: Factors like carpet material and type, and the relative humidity in your home affect the drying time. It can take from 3 to 16 hours to be completely dry, but you can walk on it right after cleaning, if necessary.

Q4: Will Steam Cleaning 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, which helps prevent shrinking. Also our powerful extraction equipment helps prevent the carpet backing from getting excessively wet.

Q5: I've heard that once you clean a carpet it gets dirty quicker. Is that true?

A: No, not with our process. Residue that gets left in the carpet from inferior cleaning processes is what causes rapid re-soiling. Our two-step deep cleaning process uses pressurized hot water and advanced cleaning agents to loosen soil. Then we remove the dirt and the cleaning solution with a pH-balancing rinse and a powerful vacuuming, leaving your carpet soft and clean.

Q6: When Atlas Carpet Cleaning cleans my carpet, does the padding or sub-floor get wet?

A: No. While our system does use a very powerful, deep-cleaning fiber rinse, the system extracts the rinse, the cleaning solution and the dirt very effectively in the same step. That gets your carpets as clean as possible while leaving your padding and sub-floor dry.

Q6: Why is the 2-step hot water extraction the method most carpet makers recommend?

A: In order to get anything truly clean, you need to use water to flush out the cleaning agents and dirt. Hot water extraction is the method that uses a flushing process to remove dirt. (Imagine washing your clothes and not rinsing them. That's what happens to carpet cleaned without the hot water extraction method.) Our system uses a two-step cleaning process: a pre-conditioning cleaning spray to loosen soil and a combination hot water fiber rinse and a powerful vacuum to extract and remove both the cleaning solution and the dirt.

Q7: 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 and damage the carpet fibers. Also, use walk-off mats at entrances to minimize dirt particles being tracked onto the carpet and to reduce soil accumulation.

Q8: I've heard water can ruin carpets. Is that true?

A: No. What harms carpet is poor quality machinery that doesn't remove enough of the water to allow the carpet to go through the drying process properly.

Q9: Does Carpet Protector really work?

A: Absolutely. Carpet protector is an outstanding product that we recommend highly. In fact, most new carpet has protector on it - applied by the carpet manufacturer. However, protector wears off because of foot traffic on the carpet,
frequent vacuuming, etc.

Q10: 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. Ask a Sears carpet retailer for advice.)

Q11: How can I maintain my new carpet warranty?

A: There are three key things to do to maintain your new carpet warranty:

1. Vacuum frequently

2. Clean spills promptly

3. Have periodic professional carpet cleanings

Q12: 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 carpets' fibers. The higher the traffic in a given area, the more often the carpet will need cleaning.