Carpet Cleaning Certifications & Specializations

Having a good idea about who you’re hiring, when to hire and how to hire will simplify decision making.

This post is all about refining your search for carpet cleaning services by educating yourself about the necessary certifications, specialisations, insurances and the actual peak season for such service providers.

4 Things You Must Know About Carpet Cleaning Services

1. Busiest Period for Cleaning Services

The most recommended season for carpet cleaning is autumn. However, most carpet owners live with a dirty and soiled carpet until it’s showtime.

Christmas time is when you may have lots of guests over.

The cleanliness of the carpet actually drives your decisions during this time, which is why the busiest time for carpet cleaning services is around the festive season.

So what does this mean for you?

Higher prices, harder to get hold of a cleaning service and probably, rushed work.

2. Carpet Cleaning Certifications

You must be familiar with the drill - call the company, verify the certifications and check reviews. Wait?

But how do you know what certifications to check for?

Ask your carpet cleaning service about it.

Most professional carpet cleaners opt for CCC (Carpet Cleaning Certification), a course that trains them for the standard cleaning practices, stain removal, and techniques to clean upholstery, carpets and rugs.

There’s also MIRS (Mold Inspection & Remediation Services) course.

Thistrains them to detect and treat mold infestation.

GCC (Green Cleaning Company Certification) is the stamp of approval for a company that actually practices green cleaning.

While it may not matter much for homeowners, hiring a GCC certified company is important in some commercial scenarios.

Understand that the above certifications aren’t mandatory by law.

However, the top notch carpet cleaning services often load themselves up with such certifications in order to update their knowledge and appear more trustworthy to their customers.

3. Insurance Policies

General liability & workers compensation - these are two basic insurances that business owners must possess.

Again, there are states where it’s not mandatory.

However, as a consumer, you run a risk of not being paid for the losses, if there are any when you hire an uninsured company.

4. Carpet Cleaning Specializations

Most carpet cleaning services are jack of all trades.

They cater to different niches in the industry and do that well.

Following are the niches in carpet cleaning.

a) Commercial Cleaning

Due to heavy footfall, carpets in commercial settings need cleaning more often with a focus on carpet restoration.

The goal is to make the carpet last for a longer time, and ensure the business meets the sanitary and safety codes.

Also, for commercial cleaning, use of only industry-grade equipment is permitted.

b) Residential Cleaning

As the footfall on residential carpets is far lesser than commercial ones, they’re comparatively cleaner and need deep cleaning and restoration only sparingly.

The products used aren’t as strong as they are for commercial cleaning.

c) Stain Removal

The process may require special techniques depending upon the type of stain, the area and the age of the stain - the older it is, the more difficult it is to take it off.

d) Carpet Restoration

Don’t confuse carpeting cleaning and restoration.

Carpet cleaning is a fairly simpler job, done on carpets that are well-maintained and regularly cleaned.

However, carpet restoration needs a special approach to remove the deeply settled in stains and dirt from a neglected carpet that needs cleaning now.

e) Carpet Repair

It’s a job undertaken when your carpet is past its usual life and needs replacement.

However, owners may decide against carpet replacement - being an expensive renovation job and opt for carpet repair - that involves fixing the bad patches and problem areas.

Carpet repair includes services like fixing the carpet on the stairs that’s coming off, fixing the seams of the carpet that may be coming apart, berber carpet repair, carpet stretching, carpet patching and dealing with pet damage on carpet.

f) Carpet Deodorisation

It’s a procedure to remove bad smells emitting from your carpet.

The causes could vary. Houses with pets often have smelly carpets due to dander and pet accidents.

It could also be because of lack of ventilation or adequate cleaning. The carpet cleaning services focus on removing the odors.

g) Water Restoration

If your house was flooded due to a plumbing accident or a natural calamity, your carpet goes through the risk of serious damage.

Water restoration is the process of removing the water from the carpet fibers, cleaning it to clear off the contaminants and drying it adequately to prevent stains, shrinking, health hazards, mold and foul smell.

Water restoration may also be needed in case of excessive humidity. According to recent studies and experiences of the professionals, excessive humidity can ruin your carpet.

Carpet cleaning services often try to specialize in any of these niches, often more than one.

It’s good for the carpet owners to contact the specialists for better service.

Now that you’re fully aware of the specializations, insurance documents, certifications and peak season, you can follow the advice of your peers - like, checking the documents, finding reviews, and getting a quote, in a much informed manner.

Being an informed consumer is the smart thing to do!