Carpet cleaning, like anything else, is surrounded by myths. Although carpet cleaning isn’t a wide spread topic of discussion, it does have a importance to home and business owners who take pride in having a stain-free carpet. If this is you, you probably believe a few “true” facts about carpet cleaning that aren’t actually true. To help you weed out the truth from the myths, here are a few carpet cleaning facts that are, indeed, myths.
Steam cleaning causes mildew growth.
This is a myth. However, it could be true if your carpets are cleaned improperly- the proper, professional way of steam cleaning won’t cause any mildew or mold growth. You’ll know your carpet hasn’t been steam cleaned properly if it is left wet for days. If the company you hired to clean your carpet leaves it in such a state, do not rehire the company- leaving a carpet soaking wet is not professional.
Vacuuming damages the carpet.
Modern carpets have been designed to withstand daily vacuuming. That being said, vacuuming doesn’t cause any damage to carpets. However, there are some vacuums that should not be used for everyday cleaning as they are too aggressive and could potentially be harmful. If you’re looking to buy a new vacuum and are worried about your carpet, research the vacuum cleaners you are considering to double check that they haven’t been reported as too strong
Baking soda removes carpet odor.
Many people use baking soda in cat litter boxes and garbage cans to deodorize smell- this, though, doesn’t work on carpets, and for those of you who use this trick, does it really work on stinky litter boxes? Probably not. Although baking soda removes the smell, it doesn’t get rid of the debris causing the smell- all it does is mask the odor. The tons of extra baking soda that gets left in your carpet after using this trick eventually causes damage to the carpet fibers, not to mention that it wears off and causes the carpet to smell as bad as it did before you used the baking soda.
New carpets don’t need to be cleaned.
Most carpets that are referred to as “new” aren’t actually new. In reality, they are usually already a few years old. Even if the carpet looks clean, it probably isn’t. By the time your new carpet looks dirty, it has already been damaged as the debris has built up enough to cause damage within the carpet fibers. Even new carpets should be cleaned regularly, and no carpet should go longer than 18 months without a professional cleaning.
Steam cleaning shrinks my carpets and upholstery.
Most carpets are made with synthetic materials that aren’t prone to shrinking. Carpets or upholstery that may have problems with the steam cleaning method, however, can be cleaned using any of the other four professional cleaning methods. 87% of carpets and 75% of upholstery have been proven to be safe for steam cleaning, meaning that as long as the technician knows what to do, your carpets and upholstery should be perfectly fine.
