Frequently Asked Carpet Cleaning Questions & More
Frequently Asked Carpet Cleaning Questions & More
Prepare for Your Professional Carpet Cleaning in Seattle Metro or Greater Eastside:
Before the Carpet Cleaning Tech Arrives
Please pre-vacuum thoroughly the general debris from the carpets. Our system will suck up the little stuff, but larger pieces get caught in our filters. If you’ve vacuumed within the last few days, you are good to go. Remove any breakable objects from tight corners and tables near stairs. We move light furniture, but we let you handle small things like toys and clothes. It is helpful if you move any vehicles out of your garage before we get there that you may want to use since the garage is typically blocked once we get started.
*We will be happy to vacuum for you, with advance notice of two days or more. Cost varies depending on size of home. Please know that our equipment, while an extremely powerful vacuum, the vacuum is designed only to extract the very dirty water, not pet hair or other debris.
- Minimum charge – $199.00
- 2nd staircase – $149.00
- Disinfectant whole house – Depends on size of home
- Extra Deodorizer whole house – $40/area, four areas are more are $35/per area
- Scotch Guard – $40/area
- Emergency Same day Water Extraction – $250.00/area
- Pet stain removal – $49.00 per room, four areas are more are $35/per area
- Enzyme Neutralizer – $40/area, four areas are more are $35/per area
- Filtration Cleaning – $150.00 per hour
- Portable Unit – $149.00
- Spot removal – $35.00/area (not pet related)
- Rotovac – $75.00
About Our Appointments
We guarantee your satisfaction. If you are not completely satisfied with the service provided by Anderson Carpet Cleaning, INC, we will prioritize sending a technician back out to re-clean the area(s) of concern as soon as we can. Please report your dissatisfaction within three days of noticing an issue by calling us during normal business hours at (425) 427-1639 or emailing us at [email protected].
If you are still not satisfied with the work completed after, please contact our office staff to determine if a refund or credit may be placed. Complaints filed more than 72 hours after the completion of cleaning fall outside the warranty period, and may not be covered. We work hard to ensure our technicians are careful and detail oriented. Anderson Carpet Cleaning, INC will not be held responsible for the repair or replacement of items broken or damaged due to pre-existing issues; including wear and tear, incorrect installation, assembly, or usage.
Any appointment cancelled without two hours’ notice is subject to a $60 late cancellation fee. If we arrive onsite and we are unable to access the premises, there will be a $99 non-refundable fee charged to the account. Our technicians have a 20 minute waiting window and will try to reach the customer by phone, text, and/or email. Office staff may also attempt to reach out. This fee is to cover the accrued expenses we incur for travel time, schedule damage, and cost of fuel.
Whole houses take about 2 to 3 hours. 3 areas take 1 to 1.5 hours. This is an average, and can be longer (or shorter) depending on each technician and the condition the carpets are in.
No. There is no travel charge. Travel is included in the service (unless you are outside our service area). However, our service area is quite extensive.
You can stay. You can leave. You can stay and then leave, or leave a key and show up later. We often go out the garage, hit the garage door button, and jump the laser beam. Just let us know what you want. You are not required to be there
At Anderson Carpet Cleaning, our technicians are important to us and we want to keep them safe. In order to do so, they do not use ladders or move anything heavier than 15 pounds. Exposing them to anything more than this may result in the technician’s safety being in danger. If the customer would like for us to clean behind heavy furniture, like couches, appliances, or bed frames, please have it moved prior to the scheduled appointment.
If the customer wishes to be onsite during the cleaning and/or inspection visit, please be advised that our arrival windows vary by 30 minutes. For example, the arrival window would be 8:00AM to 8:30AM. There are many things that can cause the schedule to change, such as cancellations, traffic etc. If we happen to be running late to the appointment, we will be contacting you as soon as possible with an updated estimated time of arrival.
Absolutely! Shortly after your booking, you will receive an email confirmation. Please look it over to make sure all information was entered correctly. Then, the day before your appointment you will receive another email later afternoon just as a reminder. If there are any changes, please let us know then.
About the Carpet Cleaning Process
Yes. However, the area rug cannot dry over the wet carpet. After cleaning the area rug must be taken to another area that is dry and clean.
It prevents re-soiling (dry residue keeps the carpet cleaner longer) and is 100% soap free and biodegradable, with no fillers. Our agent will not strip away the stain resistance of carpeting and is safe for wool or stain-resistant carpets. Additional features include:
pH Balanced (8.5) • Non-Toxic, Non-Corrosive, Non-Fouling • Non-Allergenic & Odorless • Color Safe Cleaner
Some cleaning agents cause re-soiling, some do not. We use a commercial cleaning agent specifically designed to prevent re-soiling. Some companies use cheaper cleaning agents or methods, which leave a dirt-attracting residue. Most dry cleaning methods and “encapsulation systems” are inferior, so their agents boost the cleaning agents to overcompensate. This can leave particles in your carpet that attract dirt.
Modern carpet technology is basically water resistant, and the limited amount of water left in the carpet due to our high-powered suction leaves the carpets damp, causing no problem to the carpet.
We take pride in providing the best work we can. Our technicians will work hard to remove spots and stains, however there is only so much that can be done if the carpet is heavily soiled. We offer a concentrated solution for spots and stains at an additional cost, but there is no guarantee that the area of concern will be fixed 100%.
The products we use to perform pet urine treatment contain a pet deterrent. However, each pet acts differently, so we cannot guarantee that your pet will stop marking that place we treated.
Yes. After we’ve steamed cleaned, we can back in with a special deodorizer that is heavily concentrated. We use our high pressure sprayer to apply then with a special rake, we get it deep into the carpet.
Yes. We have available Dupont Teflon™, which is a carpet/fabric protector designed to keep your carpet or upholstery clean longer. This adds life and protects from wear. This service is an additional charge. We can provide you a quote over the phone or while we are already at your home.
No. Many common “off-the-shelf” cleaning agents have a high pH, which may negatively affect your carpet. If it’s too strong, it can take the color out and/or leave a residue resulting in re-soiling. Typically, you will want to rinse out any spot cleaner you apply to the carpet.
It depends on what they are. Most grayish/blackish stains will come out. Unfortunately, anything with a dye will pose a problem. There is no way to remove a dye spot from your carpet without affecting the original dye applied when the rug was manufactured. So, wood stain, food coloring from popsicles, hair dye, some markers, dyes in some candle wax, etc, often can’t be removed. There are a few people that specialize in spot dying carpets. This is a process where the spot is bleached out and a new dye is applied to match the existing color of the carpet. But, it’s very tricky and raises special new problems. An exact color match is never guaranteed, some dyes can’t even be bleached out, and the bleaching effort can affect the PH balance and leave an orange ring.
After the Carpet Cleaning is Completed
Although most stains that are removed from carpets do not reappear, from time to time we run into situations where spots have reappeared after the cleaning. There are 2 reasons why this could happen. 1) Something in the pad or the floorboard (usually pet urine) has worked its way back up into the carpet. This is more common than you might think. The pad works like a huge sponge absorbing anything that penetrates it. There is a property of physics that allows the salts in urine to seek airflow, which means the urine finds its way back into the carpet even when the substance is seemingly dry. 2) The second reason spots reappear has to do with PH levels. Sometimes the PH balance gets shifted to one side or the other of the pH scale. This could be because spot cleaning efforts previously upset the pH balance before we arrived, or rarely, our agent reacted with some invisible thing already there. If your situation is a PH issue, we are happy to make a no-charge visit to correct the problem, which usually involves spraying a neutralizer on the spot and brushing with a carpet rake.
There is a phenomena that occurs beneath area rugs that lay on installed carpet. At least three factors contribute. 1) The fibers of installed carpets are typically glued to the backing. The glues offlays and this causes a shift in the PH balance of the carpet, which over the course of 4 or 5 months often develops a yellow tinge in the carpet beneath the area rug. When this happens, it is usually irreversible. 2) The light usually comes in the windows and dulls the carpet surrounding the area rug. When the area rug is pulled back, you then have a nice bright rectangle where the area rug was (95% of the time). 3) Dyes from area rugs are often unstable and bleed into the carpet underneath, especially along the edge of the area rug.
It’s common for carpets to loosen up over time. If you want them stretched down flat, please let us know and we can send someone out to provide an estimate. This process should be completed prior to the carpet cleaning.
Those are called soil “filtration lines,” which are created by soot from your furnace, and in some cases, candles. Nearly every home has them to some degree. It’s possible to remove them, but it’s very time consuming. It requires taping the molding with painter’s tape, treating the edges with a cleaning solution, working it in, steaming out with a crevice tool attached to our equipment, and repeating the process as many as 6 or 7 times. A single home can easily take 8 hours just working on filtration. This is available at an additional charge and requires a separate appointment. This is not included as part of our whole house special because of the time involved. Typically, when customers want this done, they will arrange to have us work on the high impact areas a set amount of time, maybe 2 or 3 hours.
Yes. However, we recommend you avoid high traffic until the carpet is completely dry. A lot of traffic may prolong dry time. Use caution as wet feet may cause slipping and falling.
Typically, it can take up to 24 hours. Airflow is what dries carpets. If it’s cold outside, turn the furnace on and fans if you have them. If it’s hot outside, open windows and let the air blow through. Avoid turning on fireplaces since fireplaces tend to create humidity rather than the converse.
Area Rug Cleaning Services
It depends on the amount of traffic the rug gets. For rugs that get high traffic we recommend at least twice a year.
Synthetic rugs clean much like carpet so you can expect very clean and refreshed rugs. Natural fibers are more absorbent so they are more easily stained.
It will not damage synthetic area rugs, and some wool rugs. All synthetics are safe to steam clean and can be cleaned just like we would your carpet. Some wool rugs are safe to steam clean too as long as the heat is low, water pressure is low and safe chemicals are used. Other wool and natural fiber rugs like cotton and silk must be cleaned by hand using the foam method.
It depends on what type of rug it is. Synthetic rugs will dry within a couple of hours. Natural fiber rugs like wool and cotton can take several hours.
Leather Cleaning
Yes, we can clean the leather not only in your car, but your boat and RV too.
We recommend a good cleaning every 6-12 months.
Like your skin, leather needs regular TLC, to retain its moisture and softness.
We use professional products and conditioners that provide immediate relief to your leathers. By removing and applying a cleaner that removes damaging soils. This will keep your leathers looking and feeling great for a long time.
Tile Cleaning
Color seal transforms the discolored grout back to its original color by providing a layer of uniform color to your grout lines, giving your floor a clean and fresh look. Along with improving the cosmetic appearance of your floor, color seal provides a protective waterproof barrier that guards grout from spills, dirt and debris.
Clear seal is that invisible layer of protection that penetrates into the pores of the grout. It is not waterproof. It will be the color that the grout is after cleaning.
To preserve the life of the sealant, we recommend 24 hours for the seal to dry completely. Please avoid bleach and other harsh chemical cleaners as these can wear away the sealant and cause it to break down prematurely.
NO, we ALWAYS seal the tile we clean. Grout is a porous material that will absorb soil and spills, just like your carpet. Applying the sealant makes maintenance for you easier by giving you more time to clean up after a spill.
Typically, for and average size room (entry, guest bath, laundry room) it takes 45-60 minutes. However, this can vary based on the size of the tile, amount of soil in grout lines, and room configuration. Then we seal the grout which adds time.
There are many factors that go into this question….Foot traffic, children, pets, and routine floor care will affect how often your tile and grout needs to be cleaned.
Anderson Carpet Cleaning uses a high-pressure rotary tool with dual rotating jets. This along with the same truck-mount steam/pressure cleaning that we use to clean your carpets. As well, we use tile and grout-specific cleaners that strip away any waxy build-up and remove the dirt embedded in the grout lines.
Upholstery Cleaning
Typical dry time is 6-12 hours.
Along with daily living and dry soils that can help deteriorate that original protective coating, our cleaning process can also remove some of that. We offer (for an additional charge) to reapply a coating for you.
We use our powerful, hot water extraction on our truck mount. Just like the carpets, but with is a different tool. Some fabrics do require a more delicate hand in which case we turn the heat and amount of chemicals used down.
Every 12-24 months according to the recommendations by the manufacturers, however, if it’s a high traffic piece we recommend every 9-12 months.
