How Do I Choose the Right Company?

Accidental spills or overall general use can soil and wear carpets beyond the cleaning ability of household products. A professional deep cleaning can make carpets look as if they were new and can add years to the life. Also, allergy and asthma suffers can benefit tremendously from periodic cleanings.

First and foremost, always ask friends and family for references, or if you know someone who is absolutely fanatical about having a clean home, find out who they would recommend. Word-of-mouth is always the best advertisement.

Check with your local Chamber of Commerce, and your neighbors to help form your opinion of a particular company.

Next you should search the web. The internet is the new television when it comes to advertising. Doing a local search on Google, Google video, Yahoo, Youtube or Bing should give you the name of a quality company. Anybody who is anybody these days will be all over the internet.

Use www.AngiesList.com to see what others have to say about this company. If they have good reviews on Angie’s List then it is a good bet they will do good work for you.

First impressions are important. Meet the company representative in your home. Are they the kind of people you want to spend time in your home? Have they attended industry certified schools? Are they committed to the industry and to you, the consumer?

Find out if the company is insured. This is a definite requirement that all businesses should have for everyone's protection. It raises the level of trust immediately.

Find out how the company will clean your carpet. Again, some use chemicals, while others prefer a more natural approach. If anyone in your family has allergies, this might be of specific concern.

Find out if the work is subcontracted to another company or if the employees who come to the home are from that carpet cleaning company. Large companies will often subcontract work to smaller businesses. It’s important that the company send out their own employees rather than those of another company that may not have qualified personnel.

Check with the Better Business Bureau to see if there are any complaints against the company. These people will be in all areas of your house, so it's important to find a company that you can trust.

Once you’ve narrowed down your list, here are a couple more specific cleaning questions to ask:

1. Do you hot water extract? If you want your carpet clean and sanitized, look for a company that can clean with at least 180 degrees at the carpet temperature (kills fleas, dust mites, bacteria).

2. Do you guarantee the results? A good company will tell you upfront how well certain areas should turn out, rather than have excuses at the end. Not all stains will come out and not all traffic areas will return to new. But if they tell you it will and it doesn’t, will they guarantee to re-clean or refund?

Compare prices. Cheaper isn't always better. But you should make sure you get the best deal that you can. You should also make sure that the price you're quoted includes all of the carpeted areas you want cleaned and should be in the form of a written quote.