Hiring a Carpet Cleaner - 5 Questions You Must Ask to Protect Yourself
The purpose of this article is to provide a short checklist of questions to ask prospective carpet cleaning companies to protect yourself and your home.
1.
Is the carpet cleaning company insured? This is an obvious one, but still very important.
Do not make the mistake of not asking this vital question.
I'm not accusing the technician of being incompetent and not knowing how to do his or her job.
Although your carpet may not be damaged by improper cleaning methods, there should be other concerns.
What if they scratch a wall? Or do not using proper drying techniques? Mold may form over the course of a couple days.
A more non obvious question would be, what if they trip and fall in your home? Without workers compensation are you liable? Do not make the mistake of not being sure.
2.
Do they guarantee the work? This may seem like a long shot but actually is a very good question to ask.
If a carpet cleaner is not confident enough to offer a guarantee, you should not be confident enough in their work to hire them.
Now it is not practical to expect the technician to be able to remove deep, 10 year old stains.
But it very reasonable to ask for a satisfaction guarantee.
I personally like any offer along the lines of, "the best cleaning you have ever seen or you pay nothing".
Shop around.
They need you more than you need them.
3.
Do you use green, environmentally safe cleaning chemicals? This may or may not be a major concern to you.
If it is, do not expect the exact same cleaning results.
Although chemists have made major progress in effective green cleaners, there is still a way to go.
4.
Is the carpet cleaning company certified? Although there is no mandatory carpet cleaning certification or license to perform work, there is an optional certification that should be mandatory in determining who you hire.
Hiring a member of The Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) will eliminate the thought of hiring an inexperienced, uneducated cleaning technician.
5.
How long has the carpet cleaning company been in business? You should decide to hire a cleaning firm that has been in business for at lease 3-5 years.
If they have been in business longer, even better.
Maybe an even better question may be, "how experienced is the technician coming to my home?" If the company has been in business for 25 years but the technician has been cleaning for 6 months you may want to avoid that company.
Look for at least a year of actual in home carpet cleaning experience from the tech.
Ask these five questions before making your next carpet cleaning hire and you should avoid any challenges that may arrive.
Good luck to you in your hire.
1.
Is the carpet cleaning company insured? This is an obvious one, but still very important.
Do not make the mistake of not asking this vital question.
I'm not accusing the technician of being incompetent and not knowing how to do his or her job.
Although your carpet may not be damaged by improper cleaning methods, there should be other concerns.
What if they scratch a wall? Or do not using proper drying techniques? Mold may form over the course of a couple days.
A more non obvious question would be, what if they trip and fall in your home? Without workers compensation are you liable? Do not make the mistake of not being sure.
2.
Do they guarantee the work? This may seem like a long shot but actually is a very good question to ask.
If a carpet cleaner is not confident enough to offer a guarantee, you should not be confident enough in their work to hire them.
Now it is not practical to expect the technician to be able to remove deep, 10 year old stains.
But it very reasonable to ask for a satisfaction guarantee.
I personally like any offer along the lines of, "the best cleaning you have ever seen or you pay nothing".
Shop around.
They need you more than you need them.
3.
Do you use green, environmentally safe cleaning chemicals? This may or may not be a major concern to you.
If it is, do not expect the exact same cleaning results.
Although chemists have made major progress in effective green cleaners, there is still a way to go.
4.
Is the carpet cleaning company certified? Although there is no mandatory carpet cleaning certification or license to perform work, there is an optional certification that should be mandatory in determining who you hire.
Hiring a member of The Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) will eliminate the thought of hiring an inexperienced, uneducated cleaning technician.
5.
How long has the carpet cleaning company been in business? You should decide to hire a cleaning firm that has been in business for at lease 3-5 years.
If they have been in business longer, even better.
Maybe an even better question may be, "how experienced is the technician coming to my home?" If the company has been in business for 25 years but the technician has been cleaning for 6 months you may want to avoid that company.
Look for at least a year of actual in home carpet cleaning experience from the tech.
Ask these five questions before making your next carpet cleaning hire and you should avoid any challenges that may arrive.
Good luck to you in your hire.
