New phone book has arrived and you begin to peruse the carpet cleaning section to determine which cleaner you will use. Some have big ads and some barely have their name listed but, all want to gain your service. In this installment we will talk about the things you should look for in the phone book and research you should do before you make that first call.
Remember the character Nathan from the movie, The Jerk? He paid for phone service and therefore, his name and number was listed in the phone book. He was so excited because now he was somebody because he was in the book. Lesson here is, anyone can be a carpet cleaner in a phone book by paying for an advertisement but, that doesn’t mean they are somebody.
It takes more than just a paid ad to make you a professional; it also includes receiving professional training, fair pricing and experience. Having the IICRC emblem in the ad states that they have taken the time and money to receive professional training by Master Cleaners and that they have certified technicians performing the work. Free estimates and no hidden charges should be included because; when you are given an estimate it shouldn’t change because you need a “Deep Cleaning”. The term deep cleaning is used as a bait and switch by many companies to get their foot in your door. All cleanings should be deep cleanings and the price reflecting that. If the price is low that should be a warning sign that they are going to pull a fast one. A company can’t clean 3 rooms for 59 dollars. It cost them more than that just to come to your home.
If they offer area rug cleaning, they shouldn’t offer it in-home because, you can’t properly clean a wool rug in a home. Wool rugs need to be dusted by a machine to loosen and remove dry soils, submerged or flushed with large amounts of water and be only wash with wool safe products. Drying should be done in a facility set up for drying rugs. Thus, they need a rug plant and trained certified area rug cleaners. The price for rug cleaning is more than wall to wall carpet but, you can’t replace a family heirloom or find a hand knotted wool rug at your local box store.
Insurance and bonded should also be mentioned along with websites and location of business. We of course have all of those characteristics because we are a professional cleaning company and we pride ourselves on maintaining high standards and repeat business. So before you peruse for your next carpet cleaner remember, just because they paid for an ad in the phone book, that doesn’t mean they are somebody especially, somebody you want cleaning your carpets.
