There’s no doubt that having kids and pets causes plenty of mess around the home, even when it’s all in good fun. But once your carpets have had enough, you’ll want to get them cleaned. This can feel like being caught between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, you want to clean the carpets to maintain a healthy environment for your home and its occupants, whether 2 or 4 legged. But on the other hand, what is really involved with professional carpet cleaning? What chemicals will be used? Is the process and the resulting carpet safe for children, pets and those with respiratory issues?
Safe carpet cleaning made simple
There’s peace of mind in having fresh carpets free from odour and pet dander or dirt. But to get those results whilst maintaining peace of mind, safety needs to be ensured. Here are some very important elements to safe carpet cleaning.
1) If you’re planning on trying the DIY road, we suggest adding to the acronym: DDIY – Don’t Do It Yourself! Of course we would say that! But there are good reasons not to attempt your own steam carpet cleaning. Here are just three:
- Overwetting of carpets – this is a very common mistake that people make when cleaning their own carpets and it can result in odours, stains or even the need to fully replace the carpet.
- Poor extraction – small DIY carpet cleaning machines have very low suction compared to large professional carpet cleaning machines. This means that even if you don’t overwet the carpets, you still aren’t able to extract nearly as much of the water as a professional carpet cleaner could, resulting in longer drying times and inferior results.
- Generic chemicals – if you hire a small carpet cleaning machine, the chemicals that it comes with will be designed to firstly, not cause damage to any carpet fibres, and secondly to clean them. Expert carpet cleaners on the other hand will have a range of chemicals suited to specific situations. Thus, the right chemical that meets both of those criteria will be able to get the best results while only being concerned with the constraint of not damaging your specific carpet fibre, not just carpet fibres in general.
2) Never try to remove stains yourself, as this may cause serious damage, turning a temporary problem into a permanent one. When you have a spill or stain, blot the area with a clean white towel (DO NOT RUB) and don’t Google remedies – here’s an article to explain why (read the last part under the heading “How to Effectively Counter Carpet Odours”)
3) Ensure that the professionals that you hire are really professionals. In particular, when asking about the chemicals that they use, enquire what the residual pH levels of those chemicals are. Carpet fibres have a tolerance range on the pH scale. Synthetic fibres tend to have a wide tolerance to pH levels, such as Polyester which will not be damaged within the range of 3-11 on the pH scale. However natural fibres are more sensitive to pH, wool for example has a tolerable range of 5.5-7. Even more importantly than avoiding damage to your carpets though, is avoiding damage to sensitive skin, especially that of children. Using the wrong chemicals or not controlling the residual pH properly can result in chemical burns to both carpets and people.
4) When having your carpets cleaned, keep pets out of the area and supervise children. Kids are very curious and love to learn about what is happening – carpet cleaning is an event in their home, the centre of their world. We are happy to show children our system and how it works, but of course, there are dangers and whilst our specialists are working, it is not possible for them to be everywhere at once. We take very special care to minimise risks of injury to anyone, but especially to children. However, it is very important that you keep an eye on them whilst we are working to keep them safe.
5) Vacate and ventilate the space. If you or anyone in your family has respiratory issues, it may be best to leave the home or the room whilst we are cleaning. Having said that, we have never had anyone report breathing problems from the chemicals that we use and we have done work for many clients with respiratory concerns. Of course, when this is a concern for a member of your family, it is not a trivial matter and so it is best to take as many precautions as possible.
Contact Ballarat Cleaning Specialists for a free quote
Our carpet cleaning for pet stains or other mess is designed to be safe for your entire family, and your animals. We follow strict safety guidelines at our business, minimising risk wherever
Possible. Moreover, our specialists always take precautionary measures to ensure that everyone’s health and safety is kept as a top priority at all times. If you’re ever unsure about the process we adopt or the products we use, we’ll happily answer any questions when you get in touch.
Our specialists have gone through extensive training and have a wide variety of experience in overcoming many carpet cleaning issues. By investing in expert solutions like this, you’re able to effectively mitigate risk and ensure your carpets end up looking pristine at the same time. From shampooing to dirt extraction, spot cleaning and more, we always use the most up-to-date, best-practice strategies to freshen up your flooring. To find out more, get in touch with Ballarat Cleaning Specialists now. Alternatively, get an instant quote online through our secure website.
