If you own a carpet then no matter how carefully you look after it, there will come a point in its life when it’s going to be screaming out “clean me”. Now you could call out a professional carpet cleaning company in your locality or you could, especially if you’re a cost conscious type of person, decide to do it yourself. The thing is, this might not be such a good idea and here’s why.
Over wetting a carpet is a major problem
Over wetting a carpet is a common problem that we’re often called out to try and fix and is typically caused by a DIYer, keen to save a few dollars by hiring a carpet cleaning machine. However, it’s not just rental machines that are the cause of over wet carpet. Untrained, and often uninsured, part time carpet cleaners are also using sub standard machinery and incorrect methods to clean carpets. So apart from a soggy carpet and the inconvenience this causes, you might be wondering why is a wet carpet a big deal.
Shrinkage
When a carpet becomes really wet during the cleaning process there’s a likelihood of it shrinking. It may be that too much water was used, the machine wasn’t set up or operated in the right manner, or the machine was old and simply not powerful enough.
Before cleaning your carpet, it’s vital that the person cleaning it identifies the type of carpet that it is, and assesses any risks.
If the carpet has shrunk just a little then often it can be stretched back. However, in the case of significant shrinkage then the only option is to replace your carpet or use it as a fireside rug!
Although an experienced carpet cleaner should do all he can to ensure there is no shrinkage, it’s still a good idea to check that he has insurance.
Smell
Any carpet that has remained damp for several days will develop an unpleasant smell which is caused by bacteria setting in. Although this problem can usually be rectified, it shouldn’t happen if an experienced carpet cleaner has done his job properly.
If you still insist on cleaning your carpet yourself, then make sure you have plenty of ventilation and good air flow both during the cleaning process and after. Leave your doors and windows open until your carpet has dried. If after several hours, it’s still wet, then we’d advise you call a professional carpet cleaner, to avoid bacteria and mould from forming.
Browning
Browning is something to be aware of if you’re attempting to clean a wool carpet. It’s a term we in the trade use to refer to brown spots that sometimes appear out of nowhere when a carpet has been cleaned. It’s more common in carpets with a jute backing and is caused by soil or previous spillages which have worked their way back up, often because of over wetting. Although it may seem impossible to remove them yourself by scrubbing, most experienced carpet cleaners have the skills and know how to eradicate them without causing any further problems.
One way to prevent the problems caused by over wetting is to call on the services of a professional carpet cleaning company that has years of experience and is fully insured and licensed, such as Carpet Cleaning Kings. You can contact us on 1300 7000 75 or online and we’ll be only too happy to help.
