Frequently Asked Questions

Cleaning is done by professionals using truck-mounted hot-water extraction, commonly referred to as "Steam Cleaning". This is the only method recommended by ALL of the carpet manufacturers. Hot water extraction is a combination of hot water, high pressure, and a powerful vacuum to remove dirt and harmful pollutants from your carpet.

• A preconditioner is applied to the carpet to loosen the oils, spills and soil. For heavily soiled area or pet treatment a brush can be used to scrub the carpet.
• An alcohol-based rinsing solution under high pressure is forced down to the base of your carpet fibers to further loosen the soils & pollutants. The hot water rinses out dirt, grease, grime, pollens, and environmental pollutants from your carpet.
• This rinsing step is very important. You would never shower, apply soap, and then just let it dry! The soap needs to be rinsed out, and the cleaning solutions in your carpet need to be rinsed out or you'll be left with a residue that attracts dirt like a magnet, rinsing with 200+ degree hot water can also help sanitize your carpet by killing dust mites and bacteria.

• Inside: Move any loose items, breakables, or other small belongings from the floor of the rooms to be cleaned. Most people just place such items on beds or fireplace hearths, for example. Vacuuming the carpet can help speed up the cleaning process.
• Outside: We’re going to need to park close to the door we’ll be using. Not a big deal, but if you have a small driveway, odds are we’re going to need it.

Your carpets will be damp to the touch when we leave. It will take 4-6 hours for the carpet to be dry to the touch and completely dry in 12-24 hours, depending on humidity and air circulation in your home. Using a fan and opening up the house can decrease drying time; turning your air conditioning down to run longer can decrease drying time; and leaving your house closed up with no fan or air will extend drying time. Drying time is affected by humidity, weather, air flow, thickness of carpet, time of year. You’ll be able to walk on the carpet with clean shoes. Just be careful stepping off onto hard floors!

Though it may cost a little less to rent a machine and clean the carpet yourself there are many reasons to hire a professional carpet cleaner instead.

• Professional truck mounted equipment has higher suction power and water pressure giving your carpet a much deeper clean.
• Trained cleaners know exactly how to use the equipment and there is no chance of the carpet being damaged by accidental over wetting.
• Clean-Rite will do everything we can to make you happy, should some rare mistake happen we will fix it.
• It saves money in the long run because it takes a professional a fraction of the time to clean your carpet, plus you will want to call in the pros to truly clean your carpets when the rented machine didn’t clean as well as expected or a film develops from improper rinsing.
• Carpets are clean and dry much faster with professional hot water extraction.
• Professional cleaners are trained to see problems like stains, spills and needed repairs and the best way to fix them, you don’t get that renting a machine.