A professional carpet cleaning service comes equipped with the necessary tools, chemicals, and expertise to ensure outstanding results, which often cannot be achieved through standard home cleaning practices. Investing in regular professional cleans is a great way to keep your floors sanitary and looking fresh, increasing the longevity of your carpet.
Every cleaning service will have different requirements and preferences when it comes to preparing your home for a clean, so it’s important to always double-check with your chosen company ahead of time. Here are eight steps you may need to take to prepare your home for a professional carpet clean.
- Put away anything valuable or fragile
The cleaning company will take care when moving around your home, but accidents can happen! Move anything valuable or fragile away from the areas being cleaned, to ensure they’re kept safe throughout the process.
- Move furniture
Before the cleaners arrive, move any furniture off of the carpeted areas of your home. Although you may regularly clean your floors, there are likely large, missed areas, such as underneath couches, beds, or larger pieces of furniture – so make sure to move these too, to get the most out of your professional clean!
- Vacuum the floors
Vacuuming any carpeted areas can make the process much easier for the cleaning crew, allowing them to immediately crack on with the job. As previously mentioned, each company will have different preferences, so confirm this ahead of time.
It can also be beneficial to vacuum the entirety of your home ahead of a professional carpet clean – even the areas that aren’t carpeted. This will stop any dust or dirt from other areas of the home from being transferred to the carpets immediately after cleaning.
- Make a list of any problem areas
Look out for any areas that may require more attention during the cleaning process. This could be sections of the carpet that have had liquids spilt previously, or spots with visible stains. You may also want to highlight specific rooms as requiring a deeper clean, such as bedrooms of anyone with allergy sensitivities, or a child’s playroom. Let the cleaning crew know of these areas as soon as they arrive, to ensure they factor in enough time and resources for each one.
- Consider any special requests
You may have some preferences or requirements that will impact the cleaning process. For example, if your household suffers from strong allergy sensitivities, you may require the cleaners to use only hypoallergenic products. Similarly, you may prefer that all products used are eco-friendly. These special requests should be raised with the cleaning company either before, or at the time of booking, to ensure they’re able to accommodate them.
- Plan for any pets or children
While the clean is taking place, the cleaning crew will need space to work. It’s also important to stay off of the carpeted areas being cleaned throughout and after the process (more on that next!). On top of this, some of the cleaning products used can be harmful if ingested, so pets and children should be kept well away.
If you have pets that freely roam the home, make plans for where they can be kept throughout the cleaning process. Similarly, children should be kept away from the areas being cleaned, so plan activities for them in an isolated room, or organize for them to be elsewhere throughout the clean.
- Plan for drying time
As mentioned above, you should not walk over the carpet straight after a professional clean. Most companies will dry the carpets at the end of the clean, but they need additional time to dry completely. Walking across freshly cleaned carpet prematurely can embed dirt and grime, causing stains.
Different carpet fiber types can impact the total drying time, as well as other factors like the cleaning methods used and overall airflow in the room. Ask your cleaning crew how long they recommend you stay off the carpet and have a plan in place for how you will occupy your time.
- Save a parking space
This won’t be relevant for every household, but if there is restricted parking at your property, make an effort to save space close to your home for the cleaning crew. They will have lots of equipment to bring inside and may need to head back and forth between their vehicle and your home throughout the process. Although not always a requirement, they will likely be very grateful for the ability to park in close proximity.
Your chosen cleaning company may have other requests for how you should prepare your home, but this list is a great baseline to get you ready for most professional carpet cleans.
With all of these steps complete, you can sit back, relax, and enjoy your refreshed floors.
Powerhouse is a full-service home and commercial services company based in Texas, specializing in carpet cleaning.