Not all carpet cleaners
are the same. Choosing a professional carpet cleaner
is a much more involved decision than you may realize. Carpet
cleaning is an unregulated industry with far too many unscrupulous
individuals posing as professionals. A very small percentage
of carpet cleaners are actually even trained and certified
to clean carpet, not to mention upholstery or any other surface
in your home or business.
It is very important that you find a professional cleaner
who has been properly trained, insured and experienced. If
you do not, you may have saved yourself a few dollars on the
cleaning, but may end up having to pay thousands to repair
or replace carpets that have been damaged or even ruined by
improper cleaning methods and inexperienced cleaners.
Below are some key points to consider when choosing your
professional carpet cleaner.
1. IICRC CERTIFIED
FIRM
 Use
of an IICRC Certified Firm is either recommended or required
by most major Carpet Manufacturers. Certified Firms are committed
to provide cleaning and restoration services based on the
highest standard of honesty and integrity, pledge to carry
adequate liability insurance, and to implement quality assurance
programs. Carpet and fabric manufacturers prefer IICRC Certified
Firms
EcoClean Carpet Care, registered with
the IICRC as a Certified Firm, has earned the right to display
the IICRC Logo and symbol of quality by meeting rigorous standards
of business ethics and expertise., and attending comprehensive
training programs.
2. IICRC CERTIFIED MASTER TEXTILE
CLEANER
If you want the very best, you want an IICRC Master Textile
Cleaner!
Master Textile Cleaner
(MTC) is an advanced designation by the IICRC of knowledge
and training in cleaning and restoration that is respected
and recognized internationally by fiber producers, carpet
and fabric manufacturers, and insurance company representatives.
Make sure your carpet cleaner has a current, valid IICRC
Certification Card, issued by the Institute of Inspection,
Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) with AT
LEAST ONE certification, preferably in the specific area
of work he/she is performing for you. Each category of certification
has its own unique requirements and certification process,
covering specific areas of expertise. These designations are
earned through formal study, field experience, and successful
completion of written examination. In all cases, an individual
must attend an IICRC- approved school, successfully complete
a written examination, and document his or her skills in the
subject. IICRC Certified Cleaning Technicians are required
to maintain and further their education; to learn about the
latest in technology and techniques.
The Institute of Inspection, Cleaning,
and Restoration Certification Board of Directors recognizes
Mark Cermak and Andrechelle Cermak of EcoClean Carpet Care
for having completed the highest technician level of certification
through the IICRC including continuing education and meeting
the requirements of the Institute as Master Textile Cleaners.
3. CARPET AND RUG INSTITUTE
 Most
major carpet manufacturers now require the use of specific
cleaning systems, including equipment and cleaning solutions
that have been tested and approved by the Carpet and Rug Institute
(CRI)
Industry Research by the Carpet Manufacturers has shown that
the majority of
WARRANTY CLAIMS ARE THE RESULT OF POOR OR IMPROPER CLEANING.
Because the majority of these costly warranty issues are a
result of poor or improper maintenance by the consumers, Carpet
Mills are now REQUIRING THE CONSUMER FOLLOW SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS
FOR CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE - Most Consumers are not even
aware of these requirements!
EcoClean Carpet Care, has been recognized
by the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) (www.carpet-rug.org)
as a Seal of Approval Service Provider – the carpet
cleaning industry’s most important certification. This
prestigious designation is reserved for only those firms using
carpet cleaning systems and products that pass the industry’s
highest standards of excellence.
EcoClean is proud to be one of only
227 companies nationwide to be awarded "APPROVED SERVICE
PROVIDER" status for all the major brands of Carpet manufactured
in America including Mohawk, Shaw, and Beaulieu. We are the
FIRST and ONLY CRI approved service provider in NorthEast
Ohio.
4. WHO ACTUALLY CLEANS YOUR HOME
or BUSINESS?
 The
person performing the cleaning is the single most important
factor in getting a "good" carpet cleaning. Make
sure to ask whether the company owners, or employees or sub
contactors perform the cleaning in your home or business.
No one will work harder for you than the company owners.
If referred to a multi-truck company, be sure to get the
name of the employee that performed well. Quality can vary
greatly even within one company, depending on which employee
is sent to your home.
Some companies are actually just marketing companies (not
a carpet cleaning company). They advertize, book the cleaning
jobs and then send a local sub contractor to your home to
do the cleaning. The "marketing" company that booked
the job has no control over the sub contractor who is in your
home. If the sub contractor performs poorly, breaks or steals
something,
We do not send employees or sub contractors
to your home. The company owners, certified Master Textile
Cleaners, come to clean your Northeast Ohio home or business.
No other local company sends 2 Masters carpet cleaners, in
fact there are only 3 Masters (MTC) in this entire
area, and we are 2 of them!
5. WHAT IS THE STANDARD DRYING TIME
WHEN CARPET IS CLEANED?
 Industry
standards state that carpet should dry within six to eight
hours or less, and should never stay damp more than 24 hours,
or microbial growth and odor may occur.
Carpet cleaning machines - and operators - vary in their
ability to control wetting, to properly extract solution and
soil, and to implement drying procedures both during and after
cleaning. The Carpet and Rug Institute evaluates equipment
to determine how well it cleans and removes moisture. IICRC-Certified
Firms provide technicians with on-going education and training
in effective carpet cleaning and drying.
EcoClean's dry time averages 15-60
MINUTES. Yes you read that right. DEEP cleaning that DRIES
IN MINUTES, not hours or even days! No matter which carpet
cleaning system is used to clean your carpet, we get it clean
and we get it dry!
6. WHICH IS BETTER STEAM CLEANING
OR DRY CLEANING?
CARPET CLEANING METHODS
 Beware
of companies claiming their method or equipment as best (or
that bash other methods). No single method is the best
solution in all situations. All carpet cleaning methods offer
various advantages, but also have some limitations. No single
method is superior to all others. Properly performed under
appropriate conditions, each method can provide satisfactory
results. There are currently five methods of carpet cleaning
available. Some carpets may need a combination of these methods
to enhance the thoroughness of soil removal.
To achieve maximum cleaning results with any of the carpet
cleaning methods, certain procedural guidelines must be followed.
These guidelines are called the IICRC S100; Carpet Cleaning
Standard, The Standard Reference Guide for Professional On-
Location Cleaning of Installed Textile Floor Covering Materials.
 Look
for a company that offers more than one carpet cleaning method,
but realize the most important factor in good carpet
cleaning is the person perfoming the cleaning, not
the particular equipment or method used. An educated, experienced,
dedicated professional carpet cleaner can get your carpet
clean with any of the accepted methods. The "bigger"
truck is not always an indication of the best cleaner. Many
companies own powerful carpet cleaning machines but very few
companies teach their employees how to use them properly.
Many carpet cleaners simply recommend a particular cleaning
method because it is the only one they happen to use. Would
you want a carpenter that used only a hammer to fix everything?
This is why it's important that you choose your carpet cleaner
carefully.
The experts at EcoClean Carpet Care
are knowledgeable in all methods of cleaning and will know
exactly which cleaning method is best suited for your carpets
particular cleaning needs. We have been involved with the
IICRC S100 Committee in writing new updated S100 Carpet Cleaning
Standards. We know the standards set in our industry for maintaining
your carpet and upholstery and we exceed them.
7. PRICE vs VALUE
Price is what you pay. Value is what you get. Carpet cleaning
is really no different then anything else, you get what you
pay for.
When you select a carpet cleaner, you'll choose from a wide
variety of cleaning methods and prices. You spend a lot of
time in your home and a lot of money on your carpet, rugs
and furnishings. Don't waste your money on cheap cleaning!
Cheap cleaning is not good, and good cleaning is not cheap.
Choosing a carpet cleaner based soley on price is a very
bad idea. Beware of any carpet cleaner that makes excessive
promises and gives a firm price over the phone. Remember,
phone estimates are just that…estimates. Does the offer
sound too good to be true? Then it probably is. Misleading
advertizing and sales tactics are common and can attract you
to unreputable companies.
The price you may see advertised might not be the price you
pay. Many homeowners have learned that the low price they
saw advertised lasted only until the carpet cleaner got into
their home. Then they were pressured into paying a lot more
for a variety of add-ons. (Some carpet cleaners even break
the law by using illegal bait and switch tactics)
8. AFFILIATIONS, ASSOCIATIONS
 Affiliation
with a professional organization can indicate that the carpet
cleaner stays abreast of changes in the industry and is able
to give you access to the latest information and methods.
It also indicates that they maintain certain standards of
professionalism. For example, members of the Low Moisture
Carpet Cleaners Association advocate certification in formal
training programs and are generally committed to advancing
their knowledge and quality of services.
The Low Moisture Carpet Cleaners Association
(LMCCA). is an internatioinal trade association dedicated
to setting and improving standards of service for the carpet
cleaning industry and protecting consumers. EcoClean's owners
have served on the Board of Directors of the LMCCA for years.
9. RESEARCH, REFERENCES, REFERRALS,
REVIEWS, RECOMMENDATIONS.
 "Who
can I trust?" is a common question. Checking with neighbors,
friends, family is a good place to start. Do a little homework
on the company, ask for referneces. Research on the Internet
for references, referrals, reviews, recommendations, and testimonials.
HouseKeepingChannel.com,
CertifiedCleaners.com,
Carpet
& Rug Institute, MerchantCircle.com,
Google,
Yahoo,
Local-Cleaner.com
10. APPOINTMENT SCHEDULING CONSIDERATIONS
Expect to have to make an appointment in advance for a Master
Cleaner. Please keep in mind, a carpet cleaning truck can
properly service a couple homes a day, a couple hundred days
a year. This works out to only a few hundred available cleaning
appointments each year.
Same day or next day service will usually only be available
by a carpet cleaning company with employees or sub contractors.
These companies are quantity not quality based and clean as
many as 6-10+ homes per day. They are much more likely to
be able to "squeeze in" an extra job today or tomorrow
for those who did not plan ahead.
Many companies avoid the necessary
steps in the cleaning process because they are always in a
hurry to arrive at their next scheduled appointment. We never
overbook, so that the necessary time and care is taken at
each home or office to ensure the highest level of service
possible. We believe that each step in the cleaning process
is as important as the next one and will not rush through
(or skip) one to get to the next. We will not rush through
the cleaning appointment before yours to get to your home,
same as we will not rush through cleaning your home to get
to the next appointment.
We are the premier carpet, rug and
upholstery cleaners in this area and in great demand. We are
generally booked one to three weeks in advance. Advance appointments
recommended.
We look forward to the privilege of serving you. If you have
any questions, contact us anytime.
Mark & Andrechelle Cermak
IICRC Certified Master Textile Cleaners
EcoClean Carpet Care
440-257-7791
www.EcoCleanCarpet.com
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