Q:  How long does it take to dry?

A:  On average 12 - 24 hours. Some dry in 3 hours. It depends largely on the moisture level in the house. Low light usually means higher humidity. Bright and sunny is usually dryer and the water in the carpets will evaporate more quickly. A fan will greatly reduce drying time provided it is moved often to dry all areas.


Q:  What Should I Do To Prepare?

A:  Take all small items:  magazine racks, plants, toys, clothes, tools, trash cans, baskets and decorative art from the carpet and place on non-carpeted areas.


Q:  What about the furniture should I move it?

A:  If you are willing and able feel free to move it to an area that won't be cleaned. If you want to clean under the furniture and there isn't a place for it, don't move it. We will clean under it. We have a method that will allow us to clean in a minimal amount of time. We dont charge more for furniture moving unless it is overly filled, or items such as large frame beds with tricky frames and headboards, or china cabinets and bookshelves are to be moved.  

25% more for "Museum Care" or an unusual amount of furniture. We don't touch TV consoles loaded with wires and equipment. We clean around these.

 
Q:  How is Upholstery Cleaned?

A:  The same way carpet is cleaned with the truck-mounted steam cleaning unit powered down a little and with a special upholstery tool. Different soaps and pre-sprays vary with fabrics. Six - ten hours drying time without fan. One or two hours drying time with a fan. In the sun outside with cushions on a sheet, upholstery will dry in 30 - 60 minutes and will kill all bacteria.


Q:  What do you think of Chem-Dry?

A:  I think it is substandard and ineffective for residential cleaning. It was developed for hospitals and businesses that are open 24/7. This schedule makes steam cleaning difficult due to the high volume foot traffic which is ever-present, but this method of necessity has its drawbacks. It leaves a high residue film on the carpet which attracts dirt and pastes it down where a vacuum cannot remove it. This forces the cleaning intervals to be three - six weeks, a price a hospitals (and day-care facilities, etc.) must pay due to laws governing cleanliness. 

Because of the adhesive quality of chem-dry, it is impossible to remove this residue of chemical film left behind. If you feel the carpet of a previously chem-dry cleaned carpet, you will feel it is hard and not supple. If you swirl your hand on it round and round with pressure you will find a polished hand that is shiny from all this residue still sitting in the carpet. Even though there is a low barrier to entry into the chem-dry business, there are still very few of these cleaners left because of the substandard results.

Steam cleaning leaves carpets soft and supple, extracts all chemicals, preserves the life of the textiles, kills and extracts mites and germs, and does not leave sticky residue that attracts and pastes dirt into fibers. There simply is no better cleaning solution.