FAQ

Whatever you want cleaned underneath has to be removed off of the carpet so we can clean those areas better. Any items easy to move should be moved off of the carpet and large items such as televisions and bookcases could be cleaned around if to big and heavy to move.

95% of all carpet manufacturers recommend (HWE) which stands for hot water extraction to clean the carpeting that these companies manufacture. The reason is that only with (HWE) will the dirt deep down be lifted out. The companies that do the surface only bicarbonate encapsulation cleaning are only second best to HWE cleaning. If fact manufacturers of carpet say they will not warranty a carpet under warranty that is cleaned with any method other than (HWE) hot water extraction.

The products that Cornerstone Carpet Cleaning uses are safe and environmentally friendly products that clean very well and also usually leave a neutral to fresh scent to your environment.

In the summer the carpet usually takes 2-3 hours to dry if not sooner. Ceiling fans and A/C will help the drying time be reduced further. In the winter or colder months ceiling fans and the heat on will reduce drying times but will usually take a little longer than in the summer. Usually up to 3 hours it will be dry if heated.

That is something that we always work at not allowing to happen on any carpet cleaning that we clean. First of all not applying to much water but just enough if how that is kept from happening. The truck mount Hydramaster cleaning vacuum along with the Rotovac 360 is used to assure the most moisture being removed out your carpet, thereby insuring quicker drying times.

Most carpet manufacturing mills recommend carpet cleaning be done at least once a year. If people with allergies live in the house, then maybe every 6 months would help, but generally unless heavy soils are allowed onto the carpeting once a year should work well for most homeowners.

Carpet cleaning will not repair of fix worn, damaged areas that have been damaged by pet urine or by other bleaching materials. Also carpet can be damaged over time and will result in an area usually a high traffic area that does not look like it did when new. That is why getting those high traffic areas cleaned regularly is so important, so the carpet does not get what is called ‘scratched’ which is damaged by the dirt being stepped on over and over.

Cornerstone Carpet Cleaning will if asked come back and re-do an area that did not turn out as good as our customer expected. We are more than glad to do whatever we can to make a customer happy with our service.

Pet odor is a very common problem in the carpet cleaning industry. The only question is how deeply did the urine go into the carpet and did it penetrate the padding or sub flooring? If the animal is a small dog or cat, then maybe not to far down, possibly a regular cleaning will help remove most of the problem but say if a large dog has urinated there then chances are the padding and sub floor may be affected also, in which case the carpet would need to be pulled out and new padding may be needed. Sometimes the sub floor has to be treated with enzymes that will neutralize the urine that has penetrated the sub floor. That usually takes care of any pet urine odor issues.

When cleaning carpet chemistry and PH levels are very important factors to understand well so that does not happen. Cleaning is best done by a higher PH material and then that higher PH material needs to be rinsed out thoroughly by a lower PH rinsing agent to insure that the carpet does not become a shoe cleaner after the carpet is cleaned by not using a rinsing agent. So the answer is no. If a rinsing agent is used in the extraction process your carpet will not get dirty quicker than normal.

Some spots sometimes do come back for a couple of reasons. If the offending substance that created the spot originally does not get completely removed from the carpet, then it can wick up back to the fibers that we see on the surface and respot again.
If the material that caused the spot or the cleaning material is not deeply removed then that can double the chance of a respotting. So the best answer is to thoroughly clean and work on any spots to get as much of the substance that caused the spot and the cleaning material out of that spotting area so a wicking will not take place as well as several good dry passes with the carpet cleaning unit. That is why I prefer using the Rotovac 360 because I can go over those spots as much as I want to without feeling the need to move on to the next area as much. (Because it is self powered).

Even red stains and red and purple colored spots can be removed but most homeowners do not want to pay for the extra work it will take to remove most of those red and purple colored dyes. That being said even when using those red and purple dye removers depending on how long the spots have been there and if those spots have been stained repeatedly (even just two times in the same spot) some of the spot may not come out completely because the carpet may now be re-dyed so to speak by the coloring substance.

Depending on how experienced the repairer is the answer is yes. There are repair kit dyes that can re-dye the bleached out areas of a carpet to a darker color of the normal carpet color. But many carpets are not just one solid color and that makes color repairing even more tricky and time consuming. It just depends on how much a homeowner is willing to spend to have the spot re-colored or is it best to live with the spot.

It can, if the wrong cleaning materials are used on carpets with stain protection in them. It is more with the wrong cleaning materials than the cleaning method used. Many residential higher grade carpet has stain protection built in so it is a must to tell your carpet cleaner that you do not want any materials used that will remove that protection out of your carpet and the carpet cleaning company should have the correct cleaning material that they can use on those Stainmaster type carpets, it is very common and all carpet cleaning companies should know exactly what to use that will protect the homeowners carpet from stripping this from their carpet.

Most oriental and specialty rugs can be cleaned on the main external fibers of the carpet. Over time depending on how much foot traffic these rugs have had and how long if ever they have been cleaned it is best to have the rug sent to a rug cleaning business even though some of them don’t even honestly do any more than they would of at the owners home. So a company that you feel you can trust and has a good history as specialty rug cleaners is a must. I know of a company that says they specialize in rug cleaning but they do no more than a regular cleaning, if that and because they came to the homeowners home and have to deliver the rug back this company actually charges a ridiculous price and the homeowner really receives no better service, so watch out about your rugs and what company they are going to. These rugs should receive a dusting if the customer has to pay a 5-7 dollars a square foot price to have their rug cleaned. If the company does not have duster shaker unit to remove the dirt from the rug and does not the whole rug bath treatment just don’t let your rug go out your door because they will charge you a high price for not much or not any better service than a Joe Blow regular carpet cleaning and may ruin the rug if the rug is very much from the orient or India the dyes can bleed into other areas of the rug and really ruin the looks of it and a whole lot more things can happen like shrinking, fringe yellowing, etc…