Anybody can clean carpets!! Can They?

“Certified Cleaner vs. the wand jockey”

In my last post I outlined the wide continuum of cleaners sorted by method and equipment. On that basis alone there is much that separates one cleaner from another. What about the person actually doing the work? That’s the subject of this discussion.

All you have to do is get the machine operating and then run the wand over the carpet, spit and suck. What could be easier? Well, there is a little more to it than that. Being able to start the machine and drag hoses and scrub the carpet is required but it starts before you get to that point.

The Institute Of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification, or IICRC, is the governing body for carpet cleaners. The IICRC has no members but is made up of "registrants" who have registered by getting training and passing certification tests. The IICRC is responsible for administrating the process as well as setting the standards for the industry with respect to both cleaning and restoration.

Many companies have high turnover and the person sent to clean your carpet may not have been on the job long enough to have the experience necessary to do the job right. They may have received some company training but not enough to be get properly certified. IICRC certifications are held by the technician and allow them to take their skill with them. Some companies circumvent the certification process by doing in-house training that is only viable company wide. These same companies “idiot proof” their machines by presetting the temperatures and pressures. The ability to adjust temperature and pressure is essential to produce maximum cleaning and should be in a well trained tech’s arsenal.

It is true, a lot of cleaning is removing the dry soil by vacuuming, then moistening and emulsifying (softening) the dirt in the fiber, holding it in liquid suspension until it can be rinsed with hot water and extracted, again by powerful vacuum. It sounds easy but it does take time to master. How fast is too fast? Am I adding too much water at this speed? What about those “special spots” the coffee, ink, wine, lipstick, copier toner, red Kool-Aid™, mustard, grease, oil and yes, pet accidents, blood and vomit. Here is where more than just getting the carpet wet is required. Beyond that, the wand jockey could cause irreversible damage. Yes, there is such a thing as a permanent stain!!

A common statement made by the homeowner is well, “It just won’t come out! I tried Everything” We call it EUTKIS (everything under the kitchen sink). Here is where the science of carpet cleaning is necessary and the reason behind those certification classes becomes apparent. Believe me, when I say there is a lot more science to cleaning than many people recognize. First, a clear understanding of pH is necessary for success. Knowing which side of the pH scale the spot is on and what and how much will remove it is a step forward. Further than that, a step by step process to deal with the “unknown” spot is key. A carpet cleaner doesn’t have to know how to spell or pronounce all the complex cleaners but he does need to be able to recognize and have a working knowledge of what exactly they do.

Bottom line it does make a difference who cleans your carpet. So, if you decide to have your carpets cleaned by a professional make sure they are professional enough to be certified. It is especially important to make sure that the technician cleaning your carpet is certified in the area for which he is being hired. If you need upholstery cleaned, or have odors from pet urine or want to get your tile and grout cleaned-- ask to see the certifications your technician holds. It is not enough that the firm is certified and has a master cleaner on staff, you want the person doing the cleaning to have the knowledge to do it right.