0800 056 2332

Client Comments

"Operator went about his work very unobtrusively and cleaned many nooks and crannies that we did not expect,. Very nice man". Miss Edwards, Mitcham

"Prompt - Kept to appointment times and very friendly and helpful". Caroline Ray, Sanderstead

"Plenty of information. You are well organised & kept to arranged time. Work done with minimal fuss & disruption. Though we were inspired to give whole house a good cleaning up before you came, so got ahead with spring cleaning"! Mrs Percy, Sutton

"Your staff were very helpful and your gentleman who called to give me an estimate did a test check before advising the recommended process of cleaning to use". Mrs Franks, Stoneleigh

"No mess-Excellent result having not been cleaned for 10 years. Now looks like new carpet. Cannot see that you need to improve your service. Again excellent Thank you". Mrs Singleton, Mitcham

"I am very happy with the results. Would definitely use you again when necessary". Miss Jones, Worcester Park

"Kevin arrived on time - he was courtious & there was no pressure to have more than the promised free clean or to have the carpets treated. We had the lounge, dining room, & stairs cleaned & treated and they are lovely & fresh". Mrs Wharram, Cheam

"Technicians were professional in their approach and caused little disruption. The clean itself was far better than we had anticipated. Thank you for a good job, Well done". Mrs McAndrew, Mitcham Health Centre.

"Fantastic! We are thrilled with the results, we cant believe how well the ancient cream sofa came out, Congratulation Kevin, and as a small business ourselves, we are keen to support others in the same position, so we will certainly use you again". Natalie Medd, SW12.

info@directcleaners.com

Page Last Updated 21/03/2008

Frequently Asked Questions

Help us build our FAQ page! Send your questions to: info@directcleaners.com

Q: How long will the carpet take to dry?

A: Up to 24 hours... But in most cases it will be dry in 4-6 hours. This depends on the humidity, temperature of the home, the density of the fibre and how soiled the carpet is. To speed drying use fans, open windows (rooms cleaned) 2-3 inches, turn on heating (70-72 degrees). We also use low moisture (Texatherm) and Dry cleaning systems see Range of Services.

Q: How long does the carpet cleaning process take?

A: We are able to clean approximately 200 square feet per hour. This can vary slightly depending upon the amount of soil, how much furniture needs to be moved, specialty spotting procedures, and set-up time.

Q: How soon can I walk on the carpet?

A: You can walk on the carpet as soon it has been cleaned! You won't damage the carpets. But... Try to keep pets, children, and heavy traffic off the carpet during the drying process. Wear indoor shoes or slippers. Avoid walking on a damp carpets in outside shoes and socks.

Wait 24 hours before removing protective tabs that our technicians have place under the furniture to protect the carpet. Some carpets may feel slightly damp for up to 18 hours depending on the carpet and soil conditions. This is normal and will not cause any problems.

Use extreme caution when walking from a damp carpet onto any hard surface. Hard surface floors will be slippery.

Q: What is this Carpet Maintenance Programme?

A: You get your first cleaning for FREE. You get your second cleaning FREE (depending on package). You get FREE un-limited Stain Removal Call-out (Premium Package). And a FREE Life-Time supply of Master Stain Remover. You get your carpets cleaned every six months. All for a low cost monthly amount.

Q: Do you move furniture?

A: Yes most of our cleaning packages include moving furniture that we can easily move. (Most companies will charge you extra for this service). All we ask is that you move all small, breakable and valuable items that may be in the way during the cleaning process. Heavy beds, dressers, and heavier pieces of furniture are normally left in place under these pricing structures.

Q: What about reoccurring spots?

A: It is very rare for a spot to return once removed. If a spot should return we will always return to site to remove the stain. Stain removal success is about 80-90%.

Q: My carpet has bleached or faded spots, can you correct that?

A: If you have spots or small areas that have been bleached out, they may be spot dyed, depending on the type of carpet fibre.

Q: Can you fix indentations from heavy furniture?

A: No guarantee can be made on removing indentations from heavy furniture. In addition to the pile of the carpet being crushed, the backing of the carpet is indented. Heat, moisture, and hand grooming with our equipment will help, but it will take time to release back to normal. Severe cases may be permanent.

Q: How often should a carpet be cleaned?

A: At a minimum, you should clean once a year. The frequency of cleaning will vary depending upon the number of occupants and level of usage.

Q: Doesn't regular carpet cleaning harm the carpets, or make them dirty quicker?

A: I have had some homeowners express their fear that once the carpet is cleaned, it will re-soil quicker. This fear is the result of improper cleaning on the part of many cleaning companies. Many of these companies, in an effort to cut costs and save time, will buy the cheapest cleaning solutions, won't provide the proper training for their technicians, and will not offer a separate rinse step in order to remove detergent residues. If detergent is left in the carpet, accelerated re-soiling will occur.

We use a more thorough method of cleaning that uses a rinse step after the pre-spray process. This method removes deep down soil and leaves no detergent to accelerate the re-soiling process. The fact is, the best thing you can do for your carpets is have them regularly cleaned by a qualified professional carpet cleaning company.

It is the build-up of soil that promotes wear to your carpet, far more than the foot traffic that travels on the surface of the carpet. Foot traffic grinds the soil against the carpet fibres and causes a sand-paper effect. This causes the fibres to dull and become worn looking.

Major carpet manufacturers such as Dupont and Shaw Industries recommend that you have your carpets cleaned every 6-18 months. There are other considerations that can increase the frequency of cleanings, such as smoking habits, number and ages of children, soiling conditions, humidity, health status of occupants, allergy conditions, and number and types of pets just to name a few. Heavily used areas may require quarterly cleaning, while other less frequented areas may not need cleaning more than every 18 months. Either way, it makes good sense to have your carpets cleaned regularly—not only from an appearance and investment protection point of view, but also from a health standpoint. Regular deep cleaning removes bacteria, dust mites, germs, and the substances upon which these organisms live.

Q: Why should I clean my carpet?

A: Biocontaminants, volatile organic compounds, combustion products, asbestos, dust mites, chemical contamination, outdoor pollutants, pesticides, allergens, grease and oil deposits, sand, soil, food particles, bacteria, and a host of other really gross stuff will make its way into your carpet. Quite simply, your carpet acts like a sink. It collects and filters all of the above mentioned contaminants. This collection and filtering process traps these contaminants within your carpet, which in turns cleans the air you breathe and allows you to live a healthier life. Hard surface floors may allow contaminants to "roam" throughout the indoor environment.

But like any other filter, your carpet needs to be cleaned on a regular basis, or it will lose its filtering ability. If these contaminants are in your home, they could be contributing to your family's health and allergy problems. Dr. Michael Berry, Deputy Director of the Environmental Criteria and Assessment Office of the Environmental Protection Agency stated, "Based on what I have learned from researchers working in the United States, Canada, and Western Europe, I have reached the conclusion that carpeting and fabrics that are not properly cleaned and maintained have the potential to cause a variety of health problems inside the building and home environment."

Q: Why should I have my carpets protected?

A: Carpet Protection helps you in two very important ways:

When this protective coating is applied to the carpet fibres, it puts a protective barrier around each fibre. This protective barrier resists moisture. When you do have a spill, it gives you a window of time to get it cleaned up. (See our Spotting Guide)

The other important way that this product helps you is in the area of wear. Having this protective coating on your carpet helps reduce the wear and abrasion caused by sand in the carpet. This protects the carpet from excessive matting, and in turn will cause your carpet to perform better.

Q: What do you mean '1 Year Stain Protection guarantee'?

A: If I protect your carpets with our Stain Protection treatment and you get a stain on that carpet you cannot remove, I will come to you and treat the stain at no charge.

Q: Can you remove... Tea, Coffee, Red wine etc... [See our Spotting Guide!]

A: We can remove any spot that is not a permanent stain. However, there are conditions where permanent staining is present. The following is a list of conditions which may or may not allow spots to be removed. The percentage listed next to the condition is the percentage of CHANCE we have of removing it, NOT the percentage of stain that will be removed.

Soft drinks (95%) - Usually not a problem.

Red Wine (95%) - Normally depends on type of 'panic' stain removal attempt by home owner. Avoid applying salt & / or white wine.

Candle Wax (95%) - Usually not a problem to remove the Wax, but... if the candle is coloured the dye may not remove.

Rust (95%) - Chances for rust removal are excellent.

Blood (85%) - If no hot water or alkaline cleaning products have been used, chances are good.

Tea & Coffee (80%) - Tannin spots sometimes cause a permanent stain. Many times when coffee or tea is spilled, it is very hot. This can cause a stain to be set into the carpet.

Yellowing (80%) - Yellowing can be as simple as neutralizing the spot or area by spraying a solution on it, or it can be impossible to remove. There are many unknown causes for yellowing. It is so common that we have several different products on our van just for yellowing.

Vomit (70%) - Same as urine. (If red dye is present in dog or cat food, see red dye removal.)

Ketchup (50%) - If ketchup has red dye in it, it could leave a stain. But without red dye, it's not a problem.

Filtration Soiling / Draught Marks (70%) - Filtration soiling is the black marks you see around the edges of your base boards. Typically we can get these lines to lighten, but seldom do they come all the way out. The particles in filtration soil are so fine, and go all the way down the sides of the yarn and through the backing of the carpet. This makes it very difficult to remove.

Urine (50%) - When urine is fresh and has not been cleaned using an alkaline spotter, the chances are good. If the urine has been there for a long time, the chances are slim. However, urine will continue to deteriorate the carpet, so it is extremely important to remove the urine deposits, even if the spot does not come out.

Lipstick (50%) - Chances are good that we will be able to remove it with solvents. However, some lipstick may be in the red dye category which gives it a slim chance for removal.

Paint (45%) - If it is a fresh spill the chances are much better. If it has already dried, chances are slim.

Mustard & Curries (7%) - Mustard and curries can be very difficult to remove.

Red Dye (5%) - Red dye is almost impossible to remove unless conditions are exactly right. If the stain is new, the chances are better. In many cases the only way to remove red dye is with a heat transfer process in which we apply a product to the spot, lay a wet cloth over it, and apply an iron to cause the spot to transfer to the towel. The spot is then rinsed thoroughly. This is a special procedure and due to the extra time it requires, we do charge extra for this.

Furniture Stain (01%) - Almost impossible.

Q: Can you remove pet odours and stains?

A: In some cases the stain may be permanent, but we can take care of the odour.

Q: Do I need to be home during the cleaning process?

A: No. You are welcome to leave after the paper work has been signed and we are paid. Our technicians are fully insured, vetted and employed by DIRECT CLEANERS. We do NOT use sub-contractors.

Q: Do you clean furniture?

A: Yes we are professional upholstery cleaners.

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