Homemade Carpet Cleaners: Best Bay Area carpet cleaners

Best Bay Area carpet cleaners - San Francisco Chronicle

<div id="bodytext_bottom" readability="92.9081858407"><div id="fontprefs_bottom" class="georgia md" readability="87.9662610619">You've heard the expression, "So clean you could eat off of it." But sometimes carpets and rugs start to look like someone has been eating off them. Whether it's wine stains or just overall dinginess, a good cleaning can make carpets and rugs look like new - and even improve indoor air quality. Those in the market for a carpet or rug cleaning have a lot of good choices, according to Bay Area Consumers' Checkbook and Checkbook.org. Checkbook collected ratings from thousands of area consumers, and 32 of the 64 rated firms received Checkbook's recommendation for quality. But it still pays to be careful; there were big firm-to-firm differences in ratings: The top-rated firms were more than twice as likely as the lowest rated ones to be rated "superior" on "doing work properly" by their surveyed customers. Different firms may recommend different methods; shampooing and hot-water extraction are two of the most common. If your carpet is lightly soiled, the choice isn't so important. But for badly soiled carpets, you're best off choosing a firm that offers hot water extraction with truck-mounted equipment or a combination of shampoo and hot water extraction. Checkbook's researchers found that the majority of firms will quote the price for most jobs over the phone. If you can't get quotes by phone, request in-home estimates. Price shopping is well worth the effort. Checkbook found big differences. For one specific job, cleaning a living room, dining room and hallway (a total of 330 square feet), prices ranged from $80 to $198. For another job, cleaning a 460-square-foot area consisting of a living room, dining room, hallway and one bedroom, prices ranged from $100 to $276. When you shop by phone, don't let firms quote by the "room." An L-shaped room, for example, might be one room to you but two rooms to them. Get quotes based on square feet. Don't overpay for soil retardants, deodorizers or other add-ons. With some firms, these cost little or nothing; with others, they can double your costs. Very likely you will get no benefit for your money. Once you decide on a firm, be sure to communicate clearly what cleaning method you want and which, if any, add-ons you do want. Also, make sure to get a written estimate and a written workmanship guarantee promising that the firm will at least redo the job if you consider it unsatisfactory. Checkbook also has this advice for getting the work done right: -- Before the cleaner(s) arrive, move antiques and other prized valuables out of the way, and vacuum the area. -- Point out stains and explain what caused them and how long they've been there. -- Warn the firm about furniture with weak legs, possible weak carpet seams and other trouble areas. -- Be sure plastic or foil shields are placed under all furniture legs when the work is complete. -- Don't pay until you've walked around the carpet and inspected it. There is no reason not to walk on the carpet as soon as the job is completed. <div class="infobox" readability="15.7710843373">Editor's note: The Chronicle is partnering with Bay Area Consumers' Checkbook magazine and Checkbook.org, a nonprofit consumer group that rates various types of local service firms and professionals, to help you find the best services in the Bay Area. Chronicle readers can find Checkbook's full article, with price comparisons, advice on dealing with carpet cleaners, and advice on treating stains and maintaining carpets, and for the next four weeks can use Checkbook's ratings of 64 Bay Area carpet and rug cleaners, free of charge at www.checkbook.org/chronicle/carpetcleaners. </div> This article appeared on page D - 5 of the San Francisco Chronicle</div></div>

Homemade Carpet Cleaners

Best Bay Area carpet cleaners - San Francisco Chronicle

Pages

Site Map