Frequently Asked Questions
These are the carpet cleaning questions people actually ask on the phone, written out the way we answer them in the doorway. Nothing here is a policy from an office, because the person who quotes your job is the person who cleans it.
Before you call
These are the carpet cleaning questions we hear most often, collected over more than a decade of Northern Virginia carpet cleaning in Fairfax, Loudoun and western Prince William counties. Majid answers the phone, looks at the job and then does the work, so every answer below describes what happens in your rooms rather than what a script says should happen.
How the list runs
The first questions cover booking, the visit itself and furniture. The middle ones deal with drying, how often to clean, pets, fiber and what will not come out of a carpet no matter who works on it. The last few cover access, timing, preparing a room, the walkthrough and the area we cover, from McLean west to Purcellville.
If you are weighing carpet cleaning against rug washing for a loose rug, adding upholstery cleaning to the same visit, or dealing with pet odor removal in Herndon, the answers below will get you most of the way. Anything left over is a phone call, and new carpet cleaning questions get added here as they arise.
Everything people ask us
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01
How far ahead do I need to book?
Two to five days is normal, and a same week slot opens up more often than people expect. Spring and the weeks before major holidays fill first. If your date is fixed, call early. If your schedule is loose, say so and we will put you on the nearest run through your area, which usually means an earlier appointment than a fixed date would get you.
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02
What happens during a visit, start to finish?
We walk the rooms with you, agree on what is being cleaned and point out anything that worries us. Then we move what needs moving, vacuum, apply a prespray suited to the fiber, agitate the pile and extract with hot water. We groom the pile, set air movers where the carpet holds the most moisture, and walk the rooms with you again before we load the hose.
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03
Do you move furniture?
We move what two people can carry safely: sofas, chairs, ottomans, coffee tables, dining chairs and light case goods. We leave beds, china cabinets, pianos, wall units and anything with electronics on it where they stand and clean around them. If you want a heavy dresser moved, empty it before we arrive and tell us when you book so the day is sized correctly.
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04
How long does carpet take to dry?
Four to eight hours in most homes, longer on wool or in a closed up house in August. Humidity, air flow and how soiled the carpet was all move that number. You can walk on it in clean socks right away. Running your own ceiling fans or air conditioning after we leave shortens the wait more than anything else you can do.
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05
How often should carpet be cleaned?
Once a year suits a household of adults with no pets. Add a dog, a cat or small children and twice a year keeps the traffic lanes from setting into the fiber. Entry areas and stairs take the worst of it and can be refreshed on their own between full cleanings. Low traffic formal rooms still need attention every two to three years for settled dust.
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06
Is the process safe for pets and children?
Yes. We use products rated for residential interiors and then rinse them back out with hot water extraction, so far less is left in the fiber than a household spot spray leaves behind. Keep pets out of the room while the equipment runs, mostly for their nerves and for the hoses across the floor, and let the carpet dry before anyone lies down on it.
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07
Do rugs have to leave the house?
It depends on the rug. Machine made synthetics on a hard floor often clean well in place. Wool, silk blends, antiques and anything with dyes that might move do better washed off site, where they can be dusted from the back, immersion washed, rinsed and dried flat. We tell you which category your rug falls into during the walkthrough rather than guessing at the door.
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08
Does the type of fiber change the cleaning?
It changes the chemistry, the water temperature, the dwell time and how much agitation the pile will take. Nylon is forgiving and cleans well hot. Polyester holds oily soil and needs a different prespray. Wool wants a mild pH, an acid rinse and less heat. Olefin releases soil easily but crushes underfoot. We identify the fiber before anything wet touches it.
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09
What will not come out?
Bleach and household chemical spills have removed the dye, so there is no color left to clean. Old pet urine that reached the pad can be treated, though a shadow sometimes stays. Rust, some drink and craft dyes, burns, and pile that has been walked flat for years are permanent. We tell you which of those you have before we start, not after we finish.
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10
Where do you park and what access do you need?
We run hoses from the van to your door, so a driveway spot or a legal curb space within a couple hundred feet is enough. In townhouse rows, gated lots and buildings, tell us when you book so we can plan the run. Side doors, garage doors and elevators all work as long as we know about them before the truck is on your street.
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11
Do I need to be home?
Someone should be there at the start for the walkthrough and at the end for the final look. In between you are free to leave, and plenty of customers let us in and run errands. If you cannot be there at all, we can work with a neighbor, a lockbox or a property manager, provided we have talked through the rooms and the problem areas first.
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12
How long will the job take?
Three rooms and a staircase usually run two to three hours. A whole house with stairs, a landing and some upholstery can take most of a day. Heavy soil, pet treatment and furniture moving add time to that. We give you an honest window at the walkthrough so you can plan the rest of your day instead of waiting on us.
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13
How should I prepare a room?
Pick up toys, shoes, cords, plant pots and anything small off the floor, and take breakables off low shelves near the work area. Empty a dresser if you want it moved and clear a path to the door if rugs are leaving. You do not have to vacuum, we do that, but a quick pass helps in a house with a shedding dog. Secure anxious pets in a closed room.
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14
What does the walkthrough involve?
We look at every area you want cleaned, in daylight where we can, check the fiber and the backing, find the traffic lanes and test anything that might be dye rather than soil. Then we tell you what we expect to improve fully, what will improve partly and what will not move at all. It is free, it carries no obligation, and it takes about fifteen minutes.
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15
Which areas do you serve?
Fairfax County, Loudoun County and the western end of Prince William County. That means McLean, Tysons, Great Falls and Herndon in the east, Ashburn, Sterling, Leesburg and Purcellville through Loudoun, and Haymarket and Gainesville at the southwestern end. If your address sits just outside that list, call and ask, because the answer usually depends on what else is booked that day.
Still not sure? Just ask.
Walkthroughs are free and take about fifteen minutes. We agree the scope together and point out anything that will not come out before a hose comes off the truck. Over a decade in Northern Virginia and that has not changed.