2. Will steam cleaning damage my carpet?

No!! Steam cleaning or hot water extraction as it is known is a very safe and effective method of cleaning carpets and upholstery. It is the recommended method endorsed by the Australian standards council and most carpet and upholstery manufacturers. Problems only arise when the operator is ignorant as to the correct cleaning procedure or has substandard equipment. It pays to question your carpet or upholstery cleaner thoroughly as to their training and equipment.

3. Can my carpets be damaged by being cleaned too frequently?

As long as you have a competent carpet cleaner and proper procedures are followed there should be no problems. The most common form of damage is overwetting of the carpet, as this destroys the tension of the carpet backing, causing ripples and undulations and in extreme cases, shrinkage or brown discolouration. Ensure your carpet cleaner has up to date equipment and a good track record and overwetting shouldn't ever be an issue.

4. How long before my carpets can be walked on or the upholstery sat on?

It is only the surface fibres of the carpet that are cleaned. If this is done correctly the backing and underlay will remain dry. This means you can walk on the carpet immediatley if need be. Obviously care needs to be taken to prevent resoiling due to dirty feet, or slipping over as you come off of the carpet, especially onto tiled surfaces. Upholstery, depending on the fabric, can take anywhere from 2-24 hours to dry thoroughly.

5. Will getting my carpets or upholstery steam cleaned remove or destroy any stain resist treatment?

Provideing the operator doesn't use cleaning agents that are above the PH tolerence for the stain resist treatment, it won't be affected. However some stain resist treatment will wear off over time in hight traffic areas and will need to be topped up after each clean. Again, talk to your operartor and have him advise you.

6. I've had my carpets cleaned before but within a couple of weeks a lot of the marks from before reappeared!

A common complaint, and is due to the fact that prior to its previous clean the marks weren't pre-treated. Heavy oil,grease or sugar marks will reappear if not pretreated to thoroughly break up and dissolve the residues.