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Text Box: 6 Costly Misconceptions about Carpet Cleaning Misconception #1: You should wait as long as possible before cleaning your carpet (or upholstery). Big mistake. It is an old wives tale that once you clean your carpet it will get dirty faster. Actually, this statement had some truth in it a few years ago when shampooing carpets was the method used. It’s compared to shampooing your hair and not rising it out. Today's hot water extraction cleaning agents do not leave a sticky dirt attracting residue. However, some carpet cleaners pre-spray your carpet with their cleaner and do not use enough cleaning strokes to thoroughly rinse the fibers, thus leaving residue to attract soil. Dirt is an abrasive– like sandpaper. Every time you step on your carpet, you grind dirt into the carpet fibers. This cuts into your carpet fibers, causing it to wear out much faster. While vacuuming helps, by itself, it simply is not enough. Modern carpet yarns are engineered to conceal dirt - which is good, to a degree. Regular cleaning is needed because by the time your carpet begins to show soiling, for example, in the traffic lanes, the damage has already begun. Regular scheduled cleaning can prevent this from happening. So the longer you wait to have your carpet cleaned, more damage is done to the fibers and the faster it wears out. Dirty carpets simply will not last near as long as a clean carpet. Worn fibers will also attract soil much faster. Cleaning should be done every 9-12 months or 6 months with pets, kids, spills or high traffic areas. But there’s more than visible dirt to be removed. Learn about that in misconception #2. Misconception #2: The only reason you should clean your carpet (or upholstery) is to remove the dirt. Not true. Not only do you want to clean your carpet for appearance reasons, you also want a healthy carpet - germ and odor free. Unfortunately the dirt in your carpet has lots of company. Carpet is the biggest filter in your home and it needs hot water extraction on a regular basis to be effective. As you probably know, outdoor air contains pollens, fungus, bacteria, air pollution, cigarette smoke, car exhaust and hundreds of other unwanted guests. Not to mention the dirty work done by dust-mites and their allergens. Did you know tobacco smoke contains over 4000 different chemical compounds, 43 of which cause cancer. Even if you don’t smoke, when you come into your home, you carry those chemicals on your skin, hair, clothing and shoes. Your pets also carry fleas and many germs on them. Not surprisingly all of this winds up in your carpet (and upholstery). As you walk on your carpet all of these ‘substances’ are stirred up and redistributed into the air you breathe. If you have allergies, asthma, emphysema or other breathing problems - one major source of your problem could be the unhealthy trapped indoor air and the ‘unwanted guests’ in your carpet and upholstery. Cleaning also flushes the fibers of odors. You become accustomed with your homes odors, but