Have you ever
noticed how everything around us changes? Nothing ever stays
the same and if you do not keep up with these changes, you might get
left behind.
Take a look at
Carpet Cleaning. Are you still hiring the carpet cleaner
without any certification, proper insurance or proper equipment?
As we know,
carpet cleaning is not rocket science, but a certification is able
to give a carpet cleaner the knowledge with a greater degree of
quality of service.
From a
landlord's perspective, it should be also a paramount concern that a
carpet cleaner working in a landlord's building be professional,
dependable and certified by the IICRC institute.
Who is IICRC?
The Institute of
Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification was established in
1982 to provide a means by which a professional carpet cleaner could
be certified. IICRC is a non-profit organization owned and
operated by state, regional and international industry trade
association. The IICRC represents the industry as a whole.
IICRC is
recognized and respected by major carpet manufacturers. IICRC
actively pursues relationships with fiber producers, equipment and
chemical manufacturers and suppliers.
IICRC
created standard - setting body for cleaning and restoration.
The standard reference guide is a bible for any professional carpet
cleaner who commits him/herself to the carpet cleaning business.
Lets talk for a
moment about commitments
Who do
you think is more committed? The cleaner who invests $80, 000 for
equipment, or the guy who bought equipment from Costco? The cleaner with a
serious commitment is your man.
Carey Mitchell,
the director of technical services at Shaw Carpets, largest carpet manufacturer
in the world. He used to hire "walkers" to test the
carpets. Here is what he had to say.
"In our
opinion, and all out testing bears this, about the only real cleaning system is
how water extraction and better with a TRUCK MOUNT. This system has more
power than any other system. Everything else is just an interim system,
just rearranging the dirt. I hope someday the world will wake up and
realize this. My advice to all property managers is to look very hard at
the equipment and chemicals used. Remember using wrong chemicals can
permanently damage your carpet. Like Stain Master Carpet must be cleaned
with a special low PH chemical and rinsed properly. Insisting on TRUCK
MOUNT systems, leaves a healthier indoor environment because exhaust outside and
drying time is very short?"
In my
twenty four years of experience in the carpet cleaning industry, I have seen
many carpets that were damaged by using wrong types of chemical and non-adequate
equipment. I have also noticed that some building managers buying portable
machines for superintendents to clean their carpet. This is a huge
mistake, your hundred thousands investment can go right through the drain.
I was just wondering, who is to blame?
How to select a carpet cleaner?
It is important not lose sight of the fact that carpet cleaning
companies, like all other companies, are in the business to make a profit.
It is equally important for landlords to know and understand this too.
Often however, this is not the case. Selecting contractors for the price
alone is not necessarily the answer to a landlord making a profit over the long
term. In fact, electing to go to the higher price may save the landlord
more money and create less problems than the cheaper one. Why?
Because the contractor with the higher bid has got better equipment, better
chemicals, better insurance and is IICRC certified.
It is
very important for property managers to carefully analyze all bids in order to
come up with a realistic assessment.
Clean
carpet is an essential element of a clean environment and a large part of the
landlords ability to attract new tenants to their buildings, and to renew
existing tenants to long term leases.
I
hope this article will be beneficial.
Created by Michael Sapov.
Comfort Carpet and Air Duct Cleaning Co. LTD
