When Dawna Schmidt was searching for a carpet cleaner, she went directly to the Houston Better Business Bureau website.
"They have ratings, you can read and reviews from other customers," said Schmidt.
She also wanted to hire a carpet cleaner for a reasonable price. She found Yes Carpet Cleaning. For $99, four rooms are deep cleaned. That includes spot treatment on stains.
"I just called them yesterday and they were able to come today," Schmidt said.
Sears Carpet Cleaning is also running a special for $99. The company will steam clean three rooms and a hallway. The fine print says each area should be no more than 300 square feet.
For carpets that don't need a deep steam clean, Deluxe Carpet Cleaning has a deal that includes a shampoo cleaning for any five areas of your home regardless of size and condition, but this deal excludes empty homes. Harris Carpet and Flooring will clean one room and a hall for $69. Each additional room is $20.
"It's not just for steam cleaning, it's for scrub cleaning, spot cleaning, whatever it takes to get your carpet cleaned," said Latrell Harris of Harris Carpet and Flooring.
Before you hire a carpet cleaning business, make sure you first check out their history on the Better Business Bureau website.
"Last month we had 8,000 inquires on carpet cleaning businesses alone," said Monica Russo of the Houston Better Business Bureau.
The BBB recommends you ask several questions before you hire a carpet cleaning company:
- Get references. The BBB says it seems obvious, but many people don't do it.
- Be sure to ask if the company is certified by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration. This organization guarantees the company can show proof of insurance, maintain a written customer complaint policy with documented follow-ups, and show technicians continue training.
- Ask the company if they charge extra for moving furniture, treating pet odors and treating hard-to-remove stains.
- Finally, ask the company if they have a service guarantee.
We made several phone calls and found that the going rate is about $99 to steam clean three rooms and a hallway. But the BBB says be cautious of those offers that are too good to be true.
As far as the best method to clean your carpet, the experts say steam cleaning is the best way to really clean your carpet. The pros call it a hot water extraction method.
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