Frequently Asked Questions – FAQ
Our new customers ask us common questions in relation to their floor & upholstery care needs all the time. Things that obviously matter to them. And, for good reason. Maybe they’ve experienced bad outcomes on their cleaning projects in the past by way of unqualified services. Or, maybe they’ve never had carpet cleaning done before, and this is their first time. Nonetheless, we can help answer some of your most frequently asked questions when it comes to your carpet and floor care needs. Let’s jump in shall we?
-What is flash steam?
Answer: “Flash Steam” is a term I coined for my service. The term is used in a playfully sarcastic way to depict the high heat temperature my cleaning equipment produces for the purpose of sanitizing. The machine I use has the ability to heat water up to boiling temperatures, and keep those temperatures consistent for the duration of cleaning. All the equipment used inside the customer’s home is rated for high temperatures, and is kept up to code. This means hoses never burst causing unwanted damage..
-What is the difference between flash steam & basic steam?
Answer: “Flash Steam” is a process that consistently produces & maintains high heat water temperatures at or above its boiling point. This means surfaces being cleaned actually get sanitized. Everything dries faster too, due to the faster evaporation of steam. “Basic Steam” is nothing more than a marketing term used for advertising carpet cleaning services. Many companies, even though truckmounted cannot reach boiling temps with their equipment. Instead, it’s warm to hot, but have difficulties maintaining the hotter temperatures. There’s hot, and then there’s scorching hot like flash steam!
-How often should I have my carpets cleaned?
Answer: Typically we recommend carpet cleaning once every 6 months to 1 year. Some carpets, though, can go without cleaning for years. Carpet manufacturers suggest every 12 to 18 months. However, this all depends on the individuality of each situation. Things like level of cleanliness and amount of traffic play an important role. Pets are usually a factor, whether it just be their body oils and odors, or urine mishaps. Spillages from greasy foods & drink, baby mishaps, and general dusty air in a town like San Diego are determining factors.
-How long will it take for my carpet to dry?
Answer: We can usually get most carpet dry to the touch by the time we are done. This all depends on specific factors. Things like climate, temperature, & air flow to be exact. For example, carpet in a home close to the beach will take longer to dry than a carpet in the eastern part of the county where it’s hotter, and drier. Summertime vs colder rainier winter time. Good ventilation, and other important factors secret to our process play a substantial role in accelerated drying. For carpet fibers that are notoriously difficult to dry fast and are slightly damp when we finish, dry times for them should be no longer than 24hrs. Rest assured that Precision has what it takes to get you dry fast!
-How long should I wait before I can walk on the carpet?
Answer: Carpet can normally be walked on by the time we are done with your job using the shoe covers we provide. They work fantastic until it is 100% bone dry, which does not take that long in most cases. A clean pair of shoes, sandals, & regular socks work fine too. Depending on carpet types, and weather conditions some carpet takes a little longer to dry afterwards than others (up to 24hrs) *We recommend you keep young children & pets off the carpet until the carpet has finished drying (usually no longer than 3 to 6 hours in most cases).
Why do other companies say they can get the carpet dry fast, but when they’re done its still wet and ends up taking days to dry?
Answer: This is an interesting concern often voiced to us by our new customers. The first reason is most carpet cleaners don’t have the knowledge behind fast drying principles. Secondly, it takes a lot of work to set the tempo for fast dry. A lot of cleaners are too lazy for that. Third, they tend to jump on the bandwagon of hot buzzwords, and run with them because they can. I mean, who’s going to stop them from advertising them right? That’s what happens with public domain..
-Why are your prices higher looking than others?
Answer: Our prices only “look” higher, because we DO NOT try to up-sell you for more on top of those prices. Many companies advertise lower prices just to get their foot in your door with the intention of up-selling unnecessarily. And, their final cost can end up being much higher than ours, plus unwanted disappointment. With Precision, we advertise more “expensive looking” prices right out of the gate, because we offer quality package deals. Again, we DO NOT try to up-sell you for more on top of our package prices. Our pricing has everything needed for a deep sanitizing truckmounted steam clean & dry baked right in, without pressurized unethical up-sell. Lower priced companies don’t. Instead, they try to progressively tack on extras in the hopes of bigger profits.
-Is Precision going to charge me more than their advertised price once in my home?
Answer: The only time pricing increases is if our customers request extra services and items not included in the original package price quoted. Price sometimes increases if areas to be cleaned turn out to be larger than described by our customers. Everything is handled with a calm cool demeanor, and we don’t move forward unless we get our customers okay. No hidden costs or unnecessary up-sells. We are very reasonably priced, because we are owner operated, and everything is done in writing.
-How long does it normally take to do a job?
Answer: Most jobs generally take anywhere between 1.5 to 3 hours max. It all depends on the size of the job and other important factors. The amount of areas to be cleaned, distance to and from our equipment, layout of the home or business, customer service chat, extra services requested, etc. On a side note… our recommendation for our clients is to create a little leeway in their schedules just in case. Planning other errands too tight around a scheduled appointment time is never a good idea. Due to the nature of spontaneity things can happen like sudden traffic situations on the way to a clients home, travel distances, extra services requested by previous clients in the day, etc.
What type of carpet materials do you clean & not clean?
Answer: We clean standard synthetics such as Polyester, Nylon, & Olefin. Berber loop pile too. As for natural fibers, we only clean Wool. We do not clean Sisal or anything imported. Too problematic.
Does Precision clean rugs?
Answer: Yes, but not all types. Some require delicate handling by a specialist that picks them up and takes them to their location for cleaning. Orientals and Persians are delicate and need special handling. Others are too cheaply constructed and we try not to touch them, like Pottery Barn stuff. They can sometimes cause problems with curling. We can tell you once on location.
-Do you move furniture?
Answer: We move some furniture items, namely sofas. Any delicate liability prone furnishings such as antiques, wobbly furnishings, and sensitive electronics / wiring we leave to our customers and clients.
-Does Precision subcontract their work?
Answer: No. We are 100% owner operated employing 1 or 2 helpers at a time if necessary. All work is performed by the owner himself.
-Do you clean upholstery?
Answer: Yes, most popular types like standard cotton & synthetic microfiber. We don’t clean leather and other delicate materials like Haitian Cotton, Rayon, or Silk.
-Does Precision offer appointment time windows, or strict time scheduling on the hour?
Answer: We schedule based on window time frames of 2 to 3 hours. This has proven to work the best in our experience. Whether it be an unforeseen traffic jam in getting to a clients location, or them just requesting other services and things to be cleaned.
-What happens if Precision is running a little late?
Answer: Most of the time Precision runs on time. But, if an unforeseen snag comes into play like with traffic, or the job before you turns out to be a little bigger than anticipated, either way we keep you posted at all times via text and/or phone with an ETA.
-Is Precision Certified & Insured?
Answer: Yes, we are IICRC & QCCN certified, as well as certified Green. We are also fully insured for our customers & clients piece of mind.
-Is Precision Eco Friendly?
Answer: Yes. We clean Non Toxic Green, Organic, & Chemical Free. The standard detergents we use for heavier greases are also very enviro safe for humans & animals.
Does Precision clean wool?
Answer: Sure we do. We actually specialize in cleaning wool. We use special cleaners that were made exclusively for it.
-Do you offer portable cleaning for high rise condos?
Answer: Yes we do. We have the portable water extraction equipment available to do the job.
-Are you equipped to clean commercial spaces?
Answer: Yes indeed! Office buildings, churches, restaurants, performance venues, hospitals, etc. We employ state of the art commercial equipment for jobs big and small.
-Can dark shadowy traffic patterns be removed?
Answer: Not completely. Those are a result of wear & tear from sandy gritty dirt sawing away at the fibers over a long period of time. Also, whatever grease from food that spills onto carpet fibers helps in its overall staining appearance. A polyester fiber, for example, will become one with the grease and take on its coloration. Wear patterns or traffic lanes/areas are also a result of not vacuuming in those specific areas on a regular basis.
-How often should I vacuum my carpet? Does precision pre-vacuum in its process?
Answers: We recommend vacuuming carpet at least once or twice per week. And, yes Precision does pre-vacuum before steam extracting.
-Is there a guarantee on stain removal?
Answer: There are no guarantees on stain removal. Many stains do come out or at least lighten in color. But, some stains will not come out unless a repair is made, where the carpet is cutout and patched.
-Does Precision guarantee their work?
Answer: As far as spots resurfacing, yes, we do guarantee our work on those. Our guarantee is that “if spots start to resurface that were there before we started, we will come back and take care of them free of charge as long as you are a client of ours.”