CARPET SANITIZING


There is a lot of false advertising in the carpet cleaning industry today. One of the most egregious half-truths that is propagated are the high claims that hot water alone will "sanitize" a carpet. Even more absurd claims are made on sites telling people that running vinegar through their carpet extractor will sanitize your carpets (it makes you wonder how science and hospitals have missed this!) We live in a day in which new anti-biotic resistant bacteria and diseases exist, and false claims of sanitization through such methods only leave the uninformed buyers at a great risk. 

Carpet sanitization has become an important part of buying and selling a new home, or to restore a house to a healthy status after a family member has had a sickness that may be transferable to others. Carpet sanitizing used to be limited to sewage cleanup, but health-conscious people are wanting to ensure that their living environment is as free as possible from harmful germs and bacteria. 

 

MOVING IN--MOVING OUT

It is an uncomfortable thought that when you move into a house that does not have new carpeting, you inevitably inherit some things with it. Dead skin, foot and nail fungus, and potentially harmful microorganisms and bacteria. Carpets are usually cleaned before occupancy, but rarely sanitized. Regular carpet cleaning removes a lot of fungus, germs, and bacteria from your carpet, but not all of it.* It is not technically "sanitized." This requires an approved disinfectant, applied properly, in order to ensure sufficient sanitization.

Sanitizing is different from sterilizing. Carpet, being porous, cannot be sterilized 100% (like in an operating room.) But sanitizing greatly reduces these harmful elements down to an insignificant risk. EPA Registered Sanitizers, applied properly, are certified to bring these things down to a safe level. Knowing what you, and your family may walk or lay upon is sanitary, is a peaceful feeling. 

It is a huge plus in closing a sale on a property if they have a certificate showing when they had the carpets sanitized. Knowing that a house is safe and healthy to live in places it at the top of a buyers list of things they like about you house, and what they dislike about others. It gives the peace of mind that MSRA, AIDS and H1N1 viruses are not living and surviving in their carpets! 

If carpets have not been treated, you can eliminate these worries by having the carpets treated before, or just after you move in. I would suggest that it can even be a condition of closing on a property, leaving the cost of a treatment to be the responsibility of the seller.

 

SICK HOUSE

Some house and buildings are referred to as "sick" buildings. Fungus, germs, and bacteria have settled in to a degree in which the inhabitants have chronic health problems. Along with carpet sanitization, we offer ozone gas treatments that sanitize surface areas (but not carpet,) and removes odors associated with organic decay and bacteria. It reaches into areas that cannot normally be reached by other cleaning methods, such as duct work, furnaces, and under appliances that are inconvenient to move.

Hard surfaces can also be treated with a quality disinfectant, to include fogging it onto ceilings and walls for a complete, whole house sanitizing service.

We offer many levels of service, leaving many levels of pricing options. We should be able to tailor-fit a sanitizing option that meets your needs and your budget.

*Warning! Some cleaners falsely advertise "sanitizing" by the mere virtue of cleaning with "200" + degree temperatures. It would take steam a minimum period of 10-20 seconds of continuous application in the exact same spot to sanitize a hard surface, and much longer to sanitize a porous surface such as porous carpet fiber. I know of no cleaner that would spend 20 seconds of continuous steam on every square inch of carpet. It would take them more than a day to truly "sanitize" and entire house. Operating at temperatures like this will kill some bacteria, which is certainly a benefit. What many cleaning companies will not tell you is how long it would take to kill that bacteria given the temperature they operate at. There is a vast difference between the science of sanitization and personal opinion! 

"When heat sanitizing, using a higher temperature generally shortens the time required to kill bacteria. According to the 1995 Food Code, the temperature/time requirement for the sanitizing step in manual dishwashing is 171 F for at least 30 seconds."

I also clean with 200 degree + water, but will not claim anything other than it results in a reduction in germs and bacteria. I will not put a stamp of "sanitized" on something that I know is not legitimately considered "sanitized" by E.P.A. standards. High temperatures and cleaning alone will bring most normal home levels of bacteria to a safe and acceptable level in most cases. There are however, situations where conditions are so bad, or unknown, that true sanitizing is the prudent and sensibly safe way to go. 

Call us today for more information, or an appointment!

 

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