Preparing for a professional carpet cleaning takes four actions: clear small items off the floor, move any furniture you want cleaned beneath (the crew does not move furniture), tell the crew about stains and pet spots, and keep pets and the room clear until the carpet is dry. Xtreme Cleans runs truck-mounted hot water extraction. A typical 3-area visit takes 1 to 2 hours on site, and carpet is dry again in 2 to 4 hours.
The Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) defines hot water extraction as pressurized hot water spray-injected into the carpet pile and vacuum-extracted almost immediately, flushing out soil and excess moisture. Shaw Industries recommends only hot water extraction for its carpet. To book a carpet cleaning visit in Maryland, the steps below are the whole checklist.
How do you prepare for carpet cleaning?
Clear small items off the carpet first: toys, shoes, pet bowls, baskets and loose décor. Then vacuum if you can, and note every stain and pet spot for the crew.
- Clear the floor of everything small. Cleared floor is floor the extractor reaches.
- Vacuum the traffic lanes. Shaw's advice for carpet is "vacuum, vacuum, vacuum," because gritty particles left in the pile abrade it like sandpaper. CRI tells homeowners to expect a professional to vacuum before deep cleaning as well, and Xtreme Cleans starts every job with a pre-vacuum pass. A home pass before the visit does not replace it.
- Move any furniture you want cleaned beneath yourself, because the crew does not move furniture (next section).
- Flag stains and pet spots when you book. Pet-urine treatment is quoted separately from the $199 price for 3 areas, so a spot named in advance is a spot priced in advance. The pet urine removal guide explains what each stage of treatment does.
- Count the areas. Xtreme Cleans prices carpet by the area, and stairs are quoted separately. CRI advises measuring before the phone call so the quote matches the job. The cost of carpet cleaning in Maryland page shows how the $199 for 3 areas breaks down.
- Arrange access. You do not need to be home if the crew can get in with a key or door code.
- Leave parking close to the entrance. The truck needs to park near the door for the hoses to reach.
Do you need to move furniture?
Yes, if you want the carpet underneath cleaned: the Xtreme Cleans crew does not move furniture. CRI recommends asking every cleaner whether it moves furniture or expects the room cleared, and whether moving costs extra. The answer here is that the room should be cleared before the crew arrives.
Small pieces (side tables, stools, plant stands) come off the carpet before the visit, because a cleared area is a cleaned area. Heavy and fragile items, such as electronics, TVs and antiques, are skipped and left where they stand.
Shoe covers or floor protection go on whenever the crew walks in, every visit. Furniture and rugs go back last, once the carpet is dry. The room stays usable only after the floor is dry, which the last section covers.
The upholstery counts as a separate job. To have a sofa or sectional cleaned in the same visit, ask about couch cleaning when you book.
What about pets and children on the day?
Keep pets in another room or crated during the visit, tell the crew about every pet accident and problem spot when you book, and keep the room clear until the carpet is dry. Pet-urine treatment is quoted separately from the $199 price for 3 areas.
Xtreme Cleans cleans with Green Seal GS-37 certified chemistry, a standard that covers cleaning products. Which spots need pet-urine treatment is the decision that changes the quote, and that treatment is the separate item on the price. Point out each one.
Wet carpet is the other pet and child factor. The EPA's rule for wet materials is to dry them within 24 to 48 hours, and Xtreme Cleans carpet is dry in 2 to 4 hours. Keep pets and children off the cleaned room until then.
How long should the room stay clear?
Expect 1 to 2 hours on site for a typical 3-area visit, then keep the room clear for 2 to 4 hours, until the carpet is dry to the touch. Xtreme Cleans finishes with air movers, and rugs go back down only once the carpet is dry.
The 1 to 2 hours is the crew's time in the home. The 2 to 4 hours is drying time, counted separately, and it describes truck-mounted extraction, which pulls most of the water out with the soil. A visit on narrow rowhome streets, where the truck parks close to the door and the hoses run inside, is covered in the Baltimore rowhome carpet article. The longer breakdown is in the guide to how long carpet cleaning takes.
The EPA's outer limit is 24 to 48 hours. A wet carpet that stays wet beyond that can grow mold, and the EPA notes that moldy carpet may have to be thrown away, because mold fills the empty spaces of porous materials. A carpet dry in 2 to 4 hours sits well inside that window. How often carpet needs cleaning is covered in the how-often guide: CRI sets 12 to 18 months and Shaw's wider range is 6 to 18 months, set by traffic. The carpet cleaning process guide walks through the four steps on the day, and preparation mistakes are listed in carpet cleaning common mistakes.
Carpet cleaning preparation questions
Should you vacuum before a professional carpet cleaning?
Vacuuming first is helpful but optional, because the crew vacuums too. CRI tells homeowners to ask a cleaner whether it vacuums before deep cleaning and states that the answer should be yes. Xtreme Cleans begins every carpet job with a pre-vacuum pass.
Do you have to move all the furniture?
Move any furniture you want cleaned beneath, because the Xtreme Cleans crew does not move furniture. Small pieces should come off the carpet beforehand. Heavy and fragile items are skipped.
Can you clean carpet yourself before the visit?
Vacuuming is the useful step. For stains, work from the guide that matches the stain, and leave the spot for the crew if it is not lifting. Shaw recommends only hot water extraction for whole-carpet cleaning, and the rental versus professional comparison sets out the difference.
What if the carpet has mold on it?
Tell the crew before the visit. Xtreme Cleans declines carpet with visible mold and refers it to a mold remediation professional. The EPA says moldy carpet may have to be thrown away, because mold fills the empty spaces of porous materials and complete removal can be difficult or impossible. Patches over about 10 square feet are a job for a mold professional, according to the EPA.
Every preparation step above leads to the same place: a clear room, a clear list of problem spots, and a carpet that is dry again in 2 to 4 hours. The full price, the 4-step process and the 12 Maryland counties served are on the Maryland carpet cleaning service page. Ask for a written quote through the form, and a price comes back the same working day. Booking for spring? The spring cleaning checklist lists what else to schedule.