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Times Magazine - Ask Aggie Column
An article from the Times Magazine in the Ask Aggie column.
From The Times
March 24, 2007
Ask Aggie
Each week, Times Magazine readers put their own domestic goddess queries to our houseproud expert
Aggie MacKenzie
Q. I need to get my carpets cleaned. Is this something that I could do? What are the different options available to me, the relative costs involved and the pros and cons?
A. You can either clean your carpets yourself — by buying a machine or hiring one, such as the Rug Doctor, around £19.99 for 24 hours plus shampoo (01903 235558; www.rugdoctor.co.uk) — or you can have it done professionally. A DIY job is cheaper, but hard work. If you have children and/or pets, it may be worth buying your own 3-in-1 machine, such as the Vax V-026 Rapide Deluxe, £149 (0870 6061248; www.vax.co.uk).
But I think carpet-cleaning is best done professionally; they have specialist solutions, more powerful machines, plus they do the hard work (always a bonus in my book). There are several methods, including shampooing or bonnet-buffing (detergent is applied and worked into the carpet with a spinning mop or rotary brush); hot water extraction (the carpet is pre-sprayed with a heated detergent solution before being rinsed and the dirt sucked out); dry-powder cleaning (absorbent powders impregnated with cleaning agents are worked into the carpet before being vacuumed away); and a hot-carbonating system (unique to Chem-Dry: they use a naturally based solution and a special carbonating process to create millions of tiny bubbles that lift the dirt and allergens to the surface for extraction).
Which to choose? Each has pluses and minuses: shampooing takes longest to dry (times vary with type of carpet, level of dirt and weather), whereas dry-powder cleaning is fast to dry but suitable only for light soiling.
The most important thing is to find a good company — any decent carpet-cleaner will offer various methods. He shouldn’t be quoting a price until he’s assessed the area, condition, age and level of dirt, which will determine the most appropriate cleaning method (hence it’s impossible for me to give a price guide). Whoever you choose, use either a member of the National Carpet Cleaners’ Association (0116 2719550; www.ncca.co.uk) or contact Chem-Dry (01482 888195; www.chemdry.co.uk) direct.
