Five questions worth asking any carpet cleaner
Plenty of people book the first carpet cleaner that turns up in a search and only find out what they've paid for once the van has gone. A handful of questions asked up front tells you far more than any price list. A good company will answer them gladly, and one that dodges them has told you something too.
These are the five that matter most:
- Who will do the work, and are they trained?
- Are you insured?
- What cleaning method do you use, and why?
- How long will the carpet take to dry?
- What exactly does the price include?
Below, each one is explained: why it's worth asking, and the answer you'll get from us.
The questions, and how we answer them
Who does the work, and are they trained?
Why ask: carpet fibres react differently to heat, moisture and cleaning products. Wool can shrink or brown if it's over-wetted, some stains set permanently with the wrong product, and a viscose rug can be ruined in minutes. Training is what stops that happening.
Our answer: Ciprian, who founded Spotless, works on jobs himself with a small crew. He's fully trained in carpet cleaning, having completed the Prochem carpet-cleaning course in 2018 (certificate no. 2018/020), and you can see the certificate. If you'd like to know more about the person at your door, see your carpet cleaner in Dublin.
Are you insured?
Why ask: a carpet clean means heavy equipment, hoses and water inside your home. If something gets damaged, you want to know it's covered.
Our answer: yes, we're fully insured on every job.
What method do you use?
Why ask: "carpet cleaning" covers everything from a dry powder brushed in and vacuumed off to a full hot-water rinse. Each method leaves the carpet differently, and some leave residue behind.
Our answer: hot-water extraction with a portable extractor. Spots and traffic lanes are pre-treated first, then hot water and a cleaning solution are rinsed through the pile and vacuumed straight back out. Our page on professional cleaning versus DIY machines explains why the rinse matters.
How long will it take to dry?
Why ask: you'll need to plan around it, especially with children, pets, visitors or furniture going back in.
Our answer: usually a few hours, depending on the airflow in the room, the weather and the thickness of the carpet. We use air movers to speed it up, and we'll tell you before we leave when it should be safe to walk on.
What does the price include?
Why ask: some quotes count only bedrooms as rooms, then add the hall, stairs, landing and stain treatment on the day.
Our answer: one fixed price for everything in your photos, agreed before you book. The pre-treatment, the clean and the walk-through at the end are all part of it. How our carpet cleaning service works goes through what happens at each step.
spotless.ieRed flags when you're comparing carpet cleaners
None of these proves a company is bad, but two or three together should make you think twice:
- A price over the phone for "any room" that grows once they're through the door.
- A promise that every stain will come out, before anyone has looked at it. Honest cleaners say "probably", "possibly" or "no".
- No questions about your carpet. No interest in the fibre, the age or what's been used on the stains.
- No straight answer on insurance.
- A carpet left soaking wet, with no air movers and no advice on drying.
- Hard selling on the day. Extra treatments pushed on you before the clean has even started.
- Nothing you can check. No business name, no reviews and no way to contact them again afterwards.
What a good result looks like
After a proper clean, the colour comes back, traffic lanes lighten, and the carpet feels soft and clean rather than stiff or sticky. It should be damp to the touch, not wet, and it shouldn't smell strongly of perfume. A heavy scent is sometimes there to cover a poor rinse.
A good company is also honest about limits. Most everyday stains lift well, but bleach marks, dye stains, burns and stains already set by the wrong product often can't be removed. Pile that has been walked flat for years will look cleaner without standing back up like new. We'll tell you from your photos, and again on the day, what's realistic, so there are no surprises at the end.
Want to put us to the test? Send photos of your carpets and any stains on WhatsApp, and ask us anything on this page. You'll get straight answers and a fixed price, usually the same day.
Price matters, but it isn't everything
Carpet cleaning is priced by what's being cleaned: each room, the stairs and landing, the hall, and any rugs or furniture, adjusted for size and how soiled it is. Photos give you the most accurate figure, and the price is fixed before you book.
A cheap clean isn't a bargain if it leaves residue in the pile and the carpet goes grey again within a month, or if it soaks the underlay and the room smells musty for days. When you line quotes up side by side, check each one for:
- Which areas are counted. Is the hall a room? Are the stairs and landing extra?
- Stain treatment. Is pre-treatment part of the clean or an add-on?
- Furniture. Will they move light pieces and put them back, or expect an empty room?
- Drying. Do they bring air movers, and will they tell you when it's safe to walk on?
- Changes on the day. Is the price fixed, or "from" a figure that can rise?
Then weigh up how each company answered the questions above, and decide.
Checking up on us
Don't take our word for any of this. Read what customers say in our Google reviews, and find out a little about Spotless and the work we do. You can also see our main carpet cleaning page for what we clean in Dublin and further afield.
If you're still deciding, send us photos and your questions on WhatsApp or through the contact page. Asking for a price doesn't commit you to anything.
