What Happens on the Day of Your Carpet Clean

This guide is about the day itself. If you want the list of things to do beforehand, such as clearing small items and sorting parking, see how to prepare for a carpet clean.

Who turns up?

Me. J.S. Carpet Cleaning is owner-operated, so the person who quoted the job is the person who cleans it. There are no subcontractors and no handing over to someone you haven’t spoken to.

Step 1: Arrival, parking and setting up

The first few minutes are about getting the van close and the gear connected. I use a Hydramaster Boxxer 318 truck-mount, which means the machine stays in the van and the hoses run into the house.

• Parking. I need to park near an entrance. The hoses reach roughly 45 m from the van, which covers most homes from the driveway or the street.
• Hoses in. The hoses come in through a door, so that door stays partly open while I work. I take care where the hose runs past corners and door frames.
• Water. An outside tap is the norm. If there isn’t one, I can usually connect to an indoor tap with an adapter. It just takes more setting up.
• Noise. Because the machine runs in the van, most of the noise stays outside. Inside you’ll mainly hear the wand and the air movers.

If the rooms are beyond hose reach, which can happen in some upper-floor apartments, we’ll have talked about it beforehand. In that case I offer a low-moisture clean instead. It’s a lighter clean than hot water extraction, and I’ll be clear about that.

Step 2: The walk-through

Before anything gets wet, we walk through the rooms together. This is the most useful few minutes of the job.

• We confirm which rooms, hallways, stairs or furniture are being done.
• You point out stains, pet areas and anything you’re worried about.
• I tell you honestly which marks should lift and which may only lighten.
• I check the carpet type, as wool and synthetic carpets need different handling.
• We confirm the price. It’s agreed before work starts, so there are no surprises.

If something turns up on the walk-through that wasn’t in the quote, such as a pet urine area hidden under a rug, I’ll explain what it needs and you decide. Nothing extra gets added without your say-so.

Step 3: Pre-spray and spot treatment

Next, the carpet gets a pre-spray. This loosens oily soil and the grime that’s bonded to the fibres, so the rinse can carry it away. Spots and stains get their own spot treatment, matched to what they are.

For heavily soiled carpet, I use CRB agitation, a machine with counter-rotating brushes that works the pre-spray through the pile. It’s not needed on every job, but it makes a clear difference in busy areas.

Pet urine areas follow their own process, which is explained in my pet urine and odour treatment page.

Step 4: Hot water extraction

This is the main event. Hot water is rinsed into the carpet and pulled straight back out by the truck-mount’s strong suction, taking the loosened soil with it. You’ll see me working in overlapping strokes across each room, usually starting at the far side and working back towards the door.

Extraction is also what controls how much moisture is left behind. Strong suction means less water stays in the carpet. You can read more about the method on the hot water extraction page.

Step 5: Grooming

Where it helps, I groom the carpet afterwards. This lifts and sets the pile in one direction so it dries evenly and looks tidy. Those neat lines you often see after a clean are grooming lines, and they fade as the carpet is walked on.

Step 6: Furniture and protective film

Any furniture that stays in the room or goes back onto damp carpet gets protective film under the legs. This stops timber stain or metal from marking the carpet while it dries. Leave the film in place until the carpet is fully dry, then just pull it off.

Step 7: Air movers and the final check

I set up air movers where they’ll help most and do a final look over the rooms with you. If there’s anything you’re not happy with, tell me while I’m there. And if something isn’t right later, let me know and I’ll come back and take a look.

When can I walk on the carpet again?

You can usually walk on it carefully in clean socks, but there’s no single answer for when it’s fully dry. It depends on:

• Ventilation, and whether you can open windows or run a heat pump or fan.
• The weather. Christchurch winters are cold and damp, while a dry nor’wester helps a lot.
• The carpet fibre. Wool and synthetic carpets dry differently.
• How soiled it was, and how much treatment it needed.

I’ll give you guidance on the day for your home. My carpet drying guide goes into more detail.

For what to do in the rooms while the carpet dries, such as ventilation, socks and when to put rugs back, see the after-the-clean section of my preparation checklist.

What about paying?

The price is confirmed before I start, so when the job is done you’re paying the amount we agreed. If you added anything during the walk-through, that was agreed then too.