Carpet Cleaner

A dirty or stained carpet takes away from the overall appearance of a room or office. Carpet cleaners work in private homes, offices and other residential or commercial buildings. Their work involves cleaning carpets, sofas, chairs and many other soft furnishings. Along with upholstery and carpet-cleaning services, many offer spot cleaning, stain and pet odor removal, Oriental rug cleaning, carpet dying, carpet repair including fire and water damage restoration. They use industrial carpet and upholstery cleaning machines, some of which are truck-mounted steam extraction cleaners.

By having carpets cleaned regularly, it maximizes the appearance and life of the carpet. A carpet cleaner needs to be very knowledgeable in fabrics and materials, so they select the proper cleaning methods and cleaning solution. Many carpet cleaners learn the business by on-the-job training while others work for a firm that provides a short course in using the equipment and cleaning carpets.

Cleaning carpets is a very demanding job requiring a person to be in good physical shape, as they spend a lot of time on their feet, carry heavy equipment and move furniture when necessary. It is definitely not the right career choice for a person that has an allergy to chemicals or dust. Hours are irregular and often include working weekends or evenings, especially when doing commercial jobs. For a self-employed carpet cleaner, they purchase and maintain their equipment, do the purchasing, accounting and marketing. They need good people skills, a pleasant manner, be honest, reliable and able to work in a team or alone.

Common work activities include:

• Ensuring that all needed supplies and equipment are in the cleaning truck prior to leaving the shop.
• Meeting with the customer, examining the rugs and making any changes to the estimate based on the visual examination of the area to be cleaned.
• Moving furniture or placing protective covers over larger pieces of furniture that cannot be moved.
• Using pre-soaking for stains and specialized treatment for heavily soiled carpet prior to the steam cleaning.
• Steam cleaning the carpet using various types of professional quality steam cleaning equipment.
• Vacuuming the area and replacing furniture if required.
• Collecting any required fees, checking for customer satisfaction and removing all cleaning equipment from the customer's residence.