Frequently Asked Questions

Welcome to our Frequently Asked Questions section. We will list some of the most commonly asked questions and give our answers to them.

How much do you charge?
Our prices start at £50 which is our minimum call out charge. Prices depend on what we’re cleaning, where the job is and how long it’s likely to take. Every job is different, some take longer than others because of various reasons including travelling time, access, furniture moving, pre-vacuuming, type of material / carpet, level / type of soiling etc. Some jobs take 30 minutes, some can take all day. Please visit our Prices page for prices on our services.

How long have you been established?
We started in 2002.

Are you insured?
Yes we have £5 million public liability and treatments risk cover for anything we work on.

What payment methods do you accept?
We take cash, Paypal, bank transfer, credit cards, debit cards, American Express, Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and Google Pay.

How long does a carpet take to dry?
Carpet drying times vary depending on the type of carpet, temperature, humidity and ventilation. In the summer a low profile carpet could be dry in 2-3 hours, a thick wool carpet in the summer could take 12-24 hours to completely dry. In the winter carpets will take longer to dry, having heating on will greatly improve drying times but they will still take longer to completely dry than the summer.

How long does upholstery take to dry?
Again it depends on the fabric, temperature, humidity and ventilation. Some upholstery can be dry in a few hours others might take 24-48 hours. We advise having alternative seating arrangements in place for the evening after its been cleaned just to be on the safe side. In the summer it’s an option to put cushions outside to dry quickly in the sun and sometimes its even possible to put the furniture carcases / frames outside as well so it all dries quicker.

Do you work weekends?
Yes we can work Saturdays and Sundays if required.

Do you need electricity & hot water?
Yes ideally we need both. Electricity is always needed to run our various items of electrical equipment ( vacuum cleaner, rotary, extraction machine etc. ). Our hot water extraction machine does have a built in heater but it speeds everything up if we can put tap hot water in it to start with.

How soon can you do it?
This will depend on our workload but generally within a few days. We will fit you in as soon as possible or on a day and at a time that suits you best. Sometimes we might even be able to fit you in the same day or next day if we are working in your area and have some spare time.

Do we need to vacuum?
Yes please if you can. If you’re not able don’t worry we will vacuum if necessary ( please let us know when inquiring if you haven’t been able to vacuum for a while or can’t vacuum or there’s lots of hair as we’ll need to charge extra for the time involved ).

Do we need to empty the room or move furniture?
An empty room is perfect because it means we can clean the whole carpet quickly and easily, so if it can be completely cleared please do. However if it can’t be completely cleared if you can move smaller items of furniture out of the room where the carpet is being cleaned that’s a big help. Things like nests of tables, magazine racks, lamps etc. are best if they are out of the room. We will move your arm chairs and sofa around as we need to, same with the dining table if there is one. We will work around any large, heavy or awkward items like wardrobes, big TV’s, heavy beds, beds with central support legs, heavy side boards, grandfather clocks etc. because won’t risk damaging the item or our backs trying to move them. In bedrooms we usually clean around the bed so if you put other things on to it we can clean everywhere else.

Can you apply Scotchgard?
Yes we can apply stain protection / Scotchgard to freshly cleaned or brand new carpet or upholstery.

Are the chemicals you use safe?
Yes they are safe for you, your children and your pets. Most carpet cleaning chemicals or solutions are bio degradable and completely safe to use in your home.

Is the equipment noisy?
Our carpet extraction machine is like a loud vacuum cleaner. Its nearly always left outside ( apart from some flats / apartments ) to keep noise levels down and to expel hot / humid / stale / smelly air outdoors rather than inside. When we do flats we will try leave machine on landing if possible or at the bottom of the stairs.

Does a carpet get dirty quicker once its been cleaned?
The main reason for rapid resoiling after having a carpet cleaned is sticky chemical residue left in the carpet. DIY and hire machines are notoriously bad for this because you’re running a sticky, soapy shampoo though the carpet and it leaves a lot of sticky residue behind because there is no final plain water rinse to remove the residue. We pre spray the carpet with a suitable carpet cleaning solution dependent on fibre type, level & type of soiling to get the best results & then flush with plain hot water so no or very little chemical residue is left in the carpet. Occasionally we may run a very weak dilution of deodoriser or acid rinse through the extraction machine as required but this won’t affect resoiling times.

Can you remove stains from carpets?
It depends on what the stain is, the carpet type & whether anything has already been used to try and remove it. We carry a wide range of specific stain removers on our van but sometimes stains are impossible to remove or even reduce especially on some carpet types & especially if a carpet cleaning product / carpet stain remover has already been used. As a rule of thumb wool carpets are the most difficult to remove stains from because wool is a natural absorbent fibre that is easily re-dyed by coloured spillages. The worst stains to try and remove from a wool carpet and can more often than not be permanent are urine, tea, coffee, red wine, lily pollen, pasta sauces, curry sauces, blackcurrant / orange squash, fizzy drinks ( Lucozade, cherryade, coke, Pepsi etc. ), oily foods, heavily coloured food & drink, ink, makeup, fake tan, paint, wood stain, nail varnish….. basically anything with hardener ( mainly paints ), ink, dye or colouring in.

Can you remove bad odours from carpet or upholstery?
Odours in carpets & upholstery can be tricky to completely remove or even reduce in some instances and sometimes replacement is the only option. Urine and vomit / sick are the worst odour issues in carpets & upholstery to try and deal with. As a rule of thumb the best way to approach this is to flush as much contamination out with a hand / stair tool and then extract using the tool or a water claw. Once the contaminant has been flushed out as much as possible an appropriate treatment can be applied to treat the problem. The main issues arise with these problems when someone cleans urine or vomit at home using a bucket of soapy water or an underpowered carpet cleaning machine borrowed from a friend or hired from a supermarket. These will usually push the contaminant deeper into the carpet and even the underlay sometimes making the issue harder to resolve. If you’ve done this don’t add any more moisture as it will prolong the problem, it needs to dry for the odour to go. If you can try and lift the carpet and expose the wet / damp underlay so it can dry faster. Damp underlay under a damp carpet can take days or even weeks to dry completely and as long as there’s moisture you’ll get odour even if its just a damp smell.

What don’t we clean but get asked?
We don’t clean car interiors, curtains, mattresses and some water sensitive rugs or upholstery that need dry cleaning.

My carpet smells bad after cleaning?
Bad odour after carpet cleaning is normally caused by the carpet taking too long to dry and/or poor ventilation or because of a stain or contaminant in the carpet and/or underlay that has been re-activated. Bad odour can develop if there’s moisture in the carpet and/or underlay after 2 days. Carpets can smell foisty, damp, doggy or develop a similar unpleasant smell. Best thing you can do is ventilate the room and possibly use a dehumidifier. This is quite a common problem with diy or hire machines and very occasionally with professional carpet cleaners. Summertime is the worst period for this to happen because of the warmer weather. The main thing to remember is that the smell will go once its all completely dry, do not attempt to re-clean or add additional moisture because it will only prolong the problem. To try and avoid this issue we use an antibacterial deodoriser in every clean which helps address to avoid this issue and leaves the carpet smelling nice and fresh. Very occasionally a carpet may need to be re-cleaned and speed dried to resolve the issue.

Can you remove paint from a carpet?
Paint can usually be removed from carpet but success will depend on the type and age of paint and type of carpet. As a rule of thumb water based paints are easier to remove and the fresher the spill will also make it easier to remove. Oil based paint and the older the spill is much more difficult. Most paint contains a plasticiser which is designed to harden over time and basically turn the paint into plastic. Once the paint has turned to plastic it needs softening usually with a solvent and then removing carefully without damaging the carpet. This can be a long time consuming exercise as damage can easily occur if the process is done incorrectly or rushed. Sometimes if the paint is very old or particularly hard the only option is to try and trim the paint out or leave it alone as damage will almost definitely occur.

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FAQ, Frequently Asked Questions, Dirtbusters Cleaning Services, Carpet Cleaning, Upholstery Cleaning, Great Yarmouth, Lowestoft, Hopton, Lound, Oulton Broad, Carlton Colville, Gorleston, Bradwell, Belton, Caister, Blundeston, Burgh Castle, Browston, Beccles, Bungay, Corton and surrounding areas.