How to prepare for carpet cleaning, and what to do afterwards

Clear small things off the floor, put away breakables, and decide which furniture stays. Vacuum if you can, and point out stains and their history when the crew arrives. Afterwards, keep shoes and pets off until the carpet is dry, keep wet furniture legs off it or raised, and keep air moving through the room.

None of this is complicated. It is just the difference between a crew spending its time cleaning and a crew spending its time working around things.

What should you do the day before?

The day before, get the floor clear, sort out the furniture plan, and write down what you know about the stains. Those three things decide how the visit goes.

A checklist for the evening before:

• Pick up toys, shoes, bags, cables, floor plants and anything stored under beds that you want cleaned under.
• Put away breakables and anything on low shelves or side tables near where the crew will be working.
• Take valuables, papers and medication out of the rooms being cleaned.
• Unplug and lift chargers and power bars off the floor.
• Hang long curtains up off the carpet, or pin them clear of the floor.
• Vacuum, if you have time, with extra attention to pet areas and doorways.
• Note each stain: what it was, roughly how old, and what has been put on it.
• Make a plan for pets: a closed room, a crate or a day out.
• Clear the route from the door to the rooms, and know where the crew can park.

In a condo, check the building's rules a few days ahead. Many buildings want contractors registered with the concierge, a service elevator booked, or work kept to certain hours, and some have nowhere to park a van near the door. Your management office will know, and it is better to find out before the crew is standing in the lobby.

The vacuuming is useful but not essential. The Carpet and Rug Institute's consumer advice, Easy carpet cleaning tips for your home, says a good professional cleaning should include vacuuming, a pre-spray and routine spot removal, so a proper crew does its own dry pass before any water. Yours just means theirs goes further.

The stain notes matter more than people expect. A stain that has had a shop spot remover, then vinegar, then dish soap on it is carrying three residues, and residue is the most common reason carpet stains come back after a clean. Tell the crew what went on, even if it feels like a confession.

If you have a manufacturer's warranty, check its cleaning terms before the visit. Shaw's carpet care page, for example, says its warranties require proof of periodic cleaning by hot water extraction. Keep the invoice from the visit with your flooring papers.

What happens with the furniture?

Settle the furniture question when you book, not on the morning. What is in the room changes the setup, the time on site and sometimes the quote, so describe it on the phone: beds, sofas, sectionals, dressers, a piano, a full bookcase, a glass cabinet.

The crew moves what two people can safely lift and slide, and puts it back once the pile is dry. Pianos, full bookcases and anything standing on a delicate floor get cleaned around instead. The carpet cleaning page says the same in its FAQ. A few things are still on you:

1. Empty what is fragile. A china cabinet or a curio shelf should not be moved with anything in it, by anyone.
2. Decide what stays put. Some pieces are better not moved at all: very heavy ones, anything standing on a delicate floor, and anything that would have to be taken apart. If they stay, the footprint under them is not cleaned, which is fine, because nobody walks there.
3. Clear the tops. Lamps, plants and electronics come off anything that might be shifted.
4. Tell us about wobbly or fragile furniture. Loose legs, glued joints and antique pieces are better left in place.

If furniture goes back on the carpet before it has fully dried, wooden legs and metal glides can leave rust or brown stain marks in the pile. Squares of foil or plastic under each leg prevent that. Take them out once the carpet is dry.