I've got a pillow that’s around 10 years old. It cost me quite a bit of money back then however it is getting on a bit. The one thing that worried me about keeping a pillow that long was dust mites and other nasties burrowed in it. So I looked around at what new pillows go for. It seemed I was in for a bit of a shock. Getting yourself a half decent pillow these days may cost anywhere from $300 – $400. Not to mention if you want special covers to stop things like dust mites and other allergens creeping their way into the cushion. So I did a little bit of research and found some interesting truths. I spoke to our carpet cleaning Elwood specialist and he told me this:

Dust mites only affect some of us! That's right, some of us. There seems to be a small percentage of people that have allergic reactions to dust mites. Things like nausea, eczema and respiratory problems. These are all typical reactions to the household dust mite.

Note: Most dust mites can be found in mattresses and carpet and if you weren't aware they feed on our dead skin cells!

This got me thinking. Do I really need to go and buy a new pillow or mattress for that matter? I mean couldn’t I just contact a carpet cleaner to have the mattress steam cleaned and throw the pillow in the wash? I haven't had any problems with allergens. I definitely don't suffer from any of the other symptoms that I just mentioned. Neither does anyone in my family?

The reaction that dust mites cause comes from the feces. Yuck! It's not the actual mites but the waste that causes us to have allergic reactions.

So the verdict:

I didn't go out and buy a new pillow however I will be putting the pillows in the wash cycle a lot more. Also I have recently booked in to have my mattresses and carpets steam cleaned. After speaking with our friendly carpet cleaner he advised us to have the carpets cleaned at least every six months and our mattresses every 12 months.

So if you're like me and cringe at the thought of dust mites, contact your area carpet cleaning service provider to see what they can do to help. Our carpet cleaning Elwood service was amazing.

 If you have an old mattress who knows what's harbouring inside? Especially if you've never had it cleaned before!

So you’ve you’re thinking of getting your carpets cleaned but don’t know which route to go down. Whether dry cleaning g or carpet steam cleaning? And what’s the difference between say if I had my carpets dry cleaned as opposed to whether I had my carpets professionally steam cleaned?

Well, let me assure you, both ways of cleaning your carpets are great, it just depends on a few things which you need to ask yourself.

·         Do you need to walk on them (the carpets) straight away?

·         Are your carpets really badly soiled?

The major difference between the two is carpet steam cleaning otherwise known as ‘hot water extraction’ uses a lot of water however dry cleaning uses very little. Both methods do use chemicals though so before you book in to have your carpets cleaned it’s advisable to check as to what chemicals the carpet cleaning company uses.

The hot water extraction method aka ‘carpet steam cleaning’ works by injecting high pressured hot water and chemicals into the carpet while simultaneously sucking up the dirty water into a waste tank. Most professional carpet steam cleaners in Elwood will pre-spray the carpets (my favorite is using a natural citrus based product) before the extraction method takes place. Some carpet cleaners will also use an agitator (depending on how bad the carpets are). This does as the name suggests, agitates the carpets preparing it for extraction. Here’s an agitated at work:

With dry cleaning you need to use a high powered vacuum to remove any deep down debris (this is done generally before carpet steam cleaning also). The carpets then have chemicals applied to them which have some solvents that help break down soiled areas.

This helps make the dry cleaning method easier to remove stubborn stains and oils.

Cotton pads that sit on the bonnet machine which are highly absorbent rotate at high speeds picking up dirt and along the way. These pads obviously get dirty in the process so must be changed on a regular basis.

Here’s a picture of a typical rotary machine/bonnet machine:

There are many pros and cons to carpet steam cleaning but he main one is definitely time. If you don’t have time on your hands this could pose as a problem for you. Let’s say you’re a busy family with kids and you don’t have time to let the carpets dry, than this method may not be for you. Carpets may stay wet or damp for up to 24 hours after you’ve just had them steam cleaned.

Dry cleaning on the other hand can have your carpets dry in as little as 2 hours. This could be beneficial if you have a work function happening at the office or if you have guests arriving for a dinner party that night and you want to freshen up the place.

Best thing to do is go with a company who offer both services so you can pick which one works best for you. Either way, having your carpets cleaned is great, not only improving the appearance of the carpets but for the general hygiene as well.

Get in touch with a local carpet cleaner to see seek advice on which one works best for you.