How Are We Different?

Chem-Dry’s processes are faster, more efficient and healthier

Carpet cleaners generally use steam cleaning, or other similar methods.  Chem-Dry is the only brand that uses Hot Carbonating Extraction, the more effective and healthier option.

The most common alternative to Hot Carbonating Extraction is traditional steam cleaning, which dumps gallons of hot, soapy water onto carpet — only to then try to suck up this high volume of dirty water with a high-pressure vacuum. This high-pressure suction can damage the carpet, and excessive water can soak into the backing of the carpet, creating a moist breeding ground for mold and mildew.

And steam cleaning isn’t even that effective. If you’ve ever run your washing machine without soap, you know that hot water alone won’t remove stains. So most steam cleaners use additives, chemicals and soaps that can help get stains out but leave behind sticky residue that can actually trap more dirt. That’s why steam-cleaned carpets often form fresh stains in the same spots as the old ones.

Some other carpet cleaning franchises use “dry” spray-on additive methods that coat carpet with a chemical cleaner, and then rely on several rounds of vacuuming to extract the loose dirt. This method leaves chemical residue on the carpet and tends to push dirt deeper into the carpet rather than removing dirt altogether. Carpet may look cleaner afterward, but often, the dirt is just moved around and remains in the carpet.

Chem-Dry Processes: A Better Way to Clean Carpet

The explosive power of Hot Carbonating Extraction — millions of microscopic bubbles blasting the dirt from carpet fibers and other surfaces — requires one-fifth of the water used in steam cleaning, reduces the risk of mold and mildew and ensures your carpet will dry in an hour or two instead of a day or two. Carbonation works at the molecular level to lift dirt particles to the carpet surface, which means Chem-Dry technicians require less suction to whisk the dirt away, reducing the risk of damage to your carpet.

There’s a reason our patented cleaning solution is called The Natural®. We’ve used it in homes for more than 20 years, earning the Carpet and Rug Institute’s Seal of Approval. It’s a simple carbon dioxide-and-water solution that’s safe enough to drink — and we do drink it, tossing some back in a toast at our annual franchise conference!

The simplicity and effectiveness of The Natural® come from an understanding of chemistry and how it applies to getting stains out of carpet and other surfaces in your home and workplace.

Certain elements just aren’t water-soluble or have limited solubility. Water alone is a decent solvent, but there are certain soils, fats and dyes that don’t come out with just water. The trick is to break the chemical bond that certain elements form with carpet fibers and other surfaces. If you don’t break that bond, you don’t fully remove the stain.

That means you have to add something to the water. You could add chemical cleaners or detergents to the water, which help clean the surface more thoroughly but come with penalties: They can leave behind sticky and dirt-attracting residue that can attract more dirt, defeating the purpose of having your carpet cleaned to begin with, and they can irritate the eyes and mucous membranes of children, pets and you. Imagine frolicking with your young child and dog on a carpet crusted with chemical residue. Not terribly inviting, is it?

Now consider the effects of carbonation. No harmful chemicals here. There’s no need. Carbonation, which looks like a pleasant “fizzing” effect, is actually pretty violent at the molecular level, where soils and fats cling to carpet and other surfaces. The “explosions” literally shake the dirt loose from the surface and lift the soil particles upward, where they’re easily removed.

Because the Chem-Dry process of Hot Carbonating Extraction is so effective, it requires only a fifth of the water used in steam cleaning. That not only conserves precious water, but it also allows the carpet to dry within an hour or two as opposed to a day or two with normal steam cleaning. That greatly reduces the risk of mold and mildew.

Chem-Dry’s Hot Carbonating Extraction process doesn’t leave behind any sticky or soapy residue and dries much more quickly than competitors’ chemical solutions. Our process is followed with an application of our proprietary protectant solution, which gives carpets a protective barrier to resist dirt.

And one other thing about carpet: For a long time, people had the idea that bare floors were somehow healthier than carpet because, the thinking went, carpet attracted dirt, dust, pet dander and other allergens. In recent years, we’ve discovered that this just may not be true.

Carpet really acts as a filter to trap most of those airborne particulates, whereas in a home with just bare floors, the dirt and dust swirl around and get kicked up for you to breathe every time there’s activity on the floor. As long as you get the carpet cleaned regularly, it will continue to act as a filter to keep allergens out of the air in your home and workplace. As a matter of fact, Chem-dry removes 98% of allergens from carpet and upholstery, and 89% of airborne bacteria.

It all adds up to an outstanding business opportunity. Green cleaning induces customers to pay extra for healthy products and services, which means it makes money for franchisees. Chem-Dry, which constantly searches for ways to make its processes safer and better, has positioned itself to tap into this growing and profitable market.

Chem-Dry listed among the top cleaning franchises for decades

Individual vendors, often called “Chuck on the truck,” pose problems for customers looking for carpet cleaners they can trust. Trust may be the single biggest issue in carpet and surface cleaning; it’s a business in which clients have to be able to trust the people they hire, since they’re working in both offices and homes, sometimes in the presence of children and pets. If a carpet cleaning company doesn’t inspire trust or — worse yet — violates it, they won’t be earning that business again.

Chem-Dry selects only the best franchisees to represent its brand to the world. Our highly selective recruitment process emphasizes the personal interview, an analysis of financial resources and a measurement of the work history and accomplishments of a candidate, among many other success indicators. We want the best, and we go to great lengths to protect our brand. By selecting only the best franchisees to deliver trusted quality service to our customers, we are fulfilling our brand promise and building trust that others in the industry simply can’t match.