How to Read an Orlando Carpet Cleaning Quote Before You Book

What should a carpet cleaning quote include?

Enough detail that the number cannot change once the work starts without you knowing why. That means the rooms by name, stairs and rugs as separate lines, the cleaning method, whether pre-spray and spot treatment are in the total, and any extras shown as optional. If you are comparing quotes for a home in Orlando, read the description before you read the total.

The total on its own tells you very little. Two companies can quote the same figure for completely different jobs, and the one that describes less is the one more likely to add to it at your front door. A quote is really a description of a job with a number attached, so the description is the part worth checking.

Does it say which rooms, and how big they are?

A quote that says three rooms has not told you much. Is the open living and dining area in a Dr. Phillips house one room or two? Does the primary bedroom count the same as a small guest room? Ask the company to name each room on the quote, and if they price by size, to say what size they have assumed.

Stairs, hallways, closets and area rugs are where quotes most often go quiet. If any of them are part of what you want cleaned, they should appear as their own line. A quote that does not mention the stairs has not priced the stairs, whatever was said on the phone.

Is the cleaning method written down?

It should be, in plain words. Hot water extraction and low-moisture cleaning are different jobs, with different amounts of water going into the carpet and different drying times, which matters in a humid Central Florida house where damp carpet dries more slowly. Our comparison of steam and dry carpet cleaning covers when each one makes sense.

If the quote just says carpet cleaning, ask which method will be used, and whether it changes from room to room. You are allowed to know what is going to happen to your floor.

Are pre-spray and spot treatment included?

They are a normal part of a proper clean, and the quote should say whether they are in the total or charged on top. Traffic lanes in front of the sofa and down the hallway usually need pre-treatment before extraction, and in homes where sand gets tracked in from the yard or the pool deck they often need it more. Individual spots like coffee or makeup need their own treatment.

The question to ask is simple: if the technician decides a lane or a spot needs pre-treatment, is that already covered by this number? A yes on the phone should become a line on the quote.

How should extras appear on a quote?

As separate, optional lines you can say no to. Carpet protector, deodorizer, pet odor treatment and extra drying equipment are all things a company may offer. Some are worth it in some homes. None of them should be buried in a single total you cannot pull apart.

When extras are listed separately, you can make a real decision about each one, and you can compare two quotes on the basic clean alone. When they are bundled, you cannot tell whether a lower total means a cheaper clean or a thinner one.

Two quotes with the same total, and why one is better

Picture two quotes for the same Winter Park home, both landing on the same figure. The first names the living room, the hallway, three bedrooms and the stairs, says hot water extraction, includes pre-spray on traffic areas and spot treatment, and lists protector as an optional extra. The second says carpet cleaning, four rooms, and a total.

The first one is a promise you can check. The second one leaves the stairs, the hallway, the method and the spotting all open, so the likely outcome is that the total changes on the day, and at that point you have already cleared the furniture and taken the morning off. Same number, very different quotes.

What could change the price on the day?

Ask this directly before you book, and get the answer in writing. Reasonable answers are specific: pet urine found under the surface, a room much larger than described, or heavy furniture that nobody mentioned. A vague answer, or a price that depends on what the technician sees with no description of what that means, is worth noticing.

It also helps to walk the rooms together before any cleaning starts, so anything that does change gets agreed in front of you rather than on the invoice afterwards. Our note on what to check before the carpet cleaner leaves covers the other end of the visit.

How HomeProud quotes a job

HomeProud Inc is owner operated. Adam Corbett does the work himself, there is no subcontracting, and the person who quotes your job is the person who cleans it. You get a firm quote before any work starts, with no surprise fees and no upselling at the door.

That covers carpet cleaning, tile and grout cleaning, upholstery and leather in homes across Orlando, Winter Park, Dr. Phillips, Maitland, Windermere and the surrounding area. If you already have another company's quote and something on it is unclear, you are welcome to ask about it, by phone or through the free quote form at homeproud.net.