So much heartbreak accompanies wildfires.  Property owners who come through with their homes and businesses intact count themselves blessed…until they face the mountainous task of dealing with the fallout of ash and soot. Not many people watching a fire on television realize the damage done to structures spared by fires burning nearby. 

“Help! I’m not a very decisive person, but I really want to get my carpet clean the first time around and see that it stays clean. I’m so conflicted! I’ve got friends who swear by their home carpet cleaners, but yuck! I’ve seen them in action and I hear that it takes waaaay longer for carpets to dry using a home machine vs. traditional cleaners. I’m concerned about using a lot of harmful chemicals, but with a few greasy footprints and some old pet stains, I’m concerned about the effectiveness of green cleaning. And then there’s the debate over dry and wet cleaning. It’s true, I am hesitant to waste water, but really, I just want this done right the first time. Someone just tell me what to do.”

DIY is awesome for sooooo many things—slapping together palette furniture, decorating throw pillows, or installing shelving in your garage, for instance. There’s only so much damage you can do there, right? And hey! You might actually wind up with something useful and cool. 

But carpet cleaning? True, there’s no end to the DIY promises on the internet when it comes to removing everything from red Kool-Aid to paint stains. When you think about the cost of carpeting, though, does it really make sense to trust your floor covering to some weird cocktail of salt, hydrogen peroxide, vinegar, Dawn, and baking soda that the crazy cat lady on YouTube promised would remove pet stains? Did you count the number of cats lurking in the background?