Carpet is one of the few accessories at home that is quickly noticed. That is why it is very important to have them always clean and stain free. But as you may already know, the cleaning part can be the toughest. Yes, you can do the vacuuming everyday but that will not really help with stubborn stains, right? But do not worry because if you cannot really handle cleaning your carpet on your own, you can always hire professionals to take care of that for you.

Here are some tips for homeowners on hiring a quality carpet cleaner.

As you try to look for professional cleaners in your area, you find that typing "Carpet Cleaning" with your city name in your browser will yield hundreds if not thousands of results. So now the question is, how will you know which company will deliver and give you the treatment you deserve as customers?

So to help you single out a reputable carpet cleaning company in your city, here are some factors that you have to consider.

1. Look for a company with a good profile.

Note that these profiles should not be coming from the company itself. After all, the stuff you read on their fliers and company websites can easily be made up. So look for feedback elsewhere. Yes, you can browse other sources like forums or online communities about carpets, but if you know someone who hired a professional cleaner before, you can ask them for suggestions or personal recommendations. Another pitfall to avoid when Googling "Carpet Cleaning" are the many directories that come up. Remember it's best to go straight to the local company websites than it is to search through the many directories that come up.

2. Look beyond the price of their service.

Yes, the economy is dire and your local economy may have been been hit a little as well. But the price of the cleaning service should not be the be all and end all of your selection process. You should still consider the quality of their service and the guarantee they provide their customers. Just think of it this way, if you hire a company at a low price but has poor service and no guarantee, you may just end up with paying another company to redo the initial cleaning or worse, getting stuck with a stinky and permanently damaged carpet.

3. Look for a carpet cleaning company who has trained individuals.

Would you believe less than 20% of all the carpet cleaning companies have any type of professional training? That's right. Without professional training you can't be assured of a quality cleaning job. Go to the IICRC's website and do a service for companies in your city.

What other people fail to realize is that the so - called "high - tech" equipment is not enough guarantee that the cleaning service they provide would be perfect. You should also consider the people operating the machinery because at the end of the day, if they misuse the machine and put the wrong stuff in them you would still and up with a disaster.

So now how are you supposed to know if the company you chose hire only properly trained individuals? Just look for their certification. Professional carpet cleaners should at least hold one of the following:

• Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) Certificate

• Association of Specialists in Cleaning and Restoration (ASCR) Certificate

Those are three of the most important factors that you have to look at before deciding to hire a carpet cleaning company to work for you. As long as you keep these in mind, you can be sure to get a local based company who delivers 99.9% of the time.