If you have ever researched carpet cleaning, you have probably come across the name Chemdry or Chem-Dry. The parent company has been around for some time and has granted franchises in most of the country.
The thing about Chem-Dry though is that they do not give their franchisees protected territories.
That means that there may be a dozen different Chem-Dry franchises operating in Austin.
So is this one a good one to choose and is the Chem-Dry system a good one? Keep reading and see what we think.
Method of Cleaning
What's in this article...
The method used by Chem-Dry companies used to be a form of bonnet cleaning coupled with an oxygenated cleaning solution.
For years they criticized steam cleaning by saying that it would ruin or soak your carpet.
Well, now they use a form of steam cleaning but try not to admit it.
Their hot carbonated extraction process is basically hot water extraction or steam cleaning although you would be hard pressed to get them to admit to it.
Aside from the word play, it is actually a good method.
They use a rotary extraction machine that makes more cleaning passes than a traditional wand and truck mounted machines in most cases.
I would never recommend the original method of bonnet cleaning, but the new method gets a thumbs up.
Other Cleaning Services
Like any other carpet cleaning company in Austin, Meek’s offers a number of complimentary services. This includes tile cleaning, area rug cleaning and upholstery cleaning.
This is what you would expect of a good carpet cleaner, so another thumbs up on the list of services offered.
Cleaning Prices
At first glance, the pricing of their specials seems in line with average Austin carpet cleaning prices 3 rooms for under $120 and this is a fair price.
Then I looked at the fine print, up to 350 square feet and then 4o cents extra per square foot.
In most homes, three rooms would come in at around 500 to 600 square feet which, once you add in the extra cost per square foot, would bring your total to $180-220.
That makes their prices much higher than average.
This is deceptive because most people do not know the square footage of their rooms and don’t realize that the price will be higher until the carpet cleaner gets to your home.
A big thumbs down on the pricing and fine print.
Website Overview
It is your typical Chem-Dry website. Plenty of information, easy to navigate and your normal anti-steam cleaner propaganda.
Of course they are basically steam cleaners but, like I said earlier, they will never admit it. Anyway it looks professional.
Reviews
This is one of the most important things to look at, the customer reviews. The best place, in my opinion, to find them is Yelp so I will start there.
Yelp is harder for companies to manipulate because they have a pretty strict and aggressive filter.
This sometimes leads to legitimate reviews being filtered but also makes it very hard for fake reviews to stick.
On Yelp, Meek’s has five reviews with four of them being 5 stars and one 3 star review.
All of the reviews praised the quality of the work and the 3 star review also praised the quality but commented on the tricky pricing.
Conclusion
So, after everything I found, would I use Meek’s Family Chem-Dry?
I am not 100% on this, but I would ultimately go with YES because the quality seems to be there.
The only thing that gives me pause is the pricing or fine print on the coupons.
I would encourage the owner to be more up front on charges and as a consumer would expect to end up paying more.
I would advise you to consider this company but go ahead and measure your rooms and calculate your square footage in advance.
You can then get a better quote before you schedule.
512-943-6540