Shrub End Bungalows, Where One Carpet Runs the Whole Floor

It changes the planning more than the cleaning. A continuous run has no doorway to stop at, so the work is sequenced to leave you a dry route through the property rather than cleaning yourself into a corner. It also means the hall section takes all the traffic while the bedroom ends barely see any, so those areas are worked at different intensities.

Usually, yes. Stairs are the slowest part of most houses, because every tread and riser is worked by hand and the nosings wear first. A single-storey layout takes that out entirely. What replaces it is floor area, since bungalows tend to spread out rather than up, so a bungalow is not automatically a small job.

No, and please do not try. Furniture that has sat in one position for a long time is heavier and more awkward than it looks, and older frames do not always take being dragged across a room. Tell Louis what is in each room when you book, so he can plan what gets moved, what gets worked around and what is better left exactly where it stands.

Not at all, and it is worth saying at the point of booking rather than on the day. What Louis needs to know is what is in each room, whether anything is fragile or heavy, and whether there is anywhere sensible to put items while a floor is done. Nothing gets moved without asking you first, and anything you would rather was left alone stays put.

Usually stronger in colour than you expect, and less worn than the rest of the room. Carpet that has been covered for years keeps its original shade while everything around it has faded and flattened, so once it is cleaned the difference between the two can show for a while. It generally settles. Louis will point it out before starting so it is not a surprise afterwards.

Partly, and how much depends on what has happened to the pile. Where the fibre is simply matted and full of grit, cleaning lifts a good deal of it and the pile stands up better afterwards. Where the fibre has been physically worn down by years of grit underfoot, that is permanent and no cleaning will restore it. You will hear which one you have.

Not usually. Hoses run in from wherever the van can sit, most often through the front door, so a tight side path is rarely the deciding factor. What matters is that the equipment can be positioned close enough to the property and that there is access to water and somewhere to empty. Mention the layout when you enquire and it gets planned in advance.

It does, quietly. Somewhere sensible to leave the van, with a clear run to the front door, removes the most common practical problem on a domestic job. It also means hoses are not crossing a public footpath, which is safer for everyone walking past. It is not something you need to arrange, but it is worth mentioning because it makes the timing more predictable.

Damp rather than wet, and yes, carefully. The point of the equipment is to put moisture in and take most of it straight back out again. You can move about on a freshly cleaned carpet in clean bare feet or clean socks. What ruins the work is outdoor shoes, because that walks fresh grit into fibre that is still open.

Sometimes, and it depends far less on age than on condition. Older carpet is often better made than people assume, and a carpet that has spent its whole life in a spare bedroom may have very little wear on it at all. What decides it is the fibre, the backing and whether the colour is stable. Louis will tell you straight if the honest answer is no.

Not necessarily, but what happened underneath matters more than what you can see. Water travels along the backing and into the underlay, and drying in place leaves behind the soil it carried with it. That can show as a ring, a smell, or both. Tell Louis roughly how much water there was and how long it sat, and he will say what is realistic.