Did we get ripped off? Who can tell me if it was clean or dirty

At my yard they pay $.11 / LB for dirty aluminum, so you did pretty good I'd say.

I don't feel you got ripped off because they told you why it was going for dirty. Yards have different ways of grading stuff and what one yard considers dirty one considers clean. I know my yard will buy aluminum with steel screws as clean still, as long as there's not tons of other metals or trash contamination. On the other hand some yards will pay dirty aluminum if it has the slightest of stuff such as a screw, in your case adhesive or reminants after tearing carpet off. And like someone stated above you always have a fair chance to not sell to them.