Professional Carpet Cleaning

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December 1st, 2023

Pet ownership brings immeasurable joy and companionship into our lives, but it also comes with the inevitable challenges of maintaining a clean and odor-free home. Among these challenges, dealing with pet-related issues on carpets ranks high. In this guide, we'll share expert tips tailored for pet owners to keep their carpets looking and smelling fresh.

1. Act Quickly on Accidents

Pets have a knack for surprising us with unexpected accidents. When these occur, it's crucial to act swiftly. Blot the area with a clean cloth to absorb as much moisture as possible. Avoid rubbing, as it can spread the stain. Once the area is dry, treat it with a pet-friendly stain remover or a mixture of white vinegar and water.

2. Regular Vacuuming is Key

Pet hair and dander can quickly accumulate on carpets, exacerbating allergies and diminishing indoor air quality. Establish a routine of regular vacuuming, focusing on high-traffic areas and pet-favorite spots. Invest in a vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter to effectively capture pet-related allergens.

3. Use Pet-Safe Cleaning Products

When choosing carpet cleaning products, opt for those specifically formulated for homes with pets. These products are designed to break down pet stains and neutralize odors without harmful chemicals. Always check for the pet-friendly label to ensure the safety of your furry friends.

4. Groom Your Pets Regularly

Regular grooming of your pets can significantly reduce the amount of loose fur and dander they shed onto carpets. Brushing your pets helps control shedding, keeping carpets cleaner for longer periods. Additionally, it contributes to their overall health and well-being.

5. Employ Area Rugs Strategically

Place area rugs in your pet's favorite hangout spots to protect the underlying carpet. Opt for washable rugs with non-slip backing for easy maintenance. These rugs can act as a barrier, trapping dirt and preventing it from reaching the carpet fibers.

6. Schedule Professional Cleanings

While routine maintenance is crucial, scheduling professional carpet cleanings is equally important for pet owners. Professional cleaners have the expertise and equipment to deep clean carpets, removing embedded odors and stains. Aim for regular cleanings to keep your home fresh and sanitary.

7. Invest in Stain-Resistant Carpeting and/or a Pet-Friendly Pad

Consider upgrading to carpeting specifically designed to resist stains. Stain-resistant carpets are easier to clean and maintain, providing an added layer of protection against pet-related accidents. Your carpet pad is crucial as well. If you anticipate pet accidents, it would be wise to invest in a pet pad. These upgraded carpet pads are water resistant and do not allow urine accidents to penetrate deeper than the surface.

Being a pet owner doesn't mean compromising on the cleanliness and freshness of your home. With these carpet cleaning tips tailored for pet owners, you can enjoy the company of your furry friends while maintaining a clean and inviting living space. By combining proactive measures with professional cleaning services, you'll ensure that your carpets remain a source of comfort for both you and your pets.

November 12th, 2023

Your home is more than just a physical space; it's an environment that directly influences your well-being. While many aspects of a healthy home are evident, the connection between carpet cleaning and overall home health might surprise you. Let's explore the subtle yet crucial links that make professional carpet cleaning an essential contributor to a healthier living space.

Allergen Eradication for Respiratory Harmony

Carpets, with their cozy appeal, often harbor allergens that can impact respiratory health. Professional carpet cleaning, such as hot water extraction or steam cleaning, effectively eliminate allergens like dust mites, pet dander, and pollen. By eradicating these unseen threats, carpet cleaning supports a healthier indoor environment, especially for those prone to allergies or respiratory issues.

A Clean Carpet, A Happy Home

Beyond aesthetics, the cleanliness of your carpet significantly influences the overall hygiene of your living space. Carpets act as filters, trapping dirt, bacteria, and pollutants over time. Professional cleaning ensures a deep and thorough removal of these contaminants, promoting a cleaner, healthier home environment for you and your loved ones.

Mental Well-being: The Psychological Impact of Clean Spaces

A clean and well-maintained home doesn't just contribute to physical health; it also positively influences mental well-being. The appearance and cleanliness of your living space can affect your mood and stress levels. Stepping onto a freshly cleaned carpet can evoke a sense of comfort and relaxation, fostering a positive atmosphere that supports mental health.

Prolonged Carpet Lifespan for Sustainable Living

Regular professional carpet cleaning isn't just a one-time fix; it's a commitment to the longevity of your carpets. Well-maintained carpet not only enhance the visual appeal of your home but also contribute to sustainable living. By extending the lifespan of your carpet, you reduce the environmental impact of early carpet disposal, promoting a more eco-friendly household.

Conclusion: Elevate Your Living Space, Elevate Your Health

The link between carpet cleaning and home health goes beyond surface-level cleanliness. It's a comprehensive approach to creating a living environment that supports both physical and mental well-being. Professional carpet cleaning plays a vital role in eradicating allergens and maintaining a clean and comfortable space for you and your family. Embrace the connection between carpet cleanliness and home health, and take a step towards a healthier, happier home.

November 4th, 2023

Keeping your home clean and well-maintained is essential for a healthy living environment. Winter and summer months each have their unique advantages when it comes to carpet cleaning. Let's explore the benefits of cleaning your carpets in both seasons.

Summer: Harnessing the Power of Air Conditioning

Summer is a popular time for carpet cleaning for several reasons. One of the main advantages is the widespread use of air conditioning during this season. Air conditioning not only keeps your home cool but also helps in lowering indoor humidity levels. Low humidity is crucial for efficient carpet cleaning, as it ensures faster drying times.

During summer, the AC system acts as a dehumidifier, extracting excess moisture from the indoor air. When you clean your carpets in summer, the reduced humidity accelerates the drying process, allowing you to resume your daily activities without disruption.

Winter: Embracing Natural Low Humidity

Contrary to common belief, winter can also be an excellent time for carpet cleaning, especially in regions with naturally low humidity levels. During winter, the air outside is generally dry, which can aid in the drying process after carpet cleaning. In areas where winter humidity levels are naturally low, cleaning your carpets during this season can be advantageous.

Furthermore, winter carpet cleaning allows you to prepare your home for the upcoming spring season. By removing dirt, debris, and allergens accumulated during the winter months, you create a fresh and healthy indoor environment just in time for the warmer weather.

So whether the weather is hot and humid or cold and dry, it's a great time to have your carpet cleaned!

October 24th, 2023

Blood stains on carpet can be a nightmare to deal with, but fear not! There’s a simple and effective carpet cleaning solution hiding in your medicine cabinet: hydrogen peroxide. This common household item can work wonders on blood stains, ensuring your carpets look as good as new.

Understanding the Power of Hydrogen Peroxide:

Hydrogen peroxide, the go-to antiseptic for minor cuts and scrapes, doubles up as a powerful stain remover. When it comes into contact with blood, it breaks down the proteins in the stain, making it easier to lift off the carpet fibers. This chemical reaction is the key to its stain-busting prowess.

Here’s How You Do It:

Step 1: Act Fast

The quicker you address the stain, the better your chances of complete removal. As soon as you notice the blood stain, grab a clean cloth and blot the area gently to absorb as much of the blood as possible.

Step 2: Prepare the Solution

In a small bowl, mix equal parts of hydrogen peroxide and cold water. Ensure you're using a 3% hydrogen peroxide solution, which is typically available at most drugstores. Tip: If this 50-50 mixture doesn't do the trick, apply the peroxide undiluted.

Step 3: Test in an Inconspicuous Area

Before applying the solution to the stained area, always perform a patch test in an inconspicuous corner of the carpet to ensure it doesn’t damage the fibers or color.

Step 4: Apply the Solution

Using a clean cloth or sponge, apply the hydrogen peroxide solution directly onto the blood stain. Gently blot and do not rub, as this might spread the stain. Don't oversaturate the carpet with solution. The less moisture, the better.

Step 5: Blot and Repeat

Continue blotting the stained area with the solution until the blood stain begins to fade. You might need to repeat this process a few times, especially for older or stubborn stains.

Step 6: Rinse and Dry

Once the stain has lightened considerably, rinse the area with cold water and blot dry with a clean cloth to remove any residue. Allow the carpet to air dry completely.

April 28th, 2023 

A professional carpet cleaning technician will consider the type of carpet you have to optimize the process. For example, he may raise or lower the water pressure based on the density of the pile. More dense carpet may require slightly higher pressure. Closed-loop carpet (Berber) usually requires lower pressure to help prevent issues such as browning or re-emergence of stains. Polyester carpet has an affinity for oils, so a degreasing agent, such as a citrus cleaner, helps break that oil down better. Nylon tends to be a long-lasting and durable fiber that can withstand aggressive cleaning methods.

Overall, a professional has a greater understanding of the cleaning process. Part of the cost of a professional is the knowledge they bring to the trade.

February 24th, 2020

If you've ever discussed or researched different carpet cleaning companies, you'll notice that there is a wide variation between drying time. Why does one company have your carpet dry within a few hours while another takes two days? If all companies used the same exact process, the only variation would be the power of their equipment. The reality is process is a more significant contributor to drying. A cleaner using the strongest equipment, poorly, can lead to long dry times.

In terms of process, the major factors are water pressure, drying strokes, and speed. A company who uses high pressure will drive too much moisture down into the carpet pad, and this adds significant drying time. Drying strokes are possibly the single most important factor. Does the company take the time to extract more water (vacuuming without spraying water/steam)? This adds time to the appointment, and could even make the visit twice as long. As a result, many companies hoping to squeeze in as many jobs as possible may skip this important step. On the same concept as drying strokes, how fast does the company hope to finish the job? It takes time to clean and dry carpet properly. If a technician is stressed to hurry and finish the job, they will cut corners and not take the time to extract as much water as possible.

November 17th, 2019

You've seen the ads while walking out of the grocery store. "Professional results for a fraction of the price!" These seem enticing enough, but what are you really getting for the price? Firstly, let's tally up what it may cost when trying to replicate a professional cleaning. We'll use a leading brand that you probably see most often in stores.

24 Hour Rental: $35.00

Cleaning Solution: $29.00

Spot Treatment: $8.50

Odor Treatment: $6.50

Tax: $6.81

Total Rental Cost: $85.81

If you're cleaning less than 3 rooms, you'll probably find a professional to do it for around $125, so renting for that isn't a great value. If you're doing your whole house, the value is better, but what's different?

A professional cleaner will provide several features that can't be matched by the store machine (we wouldn't spend $10,000-$30,000 on a truck-mounted carpet cleaner if it did!). The first is how we apply the cleaning mix. The store machine has you mix your treatment along with water and go. Imagine if you washed your hands with soapy water and never got a chance to rinse it out. This will leave soil-attracting residue which will make your carpet look worse than when you started within weeks or months. A professional will apply a treatment independently, allow it to activate and do it's work, then fully extract and rinse it with fresh water. The second feature is heat. You can put hot water into the rental machine, but your faucets won't produce water hotter than around 100 degrees, typically. This temperature will only decrease as you start cleaning and you'll end up with room temperature water by the end. A professional machine constantly heats up water to nearly 200 degrees. If you wash anything, you know hot water cleans better. Finally, you need to suck up all the dirt and grime that's in the carpet, so vacuum pressure is the key. The rental can't have much vacuum power, particularly if it only has one power cord. The motor couldn't draw enough electricity even if it had a huge vacuum. We use gas-powered engines which power an enormous vacuum blower. This provides the necessary power to lift moisture and dirt out of the carpet. It would be like comparing a blow dryer to a gas powered blower. Which would you prefer?

All of these points don't even take into account the most important thing: YOUR TIME. Option one, the rental, will cost you around $85 and take up your entire day. How much is your day worth? A professional will provide significantly better results due to a better process and equipment. You can get your home done for $150-250 from most cleaners (depending on areas or house size).

November 5th, 2019

The carpet cleaning industry is not immune to one of the oldest sales techniques ever used. The bait-and-switch is a method which drives someone to solicit your product or service, usually based on an attention-grabbing offer, only to use that opportunity to shift the transaction to the product or service the merchant wanted sold in the first place. The classic example is a car dealership advertising a great vehicle at an outrageously low price. People see this and are enticed to visit the dealer to purchase said vehicle. However, when they show up, that car is sold (of course) but there happens to be many other options which will fit your needs, apparently! The dealer used the ad to bait a customer into the showroom so that he could switch them to a regularly priced sale.

Although less common nowadays, we still see examples of carpet cleaners trying this technique. You may see a print ad or coupon for something like "$10 a Room" or "Entire Home for $75". A savvy consumer would see this and recognize that high quality service and results can't possibly be combined with below rock-bottom pricing. A stunning price like this is used to get a foot in your door (bait). At that time, the cleaner may explain that the price shown is for steam cleaning only and that your carpet needs to be pretreated, conditioned, spot-treated, or other phrases. He would then provide that new price and explain how it is much more beneficial in your situation. You've already had your mind set on having your carpet cleaned, and moved all the furniture, so you reluctantly agree to the higher price (switch).

How can you avoid these types of scams?

1. If you see an offer that's too good to be true, it probably isn't true.

2. If you're unsure, call and ask EXACTLY what you get for the listed price.

3. Ask for a quote or bid in writing before the job is started if you have any suspicions.

Always look for reviews on a company before using them. Chances are that if they are unfair or shady, the reviews will reflect that.

October 28th, 2019

We love our animals, but they can cause quite the headache when it comes to our carpet. Whether you just brought home an energetic puppy or have had one for years, our pets have accidents on the carpet. There are factors which determine whether this issue is a big deal or not. The main one is volume and frequency. If you have a small, trained dog which has very infrequent accidents, if ever, you probably don't have much to worry about. Small dogs have small bladders, so the volume of urine is small enough, typically, that it won't penetrate deeply into the pad. If these spots are found quickly and cleaned, there are probably no lasting effects.

On the other end of the spectrum are larger dogs with frequent accidents. These are much more serious if not addressed. The volume of their urine can penetrate into the pad or even the slab beneath and create and odor that is very difficult to remove. What you visibly see on the carpet can be misleading as the actual size of the spot beneath the surface can be 2-3x larger in diameter. This is a situation where professional carpet cleaning address the issue in ways which are impossible otherwise.

A good pet treatment contains urine-specific ingredients and strong deodorizers. A thorough flushing and extraction of the areas are needed.

September 14th, 2019

Steam cleaning is the common phrase used to describe a carpet cleaning process known as "Hot Water Extraction". The name originates from the visible steam that emanates from the carpet cleaning tools. The steam itself has very little to do with the cleaning other than suggesting the water being used is hot. The combination of hot water, the right pressure, and strong vacuum suction are needed to deliver good results using this method of cleaning. For truck-mounted systems, a gasoline engine powers three components to execute this method. Most of the power is used by the vacuum blower to create the suction. The motor also powers a water pump to to move the water to the cleaning tool. If you've every cleaned anything, you know that hot water works best. Most new systems use a "heat exchange" method which circulates the fresh water through the engine exhaust chamber allowing for temperatures of 200 degrees or more.

May 25th, 2019

We like to put exact timelines on maintenance, but everyone's home is different. There are some variables to consider when determining how often to have your carpet cleaned.

1. Do you have pets?

2. Do you have young children?

3. Do you wear shoes inside (on carpet)?

4. Do you vacuum less than 3+ times a week?

Many online publications suggest having your carpet cleaned once a year. If none of these common soiling factors apply to you, you can probably go longer. If you answered yes to 1-2, then once a year would normally be sufficient. If you answered yes to 3-4, you may consider having your carpet cleaned twice per year. Some families with allergies may benefit from more frequent cleanings as well.