Posts Tagged ‘carpet cleaner’


Carpet Cleaning Tips You Need to Know

Monday, February 8th, 2016

Carpet Cleaning Tips

Even with the best efforts to clean, the carpet eventually becomes riddled with spills, drops, accidents, and whatever has been brought in on the bottom of shoes. These tips will help to keep the carpet looking like new.

Quick Tips

Don’t try to rub stains out. Dab the stain with a cleaning solution on a clean cloth, sponge, or paper towel. The pressure from blotting encourages the stain to be soaked up. When rubbing, the particles get ground in the fibers of the carpet and then these fibers may break down prematurely. Always blot the stain from the outside inward. The opposite can cause the stain to spread.

  • Club Soda for Beer & Wine Stains

Club soda can be used effectively with beer and wine stains if used correctly. Moisten a cloth with the soda and blot the stain. If this does not work, mix one-part water with one-part white vinegar into a handheld sprayer. Spray and let soak for 10 to 15 minutes. Then, blot the stain to soak it up, and the process may have to be repeated. Then, rinse the spot with warm water and brush the carpet strands in their natural direction. Lay paper towels down to absorb the dampness.

  • Shaving Cream for Tough Stains

Shaving cream has been known to remove almost any type of stain. Apply it directly to the stain and let sit for around 30 minutes. Once set, blot with a dry cloth. Then, spray the area with a mixture of one-part water and one-part white vinegar, and wipe this away with a cloth.

  • Ice Cubes for Gum

To remove gum, grab a few ice cubes and freeze the gum for about 30 seconds. Once frozen, life it with a spoon.

  • Dish Soap for Grease

For grease stains, mix a drop or two of grease-cutting dish soap in a cup of water. Put this in a spray bottle and apply to the stain. Blot it up. This process may need to be done multiple times.

  • Mild Detergent for Blood Stains

To remove a dried blood spot, scrape away as much dried blood as possible. A mixture of water and a mild detergent will loosen it up. Then, apply hydrogen peroxide directly on the stain. It will foam on contact with the blood. Then, dab the carpet with towels until dry.

  • Ironing Spilled Wax

For spilled wax, place a cloth over an iron, and then place the iron on top of the spilled wax to warm it up. Then, scrape the wax off with a butter knife. When done, lay a paper towel over the area of the wax, and iron the paper towel. The wax will melt and bind to the paper. Only a few applications and then it will be done. NOTE: do not use the iron on the carpet for longer than 30 seconds or the carpet may become burned.

Dry Carpet Cleaning Process

For this, a technician sprinkles a small amount of an absorbent compound over the carpet. Then, using a mechanical brush, it is worked through the carpet, dissolving the filth. This is then drawn up by a commercial grade vacuum cleaner. This method dries quicker than other methods.

Carpet Cleaning Methods

Thursday, November 12th, 2009

THE ADVANTAGES & DISAVANTAGES OF EACH

SHAMPOOING is one of the oldest methods of carpet cleaning.  It uses a rotary floor machine where shampoo is injected through the brushes and whipped to a foam on the carpet.  The theory is that the foam and dirt will dry so that they can be vacuumed from the carpet.  The advantages are the fairly low usage of water and the relatively good surface cleaning.  Problems occur because the oils in the soap never completely dry.   They leave a sticky residue on the fibres that can rapidly attract new dirt & soil.  This dirt attracting residue is the basic reason people complain that their carpets re-soil so quickly after being shampooed.

STEAM CLEANING doesn’t actually use STEAM because the scolding temperatures would be more that hot enough to permanently damage most fibres.  The correct name is actually Hot Water Extraction. This method uses an extraction system to pressure spray the cleaning solution directly into the carpets and immediately extract it with a vacuum pump.  The theory is that hot water will immediately dissolve ground in soils & grease in the few seconds it takes to pull the clening wand across the carpet.  The advantages are the usually lower than average cost to the consumer and the speed at which a job can be completed.  Problems arise because soils do not usually dissolve this rapidly and not all the solution sprayed down can be vacuumed from the carpets.  This can leave carpets wet beyond tolerable limits, which can produce problems such as shrinkage, split seams, and aid in the formation of mold and mildew.  It can also be very inconvenient to the customer to have to wait for many hours, or even days, before furniture can be replaced or normal traffic can resume in the cleaned area.  Inadequate removal of soil and stains combined with over wetting is why many people notice the same stains re-appearing a few days after having this type of cleaning done.

DRY POWDERS and DRY FOAMS were invented to solve the severe problems over wetting can create.  Dry powder cleaning uses powders made of absorbent compounds that are saturated with detergents and dry cleaning solvents.  They are applied directly to the carpet and brushed in with a machine.  After about a half hour of contact time the particles along with the absorbed soil are removed with a vacuum.  Dry foam uses a mechanical unit and detegent to make a foam that is worked into the carpet and vacuumed off.  Since moisture levels are low the advantage is the limited risk of over wetting.  Water, however, is often called the UNIVERSAL SOLVENT and without enough of it present some soils are not removed and remain to attract even more soil.  Residues from the cleaning compounds also remain behind and contribute to resoiling.

ELECTROSTATIC cleaning is a lesser known method uses static electricity to ZAP the dirt from your carpet.  It claims to employ a special electrolytic solution to remove soil  Scientifically this is very unlikely since both damp pads and damp carpet conduct electricity and would not allow a charge to build up.

CARBONATED CLEANING is the method that my company uses.  By contrast to the methods mentioned so far, this method uses no soaps, detergents or harsh chemicals at all in its cleaning.  We use THE NATURAL – a clear carbonated solution made from completely safe ingredients copied from Mother Nature.

In laboratory tests carpets cleaned with THE NATURAL actually resisted resoiling better than brand new carpets.  Chem-Dry holds the exclusive patent on using carbonation in its cleaning method.  If you have ever shaken up a bottle of soda you realize the powerful reaction carbonation can have.  On your carpet the tiny bubbles go right to the base of the fibre exploding dirt and stains apart and lifting them to the surface for extraction.  Because of the aggressive nature of the carbonated reaction very littlle solution is needed, so most carpets dry in about one – two hours, with none of the risks associated with over wetting.

How does this innovation benefit you?

Your carpets will come cleaner than ever before

Your carpets will dry faster

Your carpets will stay cleaner longer, saving you money

You will have no soaps, phosphates, detergents or other harsh cleaners in your carpets.

Misconception #5

The company that offers the lowest price is the company you should hire.

No.  Price is what you pay….Value is what you get for your hard earned money.  I’ve seen so many problems arise from the lowest-bid companies that I suggest you NEVER hire the company that quotes the cheapest price.  The three most common problems are:

(1) The price you see offered may not be for the services you want performed.  The company may be equipped to remove only some of the dirt from your carpet but, you may want bacteria, fungus, pollens dust mites, tobacco residues and air pollutants removed as well.

(2) The price you see advertised may not be the price you pay.  Many homeowners have learned that the low price they saw advertised only lasted until the cleaner got into their home.  They were then pressured into paying a lot more for a variety of add-ons.  (Some carpet cleaners even break the law by using illegal bait-and switch tactics).

(3) The low price may mean the carpet cleaner has cheap equipment, which will not effectively clean your carpet, is using cheap products, is using low paid employees, who are untrained on the use of proper cleaning and spotting solutions and procedures.

Misconception #6

Any honest carpet cleaning company should be able to give you an exact price over the phone.

I wish this were true, but it isn’t.

Honest, reputable carpet cleaning companies almost never price carpet cleaning by the room.  Instead carpet cleaning is usually priced by the square foot that’s being cleaned.  So, if you’d like me to tell you the exact cost of cleaning your carpet, I need to know the exact number of square feet that you want cleaned.  To get an accurate measurement, I use a tape measure to calculate the exact size of the carpet area, so that what you’re paying for is just the area you want cleaned.

You’ll be glad to know that the carpet area to be cleaned is not nearly as great as most people think.  For example, if you want your entire home cleaned and your home is 1500 square feet, the amount of carpeting to be cleaned might only be 800 square feet.  This is because most home measurements are outdoor measurements.  Also, the area taken up by walls, hard floors etc. reduce significantly the actual carpeted area.

In addition, areas under large pieces of furniture such as entertainment centres, pianos, china cabinets, beds and dressers etc.  that you may decide you don’t want moved and cleaned under during the visit will be excluded from the measurements and will reduce the total area being cleaned.

So even though I can’t give you an exact price over the phone, I can give you a fairly close estimate.  When the technician arrives he will measure all the areas to be cleaned and give you the exact price before he starts any work.

6 Costly Misconceptions About Carpet Cleaning

Thursday, November 12th, 2009

Misconception #1

You should wait as long as possible before cleaning your carpets.

This is not true.  Dirt is an abrasive, just like sandpaper.  Every time you step on the carpet you grind dirt into your fibres.  This cuts your carpet, just as if you had used a knife causing it to wear out faster.  A dirty carpet will not last nearly as long as a clean carpet.  Regular vacuuming is important but it can’t remove any tacky or embedded dirt.  The longer you wait to have your carpets cleaned, the more damage you do to your carpet, and the faster it will wear out.

Misconception #2

The only reason to clean carpets is to remove dirt.

Although improving and maintaining the appearance of your carpets and upholstery is the main reason why most people have them cleaned, there are other important factors to consider.  Environmental pollutants can build up in fabrics at an alarming rate, especially in carpets.  The range of contaminants can be vast including; lawn fertilizers, insecticides, herbicides and fungicides, cooking vapors, tobacco smoke, food crumbs, beverage spills, hair, dead skin cells, pollen and insect remains to name a few all of which provide a food source for harmfull micro-orgainisms such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, dust mites and mold.  If you or your family suffer from allergies, asthmas, emphysema or other breathing problems another reason to clean your carpets is to remove these contaminants.

Misconception #3

Having equipment is all a company needs to clean your carpets properly.

Many companies own hot water cleaners, but a large number of employees don’t know how to use them.  You probably know someone who bought the newest computer on the market, but didn’t know how to use it.  The same is true with carpet cleaning machines.  The company may own good equipment, but the employees may not know how to use it correctly.  That is why it’s important that you choose your carpet cleaner carefully.

At Chem-Dry, all our carpet cleaning technicians must undergo an intensive training program called Chem-College.  The carpet technician must earn the certification through study, experience and the successful completion of a formal written examination.  Technicians who pass Chem-College have, in effect, earned a degree in carpet cleaning.

Misconception #4

One method of carpet cleaning is as good as another.

You can choose from a variety of different methods. The following will help you choose the one that meets your specific objectives.