Friday, December 14, 2012

how often do you need to get your carpets cleaned

Cleaning Carpets

How Often Do You Need To Get Your Carpets Cleaned?

After investing in carpeting in your home it is necessary to know how to take care of it not only for appearances sake but for longevity of the carpets. Just vacuuming your carpets is not enough although it is a necessity. Carpet, no matter what type, holds everything inside of it from dust, hair, mites, odors and of course dirt and stains. Each carpet will need to be cleaned differently depending on several things. For instance you wouldn't want to handle a cheaply made carpet as often as you could a wool rug. Each time a carpet is cleaned it gets broken down a little and so it is important to know the quality of the carpets to be cleaned before actually doing it.
Carpet Cleaning SteamIf you live alone with nothing other than normal environmental factors to dirty your carpets, cleaning them once a year should be sufficient. If you smoke, have pets or children or if the carpet is in a high traffic area it should be cleaned every six to nine months depending on how exposed it is. If you live in a dusty or a humid area it can have an effect on your carpets cleanliness. Even if it seems there is nothing in your home to dirty the carpets you must remember all of the invisible invaders which are in your carpet. If for no other reason than a healthier environment, have the carpets cleaned annually.
If you happen to live in a home with kids, pets and smokers it is recommended that you have the carpets cleaned as often as every three months, assuming that the grade of carpet can withstand such frequency. You may be able to clean them less frequently if you have more hard surfaced floors than carpets, taking the brunt of traffic and usage.
Keep in mind that there are different methods of carpet cleaning which offer different purposes such as general upkeep or a thorough deep cleansing. There are hot water extraction methods, all electric methods and various steaming methods for steam carpet cleaning. In any carpet cleaning method it is vital to extract the most amount of moisture possible. This will prevent water staining, bleaching and mold formations underneath the surfaces.
In between the carpet cleanings vacuuming should be done as frequently as possible. This prevents dirt and dust from being ground down into the fibers and matting of the carpet. By keeping it off of the surface it becomes significantly easier to super clean it later.
All carpets which you purchase should come with manufactures instructions for cleaning. By keeping these instructions available to you and discussing any concerns with a professional carpet cleaning technician you should be able to keep your carpets beautiful and healthy for your environment for a very long time.

www.cleanbrightcarpet.eu

Thursday, December 13, 2012

why hire a professional carpet cleaner

Even with constant care and going out of your way to avoid major spills and damage, at some point, every home owner is likely to need a carpet cleaner.
While most people have a variety of tools on hand for treating their flooring, from vacuum cleaners to spot removal machines to a cabinet full of spray-and-wash detergents, most common remedies do not offer the deep cleaning that your rugs will sporadically need. Even when cleaned regularly, the fibers latch on to hair, dust, dirt, and food particles, dragging those particles deep into the fiber's surface.
Many homeowners choose to rent a deep cleaning machine, which can be an effective solution, particularly if you're living in an apartment, or your home only has a few carpeted areas. However, these machines are often more difficult and time-consuming to operate than the consumer expects, and may also require the purchase of solution to run the machine properly. It's fairly common for people to realize they haven't saved much money over hiring a professional, and have quickly grown tired and frustrated by the amount of effort required to perform the maintenance at home.
Most carpet cleaning companies bring all the required tools to your home, and will even take on the responsibility of moving your heavy furniture and other large items during the process. It is recommended, however, that the client vacuum the carpets thoroughly and move any small or personal items that may be in the area to be cleaned. It's also essential to keep any pets in another room or area during the process.
If you're renting a home, apartment, or condominium, hiring a professional carpet cleaner is often a wonderful idea. While there are many deep-cleaning machines you can rent to handle do-it-yourself jobs, after a year or two of normal wear and tear, the only way you're likely to get thoroughly clean and professional rugs is to hire a professional. Damage to the carpet is one of the top reasons landlords and leasing companies give for refusing to refund a renter's security deposit.
If you have pets living in the home, you can virtually forget about it, since many complexes will choose to completely replace the carpet rather than attempt to clean flooring that's become matted with hair or dirt. However, in many cases, it's possible to rescue pet-exposed rugs with proper treatment from a professional cleaner, also rescuing your security deposit. In most cases, the cost of hiring experts is much less than the cost of forfeiting your deposit.
 

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

stain removal from carpets

Emergency Tips for Spills and Stains

Emergency Tips

First and foremost, Don't Panic!

Accidents will happen and most can be resolved, sometimes not without the help of a professional, but the NCCA is here to assist no matter what the circumstances.

If something gets spilled on to your carpet, prompt action is required to prevent staining.

Be Prepared

It is the recommendation of the National Carpet Cleaners Association to have the following items and solutions to hand for dealing with spillages as soon as possible:
  • Clean white absorbent cloth or towel
  • Dry Cleaning Solution - Surgical Spirit (usually available from local Chemists)
  • Detergent Solution - One teaspoonful of gentle detergent for washing woollens, to half a pint (0.3 litres) of warm water
  • Detergent Vinegar Solution - Add one teaspoonful of white (not malt) vinegar to the Detergent Solution
  • Ammonia Solution - One teaspoonful of branded household Ammonia (available from hardware stores) to one cup of warm water

General Tips

  • Do not over wet into backing materials
  • Always test any solution/detergent on an inconspicuous area of carpet prior to treating a stain
  • Use detergents at recommended dilution ratios
  • Scrape up or blot up any excess prior to treatment
  • Blot, never rub or scrub
  • Do not use inappropriate detergents on carpets or upholstery i.e. (washing up liquid, wash powders, household bleach, disinfectants)
  • Always work from the outside of the stain inward to avoid spreading
  • Always apply the cleaning fluid to the absorbent spotting material not directly onto the carpet or fabric
  • Encourage quick drying (carefully use a hairdryer on mild heat to assist)
  • Deal with stains as quickly as possible for increased chances of success
  • Keep the fabric or carpet as dry as possible.

Alcohol, Coffee, Tea, Liquid Foods, Urine

  • Blot up surplus spillage
  • Use Detergent Vinegar Solution, a little at a time
  • Work from the outer edge of the stain inwards
  • Frequently blot with dry cloths
  • See below for final rinse procedure

Chocolate, Sweets, Blood, Glue, Egg, Ice Cream, Milk, Soft Drinks, Vomit

  • Scrape up excess with a blunt knife
  • Use a Detergent Solution starting at the outer edge
  • Blot dry
  • Follow up with Ammonia Solution
  • Blot dry
  • See below for final rinse procedure

Tuesday, December 11, 2012

dog urine out of a carpet

i saw this online ive heard this as an old wives tale, but in talking to other carpet cleaners there seems to be a grain of truth in the process .
http://www.ehow.com/how_4901349_rid-urine-carpet-odors-vinegar.html

i always find that dog urine is a toughie , get it sytraight away you may stand a chance, ive done alot of jobs where stains have been there for monthes and the reality is forget it. A good neutralizer will get rid of the smell.

www.cleanbrightcarpet.eu

Monday, December 10, 2012

red wine removal

Red Wine Removal Tips

How to Remove Red Wine Stains
Everyone that drinks wine has, at one point, spilled some on their shirt, pants, dress or even on that nice white carpet. Although it looks scary, it is not the end of the road for that article of clothing or carpet. There are several ways to get that stain out with out too much trouble.
One of the most important things that you can do is not waste any time. The sooner you can get the stain removed, the less likely it will leave a mark on your clothing or carpet. If you are lucky enough to get to the spill quickly, here are some useful tips for removing wet red wine stains:
Removing WET red wine stains:
Blot the spot with a dry towel to extract as much of the liquid as possible. Do not rub at the carpet because that can damage the fibers and cause more problems.
Once you have removed as much as possible of the stain by blotting, grab a towel and make a quick cleaning solution. Some, on the go, cleaning solutions can include; hydrogen peroxide and soap. (dish soap is fine), warm water and vinegar, carpet cleaning shampoo., club soda and dish soap. If none of those are available, hot water can work as well but might not remove the stain all the way.
(*if using hydrogen peroxide, make sure to follow it up with plenty of rinse/water to avoid bleaching. Also test on small spot before applying to large area)
Spray or pour your cleaning solution on the spot. Blot up with the towel until the stain comes up. Repeat this step as much as needed or until no more progress is noticeable.
If you get to the stain fast enough, it should come out with the help of the cleaning solutions and the methods described.
Removing DRY red wine stains:
Dry red wine stains are much harder to remove. There are a few common methods that can be tried to help get rid of the stain. Here are a few ways to treat the dry wine stain.
Pour club soda over the stain. After soaking the stain in club soda, mix baking soda and water into a paste like solution. Apply this solution to the effected area. Massage the paste into the fabric gently.
Leave the solution on the stain for a few hours. Continue to add water to the stain to keep it wet. After an hour or two clean the spot either with a carpet cleaning machine or hot water and towel until it is dry.

if in any doudt or nervous about this procedure contact a professional carpet cleaner, they should carry a selection of commercial wine removers
www.cleanbrightcarpet.com

Carpet Cleaning Scams PDFPrintE-mail

There seems to be two types of carpet cleaners in California. One type is the legitimate business-person who cleans carpets for a competitive price. Then there is the other type who is a scammer who will try and take advantage of bait and switch false advertising to get as much money from the customer as possible.

How to Identify the Crooks:
It is easy to identify the scammers or crooks from the honest business people. Here is what you should look for:

  • The scammers will advertise the carpet cleaning for extremely low prices, like any three rooms of carpet cleaned for $9.95 plus a hallway, or any five rooms plus a hallway for $16.95.
  • Professional carpet cleaners say that the base price for cleaning a room of carpet is between $25 and $35. These legitimate companies have to pay their workers, have insurance on them and the trucks they use, gas for the trucks and of course payments for the equipment that they use. So when the scammers say they will charge you only $2.50 a room, that is a total lie, it will cost more in gas for the truck to get to your home than that.
  • The flyers from the scammers are simple bait and switch. These flyers do not have company addresses on them, they just have telephone numbers. When these scammers arrive at your home they go into a high-pressure sales pitch to increase the price. Most will not do the cleaning for the low price on the flyer you received into he mail.
  • I set up a TV news sting and called one of the scammer operations to come to our house to clean the carpet. They said they would clean any three rooms and a hallway for just $8.95. They had sent us a flyer with that price on it.

When the carpet cleaner arrived he refused to do the cleaning for that price. All this was being recorded on two different hidden TV cameras. He told the people who were playing the part of the homeowners that the price was just a "leader" to get him in the door. He said he would not clean the carpet for the price on the flyer. He wanted to start cleaning the three rooms and hallway for $150.

He told us he was a poor Russian Immigrant and if he charged the price on the flyer he would not make any money. By the way the workers are normally paid 35% of want they can get the homeowner to pay for the job. We argued with him for about 15-minutes and he came down to $108. We went ahead and spent CBS's money for the carpet cleaning. I wanted to see the type of job he would do.

He worked for about an hour and a half, and did a poor job and left the carpets wet.

We were ripped off! But I put it on TV to warn others about this rip-off carpet cleaning scam.

Carpet Cleaning Check List:

  • When the cleaning price is $2.95 to $4.95 per room it will be "bait and switch".
  • If the flyer only has a telephone number and no address for the company that is a Red Flag.
  • When you call for an appointment, tell them you want a fixed price for the number of rooms. You should pay between $25 to $35 per room.
  • If you are a senior citizen and live alone do not let one of these scammers in your home. In the past they have forced an elderly woman to pay them $700 and threaten here with violence. They also ran up calls on her telephone to Russia.
  • If they get in by mistake on your part, tell them your son who is a police officer is coming by in a hour to check the work before they get paid. This is a "consumer protection white lie", it's OK.
Bottom Line, you get what you pay for, and if it sounds too good to be true, it is!

Here are some letters from Carpet Cleaning Company owners.
These owners called in on the Troubleshooter Talk Show to talk about consumers fighting back against the scam carpet cleaners.

We live in an age where concerns over energy conservation have transformed our homes and businesses into tightly closed, highly insulated environments. With indoor and outdoor air quality rapidly becoming of equal importance, the carpet cleaning industry has developed a standard which literally separates the men from the boys-the carpet cleaning professionals from the carpet cleaning scam artists.

Having stated this, we at Pro-Service Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning believe there are a few things consumers should know in order to protect themselves from the ever-growing legion of frauds intent on ripping them off. First and foremost, as far as the carpet cleaning industry is concerned, you do indeed get what you pay for.

Cleaning companies have significant costs in the way of equipment, cleaning supplies, transportation, and payroll etc. that make it virtually impossible for any reputable operation to perform even the most basic services in the L.A. area for less than $27 - $30 per room. Anyone advertising for anything less is probably selling something other than cleaning services. How will you know for sure? Ask questions.

Professional cleaning firms have qualified employees trained to answer any questions a consumer might have. A legitimate company will also take the time to perform a complimentary pre-inspection to both identify the carpet's construction and recommend the appropriate cleaning method or procedure needed. Consumers should always make sure they receive a contract, as the better cleaning companies will offer workmanship guarantees in writing.

Finally, consumers should always ask for references and consult friends and business acquaintances about the reputation of the firm they are considering. All of this brings us to the question: "Why? Why go through all this trouble just to get my carpet cleaned?" The answer is simple: the carpet is the most overlooked piece of "furniture" in any home or business. Experts agree that a clean carpet contributes not only to the overall aesthetics of a structure, but plays a significant role in the healthful state of the overall environment in which people work, live and spend the majority of their time. We at Pro-Service Carpet and

Upholstery Cleaning urge consumers not to wait until their carpet looks soiled before having it professionally cleaned. People with allergies, children and pets especially need to realize that dusting and vacuuming simply isn't enough. Have your carpets and upholstery cleaned by qualified professionals every six months, but be smart about it. If an offer sounds too good to be true, it usually is.

Here is another letter from a Carpet Cleaning Company owner in Fresno, Ca.

I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank Troubleshooter Judd for the efforts he is giving in combating scam artists and watching out for the consumers. I hope more and more people will tune in to the show and take advantage of Judd's investigative reports to avoid being ripped off.

In the carpet cleaning Industry, we have the most problems with "bait & switch" operators. It seems like anyone can rent a rug doctor or spend a few hundred dollars on some portable machine and call themselves "professional" carpet cleaners. While these bait & switchers exist, there are also excellent carpet cleaning firms that provide an essential service to you and your family, and clean for "your family's health".

These reputable companies go to carpet schools; they study fiber identification, carpet construction and chemistry, among other things. These companies have a starting capital in excess of $100,000. They carry a minimum of $1,000,000 liability insurance, and other costly expenses. It seems to me distinguishing between a professional company and a scam artist should be obvious. The following is only a brief abstract of what you should look for in a carpet cleaning company.

I noticed that these scam artists advertise super low prices, something like $5.95/room or even $10/room. While this may seem like a great deal, it is unrealistic. For a professional cleaning company to come to your house, they have a minimum charge anywhere from $40 to $100. So if anyone is advertising anything less to come to your house to clean an average size room or two rooms, then beware.

The ad these "b & s'ers" send you will have fine print with something like "Some carpets require preconditioning at an additional charge." That is the obvious sign that these guys will rip you off. Another sign is when they do not have a size limit per room on that coupon. So basically, if it is too good to be true, it most likely is.

On my web site, www.aladdinscarpet.com, I have a "price comparison" page that talks about what seems to be a great price when you call a company, becomes much more than you should pay for a reputable company to come out and take care of your carpet and furniture.

Another favorite of these people is what they call a Two Process System, or Deep Scrub Machines. There is no reason for you to pay extra for anything unless it is a specialty spot like Kool-Aid, Pet Urine Stains, etc. Some companies, like mine, we do not even charge extra for these stains.

In summary, to know if that flyer you receive is too good to be true or not, I suggest you ask that company the following:

1) Is the company you called licensed and insured?
2) Can I get the name and phone number of three customers of yours?
3) What kind of training have you had in the carpet cleaning business?
4) What is your guarantee? Do you offer 100% money back guarantee?
5) Please tell me about your cleaning process- the minimum standards set by the IICRC (www.IICRC.org) include 5 items:

  • Dry soil removal (vacuuming before cleaning)
  • Soil Suspension (include Chemical Action, Heat, Agitation and Dwell Time)
  • Soil Extraction (Removal of soils)
  • Nap Setting (Groom carpets after extraction)
  • Drying Principle (Carpet should take anywhere from 1 to 8 hours to dry under ideal conditions.)
If the cleaner that contacts you does not clean based on these minimum industry standards, or tries to charge you extra for any of the above steps, do not let them into your home. Overall advice is you should hire people based on quality and not price. You should expect to pay anywhere from $30.00 per room or 15¢ per Square Foot to $80.00 per room or 40¢ per SF.

If you need a carpet cleaner in your area, please send me e-mail at
--> Jason@aladdinscarpet.com --> This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it --> and I will refer you to a quality cleaner in your area. I am part of a larger group of cleaners (about 3,000) that participate in a question and answer Bulletin Board and we have cleaners from all over the USA, Canada, Europe and Australia, Ca.


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nail varish removal

How to Get Nail Polish Out of Carpet: Step by Step

Nail polish may look like it will ruin your carpet, but when handled immediately after the spill; youll never be able to tell it was there. There are a few different ways you can get nail polish spills out of the carpet, so take a look at this to find out how.
Step One: Use a non-acetone based polish remover on a cloth towel. If you use an acetone based nail polish remover, you will cause damage to the carpet, and it may alter the color.
Step Two: Blot the polish remover on the spill, being careful not to spread the polish to a larger area of carpet. Do not rub or the stain will spread. You will have to use several towels to completely get the stain out, and it may look like youre making it worse at first.
Step Three: When dry, use a bit of dish soap and warm water to remove the smell of the polish remover. Youll never know anything happened once the smell goes away.
In addition to using a non-acetone based polish remover, you can also try window cleaner, Goo Gone, or vinegar. Though any of these three will work to get nail polish out of carpet, as a last resort, a fabric marker from a craft store can also be used to color the carpet over the stain.

    Thursday, December 6, 2012