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QUALITY CARPET CLEANING EVERY
HOME OWNER SHOULD CONSIDER
“Featuring an Interview with Dan Worley"
CLEAN INTERIORS
Clean Interiors is a privately owned company that specializes in Carpet Cleaning and Stone Floor Restoration. The owner, Dan Worley, has been in the floor maintenance business for 15 years and is experienced in both the residential and commercial markets.
“As an ‘owner/operator,’ quality cleaning and customer satisfaction is of the utmost importance to me, since it is my name on every job. Clean Interiors is an IICRC certified firm, CRI Approved Service Provider (Carpet and Rug Institute), and Green Seal certified.”
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Why is it important for homeowners to regularly have their carpets cleaned, if they are interested in preserving the value of their homes?
Imagine putting a white T-shirt on your floor, and walking on it every day for a year. What would it look like? Would it not be in desperate need of the washing machine? Of course. Carpet is a textile, like that T-shirt. Because it is made of more complex fibers, you may not notice the dirt as much as you do on that white T-shirt, but it’s there. And over time, if it’s not “washed,” that dirt can be so engrained that it can no longer be cleaned out. (Just like you would throw out that T-shirt after that year, because it’s too far gone for the washing machine to fix.) Buying quality carpet is expensive, so that makes it an investment. And a quality carpet should last 10-15 years. How soon can people walk on a carpet after it's cleaned?
Imagine putting a white T-shirt on your floor, and walking on it every day for a year. What would it look like? Would it not be in desperate need of the washing machine? Of course. Carpet is a textile, like that T-shirt. Because it is made of more complex fibers, you may not notice the dirt as much as you do on that white T-shirt, but it’s there. And over time, if it’s not “washed,” that dirt can be so engrained that it can no longer be cleaned out. (Just like you would throw out that T-shirt after that year, because it’s too far gone for the washing machine to fix.) Buying quality carpet is expensive, so that makes it an investment. And a quality carpet should last 10-15 years. How soon can people walk on a carpet after it's cleaned?
Right away. Just make sure you are wearing clean house shoes, or shoe covers (plastic “booties”). Don’t walk on it barefoot (your feet have oils) or with socks (because your feet will get wet) until the carpet is dry.How should homeowners deal with recurring spots & stains (e.g. pet stains, children, etc.)?
Carefully. Never, ever use a spotting product that contains bleach! It will ruin the carpet. There are spotting products you can use that do not leave soap in the carpet and that prevent wicking, which is what causes spots to reoccur. The difference between spots and stains: a spot is something that can be cleaned off (like a bit of chocolate on your wood table); a stain is something that has permanently changed the color (an applied mahogany stain on an unfinished oak table). Spots can be cleaned; stains can’t. But sometimes there are tricks (special professional products) to hide the appearance of stains.
How frequently should homeowners have their carpets cleaned?
Once a year is a good routine, but depending on usage, it may need to be more. For example, you have an asphalt driveway and wear shoes in the house. Polyester/nylon carpets are “oil loving”, meaning the tiny bits of asphalt that get tracked in over time bond to the carpet, making it difficult to clean out. It leads to black or yellowish traffic areas. If you go too long in between cleanings, the carpet won’t last long.How long does it take for a home's carpets to be cleaned?
It depends on how many areas of carpet, and if furniture needs moved. Generally, 6 rooms of carpet should take between 2-3 hours to clean, including set-up times.Can carpet cleaners do anything about bleached or faded spots?
There is a process called color correction, which some carpet cleaners offer.Who is typically responsible for moving the furniture, before and after a carpet is cleaned?
Many companies offer two different prices, depending on what the homeowner wants to do. One price is for the technician to move the furniture. Usually homeowners have small things out of the way and miscellaneous items picked up off the floor. We do not move flat screen TVs, internet/cable modems, furniture so heavy it can break if moved, and curios filled with breakables. The other option is for the technician to clean the open areas only. So the homeowner may move small things out of the way but not have the space under dressers, etc cleaned, since they do not get traffic. Many people go with this option, as it saves a little money, and you do not have a wet carpet “trapped” under furniture. What is "stain protection" and why is this important?
Many synthetic carpets are manufactured with a stain guard. Simply, this is a product imbedded in the fibers of the carpet that helps to repel spills so they do not get absorbed into the carpet. This protection is eventually lessened through wear, not cleaning. There are topical stain protectors that a carpet cleaner can apply after cleaning. This will leave the carpet wet for a long period of time, since enough has to be applied to coat the carpet fibers. These topical stain protectors are not considered “green,” and in my opinion are not “family and pet friendly/safe”, due to the fact that it is a chemical product being left on the carpet. Are there any types of stains that carpet cleaners usually can't improve or remove?
The biggest one is tumeric, which you find in most mustards, so it is often called a mustard stain. This bright yellow food coloring is virtually impossible to remove. We’ve even seen it used as a food coloring in low-fat microwave popcorn, and it ruined the carpet when the hot bag fell over.
Another one that can be difficult is decaf coffee. Regular coffee is a harder spot to remove for sure but decaf is the worst. It has a dye added so it looks like dark coffee. Without the dye the decaf would look like a cup of green tea and that’s not going to sell. So when you drop a cup of piping hot decaf you’rereally dropping a piping hot cup of dye on your carpet. These stains can be very difficult to remove or even lighten, especially when the home owner has used everything on the shelf to try to remove the stain before calling a pro. Hot and dye is a perfect combination for a stain that stays forever!Can deep indentations in carpets, from heavy furniture, be fixed?
Another one that can be difficult is decaf coffee. Regular coffee is a harder spot to remove for sure but decaf is the worst. It has a dye added so it looks like dark coffee. Without the dye the decaf would look like a cup of green tea and that’s not going to sell. So when you drop a cup of piping hot decaf you’rereally dropping a piping hot cup of dye on your carpet. These stains can be very difficult to remove or even lighten, especially when the home owner has used everything on the shelf to try to remove the stain before calling a pro. Hot and dye is a perfect combination for a stain that stays forever!Can deep indentations in carpets, from heavy furniture, be fixed?
It depends on the type of fiber. Polyester carpets do not bounce back; it permanently crushes the fibers. Nylon carpets fare much better.Are the chemicals, used to clean carpets, safe for pets?
It all depends on the products being used. There are safe products out there, but the aggressive cleaning products needed to clean very dirty carpet are not rated as safe.What should people do with their pets on the day that they have their carpets cleaned?
It is best to keep them confined to an area where they do not get on the carpet during the cleaning, or can run out the door as the technician is working.Can carpet cleaning remove pet odors in addition to pet stains? Do additional services typically need to be purchased for this?
Yes. There are even special products for removing odors that have passed through the carpet, into the pad. We typically include light odor removal in our cleaning service; if the pet damage is severe, it is best for us to be made aware of that before scheduling the appointment. What is the best method for having carpets cleaned and what are the differences between these applications?
For residential carpet, the best is hot water extraction, commonly called steam cleaning. It’s the most effective for “washing away” soils. Encapsulation cleaning (a low-moisture process) works very well on commercial carpet, and can do a nice job on residential berbers also.
Thank you Dan…
If you would like to learn more about Dan Worley and Clean Interiors, or if you have questions about the services they offer, please feel free to contact them here:
Dan Worley
Owner
Http://www.cleaninteriors.us
For more answers to common questions, You may call them at 412-414-3828.
