Carpet Cleaning- Your Q's Answered!

Carpet Cleaning- Your Q's Answered!

Let’s be honest; cleaning your carpets are not usually in your ‘must-do list’ and whilst it’s not the most riveting nor the most exciting subject matter in the world. If your carpets are becoming noticeably dirty it is something we all at some point will have to deal with!

Whether the carpets are in your home or place of work for that matter, it doesn’t matter having them professionally cleaned on a frequent basis is the only way to keep them looking and feeling as if they are new, or newish.

Why should you clean the carpets on a frequent basis?

Carpet cleaning is usually one of those things that we all put off to a later date-spring or summer. It does seem like a massive undertaking- and yet another thing to get around to in our everyday busy lives. However, frequent cleaning is an essential task that we should do as often as possible.

Apart from the obvious benefits of having your carpets look new and fresh again; carpet cleaning does preserve the life-span of your carpet (s) meaning you won’t have to replace them as often as you would. Moreover, carpet cleaning is an essential part of maintaining good hygiene levels within the home or business. Think of your carpets as being like a ‘big filter’ that traps all the dirt and pollutants. And like all filters, it must either be replaced or cleaned when it is saturated. A thorough clean will remove all the dirt, pollutants and dust mites etc.

What’s the risk that my carpets might shrink?

Everyone has heard the heard horror stories of carpet that have shrunk after a visit by a carpet cleaner! However, the facts are slightly more embarrassing, because the homeowner has decided on a cheaper price and selected a non-professional carpet cleaner who has used an incorrect technique specific to the fibre content of the carpet; e.g. wool or nylon. In addition, many house owner’s hire a cleaning machine (e.g. a Rug Doctor) not knowing how to apply the correct cleaning solution or technique and invariably ‘over-wet’ the carpet causing shrinkage.

‘Over-wetting’ a carpet can be a particular problem if the carpet has been badly cleaned. However, there are alternative cleaning methods to the traditional hot water extraction (steam cleaning) which there are a couple of methods knows as ‘Very Low Moisture’ cleaning and ‘Low Moisture’ Cleaning – both of which will eliminate the issue of ‘over wetting’.

When and how often should I clean my carpets?

This will vary and it is dependent on a wide variety of various factors. For example, a carpet in a business premise would need cleaning on a far more regular basis than that found in a home. In the home domestic environment, you may have to clean your carpets more regularly if you have children or pets. Therefore, it is recommended that for light footfall home, every eighteen months to two years is an acceptable time frame, whereas in a heavy footfall home (kids and pets) every twelve months is best practice.

Why do I need to hire a professional company, I can just do it myself?

Many of us decide to undertake the carpet cleaning themselves.  However, purchasing a professional-grade machine can be expensive.  In addition, the cleaning process is also highly time- consuming. A very popular option is to hire a carpet-cleaning machine (Rug-Doctor), however, it can be difficult to achieve results of a professional standard, due to lack of knowledge – or if the equipment simply has not been maintained by the hire company. Carpet cleaning jobs are best tackled by a professional. Because of their training and knowledge, they will be able to remove ingrained soils, stains and provide you with the result that will leave your carpets looking like new! Not convinced that a professional is the better option and need more information? You can check over the 12 stage process that a professional carpet cleaner will undertake on behalf of his customers here: https://goo.gl/9HHB84;  if they do not, they are not a professional carpet cleaner - hence the cheaper price...

Regards
Tom
Acleanerplace Cleaning Services

7 Benefits of Having Your Carpets Professionally Cleaned

 7 Benefits of Having Your Carpets Professionally Cleaned

A clean home is an obvious aspiration for us all and helps us to maintain our health and relax. You’re your carpets are dirty and begin to smell it makes relaxing and living that bit more difficult at home. This is the time to engage with a professional carpet cleaner, and although you can DIY, the results gained via the professional route are more significant. Listed below I provide some reasons for doing it the professional way: Here are seven benefits of getting your carpets professionally cleaned.

1. The House Will Smell Clean And Fresher

The smell of a clean fresh house is fantastical. Notwithstanding the smell, the smell of a drab and dirty home is equally bad. By cleaning your carpets will assist to remove the smells that may be disgusting and embarrassing your family and visitors. Other types of stains, like those done by pets, can adhere to the fibres of the carpet for a considerable time; leaving a stench that lingers for a long time. Therefore, by engaging the services of a professional carpet or upholstery cleaner for that matter, you will be able to eliminate these odours will result in a happier, healthier life.

2. It Benefits Your Health 

To most, it will appear that by regular vacuuming your carpets that you are eliminating all of the allergens, dust mites and bacteria. Not so, as this vacuuming, although partly effective, still serves to stir up microbes that cause health problems in susceptible people within the home. By employing a professional carpet cleaner will give you the satisfaction that they are employing the right techniques and cleaning agents that will eradicate all of the harmful microbes that could cause health problems.

3. It Increases The Value Of Your Home

Should you be contemplating selling your house, or letting it out to tenants, you naturally would want to display your home at its best! This will not only make a good impression on potential buyers/tenants but also maximize the selling/rental price. By simply cleaning your carpets to a high standard, it will pay a high dividend at an affordable outlay.

4. It Will Extend The Life of Your Carpets

In a short period, and dependent on fibre type, your carpets will start to show signs of wear and tear. This is inevitable where there is a heavy footfall on any type of fibres. That said, by having them professional carpet cleaned at regular periods, you will be able to extend their life for a considerable time.  Not only will this allow you to gain the most out of a large investment, but also and will allow you to enjoy the satisfaction of a new fresh carpet every time it is cleaned.

5. It Will Make Your Home Comfortable For Your Family

The home is meant to be that place of peace and sanctuary for you the family. Where you have a home who's carpeting are dirty, it is difficult to feel at relaxed. Moreover, dirty and smelly carpets do not make for a relaxing environment. When you have your carpets professionally cleaned, you will notice a significant difference in the way you live/ feel about your home.

6. It Takes Away The Frustration Of DIY

The cleaning of your carpets by yourself (DIY) is something that is easily done, however, it is difficult to do well without the proper knowledge or training and is at best a ‘false economy’. There are affordable machines that can be rented, or bought, that will clean carpets without engaging with a professional. These machines will not do the job that a professional carpet cleaner with professional equipment would do: The importance of engaging a professional to not only get it done right but to also take the hassle out of cleaning your own carpets is sometimes missed in the quest to save money. It is worth paying a little bit more get the services of a professional who will be able to clean your carpets to a high standard, than what you as a ‘DIYer’ could ever manage to do!

7. It Reduces The Cost Of Cleaning Over The Long-Term

If you are conscientious about maintaining your carpets and have them professionally cleaned on a regular basis (every 18 mths for light soiling, or every 12 mths for heavy soiling) then it will save you money. Why, well if you allow your carpets to become really dirty before calling in a professional carpet cleaner, it will be more expensive due to the amount of time and effort required by the professional to achieve a satisfactory result, and which might not be achieved due to the length of time the dirty has been allowed to saturate the carpet fibre. Therefore, it is a wise owner who establishes a good practice of having their carpets cleaned regularly, rather than having them restored on an infrequent basis.

The benefits, above, are just 7 of the many others that you and your family will experience when you engage the services of a professional carpet cleaner. You will be amazed and happy the way your home will smell, look and feel after a visit by a professional has finished with your carpets!


Regards
Tom
Acleanerplace Cleaning services

Upholstery Cleaning – Be Careful What Material You Choose!

Upholstery Cleaning – Be Careful What Material You Choose!

When it comes to upholstery selection, modern-day designs are a very attractive lure and customers are attracted to these items of lustre, beauty, colour or a particular manufacturer when purchasing their new soft furnishings. Of course, the appearance is a very important contributing factor when purchasing what is an expensive outlay.  However, there is another important issue that should be considered; its practicality! Prior to purchasing your fantastic new suite which you have seen advertised and visited in the showroom, take a few moments and think about how much time, effort, and money you are willing to spend/waste in its upkeep? There is no point in taking a beautiful looking new sofa and that you won’t be able to clean well. This is why choosing the right kind of upholstery is critical.

The type of material fibres that are used in modern upholstery is a mixture of different kinds. When you select a suite; or upholstered furniture like sofa, armchair or fabric dining chairs you should consider asking the salesperson ‘what kind of material (s) it is constructed of’: Here is some information of the common materials used:

Natural Derived Fabrics

Naturally, derived fabrics are often preferred as upholstery material due to their soft touch. In addition, natural fibres are considered to be better for people with skin allergies or suffer from a skin complaint.

Wool (sheep, in particular) is an easily damaged material that is susceptible to food and drink stains and, like cotton, to direct ultra-violet rays (sunlight). Stain removal solutions, that will usually work well for other upholstery fabric types may not be as effective on wool fibres.  With the correct ‘wool’ approved cleaning product, wool fibres will clean very well, although the downside is that as a, like cotton, it will retain liquids (water). Therefore, all wool upholstery should be dried as quickly as practically possible.

Natural Cotton fibre is a strong material and stands well against the usual wear and tear of household life; this is why it is often used as a blending fabric. However, it is a fabric that is easily damaged by direct exposure (or even indirect in a south-facing room) ultraviolet rays (sunlight). If your suite contains a large amount of cotton material be sure that it is not located near windows as the colour will fade very quickly and may become yellow if it is a light-coloured fabric. Moreover, the removing of organic and dye stains from cotton is extremely difficult.  It should be remembered, that cotton is highly absorbent to fluid spills and even skin moisture will quickly penetrate deep into cotton upholstery causing discolouration and staining.

Synthetics Fabrics

Upholstery, in the main, is made from synthetic fibres. It is commonly thought that all modern synthetic fabrics are easy to maintain and clean. This only depends on the number of fibres in each particular blend that the suite is made up of. These synthetic (man-made) fibres are used primarily for their resistance to water ingress and ultra-violet (sun) exposure.

Acrylic material and its performance to resist dirt and stains is very poor. The main reason this material is used is only as a blending fibre. However, it is renowned for its good resistance to abrasion and ultraviolet rays. That said, If you should spill a liquid on an acrylic material, it will be very hard to remove the stain without professional assistance.

Nylon synthetics in upholstery fabrics are not stained resistant, although nylon is still quite easy to clean and take care of; more overly so, if it has been specially treated with stain repellent e.g. Scotchgard. Nylon synthetics are a good upholstery choice for those of us who own a pet because our pets can enjoy their couch or armchair time in the knowledge that the underlying material is easily cleaned out of pet hair and stains deposited by our furry friends!

The polyester used in upholstery has a similar make-up to acrylic; it responds well to direct exposure to ultraviolet rays, but it is much harder to remove stains from this material. 

Regards

Tom

Acleanerplace Cleaning Services, Stirling