What is Full Service Carpet Cleaning?

Okay, so you have had your carpet cleaned over the years. Maybe you are like many of my clients having hired different carpet cleaning companies in Portland every year to clean your carpet. Maybe you have been lucky and found one company that has cleaned your carpet year after year. You feel that they did a pretty good job. The question is, "Have they provided superior service and value?"

To receive complete full service carpet cleaning  you need to find a company that follows a carpet cleaning process recommended by the carpet manufacturers. 

Each step in carpet cleaning process recommended by carpet manufacturers is designed to safely clean your carpets and keep them looking new longer. In some cases hiring a professional Portland carpet cleaning company is required to maintain your carpet manufacturer's warranty.

If you need help with hiring a great Portland carpet cleaning company, please give us a call at 503-922-4875 or 360-901-8686 or visit us at: www.seanscarpetcare.com

The Ring Around Your Carpet

I have great clients and some with fabulous carpets! 

Recently, I have been cleaning some fabulous carpet, such as wool and see dark lines all around the edges of the carpet and under the doors.

What is this you ask? This is called filtration soil. It occurs when the heating filters of the home have not been changed on a regular basis. A dark oily soot is left around the edges of the carpet and under the doors.

Filtration is actually hard to remove and sometimes takes color with it when treated. We are a Portland carpet cleaning company with specialized skills at removing tough filtration stains.

One easy step to improving your indoor air quality and saving your fabulous carpet is to simply change the heating filters.

Until next time....Sean

Good Kitty or Bad Kitty?

Cats are wonderful companions with each having individual personalities. They are very intelligent and usually train easily. Even cats with proper training can sometimes still have bad habits that can ruin or damage carpet.

Bad Kitty

Cat urine is unlike other types of pet urine. When your cat has an accident or gets even with you by urinating on the carpet you are left with an area that has a strong odor and possible color damage.

Problem Prevention
Removing the liquid from the carpet, as soon as possible, is the key to preventing major problems with cat urine. A towel should be used to absorb the liquid and prevent it from soaking through the backing of the carpet to the pad.

If the urine is left to dry it’s high alkalinity can neutralize the color dyes in carpet and cause permanent bleaching. Color loss, or bleaching, is most likely to occur with acid dyed carpet fibers, such as nylon. Unfortunately, the potential bleaching effect will not become apparent until the carpet is cleaned and the neutralized dyes are released leaving a light spot. Color loss is most noticeable in dark colored carpet.

I Didn't Know

There are some good products available to homeowners for pet urine treatment, whether or not the spot was noticed immediately. One spotter we are aware of is Unbelievable! Plus II Odor & Spot Remover. On fresh stains this spotter neutralizes the high alkalinity build-up of the urine, which helps to prevent bleaching problems. On older dry stains, this spotter will help to dissolve the crystallized urine in the carpeting and prevent re-spotting.

Also remember to look for and clean urine on surrounding furniture and walls!

Maybe I Need A Professional?

If you still have odor problems after trying an over the counter spotter then maybe you should consider calling a professional.

We are a Professional Portland Carpet Cleaning Company. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us at www.seanscarpetcare.com

We also have other valuable information on professional pet urine removal and proper carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, and tile/grout cleaning. Our site is design to help you make a educated choice when choosing a cleaner. Byeee...for now! Sean

House Selling Tip - Clean Your Carpet

Carpet Cleanliness Indicates Home's Condition

Do you know one of the first things potential buyers notice in a home they are considering to purchase?

The answer is the carpet!

Yep, If the carpet is dirty it causes potential buyers to question the upkeep on the rest of the home.

A Good Carpet Cleaner Can Be Worth A Million Dollars

A good carpet cleaner can dramatically help to improve the appearance of your carpet and the chances of selling your home.

Receive Value From Your Carpet Cleaner

A good carpet cleaner should perform certain steps in order to provide the highest level of cleaning.

The MINIMUM Steps you should receive:

Pre-Inspection - Determine what can be cleaned and point out any trouble areas before cleaning. Your cleaner should be able to tell you want stains or trouble areas can be fixed before cleaning.
Pre-Vacuum - All areas to be cleaned. Your cleaner should use proper vacuuming techinques that will remove the soil from deep down in your carpet.
Clean -Clean your carpet utilizing a fiber rinse to leave your carpets pH balanced. This helps reduce rapid re-soiling.
Post Groom -Rake the carpet to re-align the pile and make it look fabulous.

Note: These are the basic steps to cleaning. We are a Portland Carpet Cleaning company that provides an 11-Step Cleaning Process.

Hope this helps in selling your home....Sean :-)

How To Keep Carpet Clean

How Do I Maintain My Clean Carpet?

You just bought new carpet or had it professionally cleaned and want to know how to protect your investment.

3 Reasons Carpet Gets Dirty.

Filtration, abrasion, residue

What is Dirt?

Dirt, techincally known as soil, "...is any unwanted matter on the surface of any object that is desired to be cleaned" (Fabric Cleaning Specialist).

Even with regular vacuuming most people do not realize the damage dirt does to carpet.

Indoor Air Quality

Indoor Air Quality

The Environmental Protection Agency has identified indoor air quality as one of the top five most urgent environmental risks to public health.

The bad news…..we spend 90% of our time in our sealed up tight homes, and indoor pollutants are 1000 times more likely to reach your lungs than pollutants outdoors; and how many homes today have 25 to 100 times more pollutants in them than polluted outdoor air. But now it’s time for the good news…..you can do something to protect you and your family! And it won’t cost a lot of money or time. The key is to be informed.

Combat Indoor Air Quality

According the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) there are 3 things you can be doing to combat the problem of unhealthy indoor air. Here they are…

#1: Source Control. This simply means get to the source of the pollution and either contain it or eliminate it. This could be as simple as adjusting a gas stove to reduce emissions. Adjustments like these are usually the most effective and cost efficient ways to improve your indoor air quality.

#2: Ventilation. A second way to improve your indoor air quality is to bring some of the outdoor air in. Today most homes have forced air heating systems and do not bring fresh air into the home. However, simply opening windows or doors, or operating window fans or a/c units with fresh air vents can bring in some fresh air. But, keep in mind all this ventilation will make your home less energy efficient. Also, the EPA emphasizes it is especially important to take as many of these steps as possible while you are involved in short-term activities that can generate high levels of pollutants – i.e. painting, paint stripping, heating with kerosene heaters, or engaging in maintenance and hobby activities such as welding, or sanding.

#3: Air Cleaners. When choosing an air cleaner do your research! There are a lot of different ones on the market and some of them don’t do much to improve air quality. Things to look for are: how well it collects pollutants from indoor air (look for a percentage efficiency rate) and how much air it draws through the cleaning or filtering element (look for cubic feet per minute). Also, look for what it removes. Most air cleaners will claim to remove the usual allergens, but the higher end ones will also remove viruses, and VOC’s. (Toxic off gasses.)

The EPA also had this to say, “Keep the house clean. House dust mites, pollens, animal dander, and other allergy-causing agents can be reduced, although not eliminated, through regular cleaning.” And also, “…carpet owners should follow the manufacturer's instructions for proper carpet maintenance.”

Remember, your carpet is like a big filter. It traps pollutants and when it gets full it redistributes them back into the air with every step you take. If it’s been more than 6-12 months since you had your carpets cleaned your “filter” (carpet) is probably full. If you want to take steps toward healthier indoor air then call Sean's Carpet Care, a Portland Professional Carpet Cleaner. 503-922-4875 / 360-901-8686 right now.