Connoisseur gives back to the cleaning industry in a BIG way..

Mike P /
Tomi Hochgurtel- I asked Mike to clean my carpets and floors while I was on vacation. He got me on the schedule with short notice the week before thanksgiving (A busy time of year) he did a great job and we loved coming home to clean floors! I refer connoisseur to all my clients when […]
Mike P /
It has come to Connoisseur Carpet, Tile & Upholstery Cleaning’s attention that there is an industry-wide problem with modern porcelain tiles manufactured from 2018 to present. Experts in the floor cleaning industry have identified that most porcelain tiles, especially the variety that mimic the appearance of stone or wood, are HIGHLY likely to be damaged […]
Mike P /
We remove and replace failed grout and caulking with custom color matched high performance grout, RTV Silicone and epoxy products Call for a free estimate and restore your grouted surface to like new!
Mike P /
At Connoisseur we have been cleaning and restoring shower walls, floors, glass and fixtures for two decades. Over the years we’ve learned what works and what can make a real mess out of your investment Here are some helpful tips to keep your stall or enclosure looking great for years. If you live in […]
Mike P /
Simple, effective, inexpensive and EASY! Sweep or dust the floor with a broom or a microfiber dust mop prior to wet cleaning. Use one 18” blue Microfiber flat mop head for every 100 square feet of hard surface flooring that you will be cleaning. Fill a bucket or sink with a gallon of warm water […]
Mike P /
According to Wikipedia; Dander is material shed from the body of humans and other animals that have fur, hair, or feathers. The term is similar to dandruff, when an excess of flakes becomes visible. Skin flakes that come off the main body of an animal are dander, while the flakes of skin called dandruff come […]
Mike P /
Connoisseur owner Mike Pailliotet recently taught 24 fellow carpet cleaners from around the country how to improve their “Hard Surface” offerings in a 3 day class in Las Vegas at the IICRC Global Resource Center (the white house of carpet cleaning)…
Mike P /
We offer customer color matched “speckled” RTV 100% Silicone for synthetic counter tops to create a seamless and long lasting appearance
Mike P /
Mike Pailliotet transformed his professional career from working in a vegan restaurant to operating a successful carpet cleaning company, but along the way created some interesting and impactful programs for the industry. Here is his story.
Mike P /
Our industrial felt adhesive pad is made with the same wool blend felt as the clear Flexi-Felt. Why is it different from the typical retail store pads? Well, we don’t use the cheap double face tape that everyone else uses. In fact we don’t use tape at all. We have a special patent pending process […]
Mike P /
CONSUMER ALERT! Considering Luxury Vinyl Plank for your next flooring project? Do yourself a HUGE favor and test a plank or two before you purchase it by scraping it with a key or a screwdriver across the grain to see how durable it is. I clean a LOT of this stuff and today I ran […]
Mike P /
Two pictures are worth one word…. NO! If you love the look of slate, please consider using a Porcelain look-a-like […]
Mike P /
Santa Cruz’s most beloved Carpet Cleaning company! and probably Aptos’, Capitola’s, Scotts Valley’s, Felton’s and Watsonville’s too…
Mike P /
We removed moldy, damaged silicone and replaced it with permanent, mold proof, low maintenance, Epoxy Based Grout for an incredible improvement..
Mike P /
No other service company in the Gardnerville, Minden, Carson City Nevada and the Santa Cruz, Aptos, Captiola and Scotts Valley California areas offer such an extensive list of services for tile, stone and grout repairs. Free on site estimates to survey your project, but we usually start with having the customer send a few photos […]
Mike P /
Due to advancements in science and chemistry and good ol’ American ingenuity, our Low Moisture Cleaning Methods help keep your carpet looking great and often for much longer than expected! Here is a photo from a senior living facility in Gardnerville, this shows the carpet half way through the cleaning process, this was taken back […]
Mike P /
Do yourself a big favor and read this enlightening article before purchasing “Quartz” type countertops. We have had excellent luck and performance with ours but not all brands and varieties perform the same when it comes to stains and cleanability. Do Engineered Quartz Countertops Stain?
Mike P /
Connoisseur has a service that is sure to help you get relief from headaches, swollen eyes, poor sleep and other symptoms related to what is hiding under and in your bed.. We start with a very thorough vacuuming of your carpet or flooring, baseboards and headboard to remove your or your pet’s dried, sloughed skin, […]
Mike P /
The interesting fact about this year’s win, is NONE of us knew the contest was running so no hanging chads were to be found….
Mike P /
As a HUGE and passionate fan of the Eastern Sierra and all it’s tiny communities, it’s our honor and privilege to offer our award winning Carpet Cleaning, Upholstery Cleaning and Tile and Stone Cleaning services to the following areas: Topaz Ranch Estates Wellington Smith Valley Markleeville Coleville Walker Bridgeport* Lee Vining* *minimum charges apply, get […]
Mike P /
Joanna Doubleday It would be one thing if these guys had only performed the miracles that they did on my carpets, but to couple that with INCREDIBLE, accommodating service deserves more than 5 stars. We, shamefully, hadn’t gotten our carpets professionally cleaned for 5 years. I had assumed that the carpets in our rental were […]
Mike P /
Our process for Vinyl Flooring, whether it be plank, tile or sheet is extremely effective at removing years worth of mop residue, cooking oils, pet residues and just plain “life”….
Mike P /
Connoisseur Cleaning’s owner, Mike Pailliotet organizes cleaners from around the country to come in and clean all the flooring, furnishings and counter tops at various Ronald McDonald Homes around the country. Las Vegas in January… Greenville SC in February and three locations in Phoenix in November
Mike P /
Gardnerville and Minden Nevada residents Vote Connoisseur Carpet, Tile & Upholstery Cleaning the Best of Carson for the 3rd time
Mike P /
I think the relatively simple tips in this video will work well most of the time. WARNING! Acetone is highly flammable, if you can not control flames, pilot lights, smokers or other sources you can substitute Dawn or Palmolive Dish washing detergent. Not quite as effective but MUCH safe.
Mike P /
One of the first things we look at when inspecting a tile cleaning project are the baseboards and their condition. Most all homes these days are being built with low cost “MDF” baseboards, Medium Density Fiberboard is popular due to low cost and ease of use but is plagued with a curse.. The bottom […]
Mike P /
With our unique Epoxy Fortified Grout system we can custom color match virtually any floor, counter or tub/shower install and provide a near perfect fix for cracks, holes or missing grout. The Ultimate Wet Area Repair! Fixes Shower Floors and Tub Showers Replaces Caulk, Silicone and Sealants Fights Mildew and Mold Damage Use Any Color […]
Mike P /
Using this system you’ll never smear dirty mop water around or leave a soil attracting film behind. Grout lines will stay cleaner MUCH longer and the grout sealer will last much longer as well. First you’ll need to pick up a gallon of a Neutral pH No Rinse Floor Cleaner such as ZEP . It’s a […]
Mike P /
Quite the honor to achieve this award in such a short time here.
Mike P /
Carson Valley and Lake Tahoe residents are seeing clean floors and furnishings in a whole new light…
Mike P /
A growing collection of fun photos of our new van in and around the Eastern Sierra Down Town Bridgeport CA Hwy 88 in Gardnerville Sonora Pass […]
Mike P /
Connoisseur is honored to have won this prestigious local award for the 7th straight year in a row and 8th time total.
Mike P /
Paula and I spent 12 solid hours at the old Douglas County Courthouse today. This 100 year old tile floor has been hiding under carpet for the past 20 years. We were hired to remove those glue residue and to steam clean the tile and grout.. There was a 1916 penny inserted into a tile […]
Mike P /
I’d like to share this great website with you. The Microfiber mop heads are very high quality and 1/4 of the price of hardware and janitorial stores I really like this mop head for cleaning honed or rough surface stone, wood and vinyl floors. The “scrub strips ” work wonders at dislodging soil. http://www.directmopsales.com/MICROFIBERSCRUBBERPADS18GRAY_p/mscrb18.htm […]
Mike P /
Tile, Grout and Stone cleaning Santa Cruz, Aptos, Capitola, Scotts Valley, Carson Valley, Lake Tahoe@ Connoisseur
Mike P /
Lots of hoses and cords are an unfortunate and sometimes messy reality when it comes to getting your carpet cleaned. Rest assured that our conscientious technicians at Connoisseur will do everything they can to protect your hard floors and walls from scratches, moisture, cleaning agents and shoes.. Along with our caring attitude, we bring a […]
Mike P /
It appears that the laminate flooring this chain is selling emits a high level of formaldehyde, a known cancer causing chemical. The materials coming from Chinese manufacturing plants can be labeled as CARB compliant when they actually aren’t. 60 Minutes did a story on this and it’s the kind of thing people should be made […]
Mike P /
I found this video informative and interesting as I’m sure anyone who owns a granite counter will as well.. Santa Cruz home owners who need their Granite counters, floors or showerstalls professionally cleaned or sealed, please give us a call.
Mike P /
A very popular product recommended by many if not all the floor retailers in town.. Let me let you in on a somewhat better deal.. Lemon Clean from Coast Paper Supply in Santa Cruz Virtually the exact same product and usage, minus the advertising campaign.. It’s a very low cost, neutral pH […]
Mike P /
A regular customer of ours called over the holiday weekend claiming her tenant found a “small wet spot” on the carpet.. We showed up on Tuesday to investigate. From the looks of it, the toilet tank gasket has been leaking for over a month. The surrounding walls were soaked and that “one foot by six […]
Mike P /
If a Labrador Retriever is a Carpet Cleaners best friend (nothing soils up a carpet faster than the oily coat of a Water Dog) then the old fashion method of cleaning tile, stone and concrete floors with a cotton string mop and a bucket of suds is truly a god send for professional hard surface […]
Mike P /
Please take a few seconds to watch us work our magic on this well loved Travertine floor in Aptos CA. Identify Sweep Protect surroundings Apply cleaning agent Let dwell Agitate Steam Clean contained rinse Detail edges and corners Power dry with 360º fans Apply penetrative sealer Buff when necessary. -optional polish or homing available.
Mike P /
I wanted to take a moment and thank all our past, present and future loyal Santa Cruz clientele for beeing so patient with getting your appointments to get your tile, carpet or upholstery cleaned this summer. We have been extremely busy, beesier than ever actually, I’ve never seen it quite so in 25 years in […]
Mike P /
We were honored to be chosen to clean the “new” wood court for our local D league Basketball team. The development team for the Golden State Warriors are actually using a 20+ year old floor that has been refurbished with new water base/Green polyurethane. After just one season the floor was getting dirtier than the […]
Mike P /
Santa Cruz county is just loaded with 1970’s tile counters. We service close to 1000 homes a year and all too often we see a situation like in the photos below where the homeowner has let the food and grim level build up in the grout line to the point of being a serious health […]
Mike P /
*disclaimer, do not use Vinegar or any other acid cleaning products around calcium based stones such as Marble, Limestone or Travertine
Mike P /
We want to thank all of our loyal Santa Cruz County clients for voting us “Best Of ” for four years in a row! THANK YOU!!!!!
Mike P /
We had two fun jobs this week that I thought I’d post some pictures of.. This is a real nice floor made from Quartzite, a form of Sandstone, that the homeowners are having a real “hard” time keeping clean. Any form of traditional mopping only makes it works. A Hoover Floormate would be their best answer to maintenance cleaning. […]
Mike P /
These Scotts Valley home owners where fed up with their own not so professional attempts to get their beautiful tile floor cleaned. They had all the “as seen on TV” gadgets, all the industrial power shazamwow cleaners from every tile and hardware stone in town and all too many weekends wasted trying to do it themselves.. […]
Mike P /
Connoisseur is proud to offer polishing and restoration of natural stone to all of Santa Cruz county. Dull, scratched, etch or just plain worn, Marble, Travertine, Limestone or Granite surfaces can be very frustrating. There is virtually nothing that Santa Cruz home owners can do to restore the shine themselves and with no local service […]
Mike P /
You may love it’s slip resistance and how your guests (and pesky mother in law) will think you have “real” natural (and more expensive) stone and you’ll certainly love how you cant stain or etch it but….. You will absolutely HATE how hard it is to keep clean. Look at all these pits and pours.. Dirt, mop water, spilled […]
Mike P /
Here are some photos taken of a recent Saltillo floor we stripped and resealed in Aptos. Removing the topical finish of this type of floor is VERY time consuming and messy. As the finished starts to break down, red mud develops and can splash the walls. In this case we had a unfinished kitchen to work with so the […]
Mike P /
We were recently called out to inspect a new wood floor in a really nice seaside home in Santa Cruz Ca. The situation had the home owner laying a new Sisal Fiber rug over a freshly installed wood floor. The off gassing from the new floor finish reacted with the built in rubber, non skid […]
Mike P /
When a rug is on a hardwood or tile/stone floor, it is essential to have the right rug pad underneath. The floor may experience harm from rug scratches and furniture indentations and the dense pad will prevent this from happening. The best rug pads for hard floors are ones that are either a solid felt […]
Mike P /
Good Times readers have Good Taste in carpet, upholstery and tile cleaners it would appear. Connoisseur has now won “Best Of” four times now and we’re on a three year running streak. If you voted for us we want to thank you VERY MUCH! If you just found us and wonder what all the […]
Mike P /
Here is out time proven recommendation on how to best maintain your tile, stone, vinyl and wood floors Using this system you’ll never smear dirty mop water around or leave a soil attracting film behind. First you’ll need to pick up a gallon of a Neutral pH No Rinse Floor Cleaner such as Lemon Clean. It’s […]
Mike P /
Most Santa Cruz home owners will tell you that living on a Travertine floor is much like living on white carpet. This soft porous stone absorbs every days soils both dry and wet much like a Berber/loop does, everything sticks to the surface and stares at you right in the eye. and mopping just makes […]
Mike P /
This home owner wanted the grout around her pebble mosaic to go with her new granite slab fire place.. As you can see the wrong color was used and the contrast was way to strong.. So we Color corrected the grout with out removing it with a durable acrylic/concrete based color seal in Kahlua Cream.. […]
Mike P /
Connoisseur is offering professional wood floor cleaning in Santa Cruz, Aptos, Capitola, Watsonville, Scotts Valley, Felton, Los Gatos and Saratoga
Mike P /
The “Nick” theater here in Santa Cruz called us recently about their stained grout situation in their lobby. Just six months old and already permanently stained. That is what happens when the grout (very porous!) does not get sealed after instillation. Staining from drink spills, mud and dirty mop water and the like will darken […]
Mike P /
If you have the time, knees, good lower back and plenty of patience, yes you can get your dirty grout clean-er.. DIY Grout Cleaning Video or if you have a better things to do, just call Santa Cruz ‘s favorite Professional Tile, Stone and Grout cleaner to take care of your cleaning project in a […]
Mike P /
Then its time to switch over to Glycerin Bar Soap! Regular white bar soap is the number one offender and contributor to soap scum build up in tile and natural stone shower stalls and tub enclosures. The animal fats used in manufacturing white bar soap also contributes to mold growth in the cracks and cervices […]
Mike P /
Connoisseur uses a 4-step process to revitalize your floor surfaces. This process not only restores your floors to their original beauty, but with its fungicides, bactericides and mildicides built into the Grout Perfect Color Seal formulation it insures sanitation for many years. 1.A non-toxic neutral cleaning solution is applied to the grout lines and worked into […]
Mike P /
If you own any sort of hard floors that is. Tile, Stone, Wood, Vinyl, Concrete, Laminates.. Any and all hard floor surfaces will come and stay cleaner with this fine little machine. Wash, vacuum and dry all non-carpeted hard surfaces with the Hoover FloorMate . Seven scrubbing brushes cover a 15-inch cleaning path, and the […]
Mike P /
If your hallway bath or condo kitchen floor just seems too small a job for us, how about 6000 feet of mismatched grout in your auto show room? The tile setters goofed and used at least 4 shades of white on this floor. None of which looked very good. The owner of this Santa Cruz […]
Mike P /
Natural Slate, Flagstone, Travertine, some Limestone and some Marble all have “hidden” deep color that need man made help or more specifically, us at Connoisseur to help bring out.. Enhancing penetrative sealers provide protection against oil and water based soils, dirt, grime, mold as well as providing a wet look but with out the shine. […]
Mike P /
We gladly provide our top notch carpet cleaning, tile stone and grout restoration and oriental rug cleaning services to all of Santa Cruz county. Including the Summit area, all of Hwy 9, down south to Aromas and Corralitos and as far north as Swanton Rd/Davenport area. We also travel to Los Gatos, Saratoga, San Jose […]
Mike P /
Cleaning Procedures & Recommendations General Cleaning Clean stone surfaces with a neutral cleaner designated safe for natural stone. Use a clean mop on floors and a soft cloth for other surfaces for best results. Don’t use more than the recommended amount of any cleaning product. Too much may leave a film, causing streaks. Change rinse […]
Mike P /
But we do rejuvenate a mean shower stall! Deep cleaning, mold removal, re-grouting, stain removal, removal and replacement of caulk, grout or silicone and long lasting penetrative sealers. Natural Stone, Ceramic or Porcelain, you name it, we can clean it. Before- After- Before- After-
Mike P /
I just can’t get over how well our Color Sealing process works. This first picture is after a two step cleaning process using both alkaline and acidic cleaning agents. Sometimes light colored grout shows stains and other than removing the grout and replacing with new, color sealing is the only logical, effective and long lasting […]
Mike P /
San Lorenzo Floors/Abbey Carpet -Scotts Valley & Aptos Floors Etc-Soquel Mission Floors -Santa Cruz Warehouse Direct Flooring Outlet- Santa Cruz Rainbow Carpet -Santa Cruz Santa Cruz Tile and Stone Tile and Marble Outlet-Santa Cruz They all have so much confidence in our ability to treat you and your floors so well that we are the […]
Mike P /
I dont blame you. I’ve seen the same botched jobs you have. Those silly Grout pens from QVC that looks like you used White Out or tooth paste to hide the stains. Lumpy, uneven results that look horrible. I blame the poor quality products from the hardware store, lack of proper prep work and no […]
Mike P /
Natural stone such as tumbled Marble or Travertine is a very popular Shower and Bathtub wall covering here in Santa Cruz County This is somewhat surprising when you consider that it can be one of the most difficult materials to take care of in a Bathroom. Most natural stone of these types is quite porous […]
Mike P /
I have lots of home owners asking me what they should use to clean their Granite counter tops with. There are lots of good safe neutral pH products out there but none are as easy to find as Trader Joe’s Cleanliness is Next to Godliness Multi-Purpose Cleaner. I think everyone in Santa Cruz must shop […]
Mike P /
If you’re in the need for a new shower stall, kitchen floor or tile counter top you will not find a better tile craftsman the Aptos’ own Joshua McAuley, Josh is not only a friend of mine but a humble, hard working, very creative professional tile setter. I’ve seen his installs and you can be […]
Mike P /
How To Avoid & Solve Them Marble, granite, limestone and other decorative stone are durable materials that will last a lifetime. However, if not installed correctly, or properly cared for, will experience problems that will shorten its life. The following are the top ten problems most common in dealing with stone tile. 1. […]
Mike P /
I don’t know about you all but as a professional floor cleaner I can tell you that Carpet as a flooring choice is not as popular as it was five years ago. Today, most of the homes I go into to service only have carpet in the family/TV room and the bed rooms. The rest […]
Mike P /
Welcome to the Connoissuer Carpet, Upholstery, Tile, Stone & Grout Cleaning Blog. YOU FOUND US!!! The best kept Tile & Grout Cleaning secret in Santa Cruz. A Brief History We’d like to introduce Mike and Paula Pailliotet of Connoisseur Tile & Grout Cleaning. Connoisseur is a quality minded company in the Santa Cruz area (Aptos, Capitola, […]