FAQs

TILE, GROUT AND STONE POST CLEANING INSTRUCTIONS

We highly recommend the use of a Neutral pH floor cleaner to keep your tile and stone floors and counters clean. Cleaners with an Alkaline or Acidic pH will deplete your sealer causing rapid resoiling. Unless rinsed extremely well, they will also tend to attract dirt like a magnet. Neutral cleaners can be purchased at any good tile store or a Janitorial supply. Revitalizer from Stonetech is a fantastic product. It not only cleans and disinfects but also reapplies a bit of sealer with every cleaning.
We cannot emphasize enough the importance of changing your mop water frequently. We find that the number one reason for soiled grout is dirty mop water.

HOW TO GET YOUR HOUSE READY FOR OUR CLEANING VISIT

• We will send out an email with specific instructions on how to get prepare your home for your cleaning project prior to our visit.
• Please pick up your small items and breakables, like lamps, plants, toys and small chairs.
• If you have computers on the floor we suggest placing them and their cords in a plastic garbage bag. While we vacuum the carpet we would appreciate it if you picked up small objects like coins, nails and toys.
• If you would like the carpet under your beds cleaned either remove them to an area not being cleaned or remove the linens and place the mattress and box spring on the frame length wise and leaned up against wall. We will step in side the frame to do the cleaning.
• Pets should be kept off the carpet for a few hours or until dry, if at all possible.
• Please have any autos that may need to be used while we are cleaning out of the garage and driveway.
• For the sake of safety, have your pets contained off the carpet, prior to our arrival.  Pet birds should be removed from areas where we will be working due to possible sensitivities to odors.

WHY DO MY SPOTS KEEP COMING BACK?

Have you ever cleaned a spot on your carpet and had it return?
Have you had your carpet cleaned and had the spots just “come right back”? Why does that happen?

There are two reasons that spots return:

The first reason is wicking. Many times, the spot that is being removed has seeped into the backing of the carpet. This is common with pet urine, beverages, and anything that is spilled in “volume”. The material dries in the backing and the cushion (pad) of the carpet. When the spot is cleaned, only the material in the pile of the carpet is removed. However, moisture is introduced to into the backing of the carpet. As the spot dries, the material that is in the backing of the carpet wicks back into the pile.

Even traffic area soil that is embedded can wick back. This is especially common in glue down carpet that is heavily impacted with soil. When the carpet is cleaned, it looks good. When it dries, the spots and traffic areas come back.

The good news is that if a spot actually wicks back, it can be removed. When spot cleaning, place a folded white terry cloth towel over the spot just after you clean it while the spot is still moist. Place a heavy object on top of the cloth.

When you have your carpet cleaned professionally, be sure to point out spots that have wicked back in the past, so they can be treated properly.

The second reason spots return is re-soiling. Re-soiling is caused by a sticky residue that has been left behind. The residue may be from the spot itself, the cleaner that was used, or both. Some common residue causes are over-the-counter carpet cleaners purchased at the grocery store. Avoid using these cleaners altogether. If you have to use one of these cleaners, use as little as possible and rinse with water thoroughly.

Other residue causes include oily spots: duct tape residue, body oils, lotions, etc. If the entire oily residue is not removed, it will attract soil as the carpet is walked on. Even quality professional cleaning may not be able to remove all oily residues the first time.

POST CARPET CLEANING INSTRUCTIONS

1. Please do not slip and fall.
Damp carpet can be slippery. Please be careful when using stairs and also when walking from the freshly cleaned carpet to any hard surface, such as vinyl or tile. Your shoes will be damp and you could fall. It is best to stay off of the carpet for at least 2-6 hours after cleaning if possible. Also, damp carpet can pull dirt off the soles of shoes, especially dark sole shoes. Please keep children and pets off damp carpet until it dries. We provide plastic shoe covers upon request.

2. Warm moving air dries carpet quickly.
Moving air dries carpet quicker. The boundary layer of air, the few inches above the carpet, is usually high in humidity as the carpet is drying. In the winter or on cold days, please turn on the heater, with the windows opened (so as not to create a sauna effect). Warm air holds more moisture and dries carpet quicker. On hot humid days, you may want to use the air conditioning, if available, to create drier air and air movement. Otherwise, open windows and doors and have fans blowing on the carpet. Ceiling fans should always be turned on, blowing down, no matter what weather. If you must close the windows, keep your home’s heater at 68º

3. Try to keep traffic off the carpet for at least 2-4 hours.
After we are done cleaning, the carpet fibers are left standing up; much like it was from the factory. Heavy traffic will simply lay the fiber back down. This may also increase the dry time.

4. If soil protection is applied (Teflon)
For maximum results, the soil protection should be allowed to dry before heavy traffic is allowed on the carpet. Also, we prefer that exposed skin, such as feet and pets be kept off until dry. Do not walk around on damp carpet in your cotton socks as they will absorb some of the protector.

5. If furniture has been blocked or tabbed, please leave these protectors in place for 24 hours
Even though the carpet may feel dry to the touch after an hour, we ask that you leave the blocks and/or tabs in place for a full 24 hours. This will protect your furniture as well as the carpet. We want to prevent wood stain transfers as well as rust from metal casters found on the legs of some furniture. It is also a good idea to move tabbed furniture a few times so underneath the leg can dry as well.

6. Some carpets may swell when cleaned.
This usually occurs in carpets that are in need of stretching and shows up as ripples in the carpet after cleaning. The ripples will go away and lay back down within 48 hours. If this occurs, you may want to consider having your carpet ?power stretched?. Power stretching should only be done after the carpet is thoroughly dry, otherwise the carpet could rip.

7. Try to take care of the spots and spills as soon as possible
Most spots and spills can be taken care of by yourself if you get to them right away. Hopefully, you will have a carpet spotter and a white towel handy. Also, don’t panic! Most damage is done when someone is in a hurry and they go after the spot too aggressively. If you ever have any questions, please call us or use our Spotting Guide.

8. Vacuum Vacuum Vacuum
Slow Down! The biggest mistake made vacuuming is going too fast. Up to 79% of the soils found in carpet are the dry soil and sand variety and can be effectively removed with thorough vacuuming. A regular maintenance schedule including vacuuming and periodic professional deep cleaning can not only extend the life of your carpet, but also keep it fresh and beautiful. If your old tired vacuum is not up to par, ask us for suggestions on a new vacuum cleaner.

FILTRATION SOILING

(Those ugly black lines around the baseboards and under doorways)

If you have light colored carpet, you may have experienced dark around baseboards, under doors, and especially near the HVAC return. This soiling comes from air passing through the carpet as it is attempting to go through the edge of the carpet pile, microscopic particles of soil are deposited there (hence the term filtration soiling). This occurs over a significant period of time and is not noticed until a build up has occurred.

This type of soiling is difficult to remove because the soil particles are so fine that they penetrate deep into the carpet pile, sometimes into the backing of the carpet. Can it be removed? Sometimes. With special products, time and effort, reasonable results can be achieved, although not in all cases.

To help prevent filtration soiling in the future, vacuum the edges of the carpeting on a regular basis, then wipe with a damp, white terry towel. Be careful around the tackstrip under the edge of the carpeting, you could nick your fingers!