Welcome to the Connoisseur Carpet Cleaning blog.
Santa Cruz Warriors Basketball pick Connoisseur to clean the court!
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 […]
Need some recommendations for services in Santa Cruz?
Connoisseur belongs to the local chapter of LeTip which is a referral group of the finest dedicated businesses in town. We meet weekly to discuss and share the latest happenings within our many and varied group. I can strongly recommend each of the following individuals with the highest level of confidence that they will meet or […]
Countertop Steam Cleaning
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 […]
New world record for a carpet sold at auction
June 5, 2013 / The keenly anticipated sale of Important Carpets from the William A. Clark Collection, deaccessioned by the Corcoran Gallery of Art took place today at Sotheby’s New York. The 25-lot auction totalled $44m for the Washington DC museum. The undoubted highlight of the sale was the new world record price for a carpet sold at […]
Some simple dos and don’ts for wool carpet owners..
Do not use “Oxy” or Chlorox/Chlorine bleach based cleaning agents on wool carpet, no matter how white you think the wool is. Doing so will always take what liitle die was applied to the fiber and leave you with something like this.. Second tip; If you really must clean your hand tied and died knotted wool rug in the home, rather than sending it to a […]
Santa Cruz hard water deposits on your showerhead?
*disclaimer, do not use Vinegar or any other acid cleaning products around calcium based stones such as Marble, Limestone or Travertine
Santa Cruz Good Times readers vote Connoisseur #1 again!
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!!!!!
Stove Revival in Santa Cruz
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. […]
As seen on TV!
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.. […]
Stone polishing in Santa Cruz county.
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 […]
FILTRATION SOILING (dirty black edges on your carpet…)
(Those ugly black lines around the baseboards and under doorways) If you have light colored carpet, you may have experienced dark stains 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 […]
Tips to maintain a happy and healthy vacuum cleaner
As one of the few carpet cleaning companies in town that insist on pre-vacuuming your carpet before applying cleaning agents we are often asked to inspect the condition of the home owners vacuum cleaner and all too often we see signs of serious neglect. I thought I’d post this up to help people learn the basics of regular vacuum cleaner maintenance. Lets start with Filters.. All […]
Textured Tile, love it or hate it..
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 […]
Nail polish spill on your Carpet? Don’t panic and DON’T touch it!!
This Santa Cruz home owner did the right thing when her daughter fumbled a bottle of nail polish all over her white nylon carpeting, she left it alone and called Connoisseur to the rescue! With our Rotary Extractor, some industrial strength “nail polish remover” and a special gel based solvent we were able to save the carpet in about an hour. If you […]
Saltillo Floor Refinished
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 […]
Another warning about non slip rug backings
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 […]
Do you need your carpet, rugs or upholstery clean and dry in a hurry?
Aptos, Santa Cruz, Watsonville and Scotts Valley home owners already know how quick their carpet dries after our cleaning. But if you need your floors or furnishings 100% dry for an event or incoming guests on the same day as your cleaning, we are more than happy to leave you with a Turbo Fan or […]
More great 5 star reviews for Santa Cruz’s favorite carpet cleaning company..
9/29/2012 We have a Dining Hall facility with over 10,000 Sq Ft. of new carpet that we usually clean ourselves. Our problem was that the new carpet was/is a dirt magnet and all that we tried didn’t work. Mike not only brought it back to near new condition, but was open about sharing what products […]
We love cleaning up after animals..
and the animals themselves for that mater.. My wife Paula and I spent Labor Day weekend at Vision Quest Ranch in Salinas. A real thrill with a nights stay in an African style tent cabin with visits from the a Honey Bear, a Great Horned Owl and Butch the Elephant.. We […]
Some advice on area rug pads
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 […]
Are you looking for a House Cleaner in Santa Cruz?
Cristi’s Green Cleaning has been referring us for some time now and it’s more than obvious that her clients love her and her workmanship. Please take a look at her website to learn more about this great local Santa Cruz house cleaning service.
Some must have products for maintaining Showerstalls..
We restore a lot of stone and tile shower stalls here in Santa Cruz. Most are in pretty rough shape from years of neglect. Too many homeowners just don’t know which solutions are safe to use and so many products fail to deliver results or worse, damage the stone or grout surfaces. Soap scum, mold, […]
Good Times readers vote us Best Carpet Cleaners for the 3rd year straight.
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 […]
Hey Mike, what do you recommend we clean our wood and tile floors with?
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 […]
Keep Your Carpet Clean – What You Can Do.
Carpets are commonly bought to add aesthetic appeal to a room. It beautifies an area, creating a focal point and enhances furniture and other decorations. To adults carpets are more of a decor, but to kids and pets carpets are more of fun furniture that’s ready for rough playing and crawling. And who can […]
Some staff changes at Connoisseur
Our employee of the last 6 years, Oswaldo “Oz” lee as moved to Long Beach to pursue other interests. Oz developed a nice fan following by many of our customers over the years and I’m sure they’ll miss him and his hard work and big smile. Taking over his position will be my son, Davis […]
Travertine cleaning and sealing
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 […]
If the Tile Setter goofs, let us fix it, cheap…
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.. […]
Pottery Barn rugs to run from…
Here is a great article from a friend of mine on the subject of bargain rugs.. click to read article I like my customers to know what they are getting when buying loose rugs for their homes. Please read this and pass it around to your friends and family who also have an interest […]
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Now offering Professional Wood Floor Cleaning in Santa Cruz County
Connoisseur is offering professional wood floor cleaning in Santa Cruz, Aptos, Capitola, Watsonville, Scotts Valley, Felton, Los Gatos and Saratoga
Restaurant Impossible chooses Connoisseur to work on Hoffmans
Over 50 carpet cleaning companies in Santa Cruz and Connoisseur was the 1st pick to clean the carpet when the popular TV show came to town to do a renovation at Hoffmans restaurant. SANTA CRUZ — There is no typical shoot for the Food Network program “Restaurant Impossible.” Each struggling restaurant the program […]
How durable is your stone sealer?
If you want the very best in protection for your stone floors, counter tops, patios or shower stalls then look no further than Dry Treat brand sealers. Why seal? Building materials such as natural stone, tile, masonry, concrete and grout are all made up of countless invisible capillary pores. This makes them porous and allows […]
For our dog loving customers in Santa Cruz, great video!!
If your dog has worn out his dancing shoes on your carpet, make sure to give us a call.
Carpet cleaning in different local zip codes
Excuse us while we do some house keeping Connoisseur cleans carpet, upholstery, area rugs, wool rugs, tile, grout and stone in the following santa cruz county zip codes: 95060, 95061, 95062, 95063, 95064, 95065, 95066, 95067, 95003, 95077, 95004, 95006, 95010, 95007, 95017, 95018
Etch Marks — Those Aren’t Water Stains!
Etching on marble, limestone, travertine and all the calcium based stone is the result of a chemical reaction that occurs when acid comes in contact with a surface. Etch marks on stone surfaces resemble water spots or worn polish. Seemingly innocent items like tooth paste, mouthwash, orange juice, coffee, vinegar, wine, perfumes, tomato […]
Are you interested in hand made rugs as an art form?
Than you’ll want to spend some time checking out this website The true beauty of Persian Rugs derives from the people who weave Persian Rugs. When we talk about the Persian or Iranian people we are not speaking of one broad ethnic group we are talking about many. While most Persians are Indo European […]
Pet Accidents Happen. Now What?
Pet activity may happen on your favorite rugs this summer. Guests in the home, or you away from home, restless pets can end up doing things they should not. With an inexpensive tufted rug, this can be a blessing because it is protecting a much more valuable wood floor underneath it. With an oriental rug […]
Are you looking for a child care provider in the Santa Cruz Area?
Than please look into my wife Paula’s wonderful service for your children.. http://aptosyellowbarn.com/ Our Santa Cruz daycare facility is clean and well kept. The yard and home are large so the children do not feel cramped. Our focus is primarily on safety and love, and then to keep a balance between fun, education, and […]
Down on the Boardwalk..
Cleaned a fun one down at the Boardwalk last week. Way down…! Actually it was the command center carpet which is deep in the subterranean caverns of our beloved Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. No steam cleaning could be done here as the rooms needing carpet cleaning were down many long hallways and only elevator access […]
Keeping Santa Cruz weird…
After winning Best Carpet Cleaner for the 3rd time we thought we should place a “thank you readers” ad in the Good times this year. I had this old photo laying around that an old friend made up for me when we first got our Vortex truck. I had shown him some wedding photos that […]
It really is a small world!
So my wife and I are coming out of a Snorkel Shop on Oahu’s North Shore this last week when a man walks by me and does a double take.. “Hey aren’t you from Santa Cruz?, you’re our carpet guy.. By the way did you see the nice article about you in the Sentinel […]
Good Times readers choose us as best carpet cleaner in Santa Cruz, again!!
Two years in a row now! Feels pretty darn good considering not a single vote was solicited. With over 6000 voters taking part in the online poll this year, it’s nice to know we came out on top over some steep competition. Santa Cruz has it’s share of very good carpet and tile cleaners so […]
Nick nick nick na nick na nick nick, Nickelodian!
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 […]
I’d like to recommend a really cool service..
Farm Fresh To You offers a variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables from our farm and create several home delivery and office delivery service options for you to choose from. Our Regular Service is our most popular home delivery for those who have some time to cook and Mostly Fruit Service is great for those […]
Dealing with Skunk odor on your Dog.
Has your dog been sprayed by a skunk? Even if not, all dog owners should know how to handle it – just in case. You may have heard of skunk odor remedies like tomato juice or vinegar, but they really just cover up the odor. Skunk spray is very oily and contains sulfur (hence the […]
Scotts Valley, Felton, Ben Lomond and Boulder Creek too..
Scotts Valley Carpet Cleaning We love all of Highway 9ine!
Facts about water damaged carpet
When damaged carpets lay submerged in water over any length of time woven fibers detach from polyurethane backing leaving no other alternative except replacement. But not all water damaged carpet is so severe. Many instances only small amounts of clean water spill so cleaning, drying and sanitizing are the only requirements for carpet restoration. Knowing […]
The newest home use vacuum to tickle our fancies..
I just got my wife this New Shark upright and boy is she thrilled. Shark Navigator Web Site While the original Navigator is still fantastic the new Navigator “Lift Away” takes it up a few notches for hard floor owners.. We got ours and Bed, Bath and Beyond in Santa Cruz for $135 with the […]
Clean your own grout..
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 […]
A little help in picking out a new area rug.
Lots of folks I talk to just have no clue on how to go about picking out a area rug for their home. I thought give some nice simple advice to take away some of the confusion you’ll run into while out shopping. Lets break the choices into three categories. Synthetic machine made rugs Wool […]
Hard Water staining on your shower doors?
We can help. At some point hard water deposits and soap scum will etch and cause permanent damage to your Shower Stall glass (and tile and fixtures) but if you’re in the Santa Cruz area we’d be glad to come by and run a free test to see if we can restore your glass. A […]
A Facebook excerpt..
Well. You see. It’s like this. I’m in a LeTip group and every week someone has to talk about their business. Mike is a highly paid, well-known professional carpet cleaner (and furniture, etc. etc.). Anyway. He’s usually a jokester. But yesterday he took it seriously and gave us an honest-to-goodness lecture on what you want […]
More great reviews from Yelpers
Yelp continues to be one of our greatest sources of quality seeking new clients. Not a day goes by at Connoisseur where we dont hear the word YELP! Thank you Yelpers for reviewing us into the number one Carpet, Upholstery, Tile and Grout cleaning company for all of Santa Cruz County!
Yep, you guess it, we’re Dog lovers here @ CCU
Just in case you wanted to see who is peeing on our floors at home.. Click here to meet Diesel, Pepper and our new girl Hula..
Our latest addition to the family…
Meet “Hula” our female Olde English Bulldogge puppy. 8 weeks old and loaded with personality and heart breaking charm and good looks. Our five year old boy Diesel hasn’t quite grasped what it all means.. Seeing how he is “intact” it wont take long for him to show us his gratitude..
Some advice for picking out new wall to wall carpet.
I am asked almost weekly to help with the bewilderment of picking out a new carpet. So many choices in fiber types leave the average home owner very confused.. Hope this helps. EDIT: As of 8/2012 we here at Connoisseur now recommend SmartStrand carpet as the best over all performer and value in wall to wall […]
Tired of dealing with Soap Scum in your shower stall?
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 […]
Are you or any freinds looking for loving, quality Child Care In Santa Cruz?
My Wife Paula runs the best little Day Care in all of Aptos… http://aptosyellowbarn.com/
Santa Cruz County/Good Times readers have spoken!
270+ voters have spoken! For Carpet Cleaning in Santa Cruz County you just can’t go wrong with Connoisseur! They got the Bio Fuel percentage wrong though.. We use the B5 fuel available at USA Gas at the corner of 7th and Soquel
Two great choices in upright Vacuum cleaners.
Around our home we love the Sebo X4 upright. It’s a beautifully German engineered piece of equipment. Built to last forever, extremely well filtered (S class), very easy to use and goes from hard floor to carpet with no manual adjustments. An active on board computer assure that the brush roll is always at the […]