Often the only time to clean the carpets is when the carpet looks dirty. Really, carpet cleaning is not just about the look and actually about good health. Yes, it can be annoying and sometimes embarrassing to look at the dirty carpet. Isn’t it amazing to look at the dirt build up and wonder, “How did all of that soil get there?” Even if you take your shoes off the carpet still seems to get dirty.

This Is Amazing

Whenever one my my clients happends to see the color of the water coming out of the carpet, especially carpet that looks clean to the eye can be shocking. Then if my clinets go one step farther and happen to sneek a peek at the inline cleaning filter they are often amazed at what has been removed from the carpet.

Yes, regular carpet cleaning maintenance is best performed by regular vacuuming and many clients are great at taking care of their indoor environments. Even with regular vacuuming and removing shoes before entering the home it can be disturbing to still see the soil, hair, sand, and much more than is removed with professional carpet cleaning.

Wether you have hardwood floors or carpet and no matter what you do to take care of your indoor environment soil will always enter the home. You see there is always a layer of air that travels throught the home. This air runs around the edges of the walls, up the stairs, and under door ways. The air that travels throughout the home carriers with it soil from outside and oily soot from filtration air.

Dark Filtration Line

One of the toughest things about filtration soil is that it gets stuck on the stairs and under door ways of doors that are not often opened. Filtration soil is also more prevalent in second story homes. Have you seen this type of soil? Look around the walls, especially upstairs. Do you see the dark lines around the walls? Now check under door ways of mostly closed doors. See the dark soil?

So you have vacuumed regualrly and taken your shoes off everytime before you walked in the house. So the obvious question is, “How did this soil get here?”

How Did The Soil Get In?

The homes that are built today are air tight. Every time a door leading outside is openned it is as if your home is exhaling. Well, what happens after everytime we exhail? Right, we inhail. Everytime an exterior door is openned your home exhails and inhails particulate soil, bacteria, etc. into your home. The good news…If you have carpet installed in your home it will filter and store the contaminents from outside until cleaning.

The Key…Cleaning!

The key to taking the best care of your indoor environment is to clean the carpet once in awhile. Usually it is recommended to clean your carpet every 6-18 months. It is best to clean your carpet at least once per year. Clean out the filter in the home and you will breathe better.

With cleaning you need to decide which type of carpet cleaning method is best for you.

Carpet Cleaning Starts Here

When trying to decide where to start with carpet cleaning it is best to start by reading your warranty. To maintain your carpet warranty carpet manufacturers recommend cleaning intervals and the method of carpet cleaning required.

In addition to carpet cleaning tips in this article the Sierra Club has a great article on Carpet Cleaning for Looks and Health.

Some useful tips for maintaining carpet are:

• Use doormats. As much as two thirds of the dust and dirt in our homes is tracked in on our feet. Make sure you have doormats inside and outside your doors, ideally long enough to come in contact with your shoes for several footsteps. Vacuum the mats frequently.
• Shoes off, please! Taking your shoes off as you enter your home is even more effective than doormats at keeping dirt out. Make shoe removal convenient by putting a bench or chair near the door.
• Cover it up. Small mats or rugs on top of the carpet in heavily trafficked areas reduce wear and tear, extending the life of the carpet.
• Clean up spills immediately. To prevent ground in dirt and stains, vacuum dry spills right away and blot (don’t rub) wet spills with an absorbent cloth.
• Vacuum frequently. Frequent vacuuming, especially in high-traffic areas, keeps surface dirt from working its way deeper into the carpet fibers, where it can be harder to remove. Always vacuum before a deep cleaning for maximum effectiveness.

Checkout their great article listed above. Now that you see how the soil gets into your home you can now see how to take the best care of your indoor environment.

Hope this information is helpful…Until next time…I will be out carpet cleaning for awhile…Sean Mecham…Professional carpet cleaner providing carpet cleaning in Portland, OR

Providing professional Carpet Cleaning in Portland I know a ton about the science of carpet cleaning. Not trying to brag, but I am an expert at pet urine removal, tile and grout cleaning, carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, and more. Everyday, I learn and sharpen my skills regarding the science involved in removing some of the toughest carpet stains. A professional carpet cleaner can help you with difficult stains that many customers think are impossible to remove.

Hey, I Understand

I understand that not everyone wants or can afford to hire a professional carpet cleaner. I always do my best to educate my new clients on how to take the best care of their home environment. To help here is a couple great tips of how to perform Do it Yourself Carpet Cleaning.

Soap Is Your Enemy

One of the problems with do it yourself carpet cleaning is not being able to rinse out all of the soap. When soap is left in the carpet it leaves the carpet sticky and crunchy. The left over soapy residue attracts dirt quickly and can make the carpet look worse than before it was cleaned. I understand that you may rinse the carpet over and over thinking you got all of the soap out, but guess what? It’s still there!

Stay with me for a minute…

Have you ever noticed the crusty soap built up around the soap dispenser at the sink? After removing all of the soap around the dispenser, please do me a favor. Please put some water on your finger and rub it around where the soap was. Guess what happens? It foams up because the soap is still there!

Follow the tips below to help improve your carpet cleaning efforts.

If you want to rent a carpet shampooer at your local grocery or hardware store and do your own carpet cleaning you need to know a couple professional carpet cleaning secrets.

First, make sure to not put soap into the rental machine. You should put soap in a separate spray bottle and manually spray the carpet first. Then work the soap gently into the carpet with a broom. Brushing the carpet agitates and loosens up the soil and making it easier to remove more soil than just plain carpet cleaning.

Before beginning the rinsing process put a small amount of vinegar in the tank where the soap usually goes. The vinegar will help to neutralize the soap cleaning solution. The vinegar will help neutralize the soap and improve your cleaning efforts.

Make sure to not over wet the carpets by making extra dry passes over the carpet.

Now, your cleaning efforts will greatly improve close to a professional carpet cleaner.

Here is a great article, written by a fellow carpet cleaner in Portland, that provides some great advanced carpet cleaning tips for the Do it Yourselfer.

Read here, Portland carpet cleaning pro gives tips for homeowners

I hope this information is helpful! Take care until next time…Sean

My company Sean’s Carpet Care has just received a new review from one of my customers that I provided Carpet Cleaning in Portland for.

“Sean has a great carpet cleaning machine & knows how to use it very professional & polite-our carpet in the house and motorhome looks great.”

Thank you very much Mr. Reitzenstein

You read the review and visit Mr. Reitzenstein’s business page at: http://www.merchantcircle.com/merchant/review/detail?id=1507737

Have you thought about buying new carpet recently? I know that it can be tough to look down at your carpet sometimes. Does it make you feel like you don’t take the best care of your home?  Sometimes when I meet new clients that call my company for Carpet Cleaning in Portland and I see their homes and I never judge. I always mention that I am there to clean and not to judge.

Don’t feel bad! You know…With some types of carpet you can clean it until you feel like your arms are going to fall off and it will still look like it’s dirty! Often, people consider the reason their carpets look dirty after cleaning is due to wear.

Do you know…That what most people consider as wear in their carpet is actually damage. Wear is a legal term that addresses fiber loss. Some types of fiber don’t actually wear and what you are looking at is most likely damage. I hear about wear everyday and educate my clients on the difference between wear and damage.

When searching for the type of carpet that will work best for your situation you should consult a good Carpet Buying Guide. As a professional carpet cleaner I meet clients with all types of carpet fibers. Carpet fibers are generally comprised of wool, nylon, polyester, olefin, and a few new ones. Each of these fibers can have different weaves like Frieze, Berber, Loop Pile, cut loop, and many others.

My favorite type of carpet fiber is nylon. But choosing a fiber for your next carpet does depend on the type of traffic that will run running across it on a daily basis.

Before choosing carpet I would recommend looking at StainMaster’s Carpet Buying Guide. When choosing new carpet you will learn about carpet styles & construction, importance of padding, carpet installation, and more!

So before looking at buying new carpet do some research and pick the best fiber and style to suit your needs. TIP: After getting your carpet installed make sure to read the warranty information and make to sure to note the recommended cleaning frequency. You definitely want to maintain your new carpet warranty.

I hope this information is helpful! Until next time take care….Sean

P.S. Please use this info on your blogs or where ever just please hit me with a trackback. Thanks!

Carpet cleaning is a business that covers more than just cleaning carpets. Many companies often specialize in other services that includes, mattress cleaning, hardwood floor cleaning, upholstery cleaning, pet urine odor removal, rug cleaning, and more.

In my Carpet Cleaning Portland OR business I offer all of the above services and a few more. One specialty service I offer is rug cleaning. Every so often I have been asked to clean rug that have strange odors. If there are pets in the home then I will inspect the rug with a black light to detect odor caused by pet urine.

Occasionally there there is no pet urine to be found. So what can it be I am asked? If there is no pet urine, or water damage problems then usually the odor is coming from latex in the rug. Yes, the latex in the backing of the rug smells if bad.

Unfortunately there is nothing that can be done to remove the odor from the latex backed rugs, except to get a new rug.

Here is a great blog by Lisa Wagner that talks about Rugs That Stink.

Hope this information is helpful…Until next time Sean

Lately, indoor air quality has become a major concern. Everyday, I try an educate my Carpet Cleaning Portland clients on how to take the best care of their indoor environment.

The truth with allergy control is that carpet is excellent at suppressing allergens and keeping them from entering the air. Carpet cleaning and regular vacuuming keep the home’s indoor air filter clean. Yes, you read that correct. Carpet is the home’s indoor air filter. Everything gets filtered through the carpet and stored until cleaned. Once the carpet is full of soil, dander, and other particulate soil then the filtering burden is passed onto the upholstery, mattresses, and hardwood floors.

For some fascinating information from Shaw Floors about Carpet and Allergens – Answers to Common Misconceptions

Hope this information is helpful…Until Next Time…Sean

With all of the options in vacuum cleaners today it can be overwhelming to know which is the best. It is hard to know which is the best one to choose. I mean you can spend as little as $50.00 or over a $1000.00 dollars on a new vacuum cleaner! As a professional Portland Carpet Cleaner I get asked almost daily which is the best vacuum cleaner to buy?

One of my favorite types of vacuum cleaners is the bagless style vacuums. Bagless vacuums can be great because you do not have to fool with bags. One secret to maximizing the power of any vacuum cleaner is to keep the bag or cylinder clean. So to keep your vacuum performing efficiently just make sure the bag or cylinder is not more than 25 – 50 percent full. With a bagless vacuum cleaner it is easy and cost effect to keep the cylinder not more than 25 – 50 percent full.

Here is a great website I found that talks about The Best Bagless Vacuum Cleaner

Hope this info is helpful…until next time…Sean

You love the feeling of the carpet under your bare feet. Whether the carpet is new or has been in your home for awhile you want to take the best care of it. There are some simple steps to taking the best care of your carpets. I thought I would point out some carpet cleaning Portland tips to help you take the best care of your carpets.

At Shaw carpets, one of the worlds best carpet and flooring manufacturers there are some great tips to help Keep your carpets just-like-new. Here you will find information of carpet vacuuming, spot and soil removal, overall cleaning, DIY cleaning, and more.

I hope this information is helpful to maintain your carpets. If you have any questions, please let me know…bye for now…Sean

More destructive to carpet than spills is soil! Yes, it’s true. The soil in the carpet causes the carpet fiber to distort (change shape) and cause what looks like wear. Spills are usually not that much of a concern for a professional carpet cleaner, since most can be removed making your carpets look like new again.

The real problem is the soil left in the carpet that acts like sandpaper damaging the face yarns of the carpet fibers. Everyday, in my Portland Carpet Cleaning business I see carpet that if it was regularly maintained through vacuuming and cleaning it would stay looking like new. It is sad to see some carpet that with a little maintenance would have still looked great but now looks older than it should. I can get out all of the soil and fluff up the carpets, but the distorted fibers get to stay.

One of the best ways to maintain indoor air quality and keep healthy happy carpets is to provide regularly scheduled vacuuming and carpet cleaning. Here is a great article written by Veronica Harley to help Get Rid of Dust Bunnies For Good: Top Rated Vacuum Cleaners

Hope this information is helpful…Until next time…Sean

Maintaining your carpet to keep it looking new and feeling soft under your feet is simple. Everyone knows that they need to clean their carpet every so often to keep it looking like new. An important and simple step in maintaining the health of your home and keeping your carpet looking new is from vacuuming.

The are a couple simple steps to help maximize your vacuuming efforts, even for an inexpensive vacuum.

I found a great article that discusses how to buy the best vacuum.

With a great vacuum setup properly you will increase your cleaning ability.

Hope this info brings you a happier healthier home…Talk to you soon….Sean