Sean's Carpet Care

Have you been thinking about buying some new carpet to replace your old carpet? There are many types of carpet available. Berber carpet is a very popular carpet that is durable and hides dirt well.

With berber there are some special considerations regarding carpet cleaning and maintenance. In my Portland carpet cleaning business I clean berber everyday.

I have found a great article that provcides some great information on how to clean and maintain berber carpet

If you follow some simple “Do it Yourself” cleaning steps you can keep your carpets looking newer longer, in-between hiring a professional carpet cleaner. Hiring a professional carpet cleaner should not be a scary idea. If you know how to hire a carpet cleaner you will protect your investment. Yes, it costs some money to hire a carpet cleaner, but if you get carpets that are restored to like new condition and your stains are gone then isn’t it money well spent?

Hey, to help your carpets last longer check out this new article I have found that explains Before You Clean Your Carpets and Rugs

Hope this information is helpful…until next time….Sean

Carpets, upholstery, and rugs are made from a variety of of synthetic and natural fibers. When a spill occurs on natural fibers there are special concerns that should be taken in order not to damage the natural fiber(s).

There are limited options for stain removal of red, pet urine, and few others with natural fibers. A professional rug cleaner has some options to correct spills on delicate natural fibers.

I just came across a blog article, How do I deal with red wine spilled on my favorite wool rug? and I have some concerns with some of the information provided.

I would not recommend using hydrogen peroxide of natural fibers. With carpet cleaning I have seen some of the cleaners available on the market with the word, “oxy” in the name that have bleached wool. These cleaners on the market that have the word “oxy” make hydrogen peroxide which is a form of bleach. Also, when cleaning natural fibers professional carpet cleaners know that you have to watch how strong of an alkaline cleaner that is used. This means that the dishwashing soap at your sink is an alkaline and may be harmful to natural fibers.

The web is a valuable resource for information, but readers need to be careful to what information they trust. Rugs are expensive investments and last a long time, if cleaned properly.

So, if you have questions about your carpet cleaning or rug cleaning needs, please call your local professional carpet cleaner. If you need help finding a great Portland carpet cleaner then give Sean’s a call at 503-922-4875 / 360-901-8686 or send an e-mail.

Hope this information is helpful….See you next time…Sean

Candles are beautiful and great for romantic settings, but lose their appeal when wax get spilled on the carpet.

Actually, the wax is easy to remove from carpet and the difficult part is to remove the color from the candle. Really you need heat to remove the wax from the carpet and the risk of using heat is that you can set the color of the candle into the carpet permanently. If you need help with removing colored candle wax, please call a Professional Portland carpet cleaner or a professional in your area.

Here is a great video that shows the basics to removing regular candlewax.

There seems to be quite a debate about which carpet cleaning method is better: Steam Carpet Cleaning or Dry Carpet Cleaning? With my Portland Carpet Cleaning business I hear this debate all of the time. I admit I use Hot Water Extraction, also known as carpet steam cleaning, which is recommended by most fiber manufacturers. Even though I am a little biased for this method I thought I would provide some information on the facts of each type of carpet cleaning. Here is a great article discussing the facts of steam carpet cleaning and dry carpet cleaning.

Have you looked down at the dirty traffic lanes and wondered what caused them?

Okay, it may seem obvious that soil is causing the traffic lanes to look dirty, but is it?

When soil is left in the traffic lanes they begin to sand the fibers and dull the fibers. Cleaning will remove the soil, but nothing fixes fibers that have been scratched from abrasion.

To understand the damage abrasion causes to carpet imagine this simple example. Imagine holding a clear acrylic tube. Half of the tube is clear, like new, and the other half is scratched. The difference between the two ends of the tube is that one end is shiny and the other end is dull. Also, there is the same amount of plastic on each end of the tube. This is important point that we’ll get to in a minute.

Now, when carpet gets scratched from abrasion it becomes dull. The dull areas of the carpet reflects light differently than the new or lightly traveled areas. So after removing the soil from the carpet it will still look a little darker than the other areas of the carpet that have not suffered from abrasion.

Abrasion can be mild to severe and is not actually wear. Remember where I stated that the same amount of plastic is on each end of the tube? Well the fiber that has been scratched has the same amount of fiber when it was new. The only difference now is that the fiber has been scratched, but there still is about the same amount of fiber when it was new. Therefore this situation is not wear. Now you know the difference between wear and abrasion.

See the reason why is is a good idea to have your carpets cleaned at least every 12-months? If you need help with your carpets, please give your local Portland Carpet Cleaner a call at 503-922-4875 or info@seanscarpetcare.com

When you look at your carpet is the wear obvious? Hmmm…well what is meant by the term, “wear” as it relates to carpet?Actually wear as it pertains to carpet is missing fiber from the carpet pile.

Often what is thought of as wear is really not wear! Surprised? Maybe many professional carpet cleaners do not understand the difference between wear and abrasion either, so don’t feel bad.

What is thought of as wear is actually called pile distortion. The fibers are no longer square and their shape has changed. Because their shape has changed they reflect differently and seem to look a little darker that the fibers that are undistorted. Since they are now always darker they look darker even after cleaning.

Hiring a professional carpet cleaner to maintain your carpets every 6-18 months will minimize the chance of having distored and damaged finbers.

At Sean’s Carpet Care, a Portland and Vancouver carpet cleaning company recommends having your carpets cleaned at least every 12-months.

There are many good Do It Yourself carpet home steam cleaners available on the market today. Yes, I admit I own a professional Portland carpet cleaning business, but some of these carpet cleaners do a great job in certain circumstances. If you are going to do it yourself I would at least like to give a few pointers to help.

Here is a great article I found that explains the basic procedures to Do It Yourself  carpet steam cleaning.

If you are going to attempt to do your own carpet cleaning then I have a couple of pointers in addition to those mentioned in the article above.

Points

• Do not use more soap thean needed. As a general rule less is more with carpet cleaning.
• Take extra steps to rinse the carpet thoroughly to get as much soap out as possible.
• Make sure the cleaning solution you are using is safe for YOUR carpet.
• Do not put wood or metal objects back on the carpet until it is completely dry!

Hope these tips are helpful…If you have any questions, please give me a call at 503-922-4875 / 360-901-8686 or e-mail info@seanscarpetcare.com

Carpet is one of the most expensive investments in the home and so wouldn’t it be wise to protect your investment?

There are some great advantages to having carpet protector re-applied that includes, ease of cleanup, longer window of opportunity, easier maintenance, and improved appearance.

Here is a great article written by Gene Rodriguez, III, explaining the advantages of carpet protector application.

If you have any questions regarding your Portland Carpet Cleaning needs, please give me a call at 503-922-4875 or 360-901-8686.

Thank you,

Sean

I often am asked about the Dry Carpet Cleaning method and its effectiveness. Quite a few of my new clients are previous customers to the Dry Carpet Cleaning method.

There are benefits to just about every cleaning method that is certified by the IICRC. Some cleaning processes provide a more thorough cleaning and some are a maintenance method.

I have found an article written by Gene Rodriguez, III who discusses the benefits of dry carpet cleaning.

In this article he correctly discusses the steps involved in the dry cleaning process. On the second page he discusses some of the benefits of this cleaning method. I have to disagree with a few of his points regarding dry carpet cleaning method.

His Points

1. Excessive moisture can lead to separation of the carpet fiber from the backing.

2. An overly damp carpet also runs the risk of developing mold or mildew in the padding.

3. Dry carpet cleaning leaves no residue

Point 1. It is true that in rare occasions “excessive moisture “could potentially lead to problems with carpet backing. If proper carpet cleaning procedures are practiced very little water is left in the carpet and carpet separation is not a concern. Carpet separation from over wetting was an invalid fear with consumers 20-30 years ago.

Point 2. Again, practicing proper carpet cleaning procedures does not cause mold and mildew problems.

Point 3. If you put a chemical into the carpet an leave it there until it dries and then vacuum it up do you really think there is no residue left in the carpet? This is like washing your hair with soap and leaving it in. Then after it dries vacuum your hair. Do you think you left any residue was left in your hair? The point to hot water extraction is that your carpet is fully flushed out and rinsed with a neutralizing rinse that pH balances your carpet. This is the most highly recommended cleaning method by carpet mills.

I hope this information clears up some common misconceptions regarding hot water extraction carpet cleaning and dry carpet cleaning.

We are Portland Carpet Cleaning company that strictly uses Hot Water Extraction carpet cleaning.

Until next time….Sean