• Water Restoration Services. A carpet cleaning service in Dallas is often called on to assist homeowners after a burst pipe or following a flood.  A carpet cleaning service in Dallas that is experienced in water restoration is extremely valuable.
• Carpet Repairs and Stretching. Many carpet cleaning companies offer these services.  It is common for older carpets to need repairs or stretching.  A carpet cleaning service in Dallas can restore your carpet to its original condition with cleaning, repairs and stretching.
• Stain Protection. Many carpet cleaning companies offer stain protection of some sort.  Whether this service is included with the cost of the cleaning, or if it is additional, stain protection is a valuable add-on service to basic carpet cleaning.
• Tile and Grout Cleaning. Many carpet cleaning services are now offering tile and grout cleaning to compliment their services.  Many homeowners are surprised by the difference in their tile and grout after a professional cleaning.
• Upholstery, Drapery and Leather Cleaning. Another common add-on service is furniture and drapery cleaning.  This is especially valuable to homeowners who have pets and/or children.  Getting your furniture and drapery cleaned regularly will help to extend their lifespan.

These are just a few of the additional services that a carpet cleaning service in Dallas may offer. Finding a carpet cleaning service in Dallas that provides the range of services you need is easy when you use the online directory at www.carpetcleaning.org/listing.

• Your Chicago carpet cleaning service wants you to know that dirt is your number one enemy. Contrary to popular belief, wear and tear is not the reason why carpets lose their good looks.  Your carpet will attract dirt, allergens, pet hair, lint and oils.  These all act like sandpaper to harm carpet fibers and the look of your carpet.
• Your Chicago carpet cleaning service wants you to know that vacuuming regularly will extend the life of your carpets. Removing as much of the dirt that destroys carpets as possible is the key to extending their life.  Vacuuming at least weekly will go a long way toward protecting your carpets.
• Your Chicago carpet cleaning service wants you to know that doormats matter. Putting a doormat at each entrance to your home will remove a large percentage of the dirt that enters your home.  Removing shoes will also make a dramatic difference in the amount of dirt tracked onto your carpets.
• Your Chicago carpet cleaning service wants you to know that re-arranging your furniture will extend the life of your carpets. Moving furniture is an easy way to change traffic patterns, and spread the wear and tear among more areas of the carpet.
• Your Chicago carpet cleaning service wants you to know that rental or home cleaning machines are great for spot cleaning. However, for deep cleaning, it is necessary to hire a professional.  A professional carpet cleaning service will be able to achieve a deeper clean, that lengthens the life of your carpet.
• Your Chicago carpet cleaning service wants you to know that frequent professional cleaning is essential. While your manufacturer’s warranty recommends cleaning every 18 months, we know that cleaning every 6-12 months is even better.  This is especially important for rooms that get heavy foot traffic and for families with children and/or pets.

First, it is important to know why cleaning carpets is so important.  If you don’t regularly clean your carpets, they can act as a breeding ground for bacteria, germs and allergens.  A certain amount of dirt and grime are going to settle into even the cleanest of carpets, but without proper care, you carpets will quickly become dirty beyond repair.

Another practical reason for cleaning carpets is the cost savings associated with prevention.  With weekly vacuuming, and a yearly steam cleaning, your carpets will last for years longer than if you did nothing to clean them.  With the cost of new carpet rising each year, a little cleaning prevention will save you a lot of money in the long run.

Ok, so, you want to save money and be healthy. That’s pretty reasonable.  So, what do you need to know about cleaning carpets?  One of the first things you need to know is what type of carpet you have.  Carpets are made from a variety of materials including silk, wool and synthetics.  Knowing what materials your carpet is made from will help you to determine what type of detergents and cleaning methods to use.  Using the wrong cleaning method or detergents can damage your carpet.

If you are planning on cleaning carpets yourself, once you know which materials your carpet is made from, you will need to select the proper detergents and cleaning machines.  Hot water extraction is most often used for residential carpet cleaning, but you will want to confirm that this is best for your carpets.  When you are cleaning your carpets, be sure not to over saturate the carpet.  Too much water can lead to damp carpets and the growth of mold and mildew.  It is best to open windows and run fans after cleaning carpets to speed the drying process.  Don’t forget that when you move the furniture back to its original position after cleaning, some sort of protector should be placed underneath the legs to prevent the transfer of color to the still damp carpet.

Home Carpet Cleaning Tip #1

Vacuum thoroughly and frequently. One of the best ways to keep your carpets looking good and lasting longer is with frequent vacuuming.  You should vacuum no less than once each week. Areas that are used daily should be vacuumed more frequently.  Run the vacuum slowly to pick up the most dirt and go over the carpet multiple times, from different directions.

Home Carpet Cleaning Tip #2

Fight odors while vacuuming. Adding baking soda to your vacuum bag will help you fight odors each time you vacuum.  With frequent vacuuming, and the use of baking soda in the bag, you can have odor free carpets with only minimal effort.

Home Carpet Cleaning Tip #3

Don’t let spills sit on your carpet. The best way to ensure that a spill doesn’t become a spot that settles into a stain is to get after it immediately.  Blot the area of the spill to remove the most amount of fluid without spreading the spill or damaging the carpet fibers.  If you use a spot cleaner, work from the outside in to prevent spreading.

Home Carpet Cleaning Tip #4

Don’t over saturate your carpet when cleaning. While fighting spills and stains, homeowners often over saturate the carpet.  If this happens, place a clean white towel on the area, place a heavy object on the towel and leave it overnight to soak up as much moisture as possible.  An oversaturated carpet can lead to the growth of mold or mildew.

Home Carpet Cleaning Tip #5

Keep dirt at the door. One of the best ways to prolong the life of your carpet is to install doormats at each door.  Doormats will catch a large percentage of the dirt brought in on shoes.  In addition to this cost saving tip, we recommend that you remove shoes at the door.  Wearing only socks, or designated indoor shoes, will also help to keep your carpets cleaner.

If you follow these five simple home carpet cleaning tips, your carpets will keep their good looks longer.  Following these tips can also extend the length of time between professional carpet cleaning visits.

Here are a few quick steps for cat urine carpet cleaning that can easily be done at home.

1. Remove as much cat urine as possible from the carpet with paper towels.  This is best done by placing the paper towel on the carpet and stepping on it to absorb the urine.  Keep repeating this process until the paper towels stop absorbing moisture from the carpet.
2. The next step is to make a solution of 50% white vinegar and 50% water.  Wet the area so that it penetrates to the deepest part of the carpet fiber.  After it is almost dry, remove the excess liquid by blotting as in Step 1.
3. Apply baking soda on the area.  Combine ¼ cup of hydrogen peroxide with 1 teaspoon of mild liquid dish soap.  Drizzle on baking soda and work into the carpet with a brush.
4. Allow mixture to dry and then vacuum.

Completing these quick steps will eliminate much of the odor and stain from the carpet.  To ensure thorough removal of the cat urine, professional carpet cleaning is recommended.  A professional carpet cleaning service will have powerful enzyme based cleaning solutions that will remove any residual cat urine from the carpet.  Luckily there are many companies that can help homeowners with cat urine and carpet cleaning.  To find a company that is experienced in cat urine and carpet cleaning, visit http://www.carpetcleaning.org/listing/.

Home carpet cleaning, or residential carpet cleaning, is typically priced
based on both the number of rooms and the obstacles that the crew will
encounter.  An important question to address when receiving an estimate is
whether the price includes moving the furniture, or if the carpet will
simply be cleaned in the open areas.  It also makes a fairly significant
difference if dry carpet cleaning methods are used versus steam cleaning
methods.  Steam cleaning is normally cheaper, but also requires at least
several hours of drying time if not more.  Although there are many who
debate which method is actually the most effective, desirable results can
be achieved with either one as long as the operator is skilled in his
work.

The cost of commercial carpet cleaning is usually based upon square
footage, and the rate per square foot depends on a number of different
factors.  Some companies will charge more for cleaning well-worn and high
traffic areas.  Because of the amount of drying time required of steam
cleaning, most businesses prefer dry cleaning methods.  Many carpet
cleaning businesses charge more for commercial services because the job is
normally completed during evening or night hours to accommodate the
specific needs of the company.  The type of carpet also is a major factor
in determining the rate per square foot, and thicker plush carpet is much
more expensive.  Many commercial cleaning companies will not offer to move
any showroom items, but may be willing to move desks and other usual and
basic office equipment.

Both commercial carpet cleaning and residential carpet cleaning estimates
may include additions for severely stained spots or pet stains.
Additional cleaning may be required in certain circumstances, and the
result will obviously be a higher quote.  It is important to remember that
the cleaning company must be licensed and insured, and some ridiculously
low estimates may come from businesses that do not hold the proper
credentials.  When evaluating any carpet cleaning service, a wise consumer
will ensure that they completely understand what level of service they can
expect.

If your carpet has been urinated on many times (for example, if you used
to have a dog that frequently marked all around the house), you might want
to pay for professional cleaning.  This is an especially good idea if you
no longer have this dog; your money won’t be wasted, as the carpet won’t
be urinated on again right away.  However, if you have an ongoing problem
(you still own that dog that urine-marks), purchasing a steam carpet
cleaner designed for small-scale domestic use might be your best bet; you
can use this carpet cleaner over and over whenever you need to.  These
products deep-clean carpets, removing all traces of urine.  Instead of
using regular carpet shampoo in these, you can use a special shampoo for
pet accidents; this shampoo contains enzymes that break down the urine
smell and will prevent repeat accidents.  This is especially important if
the urine in the carpet was from a true pet “accident” (rather than a male
dog purposefully marking his territory, a young puppy or kitten still
confused about where it is supposed to go to the bathroom).

However, if you need a “quick fix” and don’t have time to thoroughly
remove the urine, there are many ways to cover up the smell indefinitely
even if the urine is still on the carpet.  Odor removers for cloth
surfaces, such as Febreeze, will almost entirely eliminate odors from the
carpet.  Inexpensive household baking soda, which is frequently contained
in more expensive odor-fighting cleaners, can also work wonders on urine
odors in carpet.  After the urine has been cleaned up and the carpet is
dry, sprinkle it liberally over the area, let it sit for an hour, and
vacuum it up.

Fortunately, removing urine smell from carpet is possible.  The odor will
become undetectable if you properly remove the urine and deodorize the
carpet.

1.  Calmly explain to the carpet cleaning service that did the work that the
job they did was unsatisfactory. Carpet cleaning companies usually try to
do a good job. However, because the employees who work for these companies
are human, sometimes mistakes happen. Try to explain nicely to the
company’s owner or manager that the job they did was bad and you’d like
(actually, expect) something to be done about it. Most commercial carpet
cleaning firms bend over backward to meet their customers’ expectations.
It’s how they stay in business!  Therefore, if you speak nicely to the
people who operate the firm, chances are they will do what it takes to
make you happy.  To help them help you, be as accurate as you can about
why the cleaning job was bad. Did they miss any spots? Did they just mess
up your carpet? Anything you can tell them will help them find a solution
to the problem.

2.  If that doesn’t work, ask for a refund. Maybe they’ve tried to fix the
problem and nothing they’ve done is working. Your next step would be to
ask for a refund.  Good carpet cleaning companies will do what it takes to
make customers happy and if that means giving you your money back-so be
it.  If they don’t want to refund you your money, ask them “Why not?”  Any
firm that won’t do this isn’t worthy enough for anyone to do business
with. Therefore, if they still refuse to give your money back, tell them
you will file a claim with the Better Business Bureau and that if push
comes to shove, you’ll sue.

3.  Before you sue the company, try finding a higher up in the company to
find a solution.  Most carpet cleaning companies are franchises that have
a parent company you can talk to about your problem. Most are willing to
avoid a lawsuit if you just sit down and talk with them in a dignified
way. If that doesn’t work, then sue. But only sue if nothing else works!

After the toy has been removed from Rover’s tail, Fluffy has hidden under
the sofa, and Johnny’s face has been attended to, the gum still lurks
forgotten near the cocktail table. It’s a warm day and the gum is getting
drowsy, settling into the carpet fibers for a gooey nap. You find it
there, all nice and cozy, the next day.

You don’t cuss around the children but that doesn’t keep you from
inventing some silent new expressions as you hold back your inner
screaming. Reaching back into your store of wisdom, a distant memory from
a magazine article about gum removal makes its way to the top of your
mind. Maybe you can clean this up yourself without calling the carpet
cleaning business across town.

Okay, the first step is an ice cube. The chewing gum goes into rigor
mortis as the ice cube is rubbed across it. Ha! What a lovely gummy corpse
it is now, all nice and stiff.

What comes next? Oh, yeah. Scrape up the gum corpse with a dull knife. A
piece of plastic flatware does a nice job because it won’t damage the
carpet fibers and you can throw the whole bloody mess away when you’re
done.

After a not-so-reverent burial of the dead chewing gum, you return to the
scene of the crime. There are still some little globules of goo clinging
to the carpet fibers. Taking out your trusty three-speed, three-heat-level
hair dryer, you aim its nozzle at the offending material as you giggle to
yourself, “Die, chewing gum, die. Muah-ha-ha!” After it’s heated, rub a
little muscle-ache cream on the remaining globs. but be sure you’re using
something that has methyl salicylate in it. Mop up the remnants of the gum
with a cloth dampened with water and a dollop of dishwashing liquid, rinse
with cold water, and then dry the spot as fast as you can.

The next step requires a call to that commercial carpet cleaning company
across town. The gum cleaning episode has left one remarkably clean spot
in the middle of the living room, surrounded by a sea of grunge.

The final step: Hide Johnny’s cars and banish the pets from the living
room.

Spot cleaning spills as soon as possible after the spill occurs can be
quite successful.  If you have it handy, try pouring a little club soda
onto a clean rag and dab gently at the spot. Repeat several times, and
follow up by blotting with a clean, dry cloth.

Spray carpet spot cleaners can also produce excellent results in cleaning
carpets, but make sure the product is approved for your specific type of
rug with the spot.  Be sure to read the instructions carefully before
using the product, and it is usually recommended to do a product spot test
first in an out-of-the-way area.

Some carpet stains have specific instructions for their successful
removal:
.    Gum: First, try to remove all the larger chunks of gum that you
can, using a metal or plastic comb or something similar.  Applying ice to
solidify the gum may make this easier.  Next, try applying heat to remove
the gum residue.  Fold a clean damp rag twice over the spot, and use an
iron on a low setting to remove the residue.  Finally, use a carpet
cleaning solvent (test a patch in an out-of-the-way area first) to get at
the last of the gum.  If traces remain, it’s time to call in a carpet
cleaning company.  You can also restrict the kids to chewing gum outdoors;
good luck with that!
.    Pet Urine: This is a tough stain as the smell often remains after
cleaning.  Try using a cleaning product with enzymes for the best chance
of success.  If the odor remains, it is possible that the padding
underneath the carpet has been saturated, and that is a job best left for
the professionals.

When using any cleaning product, be sure to follow the instructions for
the material of which your carpet is made.  Fine wool and silk rugs are
very temperamental and won’t take the same treatment as modern synthetic
rugs.  When in doubt, it’s worth making a call to a reputable carpet
cleaning service, and many will provide free estimates.