Articles

There are many great reasons to hire a professional to clean your carpets. It’s important to care for your carpets to keep them free of dirt and stains that can speed wear and make them look unsightly. From carpet fibers to complex equipment, ineffective techniques to deep cleaning and health concerns, there are many reasons to hire a professional instead of cleaning your own carpets. This article will give you an outline of those reasons. W

Here are 10 important reasons to hire a professional carpet cleaner.

1. Carpet fibers vary. Your carpet could be made of natural or synthetic fibers, and of various types of each. It’s essential that you know how to clean and treat your carpeting material to ensure it isn’t damaged, gets thoroughly cleaned, and lasts its full lifetime. Professional carpet cleaners know exactly how to work with all types of carpeting material.
2. Simplify your life. When you clean a carpet yourself, you need to rent or buy expensive and complicated carpet cleaning equipment that’s also hard to move from the store to your home and back. Those machines are often not as effective as professional carpet cleaning equipment, which means you won’t get the results you want and might have to call a professional to clean the carpets again. You’ll save money by starting with a professional. Professionals have the right equipment to get the job done quickly, safely and effectively.
3. Sanitizing. Carpet cleaners you can rent often lack sanitizing tools, meaning the carpet you just cleaned will look clean but not have the deep clean you really want that gets rid of pests like dust mites and bacteria. This is especially important if you have concerns about allergies. Professional carpet cleaners will bring sanitizers and help rid your home of all the unsanitary things hiding in your carpets.
4. Stain removal. If you clean your carpets yourself, you’ll probably run across stains that are new and others that have been there a long time. Most people don’t know how to remove either of those types of stains, if they can even remember what caused them. If you use the wrong cleaning ingredients, you could make the problem worse or damage your carpet. Professionals know the exact chemicals to use to clean those stains out of your carpet and bring it to life again while keeping it in excellent condition.
5. Moisture problems. The carpet cleaning equipment you might rent often uses excess moisture, which means that when you’re finished there will be too much water in your carpets. That can lead to mold and other problems. By hiring a professional, you’ll get low-moisture carpet cleaning that gives you the very best results.

When you hire a professional to clean your carpets you’ll get the most effective cleaning techniques for your carpet type, save yourself the headache of struggling with ineffective equipment, get a deeper and more thorough clean, and avoid dangerous moisture problems.

Visit one of our nine northern California S&G Carpet showrooms near you for help with your carpet cleaning.

Carpets can give you a lot of pleasure, from the visual appeal of a beautiful design to the luxurious feel of a soft pile. That’s why it’s especially important to take excellent care of your carpets. Occasionally, you’ll get stains and other spots on your floors and want to know how to clean them out most effectively. This article will give you helpful hints on how to do that. 

Stains come in a variety of forms. It’s essential that you know what caused your stain. For example, was it a water-based substance or oil-based? Once you know that, and with help from this article, you’ll have a better idea about how to proceed to clean your carpet. 

Water-Based Stains. For these stains, begin cleaning with Step 1 below, then if the stain’s still there, go to Steps 2 and 3. These include substances like:

• Alcohol including beer, wine and liquor
• Latex Paint
• Cola and soft drinks
• Clay
• Ketchup
• Chocolate
• Milk and Chocolate Milk
• Cologne
• Blood
• Jelly
• Ice cream
• Gravy
• Graphite
• Fruit juice and fruit punch
• Soil spots
• Syrup
• Vomit
• Watercolors

Special Water-Based Stains. These substances include: 

• Coffee
• Tea
• Urine

If you have these special water-based stains, begin cleaning with Step 1 below, then if the stain is still there, skip Step 2 and move directly to Step 3.

Greasy Oil-Based Stains. For oil-based stains, begin with a dry cleaning fluid and follow the instructions closely. If the stain remains afterward, proceed with Steps 1, 2 and 3 below. Oil-based stains can include substances like:

• Butter and margarine
• Mayonnaise
• Felt tip marker and crayon
• Nail polish
• Gum
• Glue
• Ointment
• Furniture polish
• Hand cream and Calamine lotion
• Cooking oil
• Cosmetics, mascara and lipstick
• Varnish and furniture dye
• Black grease
• Ink
• Wax
• Tar
• Salad dressing
• Oil

Cleaning Steps. Follow these simple steps to clean stains from your carpet. 

Step 1

1. Remove all solid material from the stain that you can, like large food pieces or crayon pieces. Start at the outside of the stain and work inward to avoid spreading.
2. If you can, use an absorbent white cloth to lift any excess liquid.
3. Mix 16 ounces of lukewarm water with ¼ teaspoon non-bleach dishwashing liquid.
4. Pat the detergent mix to the stain, being sure not to scrub the carpet (use only the cloth and not a brush). Be careful not to use too much solution, just dampen the stained area. Reposition the cloth often.
5. Use lukewarm water to rinse the stain.
6. Cover the stain with a new absorbent white cloth, blotting it again.
7. Repeat this process until all the stain substance and the detergent solution are gone.
8. When you’ve removed the stain, lay more white cloths over the area and place a heavy, colorfast object over them. Continually replace the cloths until they’re completely dry when you remove them.
9. If the stain’s still there, move to Step 2.

Step 2 (If you’re cleaning a coffee, urine or tea stain, skip to Step 3.)

1. Combine 1 cup lukewarm water with 1 tablespoon non-sudsing, non-bleaching household ammonia.
2. Apply the ammonia solution and then rinse and blot as you did in Step 1 (don’t use paper towels).
3. Proceed to Step 3.

Step 3

1. Combine equal parts water and white vinegar.
2. Apply this vinegar solution, then rinse and blot as you did in Step 1.

Here are additional helpful hints on how to care for your carpets by avoiding potential stains in the first place. 

• Vacuum regularly.
• Use entrance mats to catch dirt and debris.
• Clean occasionally.
• Blot up stains immediately.
• Don’t use do-it-yourself carpet and rug cleaners.

Visit one of our nine northern California S&G Carpet showrooms near you for help with your carpet stain cleaning.

Pets are wonderful companions in life but they can be a carpet’s worst enemy. That’s why it’s so important that you plan for pets when choosing your carpet and take proper care of it in your home. Whether you have dogs, cats, birds, ferrets, guinea pigs or almost any other pet, these tips will help you take good care of your carpets when you have pets.

Professional Cleaning

When it comes to pet messes on your floors, especially in your carpets, it’s critical that you use the right cleaning methods for the mess and the floor. If you make a mistake here, it could cost the replacement of your carpeting. Professional carpet cleaners are experts at this job. If you have a pet stain in your carpet, call a professional to clean it for you. They’ll know exactly what to do, including the steps to take, in the right order, to ensure your floor has the best chance of looking like new. Whether it’s a big mess or big problem area, professional techniques are the best option to care for your home’s carpeting. They bring the expertise and necessary tools to get the job done right and quickly.

Stain-Blocking Primers

In addition to cleaning, your professional carpet cleaner can take extra steps to protect your carpet. First, they’ll apply odor counteractant and neutralizers to the stains. This step traps the odor and breaks down the alkaline salts. Next, they’ll use a water claw to extract urine from the carpet and from the sub-surface. The final priming step before standard cleaning of the carpet is to apply a sanitizer and deodorizer to remove more odor and neutralize bacteria.

Use the Right Cleaners

This is another area where professional carpet cleaners will help you. Many cleaners on the market don’t contain the necessary ingredients to fully clean pet stains from your carpet. Pet-specific cleaners, unlike most cleaners, contain enzymes that break down urine crystals to lift the scent and the stain right out of your flooring. These cleaners, used by floor cleaning professionals, can remove pet stains and other problems ranging from dog odor and vomit to cat urine and feces. An additional risk of using ineffective pet cleaners is that you could worsen the stain or even damage your flooring.

Pet-Friendly and Pet-Proof Carpets

Fortunately for pet owners, there are now pet-friendly and pet-proof carpets and flooring options available as an alternative to frequent cleaning. These amazing flooring options, like Mohawk brand’s SmartStrand Forever Clean and Shaw brand carpets featuring R2X Stain and Soil Resistance protection, will help you keep your floors looking fresh. They’ll help you avoid frequent cleanings by protecting your floors from stains in the first place.

It’s important to take special care of your carpets to ensure they last and continue to provide you (and your pets) with the comfort and interior style you love. These tips will help you achieve that goal.

Visit one of our nine northern California S&G Carpet showrooms near you for help with protecting and cleaning your floors.

We are excited to bring premier carpet cleaning services to our loyal customers in 2019.