Spotting Guide
Step 1. Use a spoon or a dull knife to remove all solid materials.
Step 2. Blot up liquids with a clean, white, dry towel. Never rub, scrub or brush the carpet as this can cause excessive wear and permanently damage the carpets fibres.
Step 3. Work from the outside with large spills.
Step 4. Apply all cleaning agents to a white towel, never apply directly to the carpet, as this can damage the backing if too much is used.
Step 5. Rinse the last cleaning solution you’ve used by spraying with clear water and blotting one area with a clean, dry, white towel. You may use a wet/dry vacuum to extract out excessive moisture prior to the towel if you have one but this is not necessary.
Step 6. Once you have removed all visible stain, place a dry towel over the area. Then place a heavy colour fast object, such as a waste basket with a weight inside, on the towel. Leave overnight. Continue this procedure by replacing the wet towel with dry ones until nearly dry. Remove the weight and towel, then gently brush the carpet fibres with your hand to lift the tufts. Allow the area to completely dry before walking on it.
Please note: Please take care when carrying out this guide. If you are unsure about the spotting process please do not hesitate to contact us. 07963 134139
www.accleaningservices.co.uk
Carpet cleaning
Thursday 12 September 2013
Here's how My Perfect Care Maintenance Programme works:
Day 1
* Your first full carpet cleaning is FREE, you just pay for carpet protection treatment.
* We set up a small monthly standing order which is the cost of the Perfect Care Maintenance Plan.
* PLUS you get UNLIMITED FREE STAIN REMOVAL while you are in the Perfect Care Plan.
* PLUS PLUS You'll get a FREE Lifetime supply of Stain Remover, the BEST stain removing product we have EVER used!
Month 6
* You get a FREE Traffic highlight carpet clean.
* Plus a 10% discount on any other cleaning you have done at the same time.
Month 12
* You get a full carpet clean and protection which is already paid for by your monthly standing order!
* PLUS you get UNLIMITED FREE STAIN REMOVAL while you are in the Perfect Care Plan.
* PLUS PLUS You can Top-up you FREE Lifetime supply of Stain Remover, the BEST stain removing product we have EVER used!
Month 18
* You get a FREE Traffic carpet clean.
* Plus a 10% discount on any other cleaning you have done at the same time.
And so on until you wish to cancel. We will contact you to book each carpet clean. By the way you can cancel the maintenance plan anytime after the first 12 months, and you will still get your free Hi-Lite clean!
www.accleaningservices.co.uk
Area's Covered:
Carpet Cleaning Gloucester Carpet Cleaning Cirencester Carpet Cleaning Cricklade Carpet Cleaning Dursley Carpet Cleaning Nailsworth
Carpet Cleaning Stroud Carpet Cleaning Swindon Carpet Cleaning Tewkesbury Carpet Cleaning Wotton Under Edge
Carpet Cleaning Fairford Carpet Cleaning Winchcombe Carpet Cleaning Bristol Carpet Cleaning cheltenham Carpet Cleaning Tetbury
Day 1
* Your first full carpet cleaning is FREE, you just pay for carpet protection treatment.
* We set up a small monthly standing order which is the cost of the Perfect Care Maintenance Plan.
* PLUS you get UNLIMITED FREE STAIN REMOVAL while you are in the Perfect Care Plan.
* PLUS PLUS You'll get a FREE Lifetime supply of Stain Remover, the BEST stain removing product we have EVER used!
Month 6
* You get a FREE Traffic highlight carpet clean.
* Plus a 10% discount on any other cleaning you have done at the same time.
Month 12
* You get a full carpet clean and protection which is already paid for by your monthly standing order!
* PLUS you get UNLIMITED FREE STAIN REMOVAL while you are in the Perfect Care Plan.
* PLUS PLUS You can Top-up you FREE Lifetime supply of Stain Remover, the BEST stain removing product we have EVER used!
Month 18
* You get a FREE Traffic carpet clean.
* Plus a 10% discount on any other cleaning you have done at the same time.
And so on until you wish to cancel. We will contact you to book each carpet clean. By the way you can cancel the maintenance plan anytime after the first 12 months, and you will still get your free Hi-Lite clean!
www.accleaningservices.co.uk
Area's Covered:
Carpet Cleaning Gloucester Carpet Cleaning Cirencester Carpet Cleaning Cricklade Carpet Cleaning Dursley Carpet Cleaning Nailsworth
Carpet Cleaning Stroud Carpet Cleaning Swindon Carpet Cleaning Tewkesbury Carpet Cleaning Wotton Under Edge
Carpet Cleaning Fairford Carpet Cleaning Winchcombe Carpet Cleaning Bristol Carpet Cleaning cheltenham Carpet Cleaning Tetbury
Sunday 8 September 2013
Its been a very busy summer for us with schools needing their carpets cleaned and have completed over 17 student properties.
We have also had a lot of domestic carpet cleans, this will be a summer well remembered not only for the fantastic heat wave but also the amount of work completed in a short space of time.
Now all the children are back at school its the perfect time to have your carpets or upholstery cleaned. The diary is booked up for the next two weeks so book now for September to avoid disappointment.
We have also had a lot of domestic carpet cleans, this will be a summer well remembered not only for the fantastic heat wave but also the amount of work completed in a short space of time.
Now all the children are back at school its the perfect time to have your carpets or upholstery cleaned. The diary is booked up for the next two weeks so book now for September to avoid disappointment.
Monday 8 April 2013
Furniture Impessions in carpet
If you have a cut pile carpet carpet in your home you will eventually come across impressions and flattened areas in the carpet. These impressions occur where the weight of a piece of furniture or other household object is concentrated into a small area, so a chair will leave four little leg impressions in your carpet after you sit
on it for a while.
Usually in situations where the item is not very heavy or is moved quite often, particularly in a wool rich carpet or rug, the impressions will disappear on their own. But for heavy items such as sofas, raised caster cups can be bought from furniture and DIY stores, which lift the furniture above the carpet pile and so protect against impressions.
If you have some impressions in your carpet that you want to remove yourself it is possible to brush the pile with a stiff brush to lift the fibres, please ensure that you
take great care doing this so that the pile is not damaged. If you use a vacuum cleaner at the same time, with the narrow crevice tool, this will help to lift
the pile.
If you don’t want to try this yourself or if you have and the results are not what you hoped for, professional carpet cleaning equipment, not only gives great cleaning results but due to the flushing action of the water rinse and large vacuum motors
lifting the pile, can remove many carpet impressions. However if a heavy item has
been sitting in one place for a long long time even professional carpet cleaning equipment cannot restore the carpet to its original state.
http://www.accleaningservices.co.uk/carpet_cleaning.html
on it for a while.
Usually in situations where the item is not very heavy or is moved quite often, particularly in a wool rich carpet or rug, the impressions will disappear on their own. But for heavy items such as sofas, raised caster cups can be bought from furniture and DIY stores, which lift the furniture above the carpet pile and so protect against impressions.
If you have some impressions in your carpet that you want to remove yourself it is possible to brush the pile with a stiff brush to lift the fibres, please ensure that you
take great care doing this so that the pile is not damaged. If you use a vacuum cleaner at the same time, with the narrow crevice tool, this will help to lift
the pile.
If you don’t want to try this yourself or if you have and the results are not what you hoped for, professional carpet cleaning equipment, not only gives great cleaning results but due to the flushing action of the water rinse and large vacuum motors
lifting the pile, can remove many carpet impressions. However if a heavy item has
been sitting in one place for a long long time even professional carpet cleaning equipment cannot restore the carpet to its original state.
http://www.accleaningservices.co.uk/carpet_cleaning.html
Carpet Cleaning Cirencester
Spilled food, for example, can turn a textile that is
normally unappetizing to insects into an attractive meal for moths and carpet
beetles. The "ground-in" dirt can increase the abrasion of yarns,
causing them to weaken and lose luster.
Soil removal is one of the most important aspects of caring for textiles if they are to be maintained in good condition. Soil deposited on textiles is made up of different materials. Some types of soil are soluble in water, other types are insoluble. Soluble soil is made up of organic acids, mineral acids, alkaline substances, blood, starches and sugars. All of these substances dissolve in cool or warm water, although they may require special stain removal techniques.
Water is an effective solvent used widely in the process known as wet cleaning.
Water alone will remove water-soluble soil, but insoluble soils may be held onto the textile by physical means such as films, greases or oils. Such soils require the use of some kind of cleaning aid.
For any detergent to clean, it has to interface with the soil. Unlike laundering, in carpet cleaning cirencester, whether shampooing or hot water extraction, the detergent comes in contact with the soil for a very short period of time. In shampooing, very little water is employed and in hot water extraction there is less mechanical action to dislodge the soil particles. Many professional cleaners apply presprays to heavily soiled areas.
Just as dried-out food left on a plate is much easier to clean if pre-soaked, research has shown that leaving presprays on the soiled areas for about 10 minutes results in significant improvement in performance, and will greatly aid in spot removal (stains being more challenging and needing additional treatment).
If the prespray is left on for too short a time period, the improvement will be too small; if left for too long a time period, there will be a risk of overwetting the carpet, causing distortion, browning, dye bleed or rapid re-soiling after cleaning. You have to keep in mind you are cleaning the carpet surface and not the backing.
Using organic solvents
Organic solvents, which are often called "dry solvents," can dissolve some types of dirt; agitation is often necessary to aid dirt removal. Sometimes surfactants and water are added to the organic solvent. The low surface tension of all dry solvents allows wetting of the textile fibers without the addition of surfactants. Rinsing and drying completes the solvent cleaning process.
However, wetting of fibers is not a sufficient prerequisite for satisfactory cleaning results. Wetting allows close solvent fiber interaction.
In hydrophilic textiles like wool, cotton and rayon, swelling is not a big issue, but in non-polar fibers (see "Polarity" sidebar) such as polyester or olefin, the dry solvent could pose a problem by retaining the dry solvent in the textile and affecting its properties.
Normally, a solvent forms a uniform solution with the soil it dissolves. Most carpet cleaners use solvents that evaporate rapidly so that the bulk of the solvent can be removed by good ventilation.
A good, effective dry solvent will dissolve the soil rapidly, evaporates quickly, removes stubborn soils like waxes or polymers, is non-flammable with reduced toxicity; but unfortunately, with ever accumulating new environmental/health regulations, it has become impossible to find an ideal solvent fitting all the criteria.
Troublesome stains
There are times in the process of carpet cleaning, such as shampooing or hot water extraction, that you encounter stains that will not respond to normal cleaning procedures.
In these cases, there are a variety of materials and processes that can help remove these stains. They can range from solvents, oxidizing/reducing agents, freezing agents for removing chewing gum, gels, rust removers, acids, alkalis, etc. How long should the contact time be? It all depends on the stain and procedure attempted.
If the stain is fresh, it may not present much of a problem; if it is urine, a spray extraction machine will generally suffice.
But if it is a colored fruit drink on a nylon 6 carpet, the color uptake by the carpet is rapid; with nylon 6,6, it is slower but still occurs. You may be able to lessen the intensity of the stain by utilizing three percent hydrogen peroxide and using the heat transfer method described in the next paragraph.
Use a 50/50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide and sudsy ammonia, dampen a white cotton towel and apply it onto the stain, then place a hot electric iron (past the steam setting) on the wet cotton towel and you will note some transfer in color. Repeat the procedure using another area on the towel, (use impermeable rubber gloves as the hydrogen peroxide evaporates slower than water and gets concentrated and is liable to burn your skin). By this method, the carpet dye may transfer as well, so be careful.
Bleaching a stain using an oxidizing or a reducing agent will show rapid results, while the use of enzymes to digest a stain will take longer. Solid stains also take longer; if the material can be broken up by a spatula or a stainless steel spoon, it will increase the surface to help break it down.
If dealing with wax, a warm iron can be used over the absorbent paper towel, but do not overheat and melt the fibers. Chewing gum will require freezing and/or solvent.
Be careful with organic solvents as they may be flammable, toxic or may adversely affect the backing seams. Sometimes, marking pens are used on the inside of upholstery furniture and they may bleed through. When using solvents, use the mildest solvent first, such as non-polar mineral spirits, and gradually move towards more aggressive solvents, such as glycol ethers, and rinse.
Nasty surprises
There are some stains that may only appear after the carpet has been cleaned.
These could be latent stains due to previous sprays, spills or by tracking (intended or unintended) products such as insecticides, foot powder, bleaches or face creams, which can destroy carpet dye. There are many residues that, upon becoming wet due to carpet cleaning moisture, cause carpet dyes to fade or to be removed completely.
If this happens to you, you can try to explain to the customer that the cleaning solution used to clean the carpet, coming in contact with the affected area of some unknown residue, has adversely affected the area. This is not something the customer will want to hear, but it is accurate information.
Light or fume faded stains are not really stains, but discolorations, and will not respond to cleaning. In such cases, it may become necessary to spot dye the carpet or replace the section from a remnant, if one is available, or from an inconspicuous area, such as a closet. The color of the replaced piece may appear brighter than the rest of carpet, and the wear pattern may not match as well.
Soil removal is one of the most important aspects of caring for textiles if they are to be maintained in good condition. Soil deposited on textiles is made up of different materials. Some types of soil are soluble in water, other types are insoluble. Soluble soil is made up of organic acids, mineral acids, alkaline substances, blood, starches and sugars. All of these substances dissolve in cool or warm water, although they may require special stain removal techniques.
Water is an effective solvent used widely in the process known as wet cleaning.
Water alone will remove water-soluble soil, but insoluble soils may be held onto the textile by physical means such as films, greases or oils. Such soils require the use of some kind of cleaning aid.
For any detergent to clean, it has to interface with the soil. Unlike laundering, in carpet cleaning cirencester, whether shampooing or hot water extraction, the detergent comes in contact with the soil for a very short period of time. In shampooing, very little water is employed and in hot water extraction there is less mechanical action to dislodge the soil particles. Many professional cleaners apply presprays to heavily soiled areas.
Just as dried-out food left on a plate is much easier to clean if pre-soaked, research has shown that leaving presprays on the soiled areas for about 10 minutes results in significant improvement in performance, and will greatly aid in spot removal (stains being more challenging and needing additional treatment).
If the prespray is left on for too short a time period, the improvement will be too small; if left for too long a time period, there will be a risk of overwetting the carpet, causing distortion, browning, dye bleed or rapid re-soiling after cleaning. You have to keep in mind you are cleaning the carpet surface and not the backing.
Using organic solvents
Organic solvents, which are often called "dry solvents," can dissolve some types of dirt; agitation is often necessary to aid dirt removal. Sometimes surfactants and water are added to the organic solvent. The low surface tension of all dry solvents allows wetting of the textile fibers without the addition of surfactants. Rinsing and drying completes the solvent cleaning process.
However, wetting of fibers is not a sufficient prerequisite for satisfactory cleaning results. Wetting allows close solvent fiber interaction.
In hydrophilic textiles like wool, cotton and rayon, swelling is not a big issue, but in non-polar fibers (see "Polarity" sidebar) such as polyester or olefin, the dry solvent could pose a problem by retaining the dry solvent in the textile and affecting its properties.
Normally, a solvent forms a uniform solution with the soil it dissolves. Most carpet cleaners use solvents that evaporate rapidly so that the bulk of the solvent can be removed by good ventilation.
A good, effective dry solvent will dissolve the soil rapidly, evaporates quickly, removes stubborn soils like waxes or polymers, is non-flammable with reduced toxicity; but unfortunately, with ever accumulating new environmental/health regulations, it has become impossible to find an ideal solvent fitting all the criteria.
Troublesome stains
There are times in the process of carpet cleaning, such as shampooing or hot water extraction, that you encounter stains that will not respond to normal cleaning procedures.
In these cases, there are a variety of materials and processes that can help remove these stains. They can range from solvents, oxidizing/reducing agents, freezing agents for removing chewing gum, gels, rust removers, acids, alkalis, etc. How long should the contact time be? It all depends on the stain and procedure attempted.
If the stain is fresh, it may not present much of a problem; if it is urine, a spray extraction machine will generally suffice.
But if it is a colored fruit drink on a nylon 6 carpet, the color uptake by the carpet is rapid; with nylon 6,6, it is slower but still occurs. You may be able to lessen the intensity of the stain by utilizing three percent hydrogen peroxide and using the heat transfer method described in the next paragraph.
Use a 50/50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide and sudsy ammonia, dampen a white cotton towel and apply it onto the stain, then place a hot electric iron (past the steam setting) on the wet cotton towel and you will note some transfer in color. Repeat the procedure using another area on the towel, (use impermeable rubber gloves as the hydrogen peroxide evaporates slower than water and gets concentrated and is liable to burn your skin). By this method, the carpet dye may transfer as well, so be careful.
Bleaching a stain using an oxidizing or a reducing agent will show rapid results, while the use of enzymes to digest a stain will take longer. Solid stains also take longer; if the material can be broken up by a spatula or a stainless steel spoon, it will increase the surface to help break it down.
If dealing with wax, a warm iron can be used over the absorbent paper towel, but do not overheat and melt the fibers. Chewing gum will require freezing and/or solvent.
Be careful with organic solvents as they may be flammable, toxic or may adversely affect the backing seams. Sometimes, marking pens are used on the inside of upholstery furniture and they may bleed through. When using solvents, use the mildest solvent first, such as non-polar mineral spirits, and gradually move towards more aggressive solvents, such as glycol ethers, and rinse.
Nasty surprises
There are some stains that may only appear after the carpet has been cleaned.
These could be latent stains due to previous sprays, spills or by tracking (intended or unintended) products such as insecticides, foot powder, bleaches or face creams, which can destroy carpet dye. There are many residues that, upon becoming wet due to carpet cleaning moisture, cause carpet dyes to fade or to be removed completely.
If this happens to you, you can try to explain to the customer that the cleaning solution used to clean the carpet, coming in contact with the affected area of some unknown residue, has adversely affected the area. This is not something the customer will want to hear, but it is accurate information.
Light or fume faded stains are not really stains, but discolorations, and will not respond to cleaning. In such cases, it may become necessary to spot dye the carpet or replace the section from a remnant, if one is available, or from an inconspicuous area, such as a closet. The color of the replaced piece may appear brighter than the rest of carpet, and the wear pattern may not match as well.
Thursday 21 March 2013
The Cleaning Show
Yesterday was the annual day trip out with Sweeping Beauties Cirencester to The Cleaning Show at Birmingham NEC. The day started perfectly with Kevin from Sweping Beauties blowing the cob webs from his wallet and treating me to a full english breakfast in a cafe in Nailsworth. Stomachs full, we hit the road to The Cleaning Show. After a short trip from Stroud to Birmingham we arrived with anticipation of new cleaning technologies.
When we arrived we took a good walk around to see which companies were at the show.
The first stand that looked interesting was the stone restoration guys. I had a good chat with them about the new cheeta pad system. Looks like a very impressive system and could help speed up the restoration prossess.
Then of course we had to stop for a swift pint!
Also spoke with Chemspec regarding their chemicals. I always hear a lot of good reports on their products and love their pog solvent spotter.
Overall, there seemed to be less bussinesses at the show compared to previous years and much fewer visitors. Hope this is not a sign of the cleaning industry struggling under the current econmical pressures. It's not something that we have noticed here in Gloucestershire and fingers crossed the cleaning business keeps going from strength to strength here.
After a further pint and our bags full of freebies we headed back to Cirencester and Stroud. The wife was impressed by the laundry sheets, I know how to spoil a lady!!
Yesterday was the annual day trip out with Sweeping Beauties Cirencester to The Cleaning Show at Birmingham NEC. The day started perfectly with Kevin from Sweping Beauties blowing the cob webs from his wallet and treating me to a full english breakfast in a cafe in Nailsworth. Stomachs full, we hit the road to The Cleaning Show. After a short trip from Stroud to Birmingham we arrived with anticipation of new cleaning technologies.
When we arrived we took a good walk around to see which companies were at the show.
The first stand that looked interesting was the stone restoration guys. I had a good chat with them about the new cheeta pad system. Looks like a very impressive system and could help speed up the restoration prossess.
Then of course we had to stop for a swift pint!
Also spoke with Chemspec regarding their chemicals. I always hear a lot of good reports on their products and love their pog solvent spotter.
Overall, there seemed to be less bussinesses at the show compared to previous years and much fewer visitors. Hope this is not a sign of the cleaning industry struggling under the current econmical pressures. It's not something that we have noticed here in Gloucestershire and fingers crossed the cleaning business keeps going from strength to strength here.
After a further pint and our bags full of freebies we headed back to Cirencester and Stroud. The wife was impressed by the laundry sheets, I know how to spoil a lady!!
Thursday 14 March 2013
A year ago I was cleaning carpets at a property in Cirencester. The truckmount was roaring away creating curiosity with the neighbours. On returning to the van for more equipment I was approached by a lady enquiring about what I was doing. I explained the process of carpet cleaning using the truckmount and products used. Explaining that this was the most effective way to freshen, sanitise and give your carpets a deep clean. The lady was very impressed by the equipment used and liked the idea of cleaning her carpets rather than ripping them out as she had previously thought this was the only answer to her tired looking carpets. I gave her my business card and assured her that I could give her a free no obligation survey at a convenient time. I thought I might get a phone call within the next couple of days or weeks but no phone call came. I was disappointed that she had not taken me up on the offer of a survey to see if her carpets were worth rescuing.
Approximately a year later, whilst again cleaning carpets in Cirencester, I receive a phone call from this lady. She described our conversation we had had and asked for the free survey a couple of days later. Survey was completed and appointment booked to clean and revitalise her carpets. As you can see from the photo the difference between half the carpet that had been done and the other half that was yet to be cleaned. The lady was extremely impressed with these results as she truly thought the carpets would need replacing. She has saved thousands by having them cleaned rather than ripping them out and starting again. She was a very happy lady, so much so she even gave me a tip! This goes to show how long someone will hold onto your business card.
Approximately a year later, whilst again cleaning carpets in Cirencester, I receive a phone call from this lady. She described our conversation we had had and asked for the free survey a couple of days later. Survey was completed and appointment booked to clean and revitalise her carpets. As you can see from the photo the difference between half the carpet that had been done and the other half that was yet to be cleaned. The lady was extremely impressed with these results as she truly thought the carpets would need replacing. She has saved thousands by having them cleaned rather than ripping them out and starting again. She was a very happy lady, so much so she even gave me a tip! This goes to show how long someone will hold onto your business card.
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