I can not begin to tell my readers how often I go to customers’ homes, led to believe that I am “freshening up” their carpets, only to see 20 paint spots cemented into the carpet. Paint removal is not carpet cleaning. Paint removal is paint removal. It’s time consuming, the chemicals are very abrasive to both the cleaning technician and the homeowner. This is so prevalent when dealing with our contractor accounts. It seems that the “professionals” are the ones that get the most paint on the homeowners’ carpet. They think that steam cleaning will remove the paint quickly and inexpensively. It will not. The best remedy to paint removal is any preventive measure taken to protect your carpet from paint coming into contact with it. It’s painful for both myself and my customer when I advise them to purchase a new carpet because the paint removal service will cost more than a replacement. But any company sending a technician that will spend 4 hours breathing in acetone fumes will expect to be paid a lofty amount.

I may have gone a little off track there but I need the reader to understand the difficulty in paint removal. Water based paints are the easiest to remove. A little soap and water (1 TBs of dish washing detergent mixed with a cup of warm water) should take this out easily. If you have a few spots, here’s how to remove paint from carpet. First try rubbing alcohol. Scrape the paint off with a metal spoon. I’ve heard of people using vodka to remove paint. The alcohol in the vodka is what is doing the trick.

If rubbing alcohol works unsuccessfully move on to the dreaded acetone (nail polish remover). Scrape with a metal spoon. Acetone will work most of the time but I must warn the reader of the dangers of acetone. It’s highly toxic. It will give you severe headaches if you are exposed to it for a long period of time. It will agitate your skin. It can also make you extremely light headed. Please take care in using acetone. This is one instance where I will almost always advise my clients to hire a professional rather than do it themselves. I care about your safety. Please be careful.

Steam Pro Carpet Cleaning New York is happy to answer any questions you may have regarding paint removal services by calling (718) 606-0549.

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I must admit that the mustard stain is by far the most difficult stain to remove. The reason is the time. I can not accelerate the stain removal process like I can red dye stains. Ammonia is a big NO NO when trying to clean mustard from any fabric or surface. It will definitely set that mustard stain in permanently. I advise to attempt to remove the mustard with traditional cleaning methods first (white vinegar and water) so you are removing all but the yellow pigment left behind. From experience, I can almost promise you that cleaning (with any soap or cleaning solution) will be unsuccessful in completely removing the mustard stain. So what now?

In the Kool Aid Stains on Carpet article I explain the use of oxidation treatments in stain removal when dealing with red dye stains. Similarly for mustard, using a small amount of peroxide on the mustard stain, place a small ultraviolet light over the stain (they’re not expensive). The UV light should sit a full 24 hours. Monitor your results. If it’s gone great! If not, rinse with water, blot dry with a white towel and repeat the process again, only this time using either Oxiclean or Clorox 2 (test all bleaches in an inconspicuous area prior to applying to the mustard stain). This should work. If not, it’s there for good. A small repair may be necessary. Call your local carpet cleaner for any guidance or questions.

Do you live in NY? Contact Steam Pro Carpet Cleaning New York for all of your carpet and upholstery cleaning needs. Or call us at (718) 606-0549.

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Carpet Stain Removal Tips

When approached with the challenge of carpet stain removal there are a few tips that can make the process both a lot easier and more effective. The idea is to be aggressive with the spot or stain while, at the same time, being as gentle on your carpet as possible. Here are a few carpet stain removal tips that will make your next carpet spot and stain removal a success. Please always remember to always try your cleaners on a inconspicuous area first prior to trying these techniques on visible areas.

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1. Blot, do not scrub. Immediately upon spilling something onto your carpet take a dry white terry cloth and blot up as much of the spill as possible. In many cases this alone will remove almost all of the spill before it has a chance of becoming a difficult stain.

2. Determine the best course for action. Ask yourself if you should use acidic or alkaline based cleaners. A simple rule of thumb is, if it came from an animal (fat, blood, urine, etc.) use alkaline cleaners and if it came from a plant (wine, coffee, tomato sauce) use an acidic cleaner.

3a. Assuming an animal - Take a tablespoon of clear dishwashing detergent or ammonia and mix it with a cup of cold water. Spray your cleaner onto the area and gently agitate (not scrub) the area using a spoon. The spoon will more likely not fray your carpet. It will also allow for a deeper agitation. Allow a dwell time of 5 minutes. Then flush the area with cold water and blot dry. Repeat until complete.

3b. Assuming a plant - Take 50/50 white vinegar to cold water and do the same process as 3a.

4a. The above cleaning methods will remove your carpet spots almost every time. If despite your best efforts, or if the spot has been present too long and has time to sit, you have a stain. A stain is different than a spot in that it has actually change the pigment of your carpet and has made a permanent home for itself. Not to worry, here are two very effective bleaching methods that will get out even the most difficult carpet stains. Spray a liberal amount of household peroxide onto the carpet stain and place a white terry cloth on top of it. Take a steam iron and place it on top of the terry cloth and wait 30 seconds (20 seconds for olefin). Rinse, blot with dry terry cloth, wait until your carpet cools, and repeat. This process works wonderfully for red dye stains like kool aid stains on carpet.

These carpet stain removal tips are as effective as any professional carpet cleaners best chemical arsenal. Please use caution when using these tips and always consult with a professional if you are unsure. You may contact a professional NYC carpet cleaning service at (718) 606-0549. My name is Robert and I’m happy to help in any way.

Grease can not be removed with traditional cleaning methods. Soap and water will not remove grease (oil and water to not mix). To properly remove the grease from the carpet, first absorb what grease you can with a white terry cloth. Next pour a liberal amount of either baking soda or corn starch onto the area. Lightly aggitate the baking soda or corn starch into the carpet and let sit for 24 hours. Vacuum and repeat.

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If there is a small amount of residue left after the intitial carpet cleaning you may try a wet cleaning method. Mix salt, borax, and vinegar in equal parts. Apply the paste and lightly aggitate. Absorb the moisture with a white terry cloth.

In removing candle wax from your carpet, there is one way that completely removes any trace of  wax ever being on the carpet. The other way destroys the carpet or permanently dyes the carpet. This article will explain what to do to avoid making any mistakes and to end up like our first scenario.

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First using a white terry cloth, fold it over twice and place it over the candle wax. Place a hot iron over the area and wait 20-30 seconds. Most residential carpets are made of either nylon or olefin. Olefin has a very low heat resistance, so be careful not to burn the fibers. Regardless of the fiber type discipline yourself to never use an iron over the waxed area for more than 30 seconds. Scrape as much of the candle wax from the carpet with a metal spoon and repeat. You must let the spot cool for 2 minutes in between each hot iron process. Touch the spot prior to using this process to be sure that the carpet has cooled back to room temperature.

The big mistake made when using this method of removing candle wax is a lack of patience. Many people decide to let the hot iron sit too long. The color from the candle wax is set by the heat (heat sets in dyes) and turns a small challenge into a big problem. After the candle wax color sets into the carpet, it can only be treated with color safe bleaches for safe removal. If the carpet is olefin, letting the hot iron sit too long burns the carpet fibers and creates permanent, irreversible damage. Do not make these mistake. Be patient.

Blood removal can be tough to remove if it was previously incorrectly cleaned. Do not rub the blood deeper into the carpet. This will definitely make the cleaning process much more difficult, even for a professional carpet cleaner.

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Before you decide to take out that scrub brush, take out a little bit of salt and pour it onto the blood. The salt will absorb most of the blood.

Next pour a small amount of water onto the blood and blot (do not scrub) the spot as close to dry as possible.

Lastly, lightly pour 3% peroxide (the is the domestic dilution ratio 1:33 or 3%) onto the blood spot. Blot and repeat until the blood is completely removed from the carpet.

If you need any further assistance in cleaning the blood or any other type of spot from your carpets or upholstery never hesitate to call us, free of charge. 718 606 0549.

No matter how long the gum has been there, here is a really easy, quick way to remove it. The answer the citrus. I would recommend purchasing a citus solvent such as Citrus Solv. That’s what we use and it works great.
First take some ice and place it on the gum. This will stiffen the gum and make it a lot easier to remove.
Next apply the citrus solvent onto the gum and using a spoon or the blunt side of a knife, scrape the gum.
Blot the excess citrus solvent using a white cloth or paper towel.
Repeat until it’s gone. It shouldn’t take long. Good Luck!

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