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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Before and After Carpet Cleaning

I have so many before and after pictures on my camera that I’ve used for years to explain the carpet cleaning process to my clients. I’m going to try to start posting them more often, being that this blog has been getting more and more popular lately.

What you are looking at here is the problem with polyester carpet. Believe it or not, this carpet is only two years old. You can see that the polyester has responded well to the cleaning. What you can not see is the damage that the dirt has done to the carpet fibers. This particular customer has about six people living with him in his home so the dirt is understandable. The wear and damage is not acceptable.

The moral of the story - pay a little more for your carpet. Buy nylon. It took me over two hours just to clean about 250 square feet of carpet. The customer paid a premium for this backbreaking work as well. Next time you go shopping for carpet. Pay a little more now and save with your carpet cleaner later.

I get anywhere between five and ten calls per day asking for upholstery cleaning. It’s strange to me that clients who own Microfiber upholstery are under the impression that they have some type of super delicate fabric. They panic. To be put simply, it’s polyester (sometimes nylon)! Microfiber is very fine polyester, making it feel like a suede or nubuck, but cleaning is very simple.

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No it should not cost more money to clean microfiber. I’ve heard of people paying upwards of $500 to clean a micro fiber sofa, not because it’s extremely soiled, or because of some special issues regarding the cleaning, but because it’s microfiber. This is completely unacceptable. Microfiber upholstery cleaning is a simple cleaning process. Do not succumb to unscrupulous upholstery cleaning companies telling you that you have a fine fabric. Until manufacturers start making micro fiber upholstery using rayon, let’s keep it simple.

Now to get technical, polyester (being synthetic) will not absorb oils and spills. It will collect those oil and spill molecules at its surface, creating a film over the microfiber upholstery (a good reason to scotchgard micro fiber). Thorough preconditioning or shampooing prior to hot water extraction is critical to break down the film on the surface of the upholstery. No two types of fabric are exactly the same. Some fabrics need to be cleaned differently. The only different treatment I apply to micro fiber is the addition of a citrus solvent to my preconditioned to help break down any oils that accumulate. Outside of that, my hot water extraction cleaning process (steam cleaning) is pretty much the same. I don’t charge more for cleaning micro fiber upholstery. Please don’t pay more.

As always my phone number is available to everyone (even just for questions). Call Steam Pro Carpet Cleaning NY at (718) 606-0549.

As a professional carpet cleaner I constantly have to explain why and how pet odors occur in my customers’ homes. Many seem to be under the impression that simple steam cleaning or carpet shampooing will remove the bad pet odors in their homes. It won’t (most of the time). Here’s the proper method to complete odor removal.

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When a pet urinates on your carpet the actual urine does not have too bad of an unpleasant odor. It’s when bacteria begins to grow on the urine, feeding off the proteins, that the odor occurs. To properly remove pet urine odor you must first identify exactly where the odor is coming from. If you are unsure, you may need to ask your local pet odor removal specialist to use a black light in your home. Once you find the source you must ask how deep the urine spot has traveled down your carpet. Is it just on the surface? Has it migrated down to the padding or even the flooring?

Enzymes work wonderfully. Enzymes will digest the proteins in the urine. I personally like to use an enzyme digester afterwards to be sure that I do not have any additional odor from the enzymes several days later. I’ll use this process on the front and back of the carpet and completely replace the small area of padding underneath the carpet. If the urine odor has gone as far as the hard flooring, I will completely disinfect and seal the floor to assure myself that the odor will not ever return. I’ll finish the job up with a nice smelling deodorizer and be on my way.

For the non professional, pet odor removal from carpet can seem a bit overwhelming and complicated so do not feel the need to tackle this alone. Contact your local carpet cleaning company for assistance if needed. Good luck.