Carpet Cleaning Chicago 773-885-8528

CARPET CLEANING AND WICKING - CHICAGO 773-885-8528

When carpet cleaning is done sometimes things appear on the surface of the carpet that wasn’t there previously.  This is especially the case when it comes to steam carpet cleaning or hot water extraction, either way, when it happens, because the carpet cleaning companies usually get blamed for not doing a good job.  But is that really the case? 

 

There is a problem in the carpet cleaning industry known as “wicking.”  What does it mean?  It refers to spotting, staining or spills that sink below the carpet and down into the padding.  In other words, the stain is still there, below the surface, unseen to the human eye until a cleaning takes place on the surface and reactivates the problem lying dormant in the padding.

We recently had a customer that complained about a spot near her bathroom that wasn’t there before the cleaning.  We asked a few questions of the customer only to find that she had a previous water damage incident from her bathroom that spilled out over into the carpeted area near the bathroom door.  After finding out what happened previously, everything fell in place in terms of why that spot appeared.  Needless to say, we returned to fix the problem, but had we the knowledge ahead of time that this leak or water damage took place we could’ve addressed the issue on the initial call.

This is why good communication is very important.  Good questions about the condition of the carpet, any mishaps that might have happened, etc.  It just makes the carpet cleaning technician’s job a lot easier.

Wicking usually happens with liquids or materials that seep below the surface of the carpeting into the padding below.  Those substances can range from removing pet stains, to spilled wine, milk, blood, or any other substance that penetrates the surface of the carpeting.

Sometimes you might think the easy way to get up a spill or disaster on the carpet is to scrub it out with some sort of solvent or another.  Here, you must be careful.  Scrubbing and agitating the carpeted area the wrong way can actually serve to exacerbate the problem by pushing it deeper into the fibers and the padding too.  This just makes the carpet cleaning a bit more difficult of a task but not impossible.  Handling a project on your own may be great for certain things in the home, but we have seen a simple carpet cleaning turn into a nightmare because the customer tried to do it themselves.

If you are not sure how to handle a particular spill or mishap in your carpet, don’t hesitate to call a professional carpet cleaning company to get your carpets looking their best!

Chicago Carpet Cleaning - 773-885-8528

DRYING TIME IS ESSENTIAL TO GOOD CLEANING

When considering the matter of professional carpet cleaning you must factor in how long the carpet will be unusable while it dries if you are having steam carpet cleaning administered.  After a pre-spray for loosening nasty spots and stains from the carpet fibers (which is normally moisture-based) and a bit of agitating either with a carpet rake or a scrub brush, and possibly other solubles to get the carpet appearance just right, the carpeting is now moist and needs to be extracted properly before good drying can take place.

There are few factors that determine drying time.

1. The humidity in the home. 
The more moisture floating through the air the longer the drying time.  Even outside air levels can affect how fast your carpet might dry on the inside.

2. The type of carpet/padding you have.
If you have a thick carpet and/or padding, of course, the drying time can take a little longer.  Anywhere from 1 to 2 hours longer depending on the type of carpet and if there is padding sitting beneath it.  These are porous and hold moisture, so a good extraction needs to take place.  Which leads to the next factor.

3. Technician know how or expertise. 
If the technician you have cleaning your carpets is good at what he does, he will know that he needs to perform a very good extraction with a back and forth motion of the cleaning tool, to get the carpeting and the padding as dry as possible.  This is the beginning of the evaporation process and a very important one.

There will always be some residual moisture when steam cleaning your carpets, however, it should not be soaked or squishy under foot.  If so, then you will certainly have mildew and odor issues later.
So make sure that proper extraction has taken place.  A simple swipe with the fingertips can serve to determine this.  And your next question?

Well, how long should an average carpet cleaning drying time be?  If done right no more than 2 to 4 hours of drying time.  Unless, you had water damage to take place where the carpet was inundated with water, then not only is drying time longer but, you will probably even need drying equipment to assist.  The CleanUP Guys offers Chicago Carpet Cleaning in the city and suburbs.  Visit our site and see some of our specials.  Happy Carpet Cleaning!

Carpet Cleaning Chicago 773-885-8528

When needing services for professional carpet cleaning in your home or office, it is wise to differentiate between services that are actually needed.  What do I mean?  Well, just this.  Carpet cleaning is just that, carpet cleaning.  But, if you have experienced a water damage or a significant amount of water has infiltrated your carpet and/or padding, then it is no longer just I need carpet cleaning. It becomes a more serious issue.  What is that issue?  Water has to be properly extracted FIRST, and the carpet dried out appropriately to move forward in any type of normal fashion.  If this should happen to you, remember it is out of the category now of carpet cleaning alone.  There are so many other factors now that come into play.  How much water got in the carpet?  Where did it come from?  How long has it been there?  Moisture and humidity levels are affected and can cause problems in the subsurface and around the wall spaces.  When this happens, then that unfriendly substance called mold starts to develop and now you have more monumental issues at stake.  You say, no come on from just a water spill?  Remember the questions above.  Each case is different, but why take the chance on developing something that could turn into a major project?  Wisdom calls for swift action but the right action.  It is high time to call a professional restoration company that can fix the problem the right way, not just a carpet cleaning company, that doesn't handle proper water loss damage.  It can certainly be that serious.  We get many calls from customers who didn't handle a toilet spill, or backup the right way, and later on they lived to regret it as the water worked its way through floorboards, through walls, through sub-flooring and into other areas because water has no boundaries.

Carpet Cleaning Chicago and Carpet Cleaners 773-885-8528

In this article we would like to discuss the fuss over detergents.  Should we use them or not?  Should we go green?  In the real world of professional carpet cleaning even the toughest of stains can be a challenge to remove, yet no fuss is made over the chemicals that came together to make a stain.  Are those stains always green?  Obviously not.  So, why all the fuss over using chemicals that have so-called pollutants in them?  Because many experts in the cleaning and restoration industry as well as the media and various support organizations have seen another bandwagon to jump on and make money.  Now, don't get us wrong, green cleaning certainly does have its place in our world.  Many suffer from allergies and need steam carpet cleaning that might be of a milder nature.  They might be allergic to certain chemicals or maybe even grown an allergic reaction to them.  Something in the industry known MCS (Multiple Chemical Sensitivity).  But, does that mean that the chemicals used by carpet cleaning companies is necessarily all bad?  No.  Many customers have no problem with normal professional grade chemicals.  Carpet cleaning is an art.  It takes time, determination, skill, and professionalism to get a carpet looking its best.  Since no two set of circumstances are alike it is up to the customer and the carpet cleaning contractor to discuss what methods and/or products that will be used.  Certainly, green cleaning as we know it, should be an option if desired.  However, regular chemicals have been used for years and certainly assist with getting the job done right and in most cases with no problems.  So while the push is on to go green, let's not forget that for aeons of time in the cleaning and restoration industry these are chemicals that got the job done!