Carpet Cleaning Archives | Spotless Flooring Carpet Cleaning, Tile and Grout Cleaning

Pets & Carpets: Not a match made in heaven

Pets, smoke and red wine might be the three worst foes for any household carpet and yet we’re clearly not giving up our pets (or our wine) for the sake of a clean carpet, so what’s to be done?

While you can try in vain to clean up pet stains yourself, we recommend you save yourself the time and the hassle and call in the experts. You just aren’t able to get as deep a clean as a professional carpet cleaner can achieve and that is where the pet stain resides… deep down in the fibres of the carpet and the underpad.

Sometimes a DIY cleaning job might actually set the stains into the carpet rather than removing OR worse, you might just destroy your carpet fibres trying to get rid of the stain.

If you are trying to remove a pet stain or odor before you call the professionals, please DO NOT:

Pet stains should be addressed right away – although we do like a good challenge.
Always blot. Rubbing will ensure that the stain is ground deep into the fibres of the carpet and could actually make it near impossible to remove.
Use chemicals that aren’t compatible with your carpet type and ALWAYS try a test patch before you commit to removing a stain in plain view. Your carpet is made of delicate fibres and the wrong chemical could compromise its integrity.
This could compromise and damage carpet fibres weakening your carpet and hindering your ability to remove future stains and spots.

Beyond the Carpet Stain

Beyond the stain itself, it’s the odor that often lingers after a pet accident. You can try to open the windows, spray deodorizers, sprinkle baking soda to absorb the smell, but that odor will likely remain or return over time. Those with pets, or those who have walked into a house with pets, probably know that smell well and know how hard it is to remove, even with immediate cleaning tactics.

Our carpet cleaning system’s powerful and effective hot water extraction reaches deep down into your carpet fibers and padding, loosening dirt, stains and odor-causing bacteria, removing it at its source. For those more difficult stains and odors, we can take cleaning to the next level with specialized solutions and techniques.

So don’t struggle in vain… call us first!

Your Spotless Flooring Team

ABOUT SPOTLESS FLOORING IN HOUSTON, TEXAS

Spotless Flooring is a Veteran-owned small business providing residential and commercial carpet cleaning, tile cleaning and grout cleaning services with a special focus on the removal of stains and pet odors. Our team professionally services areas around Houston and surrounding areas including Seabrook, League City, Friendswood, Kemah, La Porte, Deer Park and Webster. Call our team at (281)253-3714 for your no obligation quote.

Spotless Flooring Sells Homes Faster in Houston

There’s clean and then there’s Spotless Flooring clean and when you’re thinking of putting your home up for sale, don’t settle for less than spotless. Potential buyers will notice every speck, stain, smell and spot as soon as they enter your home.

While you may think that your flooring is clean, remember that you have likely dulled your senses to the reality of your home. You have adapted to the appearance and the smells of your carpet and flooring, but a buyer might have a different experience entirely. Vacuuming is not enough to get that clean feel you want. Nothing can replace a good deep cleaning by a professional floor cleaning company who specializes 100% on restoring floors, carpets and tiles to their original (or as close to original) look as possible.

A SPOTLESS FIRST IMPRESSION STARTS WITH FLOOR CLEANING

A potential buyer will create an immediate first impression upon entering your home. The first thing that a buyer will notice is the cleanliness of your floors. Any unsightly stains, gouges, tears or blemishes will create an impression of an unkept home. Remember that people want to find a home that is move-in ready, and if your flooring isn’t well taken care of by a floor cleaning specialist, it may lead a potential buyer to believe that they have to invest in new flooring immediately. Not the ideal first impression.

Here’s why you’ll never regret hiring a professional floor cleaner right before sale time.

Smells Better: Everyday living wreaks havoc and delivers odors into your carpet fibers, especially if you have pets. Regular cleaning keeps these smells at bay and freshens the entire house. Remember… these smells may not be obvious to you, but they are there.

Clean Floors / Clean House: There will be an immediate correlation between the cleanliness of your flooring and the cleanliness of your entire home. This first impression will leave potential buyers with an impression that your home is well taken care of, inside and out.

Less Expensive: Many homeowners believe that they must replace carpets with spots, stains and odors before placing their home on the market. Not true. A professional floor cleaning team can return your carpets to a near-new appearance and eliminate any unpleasant smells.

Trust us… while you may not have anybody say, “WOW, those floors are really clean,” they will definitely notice if they are not. Let your home do the talking, not your floors.

ABOUT SPOTLESS FLOORING IN HOUSTON, TEXAS

Spotless Flooring is a Veteran-owned small business providing residential and commercial carpet cleaning, tile cleaning and grout cleaning services with a special focus on the removal of stains and pet odors. Our team professionally services areas around Houston and surrounding areas including Seabrook, League City, Friendswood, Kemah, La Porte, Deer Park and Webster. Call our team at (281)253-3714 for your no obligation quote.

What Makes the Best Carpet Cleaning in Oregon City

You may have heard about Hello Carpets while searching for carpet cleaning Oregon City.

There is a grand reason why too. Since 2014 when a few young dedicated entrepreneurs set out to be the best they quickly found themselves among the top leaders in the carpet cleaning Oregon City industry. The market is flooded with cleaners, few have the attention to detail and discipline to qualify as the best.

While Hello Carpets is making a significant impact on the local Google ratings, they are making a bigger impact in your home.

As a carpet professional of six years I have the knowledge, experience, and training in the field of carpet cleaning to fully understand the depth of Hello Carpet’s services.

Lets start with YOU! Pretend you’re looking for a high quality service provider. What questions are you going to ask them before hiring them?

What cleaning method are you going to use?

Are you going to use anything that may harm my family or home?

When are you available and how much?

Of course the above questions are what you actually ask. How about the questions you think but never ask?

Are you service techs friendly, well trained, respectful, careful?

Will you communicate well with me ensuring I know what I’m paying for?

Do you include everything in the price or do I have to worry about buying into a bunch of stuff?

If any of these questions fit into something that has ever crossed your mind, you’re in luck!

Hello Carpets will keep your mind at ease through the whole process from dialing in to the booking agent all the way to caring for you carpet when it’s all done. They are going to use the most effective and most recommended cleaning process for carpet cleaning in your home. This goes on to include more than just hot water extraction (recommended by nearly every carpet manufacturer). They are covering the entire cleaning pie including removal of dry debris (vacuuming), use of proper cleaning agents, agitation, hot water extraction, and drying! This is incredible and every piece leads to the final result, the Best Carpet Cleaning Oregon City.

None of the cleaning agents Hello Carpets uses are going to be harmful to your home or environment. All of the techs are taught to communicate well, properly trained, respectful, and careful. This has been proven though action, not just word. You don’t have to take my word for it, look at what we pulled from a public forum.

Google search for Carpet Cleaning Oregon City will show you this.

So you see, there is no doubt about what will be provide. You can expect an honest and true deep cleaning without pressuring you into some sales scam or unnecessary fluff.

And when you want to scheduling online, that too will be available. Don’t worry about forgetting the date you set either. You will receive emails keeping you up to date with your service information.

Why does my carpet get dirty so fast after cleaning?

Every now and again Spotless Flooring receives a call and someone asks “Why does my carpet get dirty so fast after cleaning?”

It’s quite a common question and happens to many people who receive multiple cleanings every year. Spotless Flooring has three simple answers:

Your Attention to Stay Clean

You have invested your time, money, and let a stranger into your home to do the work of cleaning your carpet. Now that you’ve invested so much into it, you want to see your carpet stay clean. Simply put, you pay more attention to your carpet after a cleaning. More than likely after a cleaning you are going to notice all the stains that you didn’t see much of before and every new spot as it appears. This especially happens when you do your weekly vacuuming and spend some time inspecting as you go.

Cleaning the Carpet Up After…

Have you possibly had any changes in your home environment? Your carpet may be getting dirty faster after cleaning because you recently had a change at home causing it. Consider this; Do you have a new pet who’s going outside and in? Have your children had their friends over more often or started playing outside more often? Did your spouse get a new job or start doing some yard work that might be bringing in more contaminates?

Poor Previous Service

The most common issue we see as cleaners is that the last company you invited into your home just didn’t rinse the carpet well enough. Thus they have left some residue on your carpet which causes the dirt to stay trapped on the fibers and preventing your vacuum from sucking them up.

The great thing is that there is a resolution to this issue and what’s even better is that here at Spotless Flooring we make sure no residue gets left behind. In fact we often rinse out residues from previous cleaners and household spotters that may have been used.

Utilizing our industry leading carpet cleaning wand we can actually see how soapy the recovered water is as it’s sucked out of the carpet. This keeps us informed on what areas need more rinsing and also lets us know when we hit a real soapy spot (common with household spotters)

Spotless Flooring will only use the necessary amount of cleaning agents on your carpet. The result is that we don’t apply loads of cleaner to your carpet to begin with and rinsing it out (the steam cleaning process) is easier and more efficient.

We are also using the HWE (hot water extraction AKA steam cleaning) method to rinse your carpet of contaminates. This means we have ultra heated high flowing water sprayed straight onto your carpet and immediately sucked up by our powerful vacuum. This provides an incredible rinse while removing all water and contaminates.

To top the cake we are also using a rinse agent. This is very similar to what you might be using in your dishwasher. This does exactly what the name implies, it makes our rinsing process more effective by removing soap residues. But that’s not all, it also better prepares the fibers for protector. That means the protector will be better accepted by each fiber making it an even more effective product.

Click Here to watch our video on youtube!

Crazy Carpet Cleaning in Seabrook

This was a crazy carpet cleaning in Seabrook.

We clean all sorts of homes. We see the best and the worst of it all. This time we saw some very filthy carpet. Fortunately, we were in there fixing that issue and it turned out great. More than anything we love to see our clients happy. You can bet we had a very happy family after this cleaning.

What causes this kind of buildup?

The biggest issue that we see causing this much soil in carpet is the pets. Animals produce body oil just as we do and over time it will rub off onto the carpet. This is typically seen in areas the pet spends the most time laying down. Another big source is dirt walkways or dirt driveways outside the home. Then of course, keeping your shoes on while walking on the carpet is going to transfer all of that soil from outside onto your carpet. There is also a commonly overlooked source for heavily soiled carpet, kids! They don’t always follow the rules and quite often have accidents.

What can you do to prevent this kind of buildup?

If you have dogs or large animals, give them a bath every few weeks. This will prevent them from building up and transferring oil from their body to the carpet. If you don’t have any, buy a walk-off mat for inside or outside of your home. This will reduce the amount of dirt on your shoes that gets brought in. And the best way to prevent this 5 years of buildup is to have your carpet cleaned regularly, especially if you have pets or kids.

How often should this carpet be cleaned?

Every household is different so you have to consider your own situation.

Are you taking your shoes off at the door?

Do you have walk-off matts or rugs?

Do you have pets or kids? How active of a lifestyle do you live?

How often do you vacuum?

Generally we recommend that if you have pets or kids, have the carpet cleaned about once a year. If you don’t have pets or kids, cleaning every 1-2 years is what we typically recommend.

Is this information helpful?

If you though we were helpful, give us a call next time you need cleaning.

Carpet Cleaning at Home: How to Assess a Drink Spill

Carpet Cleaning at Home: How to Assess a Drink Spill

If you have carpet I’m sure you do a lot to avoid spills and stains but in any case accidents are going to happen. When you have an accidental spill on your carpet, now you will be prepared to properly clean the spot. This simple procedure will help remove a large amount of spilled liquid, reducing the amount of staining, and get the spot dry faster.

With any spill on carpet flooring you should start with removing the source to prevent any further wetness. If it’s a glass, try to catch the glass before it completely empties out on the floor. If a baby bottle that’s leaking, immediately pick it up.

Immediately apply a dry towel to the spot just setting it on top. Don’t press it, step on it or put any weight on it. After the towel absorbs the bulk of liquid on top, use a dry part of the towel and put that on your wet spot. Now you can press firmly or step on the towel. Do this for a minute or so. If moisture comes through the back side of your towel, find another dry part of the towel and repeat. Repeat this process until your towel isn’t soaked through with the spilled liquid.

Moisture moves to the driest part of carpet or towel that it can. As that material dries more moisture is pulled to the dry area. This is why you should continuously use dry parts of the towel to absorb your spill. Over time, as the carpet dries across the top, moisture will rise from below the carpet and into the tips of the carpet fiber as it dries.

The alternative to using a towel is a wet vacuum or a shop vacuum if you own one. Use the vacuum to suck out moisture from the spot going over the area multiple times very slowly. But even after using this kind of equipment it is still best to apply a dry towel to let it absorb the rest of the moisture.

After letting your towel absorb the spill as much as possible (usually about 20 minutes) you can apply a fan to the wet area to help it dry quicker. Ceiling fans work great but box fans or shop fans will also do an even better job.

You don’t want to add more moisture to a spot that is already saturated. We recommend waiting until the spill is completely dry before applying any kind of cleaner or spray.

Carpet Cleaning in Clear Lake Shores Texas

We Were Cleaning Carpet in Clear Lake Shores a Few Weeks Ago

It started out as a normal cleaning like every other day. We called before showing and then approached the door with cautious. This house looked like it was straight out of the Adams Family. It was filthy with moss, algae, and rust overtaking the trees and house.

As we entered the home, the heavy doors were slowly closed behind us. Glancing across the foyer and into the depths of this overwhelmingly ginormous home, we began discussing what brought us in, carpet cleaning. The home’s interior was immaculate with carved wood furnishing sitting on top of intricate Persian rugs. It didn’t look like dust existed in this house. The lady of the house took us up the winding stairway upstairs to show us what needed cleaning.

Upon our conversation she quickly apologized for the heinous view outside and blamed her husband for it. This client was extremely particular and meticulous having all of her interior perfectly arranged and cleaned to the bone. In fact she mentioned how she had the maid in with ladders to make sure every bit of dust was removed to prevent her allergies from flaring up. But her words were true when she said, the carpet was one thing she couldn’t keep up with.

Another great cleaning about to take place. Not related to the story.

We had been called out for carpet cleaning in this Clear Lake Shores home. Specifically she wanted seven bedrooms, a dining area, two enormous walk-in closets and the stairs steam cleaned. These stairs were different from any other set that we had cleaned in the past though because they had a rug stapled to wood straight down the middle of the twisting steps. She also wanted all of the furniture moved to ensure every bit of dust was removed.

I was glad it was early in the morning because this job was big and likely to take most of the afternoon to complete. This client showed me a few rust stains from the antique furniture as well as some areas where dirty mop water had splashed out of a bucket onto the carpeting.

With enthusiasm, I was happy to reassure my client that we would take care of all the dust, mop water, and rust that she had. We agreed on a price as I do with every client and began the work. First things first, we vacuum. Upon moving the furniture pieces, we found what she was talking about. Piles of dust rolled out with the slight air movement and we got it sucked up into the yellow Dyson. What was weird was that a lot of hair was found. We later discovered pictures, this lady had trained large white Great Pyrenees dogs and won competitions.

So the weird parts of this was the house and how everything looked but I forgot to mention to you that this lady herself was very interesting. She had animal tattoos all over her body and kept a small ranch in back of the house where she trained horses, dogs, and even a few large cats. She stood tall but with a small frame running around her house without shoes looking like an ice skater.

The biggest surprise was that she lived in such a small area near the city. It must have been easy to find a carpet cleaner near Clear Lake Shores. We were happy to have done the work. For such an odd atmosphere the client’s home gave off, she sure was considerate, thorough, and inviting. We got everything packed up and rolled out by mid afternoon.

Citra-Zov Carpet Prespray Review

Citra-Zov Carpet Cleaning Pre-spray Detergent was something we were given to test. We received a little container from A&A Supply in Houston, TX. It was real nice to receive a free product to test and experience. I don’t mind trying new things from time to time.

2lb Sample Product of Citra-Zov with De-Zov-All.

The Good Stuff

Citra-Zov is a very powerful carpet cleaning detergent and is designed to really tackle the tough stuff and win every time. It has a very high PH of 12 at the ready to use mixture. It’s also made up of commonly used “booster” prodcuts… enzymes, D-limonene, and powdered oxygen. Each of these key ingredients make a killer concauction for cleaning some of the dirtiest carpet.

Unfortunately, most of the cleaning we do here at Spotless Flooring are not nearly as bad as what this product is made for. Using powerful products like this when is not necessary can actually cause problems which I will talk about later. Because of that, we didn’t get many chances to really put it to the test but I did want to talk about the times we used the Citra-Zov as it was kindly given to us to test.

The first thing I noticed about this product it smells GREAT and it’s smell lingers for a while. I like it when my clients feel like cleaning has commenced just from a smell. Everytime we laid down this prodcut, we were complimented about the smell. I believe that comes from the D-limonene. Either way, when this stuff is in the room, you know the cleaning just got serious.

Shortly after hitting the carpet, the product can be seen working. We use a scrubbing machine to work all cleaning products into the carpet. During this process, we could see the cleaning difference as all the soil was releasing from the carpet. Dirty spots start fading into the floor and just becoming smudges into the rest of the soil. That’s always a good sign, it means the cleaner is doing its job and rinsing out the soil with the steam cleaning process will be effective.

The cleaning goes on and the carpet is rinsed of the soil and cleaning product with our hot water extraction system.

Picking it Apart

Though this product is great at what it does, it does not mix real easily. That means I have to shake the mixing container a few more times and wait a little longer before applying it through the in-line sprayer. This is not uncommon with good enzyme presprays though.

The container label really needs to be redesigned for a more professional appearance. Though the product works, the label doesn’t say “I WORK USE ME!” It makes a difference.

Problems commonly encountered from using powerful products when not necessary include PH extreme damage to color, high chances of quick resoiling, and even chemical damage to the carpet fibers. Though these possibilities exist, the use of such products is still a good idea for extreme cases.

PH extreme color damage is when a product is applied to the carpet and then the color of the carpet changes. Most of the time this will not be noticed until the home owners move out. Then everyone wonders why the areas were the furniture sat are such a different color.

The higher the PH of the cleaning product, the harder it is to rinse out of the carpet. These products need to be rinsed very well and many times. In fact, it needs to be rinsed using rotary extractor to fully remove the cleaning detergents. The amount of strokes necessary using a traditional wand is much more than any cleaner wants to do (ph testing proves this). SO, without being able to completely rinse the products from the carpet, the floor will collect soil and return to its dirty state faster than expected.

Improperly cleaned carpets resoiling.

The final reason not to use powerful products like this is the fact that they actually damage the carpet fibers due to how aggressive it is. For any carpet that comes with built in carpet protector or fiber guard from the factory, citra-zov will noticeably damage that protective shield cause fiber damage. This is stuff that is visible under a microscope, not to the naked eye.

When to Use
Though these possibilities exist, the use of this product has its place. We would recommend using Citra-Zov on really dirty carpet commonly found in rental homes or high traffic commercial areas. Still, a rinse-aid should be used and a rotary extractor is highly recommended.

Product Specs
Product: Citra-Zov Powder with De-Zov-All
RTU PH: 12
Recommended dilution: 2oz. per gallon
Producer: Harvard Chemical Research
Click Here to see MSDS for Citra-Zov w/De-Zov-All

Carpet Cleaning 3rd Floor Apartment in Webster TX

Carpet Cleaning 3rd Floor Apartment in Webster TX

Many times clients report that other cleaning companies will not clean third floor apartments and Spotless Flooring ends up saving the day. Whenever we are challenged with these types of cleanings, we simply try to find a way, and as we all know, where there is a will there is a way.

We have no problem servicing any apartment or condo that is on a second or third floor. Sometimes we have to work through windows, sometimes over rails, and sometimes straight down a flight of stairs. Whatever the case may be, we will do our best to provide you with the service you need.

Here in this short video we show a 100 foot hose run to a third floor apartment. Most homes have hose runs of 75-125 feet so cleaning at this distance from our truck is not unusual.

If you have a condo or apartment that needs attention, we can take care of you too. Give us a call (832)829-9914

Woolite Pet Stain and Odor Remover Plus Oxy Carpet Cleaning

During a service call for carpet cleaning I encountered an interesting product NOT to use,

Woolite Pet Stain and Odor Remover Plus Oxy

Initially my customer told me there were pet stains or urine spots on the carpet and I should take a look. When I saw the floor myself I realized that one of two things was happening. The first one is that the oils from the urine are attracting dirt and causing lots of soil to stick to the carpet. The other second most likely cause, my customer was using a spot cleaner on the areas. When I inquired about the situation, the truth came out. They had been using Woolite products to “spot clean” after the pets but didn’t realize it was only making things worse.

The detail that told me these dark rings were from a cleaning product was the fact that I couldn’t see any yellow staining from the urine. In most urine cases from pets, yellow staining is present. It’s dead giveaway and will be visible to some degree. Also, a Woolite bottle sitting near the area and an empty one not far gives it away.

Heavily soiled carpet treated for mass urine remediation to remove urine pet staining and odor.

So in this case as a professional I made my client an offer to clean for urine which he wanted, no doubt. During my urine cleaning process, I steam clean over the carpet fibers twice. This means that each area will be flushed with hot water and sucked out of the carpet very thoroughly. The flushing is what will rinse out the urine, the sticky residue, and all the cleaning detergents I will apply to disperse the urine.

Starting with a really dark, nasty, spotted carpet, I was able to remove the heavy collections of soil, urine, and cleaning treatments. This left the carpet looking extremely refreshed and my client was very pleased.

I take note of events like this so that I may be able to help guide clients in my future. The more I know about products on the market, the more I can help solve problems in my future. We never stop learning, even in the carpet cleaning industry.

What works for you? Let us know.

If you have a household product that you know works well for pet stains and does not leave behind residue or leave you with dark soiled areas, feel free to shoot us an email at spotlessflooring@gmail.com Let us know what is working for you or what is not.