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Category: Carpet Cleaning

The Importance of a Vacuum Cleaner

One definite requirement to cleaning the house is and always has been the vacuum cleaner.

Believe it or not, there is a more effective cleaning system than the same vacuum which has been around for so many years. It is the central vacuum cleaner and they are becoming common in a lot of homes. It has a stronger suction that provides a greater cleaning ability.

With the central vacuum, dust and debris is sucked into the unit because it is located in the central position of the house. The bag isn’t being carried around with the unit like the portable vacuum so this means there is no chance that dust will be re-circulated around the house.

You can buy a central vacuum with a Hepa filter so that the tiniest dust particles can be picked up and trapped. With the central vacuum all dust can be removed from the house. It is a fact that dust can be attached to the exterior of the house as well, this can also be removed as part of the process.

There is another system available which with the rotation of air inside the machine separates the dust and dirt and propels it into the bag. This system is called the cyclonic system.

Although this method is not as efficient as the Hepa filter because there is a small percentage of dust will not be picked up. An additional filter on the central vacuum system can help to remove dust that was left over.

Here are a few big differences in the portal vacuum and the central unit: the central unit has the convenience of not needing to be pulled around the house as you clean and it also has the power in which the great suction operates.

For those who may be suffering from an allergic reaction to dust mites, this central vacuum system is the best investment for your household.

Carpet cleaning and sofa cleaning services that takes care of any stains

The carpet and the sofa are the two most neglected places to clean in the whole house. These are also some of the toughest places to clean in the house. A lot of dirt gets collected here and stains on the sofa or carpet can be a nightmare to clean. No matter how much you try avoiding stains on your expensive carpet or sofa, they always seem to appear.

The damage stains do to your carpet or sofa:

Water or any other liquids can end up spoiling the fabric of the carpet or upholstery. And you have to find a way of covering up those stains or repairing the fabric.

But one tactic which is more effective than doing it yourself, is calling for the service of a cleaning company. Mop and Shine offer carpet cleaning and upholstery cleaning. We have highly trained staff members that can take care of such stubborn stains on your carpet or sofa. They also ensure that no harm or damage is caused from their cleaning methods or products. They use advanced tools and equipment to take care of such type of situations. They vacuum clean and dry-clean the carpet to ensure spotless results.

The benefits of carpet cleaning  and sofa cleaning:

Since carpets and sofas collect a lot of dust, this can make you ill as well as make the house look unclean so it important to ensure that these are cleaned. These cleaning services see to it that your house is completely clean. In this way you will not have to cover up any stains or dirt yourself and you can rely on us to do a professional job.

Why Do Spots Reappear on Clean Carpets and How Do You Keep That From Happening?

We know it’s very frustrating when you have cleaned up a spill or a stain on a carpet and then like an annoying relative it keeps on coming back. This is particularly maddening when you have paid a professional carpet cleaner a good bit of money and then the stain comes back.

We are Mop and Shine, a professional cleaning company in Kenya, that has been in existence for now over 10 years. We understand the ins and outs of professional cleaning services and may be we can help you to understand what is happening when that stain comes back and what you can do about it.

There are two reasons why stains come back.

Residue- residue is what is left over after an incomplete cleaning attempt. This is usually a sticky alkaline cleaning agent that has been left in the carpet and soil is sticking to it. It would be like washing your hair and only rinsing half of the shampoo. Your hair will get dirty twice as fast. Usually what happens on carpets is the homeowner sprays too much alkaline cleaner on a spot and rubs it out. The spot disappears. The homeowner is happy, mission complete, except that a few days later that dirty spot reappears. Sometimes it could be that an alkaline cleaner has spilled on the carpets. Four year old Ciku is helping with the laundry and opens the cap and spills two cups of laundry soap on the carpets. There is going to be so much soap in the carpet that you are going to need some expert advice. Or, it has been known to happen that an inexperienced carpet cleaner has left residue in the carpets.

Whatever caused the problems, here are the solutions.

The small residue spot

When you are cleaning up a stain, rule number one is to use the proper cleaning solution. Using the wrong solution can at best be ineffective and at worst damage your carpet. On our website is a page with the best cleaning solutions for different kinds of stains.

When you use an alkaline stain remover, you need to either rinse extremely well or rinse and neutralize the area with an acidic solution to remove any residue. White vinegar in ½ cup to a quart of warm water mixture is a good acidic cleaning solution that will remove the residue. Pour some of the vinegar solution on the spot and blot dry.Use the vinegar after you have rinsed out the spot thoroughly.

The large volume soap spill

If you have spilled a large volume of an alkaline cleaning solution then you are going to need to get a little more aggressive.

Rent a portable steam cleaner. Make sure it has a hose attachment for cleaning upholstery. Using two cups of white vinegar to a gallon of warm water fill up the tank of the carpet cleaning machine. Spray down the “soapy” area and then extract with the machine. Do this over and over and over until there is no more “soap” coming out of the carpet. Be aware that because the soap foams up your machine will fill with foam quickly. If you suck up a little bit of straight vinegar every few times you extract, this will help to keep the foam down.

The carpet cleaner left residue

If a carpet cleaner leaves residue in your carpets then call them up and ask them to come and fix the problem. If not then you will either need to call a better professional or if you clean yourself then you can follow the same procedure shown above except you will be cleaning a bigger area. Use the vinegar or better yet purchase an acidic neutralizing solution from your local carpet cleaning supply store. Clean the carpets just as you would as if you had put an alkaline solution in the machine. You may have to go slow and be very thorough.

Wicking

The other and much more common cause of spots reappearing is called wicking. If a spill or stain goes down deep into the fibers and particularly if it goes through the backing to the padding under the carpet it is going to be really hard to clean that spot out. What you see as the stain on the top of the carpet is kind of like the tip of the iceberg. You can clean up that part visible on the surface but a part of the remaining hidden stain wicks up to take its place. This does not happen immediately, it takes hours or even days. The stain needs to be moist to do this, which why certain types of stains like oil stains will come back easily. One of the biggest headaches for professional carpet cleaners is when after deep cleaning a carpet, a stain that was in the backing and we did not even know was present wicks up to the surface after we leave. Any stain that is bigger than about the size of a hand is one that could sink down to the backing and wick back up later.

The answers to wicking

If you are cleaning a larger spill after you have gone through the cleaning process and while the spot is still damp, take a white cotton rag folded several times and place over the stain. Place a piece of plastic of the cloth and then stack several heavy hardcover books on this. The stain will wick up through the carpet fibers and into the white cloth. Then re-clean the remaining spot on the carpet surface. With large spots you may have to do this several times.

Large volume spills

Certain types of large volume spills or stains might require that you pull up the carpet and remove the padding. The padding is just a big sponge and without special professional carpet cleaning tools you will not be able to remove stains from the padding through the carpet. The easiest thing to do is to simply cut out the stained padding and replace it with new. If there is a stain also on the sub flooring you will need to clean that and then paint the floor with sealer paint like kilz.

The Water Claw

A professional carpet cleaner may have a tool called a Water Claw which is a tool that allows cleaners using van mount steam cleaning systems to extract many types of stains from the padding right through the carpets.

Encapsulation

A process that is helpful with wicking is called encapsulation. Encapsulation products create minute crystals that absorb the stain when it begins to wick up top the surface. These crystals dry to a fine invisible powder that you vacuum up during your next regular vacuuming.

You can ask your local carpet cleaning supply store about these products and how to use them.

I hope this article helps you if you find yourself having spots that reappear or get in touch with us today for professional cleaning services.

Reliable Carpet Cleaning Services – What Does It Involve

Owing to the woolen material used to make it, carpets are great magnets for dust and dirt. If there are kids and pets around the house, the need to clean your carpet is higher and more frequent. The collection of pet fur and food and color stains give the impression of poor cleanliness and hygiene habits. Not only this, a dirty carpet can be a source of serious allergies.

Regular vacuuming does help to keep your carpet clean; however, you will also need a professional clean up once a while. Here’s what professional carpet cleaning services involve.

There are many types of carpet cleaning. All the methods start with a thorough vacuuming. It is to extract the dust from your carpet or rug so as to make the other methods more effective. This method is called the dry cleaning method. The dry cleaning method also makes use of special cleaning powders. They are designed to attract the dirt almost as soon as they are applied. After the powder is applied and allowed to do its work, the carpet is thoroughly vacuumed.

Shampooing is the second method. Like dry cleaning, it is a kind of pretreatment. The carpet is sprayed with a cleaning solution or a shampoo. It is worked into the carpet with a machine and then extracted by vacuuming. These solutions are formulated with cleaning agents that remove dirt and stains from carpet fibers. They also contain deodorizes and brighteners that improve the look and smell of your carpet. Although effective, shampooing does not do a full-proof job as some dirt and microbes still remain behind.

The steam cleaning process is a hot water extraction process. It is considered the most effective of all carpet cleaning methods. The process employs heavy duty equipment to inject a solution of hot water and detergent into the rug or carpet. The dirt mixes up with the chemicals and is then extracted using high pressure machines. In case of steam cleaning for carpets it is important to make sure that all the moisture is removed. If moisture is left behind, it will lead to mold growth. Mold will not only destroy your carpet, but also emanates a foul odor and could give rise to allergies. Depending on how dirty your carpet is, the professional might also use the foam cleaning method; it’s a blend of dry cleaning and shampooing.

Besides these carpet cleaning solutions, there are other add-one services you can opt for by paying an extra charge. The first is applying deodorizers for that fresh clean smell. You can also use a carpet sealant. This solution seals the top layer of the carpet and prevents straining. It also preserves the colors of the fabric and keeps it from fading.

Thus, there are different methods of cleaning a carpet and a professional carpet cleaning service will offer most of them. You should choose a method that is designed for your carpet material. If you are not familiar what to use, speak to professional carpet cleaners. The cost of cleaning depends on the type of carpet cleaning service you opt for.

Top 5 Reasons Why You Should Choose Carpet Cleaning Services

When it comes to carpet cleaning for your home, you can either choose to do it yourself or hire a carpet cleaning company. Cleaning the carpet on your own can be a daunting task, especially if the carpet is too large and dirty. Furthermore, you might be too busy to even think about cleaning it yourself. This leaves you with the only one option- looking for carpet cleaning services. Using professional carpet cleaning services basically helps in keeping your carpet new and increases its durability.

Below are some reasons why you should consider using professional carpet cleaning services.

1. It’s Fast and Efficient

You must have tried to clean the whole carpet yourself and swore how you will never waste your time doing it again. To be honest, carpet cleaning is a tough job. You can spend the entire weekend plus a part of your Monday morning still cleaning it. What’s even worse, you might not clean it as effectively as it should be.

With carpet cleaning services, all you have to do is to make a phone call and everything will be done in a few minutes, if not hours.

2. It’s Cost Effective

If you think that saving money by cleaning the carpet on your own can be a good option, then you are wrong. In fact, many homeowners end up incurring extra costs especially after damaging the carpet during the cleaning process. This is because they are unable to use the right products as well as the right cleaning technique. As you know, some cleaning agents can be harsh on the carpet material especially if not used in the right measurements. Again, a company like us do it at KSh 500, something so fair that it won’t dent your pocket and at the same time leave you profoundly satisfied.

3. It’s Convenient

Unlike in the past where you had to carry all your carpets to the carpet cleaning center, things are completely different today. Most cleaning companies,like Mop & Shine, offer door to door services to their esteemed customers. You simply set an appointment with them and they will get down to work within minutes. This means that you won’t have to make a lot of efforts to have your carpet washed.. Therefore, professional carpet cleaners are more convenient, thus saving you time and energy.

4. It’s Reliable

If you look at most carpet cleaning companies, you will find that they employ a good number of professionally trained employees. This ensures that they will be able to deal with any kind of emergency.

5. Offer Quality Services

Carpet cleaning services are not only fast and efficient, but also offer results in the desired manner. In this case, quality services mean use of high standard products and appropriate techniques to ensure that your carpet is cleaned from dirt and other substances. Since your carpet is being handled by high quality professionals, you are guaranteed for having exemplary services.

It’s good to know that regular cleaning ensures that the carpet maintains its charm and also enjoys a longer lifespan. Professional cleaning services is reliable and cost-effective. Furthermore, using professional carpet cleaners can ensures that you get the best results possible for a clean carpet.

So, make your home a healthier place by using professional carpet cleaners at all times. Make your carpet stand out and give your house a unique look.