Winter is the time of year when your carpet requires special maintenance. Carpet cleaning is especially important this season because the fibers are prone to staining due chemicals we use to combat inclement weather. We’ll explain why winter carpet care is a necessity.

How Winter Affects Indoor Carpeting

Tacoma isn’t the coldest region, though the area does get cold enough to experience occasional snowfall. How can snow be harmful to carpets? The snow you track into the house isn’t just ice particles; it’s also made up of dirt, road salt, and other debris. Snow that collects on the soles of your shoes ends up on the carpet.

How does this harm the carpet? When the snow melts and evaporates, it leaves behind calcium and magnesium deposits. This manifests in the form of a whitish crust that causes the carpet fibers to become stained. A crusted surface requires extensive carpet repair. Continue Reading →

Most people are familiar with the 5-second rule. If food drops on the floor, it’s still clean enough to eat if you pick it up within five seconds. Is this true or just a myth? Let’s explore this idea further.

What Science Says About the 5-Second Rule

A study from Aston University in the U.K. delved into the 5-second rule. Researchers tested the bacteria content of food after being dropped on the floor. They determined that the time food remains on the floor does indeed matter. The type of floor matters as well.

As it turns out, bacteria from tile and grout has a greater probability of transferring to the food than bacteria from carpet. This is because hard floors are usually dirtier, due to inadequate cleaning methods. You may think a tile floor is clean after mopping the surface. However, all the mop really does is spread the bacteria around. This is not the case with carpet cleaning, which involves vacuuming and steam cleaning. Continue Reading →

Carpet care goes beyond an annual steam cleaning. It may also require a stretch every few years. What causes a carpet to scrunch up in the first place? And, how do you know if your carpet requires stretching?

What Causes Carpet Ripples?

Various factors cause the carpet to scrunch up. One cause is indoor humidity. Moisture in the air penetrates the carpet, causing the floor below to swell. You can avoid this with an indoor dehumidifier.

Carpet waves may also arise due to dragging heavy items across the floor. This tugs on the carpet, causing any slack to push to one side. If the furniture is too heavy to lift off the floor, then use the floorboard method. Lift the furniture just enough to place it on a laminate floorboard. Place another board in front of the first and slowly “walk” the furniture to its destination. Continue Reading →

Carpet maintenance is a necessity for occupant health. However, homeowners need to be able to recognize a bait and switch carpet cleaning scam before scheduling a cleaning. Tacoma is rampant with these types of schemes that rip off unsuspecting homeowners.

How Do Bait and Switch Carpet Cleaning Scams Operate?

In short, these scams advertise a certain price. However, once in your home and performing a pre-clean inspection, they’ll tack on dozens of surcharges.

This may, for example, include extra costs for chemicals or “special” cleaning agents. Another tactic is that they advertise a cost for cleaning a single room. When the job is done, they’ll charge you for additional rooms, citing that the closet or foyer constitutes a room. They may also charge higher prices for certain customers, such as elderly homeowners, who are less likely to dispute the cost. Continue Reading →

You spend eight hours every night on your mattress. Obviously, you want your bed to be clean. You may think it’s clean, but when was the last time you washed your mattress, if ever? A dirty mattress may be making you sick. Be prepared for some jaw-dropping facts about the average bed.

Facts About a Dirty Mattress

The average 1,500-square-foot Tacoma home accumulates 40-pounds of dust every year. The dust makes its way onto the carpet, countertops, cabinets, upholstery, and yes, even the mattress.

Dust isn’t the only problem. The debris accumulation also includes millions of mold spores and microbes, which can live on surfaces for years.

In the bedroom, guess what item is teeming with the most microscopic debris? The bed, in fact, makes your whole bedroom dirtier. Just rolling from your back to your stomach is enough to resuspend particles into the air.

The mattress is a natural breeding ground for bacteria because it accumulates moisture from your sweat. The sweat combined with your body heat creates the ideal environment for fungal growth. Continue Reading →

Cleaning the grout between the tiles doesn’t seem too complex. Just rinse, scrub, and dry, right? Actually, the process is not that simple. In fact, many of the DIY grout cleaning methods we hear of may actually damage the surface. We’ll analyze some of these methods and explain why they’re ineffective and potentially damaging.

Scrubbing Doesn’t Work

Many homeowners believe they’re giving the grout a good cleaning by scrubbing endlessly. Common tools include a discarded toothbrush and even motorized scrubbers. The scrubbing doesn’t clean the grout; all you’re doing is moving dirt over the pores without fully extracting it. You need to clean the grout at the pore level; otherwise, it will remain dingy. Cleaning the grout deep into the pore requires steam extraction technology. Continue Reading →

Carpet attracts debris year-round. However, dirt and dust accumulation especially ramps up in the summer. We’ll explain the factors that make carpet cleaning in the summer an essential component for good housekeeping. Just because the carpet looks clean does not make it so.

More Foot Traffic

The kids are out of school. With more people occupying the home for longer hours, you can bet the carpet will come into contact with more grime. The kids will traipse in and out the front door or backyard, introducing more dirt to the carpet every time. Consider a house rule of no shoes in the living room.

Foot Traffic from Pets

Many pet owners swear that their dog’s or cat’s energy level ramps up in the warmer months. Pets that continuously trot around the carpet are going to leave fur and dander behind. Furthermore, dogs that are not getting enough stimulation outdoors may do so indoors, in the worst possible ways. This includes scratching and pawing the carpet and upholstery. Continue Reading →

You may not realize it, but upholstered furniture puts up with a lot of punishment in the average home. The fabric is being pulled and stretched regularly. It’s exposed to dust, dirt, pet fur and more. Food particles are spilled on it and then ground into cracks and crevices. Liquids can get spilled; and even though you can try to absorb the spill with a cloth, the fabric’s fibers absorb a certain amount. Over time, your clean furniture becomes a home for bacteria. One of the best decisions you can make is to have your upholstery professionally cleaned. Here’s why you should have your upholstery professionally cleaned:

1. Makes your Home More Inviting

No one wants to sit down on a piece of furniture that is soiled or has an unpleasant aroma coming from it. It’s just not sanitary. Continue Reading →