Carpet dents are visually unsightly. These occur as furniture leaves indentation marks that you can’t just smooth over. You may need carpet repair services, though you can reduce the dent with some easy methods.

How Do Carpet Dents Form?

Carpet dents form when you leave upholstered furniture in the same spot for many years without moving it. This is definitely true for furniture with legs. The heavy furniture presses down on the floor and creates long-lasting indentations. The bulkier the furniture, the more pronounced the dent.

How to Prevent It

It begins with prevention so the dents don’t occur in the first place. An effective method is to move the furniture every two to three weeks. A complete relocation isn’t necessary; a movement of several inches suffice as long as the legs are in a completely different position.

Another way is to more evenly distribute the furniture’s weight. Normally, the furniture’s entire weight rests on four slender legs. Evenly allocate that weight by placing furniture discs under the legs. This won’t completely eliminate the dents, but the indentation won’t be as pronounced.

How to Remove the Dents

If dents already exist, then you can try some easy fixes. You can experiment with the ice method by setting an ice cube on the dent and letting it melt into the dent. Once completely melted, wipe away the water with a dry towel and smooth over the spot using a spoon or scraper tool. Conversely, you can also apply heat: press an ironed and moist towel over the dent and smooth over with a spoon or scraper.

We Smooth Over Carpets in Puyallup

Contact Rick’s Family Carpet Care if you have profound indentations on your carpet. We often restore dents as part of a routine carpet cleaning. Carpet dents can be quite stubborn and warrant removal by a professional.

Restoring Carpet Dents in Puyallup

Serving Customers in Tacoma, Puyallup, Spanaway, Graham, Yelm, McKenna, Roy, Lakewood, Steilacoom, Dupont, Lacey, Tumwater, University Place, Federal Way, Gig Harbor, Sumner, Edgewood, Milton, Kent, Auburn, Renton, and Fife

Posted on March 23, 2021 | Published by Ignite Local | Related Local Business

What’s the gravest threat to a carpet? Is it dirt, dog pee, wine spills? No, water is actually a carpet’s biggest threat. By water, we’re not talking about a small spill from a cup of H2O. We mean a soaked carpet from a flood or a serious pipe leak. The good news is that a flooded carpet may be salvageable. 

How to Save a Flooded Carpet 

First, you need to call a carpet cleaning company ASAP. They’ll determine whether the carpet is savable. You can also conduct a few easy steps on your end. Do these steps to quickly remove as much of the water as you can.

• Lay towels over the wet carpet; replace them with dry ones once they’re mostly saturated.
• Use high-powered fans; you can rent these at your local hardware store. 
• Open all the doors and windows. However, if it’s a humid day, then shut the windows and switch on the heating system instead.
• Switch on the dehumidifier and keep it running for the entire day. Periodically inspect the dehumidifier’s canister and empty it when it’s nearly filled to the brim.
• Pour baking soda over the wet carpet to minimize odors. Let it sit for 30-minutes before vacuuming it.

When to Replace a Carpet

In some instances, you might have to dispose of a wet carpet and replace it. This may be the case if you don’t act right away and mold begins growing, which can occur as quickly as 24 hours. We also recommend replacing the carpet if the floodwater included unsanitary black water. The same goes for upholstery and furniture that were also saturated in the process.

Let Us Restore Your Soaked Carpet in Tacoma

Whether from rainfall or a burst pipe, contact Rick’s Family Carpet Care if water engulfs your carpet. We also provide tile and grout cleaning as part of a wider cleaning project. A soaked carpet is a serious issue that warrants professional servicing right away.

Soaked Carpet Restoration in Tacoma

Serving Customers in Tacoma, Puyallup, Spanaway, Graham, Yelm, McKenna, Roy, Lakewood, Steilacoom, Dupont, Lacey, Tumwater, University Place, Federal Way, Gig Harbor, Sumner, Edgewood, Milton, Kent, Auburn, Renton and Fife

Posted on February 23, 2021 | Published by Ignite Local | Related Local Business

Are there black streaks on your carpet? This is typical among lighter-colored carpets. These occur as filtration soil makes its way indoors. We’ll explain what this type of soil is and how to remove it.

What Is Filtration Soil and Why Is It Common in Tacoma Homes?

Filtration soil appears as black lines that mainly form on carpet edges and close to doorways. Unfortunately, these stains are resistant to most store-bought stain removers. Many homeowners have attempted to rid their carpet of these unsightly marks. Once the stains manifest, professional carpet cleaning is likely the only viable remedy.

Why are the streaks so hard to remove? Filtration soil consists of dirt, salt, and other airborne particles. When these elements get indoors, the carpet acts as a filter that traps these materials. Carpet fibers also catch contaminants like cigarette or candle smoke. In some cases, the streaks may even manifest on upholstery or tile and wooden surfaces.

Prevention Measures

Prevention is the best remedy. If installing a new carpet, we recommend a darker color. This won’t prevent filtration soil, but the streaks will be a lot less visible to the naked eye. We also suggest minimizing the use of anything that gives off heat, such as candles and the fireplace. When entering the home, leave all footwear and outer coats by the doorstep.

Also, be sure to replace or clean the furnace filter regularly. For best results, use filters with a high MERV rating that can catch more microscopic particles. 

Finally, keep doors in unused rooms wide open. When doors are closed, the HVAC sucks air from the thin slot under the door. This causes black lines to form in the room’s entryway. 

We Remove Carpet Stains and Streaks

Airborne contaminants in the Tacoma area typically end up as filtration soil inside homes. Rick’s Family Carpet Care has the commercial tools to erase stains on even the whitest carpets. Our special offers include filtration soil removal on all carpet types.

Carpet Filtration Soil Removal in Tacoma

Serving Customers in Tacoma, Puyallup, Spanaway, Graham, Yelm, McKenna, Roy, Lakewood, Steilacoom, Dupont, Lacey, Tumwater, University Place, Federal Way, Gig Harbor, Sumner, Edgewood, Milton, Kent, Auburn, Renton, and Fife

Posted on January 23, 2021 | Published by Ignite Local | Related Local Business

Winter is the time of year when your carpet needs extra attention. Carpet cleaning is important this season because the fibers are prone to staining due to chemicals used to counteract frigid weather. We’ll discuss why winter carpet care is a must.

How Winter Affects the Carpet

Tacoma isn’t the frostiest region, though the city does get cold enough that it might undergo light snowfall. How can snow negatively impact carpets? The snow you track into the house is more than just ice; it’s also a collection of dirt, road salt, and other debris. Snow that collects on your shoes ends up on the carpet.

How does this mess up the carpet? When the snow melts and evaporates, it leaves behind calcium and magnesium deposits. This creates a form of whitish crust that stains the carpet strands. A crusted surface will need extensive carpet repair. Continue Reading →

Most homeowners have heard of the 5-second rule. If food drops on the floor, it’s still sanitary enough to eat if you pick it up within five seconds. Is this true or a long-held myth? Let’s explore this notion further.

Science’s Stance on the 5-Second Rule

Research from Aston University in the U.K. delved into the 5-second rule. Researchers tested the bacteria content of food after dropping on the floor. They concluded that the time food remains on the floor does indeed matter. The type of floor is just as important.

As it turns out, bacteria from tile and grout has a higher probability of transferring to the food than germs from the carpet. This is because hard floors are usually filthier due to insufficient cleaning processes. You may believe the tiles are clean after mopping the floor. However, all the mop does is spread the bacteria over a greater surface area. This is not the case with carpet cleaning, which involves vacuuming and steam cleaning. Continue Reading →

Carpet care goes beyond the yearly steam cleaning. It may also require a good stretch every few years. Why does a carpet scrunch up in the first place? How do you know if it’s time to schedule carpet stretching?

What Causes Carpet Ripples?

Multiple factors account for the carpet scrunching up. One cause is excess humidity. Moisture in the air penetrates the carpet, causing the floor beneath to swell. You can prevent this with a dehumidifier.

Carpet waves may also arise due to dragging heavy furniture and appliances across the surface. This pulls 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 hack. Lift the furniture just enough to place it on a laminate floorboard. Place a second board in front of the first and gradually “walk” the furniture to its destination. Continue Reading →

Carpet maintenance is a necessity for occupant health. However, homeowners need to recognize bait and switch carpet cleaning scams before contacting a professional. Tacoma is rampant with these schemes that target unsuspecting homeowners.

How Do Bait and Switch Carpet Cleaning Scams Work?

These scams advertise a certain price in local ads. However, once in your home and performing a pre-cleaning assessment, they’ll add one surcharge after another.

This may, for instance, include extra costs for chemicals or “special” cleaning agents. Another dirty trick is that they advertise a cost for cleaning a single room. When the job is complete, they’ll charge you for additional rooms, citing that the closet or foyer counts as a separate room. They may also charge higher prices for certain demographics, 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 believe it’s clean, but when was the last time you washed your mattress, if ever? A dirty mattress may be making you ill. Be prepared for some OMG facts about the average bed.

Facts About a Dirty Mattress

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

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

In the bedroom, guess what item is teeming with the most microscopic debris? The bed, in fact, makes your bedroom a whole lot filthier. Just turning from your back to your stomach is enough to re-suspend particles into the air.

The mattress is a breeding ground for germs because it collects moisture from your sweat. The sweat combined with your body heat creates the ideal incubator for fungal growth. Continue Reading →

Cleaning the grout between the tiles doesn’t seem too hard. Just rinse, scrub, and dry, right? Actually, the process isn’t that simple. In fact, many of the DIY grout cleaning methods we hear of may do more harm than good. We’ll look at some of these methods and discuss why they’re ineffective and potentially damaging.

Scrubbing Doesn’t Work

Many homeowners believe they’re giving the grout a good cleaning by scrubbing non-stop. Common tools include an old toothbrush and motorized scrubbers. The scrubbing doesn’t clean the grout; all it does is move dirt over the pores without fully extracting it. You need to clean the grout at the pore level below the surface; otherwise, the grout remains dingy. Cleaning the grout deep into the pore requires steam extraction technology. Continue Reading →

Carpet attracts debris year-round. However, dirt and dust accumulation really ramp up in the summer. We’ll explain the factors that make summer carpet cleaning an essential component for good housekeeping. Just because the carpet appears clean doesn’t make it so.

Increased Foot Traffic

The children are out of school. With more people occupying the home for longer hours, you can bet the carpet will come into contact with more dirt. The kids will waltz in and out the front door or backyard, attracting more dirt to the carpet each time. Incorporate a strict house rule of no shoes in the living room.

Foot Traffic from Pets

Many pet owners swear their dog’s or cat’s energy level skyrockets in the summer months. Pets that continuously trot around the carpet are going to leave behind fur and dander. In addition, dogs that aren’t getting adequate stimulation outdoors may do so indoors and in the worst possible ways. This includes scratching, pawing, and even answering nature’s call on the carpet and upholstery. Continue Reading →