Why You Should Have Your Upholstery Cleaned This Winter

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With daylight getting shorter and our winter months upon us, we tend to want to hibernate. We quit opening the windows for fresh air, we turn on the heating and we cozy up on our sofa or our favorite comfy chair. 

So, the question is, should I have my upholstery cleaned this winter? Many of us will probably be thinking of delaying cleaning services until spring arrives, however you may want to think again. There are many valid reasons to have your upholstery cleaned this winter. 

Impress Your Guests

Your upholstery might be the ideal place for your guests to take a seat after a delicious Christmas or New Year’s meal. They’ll be sure to feel the warmth and comfort of the holidays on a clean upholstered sofa. 

Remove Tough Stains

Because of the colder weather in the Winter, we often spend more time indoors using our furniture, which means we’re more likely to see soiling or stains on our upholstery in the winter. The longer stains and dirt particles are left on our upholstery, the harder they become to remove, if left too long they can become permanent. It’s best practice to have your upholstery cleaned every 6 months. 

Eliminate Allergens 

During the warmer months of the year, pollen, dust, and allergens enter your home through open windows and end up on your upholstered furniture and your carpets. Having your upholstery cleaned reduces and removes those pollutants, making your home fresher, cleaner and healthier to live in.

Having your upholstery professionally cleaned this winter will prolong the life of your furniture, eliminate nasty stains and allergens, and make for a warm welcome to your holiday guests. Let’s have a healthier, cleaner environment for you and your family this Winter. 

Back To School Carpet Cleaning Tips

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Kids going back to school offers the ideal time for carpet cleaning. After a summer of dirty shoes, snack and drink spills, there’s a good chance your carpet may be in need of a cleaning. Now that school has started and the house is quiet during the day, what better time to have your carpets cleaned, and to put some practices in place for keeping your carpet clean during the school year. Check out our two very important tips for keeping your carpets clean this school year!

Tip #1 for keeping your carpet clean this school year is to implement some house rules:

Remove Shoes

To keep your carpet in its best condition after a professional cleaning, we recommend that you have a “no shoes in the house” rule. It helps to have a shoe rack at the door so that minimal dirt is tracked into the home. If someone wears shoes in the house, be sure to spot treat any high traffic areas.

Snack In Kitchen 

We get it, your kids come home from school and they want to relax in front of the TV with a snack. If you can contain eating to the kitchen, your carpet will remain much cleaner, for much longer

Tip #2 for keeping your carpet clean this school year is to treat stains as soon as they happen. Let’s face it, accidents happen and we can’t predict every mess before it happens.

Crayons

STEP 1- Use a butter knife to scrape away any excess crayon residue from your carpet. 

STEP 2- Use a spoon to mix a little water with some liquid dish soap: about a quarter of a teaspoon of gentle dish detergent and a single cup of warm water should do the trick.

STEP 3- Before applying the soap and water solution to the crayon stain, you’ll want to first test it out on an inconspicuous area of the carpet to make sure it won’t stain or discolor the fibers. It’s generally a good rule of thumb to test out cleaning solutions on small discreet sections before applying them to more conspicuous areas of your carpet.

STEP 4- Once you’ve determined that the cleaning solution won’t stain or discolor your carpet, go ahead and apply it to the crayon stained area. To do this, you’ll want to pour it directly onto the stain using the spoon and let it sit for at least five minutes.

STEP 5- Clean and rinse the area using a wet cloth, making sure to blot instead of wiping or rubbing. When you’re finished, you can use a vacuum to remove any excess crayon from the carpet.

Elmer’s Glue

STEP 1- Wipe the glue off the carpet with a dry hand towel if the glue is still wet. Take as much glue off the carpet as you can with the towel.

STEP 2- Pour some white vinegar onto the hand towel and scrub the glue off, using circular motions. Don’t scrub too hard, or you will change the carpet’s texture.

STEP 3- Dab warm water on the glue stain, let it soak for a minute, then scrub it with a dry hand towel. The glue should come right off.

These tips will surely help to keep your carpet cleaner, for longer. However, they aren’t a replacement for regular professional cleanings. We recommend that you have your carpets professionally cleaned at least once per year.

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How To Maintain Clean Commercial Carpets In Between Professional Cleanings

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Did you know that right now is the best season to have carpets cleaned in schools and other commercial buildings? Summer carpet cleaning is exactly what your building needs to flourish. Summer also marks a prime opportunity for custodial teams to implement carpet care best practices.

If you’ve already had your commercial carpets cleaned this summer, you may think your job is done for the time being. However, in this blog post, we’ll guide you through some best practices for maintaining clean carpets in between professional cleanings to get the most life out of your carpet and to ensure the healthiest possible environment for everyone in your building.  

We’ll also include a couple spot cleaning tips for common stains found in schools and commercial buildings. 

Best Practices For Maintaining Clean Commercial Carpets:

  • Entryways- A well-designed entryway flooring system helps trap excess dirt and moisture near the door, reducing the amount that’s spread to other areas. It also provides adequate traction for safety.
  • Vacuum – Schools and commercial buildings see a lot of foot traffic so be sure to follow a map or plan to keep track of which rooms have already been vacuumed. Using a dual-motor, upright canister or backpack with power heads to vacuum daily can reduce 80 percent of dry soil. Use a vacuum with a quality HEPA filter and concentrate on high traffic areas. To ensure maximum effectiveness, bags should be changed when they become half full.
  • Spot Clean- Vacuums are designed to pick up loose debris. However, you’ll also want to treat any spots to increase the longevity of the carpet. The crucial thing to keep in mind is that they need to be treated as soon as possible. Regardless of the type of spill, there’s one rule that goes across the board when it comes to cleaning a stain: Blot, don’t rub.
  • Replace Air Filters – This is often overlooked but should be a part of your regular building maintenance. Air filters need to be changed and cleaned regularly. The dirtier they are, the more dust will be spread out onto your carpet. 

Common Stains Found In Commercial Buildings:

  • Coffee – The first step to cleaning a coffee spill is to soak it up with a towel. Next, you’ll want to rinse the area with cold or room temperature water and then blot again. If there’s still a stain, you can mix a tablespoon of dishwashing liquid with two cups of water. 
  • Mud – To clean mud out of carpet fibers, you first need to let the mud dry. Once it’s dry to the touch, vacuum up as much as possible. Next, mix a tablespoon of dishwashing liquid with two cups of water. Sponge the stain with this solution. Blot until the liquid is absorbed. And then repeat until the stain disappears and then sponge with water. 

Carpet Cleaning and maintenance probably doesn’t top anyone’s list of favorite activities, but it’s a necessity, especially in a commercial environment because it protects your investment and extends its lifespan.

If your building is in need of a professional commercial carpet cleaning, we’re happy to assist. We clean all commercial carpets, such as, but not limited to; Restaurants, offices, schools, malls, hotels, cinemas, retail shops and many other commercial spaces.

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Expert Tips For Maintaining Clean Commercial Carpets

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If you own or manage a business, then you probably know a little bit about proper maintenance for your building, and that includes proper care for your commercial carpets as well.

Keeping your commercial carpets clean can be a real challenge. If you’re in an office setting you’ve probably had a fair amount of coffee and other drink spills, maybe even some food spills, and definitely some dirt from consistent heavy foot traffic. All of these little accidents can add up to a decrease in the life of your commercial carpet. However, there are some maintenance practices which can actually extend the life of your carpet, and we’ll go over those practices below.

Vacuum Maintenance

  • Vacuum with a high horsepower vacuum as commercial carpets tend to get a lot more heavy foot traffic, and this usually means the vacuum is more powerful than others.
  • Vacuum daily. Dirt, sand, grit, and debris have jagged edges and these abrasive materials are tough on carpets. Regular vacuuming makes it easier to perform regular deep cleans and will preserve your carpets in the long run.
  • Replace your vacuum bag when it is half full. If you allow the vacuum bag to get too full, the vacuum has to work harder to suction up the debris, and can decrease the life of your vacuum. 
  • Take your time vacuuming. You might like to get this task over with as quickly as possible. However, slower passes mean more powerful suction. Vacuum high traffic areas with two slow passes to ensure maximum removal of debris.

Stains & Spills Maintenance

  • Don’t wait to treat stains. Old carpet stains are much harder to treat than new carpet stains. So don’t wait to tackle carpet stains and soiling.
  • Know your spots. Some spills come up with little effort while others require a little extra elbow grease. Bookmark a few online resources to serve as quick guides when you have to deal with an unexpected spill.
  • Less is more. You don’t want to oversaturate the carpet with water or your cleaning solution of choice, as this could cause the stain to penetrate deeper into the carpet fibers.
  • Resist Scrubbing. Scrubbing also pushes the spill deeper into the carpet fibers. The best method for stain removal is to use a blotting action from the outer edge of the stain and work your way in, using an absorbent cloth. Switch out your cloth as many times as needed until you no longer see the spill transfer on the cloth.
  • Ditch the harsh chemicals. Some chemicals can set the spot in, causing a permanent stain. Instead, opt for mild or natural cleaning solutions such as vinegar or baking soda for example (depending on the stain). Again, we recommend bookmarking a few online resources to serve as quick guides when you have to deal with an unexpected spill.

Carpet Cleaning Maintenance

  • Invest in a professional. We can’t stress this enough. The professionals have the knowledge, techniques, top of the line cleaning products and the proper cleaning equipment with powerful extraction for better quality cleaning and quicker drying. 
  • Choose the right carpet cleaning company. Your carpet cleaning needs may fluctuate based on traffic patterns but an effective, experienced professional can help you determine a program of cleaning that is specifically tailored to your building. Look for a commercial carpet cleaning company with a long history of sound business practices, great teams, up to date, well maintained equipment and clear pricing. Carpet is a costly asset and far too important to trust to some fly by night operation.
  • Don’t skip cleanings. You should be on a regular carpet cleaning schedule every 6 months or more often in particular business settings such as daycares and preschools. You may be tempted to skip a scheduled cleaning simply because the carpets aren’t as dirty as the last time. However, this is exactly the point of hiring a professional carpet cleaner for regular carpet cleaning maintenance. You want to maintain clean carpets, so don’t wait until your carpets are in bad shape before you call in the professionals. 

Keeping commercial carpets clean can be quite a task, but it’s absolutely necessary to get the most life out of your carpets. After all, commercial carpeting is a big investment. Now that you’re on the right track to give your carpeting the quality of care it deserves, complement your efforts with regular commercial carpet cleanings from our professionals at Indy Carpet Cleaning. Our specialists will add years of extra life and performance to your commercial carpets.

We offer commercial carpet cleaning services for every type of business, so give us a call or submit your estimate request today. 

Contact us for a free estimate 317-217-0737

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Importance Of Using Safe Carpet Cleaning Chemicals For Pets And Humans

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Carpet cleaning is essential for removing bacteria and other harmful substances from your carpet. However, many household cleaning products on the market today are just not safe for people or pets, which is why it’s important to check ingredients before applying any cleaning product to your carpet. In addition, it is absolutely okay to ask a professional cleaner what chemicals their products contain. 

It’s vital to ensure that any carpet cleaning chemicals used in your home are not just human-safe but also harmless to your pets. After all, they are 100% exposed to whatever compounds are used.

The experts advise that it’s best if all cleaners are free from the following:

Perchloroethylene

A dry cleaning chemical known to cause nausea, dizziness and fatigue, and has also been believed to cause kidney and liver damage.

Naphthalene

A cleaning chemical derived from coal tar and is also commonly used as a pesticide to kill moths and other small insects. Exposure to Naphthalene has been known to cause confusion, nausea, vomiting and liver damage.

Butoxyethanol

A cleaning chemical which can enter your body by both breathing it in and by it coming in direct contact with your skin. This chemical has been believed to cause liver, and kidney damage.

Ammonia

A popular cleaning chemical that is toxic and the fumes can cause respiratory issues and headaches if inhaled for too long.


Unfortunately, there are many other toxic cleaning chemicals on the market, so it’s beneficial to do your own research so that you can check ingredients for any cleaning product that you plan to use in your home.

At Indy Carpet Cleaning. We use products that have been tested rigorously, and are safe for people and pets. Additionally, our professional carpet cleaning and other cleaning services far exceed just the appearance of cleanliness. 

Book online 24/7 at IndyCarpetCleaning.com