Just Rite Services

Carpet is everywhere! People who understand carpet know that its immense success and consumer acceptance is not due to chance. Few construction materials offer the advantages that carpet does. Carpet is colorful, comfortable and yet easy to maintain. Even though it appears expensive, it is often the most economical choice for floor covering. Carpet and rugs found on the floors of residences and commercial buildings still represent a substantial investment. In light of this, is it not wise to maintain them correctly?

Like all textile materials, the beauty and life of a carpet depends largely on the care that it is given. Proper maintenance can add years of attractive life.

Regular vacuuming is essential as it removes particulate soil that damages the fibers. Vacuuming maintains the surface appearance of a carpet and keeps the level of soil in the pile at an acceptable level. Vacuuming should be done at least once each week and even twice per week in soiled or heavily trafficked areas. It is important to use a well-maintained, good quality vacuum. Vacuuming removes only particulate soil and surface dirt; therefore, other methods of cleaning are periodically required to improve the appearance of the carpet.

Carpet Cleaning Methods

It has been said that ignorance is bliss. Sometimes, maybe, but not always. Before having a carpet cleaned, you may find it helpful to understand some of the carpet cleaning methods. The best method for cleaning a particular carpet is dependent on a range of factors. All carpet cleaning methods offer various advantages, but also have some limitations. No single method is superior to all others. Properly performed under appropriate conditions, each method can provide satisfactory results. Often, several methods can be combined to achieve the desired results. The following are some of the more prevalent carpet cleaning methods. (Note: There is no significance to the order in which these techniques are presented.)

• Bonnet Cleaning
• Dry (Absorbent Compound) Cleaning
• Encapsulation Cleaning
• Foam Cleaning
• Hot Water Extraction or "Steam" Cleaning

HOW OFTEN SHOULD CARPET BE CLEANED?

As explained earlier, vacuuming alone, although essential, cannot maintain the appearance of a carpet at an acceptable level for long. Depending on various factors, the appearance of any carpet will ultimately reach an unacceptable level. At that stage, cleaning is necessary by one of the methods mentioned . The frequency of such cleaning will depend on a carpet's use, conditions, soil conditions, fiber type, constructional specifications, color, etc. In general, residential carpet requires cleaning within one to one and one-half years; certainly before two years of use.

When deciding to have a carpet cleaned, consumers have two basic choices:

• Clean the carpet themselves by D-I-Y (do it yourself) rental units or consumer products,
• Have the carpet cleaned by a professional/specialist in cleaning and restoration.

Do-It-Yourself Cleaning

Like most decisions, the choice between having a carpet cleaned professionally and D-I-Y cleaning is based frequently on financial considerations. Electing to use a rental unit rather than a professional cleaner may be penny wise and pound foolish.

Contrary to common belief, carpet cleaning is an intricate process. When spots, stains and traffic patterns have made carpet unsightly, cleaning by D-I-Y methods may not enhance the appearance to the desired level.. Machines can be rented for D-I-Y cleaning that utilize one of the various methods already mentioned.

Rental machines that use hot water extraction ("steam") cleaning are the most popular for residential use. Successful cleaning by these machines is largely dependent on the experience of the operator. Improper use can leave the carpet overly wet, causing possible backing delamination, odor from development of mold-mildew-fungi, cellulosic browning, color run, shrinkage, and other related problems. This can happen especially in areas of repeated, high volume use, or "traffic lanes". One or two passes of the cleaning wand may not be sufficient to enhance the appearance of such areas. Attempts to clean them over and over again can cause over wetting.

D-I-Y cleaning by the dry-absorbent compound method will not cause such problems as over wetting, color run, shrinkage, etc. But it, too, can mean some headaches. If the final vacuuming operation is not thorough, some of the powder will be left in the carpet pile. With repeated cleanings, enough cleaning compound can accumulate to cause some discoloration by its own presence.

The obvious conclusion is that carpet cleaning by D-I-Y methods is not a substitute for professional cleaning. It can, at best, merely postpone the need or reduce the frequency of professional cleanings. Rental units lack adequate power, and consumers usually lack the expertise to succeed in properly maintaining carpet and prolonging its attractive life.

Selecting the Right Carpet Cleaner

Having established that professional carpet cleaning is essential for extending a carpet or rug's attractive life, the next question is how does one go about choosing the right person or firm to do the job?
Not all cleaners are alike. In fact, the difference in the quality of service from one cleaner to another can be astounding. Here are a few guidelines to follow that can help you make the correct choice.

• Are they IICRC Certified (Many Carpet Manufactuers require the use of IICRC Certified Technicians to be used to comply with warranties) Just-Rite Service Technicians are IICRC Certified
• Ask for Referrals
• Talk to your local Better Business Bureau (BBB)
• Watch Out for the Low End (If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is)

Quality service requires investments and takes time. It is not possible to offer good service at ridiculously low prices. Do not fall victim to low pricing or Bait and Switch tactics.

You can Contribute to the Success of a Cleaning Job

Remember, if properly selected, your cleaner is a professional, so follow care instructions he leaves behind after cleaning. In order to insure the best appearance retention of your carpet, we recommend that you follow these simple suggestions:

• Circulate the air to speed up drying time. If possible, slightly open a window to let in fresh air.
• Do not walk on freshly cleaned carpet for at least 4 hours or more until dry to touch.
• Do not remove aluminum or plastic pieces that have been placed under legs of furniture until carpet is absolutely dry.
• Vacuum after carpet is dry and then vacuum on a regular basis.

Upholstery Cleaning

Successful upholstery cleaning is dependent on many factors, such as how old the piece of furniture is, the last time it has been professionally cleaned, type of fabric, soiling level.

There are many types of fabrics used in the making of upholstery. All fabrics land in to one of three cleaning catergories, either is a W-Code, SW/WS-Code, or an X-Code. The cleaning process differs slightly for each code of cleaning, and not all cleaning labels are correct on the furniture. Your cleaning technician should know the proper procedure for finding out what type of cleaning code the specific fabric should be regardless of what the label may say. I have actually ran across a situation where i have cleaned two identical pieces of furniture in a home and there were diffrent labels on each piece.

Upholstery cleaners who have been IICRC Certified in Upholstery cleaning have been taught the proper procedures for identifing types of fabrics and their cleaning codes. Just-Rite Services is IICRC Certified in this area as well as in Leather cleaning.