Carpet Cleaning

Is Your Flooring an Investment or a Commodity?
Would you be surprised to learn that flooring is the third largest single investment made by most people? Your home and your automobile may be the only two larger single investments before your carpet or floor. Sure, if you add up all of your furniture and other valuables, they may add up to more than what your floor cost, but as a single stand alone investment, it ranks. The question is, do you treat it that way? How do you get the most out of your investment?
You maintain your investment, right? You maintain your home so that it will retain it’s value. You maintain your vehicle by changing the oil on a regular basis to avoid costly repairs. Your carpet is the same way. It should be maintained through regular vacuuming, prompt spot removal, regular professional cleaning, and the application of carpet protector. Your carpet should be vacuumed once or twice a week, and professional cleaning should take place before the carpet has visible soil. Clean heavy traffic areas as often as they need it. All of your carpet should be cleaned at least every 12 months. Carpet manufacturers require hot water extraction cleaning every 18 to 24 months to retain texture retention warranties.

Will It Hurt My Carpet To Clean it Too Often?
Not if it is cleaned properly. This is why it is so important to have your carpet cleaned by a trained, professional carpet cleaning firm, rather than the cleaner that has the best price.
How to Care for Your Valuable Carpet: 5 Easy but Important Steps
Your carpet is a valuable investment. Any investment requires maintenance. You change the oil in your vehicle so that the engine will last longer and to avoid costly repairs. The same is true for your carpet, or any floor covering for that matter. By properly maintaining your carpet it will look better, last longer and contribute to a healthier indoor environment.
Here are 5 Easy Ways to Get the Most Out of Your Carpet:
1. Check the Warranty Copies of specific warranties on your carpet purchase may be available from your carpet retailer. Stain resist warranties can vary from 5 to 20 years.
ALL STAIN RESIST WARRANTIES REQUIRE REGULAR CLEANING AND IMMEDIATE SPOT REMOVAL.
2. Vacuum, Vacuum, Vacuum! It is said that the three most important rules for maintaining carpet are vacuum, vacuum, vacuum. Vacuum your carpet often. Once or twice a week at least. Vacuuming removes the sharp soil that can cut and slice the fiber causing premature wear. Much of this soil is not visible to the eye. Remove any loose particles such as loose food, leaves, pieces of crayon, bugs, etc. as these items can cause a spot on the carpet.
3. Have Your Carpet Professionally Cleaned Often Most people don’t clean their carpet often enough. Perhaps due to the cost, the hassle factor, or because they do not realize how important regular professional cleaning can be. For example, if your traffic areas are visibly soiled, you have already waited too long! Traffic area soil is somewhat oily and bonds to the carpet fibers, eventually staining the carpet. Once this has taken place, even though professional cleaning will make it look much better, the traffic pattern will still be visible. In addition, traffic area soil is sharp – like sandpaper – and it abrades the carpet fibers. To keep this to a minimum, clean your traffic areas before they look visibly soiled.
As a general rule, professional cleaning by a professional, certified firm should take place about once per year. For extremely heavy traffic areas, cleaning may be required more often. Proper professional cleaning will not leave a sticky residue behind and can be done as many times per year as needed. MANY STAIN RESIST WARRANTIES REQUIRE PROFESSIONAL CLEANING EVERY 2 YEARS. Professional cleaning removes the damaging soil from the traffic areas that vacuuming has not been able to remove. WARNING: UNINFORMED CARPET CLEANERS MAY VOID THE WARRANTY, BE VERY SELECTIVE WHICH COMPANY YOU HIRE.
4. Remove Spots Immediately Spots that are not immediately removed can turn into permanent stains very easily. When a carpet is new, or has sufficient protector on it, plain tap water will remove many spots. However for those spots that will not move easily with water, you must use a spot cleaner. Select a spot cleaner that is recommended by the carpet manufacturer or your trained, certified professional cleaner. Most spot removers that are purchased over the counter leave too much soap residue and can cause yellowing. Avoid using foam carpet cleaners or any product that is not made specifically for carpet.
Apply spot cleaner sparingly to white terry cloth and gently massage spot causing it to transfer into the cloth. Never pour spot cleaner directly on carpet. If the product that you are using seems to cause the spot to re-soil over a few week period, discontinue use. Any spot that you are not able to remove, and for pet urine or feces, call your professional cleaner immediately.
5. Have Carpet Protector Re-Applied Residential nylon stain resistant carpets are treated with stain resist properties and soil resistors known as Dupont Teflon or 3M Scotchgard. After a period of 2 to 3 years, some of the soil-resistor wears off. At that point you should consider having a professional carpet cleaner re-apply the treatment after professional cleaning. The soil resistor will help the soil slide off of the carpet easier when vacuuming, spots will be easier to remove, and professional cleaning will be more effective. Unprotected carpet soils faster, doesn’t last as long, and is prone to permanent staining.

What is a “Certified” Carpet Cleaner?
In shopping for carpet cleaning, you may have noticed the word “certified” being used in advertising. You may have seen a logo being used to feature certification. What does this mean to you as a client? Would you be surprised to learn that most carpet cleaning companies have no formal training? That they are not required to be licensed? That there is no requirement to have any certification whatsoever? Is training and certification important? After all, isn’t carpet cleaning a “menial” task that anyone can perform?
Actually, a carpet cleaning professional is working with one of your most valuable assets. Should it be trusted with just anyone? Unfortunately, our industry is full of “rogues” that only care about how much money they can get from you, and nothing about the life of your carpeting. They do not care about the industry in which they work.
Have you ever noticed that in many states, air conditioning companies, plumbers, and pest control companies are required to be licensed? Not so for carpet cleaners. Fortunately for you, and for me, there are many fine people in the carpet cleaning industry that realize the standard must be raised. Those of us in that process help to police our own industry. In order to do this, associations and certification organizations were created.
One such organization is called the IICRC (Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification). This organization provides certification courses and exams for the carpet cleaning industry. By attending these courses, carpet cleaners are taught about fiber identification, carpet construction, cleaning chemistry, cleaning methods, and professionalism.
These valuable concepts equip them to choose the proper procedures for cleaning your carpet. The certified firm is on the cutting edge of technology and change in our industry. A certified firm knows the right way to apply cleaning procedures and chemistry. A certified firm is working together with other certified firms to raise the standard of carpet cleaning in general, therefore providing you with a higher quality product.
Special Note: Never use a carpet cleaner that is not certified by the IICRC.

Don’t get any old carpet cleaner to clean your carpet!
Get the Ultimate Carpet Cleaning Experience! Every carpet we clean gets the Following 12 steps….
Step 1: Pre-Inspection – Evaluate carpet condition
Step 2: Pre-Vacuum – Removes loose soil
Step 3: Move Furniture – Sofas, tables, ect.
Step 4: Pre-Treat – Loosens soils
Step 5: Pre-Spot – Removes difficult spots
Step 6: Pre-Groom – Loosens ground in soil
Step 7: Soil Extraction and Rinse – Removes soil
Step 8: Neutralize – pH balance for soft feel
Step 9: Post Spot – For extra difficult spots
Step 10: Post Groom—Fabric pile beautiful
Step 11: Speed Dry – Air movers dry carpet faster
Step 12: Post Cleaning Inspection – to make sure you are completely thrilled!

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Upholstery Cleaning

“SURE—WE CLEAN UPHOLSTERY”

Lets talk about upholstery Care.  As a professional cleaning firm truly clean carpets takes every advantage of professional training and makes every effort to raise the standards of our industry.  Most home owners who invest in quality carpet will not expect to pay over $5,000 to carpet the whole house yet a living room full of designer upholstery can easily exceed $20,000 in value.  With this in mind it should be noted that we are not just cleaning furniture but, PROTECTING YOUR INVESTMENT WHILE CLEANING. 

Upholstery, unlike carpet has thousands of combinations of fibers, colors and types of construction that bring unique challenges to the professional cleaner.  On every piece we clean we must be aware of the potential problems such as bleeding, browning, fiber distortion, shrinking ect.  An interesting rule of thumb is, “the more expensive the fabric, the more likely it is to cause problems”.  You would think that a more expensive fabric would be more durable or less prone to problems when cleaning.  In fact, the opposite is true.  The more expensive the fabric the more likely you are to experience some sort of cleaning problem and the more care you need to exercise.

We are experienced and well prepared to clean your upholstered fabrics using any one or combination of the six methods available to clean upholstery.

Don’t let just anyone clean your sensitive fabrics! Our company is experienced in cleaning the finest of upholstered fabrics. The following important steps will be taken in cleaning your upholstery…

Step 1: Pre-Inspection

Our technician will perform special tests to determine the content of your fabric. The content will determine what type of cleaning solutions and techniques will be used. We will also point out any potential permanent stains or areas of concern. 

Step 2: Area Preparation

We will prepare the area where the upholstery will be cleaned to protect your surrounding furnishings.

Step 3: Pre-Vacuum

All textiles should be vacuumed thoroughly before cleaning. This step will remove dry soils and any loose particles from cracks and crevices.

Step 4: Pre-Treat

Depending on your fabric, a special solution designed for your fabric type and the soiling condition will be applied to “emulsify” the soil.

Step 5: Pre-Spot

Any potentially difficult spots will be pre-treated with special solutions to increase chances of removal.

Step 6: Pre-Groom

The fabric will then be gently groomed using soft upholstery brushes to loosen the soil.

Step 7: Soil Extraction and Rinse

The soil is then extracted from the fabric with a gentle, controlled rinse.

Step 8: Neutralize

The fabric is then pH balanced to maintain it’s soft, fresh feel.

Step 9: Post Spot

Any remaining spots will be treated with special stain removal products. *For longer fabric life and fewer permanent stains, have Fabric Protector applied!!

Step 10: Post Groom

The upholstery will then be prepared for drying with a gentle combing of the fabric.

Step 11: Speed Dry

High velocity air movers will be placed on the upholstery to speed dry the fabric.

Step 12: Post Cleaning Inspection

Our technician will review the cleaning results with you to insure that your expectations have been met or exceeded.

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Pet Urine Decontamination

Pet Odor Removal
The affected area is carefully saturated with a special solution. The solution is then extracted with a tool called the “water claw”. The water claw draws the solutions from the backing and pad back to the surface for removal. This treatment is the most thorough available without pulling up carpet.
Although it takes care of most odors, it is NOT guaranteed to remove the odor.
Guaranteed Pet Odor Removal We also offer a treatment that involves pulling up the carpet and replacing the pad. This treatment is guaranteed to remove the odor.


Pets Gone Wild On your carpet?
What to do about pet spots on carpet, rugs, fabrics and floors…
Pet urine can cause permanent damage to your floors and fabrics. It can also create an unhealthy indoor environment. When urine is first deposited onto a floor or fabric, it is in an almost “neutral” state which means it is easier to remove when it is fresh. Once it dries, it turns “alkaline” and becomes more difficult to remove. If left for days or weeks, depending on the fabric or floor type, it will permanently change the dye structure, therefore causing permanent staining.
This means that no one can guarantee complete removal of all urine spots. Please consult with your technician if you have questionable urine spots on your carpet.
To prevent permanent staining in the future, clean urine spots immediately by blotting with a white terry cloth towel or plain white paper towels until no moisture is transferred. To clean the spot, either get our special Pet Spot Remover, or mix 1 part white vinegar to 2 parts water and massage (don’t rub) into the spot with a white terry cloth.
Once you have “flushed” as much of the urine out as possible, blot with dry cloths until dry to the touch. *If you have a small extraction machine, flush with fresh water until spot is removed.
*DO NOT USE OVER THE COUNTER, GENERAL SPOTTERS OR EXTRACTION DETERGENT

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Specialty Rug Cleaning

Why is rug cleaning categorized as a Specialty Service?

1. Fibers are very different from those found in residential and commercial broadloom carpet.  There is far more natural fiber used in rugs than in broadloom carpet.

2. Backings are very different: natural foundation yarns are more prominent in rugs, as opposed to separate synthetic backing fabrics for tufted carpet.

3. Construction is different: woven constructions are most prevalent in area rugs, as opposed to tufting dominating the broadloom market.

4. Cleaning technology is different due to the potential for dye migration and fiber distortion.   

5. Potential liability for Certified Firms and Technicians is much higher for high-value rugs.

Definition of Rugs

According to the IICRC Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Carpet Cleaning  (IICRC S100), “Area rugs are textile floor coverings made of cotton, wool, silk, jute, animal skins, or manufactured fibers with or without a pile surface.  They are usually made in separate pieces in sizes designed to cover a portion of a floor or other floor covering, as distinct from carpet.  Rugs may include, but are not limited to: hand-knotted Oriental rugs, hand or gun-tufted, hooked, machine-woven or tufted rugs, or flat-woven textiles of any size.

When practical, the preferred system for cleaning area rugs is to remove them from the home or business and clean them in a controlled “in-plant” environment, where a variety of cleaning methods, or combinations thereof, may be used.  When necessary, on-location cleaning may be performed by technicians who have been specifically trained in techniques for inspecting, testing and evaluating, and then selecting the proper cleaning method.

Failure to perform specialized procedures may result in permanent damage to the rug and the flooring materials under and around the rug.  Incomplete soil removal may occur due to an inability to dust or adequately vacuum both sides of the rug.  Improper wet cleaning on-location could cause prolonged drying, texture change, cellulosic browning, dye migration, mold growth and/or dry rot.”

Don’t trust your valuable rugs to just anyone. Truly Clean Carpets has been caring for the finest rugs from around the world since 1999. Some area rugs can be cleaned in your home. Some cannot. Any loose rug with a woven backing should be cleaned in the plant. This includes all Orientals and machine woven rugs.

For a thorough cleaning of your fine rugs I will pick your rugs up and clean them in a specially designed facility. Plant cleaning offers the advantage of a more thorough cleaning and a controlled environment. Your rug will be cleaned according to the following important steps…

Step 1: Pre-Inspection and Pick Up. I will determine as much as possible about the type of rug and inherent qualities that may affect cleaning. I’ll outline the expected results and cleaning “prescription”.

Step 2: Dry Soil Removal.  Woven rugs, especially hand knotted rugs are designed to hide dry soil. A few years ago, the Eureka company did a study and found that a 9 x 12 could hide 85 pounds of dirt!! WOW! I use a variety of techniques to “dust” the rugs from the front and back.

Step 3: Pre-Condition. Depending on fiber content and soiling type, the rug will be pre-treated to emulsify the soils.

Step 4: Pre-Spot and Fringe Preparation. Any potentially difficult spots will be pre-treated with special solutions to increase chances of removal. The fringe is also pre-treated for maximum soil removal.

Step 5: Shampoo. Most rugs are cleaned with an Oriental Rug Shampoo that is especially designed to get maximum cleaning while protecting sensitive natural fibers.

Step 6: Rinse or Wash. Depending on the type of rug it will be rinsed with extraction equipment on both sides or washed in a wash pit designed especially for Oriental Rugs.

Step 7: Speed Dry. Once the soil is rinsed away, the rug is dried flat or hung to dry in a controlled environment. Proper drying is essential to avoid unnatural shrinkage. 

Step 8: Finishing. When rug is dry, it is combed and finished with soft groomers made for specialty rugs.

Step 9: Post Inspection and Delivery. My last step will be to give the rug a final inspection and release it for delivery. Your rug will be wrapped to protect it from airborne soils until it is delivered. Upon delivery, your rug will be laid for you.

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Tile & Grout Cleaning

A Brief Explanation of Our Processes and Procedures

Pre-Treatment
As a first step, we apply our grout cleaning solution to a section of the floor and allow it to soak for approximately 15 minutes.  This pre-treating loosens accumulated soil, grease and contaminants and prepares the surface for our cleaning process.  In most cases we then agitate the surface with a rotary floor machine which has a heavy-duty brush which further loosens up the soil.
Turbo Pressure Washing
We use a pressure washing system designed specifically for tile & grout, acrylic, and epoxy surfaces.  Our truck mounted cleaning process literally power washes and extracts soil and grease from the pores of the tile and grout or other hard surface floors.  The system generates water pressure of 1,000 to 1,200 P.S.I. and water temperature of approximately 240 degrees to melt away and extract years of soil and contaminants.  The floor tool confines the process to a 16-inch disc which is sucked to the floor by the vacuum hose.  The vacuum hose also draws away the water along with the dirt to a containment tank on our truck, and the wastes are disposed of in accordance with EPA regulations.  There is virtually no splash-over to worry about, and we pre-treat with a high power solution that is safe and will not damage the tiles or grout.  You will find that our process restores the tile & grout to 85 to 90 percent of its original appearance.  Some stains, (red wines, mustard, dyes ect.) will not come out because they literally dye the grout, but most stains are safely removed by the water pressure.
Sealing
After cleaning and drying, we seal the floor with our impregnating sealer, which is absorbed into the tile and grout and fills up the pores to protect them from future staining.  The sealer does not change the appearance of the floors by adding a shine or luster.  Rather, it preserves the natural beauty of the surfaces. 
Maintenance
We will instruct you, your in-house staff or commercial cleaning people in how to take proper care of the floors, and show them what kinds of cleaners will do the best job without breaking down the impregnating sealer.
In addition, we will contact you in a pre-arranged cycle and offer our services to do touch-up cleaning and re-sealing as needed.  A regular maintenance program will keep your floors in top condition and appearance.

We Specialize in Commercial Tile & Grout Cleaning, Sealing & Recoloring

Having Trouble maintain your tile and grout?

Are you renovating an area and wondering if you can save the tile floors?

Are you installing new tile and grout?

Give Truly Clean Grout a call.  We can restore your existing floor, maintain it for you. And seal new and old grout to keep it looking great in the future.

Commercial cleaning is our specialty.  We can handle any size job, whether it is a few bathrooms that need restoring, a large cafeteria or kitchen that has been troubling you, or an entire show room, lobby or hallway that needs to be kept in top shape. 

We work with many homeowners, facility managers, general contractors, interior designers as well as numerous tile contractors and stores that use our services everyday.  Call us for your own facility or one that you are working on and let us show you how we can save you money in maintenance and replacement cost.

Our cleaning process can also restore slate, quarry tile, travertine, ceramic, porcelain, epoxy and acrylic floors as well as a few other natural stones. 

If you have an old, current or new project that could use our services give us a call to discuss it.  We would be more than happy to discuss different cost saving options to fit your budget and needs.

A Brief & Condensed History of Ceramic Tile

What most of us know is that ceramic tile makes a nice hard surface to be walked on, stomped on and abused.  In doing some rapid research through some text books I began to dig up some very interesting info about ceramic tile.  What is amazing is that ceramic tile is sooo old that as a material of its own it dates back further than history itself.  Where did ceramic tile begin its existence?  Historians have attributed the beginnings ceramics to some specific areas; Egypt, China and Babylon, have all been mentioned.  Ceramic tiles, as we know them today, were used in Egypt many centuries before the time of Christ.  There has even been tile found near the Nile River that is believed to be 12,000to 18,000 years old.
The temple of a Pharaoh, over 5000 BC was opened in 1803, this Pharaoh had selected a material to remain throughout eternity and the blue-green glazed tiles that were found are indeed as beautiful as on the day they were installed.  The Persians, around 600BC further developed the art form of ceramic tile.  They were the first known to highly decorate their glazed tile and brick.  I could go on and on about the birthplace of ceramic tile but, frankly I know neither who or in what year it was invented.  However, I am thankful it was.
Historically, man has desired to create living spaces which were beautiful, durable and user friendly.  With that in mind, ceramic tile has been made by man for some 4000 years.  Some might argue that the period may extend back considerably longer.  Without a doubt, it has been a long time.  Tile however, has not always been a product designed and made for the common man.  Early in its history, tile wa only for the affluent.  Kings, Queens, Princes, and the Churches were normally the only users.  Eventually, tile making spread throughout the world and became more affordable and more commonly used.  Whild some of today’s manufactures still make tile by hand, most use some form of automation.  This has resulted in tile made faster and more economically.
Since ceramic tile is a beautiful, durable, easily cleaned, and affordable surface.  It became a widely used product on almost every continent of the modern world.

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