What is a Textile?

Textiles and Floors? No

When I mention textiles in conversation with others I find that most often they think I’m referring to some kind of tile flooring. The reality is that tile and textiles have no relation at all. That’s ok if you thought textiles were relative to tile flooring, most people do. It’s a common misconception and easily confused given the word “tile” is in the word textile.

A textile by definition is “A type of cloth or woven fabric.” That means you probably have lots of textiles throughout your home and didn’t even realize it. And after all, they are not hard rectangular things on the floor. Depending on how specific the person is using the word it can mean any sort of fabric or it can specifically mean woven fabrics.

Materials and objects that you have in your home that are textiles would be clothes, curtains, drapes, sheets, some shoes, non-leather furniture upholstery, carpet, rugs, towels, and many more. Surprised? I was too after I started working in the cleaning business and happened to read about “textile cleaning.” I was confused at first but quickly caught on, especially after doing a little research. Now this is a word I use professionally when referring to upholstery cleaning and rarely use the word when referring to carpet cleaning.

Swatches, another unique word, also refers to “a sample piece of material, especially fabrics or textiles.” Most of you women probably know this word because you have been given lots of these for making or choosing materials. As for us men who are not really involved in the fabric world (most of us) we need a little education before we go to a fabric trade show with you.

I know as a man, I was not introduced to this word until I met my wife. One day she went out with her mom looking at craft stuff and came back with these cool things called swatches. Or so I thought they were cool until she got them out and explained what they were. I thought swatches was some kind of desert or some hybrid watches. We had a good laugh until I said “Those are some fancy textiles” and she got confused. Then I explained what textiles were and we had another laugh.

Now you have two unique and specific words to add to your dictionary, textile cleaning. Just like Zig Ziglar put it “In a study, every case where the vocabulary increased, so did the IQ.” So learn more words, get smarter, achieve more!

Upholstery Cleaning Codes W, S, WS, X

Upholstery cleaning codes W, S, WS, and X

the most commonly found codes in the field of furniture and upholstery cleaning. If you are seeking to have your furniture cleaned, first you should seek out the cleaning code for your materials.

Having fabrics other than leather are nice because they breathe, have more pattern options, and are also made in a wide range of material options. Though, when it comes to cleaning, textiles take a downfall. So here, I would like to help you discover the proper cleaning methods for your furniture.

Before we get into the trenches though, remember, these cleaning methods are for light soiled fabrics or spots on your furniture. If you have a highly soiled piece of furniture with years of child and pet abuse these cleaning methods are not likely to return your furniture to a new state. In fact, even the most deep cleaning procedures may not be effective enough. Similar to other textiles, once large amounts of soil have worked its way past the surface material, removing it is no simple task. So, take care to clean before it regularly and it will last you much longer.

The four most common cleaning codes found on fabric furniture are W, S, WS, and X. Simply put this means Wet, Solvent, Wet/Solvent, or Vacuum only.

Wet (W) cleaning means the use of steam cleaning or hot water extraction are acceptable means of cleaning your furniture. It also means that you can use water based cleaning agents and a clean towel to dab out some spots. It is best to use plain white towels when cleaning so you do not transfer any color die onto the furniture.

Solvent (S) cleaning means that the fabric is sensitive to water and wetting it may leave permanent water rings or cause the material to shrink. In order to prevent these damages to the item, use solvent based cleaners. Solvents are used to break down soiled oily spots and leave the area dry. It is best to vacuum after these types of applications to remove the soil which has been separated from the fabric.

furniture cleaning

No cleaning (X) is found when you furniture is not meant to be cleaned. This type of material is only meant to be vacuumed and brushed to remove dry soils. In the case that your material is marked for no cleaning, you may try cleaning a small area that is not exposed to test the affects on the material. Though the manufacturer does not recommend it, the risk is left to you. The reason is because shrinking, staining, or distortion of the surface pile may occur. In some cases, the damage caused by the cleaner is considerably less noticeable than a hideous stain.Wet cleaning and solvent cleaning (WS) fabrics use both types of cleaning methods on different spots. It is recommended that for oily areas, solvents are to be used, and for water based spots, water based cleaners are to be used. The best procedure for these types of fabrics is to first use wet cleaning methods. Most likely wet cleaning methods will remove almost anything. Then if that fails, try solvents. Of if you find solvent cleaning easier, you can swap it around. Having an options is nice.

Unmarked fabrics are commonly found. For furniture that does not have a cleaning code marking, tag, or information always test cleaning agents before using. If you can identify the manufacturer, contact them for proper cleaning procedures. More than likely they can provide the proper information.

Shrinking or fading may occur upholstery

Shrinking or fading may occur. It was black and the cushions used to fit.

If you decide to try cleaning spots yourself, read your product label carefully and thoroughly. Always test the product on an area of your furniture that will not be seen before using.

In any case of cleaning do not over agitate your area. When using the correct products, the chemistry should do most of the work. Scrubbing, scraping, and over agitating stain areas may distort the fabric and permanently damage the area. The use a a horsehair brush or similar is recommended.

This information is for professional use. You can try cleaning it yourself of you can leave it up to the professional that does this kind of thing regularly. Use this information as you want but at your own risk.

Carpet Cleaning Clear Lake TX : Returning Spot Problem Explained

Many times I have heard clients talking about spots that return. They tell me how one cleaner came in and got the spot out. Then after a few days these spots returned and have been a problem. In order to fix reoccurring problem like this we must first understand how it happens. Most returning spots are from very dirty areas of carpet. The area or spot either got real wet at some point and attracted a lot of soil over time or is an area that gets a lot of dirty traffic. These areas have a lot of built up dirt and soil in them and under them. The problem is whats under them.

Carpet cleaning Clear Lake TX

Now let me explain, what we in the industry call,

Moisture Wicking

This works much like a candle wick does. If you understand that then understanding the concept of moisture wicking should be easy. As the moisture on the top layer of carpet is drying it pulls all the moisture from beneath the spot. Unfortunately, that moisture is filled with very tiny dirt particles and that dirt is pulled up with it. The spot may look clean initially because all of the top level soil was removed. As time passes and the spot dries, like magic, it reappears. What can you do about this? Well if your calling a carpet cleaning Clear Lake TX professional, make sure he knows about these sort of things before having him out. The solution(s) they should offer should be along the lines of what I’m about to explain. With hot water extraction , also known as steam cleaning, the tech should go over the area many many times without water. These are called dry passes and are used to remove as much moisture as possible from the area. Then after those many dry passes a drying fan should be set in the area to help speed dry the reoccurring spot. WHY? Getting the area dry as quickly as possible will prevent moisture wicking from occurring. It dries to quickly for the effects to take place. Even after the cleaner leaves, a household fan should be put down on the area, AC turned on, and (if your in humid Houston) windows and doors closed.

If you want it done right the first time just give us a call.

The other solution can be used as an initial solution or as a follow up a few days later. This process is known as encapsulation cleaning. It uses a type of low moisture cleaning to remove soils from textiles. The process for this cleaning method includes spraying the area with a low moisture cleaning product, good agitation, drying, and post vacuuming. This process hardly gets the carpet moist. This does not allow moisture wicking to occur thus preventing the issue. Still after agitation drying methods should be implemented and after drying, post vacuuming. I do not suggest taking these type of problems into your own hands. I highly suggest hiring a carpet cleaning Clear Lake TX professional who really knows what they are doing. Of course, now you know enough about it to choose the right person.

Carpet Cleaning League City TX : Tips to Avoid it!

Your conscious of it but you ignore it, more cleaning in one way or another. Let’s prevent a bunch of spring cleaning, save you money, and make your floors last a long time.

We all know that once in a while our floors need some very serious attention. The attention usually means one of two things: lots of effort to clean your floors or money to pay a good League City carpet cleaner. This information will help you reduce the amount of attention your floors require and make them last a lot longer.

The most important thing you can do to make your carpet last a long time and stay fairly clean is to vacuum it. That’s correct. You know that but how often do you do it? How often and how much effort you put into cleaning makes a huge difference in the long run. Here is some guidance on the subject. First you should find yourself a good vacuum. Click to learn how to choose the right vacuum for your carpet type. If you already have a vacuum that you love or want to stick with, make sure it’s working properly. This means cleaning the vacuum brush bar, verifying that the tubes on it are clear of obstruction, making sure your drive belt is not busted, and the recover tank or filter bag are replaced when filled.

Now let’s get down to business. With regular traffic in a home, every two weeks is the appropriate interval for vacuuming. If you have kids and pets (high amounts of traffic) then vacuuming once a week is more appropriate. Say it’s just you and your spouse that live in the home and you don’t do much running around, then vacuuming intervals should be more like once a month. A good rule of thumb when vacuuming is to overlap by 50% to cover each area at least twice. Another option is to cover each area twice from different directions. If vacuuming your home fills up your recovery tank or filter bag more than once, you should be doing it more often.

The second most important thing you can do to prevent ‘carpet cleaning League City TX from being your next search phrase is place a rug near all entrances to your home or establishment. As a professional floor care expert we are taught that the rug should be approximately ten steps long. I, personally, keep a ten foot by two foot rug at my front door because my entry way is narrow. If you have a large entry way that splits into multiple directions, a larger rug would be more appropriate, either that or more rugs.

Carpet Cleaning League City TX : Tips to Avoid it!

These rugs at your entry points will allow most dirt and gunk from the bottom of your shoes to be tracked onto them instead of your actual flooring. These rugs may also need more attention than the rest of your home. You should consider vacuuming them twice as often as the rest of your living spaces.

The third most important factor for preventive maintenance has to do with your local cleaner. Now is the time to hit the web searching for ‘carpet cleaning League City TX’ and get a good cleaner. Verify that they cover all of the professional steps of hot water extraction and offer a carpet protector such as Scotchgard Carpet and Upholstery Protector.

A lot of modern carpet comes from the factory with a protective Teflon coating on them. With time that coating wears off, usually it doesn’t take more than a year (at least for the traffic areas). Then after the protective layer is worked through, the fibers start becoming damaged. Having a fresh layer of protection applied with every regular cleaning helps keep that shield active. It also makes vacuuming and cleaning spills much easier. Carpet protection is a preventive maintenance step that most of my clients decline. This is how I put it, “Take care of it and have it last you 25 years or neglect it and pay to replace it every 8 years.”

I assume if you’re reading this that you live in the Southeast Houston bay area. For those of us who do, we are very aware of the terrible allergy problems. For those of you outside the area, I’m sure you have your fair share of pollen problems. To keep those problems out of your home its best to hire a great carpet cleaning League City TX company about once a year and to keep the dust swept up from your tile. Because particulates fall these are the places allergens are most likely to settle.

Tip for tile: Vacuum the edges of the room where most dust and soil settles before sweeping. This will prevent the really light dust from being swept back into the air and catch it in the vacuum instead.

Carpet Cleaning Seabrook TX : Changing Your Environment

Carpet Cleaning Seabrook TX

Did you know? Your carpet serves as an air filter for your home more than the filter in your air conditioning unit. Carpet cleaning Seabrook is very important because of the high amount of allergens in the area. As these particulates settle onto your floors, carpet grabs a hold of them. Over time the buildup stops filtering the air so well. That’s a big part of why cleaning with a HEPA certified vacuum is important.

This link contains an article that supports how carpet cleaning Seabrook TX is necessary to clean your home’s largest air filter.

Carpet Cleaning Seabrook TX home Before and After during cleaning

We prefer our Dyson vacuum over others because of its amazing recovery and convenience. While we use a HEPA filtered vacuum, we still understand that a vacuum alone will not capture all those nasty things in carpet. There are plenty of dirty little bugs, hairs, and dirt that grab hold of the carpet fibers and won’t let go. That’s what our carpet service specializes in, removing that which is difficult to remove.

Over time oils and gunk get stuck to our carpet. With time these things build up and create what we call traffic areas. Look at carpet like your hair in this matter. If you just blow-dry your hair every couple of weeks, it is not going to stay clean. Every day or two you have to put a product, a soap, into your hair and massage it around to release all the oil. It’s the same way with carpet. As a professional carpet cleaning Seabrook TX I always apply a detergent cleaner to all the areas being cleaned. Like when we massage the shampoo into our scalp, I also always use some form of agitation to work the cleaner into the carpet fibers.

By this point you may be wondering how we are going to get soap out of the carpet, it’s not like we can come in with a water hose and just spray it off. No, it’s not quite that easy. I like to use what is referred to as steam cleaning or hot water extraction (HWE). This system uses a triggered spraying system to apply controlled amounts of hot water onto the carpet just before it’s sucked up. But like your hair, if you just ran water over your head once and called it a day, you would still have very soapy hair. I like to go over the areas at least twice but usually three to four times. This is tough and takes a lot of physical labor but is the best way to ensure no sticky soapy residue is left over when the job is finished.

NOW oils, sticky residue, dust, pollens, and allergens have been removed from your carpet. Allergy problems are abundant. That’s what makes carpet cleaning Seabrook TX an important service. I have an allergy problem myself and know how important clean air can be. That’s why every time I’m out cleaning your homes, I treat it like my own and provide the same quality of work I would for myself or my family.

Find out what makes us different at our carpet cleaning Seabrook TX home page.

Carpet Cleaning Webster TX : Soil Buildup in Your Home

Carpet Cleaning Webster TX : Soil Buildup in Your Home – Many things track in soil, few take them out. Easiest, most effective, best cleaning possible… Call Spotless Flooring

Living in a house with carpet, the carpet is going to get dirty. It will happen one way or another. With Spotless Flooring carpet cleaning Webster TX and the surrounding areas you will always have a reliable cleaner available. If you have tried cleaning your own carpet, its only a matter of time before you find yourself overwhelmed.

Carpet Cleaning Webster TX

Kids and pets are the number one source for dirty carpet and floors all together. We love them all though they cost us dearly. Children may get a hold of the wrong markers and permanently stain areas. With all the sports and activity every one of us tracks in dirt and grass now and again. Pets have accidents one time or another and may even bring in soil after using the bathroom outside. Then we deal with hair loss whether it be from one of us or our pets. Over time that hair piles up and is not to visible on carpet until you run your hand across the floor. Run a lint roller across your carpet and just see what you pick up.

Much of the soil and debris in carpet can be removed with a household floor vacuum. Vacuuming high traffic areas at least once a week can really extend the life of your carpet. Letting a few weeks pass give the debris time to settle into the bottom of fibers making it very difficult, if not impossible, to get out. Consistent vacuuming will also keep the fallen hair from piling up. This means that when you have a carpet cleaning Webster technician visit you, you get better results.

Linked to the Future

Making a call at least once a year to have your floors professionally cleaned is a great idea. You may try or have tried a do it yourself machine from the local grocery. If you have then you will be amazed by how much better the professionals can do. Though you may vacuum regularly as suggested, accidents will happen and over time soil will build up in your traffic areas. We suggest having an expert cleaning before traffic areas get really bad, hence, at least once a year.

A professional carpet cleaning Webster TX technician will do much more for your carpet than you can visibly see. Cleaning solutions help remove soil sure but two hundred plus cleaning temperatures provide sanitary carpet as a final result. Every day germs you walked across are being tracked into your home and spread across the floors your kids and pets are playing on. Not to mention how the right cleaning and some carpet protector will extend the life of your carpets.

Many different rumors are floating around out there. Professionals know the truth. Call carpet cleaning Webster TX professional today if you have any questions.

Carpet Cleaning Friendswood TX – Get it Done Right the First Time

Carpet Cleaning Friendswood TX is one of the premium quality services that we offer. Others include tile and grout cleaning, upholstery cleaning, and driveway power washing. Check out our service area listing to see if our unexpected attention to detail is within your reach.

People need professional carpet care to be much better than a do it yourself product. You have some dirty carpets on your floor and you live near the water in a very humid area. Cleaning the floor with rental machines such as Rug Doctors just doesn’t cut it for most. The vacuum recovery on the machine just isn’t enough to prevent a musky smell from forming.

That’s actually what got me to writing this. I got a call a few days ago from a lady in Friendswood TX. She was telling me how she used her rental carpet cleaning machine. She told me how it sort of cleaned the carpet but after a day the carpet was still wet and now a musky smell remained in the home. She wanted us to come out and get the smell gone, carpets dry, and actually clean them. Of course that was no problem for us but unfortunate for the lady.

Friendswood Texas, Founded in 1895

Not only has our caller put in a lot of time and effort into half cleaning a floor but now it remains wet for too long and the house stinks. It’s unfortunate she didn’t read a story like this before deciding to take matters into her own hands. Now she has to spend more money and time calling out a professional carpet cleaning Friendswood TX. If only she started with the right call, less time and money would of went down the drain.

Living in a high humidity area makes it really hard to get things air dried. Because of this I have implemented the use of high velocity air movers in my company and WOW it makes a difference. As we finish cleaning an area a floor fan goes down in the area to help expedite the drying. All ceiling fans come on and the air conditioner gets turned down to 74 degrees Fahrenheit.

Now, a lot of people believe it’s best to open the windows and let the fresh air in. That’s a great idea for anyone in a dry environment. In our case, after carpet cleaning Friendswood TX, its best to use the air conditioners dehumidifying ability to remove the moisture from the air. Keeping the windows closed and AC on with as many fans moving as possible is the best way to get your wet carpet dry. And if you want a real cleaning, call a professional the first time.

Carpet Cleaning League City TX : How to Avoid Bad Service

If you’re reading this then I’m sure you’re looking to find some information about carpet cleaning League City TX or how to avoid bad service providers. Really, what I’m going to talk about applies to most fields of home services. Though you will find many more keys or tips, I’m going to cover a few off the top of my head.

Start with reviews. It’s really easy to find reviews of a company on the World Wide Web. If a company has completed a few bad services someone will post something about them on the web. The companies that are doing good will have just the opposite, good reviews or postings about them. Google maps may have some reviews, Angie’s List is a good place to look, and then you have Yellow Pages, Facebook, and a ton of other service listing companies that I’m sure have reviews.

Before and After during carpet cleaning League City TX

Once you have found a few that are acceptable give them a call. Ask questions, listen for professionalism, and avoid anyone trying to rush you into an appointment. Asking questions to verify what kind of services they can provide is important because its lets you know how much they know about their field of expertise. If they cannot answer your questions very well or honestly they it’s likely they are hiding something or do not know the business to well. Neither of these things is positive. If you find a company, or whoever may answer the phone, trying to push you into an appointment it’s likely that it will be even worse when they are on the job. With carpet cleaning League City TX you may have someone pushing carpet protector onto you. With a remodeling company you might have someone pushing you to have the marble counter top they have in the shop when you want something else that actually matches the kitchen.

Now you have probably found the right company you want to go with. It may have been the first call you made or your third call. Now is a good time to schedule someone to come out and evaluate your home or area that you need services. Most service companies around League City provide free estimates or quotes. In my field and area, carpet cleaning League City TX, quotes and evaluations are free of charge. Sometimes we do the cleaning right then and there, other times our clients schedule for a more appropriate time. Now you have the employee in your home that’s been filtered via the previous suggestions. This is the last test or examination period to really decide if this is the right company for you.

What to expect from any professional when they clean your carpet at no extra charge.

By now you should know who you have decided to have service your home. Do all of us a favor and do not schedule an appointment with a company you don’t feel comfortable with. Firstly, you should not be providing work to unsettling companies. When you are comfortable with the one, schedule with them. Please, do not cancel without notifying them. It is one of the most aggravating things for the service industry, for someone to reschedule or cancel at the last moment. And after using the company, leave a review to let us all know how they did.

Carpet Cleaning League City TX : Tips to Avoid it