I came across this interesting article, I thought I'd share.
http://www.carpet-health.org/aa.asp
Remember, when it comes time to have your carpets and upholstery professionally cleaned call SmithWerks Vancouver Carpet Cleaning .
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
New Contest Announcement!!
SmithWerks Carpet Cleaning in West Vancouver is pleased to announce that we are running an exciting new contest! Go to our Facebook page and "Like" us. You'll be entered into our draw for a carpet cleaning package worth $139!!
You'll find other interesting tips on carpet and upholstery care as well as sale and contest announcements!
You'll find other interesting tips on carpet and upholstery care as well as sale and contest announcements!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Good Riddance Professional Organizing Solutions - Their New Blog
My friends Susan Borax and Heather Knittel of Good Riddance Professional Organizing Solutions have let me know that they have a blog. It's great reading and full of useful information to help de-clutter your life and those of your loved ones.
http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=islpzvcab&et=1104997867046&s=300&e=001T55t-TxRtQHMZ_M5l8wHpGOf3jCkIX10QU2168wiX5a1nWatSx87otJv5Afrdn0AOl37Ltcpr55qctSdkB7JnRtaLTJefrAoyMrsgrPnEC8RrJYrltLQaScXlOsxMwS1G1eM2pEkA74=
Remember, when it comes time to have your carpets professionally cleaned, call SmithWerks Carpet Cleaning West Vancouver
http://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?llr=islpzvcab&et=1104997867046&s=300&e=001T55t-TxRtQHMZ_M5l8wHpGOf3jCkIX10QU2168wiX5a1nWatSx87otJv5Afrdn0AOl37Ltcpr55qctSdkB7JnRtaLTJefrAoyMrsgrPnEC8RrJYrltLQaScXlOsxMwS1G1eM2pEkA74=
Remember, when it comes time to have your carpets professionally cleaned, call SmithWerks Carpet Cleaning West Vancouver
Tips on Removing Pet Stains on Carpet
This is, by far, the most common stain issue we deal with here at SmithWerks Carpet Cleaning in North Vancouver. If you have a pet, you most probably understand the frustration that comes with house or litterbox training. Proper cleaning and stain removal is not only desirable for a fresh and clean house, it's also essential in training of your pet. as well.
Follow these simple steps and help to eliminate some of that frustration. Remember! The quicker you address the spot, the more likely that you'll be successful with your efforts. I'm going to focus our discussion today on dog or cat urine. I'll address pet vomit and feces in another blog post.
1. Soak up as much of the spot using a dry thick towel or cloth. I recommend having a collection of old towels on hand, the thicker the better. Second hand towels from a thrift store for instance. Blot up as much of the stain as possible. If the towel is thick enough, place it on the stain and stand on it to force the urine transfer to the towel. The stain should be barely damp at the end of this first step.
2. Now, rinse the spot with cool, clean water. Warm or hot water could set the stain. You may want to add a couple of caps of white vinager to your rinse water. This will help to deodorize and disinfect the effected carpet. Repeat the first step. Blot up as much of the moisture as possible. Again, at the end of this step, the spot should be slightly damp.
3. This last step involves the use of a store bought spotter. I recommend Folex. It's fairly neutral in terms of its PH and is safe to use. I recommend spraying a few squirts on to a clean white rag and blotting the remaining spot, checking the rag for color or stain from the urine.
This should take care of any fresh urine spots before they become "one with the carpet".
Remember, if you are in need of professional cleaning call SmithWerks Carpet Cleaning West Vancouver
Follow these simple steps and help to eliminate some of that frustration. Remember! The quicker you address the spot, the more likely that you'll be successful with your efforts. I'm going to focus our discussion today on dog or cat urine. I'll address pet vomit and feces in another blog post.
1. Soak up as much of the spot using a dry thick towel or cloth. I recommend having a collection of old towels on hand, the thicker the better. Second hand towels from a thrift store for instance. Blot up as much of the stain as possible. If the towel is thick enough, place it on the stain and stand on it to force the urine transfer to the towel. The stain should be barely damp at the end of this first step.
2. Now, rinse the spot with cool, clean water. Warm or hot water could set the stain. You may want to add a couple of caps of white vinager to your rinse water. This will help to deodorize and disinfect the effected carpet. Repeat the first step. Blot up as much of the moisture as possible. Again, at the end of this step, the spot should be slightly damp.
3. This last step involves the use of a store bought spotter. I recommend Folex. It's fairly neutral in terms of its PH and is safe to use. I recommend spraying a few squirts on to a clean white rag and blotting the remaining spot, checking the rag for color or stain from the urine.
This should take care of any fresh urine spots before they become "one with the carpet".
Remember, if you are in need of professional cleaning call SmithWerks Carpet Cleaning West Vancouver
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Great Video - Removing Wax from Carpet
This informative video shows you in a few simple steps the easiest way to remove white wax from carpeting. Be careful of coloured waxes as the die in some cases will remain after the wax is removed. Be really careful not to let the hot iron make contact with the carpet fibre. Remember, when it comes time to have your carpets or upholstery professionally cleaned, call SmithWerks Carpet Cleaning North Vancouver.
http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-Clean-Wax-Off-Carpets-28162028
http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-Clean-Wax-Off-Carpets-28162028
Sunday, March 13, 2011
How to Select the Right Carpet Style for your Home
I am asked all the time what carpet type is best for my home. Well, the answer to this depends on many factors and, quite often, depends on the type of traffic and household setting in question. Quite often, we walk into a carpeting outlet and, simply, look at the aesthetics of the samples that are on display with little regard for whether or not the type of carpet is suitable for the proposed space. So, I thought I'd give you a brief overview of the differing types of carpet styles and interject a bit of my own opinion as to how they stand up to such things as wear and cleanability.
Plush
This style usually comes in a solid color with a cut pile to give the appearance of a perfectly flat surface. This is a very popular choice with builders and is quite often labelled as a "builders grade". The plus is that it comes in a huge variety of colors and shades. In most cases it is made of nylon and will have a fairly good resistance to staining if maintained and the spills are addressed immediately. The downside to this carpet choice is that it doesn't wear well. Typically it has a life of about 5 to 7 years. The traffic shading, especially on lighter coloured versions, start to become permanent within only a year or two. Footprints are annoyingly visable on this type of pile.
Textured Plush
This style has more than one colour mix and has varying heights to the pile. Again, nylon is the predominant fibre here, so spot cleaning is easier. The varied pile height also hides vacuum lines and footprints too. With proper care, this carpet choice has a 10 to 12 year lifespan.
Saxony
This is a very dense carpet. Has a very course or "meaty" look to it. The tips of the carpet fibres are very distinguishable. Like a plush carpet, it shows wear relatively quickly and will also make foot prints and vacuum marks apparent.
Sculptured
Very popular in the 70's and 80's and starting to make a comeback now, this type of carpet has two types of tufts. It usually mixes a berber (looped) construction with a twisted fibre. A very luxurious appearance mixing shades and colours. The downside, though, is that if you are not up to regular vacuuming, the higher, points of this construction will show wear within a few years. As the higher, twisted fibres shade from wear, the contrast with the lower looped fibres tend to accent the traffic patterns quicker. There is also a risk of snagging with the berber loops of this pile. So watch out for this when pets are present.
Frieze
When asked which is my favorite style>this is it!
It has a very tight twist to the fibres which help with reducing the effects of wear. Lasts a long time. Average life of this style of carpet is 10 to 15 years or more if maintained well. It comes in a variety of colours and shades. Looks great, feels great, and easily maintained.
Berber
This is the carpet style that is my least favorite and the one that my customers tend to always regret choosing.
Yes, it looks elegant in the store, which made it popular with decorators. However, it is plagued with issues. The tufts are looped. The larger the loop the quicker the appearance of wear. Wear is caused by friction, not only from foot traffic, but also from the particulate (dirt) that comes off our feet that gets trapped under those pesky loops. The particles of dirt actually cut into the fibres and magnify the wear. Hence, it is one of the highest maintenance carpet styles around.
Other issues include seam exposure, where the tufts fall to opposite sides of a seam making it very visable in a short period of time. Snags are very common, especially where pets and children are present. Also be careful moving furniture as this could result in snags. One of my earlier posts addresses snag repairs.
The life of most berbers is about 5 to 8 years depending on how well cared for it is.
Wool or Synthetic??
This is my own opinion.....
I will always tend to favour synthetic fibres as they are more easily maintained than wool. Most retailers don't advise their customers as to how to properly treat stains or traffic wear when it comes to carpet, especially wool ones. You are restricted greatly, as to what you can use on wool carpets to lift spots. Wool fibres tend to require more acidic treatments as opposed to the alkyline natured spot removers that one finds in most stores. The use of "soaps" to remove spots on a wool carpet can burn or mark permanently. Water staining (brown or reddish in appearance) are also quite common on wool carpets. The use of peroxide or oxygen bleach products is not recommended.
Remember, to call SmithWerks Carpet Cleaning West Vancouver when you are ready to have your carpets or upholstery professionally cleaned.
Plush
This style usually comes in a solid color with a cut pile to give the appearance of a perfectly flat surface. This is a very popular choice with builders and is quite often labelled as a "builders grade". The plus is that it comes in a huge variety of colors and shades. In most cases it is made of nylon and will have a fairly good resistance to staining if maintained and the spills are addressed immediately. The downside to this carpet choice is that it doesn't wear well. Typically it has a life of about 5 to 7 years. The traffic shading, especially on lighter coloured versions, start to become permanent within only a year or two. Footprints are annoyingly visable on this type of pile.
Textured Plush
This style has more than one colour mix and has varying heights to the pile. Again, nylon is the predominant fibre here, so spot cleaning is easier. The varied pile height also hides vacuum lines and footprints too. With proper care, this carpet choice has a 10 to 12 year lifespan.
Saxony
This is a very dense carpet. Has a very course or "meaty" look to it. The tips of the carpet fibres are very distinguishable. Like a plush carpet, it shows wear relatively quickly and will also make foot prints and vacuum marks apparent.
Sculptured
Very popular in the 70's and 80's and starting to make a comeback now, this type of carpet has two types of tufts. It usually mixes a berber (looped) construction with a twisted fibre. A very luxurious appearance mixing shades and colours. The downside, though, is that if you are not up to regular vacuuming, the higher, points of this construction will show wear within a few years. As the higher, twisted fibres shade from wear, the contrast with the lower looped fibres tend to accent the traffic patterns quicker. There is also a risk of snagging with the berber loops of this pile. So watch out for this when pets are present.
Frieze
When asked which is my favorite style>this is it!
It has a very tight twist to the fibres which help with reducing the effects of wear. Lasts a long time. Average life of this style of carpet is 10 to 15 years or more if maintained well. It comes in a variety of colours and shades. Looks great, feels great, and easily maintained.
Berber
This is the carpet style that is my least favorite and the one that my customers tend to always regret choosing.
Yes, it looks elegant in the store, which made it popular with decorators. However, it is plagued with issues. The tufts are looped. The larger the loop the quicker the appearance of wear. Wear is caused by friction, not only from foot traffic, but also from the particulate (dirt) that comes off our feet that gets trapped under those pesky loops. The particles of dirt actually cut into the fibres and magnify the wear. Hence, it is one of the highest maintenance carpet styles around.
Other issues include seam exposure, where the tufts fall to opposite sides of a seam making it very visable in a short period of time. Snags are very common, especially where pets and children are present. Also be careful moving furniture as this could result in snags. One of my earlier posts addresses snag repairs.
The life of most berbers is about 5 to 8 years depending on how well cared for it is.
Wool or Synthetic??
This is my own opinion.....
I will always tend to favour synthetic fibres as they are more easily maintained than wool. Most retailers don't advise their customers as to how to properly treat stains or traffic wear when it comes to carpet, especially wool ones. You are restricted greatly, as to what you can use on wool carpets to lift spots. Wool fibres tend to require more acidic treatments as opposed to the alkyline natured spot removers that one finds in most stores. The use of "soaps" to remove spots on a wool carpet can burn or mark permanently. Water staining (brown or reddish in appearance) are also quite common on wool carpets. The use of peroxide or oxygen bleach products is not recommended.
Remember, to call SmithWerks Carpet Cleaning West Vancouver when you are ready to have your carpets or upholstery professionally cleaned.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Great Video Regarding Removing Skunk Odour from your Dog!
Hi All!
Every year I am called to deal with skunk odours in carpet or upholstery. Invariably, it's because the family dog was sprayed by a skunk, the dog panicks, runs inside the house and.....well you know the rest.
Now I can deal with your carpets and furniture, but the dog (or cat) is your department.
So, the other day I came up with a great little video that I found on the internet. It was put together by a vet and gives you step-by-step instructions as to how to safely and effectively deal with skunk odours on your pet. Thought I'd share it with all my fans. Remember, when you've taken care of Rover, call SmithWerks Carpet Cleaning North Vancouver to take care of the odour in your carpet and furniture fabric. Follow the link.
http://www.ehow.com/video_6533854_rid-skunk-smell-dog.html
Every year I am called to deal with skunk odours in carpet or upholstery. Invariably, it's because the family dog was sprayed by a skunk, the dog panicks, runs inside the house and.....well you know the rest.
Now I can deal with your carpets and furniture, but the dog (or cat) is your department.
So, the other day I came up with a great little video that I found on the internet. It was put together by a vet and gives you step-by-step instructions as to how to safely and effectively deal with skunk odours on your pet. Thought I'd share it with all my fans. Remember, when you've taken care of Rover, call SmithWerks Carpet Cleaning North Vancouver to take care of the odour in your carpet and furniture fabric. Follow the link.
http://www.ehow.com/video_6533854_rid-skunk-smell-dog.html
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