When it comes to carpet/rug cleaning, you want a reliable company that has years of experience in cleaning. You want a company that can offer many areas of cleaning, as the subject area can get a bit hazy for those who don’t know much about it.
Most people overlook an important piece of “furniture” that helps with keeping your carpets and floors looking their very best and making a great first impression. This small important piece of your home’s décor is called the doormat. Why is the doormat such an integral component of your home and your health?
Most of the dirt you could bring into your home due to your shoes is captured by the kind of doormat you have before you walk in. On top of that, the doormat can set the tone for the rest of the home. However, it’s important to consider that all doormats are not the same, which is why you need to do your homework to find one that’s right for your situation.
Coir Doormats
Coir is a natural fiber that comes from the coconut husk, in either a PVC-backed or unbacked state. Unbacked mats ensure water will drain through. They can be purchased in all quality types, which is why you need to get the right weight and thickness. If you purchase inexpensive cheap models, they could easily fall apart. For these, you really want to look for high-quality models.
Positive Attributes – This type of mat is wonderful at getting dirt off your shoes, and tend to be the better models on the market.
Negative Attributes – The fiber tends to shed significantly, which means some of the mat eventually gets inside the home. While it’s usually minimal, it’s something to be mindful of.
Rubber Doormats
This type of mat is considered the most functional of the three. They are generally used in commercial settings, but also fine for homes if you’re not concerned so much with appearance. They can be ideally used in a garage entranceway.
Positive Attributes – This type of mat is great for taking dirt off the shoes. They are made with holes so that water won’t accumulate. These mates are noted as being comfort mats if you need to stand in one location for a set period of time (it’s why they’re often seen in commercial environments).
Negative Attributes – They don’t look very good – mainly black and functional. They also don’t hold up well in very cold weather and temperatures.
Synthetic Pile Doormats
This type of doormat is comprised of polypropylene and has a rubber dam along the edge, which also works as a barrier in keeping dirt on the mat. It also ensures moisture stays on the pile. Synthetic pile doormats have a non-slip backing.
Positive Attributes – They are great in taking off the dirt and moisture accumulated on shoes. When it comes to rainwater, these are the best type of keeping the rain out and not allowing it back inside the home.
Negative Attributes – They don’t look as good as the coir doormat, and the polypropylene will flatten from continued use. Thus, they don’t last near as long as the other doormat types.
3 Important Tips To Using Your Doormats More Efficiently
Have doormats for every entryway. This includes garages, sheds, etc.
Have an inside and outside doormat. This gives you two chances in which to keep the dirt from getting onto your floor and carpet. If you use an eye-appealing coir doormat outside, you can use a synthetic doormat for the inside. The first mat will take off dirt with the second mat catching the moisture.
Regularly clean the doormats. Failure to do so will allow the dirt to accumulate and proliferate and it won’t work as it’s designed to do. You can either shake it out or hit the mat against a solid surface to start working once more.
Your furniture says a lot to others about your home – the condition in which you keep it, how you care for it, etc. And, if you have expensive or semi-expensive furniture, you certainly want it to look its best all the time, for a long time. And, even if you have cheaper, used furniture, you can take care of it so it will last longer and look good too.
Moved your furniture and now you have ugly marks on your carpet from where the coffee table and sofa had been?
You’ve vacuumed and tried to pick out the pock marks?
Or are you moving out and leaving a slew of potholes in the carpets?
Even if the carpet is sparkling clean, these unsightly indentations will catch the eye and give the room an overall sense of disorder and uncleanliness.
Easy way to deal with this is crushed ice.
Simply cover area with a generous amount of crushed ice. Let it melt. The water will be absorbed into the underlay, puff it up, as well as the carpet. Voila!
Do this before you have one of the Rug Rangers at Carpeteer come to clean your carpets and you will be left with a pristine perfect rug.
Hydrogen peroxide such as Oxyclean is your best bet for coffee and wine on synthetic carpets. Make sure to not do this if you have wool carpets since this can lighten the dye!
Many soaps that you have at home can make a stain worse. Please avoid using dish soap. Often when we’re cleaning carpets in Vancouver condos the worst stains are near the washer and dryer because the stains are caused by soap. There’s no hope once soap stains a carpet lighter then the colour of your carpet. Bleach is the most common example of this.
If you choose to try to remove a stain on your own, usually the best thing you can do is get to it right away and to use a hot wash cloth with only water to begin with.
If your stain is stubborn you can try the following homemade solution:
Half cup of white vinegar (avoid any dyed vinegar). .
1 cups of hot water.
1 teaspoons of salt (avoid pink or coloured salt).
1 teaspoon of filtered lemon juice or any essential oil of your choice ie lavender
If your stain is wax based, then poor boiling water on the stain and dab the melted wax with a cloth to absorb it.
Any questions? Give Jeff a call at 604.240.7787
Here are a few tips to help make the most of your cleaning…
Please allow plenty of time for your carpet and/or upholstery to dry. Drying times are normally between 4 and 24 hours, depending upon temperature and humidity, type and density of the fabric or carpet, and the treatment received.
We recommend minimizing traffic on damp carpet. Please remember that your feet can be slippery when walking from damp carpet onto hard surfaces or downstairs. Wearing house shoes when you need to walk on damp carpet will keep oils from feet and socks from transferring into carpet. Upholstery should not be used until fully dry.
Your technician may place foam blocks under the feet of furniture to prevent rust or wood stains from transferring to carpet and to prevent moisture from carpet from wicking into your furniture. If in use please do not remove these blocks until the carpet is fully dry.
In the interest of your children and pets safety, it is best to keep them off the carpet until it is completely dry.
On occasion, a carpet will look great after cleaning, but during the drying process areas begin to look dingy or spotting appears. This is called “wicking”. Wicking is generally caused by heavy soiling deep within the carpet beyond what even the best equipment can extract without over-wetting during the cleaning. As the surface of the fibers dry, dirt carrying moisture wicks upward, drawn by the dry fibers on the surface. This can present in large areas such as traffic patterns or be limited to smaller spots.
Should wicking occur after your cleaning, please give us a call do discuss the options. In some cases we will come out and re-clean the affected areas at no cost to you. In other cases our techs will have recognized the potential for wicking based on heavy soiling and alerted you to the possibility. We do offer reduced rates when re-cleaning is necessary based on the need to wick heavy particulate toward the surface in a first cleaning, that is then possible to extract in a second cleaning. In either case, rest assured that your satisfaction is our primary interest!
For emergency flood restoration call 604-240-7787
Hi everyone, at Carpeteer, we receive emergency 24/7 flood calls and we turn around all types of restoration situations. There's often some immediate steps you can take to mitigate the damages.
1. Turn your water off
First step in flood restoration is to stop the source of the flooding for obvious reasons.
If your water heater is electric make sure to turn off your power to it. If your water heater is gas make sure to turn off the gas valve.
2. Move all items out of the area which has flooded
Many times we've had calls where wedding photos and belongings are still soaking in the area of the flood. Once a restoration company arrives all items will have to be removed from the area in order to extract the water. It's best if this is done by the tenants as soon as possible to allow the restoration process to start taking place. If you have insurance then you may be able to take advantage of content workers who will move all your items for you.
3. Call The Carpeteer or another trusted flood restoration company
there's so many different scenarios of what will happen next. Sometimes water is contaminated, sometimes it's not. Sometimes areas of drywall needs to be removed as well as the insulation. The Carpeteer will be happy to help with next steps including navigating contacting your insurance providers.
Turn the power to the hot water tank off if the hot water tank is the source of the leak
Turn off the water valve to the hot water tank
There are many different situations but there's nothing Carpeteer hasn't experienced. Reach out anytime if we can help!
info@carpeteer.com
Although it is true that the dirt and dust in our homes is more visible during the spring period, this doesn’t mean that our homes are clean in the other months. That’s why we must keep our home clean all the time. One thing that is present in almost every modern home is the carpet...
Far too often people discard of old furniture because of how dirty it is. We live in a world of instant gratification and sometimes throwing them away and buy new can feel like an easy and clean solution to our dirty couch, carpet and rug challenges. Our waste management decisions have an impact on our world and our Vancouver landfills can no longer keep up with to the amount of garbage we produce. The next few years alone we expect our landfills to be completely maxed out for space. What if we could create a world where we could prolong the life of all our household furniture? What a filthy couches, old dusty carpets, and faded rugs could be bfought back to life without heavy cemicals or harmful consumption? Well you don't have to imagine, carpet and upholstery cleaning is becoming a sustainable answer to some of our furniture hyper consumption challenges. Carpeteer has been saving Vancouverite's couches for over 30 years, and today, an old west end couch was cleaned and saved once again. let's check out the before and after of our dirty friend turned clean.
Every odd Christmas, The Carpeteer sends out handmade cards. Checkout this card for a Merry Christmas throwback.
Twas just before Christmas
and all through our town
the carpets were dirty, filthy and brown...
But what to our wondering eyes should appear...
It's the familiar van of the Carpeteer!
We heard him say as he drove out of sight...
Merry Christmas to all... and may your carpets stay BRIGHT!
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and all the best in 89'!
-Jeff Duboi
When you buy carpet for your home, you want it to look its best all the time. But, your carpet has a natural enemy – it’s you! You do your best to keep it clean on a regular basis by vacuuming it. However, time reveals that everything you did was for naught. The color of the carpet isn’t the same as it was when you bought it. And, spot cleaning it only reveals the extent of the color change and how dirty the carpet actually is.
Bleach is almost synonymous with clean and sanitized white towels, linens and hard surfaces throughout your home. Could this age-old chemical be harmful for you and your family? While bleach is certainly a powerful disinfectant, the health and environmental costs of using it may convince you to look for some natural alternatives.
You asked for it, you got it. The all in one infographic for environmentally friendly and effective DIY stain removal.
Cleaning Information for your most common stains
TYPE OF CARPET STAIN = Bold
PRODUCTS USED FOR REMOVAL = Italics
Hard Alcohol Beverages, Beer
- Shampoo and then dab with methylated spirits.
Blood
- Dab with COLD water then shampoo.
- If there are still traces, treat them with baking soda and a few drops of natural mild soap.
Butter, oil, gravy, sauces
- Dab with white spirit or dry all natural cleaning solvent and then shampoo.
- If the stain persists, dab with baking soda and a few drops of natural mild soap.
Candle wax and paraffin
- Put blotting paper over the stain and go over with a WARM iron.
- Dab with cloth and then sent free shampoo.
Chewing gum
- Apply an anti-gum solution or dab with dry all natural cleaning solvent.
- Option: Pore hot water over the gum to increase extractability.
Chocolate and candy
- Dab with WARM water (max 50 degrees C) or with diluted baking soda and a few drops of natural mild soap.
Coffee and Tea
- Shampoo. If the stain persists, dab with methylated spirits of diluted baking soda and a few drops of natural mild soap.
Cosmetics and medicines
- Apply white spirits or dry all natural cleaning solvent and then shampoo.
Eggs and albumins
- Dab with 5% diluted baking soda and a few drops of natural mild soap or methylated spirits, then shampoo.
Glue, stain and varnish
- Apply white spirits or dry all natural cleaning solvent and then shampoo.
Grass and vegetable stains
- Moisten with environmentally friendly methylated spirits.
Inks, aniline and carbon
- Remove as much as possible with blotting paper and then dab with solution of 30% methylated spirits and 70% water, than shampoo.
- Pure lemon juice gives good results as well.
Jam, syrup and fruit juices
- Dab with WARM water (max 50 degrees C).
- If stain persists use white spirits or dry all natural cleaning solvent.
Milk and yogurt
- Shampoo, then dab with 5% diluted baking soda and a few drops of natural mild soap or methylated spirits.
- If the stain persists, use dry all natural cleaning solvent or white spirits.
Mud
- Allow to dry and then go over with a vacuum cleaner.
- Use a wet cloth to dap up whatever the vacuum couldn't collect
Nail polish
- Dab with acetone and then shampoo.
Rust
- Use 3% diluted potassium oxalate or an anti-rust product.
Tar, grease and fuel oil
- Dab with white spirits or dry all natural cleaning solvent and then shampoo.
- Repeat action with methylated spirits and shampoo again.
Iodine
- Dab with pure baking soda and a few drops of natural mild soap.
- Vomit, urine and excrement
- Dab with mixture of 50% vinegar and 50% water, or with methylated spirits and then shampoo.
Wax furniture and floor polish
- Apply with white spirits or dry all natural cleaning solvent and then shampoo.
- If stain persists apply 5% diluted baking soda and a few drops of natural mild soap or methylated spirits.
Wine and lemonade
Apply 50% vinegar and 50% water and then shampoo. Here's more on our wine removal article.
Quick tip! When using a wet cloth make sure to dab the stain instead of rubbing it.
Warning: Most mainstream brands make use of chlorine bleach, ammonia or any number of other chemicals that can wreak havoc on the environment and human health (including correlation to multiple types of cancer). Make your health and the environment a priority by making and/or buying all natural products.
Call 604.240.7787 or email info@carpeteer.com for 24/7 quality carpet cleaning and flood restoration in Vancouver.
Vancouver's small town local carpet cleaning experts since 1975.
Our story has long lived offline. It started with a small leap of faith to create a local cleaning experience in the big city. 40 years later we're still Vancouver's small town local carpet cleaning experts.
Here's a quick throwback Thursday to a Carpeteer booth in the early 80's!
The empty Carpeteer booth...
Now protected by our dapper dad, Jeff Dubois.
"Win a FREE Carpet Cleaning" by Vancouver's musketeer of carpets...
...and lastly, a picture of our mom, Wendy Dubois. This was taken in the early days of their relationship. Little did they know that they would be creating a family business and going on to celebrate over 30 years of love and life together.
Long live the local small town experience in the big city!
...and remember, when your carpets get dusty, call the Jeff & The Carpeteer: 604.240.7787
Photo by ian francis/iStock / Getty Images
Before we get started there are two quick steps everyone should do.
Blot up the spilled wine right away. The longer you let red wine sit in your carpet, the harder it will be to get rid of the stain. Do yourself a big favor by acting fast! As soon as you notice the spill, grab a paper towel or rag and blot the stain to pick up as much liquid as possible before it can set.
- Always use an up-and-down blotting motion, not a side-to-side rubbing one. Rubbing will pick up some of the wine but force the rest deeper into the carpet fibers, making it much harder to remove the stain. This can also make the stained area from the wine even larger by spreading the liquid to the sides.
- Work from the outside in, blotting the edges first and then moving to the center. This helps prevent the stain from getting any larger than it already is.
Apply some cold water and keep blotting. Eventually, it will get difficult to blot more of the wine out. At this point, try getting the stain wet again with a small amount of cold water. This helps dilute the wine remaining in the carpet. Continue blotting (not rubbing) until the carpet is dry again.
Use White Wine and Baking Soda
Pour a little white wine onto the stain. It may seem like the last thing you want to do is to pour more wine on your carpet, but clear-colored white wine can actually be a lifesaver if you don't have water handy. White wine dilutes the color of the red stain much like water, lessening the impact of the stain.
- Some sources recommend clear, plain vodka if you don't have white wine. Try to avoid moscato and sweet dessert wines, which can leave a sticky, sugary mess.
Blot the stain with a sponge. As long as you do it lightly enough, this will soak up some of the colour without pressing the stain into the carpet fibers.
- If your sponge is already wet, wring it out before using it.
Apply a baking soda paste. Baking soda can remove a "loosened-up" stain similar to the way salt's used in the section above. Instead of using dry baking soda, most sources recommend making a watery paste, then spreading it generously over the stain. Three parts water to one part baking soda should work well.
Cover the stain with a clean cloth overnight. Set a heavy weight (like a dictionary) on top of the cloth while it sits. This constant, gentle pressure pushes the baking soda down into the stain so that it can clean more deeply.
- The cloth you use will get a little damp, so you may not want to use a weight that's vulnerable to water damage.
Vacuum up the baking soda once it dries. The baking soda should soak up the moisture from the stained area and form solid clumps on the surface. You can easily remove these clumps (and with them, the stain) using a vacuum.
- As with the salt method above, if your carpet still has a powdery residue after the first vacuuming, pour a little cold water on it to dissolve the baking soda, then vacuum again.
Interior design has always has had a transformational evolution. Human ancestry has evolved with the art we have created. Cave dwellers created hyroglifics and eventually 3D cave art with colours were introduced. Our home and the way we design it has steamed from an innate desire for a sense of safety and belonging. Our sense of safety is influenced with our sense of comfort. Carpets once dominated our homes but has slowly dwindled away.
Photo by tihomir_todorov/iStock / Getty Images
Homes are safer than ever and carpets are now finding themselves in only one consistent place, the bedroom.
While there has been a generational shift in flooring, one room (and the most initiate room at that), has maintained a strong relationship to the soft fabric we all love.
Photo by Chris Ryan/OJO Images / Getty Images
Cheers to comfort and to keeping our most precious room clean...and when those carpets need a cleaning, here's to the Carpeteer!
Carpeteer cleans carpets in Yaletown, Gastown, and beyond town.