All posts by Mark Cannava

Chem-Dry Spring Cleaning

Chem-Dry Spring Cleaning

April 2nd, 2015

When we think of spring, many of us think of renewal, blossoming, and flowers, as the changing seasons push aside the colder days of winter and prepare us for summer.  We also think of spring cleaning, but living in Florida, where the weather is gorgeous most of the year, many of us may no longer have the same spring cleaning rituals we may have once had when we lived in colder climates where wet weather and changing wardrobes meant that spring-cleaning was a necessity.  However, one spring cleaning ritual that it is essential to begin or maintain is to have your carpets and upholstery professionally cleaned by Chem-Dry.

allergy
89

One of the major sources of indoor pollution is actually dirty carpets and upholstery.  Even if there is no visible dirt or stains on carpet or upholstery, the top layer of the fabric works like a filter, often trapping irritants inside.  In fact, fabrics and padding can contain allergens, mold, dust mites, and other irritants that can irritate allergies and asthma.  While regular vacuuming and other good housekeeping practices can help remove these irritants from carpet, unless they are professionally cleaned, dirty carpets can contribute to indoor air pollution.  A cleaning process that is tailored to reduce the presence of allergens, bacteria, and other irritants in your carpet will result in improved air quality.

Of course, not all professional cleaning services offer the same quality of cleaning for carpets, upholstery, and air.  Chem-Dry uses a patented hot carbonating extraction process that lifts allergens from carpets and upholstery, resulting in a more effective cleaning process that reduces a greater percentage of allergens and bacteria than its competitors.  This process is so effective that an independent laboratory study found that carpets cleaned by Chem-Dry had 97.4% of common allergens removed from them, while upholstery had 99.1% of common allergens removed from them.  These allergens include some of the ones most likely to cause reactions in people, like pet dander and dust mites.

 

310x258xcharts,P20for,P20allergen,P20pages,P20final,P20wider,P20column,P20buffer_0.png,qitok=NR0v7QCb.pagespeed.ic.P8l_pQn8o5

Of course, allergens are not the only problem in carpets; bacteria also presents a significant health challenge for many people.  A Chem-Dry carpet cleaning removes about 82.3% of bacteria from carpet, which results in an 89% reduction in airborne bacteria rates.  Given that there are about 200,000 bacteria in every square inch of carpet, such a significant reduction in rates is clearly going to improve air quality and reduce the risk of illness for you and your family.


Red Wine Carpet Stain at the Holiday Party?

How To Remove Red Wine From Carpets

December 2nd, 2014

 

red wine carpet stains
Few things are more embarrassing for guests and more worrisome for holiday hosts than the dreaded spilled glass of red wine. As a host, you do not want to appear to be fussing over a spill, because it can provide stress to your guests. On the other hand, if you ignore a red wine spill, there is a good chance that the stain will set. While you may need professional help to completely remove the stain, there are steps you can take to minimize the damage of a red wine spills on carpet or upholstery.

  1. Blot the spill as much as possible. We recommend the use of a white towel. First, a white towel helps you see if you are continuing to remove liquid, so that you know when you have finished blotting. Second, using a white towel eliminates any possibility of color transfer from the towel to the spilled area.
  2. Do not scrub the area. Scrubbing can fray the carpet fiber, which not only damages the fiber but can also make it more difficult to remove the stain.
  3. Clean the area. There are two different approaches to cleaning the area. If you do not have a wet dry vac or other type of liquid extracting carpet cleaner, then use club soda on the area. Club soda works to help lift the stain to the top of the fiber because of the carbonation, where you can continue blotting the stain. If you have a wet dry vac, you can flush the area with warm water and use the extractor function to remove water and wine.
  4. Schedule a professional carpet cleaning as soon as possible to remove any lingering red wine. This is critical, even if the stain appears to be completely removed because stains can get down into the pad and reappear over time.

To make sure that you are prepared in the event if a spill, add club soda and white towels to your holiday shopping list, if you do not already have them. You can also schedule a visit with Chem Dry to have your carpets and upholstery cleaned before the holidays and add a stain protector after the cleaning. While stain protectors cannot prevent accidents from happening and do not keep you from having to clean stains when they, they do protect fabric fibers to prevent accidental spills from becoming permanent stains.