Category: Selecting the Right Product
A good portion of the country is about to emerge from one of the most prolonged winters in a long time. In many parts of the country residential carpet cleaning was brought to a virtual standstill for weeks on end....
Heart-to-Heart Conversations about Carpet Odors
As the weather gets colder and the days get shorter, people have a tendency to go inside, make sure the windows are closed, shut the door, and spend more time inside. With less airflow and ventilation, and the simple fact...
Are “green” chemicals more expensive? If so, why should cleaners invest in these?
When green ingredients were first being introduced, there is no doubt that they made some products more expensive. As their use has expanded greatly, most green ingredients are very competitive today with their “non-green” counterparts. In our relatively small industry,...
If you “go green” with your cleaning operations, do you risk sacrificing cleanliness? In other words, is there a difference between green and clean?
Dr. Michael Berry said it best. “Green” and “clean” should be synonymous terms. A clean environment is a green environment so long as the wastes produced from the cleaning process are properly disposed of. If, in order to get an...
What should professionals know about chemistry to decide whether or not to buy a “green” product?
You have to start by doing something that the so called “experts” have not been able to agree upon themselves; i.e., decide what the definition of green is. What is a green chemical and how is the green being measured?...
The 7 Most Common Misconceptions about Carpet Cleaning Chemistry – Part 7 – Wool Carpet
Misconception #7 – Wool carpet is delicate and requires extreme caution to clean This misconception has always boggled my mind. Maybe it is because my grandmother had a 40 year old wool carpet installed in her living room that we...
The 7 Most Common Misconceptions about Carpet Cleaning Chemistry – Part 6 – Acid Rinsing and Residue
Misconception #6 – Acid rinsing or fresh water rinsing leaves the least amount of residue in carpet after cleaning What chemical solution do you run through your portable or truckmounted carpet extraction unit when you clean? The CRI SOA...
The 7 Most Common Misconceptions about Carpet Cleaning Chemistry – Part 5 – Residue
Misconception #5 – No residue, low residue. Good residue, bad residue (Sounds like a Dr. Suess Book) One of the inherent advantages (or is that built in dangers?) that being around the carpet cleaning industry for over 35 years provides...
The 7 Most Common Misconceptions about Carpet Cleaning Chemistry – Part 4 – When pH is measured
Misconception #4 – Where is pH measured? Concentrated or ready-to-use pH. Quick, think about the discussion we just had on stain resistant warranty provisions and the pH of the cleaning solution. You already knew about the 10 pH rule. But...
The 7 Most Common Misconceptions about Carpet Cleaning Chemistry – Part 3 – Only using “stain resist compatible” chemistry
Misconception #3 – You must use “Stain resist compatible” chemistry only, on warranted carpets When Du Pont introduced Stainmaster® (now owned by Invista) carpet in 1987, the spot and stain warranty that was tied to it really forever changed the...