1. Vacuum - Vacuum - Vacuum
THE SINGLE BEST THING THAT YOU CAN DO FOR BOTH YOUR CARPETS AND UPHOLSTERY IS TO VACUUM REGULARLY! Remember---carpet and upholstery soil is normally 80-95% dry soil and 5-20% oily soil. Most of that dry stuff comes out easily with a good vacuuming. (The exact percentages differ depending on who's writing the article, but the point is that most of the dirt---by weight & volume is dry, "vacuumable" soil and the rest is sticky, oily soil that must be professionally extracted).
What's the best type of vacuum cleaner?
Answer: The type that gets used!!
The type of vacuum cleaner is not all that important as long as it has decent suction and a HEPA filter and actually gets used regularly---like once a week. Also, a good HEPA filter will make the vacuum cleaner actually clean the air as it cleans the material. I will say that Executive Carpet Care, Inc. employs a unique vacuum cleaner for a deeper and more thorough cleaning: 
A commercial "Pile Brush" machine that's certified by the major carpet manufacturers as "the best way to prepare a carpet for hot water extraction cleaning". This (expensive) 70-pound machine will get sand out of the carpet's backing and will pick up paper clips, staples and tacks with no damage to its motor or belts. So, no need to pre-clean your carpet before we arrive. Call (707) 228-5955 for a FREE, no-obligation quote for your home!
Vacuum your furniture/upholstery too!
As bad as many homeowners neglect to have their carpets cleaned, they neglect their upholstery even more. The useful life and appearance of upholstery can be greatly extended with regular vacuuming, and once or twice a year steam cleaning to remove the oily soil. Many consumer vacuums now feature attachments--some motorized--designed for upholstery vacuuming. They're fairly inexpensive and well worth the money....as long as they're actually used!
Soil Hiding Technology
Today's carpets are designed to hide soil and do so very well. Big carpet manufacturers have poured millions of dollars into research that has resulted in changes to the actual shape of individual carpet fibers: The fibers are cleverly shaped to alter the way that light passes through each "filament", keeping soil particles hidden from view.
Today's 5th generation carpets hide dirt so well it's like magic. But the dust and dirt is still there---damaging the carpet fibers and releasing particles into the air we breathe. I read one study that claimed that only one square foot of modern carpet can hide one pound of dirt and still look "clean"!
2. Have your Carpets AND Upholstery "Steam" Cleaned Professionally at least Twice per Year
Not necessarily both at the same time but the point is to let neither your carpets nor upholstery get soiled before cleaning; this partially defeats the purpose. Carpet & fabric wear is reduced, allergy sufferers benefit, and the look & feel of carpets and fabrics stays wonderful with regular professional cleaning. This is not a marketing tactic to get more business but the absolute truth: If the carpet or upholstery looks dirty or oily, it is way past due for cleaning. This is akin to waiting until our bodies look dirty & oily before deciding to take showers!
a. Questions to Ask a Cleaning Company over the phone
1. What method of cleaning do you use? (You're looking for "hot water extraction" or "steam cleaning".)
2. Are your cleaning chemicals California low-VOC compliant? (Should be "Yes")
3. Are your technicians IICRC certified? (Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification---very wordy, I know. See the green IICRC image below.)
4. Is your work guaranteed?
(If I'm not satisfied with some work will you happily come back to fix it?) Is your company a member of the Better Business Bureau and/or Chamber of Commerce?
5. Will I get a written estimate before you start work?
6. Can you provide me with references or testimonials?
The following questions are optional, depending on what you want...
7. Do you offer special stain-removal services? (Like red wine/ Kool-Aid, etc.)
8. Do you offer pet stain removal and decontamination; persistent pet urine odor removal?
9. Do you offer "packages" for service so I can save money this time?
10. Will you pre-vacuum completely for me---to include along walls, under beds, along baseboards?
11. Do you offer rotary extraction cleaning for carpets? What type of machine? (Click here to check out the "RDM", or "Rotary Drimaster")
12. Do you offer upholstery cleaning? (For a far superior alternative to most other upholstery cleaning methods and tools, check out the "Drimaster Upholstery Tool".)
13. I suffer from allergies (or someone in my house). Do you have an "Anti-Allergen" line of chemicals that neutralizes the effects of dust mites and has no perfumes or other additives?
14. What kind of carpet & fabric protector to you use? How much extra will this cost?
15. Do you use a "door seal" for the door you pass the hoses thru? (To keep heat or air-conditioning from escaping, as well as the cat or dog).
16. Do you have any references from my own neighborhood?
****Thank You for your time, bye / may I schedule an appointment?"****
Call (707) 228-5955 for a FREE, no obligation quote for your home!
3. Spot/Stain Removal
There is a huge amount of free advice all over the internet about spot and stain removal. Martha Stewart-type sites abound with good info on how to tackle almost any 'emergency' as far as spots are concerned. However, as I mentioned on the Home page, there is so much info that it can be overwhelming. But here a few important basics about spot removal that you should always know:
a. Difference between a Spot and a Stain:
A "spot" is a recent (within a few minutes) spill or 'accident' of some sort. A "stain" is a spot that has been allowed to dry or get ground in (in the case of powdery, dry spills). The idea is to remove the "spot" before it becomes a "stain". A stain is normally much harder to remove than a spot.
b. What NOT To Do
--Do not rub the spot with any rag, towel, sponge, brush, etc. No matter if the sponge or whatever has cleaning solution soaked in it; rubbing the fresh spot will only make it worse. Instead blot the stain--you may twist/rotate the towel while pressing down hard but don't rub horizontally. Before blotting, try to spoon some up or scrape any excess with a knife, working towards the center of the spot until all of the excess gunk has been removed.
--Do not wait until the spot has become a stain. If you are unsure as to what to do with a particular spot, simply keep it moist with tap water by leaving a wet rag over top the spot. (this is for "wet" spills---not for dry spills like flour, fire place ashes, copier toner, etc.) Now call your professional carpet and upholstery cleaner. He or she will likely be good at removing nearly all spots (and, if necessary, stains).
A spot that hasn't dried when professional help arrives is much easier to remove than one that has dried to a stain. And if you have been a client of the cleaner's before, your fee for this 'emergency' service will be nominal and well worth the cost, as opposed to carpet replacement or worse---having to put up with looking at the stain every day.
c. What To Do with.....
--Dry spills like fire place ashes, copier toner, any fine powdery substance:
Hold a vacuum cleaner hand tool over top the spot without touching it and allow the suction to lift the loose particles off the carpet. Continue doing this until nothing more will come off, then gradually lower the vacuum attachment until it is just touching the spot. Delicately agitate the spot without rubbing the substance into the carpet fibers until nothing more will come off of the carpet.
Now treat the dry spot as a wet spot; this often calls for professional treatment---note that "professional" does not necessarily mean "expensive" and/or time-consuming. A quick phone call and a few bucks is usually all that is required to return your carpet to new again.
--Paint spills: Scrape up the excess, working towards the center of the spill. Keep the paint from drying by either placing plastic over the spill or placing wet towels over the spill. (Note that for oil-based paints and many primers, putting plastic over the spill is the only option. But most paints are now latex, water-based and so the wet towel trick will work.) Now go call your professional carpet cleaner. If the paint is still wet, then he or she may be able to completely remove the paint from your carpet. This will also help remove the panic from you.
