Tag: tips

1-7 List: Costly Misconceptions Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning

Misconception #1: You should wait as long as possible before having your Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning

No. Dirt is abrasive like sandpaper. Every time you step on your carpet, you grind dirt into the carpet & fabric fibers. This cuts your carpet, just as if you had used a knife. A dirty carpet, furniture will not last as long as a clean carpet.  And while vacuuming helps–by itself, it’s simply not enough.  The longer you wait to for carpet & upholstery cleaning, the more damage you do to your fabrics and the faster it wears out.
Also, many say, “It seems like my carpet got dirty so much faster after I cleaned it the first time.” True. Some of this could have to do with a cleaner leaving a detergent residue.
You can test my theory if you have a carpet that has been down for two or three years. Take a glass of distilled water and pour it into a clean area of the carpet – where there are no spots and out of the traffic pattern.Then walk away. If you come back tomorrow and see a spot or ring of brown, that’s the dirt accumulated in and under your carpet. If it were a brand new carpet, you would obviously see nothing.

Misconception #2: The only reason for Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning is to remove dirt and stains – to make it look nice.

No.  As you probably know, outdoor air contains pollens, fungus, bacteria, air pollution, cigarette smoke, car exhaust – and hundreds of other chemicals.  When you come into your home, you carry those pollens, bacteria and chemicals in your hair and on your skin, clothing and shoes.  Not surprisingly, all those chemicals and toxins wind up in your carpet and upholstery.If you have allergies, asthma, emphysema, or other breathing problems – one major source of your problem could be the pollens, fungus, smoke and chemicals in your carpet.Studies have shown that the carpet & upholstered furniture is a major contributor to allergies or respiratory disorders of any kind, including asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, red itchy eyes, sinus infections, headaches, etc.

Misconception #3: Vacuuming is enoughThis is probably the most common misconception about carpets.

Many people think that just vacuuming their carpet & furniture is enough to keep it clean yearlong.And sure, vacuum cleaning will remove hair, dust, crumbs and other physical dirt, but what it can’t do is extract all the dirt from your carpet or furniture. Oh, and it doesn’t remove odors or stains.
Unlike vacuuming, professional Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning uses steam machines to reach deep into the fibers of your carpet and unlock dirt—even the smallest particles and most stubborn stains don’t stand a chance.So in addition to vacuuming at least once a week, make sure you get it professionally cleaned once a year. Only then will it be completely clean.

Misconception #4:  I can get the same results by renting a  machine and ‘doing it myself.’

Not true.  In fact, do it yourself machines are so inferior to truckmount equipment, it’s not even a fair comparison. The ‘do it yourself’ machine does not have the 200 degree hot water, higher cleaning pressure or even powerful vacuum that a truck-mount machine does.   Lack of vacuum power and poor suction causes damage by over wetting carpet that may cause mold to grow.

Misconception #5: One cleaning method is as good as another.

No.  The dry cleaning methods – which are dry foam, dry chemicals and dry compounds – do not rinse your carpet in any way.  Instead, they leave a dirty residue.  You might say they clean your carpet and upholstery only halfway.  The most effective cleaning method is hot water extraction.Hot water extraction means a hot water cleaning solution, under high pressure, is applied to your carpet & furniture and then extracted out of your carpet.Carpet  & upholstery cleaners use one of two types of hot water extraction.  If they use a large unit that operates from a van or truck outside your facility, it’s called truck-mounted extraction.  If they use a small unit that can be brought inside, it’s called portable extraction.  Shaw’s first choice is the truck-mounted unit – and it recommends the small, portable unit only in areas where the truck-mounted unit won’t reach.The truck-mounted extraction cleans much better because it heats the water to a higher temperature – which breaks up the dirt, bacteria, chemicals and pollens in the carpet.  Then the machine uses high suction to draw the dirt and chemicals out of your carpet.  This is the method we use the most, however we do have a high powered portable to use when our truck mounted hoses can’t reach.

Misconception #6: Having expensive, high-tech equipment is all a company needs to clean your carpet & upholstery properly.

Not necessarily. They need to be successfully trained to use it.
Many companies own hot-water machines but very few companies teach their employees how to use them properly.  This is why it’s important that you choose your carpet & upholstery cleaner carefully.  The best cleaning companies are those that are an IICRC Certified Firm (Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration Certification) and employ technicians that have been classroom trained and have passed the written exam to become IICRC Certified Technicians.  Before you choose a carpet & upholstery cleaning service, ask to see written proof that the company is current IICRC Certified firm for this year and that the technician is certified to perform the work you’re requesting.

Misconception #7: The company that offers the lowest price is the company you should hire.

This may be true for landlords and people moving out of rental units. Since they don’t have to live there, they can say they had the carpets professionally cleaned even if it looks worse than it did before. I’m not saying all landlords practice this. We do business with many landlords who require their tenants to use our services to protect their investment in carpeting. We have also been hired by landlords to come and clean after a tenant tried renting the rug doctor or hiring the cheapest guy.
    If you have to live there, or if you will be the one who pays to replace it, I suggest you throw out the lowest three bids. Just like in the automobile industry, the difference between the cheapest and the best may be a factor of 10 times or more. Like a used Yugo for $300 or a new Rolls for$300,000.Consumers who find themselves irresistibly attracted to the lowest price often go through very painful experiences before they have their first “painless” carpet &upholstery cleaning experience. We’ve hear their stories.
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A honest carpet & upholstery cleaning company should be able to give you an estimate over the telephone.

How we determine the price is base on the following:

1) Type of carpet. Some carpets are easier to clean than others.
2) The amount, type of soiling, wear age and how well you have taken care of your carpet.  Carpet that hasn’t been cleaned for ten years will take longer to clean than carpet that we cleaned within the last six months.
3) Amount of furniture that will have to be moved. A room with furniture typically takes at least twice as long to clean as one that is clear. If you can move it out or work around it, you’ll save money.

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Tips & How To Have A Successful House Cleanout

A Stress Free Guide to House CleanOut

Imagine a world where your house was clutter-free. What if I told you that dream could be a reality with just a weekend’s worth of work? Read: 6 Easy Steps for a Successful House CleanOut

We rounded up expert house cleaning tips and turned them into a six-step plan you can use to get your house organized quickly and painlessly.

How to Clean Out Your House in 6 Steps

Step 1: Make a House Cleanout Plan

Your house cleaning project will go much smoother if you lay some groundwork first. So, before you dive in, here’s what you need to do:

  • Decide where you’ll donate any appropriate items. Donation-worthy items you might find in your house include:
    • Clothes
    • Furniture
    • Toys
    • Electronics
    • Sports equipment.
    • Tools.
    • Leftover remodeling materials such as paint, lumber or flooring.
  • Decide if you want to sell any of the items you no longer need.
  • If you want to sell, decide whether you’ll have a yard sale (if so, set a date now!) or sell online.
  • Decide how you’ll get rid of the junk. Will you:
    • Bag it up for the curb?
    • Haul it to the dump yourself?
    • Hire a hauler to get rid of it all at once?

A Habitat for Humanity ReStore is a great option for donating tools and remodeling supplies. You could also look into donating to a local home building charity in your area. For sports equipment, search for sports or children’s charities in your area, or contact local schools to see if they have a need.

house cleanout NJ House Clean out New JerseyPRO TIP * Sort frequently-used items from items that can be donated or thrown away.

When it comes to junk removal, cleaning out your house may leave you with a pile of stuff that’s too big for the curb—especially if you’re getting rid of lots of large items such as old patio furniture or lawn care equipment. If you think you’ll end up with more than a couple pickup truck loads, it might be easiest to hire a local junk hauler.

Step 2: Decide on Your “Keep” Criteria

Before you start cleaning out your house, set some ground rules for deciding what to keep. This tip will speed up the process by preventing you from agonizing over each individual item. Base your rules on whatever will work for your own situation but some ideas might include:

  • Keep only things you’ve used more than once in the past year.
  • Keep only things in working condition. Ditch all those gizmos you’ve been “meaning to fix.”
  • Keep only as many items from a set as you actually use.
  • For tools or equipment that you only need rarely, keep only the ones you can’t easily rent or borrow.

Step 3: Take Everything Out

You know what they say: sometimes it has to get worse before it gets better! That is often the case with organizing. I find that it helps to start with a blank slate. Clearing out the whole space always helps me to see what I have, assess my storage needs, and really make the most of the space.

Pick a section of your house to start with and pull everything out to sort through. Besides making it easier to work, this house cleaning tip will also allow you to see what space you have to work with and what types of storage might work best when it’s time to organize the items you’re keeping.

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PRO TIP * Installing shelving units can free up much of your floor space.

Step 4: Sort, Sort, Sort

Time to cue up that “Mulan” song and get down to business.

With your “keep criteria” firmly in mind, designate one area of your house as your “keep” pile and start going through the first round of stuff you pulled out. If you plan to sell anything, designate a “sell” pile as well.

Have plastic bins, cardboard boxes or bags on hand so that you can pack up donation items as you work and stash them somewhere out of the way.

Keep garbage bags handy too, so that you can bag up the junk as you go. Working this way will make the house cleanout process much faster!

Once you’ve sorted one section, go back to step 3, remove another section of stuff from the house and start the sorting game all over again.

Step 5: Put Your House Cleanout Plans in Motion

Now that you know what you’re keeping, it’s time to clear out the rest.

We recommend starting with the junk. If you hire a hauler for your house cleanout, just give the company a call to come pick up the items. If not, it’s time to pile your bags up at the curb or load up a pickup truck if you have items your trash service won’t take.

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PRO TIP *  Have a house full of junk? Easily dispose of it with a local Junk Hauler.

Next, drop off your donation items. Or, if your chosen charities offer it, call to schedule a pickup.

If you held on to any items to sell, now’s the time to start organizing your yard sale or listing them online. You might also consider taking your stuff to a consignment shop. It may take a while for your items to sell and the shop will take a percentage, but this is the most convenient option for someone who’s short on time.

Step 6: Get Organized

Now that you’ve whittled things down to just the items you’re keeping, seize the opportunity to keep clutter from building back up. So, what’s the best way to organize a house? It depends on what exactly you need to store, but here are some tips to consider:

  • Use shelving units to keep frequently used items within easy each.
  • Use cabinets or closets for items you use less frequently.
  • Group items by category so that you always know where to find what you need—and can easily put it back where it belongs when you’re done.
  • Label items ex. winter clothes,Christmas decor, etc
  • For play areas: put toys like lego in bins that are shallow and wide so kids don’t have to dump them all to find the one.
  • Hang a shelf

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PRO TIP * A well-organized house will make it easy to find commonly used items.

Cleaning out your house doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With these tips, you can tackle it one step at a time and reclaim your space within a single weekend! Have your own advice to share? Let us know in the comments!

If you are in New Jersey or the surrounding area and need property house cleanout, give JunkDoctorsNJ a call 973-336-8083! we are your go-to-team for entire house cleanout in New Jersey!

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How to Choose the Right Carpet Cleaning Company: 7 Tips

In today’s modern world the internet is most people’s go-to when looking to hire a service. You will find the internet saturated with carpet cleaning companies, however not all are reputable, trained, or honest. It is essential to be informed before making a decision on who to hire. Consider the following tips & avoid these 7 mistakes that consumers make before hiring a carpet cleaning company.

Mistake #1 
Choosing a carpet cleaner based on equipment alone.

Sure proper equipment is necessary to do a good job, however if the operator is not properly trained the best equipment in the world won’t do what it is supposed to do. The best way to know that the carpet cleaner have been properly trained is to make sure the cleaner has been certified by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC). Before you choose a carpet cleaner, ask to see written proof of the company’s and the technician’s IICRC certification.

Mistake #2 
Choosing a carpet cleaner based on low price.

Lowest price could mean a very costly mistake in three ways:

  • Low price is the bait that gets you to call & schedule the appointment. Once in your home, you are pressured into a more expensive job.
  • Lowest price can be for  a ‘single-process’ Once explained, the customer is pressured to purchase the more expensive “dual/deluxe process ” (Illegal “bait-and-switch”).
  • Lowest price probably means the carpet cleaner has minimal skills, will be using the cheapest chemicals and inferior equipment – you could actually be paying them to ruin your carpets or soft furnishings!
Mistake #3 
Choosing a carpet cleaner based on a single telephone call.

As with choosing any service provider it is always a good idea to check the credentials of the carpet cleaning company before you invite them into your home. How long have they been in business? Do they offer firm, written quotations prior to performing any services? Make sure to get references & read comments from current clients. These are all important considerations to avoid becoming the victim of high-pressure sales tactics when the technician steps into your home.

Mistake #4

Choosing a carpet cleaner that doesn’t offer a money-back guarantee.

Inexperienced cleaners have all kinds of reasons why they would never offer a guarantee: “What if the carpet is 20 years old and has permanent stains? – I’ll lose my shirt.

Experienced cleaners know that consumers aren’t unreasonable, generally. They have a pretty good idea which of their stains are permanent and they don’t expect a 20-year-old carpet that 4 kids and 10 pets were raised on will look like brand new because it was cleaned. They also know that a company that doesn’t offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee is not very  confident of their ability to delight their clients with good old fashioned skill and service. Ask him if he offers a written guarantee and make sure it is included on the written quotation.

Mistake #5

Choosing a carpet cleaner who doesn’t use safe, natural cleaning products that are free of harsh chemicals.

Most carpet cleaners use a toxic chemicals, that according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) can cause damage to the liver, central nervous system, and kidneys.

Some of the harmful ingredients that may be found in carpet cleaners include:
  • Pesticides
  • Disinfectants
  • Formaldehyde
  • Fragrances
  • Acids
  • Lye (Sodium Hydroxide)

Besides being detrimental to the health of humans, these carpet cleaning chemicals can also be harmful to animals & the environment as well. When the toxins in the chemicals are exposed, they contaminate both air and water which harm the earth.

Mistake #6

Choosing a carpet cleaner who isn’t certified by the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI)

I shudder to think what some of these guys are doing to people’s carpets by going out there with no formal training and trying to operate a truckmount that puts out 3 gallons of 200-degree water per minute at 500 psi. Even worse, trying to get a carpet clean with a rug doctor or portable that doesn’t have any power. (I see the results every day.)

Though seeing your operator’s certification (not his boss’s) doesn’t guarantee he will do a good job, not seeing it can mean just about anything.

Mistake #7:

Choosing a carpet cleaner who doesn’t use a truck-mounted, hot water extraction system.

Truck-mount systems are the Rolls Royces of carpet cleaners. The world’s largest carpet manufacturer Shaw industries “recommends the hot water extraction system, to maintain their carpet/products warranties. This system of cleaning extracts dirt and bacteria from your carpet fibers unlike other methods. Compared with portable machines, truck-mount systems use hotter water, higher pressure and stronger suction. All the way around, you get a much better job. 

Please give us a call at (973)343-7627 if there is any additional information, questions or concerns. We look forward to being your carpet cleaning company of choice.

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