Month: April 2021

Having your carpets cleaned has a number of benefits. Some of the obvious ones are they look more fluffy and appealing, they smell fresh, spots and stains are removed,  and if you’ve had them protected they’ll stay cleaner for longer. However, one benefit that people often don’t think about is that clean carpets are good for your health. In this article, we’ll look at the little-known health benefits of having your carpets cleaned.

Over time dirt, dust, pollutants and other nasties build up in the carpet pile. Carpets do a good job of trapping them and keeping them out of the environment, but it gets to a point where a carpet reaches its threshold for the maximum amount of dirt it can hold. If you suffer from allergies or have respiratory issues, they may be aggravated by these particles which can become airborne when really dirty carpets are walked on. A deep clean can remove most of the offending particles, allowing you to breathe easy again.

Mould can grow in a carpet as a result of leaks, food particles and spilt drinks. If the spores become airborne they can have an adverse effect on your health. Our cleaning solution can inhibit the growth of mould, drastically reducing the chance of it growing in your carpet.

In some cases, mould and malodours can occur as a result of carpets taking too long to dry, which may happen if the carpets being overwet during the cleaning process, or in some cases, high humidity slowing down the drying process. Our quick-drying carpet cleaning technology actively dries the carpet as it cleans, reducing drying times to 30 minutes. This means there is no chance of mould growth as the carpet needs to be wet for at least 24 hours before mould can grow on it.

In addition to mould, bacteria can also thrive in carpets. Our cleaning process kills bacteria and also inhibits it from growing in the future. This can give you some rest of mind if you have children who tend to crawl on the floor.

People tend to overuse the word stain. More often than not it’s used in the correct context, but from time to time our customers will describe something as a stain when what they are actually talking about is a spot. In this article, we’ll look at the difference between the two.

What is a stain?

Like spots, stains are caused by spillages on the carpet. Substances that commonly stain carpet includes coffee, wine and curry. The reason why they can leave stains is that they contain dyes, which are absorbed by the carpet fibres, changing their colour permanently in the process. Whether the spillage ultimately becomes a stain or not depends on a few factors, one of the key ones being the makeup of the carpet fibre. For example, Nylon carpets tend to stain quite easily, while polyester carpets are a lot more resistant to stains.

In order to reduce the chance of a spill staining your carpet, it is recommended that you try to clean it as soon as possible. Time is of the essence here, the goal is to remove the spill before the stain starts to set.

What is a carpet spot?

Spots can look just like stains, but the main difference is there is no colour transfer with spots, therefore the carpet is not permanently discoloured. For example, if you find dry mud on your carpet, the likelihood is that you’d be able to remove it with just a vacuum or a dustpan and brush. A slightly dampened towel should do the trick as well. However, you should be careful what chemicals you use when cleaning spots because some can actually change a spot into a stain, making the removal of it a much harder task. If in doubt get some expert advice from a Milton Keynes carpet cleaning specialist, who will have experience in removing spots and stains. In addition to that hiring the services of an expert will ensure you avoid some of the issues DIY carpet cleaners cause, such as carpet shrinkage. So avoid the hassle of cleaning your own carpets, and maximise the health benefits that come with having a clean carpet. Get in touch today!

When you have your carpets cleaned, you expect to end up with clean carpets that smell fresh and are free from spots and stains. What you don’t expect is to find is that they’ve shrunk! It’s a nasty surprise to find yourself in such a situation, especially as the carpet cleaner has now long gone. If you booked a carpet cleaner from a reputable company, he may be able to come back and rectify the problem, or if not he’ll at least be able to find someone to fix it at no extra cost to yourself. If you used a cowboy carpet cleaning company, then they’ll probably not respond to your calls, and you’ll be left with the additional cost of fixing the carpet.

In this article, we’ll look at what causes carpets to shrink, and how one should go about rectifying the problem.

Carpets are composed of at least two layers, the top layer that you walk on is the carpet pile, and the bottom layer is the backing. The carpet pile can consist of a natural fibre like Wool, or a synthetic fibre such as Nylon. The carpet backing may also be made from either natural or synthetic fibre.

Jute is a natural fibre that is commonly used as carpet backing, and carpets that have this material as their backing are susceptible to shrinkage.

Axministers are a type of carpet with a wool pile and a jute backing, and as you now know the latter makes them prone to shrinkage. Axminister cost a lot more than your average carpet, so if have one and it needs cleaning, make sure you use the services of a reputable carpet cleaning company.

Belgian Wiltons are a type of carpet that has a polypropylene face fibre and a mixture of Cotton and Jute in the backing.

Both types of carpets will shrink if they are overwet during the carpet cleaning process. This could happen because the carpet cleaning technician is inexperienced, has bad technique, or has cheap equipment that isn’t able to suck out enough water during the rinsing stage.

When the carpets are overwet, water will seep into the backing of the carpet causing it to swell. The water will reach the Jute backing even faster in polypropylene carpet because it is unable to absorb much water. It’s the swelling action of the Jute that causes the carpet to shrink. In addition to that overwet carpets may start to smell mouldy, and will need to be deodorised as a result.

If you do find yourself in the unfortunate predicament of having shrunken carpets, you will need to contact a carpet fitter to find out if they can be restretched In some cases they can. Failing that the carpet will sadly need to be replaced.

Carpet deodorising powders are marketed as a fast and effective way to eliminate odours lurking in carpets. However, the reality is that as fresh as these fragrances smell, they can actually damage your carpet. In this article, we’ll explore how they do this.

The instructions for using carpet powder deodorisers are really straightforward.

i) Sprinkle the powder over the area that the odour is emanating from.
ii) After a few minutes vacuum the carpet to remove the powder.
iii) Enjoy your fresh smelling carpet.

The problem here is that your typical household vacuum cleaner will not be able to remove all of the carpet powder particles, and they will remain in your carpet. Whenever you walk on the carpet these powder particles will rub against the carpet fibres, wearing them down over time. So it’s a short term gain vs long-term pain situation for your carpet fibres (well, that’s what they would say if they could talk!).

Unfortunately, the damage doesn’t stop there. If you suffer from allergies or breathing problems you need to be extra careful when using these powders. The reason being they can trigger allergic reactions, such as sneezing, teary eyes, coughing and even rashes if they come into contact with skin. They have been known to cause asthma attacks in asthma sufferers, so if you are one you’ll need to be extra careful if you decide to purchase one of these products.

As I mentioned earlier, your typical household vacuum cleaner will not be able to pick up all of the powder sprinkled over the carpet. As a result, pets may come into contact with the powder and ingest it, which could lead to them getting sick. There are a number of stories where this has happened littered all over the internet.

Carpet deodorising powder only masks any smells it’s been used to treat, so you’ll have to sprinkle it down when the smell returns, constantly exposing yourself, loved ones and pets to the powder. It’s a temporary solution.

Hiring the services of a professional carpet cleaner in Milton Keynes is more expensive, but a much safer bet.

If your carpet has started to smell as a result of a spill or something else, give us a call, we may be able to help. Let our professionals do the job so you don’t inadvertently cause more problems, such as carpet shrinkage from overwetting it. We’re waiting for your call!