Carpet Cleaning Tips for Pet Owners
Carpet stains can be frustrating and unsightly, especially if they are not promptly addressed. Different types of carpet stains require different kinds of carpet stain removers. Choosing the right carpet stain remover can make the difference between a successful and unsuccessful attempt at removing the stain. Types of Carpet Stain Removers When looking for a carpet stain remover, it is essential to consider the type of stain and the type of carpet. Certain carpet types, such as wool or silk, require specialized care and cleaning solutions. Using the wrong type of stain remover on these carpets can cause damage or discoloration. Solvent-Based Cleaners One type of carpet stain remover is a solvent-based cleaner. Solvent-based cleaners work by dissolving the stain and lifting it from the carpet fibers. These cleaners are often used for oily stains, such as grease or makeup. However, they can be harsh and should be used with caution on delicate or natural fiber carpets. Enzyme Cleaners Another type of carpet stain remover is an enzyme cleaner. Enzyme cleaners work by breaking down the organic compounds that cause the stain. These cleaners are effective on pet stains, such as urine or feces. They are also safe to use on most types of carpets, including wool and silk. Oxygen-Based Cleaners A third type of carpet stain remover is an oxygen-based cleaner. Oxygen-based cleaners work by using oxygenated bubbles to lift the stain from the carpet fibers. These cleaners are effective on a variety of stains, including coffee, tea, and red wine. They are also safe to use on most types of carpets, including wool and silk. Choosing a Stain Remover When choosing a carpet stain remover, it is essential to follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully. Applying too much of the cleaner or leaving it on for too long can damage the carpet fibers or cause discoloration. It is also important to test the cleaner in an inconspicuous area before applying it to the stain. DIY Spot Cleaning and Professional Carpet Cleaning In addition to using a carpet stain remover, there are also several steps that can be taken to prevent stains from occurring in the first place. Regular vacuuming can help remove dirt and debris that can lead to stains. Using entrance mats can help trap dirt and moisture before it reaches the carpet. Spills should be promptly cleaned up with a clean cloth or paper towel and remember to have your carpets professionally cleaned every 12-18 months to ensure longevity. A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning uses a powerful truck-mounted steam cleaning system to remove tough stains and odors, including gum, tar, rust and pet stains and odors. After cleaning, your carpets are groomed for a “new look” and can be protected with a Dupont Teflon carpet protector. For regular home maintenance, A Personal Touch offers carpet spotters and groomers for sale. Choosing the right carpet stain remover can make a significant difference in the success of removing a stain from your carpet. Taking preventative measures, such as regular vacuuming and promptly cleaning up spills, can help keep carpets looking their best. Call us today at 720.344.2870 or use our online contact form for any questions you may have or to receive your FREE quote. Remember at A Personal Touch, we don’t cut corners, we clean them! As a pet owner, you know that your furry friends are more than just animals—they’re members of the family! However, with all the joy and love they bring, they also leave behind a fair share of messes, especially on carpets. From muddy paw prints to accidents and shedding, carpets can take a beating when you have pets. But don’t worry, there are plenty of carpet cleaning tips for pet owners that can help you keep your floors looking and smelling fresh. Vacuum regularly One of the most important things you can do to keep your carpets clean is to vacuum regularly. This will help remove dirt, hair, and other debris that can get ground into the fibers of your carpet. Make sure to vacuum at least once a week, and more frequently if you have shedding pets or heavy traffic areas. Use a vacuum with a HEPA filter to capture allergens and pet dander. Spot clean accidents immediately Accidents happen, especially with young or aging pets. If your pet has an accident on the carpet, it’s important to clean it up immediately to prevent staining and odors. Blot up as much of the urine or feces as possible with a clean towel or paper towels. Then, use a pet stain remover specifically designed for carpets to treat the affected area. Follow the instructions carefully, and make sure to test the product on a small, inconspicuous area first. Use a professional carpet cleaner Even with regular vacuuming and spot cleaning, carpets can still get dirty over time. It’s a good idea to have your carpets professionally cleaned at least once a year, and more frequently if you have pets. A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning has the equipment and expertise to deep clean your carpets and remove embedded dirt and odors. Look for a cleaner that uses pet-friendly, non-toxic products and has experience working with pet owners. Protect your carpets with a stain-resistant treatment One way to make carpet cleaning easier is to have your carpets treated with a stain-resistant product. These treatments create a barrier that repels spills and stains, making them easier to clean up. Some carpet manufacturers offer stain-resistant treatments, or you can have A Personal Touch professionally apply one for you. Keep in mind that these treatments are not foolproof, and you will still need to clean up spills and accidents promptly. Groom your pets regularly Regular grooming can help reduce shedding and prevent dirt and debris from getting tracked into your home. Brush your pets regularly to remove loose hair, and bathe them as needed to keep their fur clean and fresh. You can also use pet wipes or a damp cloth to wipe down their paws and fur after they’ve been outside. Consider area rugs or carpet tiles If you’re
Have Pets? You Can Still Keep Your Carpets Clean
It’s certainly true that owning a pet requires some extra work in terms of cleaning, but this is far outweighed by all of the awesomeness that comes with having a four-legged (or two-winged) friend in your life. Just stick with these tips provided by A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning, a leading professional carpet cleaning company serving Littleton, and your carpet will always look sharp. Keep Those Paws Dry No doubt the number one way that pets can dirty a carpet is by tracking in mud and dirt from outside. That’s why our nearby carpet cleaners recommend keeping a towel or two near the front door and the door to your backyard. You’ll probably get some resistance at first, but before long your pet will consider it no big deal. Plus, it’s definitely worth the effort when you consider that dirty paw prints on your carpet can easily lead to difficult stains that embed themselves deep within the fibers. Consider Tile For Your Entryway It might seem borderline sacrilegious for a carpet cleaning company to recommend tile, but sometimes you need to go outside your comfort zone in the interest of helping your customers. Plus, we’re only talking about a small area of your home’s floor, next to a doorway and/or your pet’s entryway. And the upside is huge, considering how much easier it is to wipe away dirt from a tile floor than it is from a carpet. Moreover, in instances where your pet is especially dirty, or soaked by a sudden thunderstorm, it’s nice to have a designated area with plenty of room to clean your dog’s paws and dry its fur. Another option is to invest in an area rug or a carpet runner and use it as you designated wipe-down area. This way, if the soil build-up is too much, you can simply toss the rug/runner in the washing machine. Choose Pet-Safe Carpet Cleaner Aside from tracking in dirt and debris, accidents do happen – and it’s important to have the right kind of cleaner on-hand to remedy unintended bathroom breaks or out-of-the-blue upset stomachs. First remove whatever solids are associated with the accident, along with any excess moisture, and then apply your pet-safe carpet cleaner to the area. Wait a few minutes, wipe the area clean, and your carpet should be back to 100% in no time. Our nearby carpet cleaners are happy to recommend a few effective products, some of which work specifically for different types and sizes of pets. Hire a Professional Carpet Cleaning Company For starters, we recommend having your entire home’s carpets cleaned at least once a year or more, depending on the number of residents and pets. Even if you’re diligent about wiping your pet’s paws, promptly cleaning up accidents, and preventing pets from accessing certain rooms/furniture, a biannual professional cleaning is the best way to tie up any loose ends and ensure that any missed spots are addressed. Count On Us For A Clean Carpet Littleton and Denver homeowners trust A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning with all manner of carpet cleaning services, from pet damage and spot removal to upholstery cleaning. Contact us today for a free quote and to learn about our current service specials. Remember at A Personal Touch, “We don’t cut corners, we clean them.”
How To Protect Your Upholstery From Pets
Pets are a cherished part of the family, but many customers ask A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning for advice on pet-proofing their upholstery. This is an area of considerable experience for our professional carpet cleaners, and we think the following tips will come in handy. Buy Furniture That Uses Pet-Friendly Materials This is an ideal way for both you and your pet to enjoy the comfort of your living room sofa, and the two best materials are microfiber and leather. Microfiber offers impressive durability, while pet owners love leather because it’s easy to clean. Also, both materials are far more odor-resistant than competing alternatives. Match Your Furniture Color With Your Pet’s Unless you own a hairless cat or routinely shave your dog, you’ll probably end up with at least a minimal amount of pet hair on your furniture. Rather than fight it, why not use your pet’s color to your advantage and buy furniture of a similar color? Or at the very least, purchase blankets/throws that are of a similar hue. This will cut down on your regular cleaning, and probably keep you from tearing your own hair out. Buy a Dog Bed While there’s no guarantee that your dog will like a bed as much as the couch, it’s safe to say that most dogs will spend at least part of their time in a bed that’s just for them. Nowadays you’ll find beds with all sorts of added benefits: heated, pillowed, bolstered, orthopedic, the list goes on. If your dog really wants to be part of the action all the time, start by putting his bed in the living room so he’ll still be close to you. One he acclimates, he’ll probably seek the bed out wherever it is. But even at a bare minimum, the more time your dog hangs out in his bed, the less time he spends shedding/scratching/biting on the furniture. No Bare Wood If your dog is a chewing machine (or a puppy, as the terms are more or less interchangeable), it’s a good idea to avoid any furniture constructed from bare wood. Some dogs love laying into a naked wooden chair leg, and breaking a dog of its chewing habits can be difficult, especially if you’re out of the house a lot. Since chewing is not only harmful to your furniture but also to your pet, we recommend either crate training your dog, or spraying down your wood furniture with a repellent such as bitter apple spray. Make Certain Rooms Off-Limits This is an easy solution – just remember to close the doors of the rooms that you don’t want your dog to enter. This likely won’t apply to your living room or kitchen, but for these spaces you could use baby gates for prevention as well as training purposes. Trust Us For Your Carpet and Upholstery Needs In addition to expert upholstery cleaning services, A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning excels at spot removal, pet damage solutions, and much more. In fact, we’re so confident in our abilities that we’ll provide you with a free quote for any service you need. Contact us today and let’s get started. Remember at A Personal Touch, “We don’t cut corners, we clean them.”
How Often Should You Have Your Carpets Professionally Cleaned?
It’s one of the most common questions we get from our customers: “How often should I have my carpets professionally cleaned?” So it makes sense for A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning to cover this topic in a blog. Read on to learn how frequently you should engage the services of our professional carpet cleaners for a general cleaning. Check Your Carpet Warranty If your carpet came with a warranty and you want to keep it valid, take it out and review the fine print. Most carpet manufacturers’ warranties stipulate that the carpet should be cleaned once a year. Note: the language in the warranty might refer to a carpet cleaning/professional steam cleaning as a “hot water extraction”. If your carpet did not come with a warranty, then it’s up to you to decide how often you’d like your carpets professionally cleaned. That said, we encourage you to contact our local carpet cleaners for an onsite consultation. Here are two key areas of consideration when evaluating how frequently you should engage our services. Foot Traffic The more people who live in your house, the greater the foot traffic your carpet endures. So when thinking about getting your carpets professionally cleaned, it goes without saying that a family of two or a person living alone won’t require carpet cleaning as often as a family of six. A home with low foot traffic typically requires professionally-cleaned carpets once every two years or more, depending on the type of carpet. On the flipside, a large family should consider hiring A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning every nine months, or more frequently if there are children in the house. Running, playing, and tracking in dirt, grass, and other stuff is grounds to pay closer attention to your carpet. Pets The presence of common indoor pets such as cats and dogs in most cases necessitates that a home’s carpets be professionally cleaned every 6 – 12 months. The more pets you have and the more your pets shed, the more frequently you should have us out for cleaning. Homes that are “potty training” pets should consider having the carpets cleaned at an even faster rate, at least until the pet is housebroken. Animals shed dander and fur that nestles into the carpet and destabilizes the fibers. It’s a good idea to vacuum regularly in order to keep the dander/fur from building up. You may need to vacuum three times a week just to keep up with your pet’s shedding, which is another reason why frequent professional carpet cleanings are essential. What Happens If I Don’t Have My Carpets Professionally Cleaned? If you don’t have your carpets professionally cleaned, the soil that accrues on your carpet will settle into the fibers. The more soil that integrates with the fibers, the higher the probability that your carpet will break down well before it should. This is because the soil takes on a quality not unlike sandpaper. It grinds way at the carpet fiber until the carpet is too weak to withstand foot traffic, leading to tears and holes. Littleton Trusts A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning For decades, Littleton and Denver homeowners have enlisted our professional carpet cleaning services to keep their homes clean and healthy. Call or email us today for a quote, and be sure to ask about our service specials. Remember at A Personal Touch, “We don’t cut corners, we clean them.”
The Most Common Causes Of Carpet Damage
Everyone wants their carpet to last forever, but even the most durable products wear out eventually. Sometimes, damage can hasten the need for new carpet or carpet repair, and in this blog we look at the most common causes of carpet damage. Dirt Dirt, along with mud, grime, and general debris, is a big contributor to carpet damage. Dirt is a year-round problem, tracked in on shoes spring, summer, fall, and winter. Over time, dirt build-up will stain and discolor carpet, working its way into the fibers thanks to constant foot traffic. Ultimately, dirt is a prime reason why some carpet doesn’t last as long as it should. Spills A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning has helped a lot of customers in need of carpet and area rug repair because of a spill. Beverage spills, especially drinks with a high acid content like red wine, coffee, and soda, can permanently stain a carpet if they aren’t addressed immediately. Meanwhile, chemical spills (bleach, oil, etc.) can quickly discolor and/or damage carpet, creating a problem that can’t be fixed no matter what cleaning mixture is used. Homeowners have no choice other than to tolerate these kind of lasting stains and damage until they’re ready to install new carpet. Furniture The heavier the furniture, the more likely it is to cause long-term damage to your carpet’s back-weave and fibers. At best, a weighty dining room table will leave permanent dents in the carpet. At worst, heavy furniture will eventually bore holes in the carpet which sometimes can be remedied via patchwork or sewing. As long as the furniture remains in place, the hole is covered – but when you decide to rearrange the room or sell the house, the damage will require addressing. Foot Traffic Foot traffic is the bane of homeowners everywhere. And not matter how many times we tell people to take their shoes off, it’s certain that a carpet will endure wear and tear. How much wear and tear depends on the size of your family, the frequency with which you have guests over, etc. All shoes, even slippers, cause carpet to wear down over time: the worst culprits are dress shoes and high heels. Additionally, all of these feet/shoes track dirt, dust, and debris into your home, causing your carpet to wear out even faster. Odors The longer your carpet is exposed to a pungent odor, the greater the opportunity for the scent to work its way into your carpet. If you’ve ever been inside the home of a smoker or cat owner who doesn’t prioritize odor removal/air fresheners, you know what we’re talking about. If ignored long enough, these odors will become a permanent part of your flooring and remain as such until you replace the carpet. Pets Here we’re referring to common household pets like cats and dogs, who have a propensity for periodically scratching furiously at the carpet because of something they saw, heard, or smelled. Eventually this habit can lead to serious wear and tear, possibly resulting in rips and holes. Trust The Experts For all of your carpet repair and rug repair needs, trust A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning. Our many years of experience, coupled with our state-of-the-art cleaning tools, are a boon to homeowners throughout the Denver metro area. Call us today at (720) 344-2870 for your free quote and consultation. Remember at A Personal Touch, “We don’t cut corners, we clean them.”
The Long-Term Effect Of Pet Urine On Your Carpet
If you’re a pet owner, no doubt your cat, dog, or rabbit has had at least one accident in your living room or den. It’s important to clean these mistakes up promptly, and A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning reinforces this fact with a look at the long-term effects of pet urine on your carpet. The Smell If your pet’s accident isn’t identified quickly and treated promptly, the pervading smell of urine will no doubt alert you to the fact that an accident has occurred. In fact, at some point the odor will permeate your entire home and adversely affect your family’s comfort and health, not to mention their overall mood. What causes the smell to grow so strong and so noxious? Many people think of urine as purely a liquid substance, but the fact it is that when it dries it leaves behind a solid residue. This residue is a concentrated form of the original urine, and when it’s contacted by moisture it releases the pungent, unmistakable scent of urine. So sensitive to moisture is this residue that even a humid day is enough to trigger the smell. Also, if your pet isn’t properly housebroken or the affected area isn’t treated, it’s likely that it will repeatedly urinate in the same area, since this is an inclination possessed by many animals. In sum, the affected area shouldn’t be considered completely safe until it’s addressed by the professional carpet cleaning services offered by our company serving Denver. Damage To Your Carpet Urine is strong stuff – so strong in fact that it can damage your carpet. Untreated pet urine can cause PH imbalances that result in a change or shift in your carpet color. The chemicals in the urine cause a change in the carpet dyes, leading a “browning” effect and/or a change in color to orange, red, or yellow. And if you have a carpet made of wool or a similar material, pet urine can actually break the bond between the dye and the fibers, causing the carpet colors to bleed. A darker color could bleed into a lighter area and for all intents and purposes ruin your carpet. Treatment When treating a pet urine stain, speed is paramount. Contact our carpet cleaning professionals immediately, and the first thing we’ll do is blot the area until all of the moisture is soaked up. Then we’ll treat the spot with a special mixture that reacts with the urine and neutralizes it. After this reaction occurs, the spot is blotted dry. We can also remedy the aforementioned “browning” problem associated with urine stains, as well as offer different cleanup solutions depending on the extent of the accident and the amount of time that has passed since it happened. Our carpet cleaners near Littleton do not recommend using DIY stain-removal products from WalMart, Target, and the like, since these products contain harmful chemicals that can permanently damage your carpet. Contact a Professional Carpet Cleaner At some point in your pet’s life, it’s likely that you’ll find pet urine on your carpet. When you do, contact A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning right away. We’ll treat the problem professionally, ensuring that your carpet is ok and that your home contains no foul odors. Call us today at 720-344-2870 or use our online contact form to schedule an appointment for expert water damage restoration near Littleton. Remember at A Personal Touch, “We don’t cut corners, we clean them.”