Protect Your Furniture: Four Expert Tips for Upholstery Cleaning
For more than 30 years, A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaners has provided expert carpet cleaning to customers in Littleton, CO and the greater Denver, CO area. We’ve successfully completed thousands of upholstery projects, so we think we’re qualified to provide our many loyal customers with expert tips for upholstery cleaning. Without further ado, here are four things you can do to ensure your upholstery looks pristine year-round. Address Stains Immediately Whenever something spills on your couch, loveseat, etc. it’s critical that you take care of it post-haste. Grab a paper towel or clean white cloth and blot (don’t rub) the spill, working from the outside to the center. Rubbing a spill could make the stain bigger, an effect known in the upholstery biz as “blossoming”. Keep blotting until the stain is completely dry. Also, be sure not to over-wet the upholstery, as this could not only enlarge the stain but also dampen the padding beneath the cover, leading to mold or mildew. Regularly Clean Your Upholstery A pinch of prevention is worth an ounce of cure, and most things can be kept looking good (upholstery, floors, your car) with regular cleanings. Every week, pull out your vacuum, engage the upholstery attachment, and vacuum your soft furnishings. Of particular use is the angle-tipped “crevice tool” – if your vacuum comes with one of these, it’s perfect for cleaning folds and creases where dirt and crud collect. We also recommend taking your cushions outside once a month and hand-beating them. This keeps dust from getting too comfortable within the cushion fibers. When you’re done, flip the cushion before putting it back – this helps maintain even wear on both sides. Invest in Extra Protection Home furnishings often constitute a significant investment – and like any investment, you want to keep it well-protected. To this end, consider buying and applying a professional-grade upholstery protector. These products don’t guarantee 100 percent protection, but they will drastically reduce the chances of permanent damage from spills and discoloration. Our upholstery cleaning experts are happy to provide you with a quote for this service, and talk further with you about the cleaning products we recommend. Treat Your Upholstery to a Deep Clean Just like your body benefits from a yearly massage, your upholstery will benefit from a yearly deep-cleaning treatment. If your cushion covers are removable and machine-washable, throw them in the washing machine and put the water setting on cold. To prevent fading, turn the covers inside-out before washing. If your covers are “dry-clean only”, or are particularly dusty/dirty, we recommend having them professionally cleaned. This is the best way to ensure everything is cleaned thoroughly and correctly, especially when dealing with big spills that may be even larger in the padding beneath the cover. A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaners brings a friendly, knowledgeable approach to upholstery cleaning near Littleton, CO. No job is too big or too small, so contact us today for a free quote.
Why You Need Professional Carpet Cleaning
Your carpets make your rooms cozy and inviting. To have them do their jobs, you need to give them proper care. Professional cleaning is part of that care to keep your carpets in good shape. A few of the reasons to go with a professional when it’s time to get your home’s carpets cleaned: 1. Professional cleaning gets carpets cleaner. At all times of year in Colorado, it is easy to bring dirt and grime into your home that gets ground down into your carpets. Animals shed and leave behind allergenic dander. Pollen flows inside and finds its way down into your rugs. Vacuum cleaning alone is not enough to get your carpets thoroughly clean. 2. Proper cleaning extends the life of your carpets. Although you can’t see it with the naked eye, those dirt and dust particles that fall into your carpet are sharp. When you walk on them, they rub against the fibers of your carpet, causing wear. Over time, this can seriously impact the appearance of the carpets in your home. By getting professional cleaning done, you can ensure that this deep down grime is removed and your carpets are subject to less wear. 3. Professionals have access to tools that you don’t. While you can rent steam cleaners at the hardware store, they are nowhere near as powerful as the equipment that a company doing professional carpet cleaning will have access to. They have steam cleaners that are more powerful and easier to use in your home than the ones that you can rent on your own. They have tools like the Rug Badger, which can remove dirt, stains and allergens more effectively. 4. Professional carpet cleaners have the skill to do the job right. Experts recommend that you carpet cleaning done at least once a year. This means that, if you are doing it yourself, it is not a job that you do often. The people who do this day in and day out have the experience to care for all kinds of carpet styles. They can remove stains and dramatically improve the appearance of the carpets in your home. When was the last time you had carpet cleaning? If you are in Littleton, Parker, Castle Rock or the surrounding areas, please consider A Personal Touch for your carpet cleaning needs. Call us today at 720.344.2870 or use our online contact form to request your free estimate. Remember at A Personal Touch, “We don’t cut corners, we clean them.”
Pet Stain and Odors Most Frequent Reason for Calls
We love our pets but it can be difficult to clean up when they create stains and odors on our carpets or upholstery! Quick action is necessary when dealing with pet stains and odors because the longer they sit, the harder they can be to get rid of! However, nearly every pet damage situation can be handled without any lasting effects with these tips and tricks and a professional cleaning at least once per year! Phil Dreessen, Owner of A Personal Touch, says “Pet stains and odors rank right up there with the most frequent reasons people call us and we have seen it all. The important thing to remember is that with quick action even the most valuable carpets, rugs and upholstery can be restored to their intended beauty and value, with stains and odors removed.” To help eliminate pet odors or stains in your carpet, the stains must be removed entirely or neutralized from the carpet and in some cases, the underside of the carpet and the carpet padding or even the subfloor. Pet odor paint such as Kilz can help “seal” damaged subfloor and help prevent new pet “accidents” from causing more damage. If the pet stain isn’t severe and is caught early, it can be successfully cleaned with white vinegar and baking soda and this mixture is safe for your pets! Mix the white vinegar and baking soda together into a paste then work it into the stain with an old toothbrush, cleaning as deeply as possible. Once the paste dries then you can vacuum it up. Stubborn stains make take more than one treatment. White vinegar is also a natural odor neutralizer and will handle almost all cases of pet odor. A Personal Touch recommends using a black light to locate pet odors that cannot be seen. Once the pet urine dries, it crystallizes and these crystals must be eliminated to get rid of the odor. To locate the site of such problems, use a black light in a darkened room as urine and urine crystals will glow in that light. Severe or long-term pet stains and odor almost always has to be dealt with by a professional. We use deep-cleaning steam cleaners and enzyme-based odor eliminator products, and we know from vast experience which ones work best. We are also experts at pulling up carpeting, replacing the pad, and repairing and restoring stained fabric. If the pet odor problem is long-standing, a full remediation may also require replacing the sub flooring (wood or concrete), removing and replacing tainted wall trim, and perhaps cutting and replacing wall boards and repainting, all services we perform. In some extreme cases the carpeting may need to be replaced, however the area still needs professional treatment because once the odor-causing crystals have soaked into the area around the carpet, simply replacing the carpet will do nothing to permanently eliminating pet odors. After cleaning by a professional, carpets and fine upholstered furniture should be regularly vacuumed and prompt action on pet stains and odors will help ensure they last the 20 to 25 years they were intended for. For more information please call 720-344-2870. A Personal Touch offers of full range of carpet cleaning and restoration services, and we also clean air ducts, tile and grout, and we have mastered the art of bedbug eradication as well. Remember, quick action in cleaning pet stains and odors protects your carpet and furniture investment. Relying on an expert will ensure the carpets and upholstery in your home receives the care and maintenance it deserves. Call us today at 720-344-2870 or use our online contact form to request your free estimate. Remember at A Personal Touch, “We don’t cut corners, we clean them.”
Protect Your Furniture Investment with Regular Cleaning
Aside from your home or your car, buying furniture may be one of the biggest investments you’ll make. You’ve found the perfect furniture for your home and invested the money to buy quality furniture, but that’s only one part of the equation. The other? Cleaning the upholstery on your furniture to help safeguard your investment and keep your furniture looking beautiful for years to come. Fabric / Upholstery Types Whether you’ve bought a new piece of furniture or you’re having an existing piece of furniture reupholstered, it’s important to consider fabric type and the amount of usage it will receive. For example, if you have small children or pets, it’s probably not a great idea to select a brocade or other richly decorated fabric as they are likely to wear with heavy use. It’s a much better bet to select a tightly woven fabric that will withstand the dust, grime, and friction of daily use. For well-used furniture such as loveseats and couches, it’s also a good idea to add a stain-resistant treatment to the fabric. While this treatment won’t make the pieces waterproof, it can help increase the longevity and beauty of the furniture. Furniture Care It’s important to clean or wipe up any spills or stains as soon as they occur. It’s much easier to remove a stain if you can get it as it occurs. Vacuuming your furniture and upholstery once per week will help prevent dirt and grime from building up between the fibers of the fabric, and can help extend the life of your upholstery. Turning the cushions on your couch once a week will help them retain their shape and wear evenly. You should also keep your upholstered furniture out of direct sunlight as the the ultraviolet rays from the sun can fade the colors of your furniture and cause the fabric to deteriorate prematurely. Professional Furniture Maintenance The final piece to safeguarding the investment you make in your upholstered furniture is to make sure to have it professionally cleaned once each year. Although it may be tempting to try upholstery cleaning yourself, resist the urge. Fabrics are generally labeled with “cleanability codes,” namely W, S, WS, and X. These codes relay information about the type of cleaning products that can be used on the fabric. However, if your sofa is covered in a microfiber fabric or leather then you should leave maintenance and cleaning to a microfiber sofa cleaning or leather furniture cleaning expert. We Are Your Expert Furniture Cleaners A Personal Touch prides itself on our upholstery cleaning services and network of furniture cleaning experts who will provide you with quality, affordable upholstery furniture cleaning. When you schedule an appointment for upholstery cleaning, you can expect one of our friendly Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) trained technicians will come to your home and inspect your furniture for potentially permanent stains or damage. We will typically vacuum the upholstery first then will perform the upholstery cleaning according to the fabric care specifications, and perhaps even speed drying time with a blow dryer. At the end of the process, our technician will talk to you about the cleaning and allow you to inspect their work. Remember, upholstery furniture cleaning helps preserve your investment. Relying on an expert will ensure that the upholstery in your home receives the care and maintenance it deserves. Call us today at 720-344-2870 or use our online contact form to request your free estimate. Remember at A Personal Touch, “We don’t cut corners, we clean them.”
Pet damage ranks high in service calls for professional carpet/upholstery cleaners
LITTLETON, CO – A friend of ours has a new puppy – golden lab mix – who is, of course, cute as a button, playful, loving, fun – and just a little bit messy. New puppies take a while to learn potty training, and then a little more time to get it right. Accidents happen – especially these days with everyone in the household working, the kids at school and that endearing puppy, or old friend grown-up dog, is left alone at home for hours at a time. Even confining the furry family member to a specific room only helps marginally – and what with all the freezing temperatures around the holidays and early January, what other choice could there be? Always among the top reasons people call A Personal Touch for services is damage, stains and odors left by our fuzzy friends. And no wonder – according to the 2011-12 National Humane Society Pet Owners Survey, there are 78.2 million dogs in America, with 39% of American households welcoming at least one dog into the family (of that number 40% have two or more dogs). And cats – yes, they are loveable too but also leave behind odors and stains – well, there are some 86.4 million of them out there, in 33% of U.S. homes, and more than half of the cat lovers have more than one. Plus, it isn’t all odors and stains from accidents that cats and dogs leave in our homes. Much as we try to dissuade them, these fluffy friskies have a well-known propensity for sleeping and otherwise lounging on the couches and chairs so sometimes it seems as though we got our furniture at a pet-factory sale. With pets, it is generally the carpets and the upholstery that take the beating when the dogs and cats have to go, get ill, or just when they lounge around leaving hair all over the place. And don’t forget that pets are not especially good at wiping their paws when eagerly coming inside from a muddy yard, and that too leaves a mark. At A Personal Touch our specialty is addressing the problems left behind by pets. Cleaning the carpets and upholstery is where we made our reputation, so there’s a never a worry that we can’t get those carpets, chairs and sofas back too pristine, company’s-coming shape in no time. Besides, a good cleaning by a professional from time to time is most often recommended by the carpet and furniture makers, and it help these expensive items last for years in beautiful shape (even if you don’t have pets!). But the real thing to worry about after some pet damage is the odor. Removing stains from the outer, visible layer is only half the job. Our highly trained technicians no how to go below what can be seen, reaching the stains and odors on the underside of carpeting, in the carpet pad and, in extreme circumstance, even the sub floor beneath. Same goes for upholstery – we work diligently, and expertly, to make sure we neutralize the pet odors in the padding. Left unattended, pet odors can linger in your home for ever – but treated quickly in the proper way no nose will ever know. A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning offers multiple pet clean-up options, including carpet cleaning, disinfecting, deodorizing, removal or repair of damaged carpet, and upholstery cleaning—the result of pets who like to get comfortable on the sofa or couch. If you have a pet – and it looks as though up to 40% of you do – give us a call at 720-344-2870 and we’ll mind their messes with expert care.
Freshen Your Home with Upholstery Cleaning By A Personal Touch
LITTLETON, CO—The holiday season is drawing to a close, and if your furniture’s upholstery is a little worse for the wear, A Personal Touch can bring those soiled fabrics back to life. Whether Uncle Bob’s eggnog toast from the living room sofa got a little too enthusiastic or the pooch followed a New Year’s firecracker explosion with one of it’s own in your favorite easy chair, a quick call to A Personal Touch will have your upholstery looking like new in a jiff. Each element is cleaned individually by IICRC-trained technicians who are experts in the proper way to clean all fabric types, from canvas, cotton, and corduroy to silks, linens, and velvet. Even delicate lace and tricky surfaces like leather are no match for our experts, each one of whom is personally chosen and trained by owner Phil Dreesen and his son Ben to assure that the company’s high standards of service and quality are met on every appointment. And we back it up with a 100% money-back guarantee. Every square inch of your upholstery is meticulously cleaned with particular attention paid to delicate and easily overlooked parts such as piping, decorative fasteners, buttons and pleats. Spills, smudges, stains and ground-in dirt are carefully and gently removed, then all your furniture is treated with soil protectors to preserve its fresh new look. Odors from pets and airborne contaminants can’t stand up to our double-edged attack of carefully selected cleaners and technicians who know how to use them. We also recommend a professional application of fabric protector to extend the life of your upholstery and keep it looking fresh between cleanings. Your home is full of upholstered furniture and pillows that are subjected to all kinds of wear and other indignities during the holidays and throughout the year. They represent a sizeable investment on your part, and regular care and cleaning will ensure that they return many years of beauty and enjoyment. Call A Personal Touch at 720.344.2870 to schedule an appointment anywhere in our Front Range service area. Or use our online contact form for any questions you may have. There is also a form on the page to request a free estimate. We’re available for emergencies, too, night or day and on weekends. You’ll be served by our courteous and knowledgeable staff that is eager to show you that our motto “We don’t cut corners, we clean them” is more than just a slogan.
Pet stains and odors on valuable carpets and furniture require quick action
A Personal Touch, serving the Denver metro are for over 30 years, is an expert in pet damage. Here are things homeowners can do with pet ‘accidents’ and tips on when to call in the professionals. DENVER, CO – Carpeting and fine upholstered furniture are among the most valuable assets in any home, but the care of them sometimes collides directly with another of any family’s most prized assets, the family pet. People love their dogs and cats and consider them a part of the family, but sometimes – as puppies or kittens, during illnesses, in response to territorial or breeding instincts, or simply when accidents happen – carpeting and upholstery is soiled or sprayed, resulting in both staining and odors that can disrupt lifestyles and have serious consequences on the costly fabrics. The key to dealing with pet stains and odors is quick action, as the longer they go unattended and continue to soak through, the harder they are to eradicate. A Personal Touch, carpet and home cleaning experts serving the Denver metro area for over 30 years, has learned through experience the best methods of addressing pet damage in homes, and offers this primer on what homeowners can do and when to seek professional help. The good news, says A Personal Touch founder Phil Dreessen, is that nearly every pet damage situation can be handled without any lasting effects. “Pet stains and odors rank right up there with the most frequent reasons people call us,” he says,” and we have seen it all. The important thing to remember is that with quick action even the most valuable carpets, rugs and upholstery can be restored to their intended beauty and value, with stains and odors removed.” The issue of pet damage in the home is a large one because Americans are so enamored with pets. According to the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association (APPMA), there are about 77 million dogs and 73 million cats in American homes, with 24% of dog owners and 51% of cat owners having two or more of their favorite furry friends. Including all pets, but of course led by dogs and cats, 62% of American households have animals. To eliminate pet odors in your carpet, stains must be removed or neutralized from the layers affected, including, in severe cases, the underside of the carpet, the carpet padding or the sub-floor. Left untreated, pet odor can become absorbed into word floors, baseboards and walls. Brand-new “accidents” can for the most part be dealt with successfully with pet odor products available at retail and rental cleaning equipment for steam cleaning. Homeowners are advised, however, to test products on an out-of-the-way portion of the carpet or furniture to make sure the cleaning product itself won’t stain or mar the fabric. A Personal Touch has discovered that most pet stains and odors, if caught early, can be addressed very successfully with white vinegar and baking soda, common household products that will in most cases outperform any retail product on the market. Mix the white vinegar and baking soda into a paste, work it into the stain with an old toothbrush, cleaning as deeply as possible, and when it dries simply vacuum it up. Pesky stains make take more than one treatment. White vinegar is also a natural odor neutralizer and will handle almost all cases of pet odor. The biggest problem is pet urine odor that can be particularly pungent and long-lasting. Once the urine dries it crystalizes and can be deeply seated in upholstery, carpets, carpet pads, sub-flooring and even walls and woodwork, and these crystals must be removed to do away with the odor. To locate the site of such problems, use a black light in a darkened room as urine and urine crystals will glow in that light. Long-term pet odor, however, almost always has to be dealt with by a professional. Regular consumer products and even home-market rental equipment for treating pet odor problems are really only meant for minor issues, and often just mask odor and clean only the surface of carpets and sofas. Pernicious pet odor problems, where the carpet backing has been stained, the sub floor inundated and where even walls and trims have been soaked, can only be addressed by a professional. Here at A Personal Touch we use deep-cleaning steam cleaners and enzyme-based odor eliminator products, and we know from vast experience which ones work best. We are also experts at pulling up carpeting, replacing the pad, and repairing and restoring stained fabric. If the pet odor problem is long-standing, a full remediation may also require replacing the sub flooring (wood or concrete), removing and replacing tainted wall trim, and perhaps cutting and replacing wall boards and repainting, all services we perform. In some extreme cases the carpeting may need to be replaced, however the area still needs professional treatment because once the odor-causing crystals have soaked into the area around the carpet, simply replacing the carpet will do nothing to permanently eliminating pet odors. Carpets and fine upholstered furniture are much too valuable in any home to be left uncared for. They should be regularly vacuumed and periodically steamed cleaned to maintain their comfort and luster, and in some cases the manufacturer’s warranty will require period professional cleaning to uphold a guarantee. Prompt action on pet stains and odors will go a long way to ensuring they last the 20 to 25 years they were intended for. We all love our pets, of course, a d sometimes it is just impossible to prevent accidents. At A Personal Touch we have discovered over the years that the occasional pet damage in most homes will be in an out-of-the-way location because, usually, grown dogs and cats understand that such behavior is misbehavior and will try and hide it. So be diligent cleaning up after your pets, and when the need arises, call A Personal Touch for expert professional care of your carpets and upholstery. For more information please call 720-344-2870.