What are the advantages of your process over other processes?
Answer:
The process we use is steam cleaning. Our system is a truck mounted steam cleaning system which has many advantages over other processes. This is the type of cleaning that 94% of carpet cleaners in the U.S. use because it is the most powerful, flushes out the most soilage, and leaves the least detergent residue behind. There are cleaning methods still used in this industry that will leave as much as 80% more residue than truck mounted steam cleaning. Using any method which leaves high amounts of residue behind will always cause a premature resoiling situation. These residues also may cause premature color loss to the dye sites of today’s textiles.
MR.K’S Carpet Service is using the safest and most up to date techniques to insure that our customers will be satisfied and feel secure that their carpets and furnishings will look great and last long into the future.
Answer:
The process we use is steam cleaning. Our system is a truck mounted steam cleaning system which has many advantages over other processes. This is the type of cleaning that 94% of carpet cleaners in the U.S. use because it is the most powerful, flushes out the most soilage, and leaves the least detergent residue behind. There are cleaning methods still used in this industry that will leave as much as 80% more residue than truck mounted steam cleaning. Using any method which leaves high amounts of residue behind will always cause a premature resoiling situation. These residues also may cause premature color loss to the dye sites of today’s textiles.
MR.K’S Carpet Service is using the safest and most up to date techniques to insure that our customers will be satisfied and feel secure that their carpets and furnishings will look great and last long into the future.
How long will it take for my carpets to dry?
Answer:
Depending on the type of carpet you have synthetic fiber vs. wool etc. and also depending on pile height; your carpet will more than likely take about 12 to 24 hours to dry.
Answer:
Depending on the type of carpet you have synthetic fiber vs. wool etc. and also depending on pile height; your carpet will more than likely take about 12 to 24 hours to dry.
How long do I have to wait before I can walk on the carpet?
Answer:
Depending on the type of carpet you have synthetic fiber vs. wool etc. and also depending on pile height; your carpet will more than likely take about 12 to 24 hours to dry. During this time it is perfectly fine for you to walk on the carpet. The main thing is that you only walk on the freshly cleaned carpet with clean feet until it has thoroughly dried. It is best for the first 24 hours to go bare footed, slippers, or shoes that you are sure have a clean sole. Keep in mind that if you took a dirty shoe and brushed a wet rag across the shoe the dirt from the shoe would transfer in to the rag. The same thing will happen to your carpet until it dries.
Another thing to keep in mind after your carpet has been cleaned. When we are done moving furniture around we replace it and place clear plastic protectors under the furniture legs, or blue high density blocks under the bottom of solid based furnishings. If these furnishings are slightly out of place please wait 24 hours before removing these protectors and rearranging any furniture.
Answer:
Depending on the type of carpet you have synthetic fiber vs. wool etc. and also depending on pile height; your carpet will more than likely take about 12 to 24 hours to dry. During this time it is perfectly fine for you to walk on the carpet. The main thing is that you only walk on the freshly cleaned carpet with clean feet until it has thoroughly dried. It is best for the first 24 hours to go bare footed, slippers, or shoes that you are sure have a clean sole. Keep in mind that if you took a dirty shoe and brushed a wet rag across the shoe the dirt from the shoe would transfer in to the rag. The same thing will happen to your carpet until it dries.
Another thing to keep in mind after your carpet has been cleaned. When we are done moving furniture around we replace it and place clear plastic protectors under the furniture legs, or blue high density blocks under the bottom of solid based furnishings. If these furnishings are slightly out of place please wait 24 hours before removing these protectors and rearranging any furniture.
Some companies state that they steam clean and it only takes 1 hour to dry. Why does it take longer with your process.
Answer:
The fact is that it doesn’t really take longer to dry with our process as we are actually using the same process. The difference is more than likely in the method of cleaning.
First: when a customer calls Mr. K’s Carpet Service we presume that their main priority is to get their carpet, & furnishings clean. When we service our customers that is our first priority, and we would like to think we are both on the same page.
Second: The power and efficiency of a truck mounted steam cleaning machine makes it possible for a cleaner to take 1 or 2 passes of the wand over the carpet and have quite a noticeable improvement. Unfortunately this is what too many cleaners accept as a satisfactory end product in order to save themselves time, which is really at your expense. By only taking 1 or 2 strokes over the carpet it will more than likely be dry in 1 to 2 hours, but after drying may also not look much better than when they started. The staff at Mr. K’s Carpet Service has all been trained in house and conforms to all Industry Accepted Practices (IAP). The owner of Mr. K’s Carpet Service – James Knowles who is responsible for all in house training has been trained in the following IICRC courses, Carpet Cleaning, Upholstery Cleaning, Leather Cleaning, Color Restoration (Spot Dyeing), Flood Damage Restoration, and Mold Remediation. Our staff all strictly adhere to the procedures trained here that will produce an end product that meets our standards. One of these strict procedures trained here is to use an I stroke instead of the most commonly used W stroke. An I stroke makes better use of the heat generated (which equals BTUs or Energy) by your equipment while a W stroke relies on dwell time of the first stroke before coming back with the 2nd and many times final stroke. As stated earlier our main criteria is to get your carpet clean, and if that means in high traffic areas going over the carpet with 10 or 15 or as many strokes as needed to do the job, as well as the use of traffic lane pre-conditioners at no extra charge to you, that’s what we do. Our feeling here at Mr. K’S Carpet Service is that on average you clean your carpets once a year and your main concern should be that they come clean. If that means that for that one day the carpets are a little damp for as much as 24 hours that is better than having them look like nothing was ever done two days later.
Third: We want to make perfectly clear that In Our Case drying time is not a reflection of inferior or ill maintained equipment; it is our method and high standards. Again our main criteria is to get your carpets clean, we consider drying time to be secondary. The equipment we use is extremely powerful, powered by Nissan automotive engines with the ability to pull 15” hg (15 inches of mercury), and air flow between 450 cfm to 830 cfm (cubic feet per minute) depending upon machines used & RPM (revolutions per minute) settings. Below you will see photos of some of our machines that are used for cleaning.
Answer:
The fact is that it doesn’t really take longer to dry with our process as we are actually using the same process. The difference is more than likely in the method of cleaning.
First: when a customer calls Mr. K’s Carpet Service we presume that their main priority is to get their carpet, & furnishings clean. When we service our customers that is our first priority, and we would like to think we are both on the same page.
Second: The power and efficiency of a truck mounted steam cleaning machine makes it possible for a cleaner to take 1 or 2 passes of the wand over the carpet and have quite a noticeable improvement. Unfortunately this is what too many cleaners accept as a satisfactory end product in order to save themselves time, which is really at your expense. By only taking 1 or 2 strokes over the carpet it will more than likely be dry in 1 to 2 hours, but after drying may also not look much better than when they started. The staff at Mr. K’s Carpet Service has all been trained in house and conforms to all Industry Accepted Practices (IAP). The owner of Mr. K’s Carpet Service – James Knowles who is responsible for all in house training has been trained in the following IICRC courses, Carpet Cleaning, Upholstery Cleaning, Leather Cleaning, Color Restoration (Spot Dyeing), Flood Damage Restoration, and Mold Remediation. Our staff all strictly adhere to the procedures trained here that will produce an end product that meets our standards. One of these strict procedures trained here is to use an I stroke instead of the most commonly used W stroke. An I stroke makes better use of the heat generated (which equals BTUs or Energy) by your equipment while a W stroke relies on dwell time of the first stroke before coming back with the 2nd and many times final stroke. As stated earlier our main criteria is to get your carpet clean, and if that means in high traffic areas going over the carpet with 10 or 15 or as many strokes as needed to do the job, as well as the use of traffic lane pre-conditioners at no extra charge to you, that’s what we do. Our feeling here at Mr. K’S Carpet Service is that on average you clean your carpets once a year and your main concern should be that they come clean. If that means that for that one day the carpets are a little damp for as much as 24 hours that is better than having them look like nothing was ever done two days later.
Third: We want to make perfectly clear that In Our Case drying time is not a reflection of inferior or ill maintained equipment; it is our method and high standards. Again our main criteria is to get your carpets clean, we consider drying time to be secondary. The equipment we use is extremely powerful, powered by Nissan automotive engines with the ability to pull 15” hg (15 inches of mercury), and air flow between 450 cfm to 830 cfm (cubic feet per minute) depending upon machines used & RPM (revolutions per minute) settings. Below you will see photos of some of our machines that are used for cleaning.
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 |
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| 450 cfm/15″ hg | 830 cfm/15″ hg |
Why do some stains always seem to reappear?
Answer:
There are a few reasons for spots that seem to magically reappear. First of all these are commonly known as spots not stains. Stains are permanent, these are the things that cleaning won’t remove. On the other hand spots do clean out but some reappear due to invisible to the eye soil attracting contaminants that may not be possible to remove with cleaning. Common contaminants of this nature are cationic detergents, salt crystallizations from urine deposits, and sugar crystallization from soda & juice spills. All of these type contaminants don’t show when the carpet is cleaned but as soon as humidity is present they act as hydroponics absorbing moisture from the air and creating a tacky surface on top of the carpet where they are wicking the moisture from. This tacky surface now starts to re-attract soil much faster than the surrounding areas not contaminated and the spot starts to reappear. While detergent residues can be eliminated over time, in many cases it takes numerous attempts with an acid based rinsing agent. If you have a couple such spots you need to eliminate you can attempt it yourself by moistening the area with a ½ & ½ solution of white vinegar & water and blot dry with a paper towel. White vinegar is acid based with a 5.5 PH.
Crystallization problems are not as easy, in fact for the most part they are almost permanent. While the heat of cleaning will remove approx 90 to 95% of the crystallization 5 to 10% is the part that becomes etched into the fiber and is not removable. This crystallization also with the introduction of humidity absorbs moisture from the air and creates a tacky surface on top of the carpet where the moisture is wicking from. Again the carpet starts to re-attract soil much faster than the surrounding areas not contaminated and the spot starts to reappear.
Answer:
There are a few reasons for spots that seem to magically reappear. First of all these are commonly known as spots not stains. Stains are permanent, these are the things that cleaning won’t remove. On the other hand spots do clean out but some reappear due to invisible to the eye soil attracting contaminants that may not be possible to remove with cleaning. Common contaminants of this nature are cationic detergents, salt crystallizations from urine deposits, and sugar crystallization from soda & juice spills. All of these type contaminants don’t show when the carpet is cleaned but as soon as humidity is present they act as hydroponics absorbing moisture from the air and creating a tacky surface on top of the carpet where they are wicking the moisture from. This tacky surface now starts to re-attract soil much faster than the surrounding areas not contaminated and the spot starts to reappear. While detergent residues can be eliminated over time, in many cases it takes numerous attempts with an acid based rinsing agent. If you have a couple such spots you need to eliminate you can attempt it yourself by moistening the area with a ½ & ½ solution of white vinegar & water and blot dry with a paper towel. White vinegar is acid based with a 5.5 PH.
Crystallization problems are not as easy, in fact for the most part they are almost permanent. While the heat of cleaning will remove approx 90 to 95% of the crystallization 5 to 10% is the part that becomes etched into the fiber and is not removable. This crystallization also with the introduction of humidity absorbs moisture from the air and creates a tacky surface on top of the carpet where the moisture is wicking from. Again the carpet starts to re-attract soil much faster than the surrounding areas not contaminated and the spot starts to reappear.
Do carpets really get dirty faster after having them cleaned for the first time?
Answer:
This was a common reality years ago before technological advancements that have taken place in both equipment and chemistry. Before steam cleaning was the standard, many cleaners used Shampoo, Dry Foam, or Bonnet cleaning methods. All of these methods use a high concentrate of detergent to water ratio that is metered directly to the carpet. All three of these methods also range between 1% to 15% recovery rates of solution used. Bottom line most of the soil is still in the carpet as well as the addition of detergent residues. These detergent contaminants don’t show when the carpet is cleaned but as soon as humidity is present they act as hydroponics absorbing moisture from the air and creating a tacky surface on top of the carpet. This in conjunction with the soil that was never removed in the first place creates a rapid re-soiling condition.
Today 94% of all cleaners in the US are using steam or hot water extraction cleaning. One of the major advantages of these 2 methods is that they use very low concentrate of detergent to water ratio. With Steam Cleaning the recovery rate is between 90% to 95% and Hot water Extraction 50% to 55%, this is due to the ability to recover more of a vapor than a liquid. The higher recovery rates of these methods translate to greater soil removal. With these methods you move enough detergent through the fiber to achieve a high cleaning standard while always moving the solution metered directly to the carpet in a very dilute state. With extremely low levels of detergent residues and higher recovery rates, the carpet doesn’t re-attract soil at the same rate.
After cleaning carpets re-soiling rates can also be brought back to near original by re-applying a protective coating to the carpet. Carpets cleaned with a low residue cleaning method also experience better protective coating results as the coating is being applied to clean fiber instead of applied to detergent residues adhered to the fiber.
There is another reason why some carpets will re-soil faster than original, even if they have been cleaned with a low residue cleaning method. This is known as big glass – little glass theory. If you have a 20oz and a 10oz glass and you put 10oz of a liquid in both glasses. One glass is full and one is ½ full. If you have a carpet that is new vs. a carpet that is ½ worn out, the same amount of soil in both carpets will fill the fiber of one and only ½ fill the fiber of the other. The carpet that is full or has reached its soil equilibrium shows dirt earlier.
Answer:
This was a common reality years ago before technological advancements that have taken place in both equipment and chemistry. Before steam cleaning was the standard, many cleaners used Shampoo, Dry Foam, or Bonnet cleaning methods. All of these methods use a high concentrate of detergent to water ratio that is metered directly to the carpet. All three of these methods also range between 1% to 15% recovery rates of solution used. Bottom line most of the soil is still in the carpet as well as the addition of detergent residues. These detergent contaminants don’t show when the carpet is cleaned but as soon as humidity is present they act as hydroponics absorbing moisture from the air and creating a tacky surface on top of the carpet. This in conjunction with the soil that was never removed in the first place creates a rapid re-soiling condition.
Today 94% of all cleaners in the US are using steam or hot water extraction cleaning. One of the major advantages of these 2 methods is that they use very low concentrate of detergent to water ratio. With Steam Cleaning the recovery rate is between 90% to 95% and Hot water Extraction 50% to 55%, this is due to the ability to recover more of a vapor than a liquid. The higher recovery rates of these methods translate to greater soil removal. With these methods you move enough detergent through the fiber to achieve a high cleaning standard while always moving the solution metered directly to the carpet in a very dilute state. With extremely low levels of detergent residues and higher recovery rates, the carpet doesn’t re-attract soil at the same rate.
After cleaning carpets re-soiling rates can also be brought back to near original by re-applying a protective coating to the carpet. Carpets cleaned with a low residue cleaning method also experience better protective coating results as the coating is being applied to clean fiber instead of applied to detergent residues adhered to the fiber.
There is another reason why some carpets will re-soil faster than original, even if they have been cleaned with a low residue cleaning method. This is known as big glass – little glass theory. If you have a 20oz and a 10oz glass and you put 10oz of a liquid in both glasses. One glass is full and one is ½ full. If you have a carpet that is new vs. a carpet that is ½ worn out, the same amount of soil in both carpets will fill the fiber of one and only ½ fill the fiber of the other. The carpet that is full or has reached its soil equilibrium shows dirt earlier.
Do protective coatings really work?
Answer:
Todays protective coatings have become quite complex and work fantastic on stain release as well as pre-stain release, and natural fiber textiles. They retard against dry soil, water based, oil based, fatty acid, and protein based (food) contaminants. They also help retard against acid dye stains. They have a Fluoropolymer make up to resist most above mentioned contaminants and contain sulfinated aromatic aldehydes to work as invisible dyes to keep dye sites full so as not to attract acid dyes (food coloring).
If you re-apply these coatings to your textiles after cleaning you can expect them to remain clean much longer and have the piece of mind that most of the spots that were removable after the first cleaning will also be removable the next cleaning. Without it “Good Luck”!
Answer:
Todays protective coatings have become quite complex and work fantastic on stain release as well as pre-stain release, and natural fiber textiles. They retard against dry soil, water based, oil based, fatty acid, and protein based (food) contaminants. They also help retard against acid dye stains. They have a Fluoropolymer make up to resist most above mentioned contaminants and contain sulfinated aromatic aldehydes to work as invisible dyes to keep dye sites full so as not to attract acid dyes (food coloring).
If you re-apply these coatings to your textiles after cleaning you can expect them to remain clean much longer and have the piece of mind that most of the spots that were removable after the first cleaning will also be removable the next cleaning. Without it “Good Luck”!
Why can’t you clean for $9.00 per room like some of the other companies I see advertised?
Answer:
This is just a simple matter of mathematics. We can’t afford to clean for $9.00 per room and either can they, in fact they never intended to in the first place. What they are doing is commonly known as bait and switch advertising. They have a lot of hidden charges that will be added on as a necessity in order to achieve a satisfactory job. The end result is a much higher price than advertised to get the carpets clean, which is what you were interested in getting. The problem is the advertised price is usually for wetting your carpets not cleaning them. Common hidden fees from bait and switch advertisers are extra charge for detergent, extra charge for traffic lane pre-conditioner, extra charge for movement of furniture, extra charge for 2 step process (due to an ineffective process period), and sometimes an extra charge for mileage to get to the house. How do you do the math on this one?
Now let’s do some real math. Let’s say Mr. K’s Carpet Service shows up in your driveway with a van full of equipment that has a total value in excess of $100,000 not to mention fuel and insurance. The technician at your door on average is paid approx $25.00 per hour. You are going to have a living room, dining room, and hallway done and we have a cleaning special that applies to this area. Our price is $175.00 for the cleaning. If the carpet is extra dirty and we need to use a traffic lane pre-conditioner there is no extra charge for this. If you decide you want to have us apply a protective coating to the carpet which we strongly recommend if the carpet is of value to you. The price for this would be $50.00 based on 2½ rooms @ $20.00 per room. Now: to do this job to our standards should take approximately 2 hours. If we do the math without figuring in any costs for fuel, cleaning products, insurance, advertising, office staff, wear and tear and maintenance on equipment, it adds up to a profit of $175.00 for this job at 2 hours of the companies time. The reality is when you do add in all those other factors including travel time the profit is really more like $110.00 for 2½ hours of the company’s time.
Now let’s do reverse math for our competitor. They say they will do this job 2½ areas @ $9.00 per room = $22.50. If the job is going to be comparable it will take them 2 hours as it did us. So this company is now making $11.25 per hour before paying their employee and all other expenses. Can this possibly add up! Be very careful with these $9.00 per room guys, if you let them clean your carpets it is likely they will give you quite a different math lesson.
Answer:
This is just a simple matter of mathematics. We can’t afford to clean for $9.00 per room and either can they, in fact they never intended to in the first place. What they are doing is commonly known as bait and switch advertising. They have a lot of hidden charges that will be added on as a necessity in order to achieve a satisfactory job. The end result is a much higher price than advertised to get the carpets clean, which is what you were interested in getting. The problem is the advertised price is usually for wetting your carpets not cleaning them. Common hidden fees from bait and switch advertisers are extra charge for detergent, extra charge for traffic lane pre-conditioner, extra charge for movement of furniture, extra charge for 2 step process (due to an ineffective process period), and sometimes an extra charge for mileage to get to the house. How do you do the math on this one?
Now let’s do some real math. Let’s say Mr. K’s Carpet Service shows up in your driveway with a van full of equipment that has a total value in excess of $100,000 not to mention fuel and insurance. The technician at your door on average is paid approx $25.00 per hour. You are going to have a living room, dining room, and hallway done and we have a cleaning special that applies to this area. Our price is $175.00 for the cleaning. If the carpet is extra dirty and we need to use a traffic lane pre-conditioner there is no extra charge for this. If you decide you want to have us apply a protective coating to the carpet which we strongly recommend if the carpet is of value to you. The price for this would be $50.00 based on 2½ rooms @ $20.00 per room. Now: to do this job to our standards should take approximately 2 hours. If we do the math without figuring in any costs for fuel, cleaning products, insurance, advertising, office staff, wear and tear and maintenance on equipment, it adds up to a profit of $175.00 for this job at 2 hours of the companies time. The reality is when you do add in all those other factors including travel time the profit is really more like $110.00 for 2½ hours of the company’s time.
Now let’s do reverse math for our competitor. They say they will do this job 2½ areas @ $9.00 per room = $22.50. If the job is going to be comparable it will take them 2 hours as it did us. So this company is now making $11.25 per hour before paying their employee and all other expenses. Can this possibly add up! Be very careful with these $9.00 per room guys, if you let them clean your carpets it is likely they will give you quite a different math lesson.
Why do I get black lines around the perimeter of the room?
Answer:
These are called air filtration lines. These lines form due to soot escaping heating systems in the colder months of the year. When this warm air escapes it rises in the dwelling. Some of this air is attracted to walls, curtains and furnishings and clings until excessive upon which it falls down the wall and accumulates at the edges of the room and around perimeters of furniture. Some of this air takes the fast route to higher altitude. It finds draft channels inside walls and as the warm air climbs to the upper parts of the building until with no where to go it escapes between wall and floor cavities. Where the air escapes is the same place the rug is tucked between the wall and the tactless. As the air escapes it sifts past the carpet fibers and the fibers of the rug act as an air filter. The air that rises is filtered clean and the contaminants that were in the air are left behind in the carpet fibers. The accumulation of this soil from top and bottom create the black lines that build up around the perimeter.
Answer:
These are called air filtration lines. These lines form due to soot escaping heating systems in the colder months of the year. When this warm air escapes it rises in the dwelling. Some of this air is attracted to walls, curtains and furnishings and clings until excessive upon which it falls down the wall and accumulates at the edges of the room and around perimeters of furniture. Some of this air takes the fast route to higher altitude. It finds draft channels inside walls and as the warm air climbs to the upper parts of the building until with no where to go it escapes between wall and floor cavities. Where the air escapes is the same place the rug is tucked between the wall and the tactless. As the air escapes it sifts past the carpet fibers and the fibers of the rug act as an air filter. The air that rises is filtered clean and the contaminants that were in the air are left behind in the carpet fibers. The accumulation of this soil from top and bottom create the black lines that build up around the perimeter.
Do you move furniture?
Answer:
Our protocol is to move whatever our customers desire to have moved that is reasonable and humanly possible. What we do ask of our customers is some common courtesy. If you desire to have your dressers and tables moved we need these furnishings to be prepared. This means all breakables, lamps, books, etc. moved off top surfaces of furnishings to be moved. We make time to move furniture but we don’t have time to be house keepers as well. If you would like under the beds done, please remove all stored items from underneath bed. If you need a china cabinet moved and it’s not a piece that would require a four man crew to move, we will do it as long as it is emptied. Usually we go around a piece like this or if it has legs we go under it. Please remove all stored items from underneath. Pianos, grandfather clocks, wall units, and glass tables we do not move.
Answer:
Our protocol is to move whatever our customers desire to have moved that is reasonable and humanly possible. What we do ask of our customers is some common courtesy. If you desire to have your dressers and tables moved we need these furnishings to be prepared. This means all breakables, lamps, books, etc. moved off top surfaces of furnishings to be moved. We make time to move furniture but we don’t have time to be house keepers as well. If you would like under the beds done, please remove all stored items from underneath bed. If you need a china cabinet moved and it’s not a piece that would require a four man crew to move, we will do it as long as it is emptied. Usually we go around a piece like this or if it has legs we go under it. Please remove all stored items from underneath. Pianos, grandfather clocks, wall units, and glass tables we do not move.
