How Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Helps Against Covid-19.

Not everything is known yet about the disease known as the Corona Virus or Covid-19.  However, of the information we do know, carpet and upholstery cleaning and sanitizing is helpful.

Here are a few of the ways:

  • Cleaning at temperatures above 140 degrees begin to kill bacteria. The higher the temperature, the higher the percentage of bacteria is killed.

  • Applying an anti-bacterial enzyme deodorizer will eat away organic bacteria.

  • Carpet and upholstery cleaning sucks up the majority of dust and other allergens from carpet, chairs, mattresses, and other fabric surfaces.

How do these help in the fight against Covid-19?

  • By killing organic bacteria through heat and live enzymes, you are less likely to get sick from those bacteria. As a result, if you do get sick from Covid-19, your body will be more equipped to focus it’s attention on The Corona Virus, instead of fighting off what you caught from your dirty carpet or upholstery.

  • It has been documented that people with other asthma and other respiratory issues are placed in the high risk category of the corona virus. By removing dust and other allergens from the carpet and upholstery, your indoor air quality is improved. As a result, asthma flare-ups and other allergy related respiratory issues are reduced as well.

Of course we cannot promise that The Corona Virus known as Covid-19 will be eliminated by carpet or upholstery cleaning.  What we are saying is that, based on what we have learned so far, a healthy body, especially the respiratory system, seems to be a big factor in how severe the effects of Covid-19 are on those that come down with it.  Both Homes and Businesses can benefit greatly from clean carpet, upholstery and higher air quality in the best of times.  Right now, during the fight against Covid-19, carpet and upholstery is a great investment in health, wellbeing and piece of mind.

Why Use Professional Hot Water Extraction Carpet Cleaning?

Hot Water Extraction has been the primary carpet cleaning method since 1947. Many people call it “Steam Cleaning”. It is simply a pressure washer that is followed by a vacuum to dry it.  The strength of equipment varies from little rental portables like Rug Doctors, to powerful machines that run directly off of the V8 (8 cylinder) engine.

Though it seems silly to lump those together into one category, that is exactly what companies do that try to compete with Hot Water Extraction.  These companies use statistics gathered from janitors and homeowners who rent small machines without training and try to do the job of highly trained professionals themselves.  Many of these people leave the carpet wet (it should never be left more than damp to the touch).  Wet carpet can take days to dry and if damp for more than 36 hours in ideal circumstances carpet can mildew (I recommend adding an enzyme deodorizer to the rinse that feeds on mold and mildew. this prevents its growth if something were to go wrong) .

Real professionals know to leave the carpet as dry as possible.  If they don’t then they find out very shortly after starting their business when the phone calls come pouring in wondering why the carpet sloshes beneath their feet.

The other mistake made by non-professionals is the use of oil based products.  Professionals by and large stopped using oil based products many years ago because it was discovered to attract dirt to the areas most heavily worked on.  This just made the carpet look worse within months of the cleaning.  It is also important to rinse the carpet with a rinse that will balance the ph. Level. Left unbalanced, the carpet will also rapidly re-soil.  Some professionals still make that last mistake.

Hot Water Extraction, when done by professionals still remains the safest method of carpet cleaning to this day.  Like any industry like this, be sure to find a company you feel you can trust.  It’s a safe adage that if the price seems too good to be true than it probably is.  There is not a lot of room for profits in the carpet cleaning industry, so if you cut your prices too far they need to be made up for somewhere else.

The final mistake that most do-it-yourselfers make is the rotary brush, or pad systems.  Most dry cleaning methods are this way.  They push down the dirt to the backing where it still causes problems and they don’t fully rinse out their cleaning agents.  They also add wear and tear to the areas that already have it.  The dirtier the area the harder they need to scrub the carpet and the more residue they leave behind.  This can unravel the carpet fibers as well.

Always make sure to work witha knowledgeable professional to ensure the best life for your carpets and the healthiest experience for those that live, play, and work on them!

cat on carpet cleaning

Cleaning Up Carpet After Pets

Store-bought or homemade remedies for pet stain and smell removal from carpets generally don’t penetrate deeply enough in carpets. Cleaning pet urine from carpet using these tools can be a long frustrating process. Even when you think its done in a few days the smell can come back because the scrubbing doesn’t penetrate into the carpet padding, and in fact makes the problem worse by forcing the urine further down into the carpet. To remove pet urine smell you have penetrate into the carpet without driving the problem deeper.

Eventually after several carpet cleaning attempts using different products you may find a combination that appears to work, but forcing the urine so deep into the carpet that you can’t smell it as strongly can actually cause more problems. This is because some of the urine still remains, encouraging the growth of bacteria. Later when you vacuum you then blow these germs into the air.

The solution is a deep cleaning with an environmentally friendly hot water extraction cleaning.

Go here to learn more.

Does Professional Carpet Cleaning Help the Air Quality in Homes?

Yes. Professional carpet cleaning is good for the air quality in your home. 

In fact, it is a necessary part of the yearly upkeep needed in a home to keep carpets, rugs, and furnishings not only looking good (as people often believe carpet cleaning is for), but also “working” to their highest potential.  To understand what is meant by the term “working,” let’s concentrate on one false but pretty commonly held belief. 

“If someone in your family suffers from allergies or if you want good air quality you should have no carpet.”

This is not true!  And, you do not have to take just our word on that (we do clean carpets after all).  According to recent studies the specific hot water steam extraction carpet cleaning method used by Commercial Steam Team actually plays a part in making carpet a better choice than hardwood or tile for families that have asthma or allergy sufferers! This comes from the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology (AAAAI) and the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology (ACAAI) who presented that when homes with hardwood or carpet were compared, the homes with cleaned and vacuumed carpets consistently showed less levels of airborne allergens in the air than those without, and that was even when the carpet was tampered with.

This completely makes sense when you imagine indoor spaces and the air movement within. Things like dust, pet or human hair, dander, and who knows what else are constantly falling off and collecting on the floor and in the air.  In the case of a hardwood or tile floor, there is nothing to trap or hold the dust and dirt, so as people move around it gets reswept back up into the air and then breathed in by our family members. However, if there is a carpet or rug, there is something for the falling and floating items to attach to, filter down into, and get stuck in. The fibers in carpet actually act like a magnet and hold onto the dirt so our families don’t end up with it in their noses and lungs.

Obviously, clean air with carpet can have a breaking point.  A person needs to take care of their floors to keep the air quality ok with or without carpet.  But, the good news here is, if you love the look and feel of carpet, it is okay to have it!  With the regular upkeep of rugs, carpets, and furnishings the air quality in your home will be good. Regular upkeep includes vacuuming once or twice a week using a good vacuum with a strong HEPA filter. Then once a year or more as needed; hiring out a deep, steam cleaning from a professional carpet cleaner who can use their equipment to reach thoroughly into the carpet and fibers to remove the dirt, dust, and allergens trapped inside.

The best way to clean carpets is the way we do it at Commercial Steam Team.

We use top of the line truck mounted equipment that heats the water temperature before it is used on your carpets to over 210 degrees. Our hot water extraction system leaves zero residue, which is something not all carpet cleaning methods do. Residue like soap that is left on carpet will eventually begin to collect dirt and can lead to faster wear and tear on carpet. Our team also uses a state of the art organic live enzyme deodorizer that actually eats bacteria to eliminate the cause of odors and allergens in the carpet with no lingering chemical smell.

If you don’t know where to start or have more questions about stains or how to best keep different kinds of carpets or flooring clean, please don’t hesitate to give us a call! 952-224-7222