Luxury Vinyl Plank Cleaning and Luxury Vinyl Tile Cleaning – The Luxury Vinyl Floor Machine

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LVP (Luxury Vinyl Planks) and LVT (Luxury Vinyl Tile) are being installed in St. Paul and Minneapolis businesses and homes at a tremendous rate.

The durability and ease of installation make LVT and LVP a great choice for high traffic areas. Like all flooring, Luxury Vinyl Flooring is susceptible to the same wear and tear as it gets dirty from foot traffic. Dirt and sand on the flooring acts like sandpaper when it comes in contact with the bottom of someone’s shoes. This friction scrapes the flooring and removes its shine, eventually resulting in a dirty discolored look. Regular cleaning is the best way to prevent this from happening before it is too late.

 

So, how do you keep your Minneapolis and St. Paul Luxury Vinyl Flooring looking great for years to come?

 

First be sure to vacuum and Swiffer or mop regularly using Luxury Vinyl Floor cleaner, making sure not to leave standing water on the floor for long periods of time. This will greatly slow down the accumulation of dirt and soil that will stick to the flooring. You can focus most of your effort on the areas that get walked on, the other areas of the floor will accumulate dust that can vacuum up easily. 

 

Depending on the level of traffic your flooring receives, a professional cleaning should be performed quarterly or once a year. Commercial Steam Team uses the best equipment and solution for Luxury Vinyl Flooring and can be easily scheduled for a cleaning or added to your normal carpet and upholstery cleaning. 

 

How does the Luxury Vinyl Floor Machine Work? 

 

The Luxury Vinyl Floor Machine resembles a giant vacuum cleaner, but don’t be fooled!

The Luxury Vinyl Floor Machine is much more than a vacuum cleaner. The machine uses a combination of Luxury Vinyl Floor cleaner and a rotating brush to loosen and scrub soil off the flooring surface. Then a spinning brush reaches into the surface and small grooves in the floor scrubbing as much dirt and soil out as possible. The whole process is contained with squeegees and the dirt and grime is removed by strong suction leaving your flooring in the best shape possible for its current condition

Today is Pearl Harbor Day

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Please remember the valiant sacrifices that our men in uniform have made and continue to make.

CST Quality Control Means The Best Job For You

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Did you know that we have a Quality Control System in place at CST? Aimed at making sure that every job we do is the BEST job, our Clean Carpet Quality Control (CCQC) System has been in place for years, and monitors every aspect of each project.

From initial calls and scheduling, through the actual project itself and even to follow-up calls to ensure everything met or exceeded your expectations, CCQC is here to make sure that you are completely happy with our work.

Since we build our business based on referrals, its critical to us that everything is perfect for you. How else can we get more referrals!

Read about our CCQC program here, and please send us referrals – it helps us grow even stronger and better at what we do!

Restaurant Bathrooms Shine

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Have you ever been to a nice restaurant where every detail went into the presentation until you walked into the bathroom? Restaurant bathrooms are often overlooked when it comes to cleaning. Customers notice little things like the bathroom and often form an opinion on the cleanliness of the kitchen based the cleanliness of the bathroom. This can determine whether they want to visit your restaurant again.

Many finer restaurants understand that restrooms should shine and make a good impression. Grease, food and dirt can build up on tile and grout and take on a pungent smell making bathrooms less than pleasant.

Did you know that Commercial Steam Team can clean grout and tile and make them sparkle? Better still, we can do this while we’re cleaning your carpets, upholstery, and cubicle walls!

Call us today at 952-224-7222 for a free estimate!

When Should You Clean Office Carpet?

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To help determine how often your carpet should be cleaned think about how many people come into your office and what your parking lot looks like. In winter the salt and chemicals can build up and get tracked in and deposited on you buildings carpet. In the spring water and dirt get tracked in during spring thaw and penetrate your carpet.

If there is an area in your carpeted office area such as a break room or café you have food spills to clean as well. A good steam cleaning can clean up all that weather brings your way!

Give us a call today for a free quote on your next commercial carpet cleaning job. Commercial Steam Team 952-224-7222 of Burnsville, MN

Grease and Oil Attract Dirt on Commercial Carpet

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Commercial carpets can get really greasy with high foot traffic from greasy or dirty areas. Restaurant kitchens, auto repair shops and manufacturing facilities track grease in and out from work areas. The grease is deposited on the carpet and then dirt gets tracked in and it builds up. Not only do you have grease and dirt to deal with your carpet will have developed a bad smell as well.

A regular steam cleaning by Commercial Steam Team 952-224-7222 can solve that problem!

For a list of how often businesses should clean their carpets read more… https://commercialsteamteam.com/carpetnews/when-should-i-have-my-carpets-cleaned/

Russian Meteor Fragments?

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It almost seems like an April Fools event of interstellar magnitude.

The meteor that landed in Russia is stirring up quite a lot of modern day prospectors looking for pieces of the shattered meteor. Whole families travel to the Chelyabinski region of Russia to hunt for the meteors fragments. A local homeowner at the crash site found three 1cm space stones.

The internet is running wild selling so-called Chebarkul meteorite fragments.

If you’d rather stay more down-to-earth you can call Commercial Steam Team to clean all the microscopic meteor fragments out of your carpet!

Commercial Steam Team – Your Minnesota Carpet Cleaners

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We’re a family owned and family operated business here in the Twin Cities, MN

Our team is dedicated to provide you with superior service and high-quality work at an affordable price. We offer carpet cleaning for residential and commercial businesses throughout the Twin Cities Metro area of Minnesota.

We service all of Hennepin and Ramsey Counties, most of Dakota, Anoka, and Washington Counties, and significant portions of Scott and Carver Counties. (We also do larger projects outside these areas.)

Call us today for a free quote on your carpet cleaning 952-224-7222 or learn more about us at https://commercialsteamteam.com/

Happy New Year!

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Commercial Steam Team wishes you a fantastic 2013!

Be safe tonight and enjoy welcoming in the new year!

Merry Christmas

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Commercial Steam Team wishes you a merry, happy and safe Christmas!

Winter Solstice Today!

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Today is the winter solstice: the shortest day of the year. In Minneapolis, that means there are 8 hours, 46 minutes, and 9 seconds between sunrise and sunset.

Just think, from now on it only gets better as the daylight get longer every day!

Happy Hanukkah

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Commercial Steam Team wishes you a happy and safe Hanukkah! For those that don’t know, Hanukkah is celebrated this year from today through the 16th.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Commercial Steam Team would like to extend our wishes for a warm, happy, and comforting Thanksgiving for everyone.

Have a safe and wonderful holiday, and keep us in mind if you need any pre-holiday or post-holiday cleanup!

Traveling Pet Lovers – Bring Fido Review

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We’d like to share a pet travel site that has a giant database of pet friendly hotels & motels, bed & breakfasts and vacation rentals. If you are a traveling pet owner then Bring Fido is the info site for you! You can browse pet friendly destinations worldwide and find the best pet friendly places to stay, eat, play, walk and even get a groomer or other resources.

bf-logo

 

 

10% Off Carpet Cleaning

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For our Facebook customers only – now for a limited time get 10% OFF* your carpet cleaning job with the award-winning team at Commercial Steam Team! Call us at 952-224-7222 to find out how!

*Offer expires September 4, 2012. Offer applies to carpets within our service area and must meet conditions as described when you call. Carpet cleaning must be scheduled by September 4, 2012 for a cleaning to occur no later than September 30, 2012. Limit one per customer or business. Other conditions may apply. Offer subject to change without notice.

Have You Seen Our New Website?

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If you have not been to our website lately come meet our team and learn more about Commercial Steam Team. We’ve added new sections on how to care for your carpet and our new search feature lets you search for information more easily. For example If you search for “pet urine” you will find a article on how to clean up after pets. Click on the title to expand the story and you can read all the tips and information we have on cleaning up pet urine on your carpet and other pet accidents.

Check out our website at https://commercialsteamteam.com/

Static Cling, Static Electricity and Carpet

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The air is very dry and cold in winter and makes the perfect environment for static electricity to strike. You can walk across your carpet and reach for something made of metal and get a static shock.  If you come inside from the cold and remove your hat and your hair stands up straight it’s due to a positive charge of static electricity. Static electricity is the buildup of electric charge on the surface of objects like your shoes or your hair.

One of the most common tips to remove static electricity is to increase the moisture in the air with a humidifier. Here are some other great tips:

  • Touch something with a quick, solid grasp. Larger points of contact allow the charge to transfer with less current at any single point, reducing the chance for a painful shock.
  • Synthetic fibers such as polyester carry more static so try switching to natural fiber clothing such as cotton.
  • Shoes usually collect the most static so try walking barefoot on your carpet or wear leather soled shoes.
  • Avoid sliding your feet; the friction between your feet and the floor will build up a static charge in your body.
  • Try touching metal objects with the back of your hand or fore arm first to discharge the static. This is not as painful as touching things with your fingertips, which is more painful because your fingers contain more nerves.
  • Using hand lotion will put more moisture on your skin and may help cut down on static zaps when you touch objects.
  • If you get zapped every time you get out of your car try rubbing a fabric softener sheet on your car seat.
  • When petting your pet, first try a firm solid touch on its back to discharge the static without a shock.

Have some static electricity fun by rubbing a balloon in your hair for 15 seconds and sticking it on a wall. Try brushing your hair in the dark and you can watch sparks fly from your hair. Taking your wool sweater off in the dark can also provide an interesting spark light show.

If we can help you with your carpet in anyway please call Commercial Steam Team at 952-224-7222

Family Gatherings and What to Do in Winter

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Family gatherings can get boring after everyone has visited for a little bit. Here are a few suggestions to keep things lively.

  • Tell everyone to bring warm clothing and plan a few outdoor activities such as sledding, ice skating, snowman building or a nice walk around the neighborhood.
  • Provide paper and scissors and have a paper snowflake making contest. Each person will need a pair of scissors so ask your friends to bring some along. Precut some paper into squares or circles and fold them for the younger ones as they seem to have the most trouble with the folding part. After everyone is done making a few snowflakes you can hang them up in the windows and vote who has the best snowflake.
  • Mingle amongst your guests and introduce them to each other mentioning a little about what they may have in common. Get the conversation started and then excuse yourself to the next person who looks bored. Continue introducing people and starting conversation until everyone is busy socializing.
  • Provide a few games in the gathering area where people can see them. Games like cards, checkers, chess and board games are old time favorites. You can also have group games like Pictionary, charades, Cranium, Buzz word, Apples to Apples and knowledge-based games.
  • Plan a few interactive games such as Wordball to get everyone involved and excited.
  • Write a list of general topics to discuss and questions to ask before the party so when things slow down you can spark a lively conversation.

You can come up with your own activities too. The key is to watch your guests and when boredom strikes start and activity and get people involved.

Holidazzle Parade in Minneapolis Minnesota

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The Holidazzle parade in downtown Minneapolis started November 25th and continues every Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday until December 18th. The parade starts at 6:30pm but you’ll want to get there early to get a good viewing spot. The parade lasts about 30 minutes so dress warm and remember to bring your camera.

For directions and parking visit the Holidazzle website.

You can also find information on the Holidazzle Facebook Page.

Winter Carpet Defense For Commercial Buildings

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Fall is the perfect time to do a walkthrough of your building and evaluate your carpets’ high traffic areas. Inspect around your doors and make sure that your runners are properly placed. Fall is when leaves and plant matter get tracked on to your carpet.

 

By placing special debris-collecting runners in the entryway of your building you can trap leaves, dirt, salt and ice melting chemicals and prevent them from being tracked into the building.

Carpet runners also help collect the wet snow and ice which melts into the mat instead of your carpet at the entryway.

The best kind of carpet runner or Industrial mats is the one that has protruding scraping fingers that remove dirt and debris. For outdoor use, choose rubber mats that have a ribbed backing so that it is slip resistant.

Mats and runners will keep your carpet cleaner in between cleanings and extend the life of your carpet.

Reliability in Carpet Cleaning

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I own a carpet cleaning company in Dakota County, Minnesota.  The other day, the head of public works for the city of Hopkins informed me that the last company he hired to clean the carpets stood him up.  This was a job large enough to send two vans out.  Neither van showed up.  He was surprised because he hears their commercials on the radio several times a day and they claim to be the best in the industry.  City accounts are very large and lucrative accounts.  I don’t understand how any company, no matter how large or how fast they grew, could overlook any account, let alone one as large as a city government.

The problem with standing up a client is not as simple as just losing that account.  Everyone he speaks to about carpet cleaning now will hear about his negative experience.

There needs to be checks and balances to make sure that no account gets overlooked.  Phone calls should be made at the earliest sign that crews might be late to a job, even if only by a few minutes.  Waiting and wondering if a vendor will show up on time, or at all, is not a comforting feeling.  This anxiety leaves a bad taste in the mouth of the client, even if the job does end up being completed in the end, and the carpet cleaning turns out well.

At the very least, being late or standing up a client removes any chance for referrals, though usually the account is also lost forever.  To large franchises that advertise to get their business, this may appear less important, however, to any growing business referrals and satisfaction is a matter of survival.

Who Starts Carpet Cleaning Companies?

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To understand the carpet cleaning industry in Minnesota, it is important to understand the different types of people who start carpet cleaning companies.

  • The first is the most common type of carpet cleaning company owner.  This is an easy industry to get started in.  For as little as a few thousand dollars, anyone can buy a small portable carpet cleaning unit and start charging their friends, family, and acquaintances to clean their carpets.  These are often people who have either been laid-off or have quit their jobs, and want to be their own boss.  Despite the best of intentions, carpet cleaning is easy to get into but very hard to succeed at.  The term, “fly-by-night” is used quite often in this industry for this reason.  Sometimes the very qualities that made them want to be their own boss, are the same qualities that keep them from succeeding on their own.
  • Second is the investor.  Investors have the money to start a carpet cleaning company.  They might be a lawyer, dentist, real estate mogul, etc.  They intend on starting a company, watching it grow through mass-advertising, and then selling it off.  This can be successful for the purpose of profit, but causes very poor quality-control since they don’t intend on being around when the complaints start coming in.  It then becomes the next owner’s job to try to fix the problems caused by the original owners.
  • Third are the franchises.  Someone who invests in a company with the pure intention of having a successful business.  The franchise, however, takes their cut whenever they can, leaving the owners of the franchise the need to find profits where they can.  These tend to be heavy marketing companies that stress sales at all cost.  It is very common to see the crew chief go an entire day without touching a carpet cleaning wand because he is too busy selling to the customer, while his assistant does the cleaning.  These companies would classify as sales and marketing businesses more than carpet cleaning companies.
  • Finally, is the independent, specialized, carpet cleaning company.  This company is started by someone who has experience in the industry, found their niche, and for some reason or another decided to break out on their own doing what they believe they do best.  This can be anything from upholstery specialists to commercial carpet cleaning specialists.  As with all companies, the goal is to be profitable.  However, without the franchise’s hand in their pocket, it is possible to turn a profit without cutting costs or high pressure sales.  While not all of these companies live up to their potential however, this is the most likely business owner to find his company both profitable and respected in their field.

One thing I recommend asking when hiring a carpet cleaning company is whether or not the company shares its profits with its employees.  This says a lot about the owners of the company.  I believe it is both a smart move in motivation and what every business owner should do to be responsible in the community.

Boycott Silent Letters!!!

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As one of the owners of a family owned commercial carpet cleaning company South of the River in Minnesota, I write a lot of blogs based on the carpet and upholstery cleaning industry, especially about what is of particular concern to the Twin Cities Area.  Today I have stepped outside that direction to cover a subject that is of concern not only to the carpet cleaning industry, but a concern to every English speaking person on the entire planet.  Silent Letters!  Seriously, what is up with that?!  I don’t know who first started the trend of needless letters that make no sound, but I am even more appalled with those that encouraged and helped spread such an awful affront to the quality of life in English speaking countries.  Honestly, have you ever watched a six year old try to look up the word gnome in a dictionary?  His bright red frustrated face glowing over pages as he scrambles frantically through the wrong half of the book.  Perhaps these imaginary letters made some kind of sense back in the days when we believed in wizards and dragons, but in the 21st century, I think it is time to drop the act and admit that there is no point to adding letters that don’t adhere to the laws of phonetics (really, the word phonetics doesn’t start phonetically!), especially words that start with silent letters.  There is only one word that should start with a silent letter and that is the word pseudonym. This is only because the word is used when a fake name disguises a real name.  So it is fitting that the first letter disguises its real pronunciation.  That is the one and only exception to the rule.  No other words should begin with a useless letter.  “Knock knock…”,  “Who’s there?”  “The letter K”,  “Really I thought you were N.”  As I wrestle to write out these gnarly words, my knuckles wrinkle and my knees knock because I don’t know why these phonetics are wrong. And what is up with the word knight?  Six letters and half of them don’t have any purpose.  That is a waste of good ink if you ask me.  How many hours of education are lost while teachers and aids plead with children to understand the concept of silent letters?  How much quality family time disappears while parents try to make sense of this senseless issue.  Perhaps children wouldn’t hate homework so much if they didn’t feel backhanded every time they tried to pronounce a word that starts with the second letter.  Life isn’t fair, that’s true, this is because we have no control over so many things.  We do, however, have control over this.  We can make a difference.  We must take action.  I call every frustrated English speaking human being to take a stand and boycott silent letters!  From now on we avoid those words at all costs and when we can’t, we start to pronounce those camouflaged letters and call them out of hiding before we spiral into a collective psychosis. . . Doh!

The Importance of Responsible Driving in a Service Vehicle

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I own a commercial carpet cleaning company in the Twin Cities Area of Minnesota and my crews are always on the road.  Usually, they are traveling from our shop in Burnsville, Minnesota to a carpet cleaning job at a Plymouth, Minnesota home to an upholstery cleaning job in Northfield, Minnesota then up to Roseville, Minnesota to clean the carpets at a restaurant and then back to Burnsville, Minnesota to pack it in for the night.  With all this driving it is so very important to drive carefully for several reasons:

  • A van with a logo and phone number is a moving billboard.  Every move made on the road can affect public opinion of our company.
  • Repairs after an accident can be very expensive.
  • You can’t clean carpet while the van is being repaired.  This lost time is lost money.
  • Employees can get injured in an accident.  This is bad on both a personal and business level.  These employees have families that love and depend on them.  Also they can’t clean carpets if they are too hurt to do so.
  • Injuries to others out on the road can be tragic and costly.  Although insurance should cover it, rates are sure to go up.  These people also have families and loved ones that can suffer for their injuries as well.

I’m sure there are many more reasons to be safe out on the road, but these stand out to me.  Nothing is more tragic than the loss of life or quality of life due to a senseless accident.  I am so proud that my employees have never had an accident, both for the safety of my employees and for the safety of everyone else in the Minneapolis/St. Paul and surrounding areas of Minnesota.  Keep up the great work guys.

Growing a Small Minnesota Business Through a Rough Economy

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My name is Ryan Zakariasen and my family owns a carpet cleaning company in the Twin Cities Area of Minnesota named the Commercial Steam Team.  When we started the company out of my garage in Lakeville, the economy was booming.  Shortly after the birth of our company, the economy went from boom to crash.  This is not good for commercial carpet cleaning companies because we rely on company budgets to leave room for professional carpet cleaning.  Similar to the residential market, anything you don’t have absolute faith in goes in the “maybe-next-year-pile”.  I think this is where most companies have gone wrong.  While they were fat and happy gorging themselves on a plentiful economy they let quality slip.  Whether growing too fast to train their people or too much faith that advertising will replace any lost clients, they managed to create doubt in their client’s minds.  Doubts like; I think that’s the best they can do, but is it really?  Even if it is the best they can do, are the results really worth the cost?

After the economy turned, carpet cleaning company owners panicked and began cutting corners furthering the doubt in their clients minds.

I believe it is because we have left no doubt in our clients minds that they see the money we are saving them instead of the money we cost them.  The truth is that cleaning the carpet is far cheaper than replacing the carpet, especially when you factor in the cost of shutting down and moving all the furniture and equipment.  A downturned economy is the worst time to skip carpet cleanings because the cost of replacing could be real trouble for companies trying to walk a fine budget line.  Our clients sustain us through this quicksand economy because they have absolute faith in us, from our practices to our people. Our company was founded on this trust, and is the reason we are here today.

The Key To Referrals For Twin Cities Carpet Cleaning

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Born in Edina and raised in Burnsville Minnesota, I have lived my entire life among the “Minnesota Nice” and I have to say that it is not a myth.  This doesn’t mean that everyone in Minnesota is nice all the time.  It simply means that the base intentions of these Midwestern folks are to be cheerful and form bonds with those around them.  At least that’s what I’ve noticed.

This applies to carpet cleaning in the Twin Cities Area as well.  People in Minnesota hope and expect cheerful, capable people show up to clean their carpets.  We say to ourselves “I treat others with respect and a cheerful attitude.  Why can’t they do the same?”  If I wanted to be treated like I lived in New York City, I wouldn’t live in Plymouth Minnesota.  I want to believe my vendors abide by the “Golden Rule”.  If I get a good price I might accept that instead, but I won’t refer them to my friends.  If they do a good job with a bad attitude I might accept that, but I won’t refer them to my friends.  If their price is fair, if they do a great job, AND they make me feel comfortable with a smile on their face, then I WILL refer them to my friends with enthusiasm.  I become a cheerleader!  I become an advertiser!  I want to see them succeed and I want my friends to thank me for relieving them of their stressful decision on who to let in their home or business to clean their carpets.

People live in and move to this sometimes frigid climate for the warm hearts of the people who live here.  They feel let down when they don’t receive that kind of treatment, and I can’t blame them.  In my experience as a commercial carpet cleaning expert here in the Twin Cities, kindness and personality is often the missing ingredient in referrals for Minnesota carpet cleaners.

Why Do I Like Being A Professional Carpet Cleaner?

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Why do I like being a carpet cleaner?  My answer is usually received with a look of disbelief.  When people think of carpet cleaning they often think of an overweight guy in a rusty van and a less than white t-shirt.  This is one of the reasons that I like being a carpet cleaner.  Confused?  I like being the best at something and the larger the gap between the best and second best the better.  For 13 years our motto has been “don’t just be the best in the carpet cleaning industry.  Be the best of any industry!”  This has worked wonderfully for me and I have enjoyed passing this on to my employees as well.  Demanding the same and compensating accordingly because they are worth it.

The other reason I love being a carpet cleaner is our customers.  Loyal fans are a more appropriate term.  Knowing that you are making a difference for people and seeing the smiles on their faces when you do is an amazing reward for any hard work.  Being greeted like old friends by our customers warms my heart.

Third is being in a position to offer bonuses for quality work and end of the year profit sharing for our employees.  Knowing that we are doing things the way they ought to be done, not just the easy way or the most profitable way is very rewarding.  Being successful with a clean conscience is rare in any industry, especially this one.  As a family owned business, we agreed that it is only worth doing if we can enjoy it.  I have to say that I have enjoyed it in so many ways.  So yes, I do like being a carpet cleaner.

Carpet Cleaning Quality Control Calls Are Key

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Did you know that Commercial Steam Team calls every client the week after we do a carpet cleaning job? It’s critical not only to help ensure that every client is happy, but it also makes good business sense in other ways.

For instance, in spite of regularly scheduled maintenance and a high attention to detail, it’s still possible to miss equipment that is starting to slide out of alignment. Catching this early lets us correct the problem before it becomes a problem.

If our clients see something wrong, they tell us, in part because we assure them to do so helps us too!

And if anything is wrong, we schedule a redo. Quality control, after all, means making sure that everything we do is quality.

Follow this link to learn more about why carpet cleaning quality control is essential for our business.

Brief History of Carpet Cleaning

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Carpets made walking barefoot in our homes a reality.  Carpet is also responsible for laying in front of the fire or the T.V.  And as I can speak from experience here in Minnesota, carpet also lowers heating costs in the winter.  The one thing people realized early on was it gets dirty and it’s not as easy to clean as hard floors.  So how did they get them clean?

The first cleaning method was “have the slaves or maids clean them”.  I would say lol but there is nothing funny about slavery or indentured servitude.  The reality was that carpet cleaning was only affordable to the wealthy.  Carpet was primarily loose rugs that could be removed from a room and beaten to remove the dust and dirt.  Sometimes a stiff bristled brush was used to sort of sweep the dirt and sand from the rug.  In 1827 a publication teaching servants housekeeping said to use a lemon to remove ink stains.

The 1880’s took a bit of the load off of the servants by the invention of carpet sweepers.  By 1900 the horse drawn door to door carpet care business was in swing.  Early models were so large they were on a carriage drawn by a horse and parked at the curb of the building getting cleaned.  Sounds familiar to me as a professional carpet cleaner.  Soon in the 1920’s the wealthy were given the opportunity to own their own personal carpet cleaners.  These were expensive and John Q. Public couldn’t afford it for decades after that.

In 1947, I am very glad to say, hot water extraction was invented.  Though consistently improved over the last half a decade or so, hot water extraction has continued to be the leading method.  It is hard to believe that a $2,000 portable unit and a $70,000 direct drive truck mount fall under the same classification, but they do.  From rug doctors wielded by homeowners to Hydramasters wielded by professionals the hot water extraction industry continues in full swing to this day. There have been other attempts to improve on the carpet cleaning industry such as dry cleaning, foam cleaning, rotary cleaning, etc.  Each of these methods spiked interest when they first came out.  Each declined as fast as they rose as people were disappointed in the results they received.  Even with the bad publicity of cheaper portable machines, the positive results of high end hot water extraction truck mounts has maintained the lions share of the carpet cleaning industry with no signs of slowing down.  In some ways the carpet cleaning industry is still a door to door industry.  Though now it is a multimillion dollar door to door industry.

9 Reasons for Property Managers to Use Commercial Steam Team Carpet and Upholstery Cleaners

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*We make your job easier!

*We understand that our job is to make you look good!

*We do the scheduling and quality control for you!

*We pick up and drop off keys so you don’t have to!

*We go back to any job where there is a concern Free Of Charge!

*Only 11 out of 886 jobs asked us to come back last year (just over 1%).

*Our employees have a stake through profit sharing.

*We call every job a week after just to make sure they love it.

*Sharp looking direct drive truck mounted units (V8 engine).

*Licensed Bonded and Insured*

Calling The Customer

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How many times have you been waiting for a service provider to show up and they are late?  Frustrating isn’t it?  In fact it has been getting so bad these days that we almost expect it.  We worry from the moment we book the job, until the minute they show up at our door.  Worrying takes years off of our lives.  At least I’m convinced it does.  The sad truth is that this worrying can be prevented.  One simple invention by Alexander Graham Bell called the telephone makes this possible.  One simple call to say they are on the way and an approximate time of arrival takes all that worry away.  Peace of mind is a wonderful thing that is underappreciated by the service industry and vendors everywhere.  This is not because they will be late.  This is because they could be late.  My work or social plans are important to me.  I don’t want to have to cancel plans, but if I have to, I want to know as soon as possible.  Martin Cooper invented the cell phone in 1973.  This wonderful device makes it even easier to put people’s minds at ease.  After the phone call to say you are on your way, you might still hit traffic or get into an accident.  Not good, but not as big of a problem when you can call the client before you are supposed to arrive.  I made both of these phone calls part of my carpet cleaning company the day I started it.  This gives me a chance to apologize if I am late but also places their minds at ease when I am not.  I think it is important to respect my clients and I don’t understand how we have allowed so many vendors to disrespect us for so long.  My time is important and so is yours.  I at least want an apology and an approximate time of arrival so I can go about my life instead of waiting around like a teenager waiting for that dreamy classmate to call lol.  We are all adults now.  I think we should start acting like it.  One call to the customer is all it takes.

Rewarding Customer Loyalty

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Loyalty is the most important quality in a client.  So why does it seem to be the most underappreciated quality?  Case in point, I saw a commercial for a new H.D. DVR system for the satellite company that I use.  It was free, which made it even better. I was moving, so I knew they would also install it for free.  I called up the satellite tv company (who will remain nameless).  They told me it would be more than $450. I asked “Why?”.  The lady on the phone said that it was for new customers only.  I had been a customer for years, so I didn’t qualify.  Also the installation won’t be free because that only applies to my old equipment being transferred, not the upgraded equipment.

I was shocked.  I was actually being punished for being a loyal customer.  Meanwhile, someone on the other end was being rewarded for being new.  Now I understand the dynamics of enticing new clients to come your way.  But there should be rewards for loyalty as well. If not for the moral argument, than at least for the purpose of building customer loyalty.

That experience is why I came up with the referral/rebate coupon at the Commercial Steam Team.  Returning clients also receive 10% off automatically to reward their loyalty.  To further reward them a step above they receive coupons to extend their loyalty discount to anyone they refer.  On top of that they receive a $10 rebate as a thank you for referring the new client.  This way the new customers are enticed, but the loyal customers are rewarded even a little more.  Seems like a no brainer to me.  Take care of what you got first, then worry about bringing in new clients.

Welcome to Carpet News!

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At Commercial Steam Team we feel it’s important that people know about carpet, how carpet can impact quality of life, and learn strategies to get the most out of your carpet. Thanks for stopping by and we look forward to having you visit again!