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Even before the coronavirus pandemic changed our world beyond recognition, your customers were beginning to be more aware of the need to have their belongings cleaned for health and sanitation, instead of simply because of the appearance of soil. - - - Mattresses are a key example of one item that your customers has more concerns about than you may realize...keep reading

For your business to grow and reach its potential, you need to adopt a "growth mindset"! Your mindset has a strong impact on the direction of your business and whether or not it will grow! Consider these 9 qualities of a "Growth Minset" vs a "Fixed Mindset"...keep reading

In 2021's upcoming CleanTips we will be focusing on the reasons why it's so important in this 'pandemic - digital' era that you as the cleaning 'Authority' in your local community be seen as an Honest, "Real" & Trustworthy Authority! Thanks for allowing us here at Pembertons to be a part of your ongoing success,...keep reading

While most information shared in our industry about protector has been about carpet, it is very important to note that upholstery fabrics and area rugs are far more likely than carpet to be permanently stained by spills. Its therefore arguably more important to apply protector to upholstery than it is to carpet....keep reading

Cleaners are usually aware of the need to protect their equipment during this season, but often overlook the damage that freezing might do to their cleaning products....keep reading

Flame Retardant Discoloration Correction!
The problem of upholstery fabric discoloration from flame retardant plagues our industry with increasing frequency. While we've spent the past several years warning cleaners of how to detect this problem, little was known on how it might be corrected....keep reading

Growing up in the 50's and 60's, I learned about "carpet raking" before many of you were born. Our home was carpeted with white wool short shag. Mom was a meticulous house keeper, and we vacuumed that carpet often. I found many of my customers shared a similar attitude with my mother. They insisted on me grooming (I prefer "grooming" over "raking"; it's more professional) the carpet after every cleaning....keep reading

Our second great adventure was in the local police station. I now clean the station 4 times per year. Three with the Cimex and once after winter with the truck mount followed by the Cimex. I average $200 per hour, and they are happy they do not have to replace the carpet....keep reading

Designers are now using "Tencel" in addition to viscose for large area rugs as well as installed carpet. "On location" cleaning professionals must be very careful before choosing to clean Tencel or viscose.
Tencel or Viscose may be present alone in a carpet's construction, or it may be blended with wool. . ....keep reading

Pets, who are now beloved and treasured family members, will at times become sick and may urinate or vomit on furniture. When this happens, the nature of the problem and the solution is similar, but not identical, to what you must do with basic urine contamination. However, it is very important that you be aware of these variables....keep reading

This simpler approach to spotting is one such way to "de-stress" and "un-complicate" a carpet cleaning technicians work life. More importantly, this simple but effective system can help you make more customers happy and keep them calling you again and again because of your expertise!...keep reading

Recommendation to Employers:
Whether you use subcontractors or you have full or part-time employees who do the cleaning for your company, be sure to have regular meetings where you reinforce the need to follow the following guidelines, and have a discussion with them as to what products they are currently using for the cleaning of upholstery, as well as the other services that you provide. You might be unpleasantly surprised!...keep reading

Two dining room chairs which were brought to me for a careful inspection. Their texture had been damaged because of the wrapping and packing process of the shipper; and a local fine fabric expert was asked to see if he could restore the texture.
You can see the damage where the plastic wrapping pressed down and changed the appearance of the fabric. Notice also the alligator hide- pattern in the fabric: Following are the issues involved:...keep reading

Growing any business requires a great deal of hard work and perseverance. But there's more to it than that. Good leaders set aside time to look toward the long-term and plan strategically. At that point, they can guide their business's growth, no matter what challenges they face....keep reading

The treatment of urine contamination on upholstery is much more difficult than it is for installed carpet and/or area rugs. Due to the nature of the construction of upholstered furniture, coupled with the sensitivity most natural fiber fabrics (and blends) have to over wetting, you simply cannot flush out urine residues nearly as easily or completely as you can on carpets and rugs....keep reading

A few years back I had an exchange of emails and phone calls with a fine fabric specialist from California regarding urine damage on a high end natural fiber chenille fabric. The way that he handled it was so instructive that I have decided to share his step by step procedure with you: - - The customer's male cat had urinated (sprayed) on the inside back of the chenille sofa, which left both an odor and a stain. ...keep reading

Performing a careful pre-inspection and providing a detailed explanation of the possible lack of satisfactory results will really help your customer to appreciate your skills as well as build their trust in you.
...keep reading

There are several things that can cause furniture to have a yellow discoloration or "haze". The causes and cures of these problems are so diverse that its critical to know the fabric and its maintenance history in order to know what you should do (or NOT do) next....keep reading

As a professional cleaner, you likely pride yourself at removing stains that even your competition can't remove. When your own customer gets a stain out that you said was permanent, it's a crushing feeling.
Ask Yourself These Three Questions . . .
(a) Why did this happen?
(b) How should I handle this complaint?
(c) How could this have been prevented?...keep reading

I am often contacted by cleaners who are frustrated when their customer washes a cushion cover which they have removed from the cushion foam & laundered in the automatic washer, fully expecting them to match the results on the body of the furniture. This is especially difficult with off white fabrics made from natural fibers!...keep reading