Favorite Articles

Upholstery fabrics have undergone dramatic changes in fiber, texture, and weave in the last few years. Microfiber has become one of the main fabrics of choice. You can hardly find Haitian cotton anymore. Velvets are rare, too. The Handi-Brush from Groom Industries now becomes the perfect upholstery grooming and agitation brush for almost every application....keep reading

It's a FACT: Failures occur in odor control treatments that result from treating carpets, rugs, and upholstery that are just too heavily contaminated to be salvaged, (usually attempted due to misjudgment by the technician). . . However, there are also substantially more cases where failures occur simply because of a lack of understanding of the following 3 basic fundamentals:...keep reading

A Script Is Your Most Effective Tool For Excellent Results When Receiving or Making Phone Calls....keep reading

Because of the outstanding results we had experienced in other applications using microfiber cloth cleaning technology, I decided to substitute microfiber cleaning cloths in place of the brushes usually used for dry brushing, preconditioning, and finishing of delicate texture fabrics such as this natural fiber chenille upholstery fabric - Check out these pictures!...keep reading

Before such an expensive and avoidable claim happens to you, make sure you do a careful assessment of your employee's communication and customer service skills as well as the care they show in the home in all they say and do. And if you are an owner operator, do a careful self assessment as well....keep reading

Everyone's most time-consuming cleaning step is the fringe on rugs. They look great when the rug is new, but often go downhill from there. They act as dirt magnets, untwist, mat or bloom and are subject to cellulose browning....keep reading

With the total cost of a certification course (including tuition, test fees, transportation cost, wages, food, and rooms) often totaling nearly a thousand dollars, you might wonder if its really worth the investment to send an employee....keep reading

Every winter I recall once again a conversation I had with a veteran cleaner from New Jersey. Tom said he rarely had a "bad" winter, and the reason for this was the way he positioned his upholstery cleaning service. A small, lightweight portable with a low moisture dry tool can give you excellent upholstery cleaning results without the need of your truck mount-...keep reading

"Using 20th Century cleaning products and processes for 21st Century fabrics can lead to expensive claims!” (Severely soiled fabrics that require restorative cleaning can still be cleaned without the need for using inferior shampoo systems as well)....keep reading

While many cleaners have found that most well made microfiber fabrics made from polyester fibers are nearly "bullet proof", I've also reviewed how laminated microfiber fabrics have been known to be solvent sensitive, as well as delaminate after cleaning. Just recently yet another challenge with microfibers came to my attention, and this time with a very surprising issue: Color Loss!...keep reading

IN THIS ISSUE --
#1 Watch Out for These Four Problems with Rayon Fabrics!
#2 Special Email #1 - The one asset you didn't know you had...keep reading

Despite the economic challenges of the past several years and the recent difficult winter, cleaners continue to bypass opportunities for additional sales (and profits) because they feel that it just isn't worth the hard work needed to make those needed dollars....keep reading

Don't be surprised if you get a call from a customer who wants urine odor treatment, but also claims to have chemical sensitivity issues and can't tolerate chemical smells-. - - - With the reminder that the recent pandemic and overuse of disinfectants has created a strong sense of chemical fear in our society, you have the opportunity to use Customer - Focused Marketing- approaches that will have you seen as a both caring and professional service company...keep reading

It is very important that upholstery cleaning technicians choose tools that help them perform a better service for their clients, protect the furniture from damage, themselves from physical strain as well as any possible adverse health effects from cleaning products....keep reading

Over the past few years, Lee and I have shared a great deal of information on how the relationship that people have with pets has changed incredibly.  There was a recent article in Planet Money, a segment on NPR, that brought the hard statistics together with some very relevant facts about how changes in our society have caused the Pet Revolution to come about....keep reading

Why do people want pigs as pets? Potbellied pigs (PBP's) make good companions, but only for the right caregiver. On the plus side, pigs are smart, clean, generally non-allergenic, odor-free, flea-free, charming and inexpensive to feed. Pigs are social, bonding easily with humans. They'll readily roll over for a tummy rub, as well as snuggle with you. However, where problems arise is when a 100-200# creature uses a litter box, frequent changes are critical, and misses and accidents- can be more common....keep reading

If you can guarantee that the carpet would be dry in an hour or so after you depart (depending on your capabilities), you will be able to capture more new customers, keep existing ones happy and loyal, and justify higher, more profitable pricing structures....keep reading

I had a lady stop to see me about a home I had for rent. She did not bring a spouse or a room mate with her, to see the place! - - - She brought her dog!!!
She brought the dog to make sure it liked the house, and that it liked me as her prospective landlord....keep reading

What we've found in our contact with interior designers is that white upholstery and area rugs are considered to be excellent choices to make interior decorating easier, and to provide a restful environment. - - - "On the other hand, few things worry new cleaners, and annoy experienced cleaners, more than customers who present them with white upholstery and rugs with the casual expectation that they will clean like new"...keep reading

When a cleaner is called to treat a pet related urine odor, what they frequently detect isn't urine at all, but instead an odor that cleaners refer to as doggie odor.
NOTE:
It is not uncommon for cleaners to amplify these odors during the professional cleaning process to the extent that it actually becomes a post cleaning complaint and re-service!...keep reading