Favorite Articles

A previous column dealt with inspections of rugs prior to cleaning. As part of this inspection, the cleaner should also understand the construction of an oriental rug, because this will help in detailing the pre-cleaning report and identifying a rug. Let's look at the manner in which genuine hand-tied oriental rugs are constructed....keep reading

The low wetting factor of "Dry Tools" have greatly reduced the likelihood of bleeding, browning, and shrinkage, even with delicate fabrics such as jacquard and raw cotton fabrics. You must remember, however, that these tools REDUCE the risks of bleeding and browning, but do not guarantee against it!...keep reading

The best way to end this confusion?
Consider the kind and condition of carpet you are cleaning, and the philosophy of cleaning you follow! With this understanding in mind, what product should you use in your cleaning system? Consider these facts:...keep reading

Most cleaning professionals (and rightly so,) believe that "S" code tagged fabrics are nearly always cleanable with water. However, these same professionals often decide to wet clean without making sure their customer has a clear understanding of why the wet cleaning process would be preferred! Learn the importance of establishing a pre-understanding with your customer about cleaning code tags...keep reading

Water damage restoration training is one of the most valuable skill sets that a restoration technician needs in order to deliver comprehensive restoration services!
The Water Damage Restoration Technician course is designed for restoration personnel that perform remediation work, giving them a better concept of water damage & it's effects; as well as techniques for safe and effective drying of structures.
This course also provides residential and commercial maintenance personnel the background to understand the procedures necessary to deal with water losses, sewer backflows, and related contaminations such as mold....keep reading

Prevention is Better than Cure!
- - - - - - - Before you clean any furniture, first conduct a thorough inspection. During your inspection process, you should be wary if you find that the fabric is a jacquard weave, and a thorough colorfastness test should be conducted before any cleaning commences....keep reading

This is a story about a cleaner who found extensive rust on a commercial carpet cleaning job where a metal cabinet had been placed. He applied a rust remover to the stained area, and the rust disappeared quickly. The carpet cleaned well afterward, but when dry, the areas that were treated with the rust remover had turned violet!...keep reading

If you've ever paid a claim for a piece of upholstery that bled, faded, shrunk, ripped, or had nap distortion that couldn't be repaired, it likely had rayon/viscose fibers in its construction!
Following are four (4) issues you must be aware of before cleaning any textile that uses rayon/viscose in its construction - Plus suggestions regarding cleaning them....keep reading

"Do You Have Any Idea What Caused The Mystery Color Change On This Ottoman?"
The top of the fabric appeared to have "browned out" the first time the technician had cleaned it, then after it was rinsed with an acidic rinse agent to remove the browning during a second visit, the sides now appeared to have browned, though the top of the ottoman now looked better....keep reading

We have talked to cleaners about upholstery cleaning for decades, and I've often wondered why upholstery cleaning services represent as much as 50% of the residential cleaning volume of a few companies, and less that 10% of the volume of most others. This article shares the reasons I was given by most of the "10%" group....keep reading

The cleaning world has changed nearly beyond recognition from the turn of the century. The changes you need to make to grow with, instead of fight against, these changes are many. A good start is looking at the ways you can expand your market, and/or keep your market share, with the services a CRB machine provides....keep reading

In today's age of being able to take pictures with cell phones and then text a question, its not uncommon for customers to take a quick picture and send such a question to the cleaner that they trust. This creates both good opportunities as well as bad risks to cleaners, depending on what they do next....keep reading

Three Tips to Get Better Performance from Your Enzyme Deodorizer
NOTE: The springtime brings warmer and more humid weather to much of the US, and with it, amplified urine odors in homes that have dogs and cats in them....keep reading

2 Day Course - IICRC reference UFT, adheres to the approved IICRC content outline. It requires 14 hours, not including exam time, lunch and breaks. This Upholstery Cleaning Technician Course Covers The Following Topics......keep reading

While many cleaners focus their efforts on preventing browning and color damage when they clean fine fabrics, far too few worry at all about how textured fabrics (chenille, velvet, microfiber, etc) look and feel after cleaning! That oversight costs those cleaners substantially in lost income even worse in lost reputations!...keep reading

Whether or not you agree with the growing & changing relationship between people and pets, all of these changes present you, the cleaning professional, with remarkable opportunities to be of more service to your customers!
On one hand, pets create stains and damage to both textiles as well as hard surfaces. They also are a major cause of "after cleaning odors" that cause unrealistic expectation issues with prospects & customers.
On the other hand, odors and overall soiling of the homes interior and content provide cleaning professionals with profitable work opportunities....keep reading

Large volume spills of sugary soft drinks, oily materials, or high concentrations of sticky detergents, as well as oily solvent based spotters, can create residues that conventional extraction cleaning cannot remove. Pet urine penetrates deeply into carpet pile, through the carpet's backing material, and into the carpet cushion. This is the key reason pet odors return. The solution to all of these problems can be found in one new and revolutionary tool .......keep reading

This cleaner had reviewed the ingredients of the hot chocolate spill, and determined that he should treat the stain with a peroxide based stain remover. He called me because he was only getting minimal results with a product that was touted as the most powerful possible stain remover available.
The reason he wasn't having success was not that his stain remover wasn't as good as it was supposed to be. The reason was that he was . . ....keep reading

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Regardless of the cause of a discoloration that creates concern with your customer, your best course of action is to respond immediately to complaints about your work, and look at the problem without delay....keep reading