Carpet Care and Maintenance
No other item in your home absorbs more wear and tear on a daily basis than your carpet, and no other item can impact your home’s appearance like your carpet can.
ServiceMaster Clean recommends that homeowners follow these steps to keep the appearance of your carpet and upholstery looking it’s best.
Have carpets professionally cleaned at least once a year:
A professional cleaner has the equipment and expertise to fully remove dirt and detergent from your carpet. More importantly, they can remove most of the moisture in your carpet, something that most rental units don’t do.
Vacuum carpets at least once a week: Up to 80% of dirt in the carpets is loose dirt that can be removed with regular vacuuming.
Use doormats: Keep dirt, and especially sand, out of the house and off the rugs.
Protect the surface: Have your carpet fibers protected by a carpet protectant like Scotchgard Carpet Protector.
Rotate furniture: Premature wear and tear and soiling take place when traffic paths are unchanged.
Blot spills: quickly clean up spills with a dry, clean cloth or clean towel by blotting. Protect the area until dry.
Avoid direct sunlight: Modern furniture fabrics are usually very resilient to sunlight. However, under extreme exposure, even these show signs of fading.
Plump cushions often: Fillings lose their ability to bounce back if not plumped up to reshape them. Plumping cushions will help them last longer.
Rotate Cushions often: Cushions not rotated may experience premature damage and unnecessary wear and tear. To ensure a longer life for your cushions, rotate them often.
Vacuum: Upholstered furniture should be vacuumed on a regular basis to remove dust and loose dirt.
Cleaning spills: Spills left unattended may set as stains. Blot when spills occur, never rub!
Remember that the best time to clean up most spots and spills is right after they occur. Using the proper agent, follow the techniques below. Be sure to pretest a small area to make sure that the fabric will not bleed or get damaged during the treatment.
1. If liquid, blot up as much as possible with a clean cloth.
2. If the material is dry, loosen residue with the dull edge of a knife or spatula. Scrape or vacuum up as much of the residue as you can.
3. Dampen clean cloth with the proper cleaning agent for the particular type of spot.
4. Blot area gently, working from the outer edge to the center of the spot. Turn the cloth frequently so you are always using a clean area.
5. Repeat this process until the spot is removed or until you no longer have a transfer of the spot on your cloth. Be careful not to get the carpet excessively wet.
6. Blot the spot with water. Blot any excess moisture.
7. Align the carpet pile. Protect the area from any traffic and allow to dry.
At ServiceMaster Clean, we deal with thousand s of spots and spills every year. Care taken when these events occur may immediately solve the problem. Use the tips below to help get rid of common household stains found on carpets. If the stain is more serious, call 410-749-0970 or 888-517-1029 (Delaware or Maryland) for service.
Grease and Oil Marks: Gently rub in talcum powder, cornmeal or cornstarch. Let it set and then brush or sponge powder away. Vacuum the area.
Mustard Spots: Soak stained area with diluted ammonia (one tablespoon ammonia, one cup of water). Then dry with a hairdryer.
Pet Urine: Dampen area with equal parts white vinegar and water. Then blot dry.
Red Wine: Use club soda to flush the wine from carpet fibers.
Blood Spots: flush with cold water. Avoid hot water as heat will set the blood stain.
Soft Drinks: Blot the area with a vinegar solution (one part vinegar and two parts water). Then blot with a detergent solution (one teaspoon detergent and one quart water).
Gum: Freeze the gum with ice and use a dull knife to remove.
Candle Wax: Put a brown paper bag over the dried wax and run a hot iron over it. The bag will absorb the hot wax.
Latex Paint: Soak with dish detergent diluted with 20 parts water. Agitate the area, blot, rinse and blot again.
Ball Point Ink: Use hair spray and be sure to rinse the entire area well with water when finished.
More then just a clean carpet
You can depend on ServiceMaster Clean to keep your home clean.
Experienced: Over 50 years experience in the cleaning industry has made our service so good, we can guarantee it!
Dependable: Count on us to provide a clean, healthy environment in your home for you and your family.
Flexible: We’ll provide you with estimates over the phone or in person. As for scheduling, we will clean what you want cleaned at a time that’s convenient for you.
Professionally Trained: Our initial and ongoing training programs define our high expectations to provide insured, trained
