Knowledgable Carpet Cleaners / Really Clean - Phoenix Scottsdale Cave Creek - Residential Commercial Cleaning & Upholstery

Notice:
There seems to be a growing "Trend" in homes today. Many people are removing the carpeting out of their homes to be replaced by hard surface flooring, such as hard wood or tile. People say the main reason for this is due to illness and/or allergies.

Please be aware that carpeting traps contaminants floating in the air as everything falls to the floor. This is definitely a good thing! Once you remove the carpet in trade for hard surface flooring, there is no longer any filter to hold these contaminants down. Airborne particles will then continue to recirculate through the air making it much easier to inhale.

I have heard of people with allergies and such to have worse problems once removing their carpeting. You may want to give this some serious thought before going ahead with the removal of your carpeting.

The problem is... people don't always clean their carpeting when they should. Filters can only hold so much before they are over-loaded and no longer can hold any more. We recommend cleaning twice a year to keep your carpeting clean and open to do its job.

A. The method of carpet cleaning we implement is the "hot water extraction" method, also known as "Steam Cleaning" This process is used by about 80% of all carpet cleaning companies across the country. Most major carpet manufacturers recommend hot water extraction as the preferred method of cleaning. With the 'Dry cleaning' process, there is no extraction of soil or chemicals being used other than a bonnet on the bottom of their rotory machine that spins around only to frey your carpets fiber. It is obvious to say that the dirt is uniformly spread around to look even; along with being pushed even deeper into the carpet and backing.

Q. How long does the carpet take to dry?

A. The normal drying time is from 4 to 8 hours.
With our "Quick Dry" process*, drying times can be reduced by as much as 50% of normal*!!

How soon can I walk on it?
Keep pets, children and regular traffic off carpet for period of 4 hours. The homeowner may use the carpet lightly immediately after cleaning by wearing clean white Tennis shoes or house slippers. Wait 24-48 hours before removing Styrofoam and plastic tabs. They are placed to protect the carpet from furniture stains.

*Please ask your technician about Really Clean's Optional Reduced Drying Time.

Q. I've heard it's best to put off having your carpet cleaned as long as possible, is this true?

A. Absolutely Not! In fact, the reason why carpet may become quickly soiled again after a cleaning is due to selecting an unscrupulous 'low price' company who has no real knowledge of how to clean your fine fabrics (though they claim to know). They leave cheap (high pH) cleaning soaps in the carpet to reattract soils.

Many major carpet mills today recommend professional cleaning at least once per year by an IICRC certified cleaner. The build up of soil in your carpet in combination with foot traffic creates abrasion that breaks down your carpets' fibers. The higher the traffic in a given area, the more often the carpet will need cleaning. Let Really Clean show you the difference. Call us now to schedule your appointment!

Q. Should I have my carpet dry cleaned or steam cleaned?

A. As mentioned earlier, most major carpet manufacturers now recommend hot water extraction (Steam Cleaning) as the preferred method. Like the laundering of your clothing, Steam cleaning is highly effective in removing soil and other contaminants from your carpet.

To most people "dry cleaning" means cleaning without water. The fact is that most carpet cleaning advertised as "Dry" cleaning actually uses anywhere from a little, to a lot, of water! That's because most of the soil in your carpet is water soluble. For the most part that means better results with a wet cleaning process. On the other hand each cleaning process has its place, given the circumstances. For the majority of residential and business clients, steam cleaning will deliver the most effective results.

Q. Does your cleaning process soak the backing of the carpet?

A. No, although our process rinses the carpet deep down, moisture does not penetrate the backing of the carpet. With our powerful Vortex Cleaning System, your carpet is thoroughly rinsed, but left only damp to the touch. We can also clean your area rugs on either hardwood or tiled floors as we have our system set up where the backing of the carpet or rug is not saturated, therefore no problem with wood floors underneath. No problem with edges either. Our rinse does not affect hardwood floors.

Q. Can you get the pet odor out of my carpet?

A. Pet odor is a very common problem. At Really Clean we can help you deal with your pet challenges. From minor problems to major headaches Really Clean can help find that solution that works best for you.

The problem with pet odor is that it can be much deeper than it first appears. Pet urine can easily soak through the backing of the carpet into the padding underneath. In more severe cases the urine can penetrate into the sub-floor beneath the padding. This creates a problem that is multi-layered.

The urine also provides for the growth of bacteria. This in turn contributes to a worsening of the odor problem and can contribute to permanent color loss of the carpet fiber.

To eliminate this problem the urine must be removed or neutralized from each of the layers effected. If the contamination is limited to only the face yarn of the carpet then the cleaning itself may effectively remove the odor. In more severe cases a urine neutralizer may be applied.

In the most severe cases, replacement of the carpet padding, treatment of the under-side of the carpet and the sub-floor may be required. Even replacement of the carpet, however, can not guarantee complete removal of the odor.

Left untreated over a period of time pet odor can become absorbed into many of the porous materials in your home. Draperies, sheet rock, upholstered furniture, base-boards, even the concrete foundation are just a few of the materials that can absorb these odors.

At Really Clean we offer a range of solutions to help you with your pet odor problems. In the long run, however, it may be more a matter of proper maintenance instead of total elimination. After all, we love our pets and want to keep them a part of our family. Pet ownership adds to the challenge of maintaining a clean and healthy home. At Really Clean we can help you meet those challenges.

Q. Does carpet protector really work?

A. There are several different types of carpet protectors on the market today. The most commonly known products are 3M's Scotchguard and Dupont Teflon Fabric Protector. These are water-based products. They are fairly good at doing the job intended, though they are still water-based which does add to the dry-time of your fabrics.

The picture below (middle) displays a carpet with little or no protector applied. You can see the spill absorb into the carpet. The picture below (to the right) shows the resistance to a spill with our Dupont Teflon Protector.

Many other no-name water-based protectors also exist. Several of these no-name products are simply Dupont Teflon without their official labeling, purchased by smaller chemical companies who affix their own brand label on the product. Or they can be another brand by an unknown company.
Other protectors like solvent based, which we at Really Clean use and stand behind (which are non-odorous and very safe) are a better alternative to water-based protectors. First, they tend to speed up the drying time as a solvent does not mix with water. Second, they have much better protective results due to solvent protectors actually penetrating into the fiber rather than sitting on top of the fiber as do water-based protectants. Click here for more info...

1. Pre-treat spots, stains and heavily soiled areas
2. Hot Water Extract, thoroughly rinsing
3. Some light Furniture Moving
4. Complete Drying within 1-8 hours in most cases. (ask about our optional 'Quick Dry' process)
*Optional Protective Coatings Available - Click here for more info...
*Optional Pre-vacuuming -if you cannot vacuum prior to our arrival.

Cleaning your carpet in accordance to these industry standards will help assure that you'll get the highest quality cleaning.

Really Clean's "standard service" exceeds these specifications. In addition to these steps Really Clean's powerful truck mounted equipment combined with our *Optional exclusive "Quick-Dry" process reduces drying time to only a few hours.

Q. Do you move furniture?

A. We can move some light furniture or go around it and get as close to the furniture as possible, it's up to you. Our general cleaning rates include moving sofas, chairs, tables, end tables, ect. in the family, living or dining areas. Beds, dressers etc. are left in place under our general cleaning rates. We can move these items with advance notice, for an additional fee. Please inform us upon setting your appointment.