Here are some common tips and solutions to help you with your home cleaning needs:

Vacuuming:

Having a carpet heavily laden with soils and contaminants will compound and complicate the removal of all spots and stains. The most important thing you can do for your carpet is regular, thorough vacuuming. Vacuuming sounds simple, but often times the vacuum is not working properly and the vacuuming technique is poor. We often find that vacuums are not maintained properly so they clean poorly. It is important to have your vacuum serviced annually to ensure proper performance. Eighty percent of the soil in carpet can and must be removed in a dry state. Proper vacuuming is essential for both your family’s health and to maintain the beauty and value of your carpeting. For best results use a highly effective S-Class HEPA vacuum and make sure to inspect the belt and brush roll to ensure effective agitation. Set proper height adjustment and also see that the bag is not over full.

Spot Treatment:

1. Red dyes may cause permanent stains. The amount of staining will depend on the type of fiber involved. There are products designed to remove this dye from synthetic fibers, of which 90% of residential carpets are made. Pure Power Dye Out, which can be purchased from DocSpot, is a product like no other on the market. It is designed to avoid setting the stain, thus ensuring that further attempts by a professional may still be successful. 

2. Vomit is best removed by first lifting as much of the solid material as possible from the carpet without driving it deeper into the fibers or spreading it. This can be accomplished with a pancake turner/spatula by gently sliding it between the vomit and the fibers and lifting it off the carpet. Next blot up all liquids with terry cloth or microfiber towels. Repeat with fresh towel until as much as possible is removed. Spray with spotting agent sparingly, then blot again using a dry terry cloth towel. Spray with water and repeat blotting until your towel comes up clean. Apply a dry poultice and allow to dry.

3. Candle Wax poses a multi-faceted problem. First, the type of carpet fiber will determine the approach. Second, the wax color may transfer to the carpet fiber during removal. Incidentally, crayon wax is guaranteed to dye some fibers. Initially you should break up the wax and crumble it to break off as much as possible. Thoroughly vacuum up all of the crumbs. If the fiber is Olefin, you must be extremely careful with the next step because of Olefin’s low melting point. Unfold a brown paper sack and lay it over the wax. Any printing on the bag must be facing upward to avoid transferring the ink to the carpet. Use a clothes iron on the low synthetic or silk setting and “iron” the paper bag, being sure you place it directly over the wax. If it is an Olefin fiber, check frequently to be sure you are not melting the fiber. 

NOTE: This is one time you might call Marcus to be sure you don’t damage your carpet.

4 . Blood should be treated with cold water because heat will denature the proteins and set the stain. Blot up as much as possible using paper and/or cloth towels. After absorbing all that you can, spray the area with cold water and blot again. Depending on the extent of the spot, you may need to repeat this many times. At this point, spray it with a spotting agent; let dwell for about 5 minutes and blot. Next apply a dry poultice and let dry over night. In many cases you may still have a residue of blood in the carpet. If so, repeat the above procedures. A better and more effective method would be to use a small extractor to flush the carpet with cold water, followed by a poultice overnight.

NOTE: If the spot is large and heavily saturated, don’t attempt to remove. Just call Marcus and get help.

5. Pet Urine is difficult to remove because fresh urine is very hot, so it expands the fiber and locks it into the dye sites. The ability to remove it depends on the content of the urine, finish of the fiber, and the amount of time that has elapsed before treatment. Use the following procedure when treating urine: If fresh, blot and follow all procedures below. (If dry, skip to next paragraph.) Apply Pet Spotter and blot some more. Step on a microfiber towel to ensure total extraction. Apply a dry poultice and let dry overnight. Since dried urine is alkaline, apply white vinegar and let it dwell five to ten minutes to neutralize it. Then blot repeatedly using a microfiber towel. Apply Pet Spotter and blot repeatedly. Rinse by spraying with water and blot repeatedly till nothing transfers to your towel when blotting. Apply a dry poultice and let dry overnight. If any stain remains on the following day, repeat the process.

Note: For severe saturation problems call Marcus for total removal.

6. Coffee with cream and sugar are very difficult stains to remove from nylon fiber. Other fibers will be less complicated and require fewer spotting agents. This protocol applies to the worst case scenario: Moisten contaminated fibers with a dilute solution of white vinegar. You want to wet the fibers, but be careful not to saturate the carpet. Using a sprayer, apply the vinegar solution as a fine mist. Over-application of the spotter will complicate the process. Agitate the fibers gently but thoroughly. Allow the spotter to dwell on the fibers for about 5 minutes. Rinse well using a wet vacuum or blot if area is small. If there was cream in coffee, apply a dilute solution of ammonia with sprayer, agitate the fibers gently, wait 5 minutes and rinse again. If the coffee had sugar in it, a solvent may need to be applied and rinsed out. Now apply a dry poultice until dry.