"The Finest Carpet Cleaning Service in Sonoma, Since 1975"
Imperial Services
19451 B Riverside Drive
(Barn)
Sonoma, CA 95476
ph: 707-996-9358
andy
Current Newsletter
Dear Friends,
Happy 2014 - we hope you had a wonderful holiday season and are enjoying the new year!
Rain, rain, oh where is the rain?! This seems to be the topic on everyone's mind. The recent weather has been gorgeous to be sure, but fingers crossed that the drought breaks soon.
What steps can a cleaning service take to reduce their water usage? One way is to use only the highest quality equipment. Our trucks are self contained, which means we arrive with our own fresh water and leave with soiled water in a separate tank to be disposed of according to environmental law. Our high pressure pump is customized with a speed control switch to adjust to each individual cleaning task; for example while cleaning delicate upholstery we do not use the same pressure as during a commercial carpet cleaning. Our truck mounted heat exchanger can heat water to 190 degrees! Adjusting the heat according to each job means less water used for "scrubbing". And finally: better equipment equals no leaks. We introduce water at a fingertip control, so when we pause, all water useage stops. So while we can't stop using water entirely, we will certainly cut down where we can!
And personally, like our fellow Californians, we are trying to reduce and reuse water whenever possible. We have installed a new low-flow shower head at home plus a shower timer which is helpful for the whole family! Dishwater is now landscape water, and there are many other little ways we are trying to cut back.
Take care,
-Amy and Andy Smith
Hint: it's not just for looks!
Carpet cleaning can make a big difference in the health of your indoor environment. Many homeowners think about cleaning merely for the appearance or maintenance sake of the carpet, knowing that a cleaning will keep it looking better and lasting longer. But following the manufacturers’ recommended annual professional cleanings will also prevent the buildup of unhealthy filtered contaminates.
Carpet purifies the air: Carpet plays a vital, positive role in indoor air quality. It acts as an environmental filter, trapping and holding impurities from the air we breathe. Carpet and other household textiles will prevent settled dust, pollens and other contaminates from re-circulating in the air. Studies have shown that a carpeted floor can trap up to 100 times more cat allergen than a polished floor.
Carpet cleans feet: Carpet does a wonderful job of drying and cleaning the bottom of shoes and feet. Walking across an entire house of hard surface floors will not clean the bottom of shoes, but as soon as you step onto carpet the soil will transfer. Where have your shoes been lately? People rarely allow shoes to touch their upholstered furniture for fear of transferring soil, but show little concern for those same shoes walking on the carpet. Carpets have been improved dramatically over the years to hide the everyday soil buildup, but don’t let carpet’s hiding ability fool you.
The importance of cleaning: According to the EPA Environmental Criteria and Assessment Office, the single leading cause of poor indoor air quality is soil buildup. Carpet and upholstery must be cleaned to remove trapped contaminants before they overflow and are released into the indoor re-circulated air systems.
More frequent professional cleaning is recommended for homes with pets, small children and allergy sensitive people. Pets, children and smokers tend to create a greater amount of carpet contamination. Carpet in rooms where small children play (in close contact with carpet) requires greater diligence in maintenance cleaning. Allergy sensitive people, especially with dust mite sensitivities, also benefit from more frequent cleaning.
Spill something on your area rug? Some tips:
Some items to NEVER put on a wool or silk rug to treat a spill are: baking soda, bleach, Resolve, Oxyclean, Simple Green, or any over the counter detergent or spot remover meant for SYNTHETIC wall-to-wall carpet.
Most household cleaners for carpet are designed for use on synthetic fibers like nylon, olefin, and polyester, which are essentially plastic petroleum products. They can take aggressive heat and chemicals, whereas natural fibers like wool and silk cannot.
Baking soda is often seen as a “safe” household remedy to absorb things, but the problem is it has an alkaline pH. Wool rugs have acid dyes, and do not like alkalinity, so this can cause yellowing of the wool that cannot be reversed.
Even a solution approved for wool, like Woolite, when used as a “spot remover” can bleach out wool rug dyes if too concentrated.
The safest bet is to immediately blot the wet area with a white cotton towel. Do not scrub the affected area, as this untwists and breaks the wool, silk, or cotton face fibers. (If an oil or dense substance, use a spoon to scoop up as much as you can before you begin the blotting process.)
Look at the wet towel for two things: is the liquid spill absorbing into the towel? And are any of the rug’s dyes absorbing into the towel?
If the rug’s dyes are absorbing into the towel, blot a bit more and then STOP. No more work can be done to this area without causing the area’s dyes to bleed together. This type of damage can devalue your rug, so you want to stop before you make it worse. But don't despair, we can help!
Imperial Services
19451 B Riverside Drive
(Barn)
Sonoma, CA 95476
ph: 707-996-9358
andy