“I Only Used Fairy Liquid”

Filed under: Carpet Cleaning,Carpet Protection,General — Brian @ 7:04 am

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been told this by an unsuspecting client over the years.  there’s also the the other product which has a 1001 uses.

Quite honestly, if used incorrectly (and they always are) these products can be a nightmare to remove.  Invariably, when a “shampoo” is used in an attempt to remove a stain on a carpet (or fabric) it’s rather like washing your hair and not rinsing out the suds.  It just become a sticky mess!  Yes the “stain” looks brighter but over a few days, slowly, the mark becomes darker and then re-soils.

This is usually when we as Professional carpet cleaners, receive a call to remove the “stain”.  And when we arrive, one of the first questions we ask is “Have you used anything on the stain”.

The reply comes back “only water”

Now, I’ll let you into a secret…this is when WE KNOW something has been used!  Fairy liquid..1001…next doors Aunty Mable has just the thing – we’re now dealing with a cocktail!!!!

Nevertheless, undaunted we carry on (we’re Professionals you know) and respectfully try to explain the consequences of the dreaded incorrect use of shampoo on a carpet

If I’m not mistaken, there has been an industry test undertaken, I think it’s referred to as a “Denmark test” which determined it takes 54 rinses to extract shampoo from a carpet.

So, please, please, please, don’t use a shampoo on your carpet to treat stains or clean your carpet.  Of course – this is just my opinion after 30 years of cleaning carpets

Oh, just one more thing when it comes to treating spills…BLOT THAT STAIN DON’T RUB IT!!!!!!

Brian Philbin – director

Carpet Cleaning Cheshire, Carpet Cleaning Manchester

Filed under: Carpet Cleaning,Carpet Protection — Tags: , , — Mike @ 2:42 pm

Elaine’s Weekly Blog.

I answered a call today from a lovely Gentleman wanting some information about carpet beetles ( I shudder to myself as I think about the little blighters crawling around) As long as they don’t want to move in with me I will be happy!!!!!!

If you ever come across them and they have moved into your home, you may find
This bit interesting.

Now concentrate because here comes the science part about the nasty critters.

The beetles are fairly small, measuring 1.5 to 4mm in length. The body is strongly convex, rather like the ladybird beetle and is characterised by the pattern of yellow, black and whitish scales on the body.
Between 20 and 100 eggs are laid by the female during spring and early summer on furs, woollens and any dried materials of animal origin.

When the larvae hatch out, they are hairy and brown with three bunches of golden hairs on the abdomen. They normally reach a length of 4-5mm. They tend to avoid the light and, when disturbed, curl up into a ball.

Lifecycle

The eggs hatch between 10 to 35 days depending on the temperature. The larvae can last at least a year depending on the quality of the food supply. The adult beetle lives from 7-41 days.

The adults appear in April, May and June and their resulting larvae hibernate during the following winter pupating during the latter part of February and March.

On emergence the adult beetles seek the light so they usually fly to the windows. They fly to light coloured flowers where they feed on nectar and pollen. After mating, the females enter houses during late summer and autumn and lay their eggs in birds’ nests in roof voids and other suitable places. The larvae feed on feathers and wool soiled with excrement, dead fledglings, etc.

Control

Infestations of these insects mostly originate in birds’ nests such as those of house-sparrow, house-martin, swift and starling. The carpet beetle larvae subsist on the soiled wool and feathers in the nest-lining and then manage to get under the eaves in the roof space. From here they crawl into the upper rooms of the house, usually following the hot water pipe system. They appear to be attracted to warmer situations. Airing cupboards often harbour substantial infestations. Carpet beetles do, however, sometimes fly through open windows and presumably initiate infestations directly, but infestations arising from birds’ nest cause continual invasions. The first rule of control therefore is to remove birds’ nests from eaves and all similar situations. If dead birds or rodents are found in chimneys or under floors they should be removed. Any pieces of old carpet or similar material in lofts or roof voids must be destroyed otherwise they will act as reservoirs of infestation.

Thanks for reading.

Elaine – Quality Manager Nu-Life Floor Care

carpet cleaning manchester, carpet cleaning cheshire – http://www.stonecare.tv – http://www.stonecareuk.co.uk