Latest Top (20) News
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Fall Carpet Cleaning = Great Deals in Madison
The carpet cleaning industry is quite seasonal in Madison, and most other places where the snow flies. People seem to prefer to have their carpets cleaned when it is nice out. This means less jobs for carpet cleaners as it gets colder, but good news for the customer! Many carpet cleaning companies offer their best specials this time of year. We are offering 20% off every service from now until April!
In addition to lower prices, you can generally expect better service this time of year. While we always strive to do our best, it is easier when we aren't busy. On a busy summer day we have a lot of carpets to get through, but this time of year we can really take our time.
If you live in (or near) Madison WI and are considering having your carpets cleaned there is no better time. With the lowest prices of the year and the best possible service, you will never find a better value!
Wed, 17 Sep 2008 18:56:00 +0000
Rug Cleaning in Madison Wisconsin
So you are in the Madison Wisconsin area, or anywhere else in the world, and you need a good rug cleaning. Some rugs are super durable and easy to clean. Some rugs are delicate and take extra care. Interestingly enough, the price of the rug has a stong negative correlation with how easy it is to clean. As the price goes up the ease of cleaning goes down.
Did you get a $40-$100 rug at home depot or wall mart? Great choice! They are going to be durable, and made of synthetic fibers. We can clean these rugs just like normal carpets with great results. Did you spend $14093246329 on a rug in a specialty shop, or inherit a family rug from grandma? There is a good chance it is made of wool or another natural fiber. These rugs can still be cleaned (usually), but there are precautions that need to be taken.
The first thing we do is a color fast test. We wet a white cotton rag, dab your rug, and see if we get any color transfer. If the rag turns the color of the rug we have problems. The dyes in your rug are unstable, and there is a good chance we would ruin it if we cleaned it. We pass on those rugs.
If the rug passes the colorfast test, which most of them do, we will clean them. There are still some pitfalls we need to avoid though! The first thing we do is apply a more neutral pre-spray. High PH stuff is great for getting tough stains out of synthetic carpet, but can dammage natural fibers. We need to be a little more delicate in our cleaning agent selection. Secondly, we turn our water temperature way down. Wool and other natural fibers need to be cleaned under 165 degrees F.
Those are the big things to remember. Rug cleaning is a risky business that many smart rookie cleaners avoid, but we pretty much know what we are doing. And hey, if we ruin your rug we have insurance (just kidding, we won't ruin your rug. We do have insurance though.) Rug cleaning in Madison Wisconsin is super fun and can produce great results! If you need a rug cleaner in Madison WI call Apex Carpet Care.
Mon, 30 Jun 2008 16:49:00 +0000
How to choose a carpet cleaner
Choosing a carpet cleaner can be overwhelming. There are so many choices, and tons of claims made by different companies that contradict each other. There are 3 things you can do to ensure you hire a company that will meet your needs.
The first thing you should do is look for a guarantee. You should hire a company that guarantees their work. Sometimes after you get your carpets clean they look great! Then a couple days (or even weeks) later the spots come back. There are two main reason this happens. The first is when stains soak through the bottom of the carpet to the pad. Even the best carpet cleaners will occasionally have stains come back because of this. After the carpets are cleaned the top of the stain is gone, but some remains in the backing and pad. As the carpet dries and gets traffic the stain "wicks up." These stains usually come back within a couple days. This can be prevented with OSR treatments that treat the pad, and thorough cleaning.
The the other way reoccuring spots happen is when carpet cleaners leave soapy reside behind. This soapy residue attracts soils and oils (like it is suppose to) and over time makes your carpet look dirtier than it should. Professionals rarely have this problem because they properly rinse and neutralize your carpet before they leave.
In any case, a good first step is to narrow down your options to just companies that offer a guarantee.
Second, you should look for testimonals. Most carpet cleaners that care about their work ask some of their satisfied customers to write testimonials. They then post them on their websites and use them in their advertisements. Testimonials prove that real people are happy with the company you are looking to do business with. The best kind of testimonals are ones that the customer posted themselves, such as on angies list or google reviews. Someone has to be very pleased(or in some cases displeased!) to take the time to post something online about a business.
Lastly, call or e-mail a few companies and ask some questions. Companies that take the time to answer your questions thoroughly will do the same with your carpets.
These are general guidelines that will work for any business. If you want to read more specific information about the carpet cleaning industry check out my websites, www.apexcarpetcare.com and www.smithcarpetcleaning.com.
Thu, 26 Jun 2008 21:27:00 +0000
Why do prices differ so much between cleaning companies?
If you are shopping for carpet cleaning or ever have in the past, you probably have gotten some price quotes from different companies. Usually the range of prices is quite large. In Madison, Wisconsin, where I am from, there are a lot of companies that use price advertising. I get things in the mail that offer carpet cleaning from around $65 for 3 areas to $95 for 5 areas including scotchgard. There are usually at least 4 companies per coupon book with similar low prices. My guess is that most of these companies use the bait and switch method. They use low prices as the bait and switch the price when they get to your house with high pressure sales tactics.
When you get a price quote that sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Do you think they can really send a professional out to work for even an just an hour at those prices? Don't forget fuel, cleaning supplies, and overhead.
The fact is carpet cleaning is more expensive than a lot of advertisments will have you believe. Most reputable carpet cleaning companies charge by the square foot because it is more accurate than using "areas." Most reputable companies also have a minimum charge between $75 and $100, even if you just need a little spot taken out. That is just what it costs to send a professional to your house. We charge 30-40 cents per square foot for carpet cleaning. At these prices we can afford to book a reasonable number of appointments per day, show up on time, take our time and do a nice job, explain things to customers, keep our equipment in good condition, pay higher wages, keep better workers, and make a fair profit. Our initial price quote will be higher than most of our competitors, in some cases significantly higher. I can assure you that it is worth it with our 100% satisfaction guarantee. Check out our website at www.apexcarpetcare.com.
Wed, 25 Jun 2008 15:27:00 +0000
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