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Regular professional cleaning can keep your carpets looking beautifully clean and fresh for many years.

Despite this, some homeowners are reluctant to get their carpets cleaned due to concerns and misconceptions about the potential problems that carpet cleaning can cause.
In this blog we are going to address some myths and give you the real facts about carpet cleaning.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let’s make a start by addressing some of the most common misconceptions raised by first-time callers over the phone:

 

• Will my carpets take days to dry after professional cleaning?

No, they won’t. (Unless they’ve been cleaned using excessive moisture or with a machine without enough suction to remove sufficient moisture).
An experienced carpet cleaning company should be using machinery that won’t
over-wet your carpets and they should be touch dry when they leave and pretty much dry in two to three hours.
This is a myth that dies hard because there are still companies out there that operate under powered equipment and have shoddy cleaning processes.

• Will my carpets get dirty quicker after they’re cleaned?

This is another misconception frequently heard.
If a carpet is cleaned using the correct equipment, chemicals and process, this most definitely isn’t the case.
A carpet will only re-soil quickly if the cleaning chemicals used aren’t appropriate for the fibres and stains, if they haven’t been fully extracted or rinsed out from the carpet  leaving behind sticky residues that attract and harbour dirt.
Once again, the result depends on a conscientious and responsible company using the correct machinery and suitable cleaning solutions.

• You can’t wet-clean wool carpets!

This is incorrect.
If wool carpets are cleaned using the correct temperatures, safe chemicals and they are not over-wet then the cleaning process will help protect and maintain the beautiful appearance of the wool.
It is also important to facilitate drying times using a powerful extraction machine and, if appropriate, the use of turbo dryers.

• If I have my carpets cleaned too often, will it damage or “wear out” my carpets?

Your carpets should be professionally cleaned on a regular basis.
The misconception that the carpet cleaning process can wear out carpets is simply not true.
Professional carpet cleaning removes the ingrained soils and grit that cause damage to fibres and prolongs the life of your carpets and rugs. Not only that; carpets act as a filter, its dense fibre construction has the ability to trap and retain airborne dust, allergens, small particles and fumes keeping them out of the air. Therefore improving the air quality within your home. Like all filters your carpets need emptying from time to time to remove all the trapped dust, mould, pet dander and debris.

• But aren’t all carpet cleaning processes the same?

Reading websites, it may appear that all carpet cleaners and their methods are the same.
This couldn’t be further from the truth.
While dry carpet cleaning methods can be effective for light maintenance cleans and some commercial carpets, to get the best results look for a carpet cleaning company that uses a hot water extraction method (often referred to as ‘steam cleaning’), and preferably one that uses a high performance truck mounted carpet cleaning system which are at least 20 times more powerful than the small electric machine some carpet cleaners use.
The results attained are the best possible and drying times minimal.

• Is there a loss of power due to the length of hoses from the van to my house?

When ringing round for quotes, often callers have been told that booking a carpet cleaning company who operate high performance truck mounted cleaning systems instead of the small electric machines brought in to the house by some carpet cleaners, that the length of the hose from the machine to their home would result in a loss off cleaning performance, producing an inferior clean. The average hose length from the machine to an average home is a mere 75 feet, contrast that to the same machines cleaning carpets on P&O’s Britannia.

Here in this photograph the hoses from the machine stretch 15 decks, pass through a
cabin, across an alleyway and up to the 16th deck to clean two sides a buffet
restaurant simultaneously, with a drying time of around an hour.
The total hose length for this job is 900 feet. To be able to complete such
seemingly impossible job, you need the most powerful and sophisticated
carpet cleaning systems on the planet.
The very same machines that come to clean carpet and upholstery in your home or premises.

 

 

 

Yes, the run-up to Christmas and the holidays is a hectic time of year –

but it is also a great time to get your carpets cleaned.  

 

We in the UK are currently in lockdown due to Covid-19, hopefully this means restrictions will be lifted in time for us to celebrate Christmas with our families.

When preparing for festivities – especially if it is your turn to host this year – it is important that your home provides a clean and welcoming environment for guests.
A thorough clean for your carpets removes harmful bacteria, fungi and viruses as well as any dirt. This leaves your carpets looking fresh, odourless, and safe for your guests.
It also removes any unsightly stains that may otherwise make an appearance in those treasured Christmas photos.

                                                                                          These are our recommendations:

Seek the help of a professional
To save yourself time, secure high-quality results and avoid costly mistakes this close to the holidays, we recommend contacting a professional truck mounted carpet & upholstery cleaning service.

Do your research
When contacting a carpet cleaner, research the company beforehand. Check which methods they use, their before and after photos, as well as customer reviews.

Book early
A lot of people like to get their carpets cleaned around this time of year. While companies will try to be as flexible as they can to accommodate your needs, if you have a tight schedule, it is definitely worth booking in advance to secure the best time for you. From now until mid-December is a very popular time for carpet cleaning before Christmas trees are put up.

Ask about other services
In addition to carpet cleaning, many companies also offer cleaning services for hard flooring and upholstery cleaning.  Considering your guests will spend most of their visit on your sofas, it’s important that they look their best too.

 

 

  It’s the focal point of your living room and the place you’ll relax and unwind – so it’s worth getting it right. 

 

Buying a sofa takes time and consideration. You need to pick a style that suits your living space, a colour you love, a material that lasts and – after all that – it has to actually fit through the front door.  Get to grips with the various sizes, fillings and finishes before you part with your money. A new sofa doesn’t have to be expensive, but while there are some things you can skimp on, there are other areas in which it will pay to splash out.

The majority of clients we visit to clean their soft furnishings and carpets have owned their previous sofas for more than 10 years, so it’s definitely worth taking the time to choose a colour and style you like. Swatches are usually free, so it’s best to get hold of a range of different options. Seeing a picture of your chosen fabric just isn’t the same as touching it yourself and looking at it in different lights. Live with the swatches for at least a few days. Look at them in natural and artificial light, to see how they’ll look at different times of day. You could even splash some food or drink onto them to see how well they clean up. And, if you’re worried about pet scratches – particularly cats – let them claw at the swatches to see how the fabric holds up.

Choosing a sofa fabric  Whether you go for leather or fabric, whatever your sofa is upholstered in will set the tone for your living room. For everyday seating in a room you use a lot, you might prefer a hard-wearing man-made fabric . Good-quality leather is also a durable choice, ideally one that has a polymer coating to make wiping down and professional wet cleaning possible. Unprotected leathers (aniline) can be cleaned with dry dusters as water marks may appear with other methods of cleaning. Man-made fibres tend to be the most durable – textured flat weaves in particular are among the most hard-wearing and family friendly, as they’re more forgiving of stains and less likely to snag.  Sofa’s containing viscose, rayon or linen look fantastic however these are all delicate natural fibres and don’t live up to family life. These fibres do not clean very well due to their delicate nature and sometimes colour change can occur.
ALWAYS check the fabric composition of the sofa with the salesperson and consult a professional upholstery cleaner for the best advice.

Choosing a sofa shape – from corner sofas to sofa beds  Once you’ve ordered a few samples and narrowed down your fabrics. It’s time to work out what size and shape sofa will fit and suit your space. From elegant chaises longues to practical sofa beds, sofas come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Whether you get to enjoy your sofa all to yourself, have to fight for the best spot with a large household or share it with a beloved pet, how you use it will influence the size you choose.

To get it looking just right in your room, you’ll need to be realistic about the space available, too. A small sofa looks out of place in a large room, while a large sofa squashed into a tight space will feel claustrophobic.
Think about how you prefer to sit when you’re relaxing. If there are two of you and you both like to have your legs up, then make sure the sofa is deep enough to accommodate you both. If not, you might need a sofa with chaise end or a reclining sofa.
If you like to lie down on your sofa, measure up to make sure it is long enough for you to stretch out. And, if you’re tall, a sofa with a higher back will give extra support so that you’re not forced to slouch.
It might seem obvious, but always measure the space where your sofa is going to go carefully. There’s nothing more annoying that going through the process of choosing a sofa, having it delivered and then finding it doesn’t fit. If it’s being delivered pre-assembled, make sure you measure up your door frames too, and allow for any tight angles. If it doesn’t fit through the front door, you’ll be heading back to the drawing board.

Keeping your sofa’s looking great:

Whether you ban food and drinks from your sofa or eat your dinner on it every evening, here’s some advice to keep it looking spick and span.

25% of our clients have their sofa’s cleaned every few months. The same number again have them cleaned every 12 months. Around 10% of our carpet cleaning clients have never had sofas their sofa’s cleaned even though we clean their carpets regularly – we can only assume they’re better at managing spills than the rest of us.

The most common sofa stains Sofa stains are incredibly annoying, especially if your sofa is covered in a light fabric. These are the most common stains that we come across:

Food (18%)
Pets (13%)
Hot drinks (13%)
Children (12%)
Wine (7%)
Ink (4%)
Mud (2%)
Make Up (1%)
   

Sofa cleaning tips:

• If disaster strikes and your sofa ends up splattered with red wine or curry sauce, attend to spills immediately using plain water first.
• In the case of small spills on a fabric sofa, it’s important to avoid the instinct to rub at the stain. This only pushes the spillage deeper into the fabric, which of course makes it harder to clean. Instead, wipe lightly with a damp (not wet) cloth, and then immediately dry with a soft dry cloth.
• For anything bigger, call in the professionals.
• Do not us any over-the-counter stain-removing products such as Vanish, 1001 or Dr Beckman’s as many of these products seal stains in to the fabric or bleach/fade the fabric
• Do not try any solvent-based cleaners.

Even if your sofa remains accident-free, every day use can make it grubbier than you realise. A professional clean every 12-18 months will keep your sofa looking better for longer.

For the best possible results, talk to us. You can call us on 01942864474, email us: enquiries@gerrardscarpetcleaners.co.uk or message us via Facebook.

Made in Britain

 

 

Gerrards have made a commitment to buy British made cleaning solutions, whenever and wherever possible. We have always chosen British made products when possible, however we have now decided to actively source as many products that have been made in Britain as we can. 

The Coronavirus pandemic has already triggered a wave of high street failures, especially in the fashion industry. Hundreds of thousands of retail workers have been furloughed, with the aim that they will return to the shop floor when stores are allowed to reopen. But will these jobs and customers still be there?

Hopefully we can all play our part in supporting local businesses and shops by buying British made products. The lockdown has prompted huge changes in the way we shop, more home deliveries, more local shopping, and changes in the way we buy goods and services. 

Local producers are already seeing uplifts in sales and local farm shops and other community stores are already benefiting from a new customer base which hopefully will stay loyal after the lockdown has been lifted and we learn to live with the ‘new normal’.

Lets make ‘Buying British’ the next fashionable trend!

  Acknowledgment for Union Flag – Photo Courtesy of Freepik

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We’ve all been hearing “wash your hands” as the singular best way to stay healthy during these dark days of Coronavirus Covid-19.
It seems so basic— after all, it’s what we teach toddlers even before they are able to stand up on their own. Every parent has asked their child, even tweens and teens: “Did you wash your hands?” followed by a “Yes” and an eye roll, followed by “With soap?” followed by…. silence and said eye rolling and slouching child returning to the sink to wash with said soap.      

Washing with soap and water is not a new phenomenon it didn’t just become a new hot latest and greatest practice weeks ago. It has been said that the ancient Babylonians invented soap around 2800 B.C.

However, the current health advice for washing hands with soap and water is based on the ability of soap molecules to interfere with lipids in the Covid-19 virus membrane, breaking down the outer fatty (lipid) layer of the virus. Moreover, the soap molecules can compete with the other non-covalent bonds between the proteins, RNA and lipids, effectively ‘dissolving’ the glue that holds the virus together. The soap can also disrupt the interactions between the virus and the skin surface, removing viruses from the skin.

What is it about soap that gives it such superpowers? (the science bit!)

Plain old hand soap, no, not antibacterial soap (remember, this is a virus we are dealing with, not a bacteria), contains molecules called ‘soap molecules.’ 
Each soap molecule has a hydrophilic (‘water-loving’) head and a hydrophobic (‘water-hating’) tail. Viruses are surrounded by a ‘lipid-bilayer’ made up of two bands of hydrophobic tails sandwiched between two rings of hydrophilic heads. When exposed to soap and water, viruses are prised apart, as the hydrophobic tails of the soap molecules attempt to escape from water and wedge themselves into the lipid envelopes of the virus rupturing the viral membrane. In effect breaking down the proteins to help prevent the virus from entering the cells on the skin.

Why soap and water is the ‘Gold Standard’ and NOT alcohol-based hand sanitizers?

There are two types of hand sanitizers alcohol-based and alcohol-free. Only sanitizers with a high concentration of alcohol (more than 60%) are effective against Covid-19.
Ethanol and other types of alcohol are solvents and are therefore more lipophilic
(‘fat-loving’) than water. This means that alcohol does dissolve the lipid membranes and disrupt the virus. These hand sanitizers are useful when soap and water are not available. Even so, soap and water will still remain the ‘gold standard’ as the virus detaches from the skin and falls apart readily in soapy water.

To sum it up!

• Clean hands protect against infection
• Protect yourself
• Clean your hands regularly.
• Wash your hands with soap and water, and dry them thoroughly.
• Use alcohol-based hand rub if you don’t have immediate access to soap and water.
• Repeat often.
• Tell a friend.

How do I wash my hands properly?

Washing your hands properly takes about as long as singing “Happy Birthday” twice, which is around 20 seconds and following the images below:

Courtesy of the World Health Organisation (WHO)

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