Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Care to Clean

For I think the 5th year in a row, we have partnered with the Open Door Mission to try and raise money and awareness. The program is pretty simple. Hand us a check made out to the Open Door Mission, for $25 or more, and we will clean 3 rooms and a hall for just $79. Help the Mission and help yourself to 1/2 price carpet cleaning!! As always, there is more information on our website http://www.cleaningomaha.com/ on the Mission website http://www.opendoormission.org/ or by picking up the phone and giving us a call at 402-573-0400

Blessings!

Scot

Sunday, January 8, 2012

Who are you inviting into your home?

Ask the Experts. Hiring Omaha Carpet Cleaners? Who did you invite into your home?

By Scot Morris

I recently sent an email blast out to our carpet cleaning customers educating them and even warning them about an alarming trend in internet coupons. The coupons themselves are not the problems, and in fact they are terrific. The companies making the offers are where I focus my caution. We all know that we live in the information age, but even with more information available, people seem to be making less informed decisions. Please be careful about who you invite into your home!

The internet coupon trend is soaring. We have all seen them. And chances are most of us are subscribing to one or more services that email out daily specials. The idea is really terrific, and I cannot even find fault with the practice. These daily special deals are an interesting and effective way to introduce new customers to almost any business. I like the idea and I too participate as a service provider and as a consumer. My caution goes back to basic rule that we have all been taught for years. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Many of the businesses offering services on the coupon sites are legitimate, reputable companies employing these discount programs as part of an overall marketing plan. The specials that are run present a great deal for the consumer, and the business is willing to offer something tangible, even at an initial loss, in order to introduce themselves to new, and hopefully repeat customers. As always however, it is up to the consumer to find out who they are going to be dealing with.

I have received an increasing number of calls over the past few months from people who have purchased a carpet cleaning package coupon from companies they never heard of, only to be disappointed and even shocked by what they received. One individual called me to see if I could come fix a sticky carpet left by a guy who showed up in his car, to clean her carpet, carrying a bucket. I am not kidding! She said she had gone to the company website and it looked great.

Professional looking websites, and the appearance of legitimacy are only a few clicks away on the internet. Websites are marketing tools, and can be quickly and inexpensively created to share almost any information whether it is accurate and true or not. Consumers must do their homework. My company offers a Consumer’s Guide absolutely free, to anyone who requests it. The purpose of the guide is help anyone thinking about hiring a carpet cleaner to know exactly what questions to ask. What method do they use? What certifications do they hold? Do they have references? Do they guarantee their work?

My advice is to be careful about what you buy on the internet, and be especially careful when hiring someone to do Omaha carpet cleaning, about who you invite to provide services inside your home. Be skeptical, be careful, and be informed!

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Furnace Air Duct Cleaning Omaha



Hi, Steve Sleeper here. I'm with Scot Morris, owner of the Specialist Carpet Cleaners in Omaha and as we're recording this, it's November and we're coming up on Thanksgiving. So, the big thing now is furnace air duct cleaning Omaha. Right Scot?

[Scot] Yes - we get calls now, because people turn on their furnaces and get a bad smell.

[Steve] Scot, how often should we clean our air ducts?

[Scot] That’s an interesting question. The industry says every two years. I personally think that's excessive, unless you’ve got people in your home with serious allergy problems or very serious problems with asthma. I think most people can go four to six years and that's especially true if you have a good filter.

I can't stress enough the importance of a good air filter. A two dollar air filter gives you two dollars worth of value. They're just not meant to do a good job, so we really stress that. Let's clean the ducts and put in a good filter. Spend ten bucks instead of two bucks and your family will be healthier and that will actually extend the life of the system. We've had instances where we put in a good electrostatic filter after we've cleaned and we can go back five years later and inspect again and the ducts don’t need cleaning.

[Steve] An electrostatic filter is the best way to go?

[Scot] A two dollar paper filter will catch about ten or twenty percent of the crud blowing through your system. They catch the big stuff, they catch the dust. An electrostatic filter will catch almost everything; 90% of what's blowing through there.

[Steve] So it's a huge difference. But, you get what you pay for.

[Scot] Yeah, absolutely. The health of your family is worth it. Price is what you pay and value is what you get.

[Steve] Thanks, Scott. For a free copy of the Consumer's Guide to Carpet Cleaning and more on furnace air duct cleaning in Omaha, go to CleaningOmaha.com or call 402 573-0400.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Carpet Cleaning Omaha

Steve Sleeper recently had the Specialists Carpet Cleaning Omaha clean the rugs in his house. He followed them with a camera and interviewed Scot Morris, the owner of the company. What follows is a transcript of the interview and it provides a lot of good information on how to hire a good carpet cleaning company.

[Steve] OK. Scott, you’re in the dining room cleaning. I don't mean to be gross, but what's coming out of the carpet?
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[Scot] Your carpet is a large, flat, absorbent material. It acts like a filter. It pulls in everything that's in the air, all of the pollution, all of the contaminants, all the dust and dirt, anything that comes in on your shoes, anything that comes in with the dogs or anything that comes out of the dogs - not to be gross.
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So what's coming out of the carpet is a combination of natural dirt and soil, bodily fluids from the dogs and a host of air pollution and contaminants.
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[Steve] One reason Carpet Cleaning Omaha is needed is because contaminants can destroy rug fibers, correct?
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[Scott] Absolutely. Imagine your furnace filter. If you look at this carpet as a filter, how long does it take for that filter to be full? All of those contaminants damage the carpet fiber
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Those contaminants are stirred up into the house and you and your family are breathing in all that stuff. It's particularly hard on people who have respiratory issues, which we're seeing more and more.
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[Steve] Scott, what's the advantage of using a truck mount for cleaning carpets?
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[Scott] Well the advantage of using truck mount equipment is power. Carpet cleaning is a three legged stool of chemistry, technique and equipment. Chemistry is what it is and advances everyday. Technique comes from training and years of experience with the technician. Equipment is really a matter of what you can afford and what’s going to work best.
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We like truck mount because of power. We're cleaning with pressure and suction power. When cleaning carpets, you want to get them as wet as it needs to be and use lots of heat. But you also want to pull back as much of that cleaning solution as possible. The vacuum power we get from a truck mount can’t be matched with portable equipment.
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[Steve] Thanks Scott. For a free report "The Consumer's Inside Guide to Carpet Cleaners Omaha" go to CleaningOmaha.com, or call 402-573-0400.

Best Way to Clean Carpets in Omaha

Hi. My name is Tucker. Tucker the dog. My friend Scot at the Specialists told me there are some questions out there about the best way to clean carpets in Omaha. So I’m going to do my best to answer those questions.

The first question is – do portable machines get carpets clean? Answer – not really. You see - portable machines, including Rug Doctors, are carpet wetters…like me only a it’s a different wet. Anyhow, they have a nozzle and spray solution and have a very light duty vacuum.

But in order to really clean your carpet it needs to be down to the backing. With a portable machine, all you clean is the top of the carpet yarn. The rest just gets wet and gets pushed deeper. So it’s just a superficial clean and everything else actually gets worse. Because you don't have the vacuum power, you run the risk of developing mold and other issues down deep in your carpets. Yuk – I don’t want to roll around in that!

OK. Second question from a viewer. What’s the best equipment to use? Answer - truck mount. The advantage of using truck mount equipment is power and it’s the best way to clean carpets in Omaha. Carpet cleaning is chemistry, technique and equipment. Chemistry advances all the time. Technique is training and the technician’s ability. Equipment is what works best.

The Specialists like truck mount because of power. They're using pressure and suction to clean. Cleaning carpets means get them as wet possible and use lots of heat. Then you need to pull back as much of the cleaning solution as possible. The vacuum power from a truck mount can’t be matched with portable equipment. I also like to pee on the trucks tires.

Anyhow, for a free report "The Consumer's Inside Guide to the Best Way to Clean Carpets Omaha", go to CleaningOmaha.com, or call 402-573-0400. That’s it. I’m done. Gotta go find that truck.

Carpet Cleaners Omaha

Hi I’m Steve Sleeper. I recently had the Specialists carpet cleaners clean the carpets in my house and I’m here to tell you – they did a great job. Most important, my wife loves the job they did.


When the Specialists where here, I followed them around with my video camera and asked Scot, the owner, a bunch of questions about carpet cleaning and learned a lot.

Scot – how does your Carpet Cleaners Omaha equipment compare to home cleaning machines?

[Scot] You know, I joke with people about little home cleaning machines, and, it may surprise you to hear: I own one. They have a place. I use one in my house for those quick spills. If the dog makes a mess or somebody spills something on the carpet, by all means, fire up the little Bissell unit or run to the grocery store and grab a Rug doctor and clean up the mess.

But, they're not great carpet cleaners. Portable machines, including Rug Doctors, are basically, carpet wetters. They have a nozzle, they spray solution. They have a very light duty vacuum, and they're great for cleaning up a mess.

But in order to get deep down clean you need professional truck mount equipment. That gets carpet clean right down to the backing. With a portable machine, what you basically do is clean the top of that yarn. Everything else just gets wet and gets pushed deeper. So instead of cleaning it, what you get is a superficial clean. You get the top of the carpet clean. Everything else actually gets worse. And because you don't have the vacuum power, you actually run the risk of developing mold and other issues down deep in your carpets. So it could be a real problem.

[Steve] We were talking earlier off camera and you said some of the stain cleaners actually lock that stain in as opposed to getting rid of it.

[Scot] Yeah, the worst advice we give to people is to try all those home remedies. There are a lot of rumors out there on the web about over-the-counter products that say, "oh grab this and spray it on your carpet". The problem is, many of those products don't get that spot out but are pretty effective at locking stains in. So, if you don't get it out, you may have made it impossible even for us to get it out.

[Steve] Oh wow, so that's something to remember.

[Scot] It is. We always leave our customers a little bottle of spotter. It's a pH neutral spotting agent that allows us to get to those spots without risk. If you use our spotter and it doesn't get the spot out, you haven't done any damage.

[Steve] Thanks Scott. For a free report, The Consumer's Inside Guide to Carpet Cleaners Omaha, go to CleaningOmaha.com or call 403-573-0400.

Friday, September 9, 2011

Allergies Still a Problem!

Gosh, it's been a busy summer, and way too long since I got to sit down and post a blog entry. Strange too that my topic is similar to the last post....Allergies!!!

Anyone who suffers from allergies will tell you that is just awful out there right now. One of the primary barriers for allergy sufferers between them and and the environmental elements that make life miserable are the walls and doors of our homes. The problem of course is that a whole lot of those various pollens and irritants are already in your home. To make matters worse, the dampness and high water tables this morning have created additional issues with mold and mildew especially in basements. The situation is bad, but far from hopeless!!

First the good news is that your best defense against these pesky irritants is a good vacuum cleaner, and a fresh furnace filter. You simply need to get as much of the pollen as you can out of your house. Follow this simple plan:

1. Vacuum more often, and change the bag and or filters in your vacuum more frequently.
2. Be sure to vacuum that upholstered furniture and even your drapes. All those soft absorbent surfaces collect and hold allergens
3. Change your furnace filter. You may want to consider the purchase of an electrostatic filter. The truth about most cardboard filters is that they catch only a small portion of the crud (a highly technical term) blowing through your system.

These simple steps will make a dramatic difference in the number and concentration of contaminants in your home. If the carpet in your basement has gotten wet this summer, or if it's just time for your regular carpet cleaning. please give us call and let us help you out!

We are certainly honored to be your healthy home partners! Please don't hesitate to call us if you have any questions about your carpet, upholstery, or air duct cleaning needs!

Blessings
Scot