How to sanitize your carpets:

Water, pet urine, humidity and everyday usage of carpets can be an invitation to microscopic bacteria and fungi (in particular foot fungi and nail fungi) that can be an invisible source of rancid odors not to mention a host of other health risks. According to the latest research a one inch square of residential carpeting contains 2,000 bacteria particles. No, that wasn't a typo - 2,000 bacteria particles per one square inch of carpeting. Can you say YUCK!

One of the items that will be "pitched" to you the next time you speak with a professional carpet cleaner is that their cleaning process will sanitize the carpet. But will it? Most carpet cleaners are aware of the fact that bacteria will die when temperatures reach 140 degrees or above. If they use a truckmounted system, that uses hot water, they will try to keep the water above 140 degrees which will kill the bacteria IF the water comes in contact with the bacteria. I should also mention that some of the older truckmounts do not have the technology to maintain those types of temperatures for very long periods.

Here at Liberty Floor Solutions we have taken a different approach. Since I have two children and a dog, actually the dog belongs to my daughter, Katie, but I get to feed it, water it, pay for it, etc., I wanted to be smart about this problem. So here is how I have developed a fail proof way of sanitizing your carpets and upholstery -

First, I prevacuum all surfaces using a HEPA filtration vacuum system. This type of vacuum, which is approved for hospitals, traps even the smallest particles such as dust mites which are 1/100th of an inch in length. Why my competitors won't vacuum, or when they do they use a cheapo system is nuts to me. The carpets would look, feel, and smell so much better if they would this one thing.

Second, in the pre-spray that we apply to the carpet we have added a disinfectant - Sodium Borate. Sodium Borate is very effective in killing bacteria and fungi without harming you or the environment.

Third - when extracting the dirt and chemicals we use cleaning technology that us to clean with a water temperature of greater than 220 degrees. At this level not only will we kill bacteria but fungi and viruses as well. With our technology we can safely maintain these very high temperatures all day long. The manufacturer has engineered the carpet to love these very high temperatures.

Finally, we complete the sanitizing process by applying a deodorizer that will also neutralize ordors. This special chemical will off gas hydrogen peroxide as it dires. If you know anything about hydrogen peroxide it is a great at killing bacteria. Not only will your carpets look clean, smell clean, feel clean - they will truly be sanitized.

If you have questions or comments about this article please email me at paddle@frontiernet.net.

Until next time,

Michael Hull 

Carpet CPR - Product Review:

I was in Sam's Club the other day when I happened upon a lady demonstrating a new carpet cleaning product  - "Carpet CPR". This product, which is distributed by Wonder Marketing, is the next great spot remover, or is it? The young lady demonstrating the product poured some grape juice on to  a piece of carpet then sprayed Carpet CPR onto the affected area, blotted, and the grape juice was gone. It worked - right?

Underneath the piece of carpet was an aluminum tray. How many of you have a metal tray under your carpet? That's right you have a very absorbent material called 'padding'.  Secondly how many of us can get to a spill in 30 seconds or less? Third how many of us have brand new stain resistant carpeting, with carpet protectant, in our homes? Are you now seeing what I was seeing. If you go on line you can purchase a 24oz bottle of Carpet CPR for $11.95, not including tax or shipping. That's more than fifty cents per ounce. I have forgotten what the price was at Sam's Club but you had to buy two bottles.

According to the MSDS (Material Data Safety Sheet) Carpet CPR is an 'Aqueous Cleaner' which means that at least 95% of the 24oz bottle is good old water. There is no mention what the remaining ingredient is, but it is probably 'Sodium Perbonate' a common bleaching agent with a pH level of 7.5. The bottle claims to leave behind No Soapy Residue which is true because there is no soap in this product. When you watch the video on their website they too are working with fresh spills with no padding. Often times a spot on the carpet is three times larger in the padding - especially pet urine. Not only do I use special chemicals on particular stains but special tools as well. Our clients do not want to spots coming back.

I am not saying this product will not work but I would have liked to have seen a demonstration using older carpet with padding. Give me a true apple to apple comparison. For me spending Fifty Cents for an ounce of water is steep.  If you have questions about this product please email me or give me a call at (916) 525-2456. I hope this review was helpful to you.

Until Next Time,

Mike