Believe it or not, a lot of my customers ask me what I think about renting carpet cleaning equipment. Obviously since I own a Las Vegas carpet cleaning company, I’m a little biased against rentals. That said, there are some good things about doing it yourself to consider.

To start this article off, let me talk about the good things about cleaning carpets yourself with rental equipment.

Lean Wallets Love Renting

Generally, you’re going to save a bit of money if you do it yourself. I think that this is the #1 reason why people tend to do it themselves, and it makes sense. Depending on the size of the house, it’s not unheard of to save a few hundred bucks this way.

If this is your main reason for not wanting to hire a carpet cleaning company in Las Vegas, check out several different vendors for pricing. You’ll find that prices can vary dramatically from place to place, even for the same piece of equipment.

Do it On YOUR Time

Have you ever had to stay home from work while the carpet cleaning company came? Or maybe you had to ask them to come on a Saturday, meaning you had to schedule a bit in advance.

The good thing about renting some equipment and doing it yourself is that you can do it whenever you’re able to. Evenings, weekends, 2 am (if you aren’t in an apartment of course), etc. And you like convenience, right? I mean, isn’t that why most people drive cars instead of taking public transportation?

Nobody Knows Your Carpet Like You Do

I’ve been doing carpet cleaning in Las Vegas for years and years. I know carpet pretty darn well. But there’s still a good chance that you know more about your carpet than I do.

Don’t believe me? Well you know where little Jonny tends to spill his juice, right? And you remember those places where the dog had accidents as a puppy.

Because you know your own carpet so well, you’re much more likely to re-do those trouble spots and pay extra attention to the places that need the most help.

Now that said, let me talk about why I recommend my customers not to do it themselves.

We Repair What Your Husband “Fixed”

I saw that sign on a billboard one time and just loved it!

The idea is this- I understand that you want to save money and learn a new skill. Everyone is struggling with finances right now, so you don’t want to pay out too much money.

The problem is that if you try to do something like carpet cleaning without prior experience, you won’t get great results. Sure, those rental machines can do a decent job. But do you know how to get out that urine smell that soaked into the carpet pad? Or how to get rid of that red wine stain that just will NOT go away?

Probably not- but I do. An expert such as myself will give you that carpet you’ve been missing- not just quasi-clean carpet.

Do You Know Where that Equipment has Been?

One major problem with rentals is this- you really don’t know what kind of carpets it has touched before.

What if you’re allergic to pets, and it was used on a house occupied by 10 cats? Or if you HATE the smell of smoke, and it was used on a home of chain-smokers before?

Believe it or not, there’s a good chance the smells, hair, and other nastiness cleaned up in other homes could make its way into your home. Even though these rental places are supposed to thoroughly clean their stuff… I assume you, it’s nasty.

Turn a House into a Home

When your carpet is gross, you don’t feel comfortable. It smells, you don’t want company coming over, and your feet get nasty stuff stuck to ‘em.

You see, this may sound cheesy but I don’t think of myself as someone who does carpet cleaning. Las Vegas is my home, and everyone in it is my neighbor. By helping someone feel more comfortable in their home, I feel like I’m helping out a neighbor.

Again- I know that’s cheesy, but after you’ve worked an office job where you don’t get much job satisfaction, you appreciate gigs like this!

The Bottom Line Is…

There are some good reasons to rent carpet cleaning equipment. You can save money, do it on your own time, and hit the trouble spots extra hard.

But personally, I recommend going with the professionals. A good carpet cleaning company in Las Vegas will save you frustration and help you love your home again.

Until next time,

Jay

Let’s face it- there are a lot of shady businesses out there. Even if they don’t seem shady upfront, what happens on the backend could be bad news.

How do I know about this kind of stuff? I run a Las Vegas carpet cleaning company. You’d be amazed at the places that I end up visiting throughout the week!

But I’ll put joking aside for a second. The sad fact is that a lot of people get scammed out of their hard-earned money every single day. Whether you’re a young professional or a little old lady, it doesn’t matter. Money is money to a scammer. Especially companies who don’t think they’re scammers.

What do I mean? I’ll explain that in a second, along with a few things to look for in a good carpet cleaning.

Take these next 3 tips to heart. They may seem basic, but they’ll save you a lot of heartache!

Look for a Long, Proven Track Record

In this economy, businesses are popping up left and right. Thousands of people who are having trouble finding a job are just making their own by starting a company.

That’s great and all, but a lot of these companies won’t know what they’re doing.

For example, I hear a lot of horror stories of carpet cleaning in Las Vegas. Someone asks for a few quotes, goes with the cheapest guy, and ends up getting ripped off. Maybe the quality is really bad. Or sometimes things get damaged.

Even though accidents happen, they can sometimes be avoided by going with a company that has a better track record. Someone who has been cleaning carpets for 20 or 30 years should DEFINITELY be a top consideration over the new guy- no matter the cost! One of the first things you will see when you visit my Carpet Cleaning Home Page is that I am a member of the Southern Nevada chapter of the Better Business Bureau!

Happy Customers = Happy You

Experience is great, but there’s something else to consider- customer reviews. Chances are very good that if a company has lots of happy customers, you’ll probably be happy with that company as well, right?

This principle applies to just about anything, but let’s be more specific about carpet cleaning. Las Vegas is one of the most popular tourist spots in the world. This means that you have people from every country, income bracket, and culture walking on Vegas carpets. Some of these people are sanitary… and some just aren’t.

Due to the large number of people in that second category, carpet cleaning in Las Vegas isn’t easy. Customers know this, so when a company can make them happy, you can rest assured that you’ll like what you get, too.

Look Out for Scammers Who Don’t Know They’re Scammers

This may be confusing, but let me explain. In this tough economy, a lot of companies just quote bottom-of-the-barrel prices. They know that they can’t do a good job at that price, but they’re just trying to get their foot in the door.

So what happens? They win the contract, and the company now has to figure out how to make the job profitable. They do this by cutting a corner here, cutting another there. They may use less shampoo than is necessary for example. They may use older, worn out equipment. Maybe they’ll send their newest guy to that job.

Even though these companies have good intentions, they’re essentially scamming you out of the quality cleaning you deserve.

The Bottom Line

Here’s my advice to you in a nutshell- look for an experienced company with lots of positive customer reviews and does not quote a price much lower than its competitors. This is setting yourself up for trouble!

Thanks for reading, and let me know if you need any carpet cleaning in Las Vegas!

-Jay

I run into this all of the time when I am cleaning carpets in Las Vegas! Red stains are usually indicative of a red food dye. Dyes of any type are permanent by nature and therefore very difficult to remove.

Difficult yes, impossible no. Now please I will assume no responsibility if you do not follow my directions. This post is meant to be informative and helpful but unfortunately not fool proof.

In the 20 plus years I have been cleaning carpet I have messed up once on a beautiful green carpet. I was too aggressive and pulled a little of the yellow out and was left with an impressive blue spot. So please be aware that problems can and do arise on occasion. So please follow my advice carefully.

Here is how we do it.

Start by taking a mixture of clear ammonia and water. You want to make sure you are using clear ammonia not the yellow stuff with detergent in it. I also recommend distilled water, but to be frank regular tap water will work. Combine the 2 half and half in a trigger spray bottle.

Next spray this mixture onto the red spot trying to avoid the carpet that is not dyed red. You can get the carpet fairly wet it will be ok.

Now take a damp white cotton towel and place this over the red spot with the ammonia and water mixture on it. Please make sure that you are using a white towel. A green towel or may bleed green dye into your red spot, a blue towel may bleed blue dye. etc.

Follow this with a steam iron set to high steam. Place this on the red spot for about 45 to 60 seconds. The steam and water/ammonia mixture releases the hold the dye has on the carpet and draws it up into the towel. You may need to do this 3 or 4 times to get the maximum results. Make sure you pay attention to the carpet and look for signs of the original color lightening up. If you see any sign of this I advise you stop immediately.

Once you have removed as much of the red as possible. Flush the spot with clear water and remove as much this water as possible with a wet/cry vacuum or your Bissell type carpet cleaning machine. Next take a towel and blot up the remaining water. I like to fold up a bath towel and simply step on it. Then flip it over and do it again. After you have blotted up as much water as possible simply set a fan on that area to help it dry more quickly.

And you are back outside sipping lemonade dreaming of sunsets on the beach in no time! Just remember to clean your carpets annualy.

Until next time,

Jay

The rain has passed, the sun has emerged from behind the clouds and the birds are singing. The day is beautiful, one of those rare moments between cold and too darn hot!

Personally I spent the day cleaning out the pool and working in the garden. Today any excuse to go outside is an excellent one. But lets not forget the importance of keeping our inside clean and sanitary.

This time of year can be as miserable as it is beautiful. When the mulberry trees around the Las Vegas valley start to bloom and all fo that pollen is in the air it can be horrible.

These allergens are tiny and can very easily cling to your skin, clothes, and hair. This is why Mom told you to take a shower when you start sneezing real hard. The same can be said about your carpet. The brutal truth is that we open the windows to let the fresh air in and we let the allergens in as well. And these allergens will, and do, cling to our upholstered furniture and clothes. And they also cling to our carpet. The fibers in your carpet act like a filter, they trap the particulate matter out of the air and away from our mouth and nose. But like any good filter they need proper maintenance. Cleaning your carpets will help improve your indoor air quality by improving the filtering action of your carpet. Click here to lean more about how carpet cleaning can help ease your allergy symptoms.

So remember as you clean up your yard and do your landscape maintenance that spring is no time to neglect your indoor environment.

Until next time

Jay

1. Vacuum at least 3 times a week. This seems obvious I know but I find it amazing at how often I see brand new carpet that is worn out because people fail to adhere to this one simple principal. In fact in some environments I recommend vacuuming even more than this. I know there are people that advise against over vacuuming because the potential is there to fray the tips of the fibers. I see it like this, its better to over vacuum than to let silicate rich dust adhere to the fibers of your carpet and do severe damage.
2. Don’t underestimate the power of spot cleaning. Here in the desert the biggest enemy we face every day is the silicate rich dust. And this year has been an exceptionally bad year for wind, so this aggravates the situation. If you drop a bite of steak on your carpet some of the oils from that meat are going to transfer to your carpet. This oily spot has just become a magnet for dust and debris.
3. Don’t overestimate the ability of spot cleaning. Over the counter spotting agents are great for taking care of some types of spots. But they are not designed for acidic spots like coffee or tea. They can actually do more harm than good to your carpet. So do yourself a favor and follow the instructions on your carpet cleaning spotter.
4. Know the difference between a spot and a stain. The give away is rather simple. Is there a rough crusty feeling layer on top of the fibers? if so this is most likely a spot and can be taken care of by over the counter carpet cleaning agents. If the area in question is not sitting on top of the surface and has penetrated into the fibers this is probably a stainnd you should seek professional advice.
5. Carpet Protectors work! Yes that is correct they DO work! However they are not the end all. Carpet protectors will not stop your kids from making a mess or your dog from tracking in mud when it rains. But it will create a barrier between your carpet and theses potential messes. I like to think about it like this. You wax your car to protect the paint job. And like wax carpet protector does not last forever. So I recommend at the very minimum reapplying a good protective finish to your carpet at least every other year.
6. Spend forty bucks on an area rug to protect your four thousand dollar carpet. This is especially true if you have rocker / recliners. The springs and moving parts are lubricated with graphite. This lubricant has a tendency to fall off of the intended parts and onto your carpet and can be impossible to remove.
7. The stuff infomercial guys are trying to sell you at two in the morning simple does not work. Enough said.
8. All carpet cleaning companies are not the same. A flashy van or sophisticated web site will not guarantee that your carpet will come clean. Furthermore certifications do not guarantee that the technicians cleaning your carpet will do as they were trained.
9. Las Vegas is an amazing city. I have been all over the U.S. and Europe and always seem to come back. A lot of people I have cleaned for over the years feel the same way. But there are a lot people coming and going all of the time. This leads to bait and switch companies. We have all seen the signs for “Carpet Cleaning $9.99 per room no matter how dirty”. Folks, if it seems to good to be true…
10. Clean at least once a year. You wouldn’t dream of not washing your bed sheets on a regular basis. Why would you consider waiting one more week to have your carpets profesionally cleaned.