Checkmate Carpet Cleaning Blog

It’s Thursday morning and I woke up today feeling on top of the world.  Life is great! I have breath in my lungs, a beautiful family and a roof over my head.  I never imagined cleaning carpets for a living could be so exciting.  Everyday is an adventure and to prove it let me tell you about this sisal job.

What is sisal carpet?  Sisal carpet  in my opinion is like walking on a wicker basket.  Sisal carpet is a cellulose carpet.  Cellulose?  That’s right cellulose. Sisal is made from a plant.  This natural fiber carpet really is made from the same same stuff that some wicker baskets are made of.  My family and I used to make wicker basket lamp shades when I was growing up and we would sell them at Saturday Market but that’s a whole other story.  This carpet is definitely high end/expensive carpet but unfortunately not very practical to live with.  Since everyone of us is human and prone to get stains on the carpet this would not be a type of carpet I would recommend.

The customer that hired us for this job previously used Checkmate Carpet & upholstery cleaning for another emergency situation.  They consulted with a few other companies prior to contacting us only to hear that there was no hope for their situation and the carpet needed to be replaced.  When other carpet cleaning companies don’t have the experience or education necessary to handle special situations they often give the only advice they know which is “We can’t do it so you probably need to replace it”.  At Checkmate Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning we are IICRC certified not only in carpet cleaning but also in carpet repairs.  Our reputation for fixing “impossible” situations has made the S.W.A.T. team of carpet cleaner in the Portland, OR and Vancouver, WA area.

So anyway back to this sisal job.  This sisal carpet that was being held hostage by permanent stains was in for a rude awakening.  When we arrived at the scene the realtor was frantic yet excited we had come to the rescue.  She informed me how important this job was for both her and her customer.  The customer wants to sell the home and not have to replace the carpet.
I explained to her that I was an expert at cleaning sisal carpet and most companies wouldn’t even touch it.  I also made sure the customer had realistic expectations and asked her “If I could improve these stains by 90%, would that be acceptable?”  This situation was even more difficult because the stain was made from where their plant had been sitting on the carpet  and the water had leaked and created an 11″ x11′ dark greenish black stain.  This was a bad one!  She knew we were only hope in this situation.  There are really only a handful of companies that would or could handle this carpet.  To clean it properly you have to be very careful.  It is extremely likely that the carpet will brown out.  The reason is because if you don’t clean it on the acid pH scale you will end up getting water stains which is lignant.  In all actuality sisal carpet is fairly easy to clean if you have the right cleaners, education and equipment.

Every job to me is an opportunity and this job was a great opportunity to be a hero and save the day.  Five long hours and buckets of sweat later the stain had disappeared and once again we have proved that the technicians at Checkmate Carpet Cleaning truly are local carpet super heroes.  Using everything possible with science, technology and experience we had saved the day and reinforced to our friend the realtor that we are worthy of her referrals and business.   Remember even if we can’t leap tall building at a single bound or run faster than a speeding bullet we can always to the best at everything we do that makes us heroes.  To be continued…..

It’s another unbelievable day in Carpet Cleaning Portland Or.  While finishing up a carpet cleaning at the nicest customers house, I had an uncontrollable urge for a cheese burger.  When this happens you can’t stop me - Give me a cheese burger and fries with blue cheese.  Have you ever dipped your fries in blue cheese dressing it’s incredible.  This is a great diet tip!  (I’ve lost 35 pounds and counting on the blue cheese diet.) Just Kidding.  While enjoying my lunch, I get a code red call – that’s what we call a specialty stain situation.  She has several stains rust, kool, cigarette burns and water stains.  So I finish my last bite and ran to my van.  Jump over the hood just like Starsky & Hutch.  That’s what we always do when we get a code red.  I love being the S.W.A.T. team of Carpet Cleaning Portland Or

The customer remarked on how quickly I arrived.  I said, “Just call us “Checkmate Carpet Cleaning on the spot!”  Then I recommended that she install a Checkmate Omatic button so when she gets a stain all she has to do is push the button and an IICRC carpet cleaning technician will pop out and address any and all her concerns.  She laughed. 

Let’s look at all your wonderful stains, I can’t wait.  We go into the office and low and behold my precious stains were revealed to me.  My challenge has just began, I love it! I explained many carpet cleaners have no education in carpet cleaning, but not Checkmate Carpet Cleaning Portland, Or. We are the experts at any situation because of our training, cleaners, equipment, experince and enthusiasm to help every customer.  After an up close and personal inspection of the the cigarette burns, I explained we only have discoloration on the tips of the fibers and that I have a secret technique to correct this. (Carpet Cleaning Trade Secrets website)

Keep in mind, I will do everything possible to remove all these stains but sometimes they just don’t cooperate no matter what I do and we may need to correct this with a bonded insert.  Many companies do patches but they don’t last. We use a different technique called bonded inserts.  The industry experts have done tests where they have stretched the carpet after a bonded insert was done and the carpet ripped before the bonded insert.  For your rust, I will use a carpet cleaner especially designed for rust and I will agitate to activate the chemistry with proper dwell time, then perform a hot water extraction at 230 degrees.  

However, your kool aid stain  requires a unique treatment because it’s a synthetic stain.  I will be using a carpet cleaner especially formulated for kool aid and will then activate the cleaner with steam.  Additionally,I will be using a special tool for helping in the removal of the kool aid stain. It’s a professional  hand steamer which concentrates all the steam in a central location. 

Your water stain is in a class all it’s own. We will want to go on the acid side and use a carpet cleaner that eliminates the yellowing and soil that has surfaced.  Each stain requires several steps and while I’m here when was the last time you had all your carpets cleaned.  She said two years. Wow it’s been that long!  Did you know all the experts like the IICRC, CRI, EPA and Carpet Manufactures recommend every 6 to 12 months for health reasons and performance of your carpet.  Take that shirt your wearing for instance, would you go 2 years with out washing it?  Of course not.  Well, it’s the same for your carpet. In a perfect world you would clean your carpet every week.  But that’s not practical or in the budget for most people.  Keep in mind your carpet is the largest filter in your home and those pollutants need to be removed regularly.  While I’m here, to make it more cost effective to you why don’t we clean all your carpets?  How much?  I gave her the price and she said, let’s do it.  Great! I will perform the Most Incredible Carpet Cleaning in Portland Or you have ever experienced. 

At the end of the job Praise God! I was able to remove every stain and turn her carpets into a pollutant free masterpiece.  She was so thrilled she asked for several cards to give to family and friends and would like us to clean her office where she works.  She said Checkmate Carpet Cleaning Portland Or is the only carpet cleaning company she will ever use and recommend.

On my way home, I called my wife and shared the adventure I had in carpet cleaning today.  My wife said she loved me and to hurry home – “ I have a steak dinner waiting for my hunk of a man”.  It’s good to be a carpet cleaner!  Remember no matter what you choose to be in life always be yourself and go over and beyond what anyone expects of you.  This will create a lasting impression of you and your company.  Your competition has forgotten what service  is but not you and not CHECKMATE.   Carpet Cleaning Portland Or.

To be continued…………

“When it comes to carpet cleaning………Checkmate!”