Getting drink spills out of carpet Bradenton

DID YOU KNOW that the devastation of spilling something like grape juice, Kool-Aid and other fruit drinks doesn't have to be that… devastating?

So you have kids, grand kids, or some other kids come over, and they want something to drink. They surely don’t want water from the tap. That’s pretty boring stuff. They want something fruity, sweet, and with lots of color. Like deep blues, or reds. You know, the stuff that can really stain a carpet or piece of furniture. And the inevitable occurs. The kids enjoy what you give them, but after all, they are kids. So something gets spilled.

For some weird reason, this never happens on a hard, tile floor. It happens right on the carpet. What to do?

Step #1: First of all, don’t panic. Gather your senses and realize this isn’t the end of the world.

Step #2: Start blotting. You want to use white cotton or paper towels, with no print or dyes, and blot – blot – blot! Most of any spotting or staining substance will come right out because the towel you are using is more absorbent than the carpet the drink was spilled on.

Step #3: It may be appropriate, with some coaching from your carpet cleaning pro, to do some spotting. Use a spotting product, like a mild neutral detergent spotter, recommended by your carpet pro. Apply a small amount to the spot and keep blotting. Never scrub. Scrubbing can damage the carpet fibers and you can’t fix that. Keep blotting.

Step #4: Did we say keep blotting? Keep it up! You may need to apply more approved mild detergent spotter. One thing you do not want to do is apply too much moisture, as that gets into the backing of the carpet and into the padding, creating additional problems.

Step #5: Once the spot is gone, it’s time to dry the carpet. How to do this? Keep blotting, of course! But also aim a fan on the spot and let the air current remove more moisture. Is the spot still there? It may be a stain, very tough to remove. It is definitely now time to call your Bradenton carpet cleaning pro!

You can reach Overturf's Floor & Fabric Care at 941-301-9555 for help getting out these spots and spills.

Yes indeed, time is running out...

Are you keeping your family healthy and your floors and fabrics fresh?

At Overturf's, we can help with professional carpet cleaning, tile and grout cleaning, and even care for your upholstery. Our mission is to provide the most outstanding service experience ever, and we are proud to serve the Sarasota and Bradenton areas of Florida.

Call us today at 941-301-9555 or visit www.CleaningManatee.com

Tile & Grout Cleaning Sarasota, Bradenton, Lakewood Ranch

We hope you enjoy our latest tile cleaning video!

Letting Workers In Your Home - How to Protect Your Family

How to Protect Your Family When Letting Workers Into Your Home -

5 Easy Steps

We work inside people's homes daily as a professional carpet cleaning company. Being known for our great reputation in the Bradenton and Sarasota communities, including being referred by the majority of the flooring stores and top real estate in the area, helps our clients to feel more comfortable. 

We primarily serve referred and repeat clients, but we realize it can be scary to have a stranger in your home. We do everything we can to make you feel comfortable, including clearly identifying ourselves by our uniforms and business cards. Being fully insured and performing a complete background check on every new employee helps us further decrease any risk when we send someone to your home. We even send an e-mail with a link to our team members pictures and a brief biography.

You may not always have a level of comfort with every worker that comes to your home. Some companies or individuals have workers that may dress slovenly, their appearance may be intimidating, or they might act unprofessionally. I once had a cable installer who couldn't keep his pants up the entire time he was in my home. Do you think I couldn't wait for him to leave? What can you do to keep you and your family safe when you invite workers into your home?

At Overturf's Cleaning, on our wall we have outlined our Mission, Values, and Purpose. Our purpose is to protect Southwest Florida from uneducated, uninformed, and even downright unscrupulous service companies. A great way to do that is to be educated on what to look for.

Employment Screening Resources (ESR) recommends five easy steps for people to protect themselves in their homes:

1. Deal only with reputable local businesses (I like word-of-mouth referrals). A business should be able to tell you what precautions they take in hiring someone they plan to send inside your house. If the company you are talking to does not know the specifics, make them find out before you let their workers into your home. If the carpet cleaning firm, plumbing company or other service business will not give you the answers you need, then call someone else. Fly by night, or here today gone tomorrow businesses are unfortunately common in the carpet cleaning industry. In doing some work for a local rental company, I discovered many of these fly by night scammers will rent the equipment to run their scam until they've gotten all they can out of an area, then they move on. Red flags are generally when they advertise extremely low, to-good-to-be true prices. Remember what dear mother said about 'when it sounds too good to be true.'

Also, don't let a small business tell you that it is too expensive or difficult to practice safe hiring. Isn't it better to pay a little more to company that has done the work to make sure they are not sending a dangerous person into your home? There are a number of steps any small business can take to make sure they are hiring safe and qualified people that cost next to nothing. It's just a matter of having a commitment to customer safety, as opposed to just hiring anyone they can find to do the job. Do you really want a company in your home that is cutting costs in important areas? Where else might they be cutting costs? 

2. If you are hiring an individual and not a firm, what do you know about them? The best protection is to do past employment checks or reference checks on people who dealt with them in a business capacity. A great question to ask their references: "If you had the opportunity, would you hire this person again?" Their answer will usually be very telling. If you know that a person has been gainfully employed for the past few years, it lessens the possibility they have been incarcerated for a serious offense. Make sure they check out. If it does not seem right, then find someone else. A professional screening firm or private investigator can also be contacted to perform a criminal check.

3. For a sensitive position such as a nanny or caregiver, spend the money it takes to do it right. Do a background check, contact a pre-employment screening firm or private investigator to check out the person. The most critical checks are past employment to verify where the person has been as well as a criminal check. The company we use typically charges less than $100 for a full background check, and can even be less depending on what states the person has lived. When the well being of loved ones are on the line, the extra investment in security is well worth the small costs involved. Background checks can be done for a very reasonable rate these days.

4. Use common sense. You may not check out everyone that comes to your home. A business for example, may come to your home just once to briefly drop something off or make a home repair. BUT use common sense. Have other people around if possible. Do not leave confidential information (such as checkbooks or credit card bills) or valuables lying around. In addition, do not tell store clerks or a person making a one-time visit anything confidential about your personal life, habits or customs that could make you a target in the future. For example, you don't need to tell a stranger if you are leaving town, or give information about your usual schedule, or if people you live with are away. And if you are uncomfortable for any reason, or something does not seem right, do not let the person in.

5. False sense of security--Be careful about do it yourself background checks on the internet. There are some Internet sites that seem to suggest that they offer a national criminal record search. Unfortunately, a person may be lulled into a completely false sense of security if the name they are searching does not appear on one of these databases. In fact, the appearance of a person's name on a database is not an indication the person is criminal any more then the absence of a name shows they are not a criminal. Why? Because these Internet services are based upon databases that are best used by professional investigators or screening firms in conjunction with a number of other tools. The databases by themselves are not an authoritative source. Many of the Internet databases are names assembled from correctional or law enforcement databases, or from court repositories that are only as accurate as the individual counties that report records. There is no way to know if the records are complete, accurate or up to date, or if the record is even about the person you are looking for. Actual court files normally must be obtained to locate identifiers. In addition, there are large holes in the geographic coverage.

A consumer is much better off contacting a professional who knows how to utilize such databases, as well as numerous other tools in order to do a legal background check.

We're not telling you this to make you paranoid about every service person that works at your home. However, it is important that you don't expose you or your family to potentially dangerous situations. We just want you to be aware of what to look for and how to identify an uneducated, uninformed, or downright unscrupulous service company.

So use caution and common sense so your next service experience can be an outstanding one! Overturf's Cleaning is not just a floor & fabric care consulting company. We work with a wide variety of local businesses, and we would be happy to refer a trustworthy company to you. Give our office a call if we can be of assistance, 941-301-9555.

Removing Ink From Carpet

School's back in session and for many of you that means it's time to reclaim your house (at least for a few hours every day).   It also means homework, tests, and lots of running errands and to school functions. Sometimes when it hasn't been that long since our carpets have been cleaned we get that pesky spot that we just want to go away. This week I will tell you how to use common household products to get rid of one spot out of your carpet that's very common, ink. Be sure to read  ALL the below instructions before you try this. It never hurts to first try in a closet or somewhere nobody will see with any spot cleaner you try.

Removing Ink (Ballpoint) From Your Carpet   Remove as much of any foreign material as possible by blotting with a white paper towel or scraping with a dull knife.   Apply isopropyl rubbing alcohol to a clean white cloth, white paper towel or cotton ball. If the spot extends deep into the pile use a blotting motion until the spot is removed or no color is transferred to the cloth. Do not allow the alcohol to penetrate into the backing as this will destroy the latex bond. If the spot is on the surface only, rub in one direction at a time. Never us a circular motion to remove spot as this may destroy the texture. Stop if spot is removed. If not, go to the next step.   Apply a small quantity of detergent solution to the spot. (To make the detergent solution mix 1/4 teaspoon of a hand dish washing detergent which does not contain lanolin or bleach with 1 quart of water; examples of safe detergents are Dawn and Joy.) Use a blotting motion to work the detergent into the affected area. If spot is being removed continue applying detergent and blotting with a white paper towel until spot is removed.   Rinse with tap water using a spray bottle, blot to remove excess moisture.   Spray lightly with water, do not blot this time; apply pad of paper towels and brick and allow to dry.   If there is still some stain on the carpet and blotting is not removing it, then moisten the tufts in the stained area with 3% hydrogen peroxide. Let stand for on (1) hour. Blot and repeat until carpet is stain free. Light will cause peroxide to change back to water so no rinsing is necessary. Apply pad of paper towels and weight down with brick. Important - ALWAYS read and follow the care instructions and any warnings provided by the carpet or upholstery manufacturer. Carpeting and upholstery with natural fibers and/or certain dyes or finishes may require special treatment. If in doubt contact Overturf's Cleaning for advice/service first. NEVER PROCEED with any stain removal instructions without knowing the exact nature of the stain involved. NEVER USE any retail products to remove stains from carpet or upholstery without seeking the advice of the manufacturer or you could void your warranty.

IICRC Certified Carpet Cleaning Sarasota

Many, if not most, industries require certification and training, and why wouldn't you want them to? When your toilet is leaking water all over your bathroom, would you want a plumber that is learning on the job, figuring things out as he goes? Did you know that although wonderful training and certification programs are available for carpet cleaners, that certification is currently not required? And even worse, many choose not to become certified. Besides certification, what are some things that distinguish one carpet cleaning company from another?  Exhibit A: You might have experienced a carpet cleaner that was uneducated, uninformed, or possibly even downright unscrupulous. Selecting a Professional Service Company The above picture was taken by me at my neighbor's house. I'm always interested in the carpet cleaning companies people choose and why. Notice anything strange? Would you appreciated it if they pulled their service vehicle onto your grass and sidewalk?  Or worse, if you referred this company to a friend or client and you found out this happened to them...how embarrassed would you be? I didn't ask my neighbors how the experience went. But do you think it was the most outstanding service experience ever? If this type of attitude was taken towards parking, how do you think things might have gone inside the home? Do you think they respect the customer's property? Have you or someone you know been the victim of a nightmare carpet cleaner? Do you think this company may have been selected based on the cheapest price, or on the quality of work as recommended by others? What kind of things can a service company do to provide a better experience and provide the comfort and assurance needed when inviting their technicians into your home? Some of the systems we've put in place are: background and drug tested employees, neatly uniformed technicians with dress and grooming guidelines, clean organized vehicles and systems to ensure on time service, full insurance, extensive training programs and certifications, pre and post inspections and walk throughs, and so much more! We have a free downloadable consumer guide on our website, www.CleaningManatee.com with a list of questions that will help you choose a cleaning company. One important factor is the education in their industry that the company has. We always recommend using an IICRC Certified cleaner. What is a "Certified" Carpet Cleaner? In shopping for carpet cleaning, you may have noticed the word "certified" used in advertising. You may have seen a logo being used to feature certification. What does this mean to you as a client? Would you be surprised to learn that most carpet cleaning companies have no formal training? That they are not required to be licensed? That there is no requirement to have any certification whatsoever? Is training and certification important? After all, isn't carpet cleaning a "menial" task that anyone can perform? Actually, a carpet cleaning professional is working with one of your most valuable assets, your floors. They are also working in your bedrooms and around your family and possibly valuable possessions. Would you want to entrust this task to the lowest bidder? Of course not. Unfortunately, our industry is full of individuals that only care about how much money they can get from you, and nothing about the life of your carpeting, or the service experience you receive. They are not concerned with following up, in fact, they will likely be difficult to reach again if you have a problem. Some just do not care about the industry in which they work. Have you ever noticed that in many states, air conditioning companies, plumbers, and pest control companies are required to be licensed? This is not so for carpet cleaners. Fortunately for you, and for me, there are many fine people in the carpet cleaning industry that realize the standard must be raised. The most recognized organization in this effort is called the IICRC (Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration Certification). This organization provides certification courses and exams for the carpet cleaning industry. Our company has found them vital, and we attend them in addition to our rigorous in house company training. By attending these courses, carpet cleaners are taught about fiber identification, carpet construction, cleaning chemistry, cleaning methods, and professionalism. In order to receive certification, classroom work, hands on training, and a passed written exam are all required. Travel and expense are involved in these courses. That's why low price cleaners don't (or can't) participate in this training. Yes, they must make many sacrifices in quality to be able to charge a low price. These valuable training concepts equip our technicians to choose the proper procedures for cleaning your carpet. A certified firm such as Overturf's is on the cutting edge of technology and change in our industry. A certified firm knows the right way to apply cleaning procedures and chemistry. A certified firm is working together with other certified firms to raise the standard of carpet cleaning in general, therefore providing you with a higher quality product. Special Note: Never use a carpet cleaner that is not certified by the IICRC.

Lakewood Ranch Tile and Grout Sealing

Why is it so important to make sure your grout is sealed, whether it's new or old?

A lot like waxing your car, the sealer for grout forms a protective layer over your grout lines. This layer keeps the dirt and liquids from settling down inside your porous grout.

How do they get so dirty in the first place? After all, you mop your floor regularly.
Water seeks out the lowest point. So when you mop your tile, the dirty water settles into these grout lines since they are at a lower level than the tile. Basically, the dirt goes right from your tile into your grout lines! The water helps it seep below the surface and dry into the porous grout. This can make it difficult to remove. Have you ever tried to clean the dirt out of these grout lines yourself? It's a nightmare isn't it? With a toothbrush, a strong cleaner, sore fingers, and plenty of time you might see some good results!

Sealed grout is waaaay easier to keep clean. Without the dirt penetrating the surface of the grout, your grout lines clean up nice and easy. The likelihood of spills causing a stain reduces dramatically.

We would be happy to talk with you about implementing a program to clean and maintain your tile and grout. To speak with us about it, call us at 941-301-9555 or visit our main site at www.CleaningManatee.com to get more information.