Protecting Your Investment - Part 1

Thursday, November 21, 2013

Welcome Back!

Would you ever carpet your floors with hundred dollar bills? Of course not!!!

However, many people invest thousands in carpeting and then walk all over it without a Carpet Care Plan? This costs them hundreds in unnecessary early replacement, poor indoor air quality, and compromised appearance. In commercial environments this last factor, compromised appearance, can communicates a message to customers that can cost you in revenue and reputation.

In this series of Blog posts you will learn the critical parts of keeping your carpets beautiful and extending the life cycle of your carpeting. We'll help you think through the steps of Carpet Care Plan.

WHAT IS A CARPET CARE PLAN?

Just a like an automobile, your carpets should be put on a regular preventive maintenance plan, called a Carpet Care Plan. What are you preventing? As mentioned, compromised appearance, unhealthy indoor air quality and early replacement.

A Carpet Care Plan starts with your building design and use patters. Good walk-off areas at every entrance will greatly extend the life of your carpet. If you don't have good walk-off areas, place inexpensive entry mats or rugs at each entry. Make sure these rugs have water proof backings. Many synthetic entry rugs can be cleaned with a gentle soap, a hose and a stiff bristled push broom on your side walk or driveway.

Next, in regards to building design, make sure you choose the right carpet for your environment. There are confusing number of options in carpeting.

Find a carpet retailer you can develop a relationship with and that you trust. You may be spending thousands on your carpet investment with the help of this person, so go with referrals and do your homework. Make sure you are not buying a particular brand and type of carpet because that is what the carpet retailer got a good deal on or is being pushed by their supplier.

Invite them to your home or business and be specific about foot traffic and your expectations for appearance, longevity and ease of care. Ask very specific questions about the skill of installers and the particulars of each carpet type they recommend. Get in writing any promises they make. Ask for a copy of the warranty and read it carefully before making the purchase.

For instance, in my business I see a lot of Berber carpets. And I meet a lot of customers that are not happy with their Berber carpets. Why? When they made the purchase they were not aware that the the fiber most often used in Berber carpets is Olefin. Olefin is hydrophobic. That is, it hates water. The fibers do not actually absorb water. As a matter of fact, a tuft of Olefin floats on water. 

why is this important? Put water on an Olefin carpet and break the surface tension, as with a truck mounted hot water extraction unit, and the water runs between the fibers and into the pad. Once the water goes that deep it is very slow to evaporate for the same reason. Olefin does not want to soak up that water and move through the evaporation process to the surface.

Because we offer an excellent alternative, actually several excellent alternatives, to truck mounted on traditional portable hot water extraction units, we end up cleaning a lot of Berber carpet. And we get excellent results.

Building design, use patters and carpet type; that gets you to carpets in the business or home. And more than you ever knew about Olefin Berber carpets.

Now what? Well, you have lived happily on your carpets for 6 months. Your carpet investment has caught some red wine, lots of dust, dander, sand and pollen and maybe a couple unwanted 'gifts' from your pets. Now you are looking for a carpet cleaner.

In the next post you will learn how to save money with all contractors and be particularly savvy with carpet cleaning contractors.

Sincerely,

Eric Nei, The Cleaning Guy

Clean As Can Be Services, LLC

PO Box 246

Woodruff, WI 54568

(715) 892-4290

The Cleaner News (TCN)

Carpet Cleaner Traps Family in Basement

TCN has learned that a family was trapped in their basement by a carpet cleaning company for over 36 hours.  According to Mr. Rugg of Berber, Wisconsin the carpet cleaner they hired told his family to hang out somewhere else while until the carpets dried. “So we went to the basement,” said Rugg. What they didn’t know is that it would take from Friday morning until Saturday evening for their carpets to dry.

Friday’s Promised Service

Splash and Dash Carpet Guys arrived at the Rugg home 10:00 Friday morning, 30 minutes after their scheduled time. As mentioned, the Rugg family went to their basement while the carpet cleaning crew worked upstairs.

After about three hours Mr. Rugg peeked out from the top of the basement stairs. He found a collection of fans left behind to help dry the carpets. “The noise of the fans was so loud we didn’t hear them leave. I don’t even know how long they worked," said Rugg. Rugg then stepped onto the carpet and heard a distinct squishing noise. Following instructions, he rejoined his family in the basement to wait for the carpets to dry. That is where his family stayed until Saturday evening. "We repeatedly checked, but the carpets just weren't drying," said Mrs. Rugg.

Saturday’s Reality

By mid day Saturday a neighbor became concerned because the Rugg vehicles were in the driveway and the door was locked. However, no one answered the door. At this point, the neighbor called the police.

After gaining entrance to the home Officer Gotchya found the family in the basement watching static on their television. “We’ve seen this happen before,” said Gotchya, “Our course of action is to provide boredom and frustration counseling to family members and help them reset their furniture. There’s really nothing else we can do.” 

A Faxed Defense

Lotta Wett,  owner of Splash and Dash, refused to comment but he did send this prepared statement.

We have cleaned carpets for a long time, so we must know how to clean carpets. This particular case is not unlike others we have dealt with. I talked to my technicians about the incident at the Rugg home. 

They told me that they arrived almost on time and that other than short smoke breaks they worked really hard and fast so that they wouldn’t be late for their next appointment. 

I’m sure the carpet looked clean when they left because I worked with these guys for a couple days before sending them out on their own.   

Further more, the fine print of our two page contract clearly states that “We cannot guarantee the time it will take for carpets to dry because it takes a lot of water to clean carpets.” After we have a signed contract, and then only as a courtesy to the customer, we send a long and detailed letter explaining how to prepare for our work. 

This letter explains everything we expect from the customer before we arrive such as moving all the furniture, vacuuming, boarding pets, making sure the home has a well maintained dehumidifier, and making plans to spend a couple days away if needed. We cannot be held accountable if customers don’t follow these simple directions.

In light of this, and because Mrs. Rugg signed our contract, we expect the Rugg family to pay the amount they owe us. However, in good will and to show that we fully understand their frustration we have sent them a gift certificate for $10.00 off their next service. 

Sincerely,

Lotta Wett

Better Options

Our own cleaning reporter, Poly Ester Pile, took a closer look at the carpet cleaning industry. Pile talked with Eric Nei, owner of Clean As Can Be Services, LLC of Woodruff, Wisconsin. According to Nei, “There are several carpet cleaning options available to customers that want the best possible cleaning and minimal inconvenience at reasonable prices.”

And Those Options Are…

“Very Low Moisture cleaning and Flush Extraction,” said Nei. He went on to explain that cleaning includes many variables including time, temperature, pressure, agitation of cleaning surface and cleaning solutions. “Adjust any of these and you can adjust the outcomes.”

Nei continued, “When I entered the carpet cleaning business I did my home work. I spent many hours researching customer complaints and solutions. I took a close look at options in the industry. As a result I became the area expert on Low Moisture Carpet Cleaning. This method cleans light to moderately soiled carpets extremely well and carpets are ready for use 60 minutes after we are done.”

What about flush extraction? That sounds awfully wet.

Nei said that Flush Extraction still provides dry times of less than 4 hours. He said it is an excellent option for carpets that are moderately to severely soiled and is excellent when working with dog and toddler accidents or very heavily soiled carpets. It is also excellent for restaurants and high traffic areas in all commercial settings. 

Nei explained, “The trick is that with the equipment we use extraction motors are only 11 inches off the carpet, so carpets are still dry in most circumstances in less than 4 hours and often much faster. That’s half the time of most truck mounts and standard, old fashioned portable carpet cleaning equipment. This modern equipment is way different; small, powerful and fast. Big and loud doesn’t necessarily mean better. And again, we are he only company in the area offering customers this carpet cleaning solution.

In House Research

Pile invited Mr. Nei to clean her carpets to test these statements. Pile warned Nei that her twin toddlers and new puppy would create some challenges in getting their cream colored textured Berber carpet clean. Her assessment when Nei’s team was done?

“All I can say is that Mr. Nei and his employees are very professional. They showed up on time, in uniforms, treated my family well, and did what they said they were going to do. Mr. Nei was more than happy to explain how Low Moisture Carpet Cleaning works. I don’t understand every detail about the 21^st century science behind carpet cleaning, but I now know I have options that don’t include two days in the basement.”

Doubling Back

Pile then called Wett, owner of Splash and Dash Carpet Cleaning to discuss her findings. Wett said he was  frustrated by the continued questions and said that, “I really don’t know anything about other ways to clean carpets, but I’m sure the way we do it is the best way because we’ve been around a long time.”

Article submitted by Hue Getit, Lead Cleaning Editor, Cleaning Network News

All articles on this Blog site under the The Cleaner News heading are intended to be funny, sarcastic, satirical and peppered with facts. Most characters are fictional. Any resemblance to actual circumstances or people is accidental. In a fun way, all articles will point the reader toward better ways of getting their needs met when it comes to cleaning. For more information or to make comment please post on this blog, call (715) 892-4290 or send an email eric@CleanAsCanBeServices.com to  Eric Ne, owner of Clean As Can Be Services, LLS.  

Copyright 2012

It's been a while.

Thank you loyal customers. Things have been very busy this season. Business developments include addition of water extraction, giving you more choices based on your carpet cleaning needs. I've been blessed with some great employees. Some working in your homes. Some in the offices we care for. All wonderful people. My son, Ethan, worked for a local plumbing company last year. This year he decided to come back to the family business.(He mentioned something about better pay.) You might see him at his second job in the Trig's Minocqua Produce Section. He's worked with me, with the exception of last year, for 5 years. It's good to have him back.

One Tool Mentality and $30.00 in Your Pocket.

In 1966 Abraham Maslow wrote, "I suppose it is tempting, if the only tool you have is a hammer, to treat everything as if it were a nail." In the thinking of most carpet cleaners, it's sounds something like this:

"All I know, all I have ever done, and all I have is a truck mounted hot water extraction unit, so every carpet cleaning job is perfectly suited for my equipment." (If your brain didn't short circuit just a bit when you read this you should read it again.)

Sure, a truck mounted hot water extraction unit IS the best choice sometimes. (And we will tell you so if that is what we think when we see your carpets.) However, reality is, you, the customer, have many choices when it comes to carpet cleaning. That's why we were the first company in the Minocqua area, and still the only local company, to offer Very Low Moisture carpet cleaning using oscillating pad en capping extraction. Decently clean carpets that stay clean longer and dry in less than 60 minutes. Our customer love this option and we have built a successful and growing business around the benefits. Now....how about another innovation?

Introducing High Flow Extraction and the Steamin Demon.
(And More Information Coming to Our Web Site Soon!)

 

Welcome to 21 Century carpet cleaning with the Steamin Demon. The Steamin Demon is the only portable carpet extractor specifically endorsed in writing by Shaw Industries, the worlds largest carpet manufacturer. Shaw Industries has tested the Steamin Demon for over 10 years. The Steamin Demon has also won the prestigious Gold Seal of Approval for Superior Deep Cleaning Systems from the Carpet and Rug Institute, an independent evaluator of carpet cleaning methods and tools. You can even watch a head to head comparison between a Steamin Demon and a truck mount unit operated by a carpet cleaning business owner with many years of experience.

The high flow extraction of the Steamin Demon uses 3 to 4 times the water volume of most truck mount units. HOWEVER, carpets dry in half the time when compared to carpet cleaned with old fashioned options. You, the customer, have told us that you really appreciate minimized dry times. So, when I began to research water extraction I kept this in mind. Water extraction with the Steamin Demon is the best of both worlds. Full on water flush of carpets when needed, but half the dry time of truck mounted systems; less than four hours.

It's a small machine, but small like a high end Apple Computer. Well thought out with a lot packed into it.  (We were a little skeptical at first. That's why I looked at our options for water extraction for over a year.) During our first times out with the new unit we were amazed to see the clean water return through the viewing window as chocolate-milk colored water when cleaning carpets most people thought were "a little dirty."

Still mentally stuck on the truck? Then how about this? If you schedule carpet cleaning services DURING THE MONTH OF JULY and tell us you read about our new methods on the this blog we will knock $30.00 off your invoice for carpet cleaning. That's like a free room, or free stain guard application, or a free set of stairs. Oh, then there is our published guarantee, "If you are not completely satisfied with every aspect of your experience with us you owe us nothing." And we will even give you $30.00 for your trouble. Try us. You will like us. Either way, you keep $30.00 in your pocket.


You get better carpet cleaning. You get faster dry times. You get to keep $30.00. Call today to schedule services because July dates are beginning to fill (715-892-4290).

The Power of the Local Dollar

 

 Main stream media like TIME BUSINESS  and more alternative information outlets like Sustainable Connections agree about the high impact of shopping locally. Now, I know we all have what I call a "local thresh hold." It represents the dollar commitment you are willing to pay above non-local sources to obtain services and goods that you want in an effort to support your local community. It also considers what you call local. In our lightly populated area, I figure my "local" economy is about 60 miles across. Your "local thresh hold" causes you to support local businesses, but only so far. At some point everyone says, "I just won't pay THAT much more to support a local business." Local thresh hold is different for everyone.


Here is the bottom line; when you shop local $0.68 of every dollar stays in your community. So decide what your personal "local thresh hold" is and then start fixing the local economy. Support businesses that directly and indirectly keep your money local.

Where Did All The Pollen Go?

 

On your windows, all over your upholstered furniture, and in your carpet. While there is something blooming all the time, we are now past the worst part of the pollen season. Many air borne pollens are sticky. Just look at your windows after the pine trees bloom and you will see what I'm talking about. Your carpets act as natural air filters. So does your upholstered furniture. Now is a great time to clean up the mess. Call today to get the allergens out of your life.

*****

Until next time, happy cleaning
Eric Nei, The Cleaning Guy
Owner of Clean As Can Be Services, LLC

Saving Money the Expensive Way

We all want to save money. However, working with the least expensive service provider may be a very expensive way to reach your financial goals. Intelligent property owners consider a wide range of issues when selecting a service provider. Here you will find some guidance on selecting a professional contractor and saving money in the process.

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Case Study—Saving Money the Expensive Way

Parts of this article are based on the following court case, 2002 California Court of Appeal decision in Fernandez v. Lawson, 119 Cal.Rptr.2d 767.

Mr. Home Owner received multiple bids while selecting a contractor for a service. Trying to do the right thing, Mr. Home Owner asked Mr. Low Bid for proof of liability and workers compensation insurance prior to beginning work. Mr. Low Bid assured Mr. Home Owner that insurance was in place and current. However, no documentation was provided to Mr. Home Owner prior to beginning the work. In reality, Mr. Low Bid had allowed insurance coverage to expire in an effort to keep prices lower than his competitors. The first day of work, Ms. Employee, an employee of Mr. Low Bid, was seriously injured on the job.

When the injured worker, Ms. Employee, found out she was not covered by workers compensation she sued, naming both Mr. Low Bid and Mr. Home Owner in the suit. Who do you think should pay Ms. Employee’s medical bills?

In this case the court ruled in favor of  Ms. Employee and against Mr. Property Owner. The court stated that the Mr. Property Owner should have verified Mr. Low Bid’s claims about insurance. Failing to do so, the court ruled that Mr. Property Owner assumed the role of direct employer of Ms. Employee. As such, Mr. Property Owner was held responsible for the medical expenses of the injured worker. The final cost to Mr. Property Owner of saving a few dollars by going with the ‘cheaper’ estimate was over $26,000!

Save Big Money When Hiring Contractors

There are many ways to save money on services, but hiring a company that exposes you to significant risks or less than the best performance is not the way to do it. Here are some proven ways to save money when hiring a contractor.

• Choose an insured and bonded business. Make sure you see copies of insurance forms before the work begins. The forms should be mailed directly to you from the insurance underwriter. You should be named as the recipient on your copy and the expiration date should extend beyond the last day of work at your property. If the contractor hands you a copy of the binder with these details in place, call the underwriter to verify the details.

• Negotiate discounts.Many service businesses offer discounts during the off season or for repeat or high volume customers.

• Manage cash flow by spreading service payments over 12 months. You can do this by working with contractors that accept credit cards or are willing to provide a payment plan.

• When presented with an estimate simply ask, “Is that the best you can do?” Few people realize the power of this question. When you ask this question, be prepared for a discussion, not an amazing discount.

• Talk openly about other estimates you are receiving. This allows the vendor to help provide you with an apples-for-apples comparison. A wide variance in prices between estimates usually means there is a difference in services. Openly discussing estimate details will allow you to more effectively compare estimates and get exactly what you want.

• Take advantage of sales and special offers. These are effective sales tactics, but they are also a great way to save money. And in this electronic age, savvy contractors are offering 'Internet Only' specials.

• Consider bartering. Just like you, contractors hire help. If you have legal, book keeping, graphic design, baby sitting, cooking or other skills, explore options with your contractor. The same goes for material goods. Junk to one person is treasure to another. If they are working on your second home, offer to exchange service for a week of occupancy.

• Ask for references and then check reference with well prepared questions. You will quickly ferret out those vendors that are price gouging. You will also discover the jewels in the rough of service contractors that offer value laden services at good prices.

I've traveled in Europe and South America. Negotiating prices in other cultures is the norm and you don't have to assume prices set by contractors are set in stone. Use the tips above to get the best possible service for your budget.

Web Site Updates

I've been working on our Web site. Added information on upholstery cleaning and a bit of redesign. Your comments are appreciated. Here the link; http://www.cleanascanbeservices.com/.

Watch for my next blog "Post Pollen Planning"

Until then, happy cleaning
Eric Nei, The Cleaning Guy

Just a Few Dates Left. Call TODAY!!!
Sure, it's snowing today, but we have just a few dates left between now and the middle of May and and my Droid X just alerted me to new calls and emails.  Call today for your preferred  services dates. (715) 892-4290. Not sure about the services we offer. Visit us on the Web at www. CleanAsCanBeServices.com to learn more.

Suck it Up!

Yes, at Clean As Can Be Services, LLC we are a little crazy about clean, and, yes, this is another email (and blog added this week) about vacuuming. Here's the bottom line when you want to suck things out of your carpet. A better vacuum gets you better results. But what is a 'better' vacuum?  Bright colors, fancy features and a good looking guy with an English accent might sell vacuum cleaners, but does one vacuum really work better than another?

Selecting Your Sweeper

If you are cleaning for health, the two most important question are: Does your vacuum pull more stuff out of the carpet than other vacuums? Does it filter exhaust air better than any other vacuum?

Does your vacuum pull more stuff out of the carpet than other vacuums? That depends on the lift and cubic feet per minute of air flow (cfm). Lift is the brute force of a vacuum. It measures how high any given vacuum system will lift a column of water. CFM determines  how well the vacuum moves debris to the the bag or canister once it is picked up. The higher rated on both, the better.

Does you vacuum filter the exhaust air better than any other vacuum? Hands down, I believe in paper bag filters. I choose HEPA quality bags and change them often. Why? I want the cleanest possible exhaust coming out my vacuum so I'm not just pulling stuff from the carpet and throwing it into the air. Paper bag filters offer more filtration space than any other kind of filter system. Also, paper filter bags mean I have less contact with the junk in the bag. Little to no content escapes into the air when I change bags. Most canister vacuums require very frequent clean outs with dumping of open canisters into an open garbage. This releases a relatively large amount of junk back into the environment. And get this; some experts recommend wearing  filter mask and eye protection when emptying canister vacuums because of the harmful stuff that can be found in vacuum bags.

When it comes to cleaning for health, beyond these two factors, I feel most everything is preference. Attachments? Buy a small canister vacuum for stairs and edging. Weight? You can safely assume light means less durable and who cares about weight now that you know to walk your vacuum rather than swing it with your arm.

Look, there's lots more to a vacuum than advertising. This is not a tool you are going to pull out at a dinner party to impress your friends. (I am right about this, aren't I?) You want the machine to suck up and store dirt and exhaust the cleanest air possible. I suggest you skip buying one at the big box stores. Go to a specialized store like Henry's Vacuum in Woodruff. The owners are great people who provide excellent service. They also provide free labor for life on many of their vacuums.

For more information, check out these two links:
The Carpet and Rug Institute
Think Vacuum

And the Answer Is...(answer from the last email quiz)

Effective vacuuming means vacuuming:
A) So much your arm hurts
B) When you know foot and paw traffic has brought in a significant amount of dirt.
C) When your kids need extra chores to build character
D) Way more than most people vacuum.

Here's why. Generally speaking, you should do a thorough vacuuming several times a week. You want to vacuum before you can see dirt. It's a preventive activity that sucks stuff up before it has a chance to wiggle deep into carpet fibers. How often you vacuum will depend on how you control dirt in your home. Do you have walk off mats at the doors? Is you home a shoes on or shoes off home? Kids? Pets? Husband a desk jockey or logger? It's a pretty safe bet to say that  good vacuuming 3 to 4 times a week is not too much in high traffic area. During pollen season, even more may help with allergies.And for review, good vacuuming means moving slowing and going over the same place several times. Let your vacuum do it's work.
  
Learning Blogs

My friend and Web designer Clif Parsons of the Design Department  is helping me learn some things. For instance, he saw my last email and suggested I could better serve customers by setting up a blog. It may be that I'm the only person in the world that just discovered blogs, but I doubt it. A blog is a Web site that stores information for future reference and allows interaction between the keeper/author of the blog and the readers. If you have gotten this far in this article you probably got here by clicking on a link in an email I sent. The link brought you to this blog. Feel free to bookmark this for direct access, get to it through our Web site or from any email I send you. And don't forget to join the conversation by adding your thoughts.

Introducing the 10% Club

You have a flexible schedule and we have an unexpected open date, so let's save you some money. Here is how the 10% Club works. A customer calls us early Tuesday morning to let us know they need to change dates. No problem. Or, we look two weeks out and see an open day that just didn't fill. No problem. We whip out our 10% Club listing and call the first person on the list. They would be glad to have services on that day. We load and go and that person saves 10% off their invoice. If they say it's not a good time, that's fine. They go to the bottom of the 10% Club list and we go on to the next call. When you call to book services, just let us know that schedule isn't so important and that you would like to be on the 10% Club list. The only rule is this, you can't say, "I want to be in the 10% Club and I want this date for service."


Next  Email
An Expensive Way to Save Money
Post Pollen Planners
Simple Spot Treatments for Carpets

Until next time, Happy Cleaning!
Eric Nei, The Cleaning Guy, Owner

Business Bites

Watch for updates at www.CleanAsCanBeServices.com.  While we have offered upholstery and maid service for some time Web pages describing these services are yet to be added to the Web site. We have lot's planned to make your life convenient and simple. For instance, we know many folks like to get prices from several vendors as part of making a decision. We want to make this easier for you by through Instant Estimate. Instant Estimate would let you plug in some basic numbers and get a ball park figure.We are also considering posting a calendar for returning customers so that you can pick your preferred dates. The public calendar would let you pick your preferred dates and it would then notify us that you are on the calendar. (Of course, we are always happy to talk to you on the phone.) All this from the convenience of your computer.  Please be patient. All this takes time, technological savvy. And we are trying to make it happen as we move into the busiest time of the year.