Archive for Commercial business cleaning

The America’s Center in St. Louis: Big or Small, Sams Cleans it All

From concerts to monster trucks to sporting events and more, there are very few people in the St. Louis region who don’t have some memory of an event they’ve attended at The America’s Center. Our staff is no different. But there’s something really cool about getting a behind-the-scenes look at a place like that when it’s empty. So when we had the opportunity to provide carpet cleaning services at this great St. Louis landmark in February, we jumped at the opportunity.

Sometimes great work speaks for itself. Mark Gruhala, Assistant Director of Operations at The America’s Center, took notice of the great work our team did in restoring the furniture and carpets at the Stifel Theatre. When he asked who the company was behind the great transformation, the team at Stifel Theatre referred him to us. After reading our story and seeing the photos, Mark contacted us for an estimate, and met with Sams President Jeff Sams onsite to conduct a walkthrough to identify areas that needed to be addressed.

members of the sams carpet cleaning team preparing to work at the America's CenterWhen it came time to do the job, we sent an A-team of four technicians: Ed, Jakob, Keith, and Chuck. The team was sent to address a few critical areas in the stadium that needed the most attention, including the hallway on both sides of the executive suites, the home and guest locker rooms, and some additional dressing rooms.

With a job like this, access can sometimes be an issue, but the team at The America’s Center was accommodating and gave us access to all the areas we needed to be. To get the hoses from the vans to the areas we were cleaning, we needed to pull directly onto the main floor of the stadium. From there, we were able to use our high-powered carpet cleaning equipment to reach and address all the areas that needed attention.

clean locker room carpet after the Sams team did their jobIn the end, the client was very happy with the work we did. We were able to address trouble areas, restore the carpets, and prepare The America’s Center for everything to come in the year ahead. In addition to The America’s Center and Stifel Theatre, the Sams team has also been called on for large-scale cleaning projects at Enterprise Center, home of the St. Louis Blues.

But our trademark yellow vans have also been put to work in offices and homes of all sizes throughout the region. No matter the size of the project, we have the tools, experience, and expertise to get the job done. Contact us today to put our team to work for you!

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Start the New Year Right With Commercial Air Duct Cleaning

The New Year is a time for new beginnings. As the clock turns towards 2022, now is the time to start thinking about what needs to be accomplished in your office space or place of business to ring in the New Year on a high and clean note. While weekly office cleanings are an essential part of a regular routine to keep the environment healthy to work in, make sure that you are not neglecting the air quality and efficiency of your heating and cooling systems by forgetting to have your air ducts cleaned.

It is important to understand that duct cleaning must be done by a professional in order to assure that it does not do more harm than good. Not only can you potentially break something when trying to do it yourself, but you can also stir up harmful allergens and bacteria.

The Biggest Benefits of Office Air Duct Cleaning

Air duct cleaning, when professionally done with the proper equipment can reduce allergens, promote cleaner air, reduce unpleasant smells and fire hazards, and promote efficiency. Here are the five biggest reasons to regularly have the air ducts in your office cleaned:

  1. Harmful pathogens can build up in air ducts if they are not regularly cleaned. Dirt, dust, mold, pollen and other pollutants can accumulate in air ducts and then travel through the ductwork from one office area to another. A professional cleaning will remove all contaminants from the ducts and assure that there is no bacteria and mold lurking in the ductwork of your office. If you are worried about mold issues, this is particularly important as mold spores are easily able to travel through the air from one room to the next if they are growing in any duct work. An annual office inspection and cleaning of your air ducts and HVAC systems will also help to prevent duct contamination issues.
  2. Clean air is another reason why having your air ducts cleaned in the New Year should be a priority. Even if there are no allergy sufferers in your office space or place of work, clean air will make for an all-around better quality of life experience.
  3. Is there a funky smell lingering in your office? Can you not pinpoint the source? The source could be something lurking in the air ducts. Odors from mold, mildew and other allergens can build up in the air ducts over time. When these odors become strong enough, the smell can permeate the entire building. Not only is this potentially dangerous to breathe in, it can create a less than inspiring atmosphere for both the employees and customers.  A professional air duct cleaning service will use state-of-the-art equipment to clear out the problem area(s), eliminating the odor at its source.
  4. You never know what’s in your ducts until you have them cleaned. From construction debris to items accidentally dropped into a vent, it can be astonishing what is sucked out of an air duct when cleaned professionally. We have encountered both large and small objects, and some of those could create a fire risk if neglected.
  5. Ductwork cleaning is one way to improve the performance and efficiency of your ventilation system. Contaminants and pollutants that build up in the system and on its various components decrease air flow efficiency and causes the system to work harder over time. Duct and vent cleaning also is a great way to help extend the life of your office HVAC system, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars to replace.

The new year is here! There is no better time to call Sams to set up a time to have your office air ducts cleaned. Our professional team of experts in the St. Louis area will clean and restore our air ducts and ensure everyone is breathing easier in the new year.

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Sams Team Helps the Show Go on at Stifel Theatre in St. Louis

The Sams team recently had the opportunity to put our expertise to work in a legendary live performance venue, the Stifel Theatre in downtown St. Louis. The 3,100-seat main theatre was completed in 1934 as an opera house component of the larger Municipal Auditorium complex, including the 9,300-seat Convention Hall that later became known as Kiel Auditorium. Today, the Stifel Theatre opera house is all that remains of the original complex.

Shuttered in May 1991, the opera house sat vacant for two decades. A historic $78.7 million renovation restored it to its original splendor and added state-of-the-art upgrades in 2011. Having welcomed legendary names like Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, and the Rolling stones through the years, today the opera house still attracts some of the biggest and brightest stars in music, theatre, and comedy.

Stifel Theatre view of the stage from the gallery

 

While closed during the COVID-19 pandemic, Stifel Theatre management reached out to The Sams team to perform a thorough steam cleaning using our truck-mounted units and apply SCOTCHGARD for future protection. In addition, while not being used, the theatre had become home to some moths we needed to remove and prevent from returning.

Everything that makes a building like the Stifel Theatre grand and spectacular- particularly its size and age, also present some challenges when cleaning. In addition to the main theatre, the Stifel theatre gallery view from the stagebuilding boasts numerous other spaces where they host weddings and corporate events. In a building this size, it’s important that everyone knows what areas they’re responsible for, so nothing gets missed. The theatre also has wool carpet, which needs to be treated differently than a standard synthetic carpet. Precautions must be taken with the heat and the soap we use to prevent the carpet from buckling or sustaining any damage.

Sams deployed a crew of 12, with six van-mounted carpet cleaning machines for this commercial carpet cleaning project. We worked hand-in-hand in partnership with Stifel Theatre’s management and maintenance team. With a project of this size, it takes a team effort to ensure every detail is attended to and the client’s expectations are met. In total, the crew spent five days on site. We treated spots and stains, thoroughly cleaned every inch of carpet in the theatre as well as some of the seats, and did a moth repellent treatment to remove eggs and prevent moths from returning.

Our team was able to come in and systematically approach the job, recognizing and treating areas that needed additional attention to remove stains as we went. We take an immense amount of pride in our work every day. But to be trusted on a job like this is extra special. The Stifel Theatre is a place where our team goes throughout the year to make memories with family and friends. It’s a building with a million intricate details, designed to inspire awe and wonder when you walk through the door. Helping them maintain its beauty was a true privilege and honor for the Sams team.

Sams vans at Stifel theatre with the gateway arch in the background

 

From ornate and historical landmarks to office buildings in business parks, Sams Carpet Service is the first number to call for your commercial carpet and upholstery cleaning needs, as well as specialty services like air duct cleaning. Our services are tailored to the unique needs of you and your space. Call us today to get started!

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Why Your Business Should Have Routine, Professional Tile Cleaning

Look down! That’s what your customers tend to do when they enter your business. Studies have shown this to be true, so when they look down, what are they seeing? Is it sparkling tile that’s free from debris and residue, or has your tile seen better, cleaner days? Remember when you built your business, and you took time and great care to choose just the right tile, design and color? It’s probably pretty important to you that it stay that way, and the Sams team can help you out!

Have the dingy days arrived?

Chances are, you have many feet touching your floors on a daily basis, and traffic in your business can be pretty hectic at certain times of the day. Spills can happen quickly. Muddy shoes can bring the outside in. You name it, it probably has happened on your tile floor. But why does it get so dingy looking? There are a few common reasons for this:

  1. Tile and grout are very porous, meaning dirt is absorbed easily. As people walk on it, dirt can get even more ground in, and discoloration follows. Your once ivory tiles are now 50 shades of something dirty.
  2. Routine floor cleaning, particularly sweeping and mopping, will remove surface soils, but as time passes, this process will leave residue that becomes embedded into the tile and grout. While this step is important to perform on a daily basis, it’s not enough for the long-term life and beauty of your tile floors.
  3. It’s a fact that commercial buildings see a lot of footprints, which leads to dirt, wear and tear. High traffic areas will be the first to reveal their dirty side, and when it comes to restrooms, you know what kind of spillage may happen there!

Professional Tile Cleaning and Maintenance with Sams

It’s true – to make your tile and grout sparkle, you’ll need more than just a sponge. How we tackle it, and how frequently you’ll need us, depends on many factors, so we’ll help you determine what’s best for your particular situation.

The Sams process involves a thorough procedure which penetrates deeply into the surface of your tile and grout to eliminate dirt, mildew, and other contaminants. But before any machinery touches your floors, we’ll perform an inspection to identify any damage we may need to address, or any areas of special concern you may have. We’ll sweep and vacuum to remove loose dirt and dust, and then apply a pre-conditioner to break down oils and stains. That’s something a mop and sponge – or even consumer grade floor cleaners – can’t do!

Here’s where the muscle comes in. Your floors are scrubbed with high-powered brushes to remove stains and even get rid of traffic patterns that appear in the tile over time. You know, like that “track” of dirt you can see going down the hallway. Everybody gets them, and Sams can take care of it! Finally, we perform a pressure cleaning process with a rotary hot water extractor. This leaves the area clean, fresh, and something you can be proud of! We can even apply sealant to help prevent future stains.

Regular Care for your Tile and Grout

Ongoing activities such as daily vacuuming, sweeping and mopping, as well as quick attention to spills and stains will help extend the life and looks of your tile floors. But there’s only so far you can go with a broom and scrub brush. Sealing the tile grout is great for keeping moisture and dirt from penetrating into the floor. You will be so amazed at how much easier it is to clean spills off your floors once the grout has been sealed. Let Sams do the dirty work for you! Not only will you get a beautifully clean floor, you’ll get the Sams experience of the best technicians, the highest quality cleaning products and processes, and service you can count on. We appreciate an opportunity to be welcomed into your business!

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