Archive for Stains

Remove Pet Urine Smell: The Impact of Pet Urine

Ew! Did Fluffy and Fido leave their mark on your carpet again? We love our furry friends, but we don’t like the stains that they leave behind on our carpets. Once the smell sinks into the carpet, the chances of your pet going back to the same spot are very high. Pet urine can be diverse, depending on the makeup of the urine. Depending on your pet’s health, diet, and reproductive cycle, the variations are the deciding factors on whether you’ll be able to remove stains or not. At Sams, we know that pet damage is more than what you see on the surface. With a proper inspection, the Sams team will identify the best course of action to clean the stains and remove the pet urine smell.

Although all accidents will leave permanent stains, urine has the power to affect the dyes used in carpet. Dyes may change colors immediately after contact with urine, while others may take weeks or months before experiencing a reaction. Stains can soon become permanent spots after it develops slowly and time starts to pass. After the deposit, many times, the moisture can weaken the bond between the layers of the carpet, separating the layers and seams.

Another problem to consider, is cat urine. All urine is bad, but cat pee isn’t just disgusting. It’s also dangerous. Urine from your cat can harm your health, and the waste that these pets carry could cause illness. Not only will the urine smell have an effect on your mood, but if you have a respiratory condition the strong odor can irritate and harm your lungs. It’s important that you’re not exposed to the frequency of the pet urine smell in your household.

How We Remove Pet Urine Smell

In order to locate all urine-saturated spots, you have to be mindful and understand that all stains aren’t on the surface but some may have seeped underneath the carpet. We’ve seen it all. Sometimes, accidents can seeping their way down to the padding and passing to the subfloor. When it comes to cleaning, focusing on the surface doesn’t solve the problem. Whether the damage is minimal or not, Sams will evaluate the many possibilities of how the carpet is damaged.

If it’s a minor impact, our trained technicians will perform regular cleaning duties and use enzymes to remove the pet urine smell, which will do the trick for minor causes. For repeat offenders, we will conduct a thorough inspection to assess the severity of damage done. We will use a special light on questionable areas. The Sams team might even pull the carpet and pad back to identify what damage has been done. We offer a variety of services that remove pet urine smell and other odors from your home. Whether it’s pets or cigarette smoke, Sams doesn’t mask the odors. We look to eliminate them.

When you hire the Sams team, you’re hiring trained technicians who care. These technicians will make sure you have the information needed to make educated decisions on when an appropriate job is done right. We’re committed to excellence, professionalism and respect that raises the bar of carpet repair, carpet cleaning and much more.

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How to Get Bleach Stains Out of Carpet: A Case Study

You’ve just installed beautiful custom carpet in your business. It’s a lovely pattern, designed to be both pleasing to the eye and durable. Then the unthinkable happens. Someone spills something, causing a stain to quickly creep into that beautiful pattern. It’s ruined, or so you think. Don’t give up so quickly, call Sams!!

Sadly this happened to one of our clients. And the something that was spilled, was bleach. Imagine opening a new hotel only to experience a devastating spill on your custom carpet just weeks into operation. Thankfully, before they went through the drastic measure of ripping up this new, but stained, carpeting, they thought to reach out to Sams. Our team arrived, inspected the situation, and determined that this expensive custom carpeting would not need to be replaced. That’s because Sams has the knowledge and experience to address a situation just like this.

Here’s what we did:

  • First, we analyzed the colors in the pattern to get the best match possible
  • Then we carefully dyed each portion of the pattern with the colors we created
  • Finally, we allowed the area to fully dry to ensure a seamless match

When we finished the project, the carpet was restored to its original beauty and the client avoided a costly replacement. The before and after pictures tell the story!

While there’s no way to remove bleach from the carpet, we were able to dye the carpet and make the stains disappear. This is just one example of the amazing work that we can do to prevent the expense and disruption of installing new carpeting in your home or business!

Whether it’s a repair like the one described above, or just regular cleaning and maintenance, we know that all of our commercial clients want to make a great impression on, and comfortable experience for, employees, guests and customers. A clean carpet is often the first thing a person notices when they visit an office, hotel or store so make it tell a great story! Sams can help you do this because:

  • We’re available for emergencies – need to remove a stain quickly, or fix a torn carpet that’s a trip hazard in your space? Sams is on call to help.
  • We offer 24/7 water removal services – pipes can burst, storms can come in, and toilets can overflow, all causing excess water in your business. The Sams team offers a quick, expert response to this situation to get you back in business.
  • We provide ongoing commercial maintenance programs to take the headache out of keeping your carpets and tile flooring looking spotless. We work closely with your facility or property manager to develop a plan for ongoing cleaning, maintenance and repairs. Your space stays in tip-top condition at all times.

And we know that business owners have homes too. The great news is that Sams provides these services to our residential customers as well!

If you want to extend the life of your carpets and ensure that they look their best at all times, Sams is ready to assist you today – at work and at home!

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Carpet Stain Removal Tips from the St. Louis Area’s Carpet Cleaning Pros

“Darn it!” If you’ve ever spilled a glass of red wine or watched one of the kids sends a tumbler full of Kool-Aid cascading onto the carpet, those words have likely crossed your lips. While many things might be running through your mind in that moment, you have to focus on the best way to address the colored spot that now adorns your carpet. There are a number of things you should do, and a couple you definitely shouldn’t. The Sams Carpet Cleaning and Repair team has you covered! We’ve assembled this list of actions to take immediately to help ensure that stain doesn’t stick around.

Tip #1: Act Quickly to Remove Liquid

The first step is to extract as much liquid as possible out of the carpet. To do that, blot the affected area with a white or light-colored cloth. Apply pressure with the heel of your hand to absorb as much of the liquid as you possibly can. Remember, you only want to blot the area. Do not rub! The more it seeps into your carpet, the more time it will have to adhere to the carpet fibers, increasing the likelihood of permanent damage. Also, avoid using colored or printed towels on the spill. The dye from the material may transfer onto your carpet, leaving you with an even bigger mess than you started with.

Tip #2: Be Careful Using Over The Counter Cleaners

Stains and spills are always unexpected and obviously never welcome, so your first instinct might be to reach for a bottle of anything that could take care of the mess. But you might be inviting bigger problems. Before using any over the counter spot removers, which may contain certain ingredients that may cause more problems than they fix, try using warm water in a spray bottle and a white rag. Commercially available cleaning products are typically low quality, and most contain oil, petroleum, silica, or other chemicals. These can leave residue on your carpet, break down fibers, and ultimately, attract more dirt. You might also find different remedies for specific stains online. But be careful what you use on the carpet, because we have seen many customers left with a permanent stain that could have been avoided. If you are using an over-the-counter product, start by applying it in a very small area to see if it works. If not, set it aside and call a professional!

Tip #3: Use Quality Products Formulated for Carpet

If you’re a past customer of Sams, you received a free bottle of our “Outta Sight” spot remover. Outta Sight is trusted by homeowners throughout the St. Louis area, because it is specifically formulated to help you combat colorful spills without damaging your carpet or leaving residue behind. If you do not have a bottle of our Outta Sight spot remover, we recommend avoiding the DIY route completely. Using a product that isn’t made specifically for carpets could cause more damage. And that’s the last thing we want!

Tip #4: Bring in a Carpet Stain Professional

Ultimately, the best preventive action you can take is calling in a professional. We know the impact that different spills can have on carpet, and can create a solution to address the spot without damaging your carpet fibers. Going it alone and using improper chemicals and techniques can have negative long-term effects on your carpet. We want to help you avoid that. The Sams team cares about protecting your investment, and is committed to helping you eradicate unsightly stains.

Next time the red wine or Kool-Aid spills on your carpet, avoid the panic. Know that Sams is on your side! If you’re in the St. Louis region and you have a spot or stain you’re not quite sure how to handle, call the Sams team! We’ll assess the situation and deploy a solution tailored to overcoming your carpet stain.

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Dos and Don’ts of Cleaning Red Wine Spills on Carpet

There’s nothing quite like a glass of red wine to take the edge off and decompress after a long and stressful day. That is until a stray elbow or inattentive pet sends that red wine flying and a carpet spill adds to your workload and worry. In most cases, a red wine stain can be removed from carpet, but there are dos and don’ts to follow to make sure you get the stain out without making it worse.

DO: Act quickly to remove the red wine stain

Time is of the essence. The longer the red wine has to seep into your carpet, the more difficult it will be to remove. Start by blotting the area with a white or light-colored cloth to remove as much of the liquid as quickly as possible. To blot, apply downward pressure with the heel of your hand to absorb as much of the red wine as possible.

DON’T: Rub the stain into the carpet

There’s a fine line between gently blotting and rubbing. Instead of pulling the red wine out of the carpet, rubbing the spill will cause it to seep further into the carpet, increasing the likelihood of irreversible damage. You also want to avoid using towels with a color or a print. The dye from the towel could transfer to your carpet leaving you with additional unintentional staining.

DO: Use high quality products intended to clean red wine carpet stains

If you’re a past Sams customer, you’ve received a free bottle of Outta Sight spot remover. There’s a reason we give this to all our customers: it works and it’s formulated to get the job done without damaging your carpet. Follow the instructions on the bottle to gently and safely remove the red wine spill from your carpet.

DON’T: Reach for readily available over-the-counter products

When standing face to face with a red wine spill, your first instinct is to take care of the mess. Sometimes that can cause you to reach for a readily available chemical in your cleaning supply stash. Resist that temptation. If you don’t have Outta Sight spot remover on hand, try using warm water in a spray bottle and blotting the stain with a white rag. Definitely don’t use any cleaning solutions that aren’t intended for use on carpets. Even the carpet cleaning chemicals you find in stores are typically low-quality, and can end up doing more harm than good.

DO: Call Sams Carpet Cleaning and Repairs

The best solution is to enlist the help of a professional. We work with carpet every day, so we understand the impact of specific spills and know how to approach the spot without damaging the carpet or leaving behind a residue that attracts additional dirt and soil.

DON’T: Take on a stubborn red wine carpet stain alone

If the safe DIY solutions we’ve suggested above don’t get the job done for you, don’t make the problem worse by trying more drastic cleanup measures. The carpet in your home is a major investment. Making the wrong move in cleaning a red wine spill could cause permanent damage leading to unnecessary cost of repair or replacement.

Accidents happen and are often unpredictable. But you don’t have to live with a permanent reminder of them. When an accidental red wine spill happens to you, you’ve got a team of experts on your side. Contact the Sams team to turn your would-be wine stain into a distant memory.

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Spills and Stains, Oh My! How To Treat Your Carpet and Upholstery When Life Happens

Spills happen. We are all human, as much as we would like to pretend we are perfect, we are bound to laugh a little too hard and spill a glass of wine. A child is bound to turn around too quickly and knock over their milk. An overly excited dog might run into the room and track muddy paw prints. Life is busy and hectic, and we’re bound to need a little touch up here or there. C’est la vie.  And that’s where we come in to help.

If you have a little stain or spot in the carpet, here are our tips to treating it yourself at home. Of course, do not hesitate to give us a call if you have any questions or feel like the stain just might be out of your control. Here are our do’s and don’ts for treating stains and spots in your carpet or upholstered furniture.

  • Don’t Wait
    Immediately pick up any solid spills and soak up any liquid with a clean white towel. NOTE: It’s important to ALWAYS use a clean white towel to insure that no dye from the towel stains the carpet. Remember, we are trying to treat a stain, not cause another.
  • Don’t Scrub
    Gently blot carpet to avoid pushing the stain deeper into the fibers. When blotting, blot from the outside of the stain going inward, as blotting outward can spread the stain to a larger area. This is what we are looking to avoid!
  • Don’t Over Saturate
    You don’t want to add to much water to the area, this could saturate the carpet backing, causing further damage. This also goes with any cleaner, be sure to use a small amount and never saturate. We recommend keeping water or cleaner in a spray bottle for a fine miss and to avoid over saturating the carpet or upholstery.
  • Be Careful With Any Cleaning Product, Use a Test Area
    There is too much uncertainty with cleaners and how they might react to your carpet or upholstered furniture, you don’t want to take that risk! Be careful with any product by reading the label and using only small amounts first in a test area to make sure it’s not setting your stain and can be removed. Reach out to a carpeting professional for their cleaning agent recommendation or to purchase a professional cleaner. All Sams’ customers receive a bottle of our “Outta Sight” spot remover after a cleaning, which is perfect for those pop up, “uh oh” moments! Trust your gut and use water first to soak up the stain, and from there, use the Outta Sight cleaner to treat the area. Be sure to use any cleaner lightly, you want to use a gentle hand and touch, too much could harm rather than help.
  • Don’t Let The Area Air Dry
    You might think it’s best to just set it and forget it, but in this case, letting the area air dry can cause rings and dimples. Take a dry cloth and place it over the wet area. Then add a non-staining, heavy object over the cloth and let it dry overnight. The weight will help keep the carpet flat and from rippling, saving you a headache down the line.
  • Hand brush or vacuum area post stain removal
    This is an important step to plump up the carpet and help to revive the area. With a little fluffing, the carpet should be rejuvenated and thanking you for a job well done.

Of course, give us a call if you have any questions or would like us to give that stain a closer look. We would be happy to help!

For more information on Spots and Stains, be sure to check out the Spot/Stain Removal section of our website HERE.

 

 

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