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Low Moisture or Encapsulation Cleaning is Best

There are different methods of professional carpet cleaning. We at Cincinnati Maintenance prefer low-moisture encapsulation. Why? Because Low Moisture or Encapsulation cleaning is the most safe and advanced way to clean and maintain carpet. It dries fast; it’s PH balanced; and there is no chemical residue – therefore is wayyyyyy better for the environment AND for your own home or business.
However, whether you choose hot water extraction or encapsulation cleaning, please consider the following:

  • Pre-vacuuming should be required by the technician. If you hire a professional and they do not begin by dry vacuuming first, send them on their way before they do anything more. Seriously.
  • Request non-toxic, “green” pre-sprays and cleaners. Cincinnati Maintenance often uses Procyon Brand carpet and tile cleaning products to produce amazing cleaning results.  These cleaners are soap free and derived from various plant based ingredients. This helps eliminate any type of chemical exposure whatsoever.
  • Carpet grooming: The crimp and twist of the carpet is set at the mills with either a wet or dry heat.  When professionals clean with heat, the setting from the mills can be disrupted.  Post Grooming can help prevent harming the carpet fibers.

Cincinnati Maintenance is dedicated to staying current on all of the best products and best practices to help keep your home and business clean AND safe.

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Low Moisture Cleaning is AWESOME!

Low Moisture Cleaning is AWESOME!

Cincinnati Maintenance’s Low Moisture or Encapsulation cleaning is the safest and most advanced technique to clean and maintain carpet.  Here are some benefits:

  • Carpets dry fast! Your home or business gets back to “normal” quickly!
  • No complex chemical processes. Most Encapsulation cleaners are pH balanced and usually do not require rinsing agents.
  • Carpet is left fresh and clean with no chance of chemical residues being left behind to attract unwanted soil.
  • This technique is environmentally safe. Low Moisture cleaning also cuts out waste of thousands of gallons of water.
  • Carpet dries in 45-to-90 minutes compared to 4-to-12  hours with conventional methods.

Cincinnati Maintenance offers  free estimates for your cleaning needs. Call us today at (513) 827-6150 or email [email protected]. You can also complete our online contact form.
 

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A Little Bit about "Wicking" – What is It and How to Deal with It

A Little Bit about "Wicking"

So, let’s talk about “wicking.”  On Monday we blogged about low moisture carpet cleaning. Cincinnati Maintenance is a big believer in this type of carpet cleaning which is also called encapsulation. You can see from that blog that we usually adhere to this type of cleaning because it dries fast, is non-toxic, and does not create a large “footprint” in the enviroment.
But, there is another reason we employ the encapsulation technique when serving our residential and commercial clients. It’s called “wicking.”
And, you don’t want it. Wicking, that is.
Have you ever had your carpets cleaned – particularly a specific stain – and it looks great but in a few days, that stubborn stain mysteriously shows back up? Frustrating, huh?  Well, THAT’S wicking.
Wicking is caused when a stain is created – usually from a spill – and it has penetrated deep into the carpet.  Then, when the carpet cleaned – commonly by a “wet” (water) extraction method – the part of the stain that has deeply penetrated the carpet is not completely removed.  After this type of cleaning is performed and the carpet has dried, the residual portion of the soiled area “wicks” its way to the surface of the carpet fibers.
Then, BAM! The carpet looks bad again because the stain has creeped back up to rear its ugly head.
With Cincinnati Maintenance’s green, low moisture technology, dry time is often only 45-90 minutes and also prevents that nasty wicking or reappearance of stubborn stains.

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After a Professional Cleaning, Who Wants their Carpets to Dry FAST?

After a Professional Cleaning, Who Wants their Carpets to Dry FAST?

After you have a professional come out to clean your carpets, do you want the carpets to dry quickly so you can get back to your normal household or business routine?  Well, sure you do! 
Cincinnati Maintenance knows that low moisture cleaning – called encapsulation – is the most advanced way to clean and maintain carpet in your home or business. Low moisture technique solves many problems commonly associated with carpet cleaning. Among these are waiting hours and hours for the cleaned area to dry, possible exposure to unwanted or unsafe chemicals, and – for the environmentally conscious – having a tremendous water-wasting footprint.
The great news is, with encapsulation, carpets dry fast! Really fast.  Homeowners are happy because “regular life” carries on and commercial clients are happy because their place of business has very few interuptions and no fear of a slip-and-fall hazard.
And, guess what? Most all encapsulation cleaners are PH balanced.  Not only are they safe for all carpet fibers, but they do not require the application of rinsing agents.  The carpet is fresh and there is no sticky residue that attracts unwanted soil.
Lastly, Cincinnati Maintenance continues to be on the cutting edge of green cleaning technologies.  Our low moisture cleaning is enviromentally responsible by cutting out waste of thousands of gallons of water, as well as being safe, effective, and clean without causing environmental hazards or exposing anyone to toxicity.

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Considering Olefin Carpet or Already Have It? Things to Consider about Maintenance and Cleaning of Olefin Carpet. Be sure to choose the RIGHT carpet cleaner in Cincinnati Ohio.

It is fairly common for commercial offices or businesses to consider installing Olefin carpet, sometimes known as Olefin Berber.  Everyone has heard how this type of synthetic fiber is miraculous at resisting stains.  That IS true; it IS stain resistant.
However, there are some pitfalls to Olefin as well.  Olefin loves….oil.  It is basically an oily fabric that attracts oil.  While the “oiliness” does mean is tends to repels many stains, it – on the other hand – can be difficult regarding oily soil.  Also, high traffic areas can look soiled but that often is the light reflecting differently off of areas where the carpet fabric loops have been crushed.  
A cleaning pre-spray made specifically for Olefin or Berber is highly recommended.  But one must be really careful with the pre-spraying of stains because Olefin is also, unfortunately, known for “wick back.”  This means if too much wet spray is used, it gets to the backing and “wicks up” staining substances to the surface!  
If you have Olefin or Berber in your business or your home, good vacuuming habits are a must.  Don’t over soak or use an overabundance of treatment spray when trying to take care of a stain.  And, most importantly, when you have the carpet professionally cleaned, the encapsulation method – which is low moisture carpet cleaning like Cincinnati Maintenance provides – is practically imperative.

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Because We Care, Cincinnati Maintenance Uses Plant-Based, Soap-Free, Odor-Free Procyon to Clean Your Carpet and Upholstery

Cincinnati Maintenance knows you want clean carpets and upholstery but are also concerned about toxic chemicals around your family, pets, employees and clients.  That’s why we use plant-based, non-toxic, soap-free Procyon to take care of your cleaning needs.
Determined to be the leading “green” carpet cleaning company in Cincinnati, we are proud to be able to tell our clients that the products we use are:

  • Safe for children and pets to be around
  • Have no VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and create no harmful airborne molecules
  • Made with all natural ingredients that are hypo-allergenic, soap-free and odor-free
  • And, provide a powerful, satisfying clean

Additionally, the encapsulation cleaning we provide emulsifies contaminants and soil, which creates an incredibly fast drying time – usually 45 minutes to 1 hour! – and leaves absolutely no soapy, sticky residue.  
Why do we at Cincinnati Maintenance work with the cutting edge of “green,” non-toxic products like Procyon?  Because we want to give you the best cleaning technology available that is safe for you and your loved ones – for your peace of mind and ours.

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Low Moisture Cleaning Solves Problems

Low Moisture or Encapsulation cleaning is the most safe and advanced way to clean and maintain carpet.  Whether in residential setting or commercial environments low moisture solves many problems associated with carpet cleaning.

  • Carpets dry fast. Homeowners are happy because their busy house can get back to normal quickly.  Commercial clients experience rapid turnaround times and avoid potential slip hazards that are normally associated with other cleaning methods
  • No complex chemical processes. Most all encapsulation cleaners are PH balanced.  Not only safe for all face fibers, but they do not require the application of rinsing agents.  This leaves carpet fresh, clean without the chance of leaving chemical residues behind attracting unwanted soil. In fact most of the advanced products today will add stain and soil protection to nylon face fibers.
  • Environmentally safe. Low Moisture cleaning cuts out waste of thousands of gallons of water reducing water footprints, and eliminates sewage waste allowing soil to be vacuumed up as a dry solid before and after the cleaning process. In addition products like Jacob’s Encap Extra has been scrutinized by the scientific team at the US EPA and carries the DfE logo certifying that it’s safe for humans, pets, and the planet.

 
Steam Cleaning or Hot Water Extraction
Keep in mind, any method performs well if done properly.

  • Steam or Hot Water Extraction: Requires the use of either portable equipment or more common truck mounted systems.  Steam extraction is the most common form of carpet cleaning available.  As with any other form of cleaning a thorough dry vacuuming should be performed by the technician in order to remove the majority of dry soil in the carpet.  This includes a pre grooming or pile lift.  75-80% of dry soil cannot be removed with water or solvent alone.  An application of pre-treatments typically a high ph pre-spray is common in most applications. Agitation and dwell time for chemistry is very important. A rinsing process then begins.  If a high alkaline pre-treatment was used to release soil from fibers then an acid rinse must be performed to leave the carpet at a ph balance.  Not doing so will leave a residue causing rapid re-soiling.  Avoiding over wetting is important to.  Proper tool and truck maintenance is vital to ensure you perform the cleaning properly.  Some companies use fans or air movers to aid in the drying process.  Often at a higher cost.

Whether you choose hot water extraction or encapsulation cleaning, here are a few things to keep in mind.

  • Pre-vacuuming is required by the technician. If you hire a cleaner and they fail to bring in a dry vacuum or special attachment for their truckmount specifically for dry vacuuming, send them packing.
  • Make sure you ask what type of chemicals and cleaning process they are using. There are plenty of advanced non-toxic pre-sprays and carpet cleaning detergents available.
  • Carpet grooming. The crimp and twist of the carpet is set at the mills with either a wet or dry heat.  Often called Heatsetting. You may have heard of Superba. When cleaners clean with heat the setting from the mills can be disrupted.  Post Grooming can aid in preventing damage to the fibers.  It is also a pre-vacuuming aid to help remove soil from the carpet.

Low-Moisture cleaning ranks at the top for green cleaning carpet cleaning methods.  There are some major advantages of using green cleaning techniques around your home and business.
Did you know microfiber towels are simply the best to use for cleaning hard surfaces?  They make some awesome microfiber bonnets for carpet too, but you can accomplish amazing results without the use of toxic chemicals.
Microfiber is lint free, safe for most surfaces as its non-abrasive, and its hypoallergenic. Microfiber comes in the form of hand towels, mops, and various other forms.  They often come in different colors allowing you to use them in different cleaning applications without cross-contamination. Hard to do with terry cloth towels.  Why is microfiber so green?  It has tiny hooks that help grab on to soil kind of like Velcro for dirt! Microfiber cleaning systems also help facilities earn credits for LEED certifications.
Cincinnati Maintenance also uses the Procyon Brand carpet and tile cleaning products to produce amazing cleaning results.  These cleaners are soap free and derived from various plant based ingredients. This helps eliminate any type of chemical exposure whatsoever.
This company was founded by introducing low-moisture cleaning in the Cincinnati area.  We will and continue to be on the cutting edge of green cleaning technologies.  Safe, effective, and clean without causing environmental hazards or exposing anyone to toxicity.
 

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