QUICK FIXES

Because We Know You Might Not Call On Us For Every Little Accident

Don't Rub—Blot!

If something has spilled on your carpet or upholstery, time is of the essence. Rubbing or scrubbing the stain will only mash the mess more into the fibers of the fabric.

Suck it up!

For that clean feeling and fresh smell, vacuum your carpets and rugs regularly—daily if possible. And when you do, take your time! Slow to-and-fro motions over the fibers ensures thorough removal of dirt and debris.

Sticky Situations

When that cursed pink goo rolls up into your carpet or upholstery: freeze it! Place a few ice cubes over the gum for at least 30 seconds, until it's hard. Then, use a spoon to lift up the gum and cut the strands as close to the gum as possible.

Wax Off

And when that candle wax dribbles onto your carpet or upholstery: melt it! Dampen a towel with warm water and place it over the waxy area. Gently run a hot iron on a low setting over the damp towel to melt the wax mess, and most of the wax should adhere to the towel. Use a butterknife in an upwards motion to carefully scrape away any waxy remains. Do not use this technique on wool.

Good Cleaning Habits

To keep your carpets, rugs, and upholstery healthy, feeling clean, and smelling fresh, have Absolute Cleaning & Restoration clean them at least once a year—twice a year if you're a pet owner.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Do you move furniture before cleaning? Typically, yes. This is dependent on each customer's needs. Many customers do not move their furniture and understand that the traffic areas are what retain the most soil. Therefore, we can just clean the traffic patterns, moving minimal furniture (or small furniture). Or we can move all furniture, except anything that houses or is an electronic (those will have to be moved prior to cleaning by owner). Rates will vary based on this need. 

Do you vacuum before cleaning, or do I have to? Vacuuming is the most important step in our process. We come in using our vacuums to remove the dry soil that has built up at the bottom of the carpet. 

How far do you travel? We generally serve up to a 30 mile radius of our location in Michigan City, Indiana.

How long will my furniture/rugs/carpet take to dry? Each situation varies due to the humidity of the room in which we cleaned, as well as the weather outside. Generally, your carpets will be dry within 24 hours of the end of cleaning. Rugs are cleaned at our facility, and depending on if they are natural fibers or synthetic rugs, these times will vary as well. Synthetic rugs will dry faster than natural rugs such as wool, cotton and jute. Because we ask to clean your rugs at our facility, we guarantee your rugs will be dry by the time of delivery. Furniture generally will dry the fastest, but that also is dependent on a few variables such as outside/inside humidity levels, whether air conditioners or fans are running, etc. Microfiber couches tend to take longer than most other pieces, but on average, most pieces will dry between 4-8 hours. 

What is the difference between your high-powered portable machine and a truck-mounted machine? It is a common misconception that truck-mounted units offer a "better" or "deeper" cleaning than portable units. After several years in this industry, we've cleaned with many different units of both categories, and both are very capable of doing the same work. We've built the reputation of a much more thorough cleaning, even with a high-powered portable unit. The water pressure will be the same between both units, however, the level of suction is going to be very weak for the truck mount and then carpets may get waterlogged. Our high-powered portable unit is a dual 3 stage high-powered vacuum unit bridged together to deliver maximum suction that never varies. We clean with 1-30 ft hose vs 6- 40 ft or 50 ft hoses connected together like the large van units. Each room that is cleaned with our portable machine will be cleaned with the maximum suction it needs so that we can ensure you that we remove all the soils and remove spots, as well as rinse all the residue out of the carpet and remove the most amount of water possible. The van units are excellent, but they are more convenient for the cleaning technician, not the homeowner. When looking for the right company to handle your cleaning needs, don't fall for the "bigger is better" belief. Find a company that possesses the most amount of knowledge, as well as consults with you so that all expectations are met, leaving you with a cleaning experience that is second to none.

Does my homeowners insurance cover flood restoration? Unfortunately, homeowners insurance oftentimes does not cover flood damage. To know for sure, you should always call your homeowner insurance provider to ask about your specific coverage for floods. Call now so you're prepared if a flood occurs. 

Do you have set prices? No. Our minimum service charge, regardless of size, is generally $110. However, prices vary dependent on size, amount of furniture being moved, damage, etc. We offer free estimates, so give us a call to have us come out and assess your home. 

How do you protect my carpets from future accidents? We offer you fiber protection, called Scotchgard. Scotchgard is a fiber protector that is applied with a sprayer, and binds to the fibers repelling dirt, debris, and sand that damages the fibers. It aids in retarding soil, therefore prolonging the inevitable traffic pattern wear. However, Scotchgard is not a stain protector, and does not aid in repelling dyes that permanently stain fibers. Most carpets theses days have dye blockers inside the make-up of the carpet that already acts as a retardant against permanent stain damage, therefore, applying a stain protector to stain protected carpet would be a bit redundant. With a healthy, strong fiber composition, stains will have a harder time to set in, unless neglected. 

Do you pick up and drop off rugs? Yes. We generally recommend allowing us to take your rugs back to our facility so it gets the attention it requires. Before leaving, you'll be given a rug identification number on your invoice and a delivery date will be agreed upon. Generally, we ask that we are given at least 7 days to perform all treatments necessary. 

Do you steam clean? Yes. The industry-used terminology is called "Hot Water Extraction." Steam is never used solely for cleaning carpet; it is the hot water that creates the steam. If you're interested in how we do Hot Water Extraction, please visit our "Services" tab.