How to deep clean grout lines in tile

Tile and grout cleaning is much more than just mopping. In fact, mopping essentially just pushes all the dirt from the tile into the grout lines. So in effect, it cleans off the tiles but makes the grout even more dirty than it already was. No wonder grout lines are always so much harder to deep clean than the tile!

So when cleaning grout at home, that’s why it’s so commonly thought to use a tooth brush. What else can you scrub the grout lines with that will fit inside the grout lines? There are some better tools out there that help you get off your hands and knees like this one though, because you can buy a wool pole to attach it to! Doing this with a strong, neutral pH cleaner like this one can be very effective, but it has to be done regularly. It’s also best practice to use absorbent microfiber pads to dry the surface after cleaning, rather than traditional mops that push the dirt back into the grout lines.

When we clean grout, we do a combination of a safe but heavy duty pre-treatment, aggressive scrubbing with a brush and then high pressure (1000 psi) washing with hot water (up to 220 degrees). This combination allows us to do highly effective tile and grout cleaning that cannot be achieved with home remedies. The above photo is a bathroom we cleaned last week in Lake Stevens and the client was thrilled! If you have questions about how to clean tile and grout, or would like to schedule a professional tile and grout cleaning in Lake Stevens, Edmonds, Seattle, or the surrounding area, contact us here!

Best way to get pet hair out of carpet

As much as we love our pets, I think I speak for all of us when I say that I hate finding dog hair all over my house. It gets embedded in the upholstery, hair balls pile up in the corner, and it gets all over my kids!

When it comes to keeping the carpet clean, pet hair can be a challenge. Even if you have a higher end vacuum like a Dyson, Shark, or otherwise, some hair (and other soils) get so embedded into the carpet that they can be extremely difficult to remove without proper equipment.

Here’s a trick some homeowners don’t know about: go to a carpet cleaning supply shop, or go online and find a carpet rake (pictured below). You can use these before vacuuming to pull the deeply embedded hairs out of the carpet!

In order to remove even more hair and debri from carpet, we use a counter rotating brush machine. This tool has spinning brushes that penetrate all the way to the backing of the carpet and pull deeply embedded hair and soils out. The picture below is just after using our counter rotating brush machine on the carpet in two rooms at a home with two small dogs…and that’s also after vacuuming! Sometimes you can’t even see all the hair and dirt that’s deep down, affecting the air quality in your home.

If you are having trouble keeping up with your pets, let us come in to do a deep carpet cleaning and improve your air quality!

Commercial Carpet Cleaning in Edmonds

Did you know we also do commercial carpet cleaning? Lately, we have had a slew of requests to clean commercial spaces in and near Edmonds. Whether you need carpet, tile or upholstery cleaned in a law firm, medical office, gym, school, or any other space, we can do it!

For commercial clients, we can stop by for a free inspection to give an exact quote up front, as well as talk about recommended maintenance plans based off the client’s specific needs and situation. If you are in south Snohomish County or north King County and have an office building, call us at 206-801-0161 and we can give you a free quote!

How long does carpet cleaning take?

Here’s another frequently asked question we receive: “How long will it take to clean the carpet?” Of course, the answer varies, but we have general guidelines for how long it takes to clean carpet, upholstery and tile.

Carpet: Roughly one hour for every 3-4 rooms, depending on the size. About 20-30 minutes per staircase. There are companies out there who can get the work done faster because their process is not as involved as ours. They may not use fans to speed dry the carpet, or they’ll skip agitating with a powerful counter rotating brush machine, or something else to save time. We ensure that every step of our process is the highest quality it can be.

Upholstery: Approximately one hour for an average couch, one and a half hours for a sectional, 30 minutes for a chair. We also do vehicle interiors, and those will take about one to one and a half hours for the seats and floor.

Tile: This varies far more than carpet or upholstery cleaning. Tile cleaning times depend on the size of the tile, what type of tile, the amount of grout, if we are sealing it after cleaning, etc. For example, a shower tile (3 walls and floor) will take about one hour to clean and seal. But a large kitchen and dining area floor might take 2 or more hours, depending on the size.

No matter what type of residential or commercial cleaning we are doing, we always try to finish the job as quickly as possible without sacrificing quality. Our carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, and tile cleaning services are the top of the industry and we want to ensure your satisfaction before we leave.

How to get rid of dark lines on carpet edges and under doorways

We’ve all seen them, especially those that have white or cream colored carpet. Those awful dark lines that develop along the edges of carpet- typically in hallways, on stairs, and under doorways. What are those dark lines in carpet and how do you get rid of them?

First of all, the dark lines on the edge of the carpet are called air filtration lines. It’s the dust, pet dander, allergens, and other things that get pushed off to the side when you walk down the hall or up the stairs. Think of it like driving on the freeway- there’s rarely any debri where your tires go. It’s all brushed off to the side by the wind from the vehicles passing. These lines are full of dirt and grime, and can be tricky to clean out once they get bad. In order to keep them from appearing, we recommend using the hose attachment on your vacuum to vacuum the edges of your carpeted rooms every 1-2 weeks. It’s a pain, we know! But it will be much more work to get rid of if you let the air filtration lines to develop.

How do you clean the dark lines in carpet? Of course, the best (but also most expensive) way is to hire a professional. We have special products and tools designed specifically for these air filtration lines. If the lines are in a room anywhere near a kitchen, it’s very common that cooking oils will settle onto these lines, so we recommend a good citrus based cleaner to help pull out the oils. Outside of that, you can use our free Spot Out cleaner or Folex from the store. Put some on the filtration line, gently work in with a towel and let sit 5 minutes (don’t let it dry). Then scrub aggressively with a terry towel or microfiber towel to remove the spot. Repeat until there is no more change.

If you can’t remove them yourself, feel free to call or text Sno-King Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning at 206-801-0161!

Cleaning carpet when it's cold outside

It’s a very common belief that it’s better to have your carpet professionally cleaned when it is warm outside. Although there is some truth behind this, the real answer is that it shouldn’t matter, as long as you hire a high quality company.

Drying carpet is not just about temperature. In fact it’s more about airflow. We use 7 (seven!) high-efficiency fans on every fans to ensure the fastest dry times possible. While we carry 3 different types, one of them is pictured below. This fan is used for quickly drying upholstery and small rooms, while we have other fans to quickly dry larger areas of carpet after cleaning.

With this process that we use, there is no need for concern when having the carpet cleaned while it’s colder outside. Depending how warm you keep your house, it can actually be better to clean the carpet in the winter! In the summer, it gets very humid and even with airflow from our fans, it can get so humid that it slows the drying process.

So if you’re trying to decide if now or later is a good time to book a cleaning, our recommendation would be to contact us before it gets too warm out!

Should I vacuum before carpet cleaning?

Here’s a popular question that we often get asked, and one that you might like the answer to. In short, yes, the carpet should always be vacuumed before cleaning. While many carpet cleaning companies will ask you to vacuum before they arrive, we do the vacuuming for you! In addition to that, there are a few keys to a good vacuuming job:

• Of course- use a good vacuum! Don’t get duped by infomercials and creative marketing. The flashiest, fanciest looking vacuums typically are not the best. We recommend going with trusted brands like Sanitaire and ProTeam (both of which you can buy commercial versions of for the same price or cheaper than high end homeowner styles)

• Go slooooow. The “pull pass” (meaning as you pull the vacuum back toward you) is where you pick up the most amount of soil. Focus on the pull pass and go slowly.

• Get the corners. I know, it’s tedious. But it really is that important to use the accessories to get the corners of rooms up against the baseboards. Otherwise, over time, you’ll see unsightly dark lines of dust and dirt start to build up. Surprisingly, those can be very difficult to get out.

Of course, if you have any questions about vacuums or anything related to them, you can always reach out to us and ask!

Pet and Kid Safe Carpet Cleaning

In the old days, carpet cleaners used some very toxic and harmful chemicals because there weren’t “green” or “non-toxic” solutions that worked very well. Fortunately for all of us, technology has come a long way and now we can achieve amazing carpet cleaning results while not putting the health of you, your children or pets at risk. We use non-toxic chemicals that don’t leave any sticky or harmful residue behind.

In addition to wanting to keep our clients’ homes safe and healthy after carpet or upholstery cleaning, we care about our health as well! We are working hands on with our products every day and want to stay healthy while we clean carpet, upholstery and tile. So if you want a professional carpet cleaning company that will still make your home look clean while not pumping dangerous chemicals into your air, call or text us at 206-801-0161!

Why hire a professional carpet cleaner?

I get it. I am a DYI’er myself. The upside of saving money can often times make it worth it to do a project yourself. The question is, do you have comparable skill, knowledge and equipment as the pros? If so, then you’re really just putting more time in and saving money! If not, the results could be disappointing. Carpet, upholstery and tile cleaning are services that can’t possibly be performed as well with at-home equipment, no matter how high your knowledge level. You can certainly do good maintenance cleaning with home equipment, but the yearly deep cleans should always done professionally.

Top reasons to hire a professional carpet cleaning company:

• Technicians who are professionally trained and certified (like us!) will know the differences between different types of fibers and what cleaners to use on them. That way you don’t have to purchase multiple different spot cleaners to try to get spots out.

• When you rent a cleaner from a store, you don’t know where it’s been. Did the last person just rinse out a wine spill, or were they cleaning up dog urine, or worse?

• Our equipment can penetrate deeper for a thorough clean, creates higher heat (up to 240 degrees!), and has much better extraction power to remove all the soil and let the carpet dry faster. See the photo at the bottom for the machines that we use!

If you ever have questions about our carpet cleaning process, how to get spots out of carpet, or when to use something like a Rug Doctor or Bissell, feel free to reach us at 206-801-0161. Thank you!

Carpet cleaning New Year's specials

The new year is here and it’s time to make some resolutions! Why not keeping your home cleaner and healthier while saving money? We can help!

This month, we are running a special that will greatly help you keep both of these resolutions! Below are the details, so be sure to call or text us to reserve your spot on the schedule.

$20 off $200

$40 off $300

$60 off $400

$100 off $500