FAQ
Rug cleaning frequency depends on the amount and type of traffic on the rug. Pets, children, and food on the rug and the rug’s location in your home hasten its soiling. Some older heating and cooling systems can also leave soiling and air pollution on the rugs and carpets, which act as a filter for your home’s air. Many of our customers clean in the spring and fall, and many others once a year. Our customers with respiratory issues clean more frequently. A very few customers have waited 20 years between cleanings. These wool carpets have cleaned well, but we do not recommend you wait that long! The sand that is inherent to the area works its way down to the knots, and is abrasive in nature.
We send out an annual reminder postcard for your convenience.
We have available a spray-on Scotch-Guard or Teflon coating that helps delay re-soiling to protect your investment at a per square foot charge.
“The Von Schrader system had superior cleaning ability on soiled carpet and cleaned areas resisted re-soiling to a much greater degree compared to the four other methods tested.” Quoted from fiber and carpet maintenance researchers on the Von Schrader web site: www.vonschrader.com
We prefer to be called, 800-585-9650, to arrange pick up or in-home cleaning appointments. We keep a penciled schedule at the desk in the home office. The rugs come to our shop, located next to our home.
Emails are answered Monday through Friday
The general routine is to call you from the van on the way to your home for the pick up. If it is difficult for our customers, we will move furniture and roll the rugs in your home. A quick inspection of the rugs at pick-up will determine if we can clean the rug.
If pre-arranged with you, we will pick up your rug from a covered porch, breezeway, garage, sunporch or parked vehicle in your yard without a reminder phone call.
We reserve the right to refuse service because of extreme soiling, unstable fibers, or insect infestation.
Cleaning charges are based on square foot measurements to the nearest eighth inch. Fringe is included in the measurement because we clean it! We also charge a pick-up and delivery fee per order, regardless of the number of rugs we clean for you in that order. Call for a phone estimate.
There are additional costs if there are pets in the home. Several different processes are used to remove pet oil, or animal body fluids from the rugs. This may include the necessity of a series of baths.
Also, if rugs are extremely soiled, have a large spill/stain, or an insect infestation, we may need to use more aggressive treatments, which may cost more. We generally can give a fairly accurate estimate before cleaning.
When a rug arrives at our shop, it is unrolled face down first. It is vacuumed in two different directions, then flipped and vacuumed on top in two different directions. This continues until the majority of particulate is removed from the rug.
Any stains, animal urine issues, or insect infestation is treated appropriately at this point. Additional process charges apply.
The Von Schrader machines generate a low moisture foam (5-10% moisture) which incorporates the cleaning agent. Cleaning agents are determined by the fabric content of the carpet : wool, wool/silk, cottons, synthetics, etc. The Von Schrader LMX applies a dirt emulsifying foam, brushed in with a cylindrical brush with 80,000 bristles running 800 RPM, in the design of a beater bar on a vacuum cleaner. Directly behind the brush is the extractor, which removes both foam and dirt immediately before it can sink back down into the carpet. This simultaneous operation is patented. The back is cleaned in one direction, whereas the top is cleaned in two or more directions, assuring total cleaning coverage of all fibers.
When the rug is finished being cleaned, it is damp and not dripping. It is draped and squared over rounded drying racks and the fringe is hand finished at this point. The rugs are generally dry in 4-6 hours.
We use only fans to dry the rugs, and overnight dehumidifiers in the shop. The rugs hang a minimum of 24 hours, and a moisture meter is used before removing from the rack. The meter must read between 0-5% before we pull the rugs down. Rugs are also vacuumed yet again before rolling for delivery.
We do not clean on blacktop, or dry with forced, high heat.
We will present an invoice at time of delivery, and accept checks or cash. We do not accept credit card payment.
Moving? Downsizing? Gifting the rug? Pick up from one location and delivery at another is available for locations within Anne Arundel County. We will also store, for free, for thirty days if this helps in the moving schedule.
We call you to arrange a convenient delivery time. Generally, rugs not needing additional treatments are returned 7-10 days from pick up. We do not drop a rug off without notification. Occasionally, we get backed up in the shop, and delivery is delayed up to two weeks.
Most fringe is constructed of cotton, which is a much weaker fiber than wool. Fringe is hand finished as the rug is draped over the drying racks, ensuring the fringe will dry straight. We have recommendations for fringe replacement with a local vendor.
We offer moth proofing (spray) and wrapping for long term storage or moving purposes for a nominal charge. We can store rugs in our shop for a monthly fee, after the first 30 days. We require stored rugs in our shop to be wrapped.
Our process will not leave residual, harmful chemicals on your carpet. If we use a specific stain or other treatment, it is before we do the final cleaning, which removes any chemical residue. Pets and children are safe, even when we clean for you in your home. Von Schrader cleaning agents have been Green Seal (trademarked). (Green Seal is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to safeguarding the environment and transforming the marketplace by promoting the manufacture, purchase, and use of environmentally responsible products. There are other third-party certification standards in the marketplace; however, Green Seal standards are the most stringent and comprehensive.)
We are not set up to do any major rug repairs. We have a list of company referrals that can accomplish re-surging or re-fringing. Occasionally, small hand repairs or securing loose fringe, braided rug separation, or loose binding is available at a per-hour rate in our shop.
We have available for purchase various types of rug padding. We will custom cut padding so that the rug does not cause a tripping hazard. We’d be happy to have a conversation about the type of padding along with the purpose of padding.
The exact name of this type of cleaning is hot water extraction. “Steam” is only hot water that is sprayed into the carpet. In most cases, little more than half of the dirt bearing water is extracted from the carpet. The remainder is left and can result in soggy carpet, browning or wicking, mildew, mold, shrinkage, or damaged backing, padding and floors. Drying time can run up to 24 hours – a long time for any carpeted area to be unusable.
The Von Schrader machines apply a dirt emulsifying low moisture foam, brush it thoroughly into the carpet with a cylindrical brush and remove both foam and dirt immediately before it can sink back down into the carpet. This simultaneous operation is patented to Von Schrader. Because only foam containing 5-10% moisture is used, your carpet is ready for use in 4-6 hours (exception is a very humid, hot day). There is no danger of shrinkage, dry-rot, browning/wicking or mold/mildew, because a minimum of moisture is used.
One of the phrases most used by Tim is : Soap and agitation clean. When you wash your car, just spraying it off doesn’t clean the grime. Soap and agitation clean.
If appropriate to the carpet type, we also rake the fibers after cleaning to stand the fibers upright. We suggest refraining from walking on damp carpet. Bent over fibers appear shadowed or soiled.
Most soaps are oil based. Many water extraction detergents leave a gummy, sticky or waxy residue. It clings to the carpet fibers. Rapid re-soiling leads to a dull, dirty carpet appearance.
Von Schrader’s specially formulated detergents leave a minimal amount of crisp, brittle, harmless residue that does not attract soil to the carpet fibers. This prevents re-soiling and preserves carpet beauty. The loose, non-clinging flakes are easily swept away the next time you vacuum. Additionally, Von Schrader detergents are specially formulated to neutralize and remove imbedded soil with a proper pH balance for all carpet types.
We charge a per step cleaning price, based on the width of the step. We charge separately for landings. The steps are cleaned with our machine that is specially designed for steps and upholstery, and hand finished with white toweling. Stain removal and pretreatment are applied before the cleaning process.
No, nor do we charge for soap, or charge per “area”. Customers who found us have told us that they were, indeed, charged by other cleaners, for soap, furniture moving, and a medium size living room consists of 2-3 “areas”. This ends up costing more than how we charge by the square foot.
We hide none of the charges from you and then give you a “gotcha” bill. We charge by the square foot, per stair step, or lineal foot (upholstery). We don’t ask you to pay for what we do not clean. We take pride in claiming baseboard to baseboard cleaning.
We generally do not move grandfather clocks, entertainment centers, full china cabinets and bookcases, or pool tables and grand pianos. We do clean up to and under these items of furniture (design permitting) by hand. If you want these furniture items moved, we would request that they be emptied before our arrival. Closets fall under this suggestion, also. If you want the floor of the closet cleaned, please remove the contents on the floor.
We ask that you would secure breakable items in the areas we will be cleaning, such as lamps, picture frames, vases, etc. We move the furniture by lifting it and/or placing on Teflon gliders. We leave the furniture on small clear plastic sheets or small Styrofoam blocks, which can be removed after 48 hours.
Our super concentrated detergent and cleaning process is recommended by major carpet and fiber manufacturers. The cleaning solutions are environmentally and operator safe, biodegradable, and non-toxic.
Dupont: “Our laboratory has checked your “Blockade” detergent, and approves its use in Master Series carpet systems.”
Allied Signal: “We have tested and evaluated Blockade Detergent and Traffic Lane Cleaner and have found them to be chemically compatible with our carpets …qualified for use on Worry Free carpets and their use does not affect the Worry Free carpet warranties., provided the directions supplied with the products are followed.”
Monsanto: “Our testing demonstrates that none of the Von Schrader detergents, including Blockade, have an adverse affect on Wear Dated Stain Blocker Fibers.”
We use the Von Schrader machines to clean upholstery. The machine generates a low moisture, fiber specific, cleaning agent. The foam is agitated into the fabric with a hand-held brush assembly with clockwise and counter-clockwise bands of soft bristles for gentle cleaning of delicate fabrics. The foam is removed by a second hand-held “scoop” (vacuum). If appropriate, furniture is hand finished with white toweling. Stains are addressed before the cleaning.
Base cushions are included in our lineal foot charge. If there should be detached back cushions, we charge a per cushion price, because the cleaned surface area is doubled as opposed to attached back cushions. We charge a fee per pillow, arm-sleeve, or head protection piece.
We can clean most fibers, except for suede. Leather is additional per lineal foot, for the extra conditioning that is unique to leather cleaning.
Timely and efficient service
Our business motto is “Every Job to the Glory of God”.
We endeavor to provide experienced and knowledgeable cleaning services for your oriental and area rugs, wall to wall carpeting, stair and upholstery cleaning.
We appreciate our customers’ trust in us.