Cleaning Hints & Tips

When investing in a carpet cleaning specialist, always make sure that they are fully insured, fully vetted (Crb checked) and most of all a fully qualified professional. Do not be afraid to ask to see valid certificates if you are considering hiring 1st For Quality or a trustworthy professional who has a reputation to protect, it’s your hard earned money that is going to pay for the service you have requested. Always spend it wisely by checking certificates before work commences in your home, which are available on request.

We don’t want to frighten customers but beware of deceptive Bait and Switch techniques which some cowboy carpet cleaners adopt. This type of tactic was banned by the government in 2008 and it involves giving you the customer very low prices which sounds too good to be true.

Those operatives will then dismiss the low price service (maintenance clean) and try to entice you by pressure selling techniques into agreeing to a significantly more expensive clean which is way and above the professional market value.

When you are considering to use a professional carpet cleaner remember, if the price is quite cheap, it’s cheap for a reason and this can be attributed to very cheap chemicals which aren’t family safe or pet safe.

1st For Quality would like to give potential customers some useful hints and tips in order to prevent damage to your carpets and upholstery. 

Water type stains - (alcohol, coffee, diluted juice, food, ribena & tea)
1. Act Promptly - Dry up all where possible. 
2. Saturate Stain - Use warm water and a sponge or clean tea towel. 
3. Blot Out - A white Terry towel or white cotton tea towel should be used as coloured fabrics could transfer dye and mix with the stain.
4. Dry - If possible, use a hairdryer waving it five inches above the stain until the area is dry. 

Dried type stains (Porridge, Soup)
1. Saturate - We would suggest that a mix constructed of at-least one litre of warm water which can be mixed with a spoon of carpet shampoo and two table spoons of white vinegar, to be applied using a cotton wool. 
2. Blot Out - Only a white Terry towel or white cotton tea towel should be used as coloured fabrics could transfer dye and mix with the stain.
3. Maintain - leave the stain to dry out and after 12 hours the stained area should be dry and vacuumed over to remove any lasting residue.

Greasy type stains - (Butter, Candy, Make-up, Oily fatty foods)
1. Swiftly Act - We would suggest that you use a Johnson’s cotton bud which is very wet through surgical spirit and apply to the edges eventually towards the middle of the stain. 
2. Blot Out- A white Terry towel or white cotton tea towel should be used as coloured fabrics could transfer dye and mix with the stain, this should be done until such a point that the stain no longer shows on the towel. 
3.  Dry - If possible, use a hairdryer waving it five inches above the stain until the area is dry.