Good Times readers have Good Taste in carpet, upholstery and tile cleaners it would appear.

Connoisseur has now won “Best Of” four times now and we’re on a three year running streak.

If you voted for us we want to thank you VERY MUCH!

If you just found us and wonder what all the hub bub is all about, we invite you to give us a call and experience “the Best” for yourself.

Ask for the Good Timer 1st time discount of 10% off.

Carpets are commonly bought to add aesthetic appeal to a room. It beautifies an area, creating a focal point and enhances furniture and other decorations. To adults carpets are more of a decor, but to kids and pets carpets are more of fun furniture that’s ready for rough playing and crawling.

And who can blame them, the fibers of carpets are made for luxury and durability. Soft, sturdy, and multi-functional, carpets are a significant part of every household. Keeping them clean then is the best way to enhance and lengthen their lifespan. There are numerous ways to do this.

You can ask your family and friends to remove their shoes when entering a carpeted room, you can block out pets, and some even go to the extreme and plastic cover carpets! But even with all of these precautionary efforts to keep your carpets clean, the best and most important solution to removing small particles, dirt, dust, microbes, pet dander, dust mites, and pollen from your carpets is by vacuuming them.

Vacuuming regularly and correctly is the trick. Depending on how much traffic your carpets go through, you should vacuum carpets from once to twice per week or once a day if needed. Carpets in stairways, hallways, and entrances would need more vacuuming than others. If you have children and pets, then vacuum more often.

Frequent vacuuming would keep your carpets healthy and clean. In effect, you are assured that your family is safe and healthy as well. Different bacteria and fungi could inhabit your carpets and become sources of different ailments. For people who suffer from asthma and allergies, regular vacuuming of carpets is a must. Allergens such as pollen and dust which are brought from outside enters into your home and gets stuck onto the carpets fibers becoming dangerous triggers of bad health conditions. Although it is difficult to completely rid of home allergens, vacuuming carpets regularly would significantly reduce them.

Before starting to vacuum, remove any objects that may clog your vacuum. Check the height of your vacuum. Adjust your beater bar as necessary to get optimum results. Check the vacuum bag and replace it when it is full. It is advisable for you to overlap your strokes to make sure that you get dirt off of your carpet. Aside from overlapping strokes, you may want to make your strokes slow enough for soil and dirt to be lifted up by the vacuum. Your stroke speed would also depend on the thickness of your carpet and the strength of your vacuum cleaner suction motor.

Give attention to every room. Use calm repetitive cleaning motions and try to get even the hard to reach spots. Clean from baseboards to windowsills because the dirt on them may end up on your carpets as well. You may find it difficult to reach certain areas such as these but cleaning them is still essential. Use vacuum attachments to help you reach even the carpet’s edges and hard to reach places.

There are various types of vacuum assortments and attachments that come with vacuums nowadays. Depending on your daily needs, you may select which ones suit you the most. If you don’t have these attachments yet, go to your local stores and buy them separately. There are a lot of universal attachments available to fit any vacuum type and size.

“Hey aren’t you from Santa Cruz?, you’re our carpet guy..

By the way did you see the nice article about you in the Sentinel last week?”

Too funny…

I had no idea about the snippet in the paper, but it was cool seeing a familure face while on vacation..

JP Novic who runs Cape animal rescue has been a long standing customer of ours and a fellow vegetarian whom I’m always pleased to help out as much as possible. I’m always blown away by how much effort and love she puts into finding dogs, cats, chipmunks, pigs, ponies and any sort of 3 or 4 legged beast a new home.

thanks JP!!!!!

Scotts Valley Carpet Cleaning

We love all of Highway 9ine!

The first thing to decide is what type of water has come in contact with carpeting. There are three types of water classifications.

* Category 1 clean water caused from a pipe break, appliance leak or sink overflow and has the least impact of damage to flooded carpets.
* Category 2 water can be caused by a toilet overflow with urine present, hot water heater leak, or any other spill where water carries minor contaminants.
* Category 3 is water containing raw sewage or feces from a drain back up or water that has originated from outside touching the ground first before entering a house and soiling carpets.

Knowing these category types are helpful for determining the initial steps to take after soaked carpet is discovered and who to contact for immediate water damage clean up.

Carpets damaged by Category 1 and 2 water types can be cleaned and restored without replacement if no signs of delamination are present. Removing all standing water with portable or truck mounted extraction equipment while placing dehumidifiers and high-speed air movers in wet carpeted areas quickens the drying process and eliminates the growth of mold and mildew. Your local water damage restoration company can furnish the equipment and experience from start to finish.

Category 3 water carries with it bacteria and pathogens that pose real threats to the health and safety of occupants. Carpets affected by this type of water damage must be removed and disposed of by a trained professional along with the application of an antimicrobial agent to all sub-floor surfaces. No short cuts should be taken and strict adherence to industry guidelines should be followed.

Connoisseur provides help for Cat 1 and 2 damages to our existing customers. For Cat 3 issues we can provide a referral upon request.

Click here to meet Diesel, Pepper and our new girl Hula..

Hope this helps.

Nylon on balance, has the most strengths & the least weaknesses. It will burn, it will fade, (unless solution dyed) can be stained, can become matted & crushed but not as easily as most other fibers, especially if vacuumed regularly and professionally maintained on an annual basis. Dupont’s solution-dyed Nylon is the best Nylon fiber.

Polyester & Olefin (Berbers) are the least expensive & will last, the least amount of time. They’re OIL LOVING Fibers so they absorb no moisture but plenty of oil/grease/soot. Don’t use near kitchen or garage or homes with pets with oily coats.
They do not easily fade from sunlight, bleach or pool/hot tub chemicals.
Great for damp basements, water-based spills from little kids & young pets but terrible for oil based stains. They burn easily, not for smokers/ fireplaces. They crush down quickly – not good for stairs or wheelchairs. In a few years they will look dull & grey in traffic paths. This look cannot be cleaned away as the fibers will become “scratched” or abraded – frieze style will hide that the best.

Wool, the most expensive, will last for decades if cared for on a regular basis. It does not burn easily. It cleans up well but stains more easily.
It does not crush easily. It absorbs a lot of moisture & so is bad for damp basements.
It fades easily & is dissolved by bleach, & other harsh (like pool/ jacuzzi) chemicals .
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Lay carpet samples over Pad, on a hard surface & select carpet by testing with your feet NOT your hands. A Pad that is too thick or soft will shorten the life of your carpet and should be avoided especially in homes with heavy furniture (indents easily formed). They should also be avoided in homes occupied by seniors or drunks as they become even more unsteady.
“Trackless” carpet does not exist ! REPEAT AFTER ME – it does not exist !!
To reduce footprints, brush carpet samples in every direction, stand back to observe & pick samples that exhibit the least amount of shade change when viewed from all angles. We recommend a BCF yarn as opposed to a Staple yarn, carpet especially for pet owners. Staple yarns behave like Velcro in gripping pet & human hair that won’t vacuum away. A high twist count will also help on this issue.
By insisting on an installer who uses a power-stretcher as required by the CRI 104 code, you will get the best installer – See http://www.carpet-rug.com. Knee kickers result in carpet that is more likely to ripple and lose it’s stretch over time. Loose or poorly installed carpet will ripple when wet but in most cases settle back down as it dries.

We like to refer San Lorenzo Floors in Scotts Valley, Mission Floors on the west side, Rainbow Carpet on the East/Live oak area and Floors Etc in Soquel for you new carpeting needs.

270+ voters have spoken!

For Carpet Cleaning in Santa Cruz County you just can’t go wrong with Connoisseur!

They got the Bio Fuel percentage wrong though..

We use the B5 fuel available at USA Gas at the corner of 7th and Soquel

Yelp is the hottest  national business review site on the web today. Umpteen thousands of home owners are searching out service companies, restaurants, night clubs, hair saloons and everything else under the sun that get positive comments left from users like you and me.

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Some of our reviews..

We promise you can trust your neighbors to steer you in the right directi0on when it comes to a quality  carpet, tile & upholstery cleaning service

We choose to run our business the same way we live. As toxin free as possible and choose our products based on the least offensive odors and with no potentially irritating residues. We’re heavily into recycling and composting and we’d always encourage you to keep your old carpet and furniture clean and healthy instead of taking it to the landfill because of a few stubborn spots..

In our cleaning truck we use as much bio fuel as possible and of course run our  routes with as little wasteful driving as we can. Our truck’s shelves are loaded with what we like to call “edible cleaning agents”..

Our cleaning services do not irritate asthma and allergy sufferers. In fact, we have had many customers tell us that their symptoms were actually alleviated after we cleaned their carpets and upholstery!
Dust mites and allergens in your home will be reduced, which means a better night’s sleep for you and your family.
You will have peace of mind knowing that your children and pets are safe while playing on your carpets.
Your can enjoy having a fresh and clean home.

Here are some links to a few of our favorite “green” products.

http://www.bi-o-kleen.com/carpet.htm

http://www.afmsafecoat.com/products.php?page=5

http://www.soapfreeprocyon.com/

And of course, our favorite eco friendly cleaning supply store right here in Santa Cruz..

http://www.greenspacecompany.com/