We got the sense the realtor wanted a ‘Hail Mary’ request to clean the carpets, and we were right!

Sometimes when realtors who know us and our work ask to meet us on location it is often because the carpets are in really bad shape. They want the news first hand, can it be saved with cleaning. Well, this was one of those occasions.

During the walk thru, it just didn’t stop. Every direction we looked there was soiling, spills, filtration dirt, grease, blueberries or blood, yellowing, pad crush, water damage you name it these carpets had it. Frankly we put that in the category of a carpet cleaning nightmare. After a thorough walk thru we were honest with the agent, these carpets and other floors need to be replaced- that’s all there is to it.

Not long in, Chris told the agent there is nothing he could do to correct all these problems.

These issues are as follows:

Filtration Soiling– a condition of dark soiling along the edges of the rooms, in the nooks and crannies of the stairs. There is a high graphite component that won’t come out, kinda similar to bike grease on your leg, it just doesn’t wipe off easily. We can use a solvent, but if we get too aggressive we can delaminate the carpet. At best we can fade it, but in this case we were certain a good deal of it would remain.

Grease From Foot Traffic On The Stairs- So while you have filtration along the nook of the stairs, and out the sides, the treads and risers are peppered with grease marks. Although we might have luck with this, between this and the filtration, there would be permanent discoloration on the stairs that we could not reverse.

BHT Yellowing- this is a weird phenomenon where areas of the carpet can turn yellow. And given there could be about 16 reasons for yellowing, it is not guaranteed it will come out. (Another source of yellowed carpets can be from cigarette smoke, but this property had no cigarette smoke, there was no odor of that whatsoever. This yellowing appeared under major pieces of furniture in nearly every room. Seems like under a table in front of the living room window, and against walls either interior or exterior, the yellowing appeared for no rhyme or reason.

Pad Crush- Pad crush happens when heavy pieces of furniture have the weight of the piece distributed in concentrated areas. You see it with tables, as was the case, and you see it with a rocker or gliding style chair. And since the pad complete collapses, then the carpet collapses, there is nothing to support it to return it to a uniform look.

Wear in Traffic Lanes- wear is the demise of the carpet usually in traffic patterns. The fiber breaks down, the fibers lose their tip definition and it looks dirty even after cleaning.

Blood or Blueberries- Doesn’t matter either one. Just like clothing, once blood or blueberries infect a carpet there is little likelihood of removing it. Yes, it might be lightened,  but removal is not likely. We surmise perhaps the occupant had a bird, and fed the bird blueberries. Again, we might get lucky and lighten it, but not a chance we will remove it completely.

Each one of these issues are a challenge, but all coming at us at once, frankly was more than we could promise. Under our breathe we whispered this is quite the science experiment (which it truly is).

We asked if the goal was to clean it up a bit so it wasn’t such a turn off to buyers.

So as we discussed the possibility that we could ‘calm down’ a lot of the offensive soiling, we were confident that we could clean it up a notch, or two or three. We said there would be no guarantee, but making it look slightly better might take the heat off just enough to spark some interest. We gave the agent our estimate, and said we could do the work the very next day.

We reaffirmed that if the seller wants to clean it to sell it quickly, cleaning would help the cause.

The agent liked the idea that to get it cleaned as best as possible, calm down the nasty soiling that is a real turn off, and keep the interest of the prospective buyer during the walk thru. Then do the cleaning instead of investing major dollars, but offer a flooring credit, that might be the right ticket to get it sold quickly. The agent said yes she would discuss this with the team and the seller (who happens to live out of state, in Montana,) and get back to us. We asked them to let us know.

Wasn’t but a bit later in the afternoon that we got a text that they want to proceed with the cleaning. Gave Chris the word, and he said he was ready, as long as they didn’t expect perfection.

This is where a professional at the top of his game can make a ‘make or break’ difference!

First the system of cleaning can make a huge difference, and given we have the most advanced truck mounted equipment we were confident we could offer the best that money can buy. And given we have 17 different pre-spotters, and multiple cleaning solutions we have a variety to deal with multiple cleaning challenges. Add to that about $16 thousand dollars invested in different carpet and floor cleaning tools, all doing different things, we had the best tools to deliver the results. And finally, with over 25 years carpet cleaning experience, where we have seen and dealt with about everything you can imagine, well I think the odds are in our favor, and our clients!

The work begins

From what Chris tells me he had about every specialty cleaning agent out, multiple tools, and went over things multiple times. To his delight our baseline cleaning solution has a kick tail n take names affect on dirty carpets, and today it did not disappoint! Getting ahead of things he likes what he sees, and keeps at it as long as the cleaning made an improvement.

Chris calls to report the progress, and I decide to come have a look!

Just as they were rapping up I arrived to see for myself. And I instantly agreed. All of the offensive soiling had lightened, it had calmed down and didn’t hit you as square in the face like before we cleaned. Well while there were residual issues it just softened things a bit, probably so that a prospective buyer wouldn’t turn around and walk out. Moreover, while the carpets were calmed down it also made the other flooring imperfections seem less obvious.

The agent arrives, and is grinning from ear to ear, the cleaning made a dramatic improvement!

As the team packed up, the agent arrived and she and I walked thru the property. She was pleased, it cleaned up well, even better than expected. She felt confident they could get it listed quickly, and by lowering the price they were hopeful they could sell it fast. That seems far more appealing than taking the time and money to invest in new flooring—they could cut to the chase and get the deal done!

PS- this home is in a very desired neighborhood, and will again be a very nice property for someone to call home! Some flooring updates (which if it is hardwood or luxury vinyl we can help with,) and some other TLC, this will be a keeper!

PSS- King’s Grant!

If you have carpets that have advanced soiling and need an honest opinion about cleanability give us a call, we’ve seen about everything and cleaned up a lot of it! For a free estimate Call us at 609.953.0472 or CONTACT US on line.