FAQ

When cleaning carpet, it is highly recommended that drying occur within six to eight hours or less: however, drying time should not exceed 24 hours. However, occupant cooperation is needed to expedite drying- this is VERY IMPORTANT.
They may take longer if your carpets had heavy soiling or stains as extra cleaning may have been needed. They can also take a bit longer in winter.
Things you can do to expedite drying include:

• Open as many windows and doors.
• Use ceiling fans on high on the summer setting.
• Use pedestal fans.
• When the sun goes down you may wish to close up the house and use heating to continue the drying process

Steam cleaning is by far the best method of cleaning your carpets. You will find that nearly all carpet manufactures will recommend steam cleaning. Dry cleaning only provides a surface clean and is designed as a maintenance for lightly soiled carpet.

No, neither method damages carpets if it is used correctly – this is why you should make sure the carpet cleaner you choose has been properly trained and accredited.

No, the carpet will feel damp and cold but should be dry enough to walk on, however it is best to restrict unnecessary traffic until the carpet dries. The technician will place foam blocks under the legs of furniture to prevent staining.
Carpet which has a fibre protectant applied immediately after cleaning will be left wetter than normal to absorb the protectant and will take longer to dry.

No, there are little or no natural oils left in the wool fibre when it is made into carpet (generally less than 5%). The fibre goes through a process known as scouring where all the natural oil (lanolin) is removed by strong chemicals. This is so the carpet can be dyed.
The carpet would also soil much more quickly if the oil was in the fibre as it would attract the dirt particles.

Filtration soiling is the accumulation of airborne soil – dust, smog, tobacco smoke and other pollutants – where airflow is concentrated and directed over or through carpet pile. The carpet “filters” out these pollutants and gradually becomes soiled and dark.
It is not an indication of a defect in the carpet or low quality. It can appear on any carpet regardless of price, style, colour or fibre. In most cases the airflow is created by heating and air conditioning systems, thermal expansion and contraction of air or natural convection currents in the structure of the building.
Filtration soil can be very difficult to remove as it consists of very fine particles, often oily in nature and typically the soil remains on the fibres for months or years. It can take several applications to remove, is labour intensive and therefore can be a costly process.

Sometimes these are self correcting or can be assisted with vacuuming and a light brushing. In extreme cases the indentation can be covered with a damp towel and carefully steamed with an iron for a few seconds followed by brushing while warm to bring up the pile, there are however limitations and in some cases the indentation is permanent. The weight of the items that have left the indentations will have a large bearing on the results will achieve eg. heavy wardrobes, water beds and such items will generally leave permanent indentations.

Old pet stains are normally the culprit. It is impossible to remove urine by normal cleaning and while there may be no visible evidence of a stain, the urine oxidises and reacts with carpet to create amino acids which work into the fibres and even into the under floor. When moisture is present, for example after cleaning or in high humidity, the uric acid crystals absorb water and exude an ammonia gas.
Generally you will not smell the pet stains after they have dried and you may be shocked by the smell after cleaning. Think of these dry pet stains as powdered milk, it remains in powered form until water is added, reactivating the odour.
Professional cleaners have powerful oxidizing agents that can eliminate the source of the odour, which can sometimes involve lifting the carpet and treating the subfloor. In a large number of instances the odour cannot be treated with one clean, it may require a number of specialized treatments and visits.
It should be noted that if the animal is still in the house it will invariably re-mark its territory and the odour will return.

Carpet beetles resemble ladybirds but are smaller. The beetle flies in, lays its eggs on the carpet & generally flies out. It is the lava that do the damage by feeding on the carpet. The lava are very small and often unnoticed, they exclusively dine on wool, will not touch nylon or polyester and are generally found around the edges of the room where there is no traffic. Generally speaking wool carpet over 5 years old (where pest treatment is exhausted) or water damage makes the carpet susceptible to carpet beetle attack. A minor infestation can be treated by the householder with a pyrethyrum based cockroach surface spray, but call a technician for a heavy infestation.
Some preventative measures include:

• Using an upright vacuum cleaner.
• Moving furniture when you vacuum to ensure you are vacuuming all carpeted areas.
• Steam cleaning regularly, 6 monthly is recommended.

Firstly address, if possible, the source of the water, obviously until this is resolved water will continue to flood your carpet. Then, if safe to do so, turn off electricity to wet areas, unplug and remove any small electrical devices located on the wet carpet.
Call All Bright as soon as possible, we are professionally trained in water restoration services. Time is of the essence in these cases, the longer the water is in contact with your carpet and structure the more damage it will cause.

Do Not

• use any type of vacuum cleaner; it could result in electrical shock and damage the equipment and the person using it
• walk on wet carpets more than necessary
• place newspaper in traffic areas, as newspaper ink will cause staining

To protect your investment and your health, carpets need to be professionally cleaned each year right from the beginning. You wouldn’t run your car for five years without regular servicing and expect it to perform like new. Your carpets are the same, you must service them regularly from day one for optimum performance. When cleaned and maintained correctly carpet life is significantly extended. We recommend that your carpets are cleaned every six months in a domestic situation and more often in a commercial property. Remember, even when carpets don’t appear to be particularly dirty, it’s the unseen soils, bacteria and allergens that cause the real damage both to your carpets and to your personal health.

Yes, but only when applied according to manufacturers instruction by a trained applicator. These products are an effective way to prolong soil and stain resistance and enhance carpet performance. For further information discuss your needs with your technician.

Yes, you can walk on them straight away. Your carpets will only be slightly damp after cleaning. You can walk on them as long as your shoes are clean. However, for the very best results restrict unnecessary traffic until the carpet is dry.
Be careful when you walk from carpeted areas onto hard floors eg. Tiles, lino, timber etc as this can be very slippery. Keep your feet flat and take small steps. You could also place a white towel or drop sheet to step onto as you come off of the carpeted area (be careful using towels that are coloured as there could be some dye transfer).

This depends on how quickly the stain was mopped up after spilling. We have the correct equipment and stain removal agents to treat these stains effectively, however we cannot guarantee to achieve complete stain removal. However, in most instances you will see a minimum of some improvement eg. the stain will at least fade or reduce in size.

• Using products from the supermarket (even ones designed for carpet care) can cause more damage than good eg. Setting stains, bleaching carpet, damaging carpet fibers.
• Not mopping up the stain immediately can allow the liquid to penetrate deep into the carpet pile, backings and underlay. Large spills can go right through to sub floor.
• Be mindful when mopping up the spill to use a white cloth to avoid dye transfer [we highly recommend using a ‘Slurpex’ to mop up spills]
• Do not rub carpet when dealing with stains and spills, this will cause permanent damage to the pile. You MUST blot the area for best results.

This depends on how quickly the blood was mopped up (some medications that are present in the blood stream can also affect this).
When blood is on the carpet we recommend the following:

• Absorb as much as possible (do NOT rub, you MUST blot only)
• Use COLD water only to blot out stains (do NOT use HOT water or products from the supermarket, these can set the stains).
• Call All Bright as soon as possible, time is of the essence, the sooner the blood is treated the better the results will be.

We have the correct equipment and stain removal agents to treat the blood effectively, however we cannot guarantee to achieve complete stain removal. In most instances you will see a minimum of some improvement eg. The stain will at least fade or reduce in size some what.
Please note, blood has a strong tendency to reappear and we strongly advise that you consider having more than one treatment to achieve the best results. In some instances you may need to consider new carpet.
In some instances you should consider contacting your insurance company as the effective removal of blood can be costly.

For the best results you should move as much furniture as possible, this allows us to clean from wall to wall.
If you are vacating a property you should arrange to have the carpet cleaned after all of the furniture has been removed.
If you are not vacating the property we understand that it is not always practical or possible to remove all of the furniture, but we recommend the following:

• All small items are picked up and removed eg. toys, shoes etc
• All curtains are tucked away from the carpet
• All bedding is tucked away from the carpet
• If beds are on rollers we will push them back and forward, if not we will go as far underneath them as possible
• We will clean around large items such as TV cabinets

We do not allow enough time to move every customers furniture. However, as a matter of courtesy and as long as the request is reasonable and not too time consuming, we are happy to shift one or two things here or there to help, particularly if the customer is unable to do it themselves.
Please remember the technician will be on his own and he will have to refuse to move anything that could cause him an injury or any request that is deemed unreasonable.
If large amounts of furniture need to be moved this will need to be prearranged and there will be a charge.

The built-in protection on Stainmaster carpets CAN be damaged by incorrect cleaning agents. Lower priced cleaners may use harsh chemicals to speed up the cleaning job, but they can also do permanent damage to the fibres, that will not be apparent until some time in the future.
Providing the operator doesn’t use cleaning agents that are above the PH tolerance for the stain resist treatment, it won’t be affected. However some stain resist treatment will wear off over time in high traffic areas and will need to be topped up after each clean. Again, talk to your technician and have him advise you.
It is important to use a cleaner who is trained in the use of the correct cleaning agents and procedures, and then you can be confident that there will be no damage done to your carpet. A cheap clean may end up costing you more in the long run.

Any furniture that has been removed from the room for the cleaning is best left off for 24hours.
Any furniture that has exposed timber or metal touching the carpet while it is still damp may react with the moisture and cause a stain, and the stain may be impossible to remove (timber stains especially). We place foam blocks where necessary, under furniture that may cause stains. If you HAVE to return furniture to carpeted areas sooner than recommended use plastic shopping bags or aluminium foil to act as a barrier.
Do NOT place flat bottomed furniture or plastic roller chair mats back until completely dry as this can suffocate carpet causing mould and rotting.

Our cleaning agents are quite safe, and environmentally friendly. Some of our spotting agents need careful handling, but they are always neutralized and thoroughly rinsed out, to ensure there will be no harm to your family or pets. All of the detergents we used are professionally made and tested, we have the MSDS [Material Safety Data Sheets] for all of them. We do not make or ‘create’ our own detergents or mix them up in the back of our vans. We take great care to make sure you have the cleanest, healthiest carpets.

Have you ever cleaned a spot on your carpet and had it return?
Have you had your carpet cleaned and had the spots just “come right back”? Why does that happen?

There are two reasons that spots return:
The first reason is wicking. Many times, the spot that is being removed has seeped into the backing of the carpet. This is common with pet urine, beverages, and anything that is spilled in “volume”. The material dries in the backing and the cushion (pad) of the carpet. When the spot is cleaned, only the material in the “pile” of the carpet is removed. However, moisture is introduced into the backing of the carpet. As the spot dries, the material that is in the backing of the carpet wicks back into the pile.

Consider this definition of wick:
Wick – Any piece of porous material that conveys liquid by capillary action; e.g. the wick on a candle, the wick in an oil lamp, the fibres in your carpet, Even traffic area soil that is embedded can wick back. This is especially common in glue down carpet that is heavily impacted with soil. When the carpet is cleaned, it looks good. When it dries, the spots and traffic areas come back. The good news is that if a spot actually wicks back, it can be removed. When spot cleaning, place a folded white terry cloth towel over the spot just after you clean it while the spot is still moist. Place a heavy object on top of the cloth.

When you have your carpet cleaned professionally, be sure to point out spots that have wicked back in the past, so they can be treated properly. The second reason spots return is re-soiling. Re-soiling is caused by a sticky residue that has been left behind. The residue may be from the spot itself, the cleaner that was used, or both. Some common residue causes are over-the-counter carpet cleaners purchased at the grocery store avoid using these cleaners altogether. Other residue causes include oily spots: duct tape residue, body oils, lotions.

No. Some stains are permanent. The carpet fibres may be damaged or the dyes may have been damaged or changed. We are fully trained in spot removal procedures, so we can treat the mark, and often get some improvement, but some stains will not respond to any treatment. We can clean carpets but we cannot make them new again.

A well maintained carpet will act as a filter for your indoor air. Regular vacuuming with a good quality upright vacuum cleaner with a HEPA filter will keep dust levels down, and regular professional cleaning will keep the carpet in its optimal state.People with allergies or asthma are often allergic to dust mite waste products (it’s not the dust mite themselves that caus)