Category Archives: Dynamic Ideas

What Do Furniture Cleaning Codes Mean?

Many furniture fabrics now carry the furniture industry’s cleanability code adopted in 1969. It gives the consumer information about the proper furniture cleaning methods for specific fabrics. There are four letters in the code, immediately followed by furniture cleaning instructions. The code letters are W, S, W-S, and X.

What Do Furniture Cleaning Codes Mean?

Permanent furniture cleaning labels will normally be found under the seat cushion. When spot cleaning furniture, it is always a good idea for consumers to first pretest the fabric for discoloration and shrinkage on an inconspicuous part of the furniture. When overall furniture cleaning is required, professional furniture cleaning will often achieve the most satisfactory results. Never remove cushion covers or arm caps for separate furniture cleaning. This may destroy the backing, cause shrinking and create color changes.

Code “W”

To prevent overall soil, frequent vacuuming or light brushing to remove dust and grime is a recommended step in furniture cleaning. Spot clean, using the foam only from a water-based cleaning agent such as a mild detergent or non-solvent upholstery shampoo product. Apply foam with a soft brush in a circular motion. Vacuum when dry. Pretest a small area before proceeding. Use a professional furniture cleaning service when an overall soiled condition has been reached.

Code “S”

To prevent overall soil, frequent vacuuming or light brushing to remove dust and grime is recommended. Spot clean using a mild water-free solvent or dry cleaning product containing carbon tetrachloride which is highly toxic. Pretest a small area before proceeding. Furniture cleaning by a professional cleaning service only is recommended.

Code “W-S”

To prevent overall soil, frequent vacuuming or light brushing to remove dust and grime is recommended. Spot clean, with a mild solvent, an upholstery shampoo, or the foam from a mild detergent. When using a solvent or dry cleaning product, follow instructions carefully and clean only in a well ventilated room. Avoid any product which contains carbon tetrachloride which is highly toxic. With either method, pretest a small area before proceeding. Use a professional furniture cleaning service when an overall soiled condition has been reached.

Code “X”

Clean this fabric only by vacuuming or light brushing to prevent accumulation of dust or grime. Water-based foam furniture cleaners or solvent based furniture cleaning agents of any kind may cause excessive shrinking, staining or distortion of the surface pile and, therefore, should not be used.

Tips to Keep Your Furniture Looking Great For A Long Time

Vacuuming

Weekly vacuuming or light brushing is a fabric care tip that helps to remove soil and protect fabric from the embedding of dirt or grime between fibers which can increase abrasion and wear.

Cushion Turning

The life of upholstered cushions can be increased through periodic turning. The weekly reversal of loose cushions will allow even distribution of wear over a long period of time.

Fabric Protection

Fabric protection helps to increase the useful life of upholstered furniture by protecting fabrics from soil and stains. Some fabric protections are mill applied and others can be applied in the store or at home.

A protective finish does not eliminate the necessity of proper fabric care. It modifies the absorbency and soil removal characteristics of a fabric. It does not put a plastic cover on it. Loose dirt should be vacuumed and brushed away before it becomes embedded and harder to remove. Spills and stains should be cleaned away quickly following manufacturer’s fabric care code instructions for furniture cleaning.

Dynamic Carpet Care, your top rated carpet cleaners in Tampa, Lutz, Land O Lakes, Brandon and all surrounding areas since 1992.

How do I Remove a Red Stain from my Carpet?

Everyone gets a red stain on their carpet eventually. Red stains from juice, wine, or fruit drinks can be some of the most difficult types of stains to remove from carpet. We wrote this article in the hopes of helping someone that is desperately seeking a solution to their red stain conundrum. Honestly, almost nothing has the ability to ruin carpet like a red stain. Don’t worry, there is a way to remove these stubborn stains. With the right ingredients, some effort, and a little luck, you should be able to remove red stains from your carpet.

Let’s Get Started…

First let’s gather all of the things we are going to need. You will need:

Red Wine Stain on Tampa Carpet

Dishwasher Detergent
White Vinegar
Ammonia
Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol
Bowl (to mix the solution in)
Spoon (to mix your solution)
Clean White Cloth

Next we will make our cleaning solution. Use a large bowl or other large container to mix the following ingredients together.

1 tsp of liquid dishwashing detergent
1 tbsp of ammonia
2 cups of warm water

Once you have your solution, soak your clean white cloth in the cleaning solution. Using the solution soaked cloth blot it on the area until the stain is absorbed. If the stain still remains, you should continue the process by mixing the next solution.

If the stain still remains, combine:

1 Tbsp of liquid dishwashing detergent
1 Tbsp of white vinegar
2 Cups of warm water

Cleaned White Tampa Carpet

Again, sponge the stain with the new detergent and vinegar solution and blot until the liquid is absorbed. Hopefully by this point the stain will no longer be visible. However, if that is not the case, do not worry. You still have one last option that will take care of the stain once and for all.

If some of the red stain is still visible, that is when you should use rubbing alcohol. Soak a portion of a clean white cloth with a small amount of rubbing alcohol. Blot the stain with rubbing alcohol until most of moisture is absorbed. Once you have completed this step you can finish off the process by sponging the area with cold water.

Dynamic Carpet Care is a Tampa based carpet cleaning company. We have been serving the greater Tampa Bay area for over 25 years. If you have questions regarding this cleaning method, do not hesitate to reach out to us. Additionally, we know this method can be somewhat labor intensive. Therefore, if you are in the Tampa Bay area and need help with a red stain, we will be glad to help. Call Dynamic Carpet Care for all of your carpet and upholstery related cleaning needs.

If you have issues with other types of stains, check out some of our other helpful articles such as: How to Remove Cat Urine Odor From Carpet.

How to Remove Cat Urine Odor From Carpet

We at Dynamic Carpet Care are pet lovers. We can certainly find comfort in a cat’s company and we are not alone. Florida has the third highest cat population in the United States. Every cat is bound to not use their litterbox at some point in time. When their little messes are discovered this leaves Tampa residents scrambling to answer the question “How do I Remove Cat Urine Odor from Carpet?” Dynamic Carpet Care will give you a few steps that can drastically decrease the impact of cat urine.

First and foremost, time is of the essence. Acting fast will reduce the impact the urine can have. Due to gravity and the absorbent nature of the padding underneath your carpet, all liquids will prefer to travel downwards. Once there is an obstruction and the liquid cannot travel downward any longer it will start to travel outward. There are instances where the padding underneath the carpet has a larger surface area affected than the actual carpet. Meaning the stain on the carpet or wet spot may have a diameter of 3 inches while the padding under the carpet has a diameter of 6 inches. Acting quickly reduces the amount of material that will be exposed to the urine.

Step 1

The first thing you should do is to remove the bulk liquid from the carpet. That means extracting the liquid from the carpet. The best way to do this on your own is to use a Shop-Vac. If you do not have one, you should definitely buy one. They are inexpensive and can really come in handy for a lot of things. They even make shop vacs systems that just attach to the top of a 5 gallon bucket. Place the Shop-Vac hose on the area of the carpet where the cat went to the restroom. Don’t be afraid to allow the Shop-Vac hose stay in one place for extended period of time. The suction on a Shop-Vac is strong enough to allow the hose to stay in place even if you don’t hold it.

Step 2

Next, you can put water in the same area the stain is at on the carpet and immediately use your Shop-Vac to remove the water. This will thin out the potency of the cat urine. You can choose to skip this step entirely if you choose to as long as you use more liquid from step 3. We simply recommend this step in order to dilute the cat urine at a lower cost.

Step 3

You will want to be careful with this step. It has the potential to damage your carpet if you do not follow directions. Almost all hydrogen peroxide you would buy in stores is 3% hydrogen peroxide. We recommend diluting the 3% hydrogen peroxide by mixing it with water. A 50/50 mixture of 3% hydrogen peroxide and water.

A Word of Warning

Once you have made your solution, you should test the solution on a part of your carpet for colorfastness. Colorfastness is a term that is used to describe change of color in carpet. Almost all carpet cleaning product companies recommend testing your carpet before using the solution widespread. Put a small amount of your peroxide and water solution on a part of your carpet that is hidden. We recommend putting it on spare carpet you might have left over. If you do not have extra carpet around, you can test the solution in a closet at the very front corner. Wait for the solution to dry and see if there is any change in the color of the carpet. Use a healthy amount of Hydrogen Peroxide on the area where the cat urinated. Leave the hydrogen peroxide on the area for a few minutes to allow it to fully saturate the area. Once the hydrogen peroxide has had an opportunity to soak into the carpet you should go back to your trusty Shop-Vac and use it to remove the peroxide.

Avoid Bleach Based Products

Why would we use Hydrogen Peroxide opposed to a bleach based product? Cat urine contains proteins. When bleach (commonly contained in most store-bought carpet cleaning products) comes into contact with protein based stains it has a chemical reaction. The reaction between the bleach and the proteins will change the color or your carpet. If you have white carpet for instance the reaction caused by the bleach and proteins will turn the carpet a light yellow color. Any colored carpet will become lighter and bleach will permanently damage the carpet. Hydrogen Peroxide is an oxidative agent that reacts with and breaks down proteins. Warning. Cat urine contains ammonia. When you mix bleach with ammonia, it creates hydrochloric acid which then produces chloramine vapors. Chloramine vapors are toxic and can even be deadly. That is why it is always so shocking to see pet stain removers sold with bleach as an active ingredient. The more expensive pet stain removers that claim to be “organic” or “natural”, usually use hydrogen peroxide and just charge a lot for it.

Still Have Questions? Need a Tampa Carpet Cleaning Company?

If you are in the Tampa area and are looking for a carpet, upholstery, or pet stain removal expert, call us. Dynamic Carpet Care has been providing services to the Tampa Bay area since 1992. We look forward to working with you. Our expert team can help reduce pet induced stress so you can hang out with your cuddle kitten free of animosity. Call us today to schedule. Also don’t hesitate to ask any questions about our services, carpet, company, or scheduling. And if you’d like to know more about preventative maintenance, check out our article about keeping your furniture look great.