Tag: cleaning

Caravan Upholstery Cleaning For A Healthy Holiday

by Admin

Caravan upholstery cleaning is probably not at the top of your list.  But it should be if you have a caravan or motorhome that has been locked up since last year. Chances are as soon as you open the door cleaning will zoom up your list to the highest priority.

Stale food and cooking smells linger in upholstery and are very difficult to remove without the proper equipment. Stains where drinks were spilt, or where greasy hands touched add up to a generally less than fresh ambience.

It is essential to use the correct cleaning method for the specific type of fabric and the upholstery beneath.

DIY Caravan Upholstery Cleaning Can Go Wrong

If you take the covers off yourself and put them in the washing machine you run the risk of shrinking and not being able to get the covers back on.

Over-wetting the upholstery can also lead to shrinking or stretching and damp smells.  The exact opposite of what you are looking to achieve.

Our technicians use a variety of cleaning methods and solutions that will remove wine stains, grease from sun creams, sand and dirt.  But more importantly, when we clean your caravan upholstery, we also remove bad odours caused by bacteria, viruses, moulds and fungi.

Give your family the experience of settling into a freshly cleaned caravan for a happy and healthy holiday.

Give us a call for a quote and get your caravan and motorhome upholstery deep cleaned, sanitised and smelling like new.  If you do this before the end of May we’ll give you a 20% discount*.

You can drop your upholstery off at our workshop in Aldridge, or we can collect it from you at no extra cost.  We will remove stains, deep cleanse and sanitise all your caravan upholstery and deliver it back to you dry and ready to use.

Click to see all our current caravan upholstery cleaning offers or check out our other upholstery cleaning solutions.

We are corporate supporters of St Giles Hospice and we give a donation for every job we do.

*Offer ends 31st May 2022.

Carpets Get Dirtier After Cleaning Fact Or Fiction?

by Admin
The Trouble With Bubbles

As your carpet and upholstery cleaner in Lichfield we can tell you this is a fact!  Carpets and upholstery do get dirtier after cleaning. But this only applies to the easily hired DIY equipment you get to clean carpets and upholstery yourself. This is because the cleaning solutions they use are detergent based.  Professional carpet and upholstery cleaners in Lichfield, like us, stopped using this kind of solution about 15 years ago.

Detergent based cleaning solutions clean well but they leave a sticky residue. This attracts soiling, so the carpet or fabric gets dirty quicker. For example, washing up liquid is a detergent-based cleaner so rub some on your finger and let it dry. It leaves behind a tacky residue.

Why Carpets Shrink & Upholstery Smells

The only way to get rid of the tackiness is rinsing. If you use too much water you risk dampness damaging your carpet or upholstery. The result of this is we get calls saying, my carpet has shrunk or my furniture smells.

Fifteen years ago, when we had no choice but to use detergent-based cleaners, it was a trade-off whether we wet the carpet to get the bubbles out or leave the detergent in the carpet which would attract more soiling.

How Your Carpet And Upholstery Cleaner In Lichfield Gets The Best Results

Your professional carpet and upholstery cleaner in Lichfield steers well away from detergent-based cleaners.  We use micro splitter solutions instead. These are detergent free and are therefore better for the environment.  It’s also better for children and pets and self-neutralising to pH7.

We also clean at much lower temperatures using less heat which is better for the environment. And our machinery sucks water out so your carpets are dry enough to walk on when we leave.

It’s also worth saying that using cleaning products you buy in the supermarket, washing up liquid or washing powder can make your stains and soiling worse.  If these products have been used our ability to remove the stain falls dramatically.  Our best advice is to always get our advice.  It’s free and we are always available to answer questions or give a no-obligation quote. Please contact us.

Knight & Doyle are your expert carpet and upholstery cleaners in Lichfield and are Woolsafe approved. We are corporate supporters of St Giles Hospice and give a donation for every job we do.

Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner in Lichfield for Spring Cleaning

by Admin

Spring cleaning is steeped in cultural and religious significance. As your expert carpet and upholstery cleaner in Lichfield we shed some insights.

Why Do We Spring Clean?

Scientists think we spring clean because humans produce more melatonin during the winter, which makes us sleepier.  So we tend to want to get cosy and stay warm. In the spring we produce less melatonin and have much more energy. So, it may be a mixture of feeling more awake and with the sun shining, a natural response to rejuvenate our homes.

Studies have shown that a clean home makes us feel happier.  But the traditional idea of spring cleaning has its roots in religious and cultural beliefs.

Religion & Spring Cleaning

Prior to Passover, Jewish law says that the home must be chametz free.  Chametz are foods that contain leavening agents, such as yeast. Jewish people must not own, eat or benefit from chametz during Passover. Even overlooked crumbs lurking in hard to get to places down the back of the sofa count.

Nowruz is another religious celebration where deep cleaning the home before-hand is very important. Nowruz is celebrated in the Middle East, Central Asia and all around the world.  It falls on the first day of spring and is the first day of the Persian calendar. Before Nowruz can commence a cleaning ritual is performed.  This is known as Khaneh-Tekani, which translates to “shaking house”.  The entire house is deep cleaned. Especially, things that don’t usually get cleaned such as carpets and furniture.

World Culture & Spring Cleaning

In Guatemala on 7th December they celebrate Quema del Diablo. Which translates to “burning the devil”.  Just like grime, pathogens and other nasties he lurks under the bed, in corners, deep down in carpets and furnishings and in clutter. To get the devil out of your house Guatemalans sweep their rubbish outside and set fire to it. Thus cleansing the home before the holy holidays arrive. Ok so not exactly in the spring, but this just shows the importance of cleaning the home, across the world.  Now to China.

Chinese new year marks the end of winter. And there is a cleaning ritual that takes place before the first day of the new year. A thorough deep clean of the home rids it of any bad luck from the past year and makes space to fill the home with the good luck that will arrive during the new one.  Rooms are swept from the entrance to the centre.  All dirt and rubbish are taken out of the back door, because the front door is reserved for the good luck to come in.

Your Local Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner in Lichfield Makes Spring Cleaning Easy

At Knight & Doyle we do much more than you would expect from a professional carpet and upholstery cleaner in Lichfield.  If you really want to remove the chametz from your carpets and upholstery.  Make room for good luck to enter or shame the devil with impeccable cleanliness we can help. We have the trained technicians and equipment for all your carpet, hard flooring and upholstery cleaning needs. Please contact us.

Carpet and Upholstery Cleaner in Lichfield With The Right Expertise

Whether you are spring cleaning your home for Passover, or Chinese New Year we offer competitive prices and all of our quotes are without obligation.  As well as being your local residential carpet and upholstery cleaner in Lichfield we specialise in commercial work too.

We are Woolsafe approved and use Woolsafe approved products.

Open For Emergencies Over The Holidays

by Admin

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Knight & Doyle team.

Thank you to all our wonderful clients who have supported us this year.

If you do have an emergency, please call us for advice before you try to clean it yourself. We will always respond to an emergency. Our advice is free and all our quotes are without obligation.

OPENING TIMES

Christmas Eve – Open for emergencies

Christmas Day – Office Closed

Boxing Day – Open for emergencies

27th December – Open for emergencies

28th December – Open for emergencies

29th December – Open for emergencies

30th December – Open for emergencies

New Year’s Eve – Open for emergencies

New Year’s Day – Open for emergencies

1st January – Open for emergencies

2nd January – Open for emergencies

3rd January – Open for emergencies

4th January – Office Open

The Carpet Cleaning Lichfield Trusts

by Admin
Carpet Cleaning Lichfield

Doing carpet cleaning Lichfield trusts starts with how we quote.  We prefer to visit in person to give you a quote. This is because every carpet and every property is different.  For example, if you have restricted access to your premises, this is not a problem. But, so the job runs smoothly we can plan in advance. We can bring a smaller van. Or we can send an extra person to carry the equipment. Or take longer hoses. This doesn’t mean you pay more.

We plan the job and do it as cost-effectively as possible to get the best results.

Our number one priority is customer service, that’s why we are known for carpet cleaning Lichfield trusts. We won’t let you down. The reason people get let down by other companies is usually that the quote has been done from a photograph of the carpet. As a result, any special requirements have not been taken into account. The client has had time off work, doesn’t get their carpet cleaning done and is very frustrated.

Right Processes, Right Results

Providing carpet cleaning Lichfield trusts is also about doing a great job. Some carpet cleaners limit themselves to one cleaning method. For example, Dry Carpet Cleaning.  On the face of it that sounds great, the client thinks it will take less time and dry faster. However, Dry Carpet Cleaning is only suitable for maintenance cleaning. Not your annual deep clean.

At Knight & Doyle we offer a wide range of carpet cleaning methods, including Dry Carpet Cleaning. When we come to give you a quote we will be able to recommend the right process to get the right results.

Technical Training For Carpet Cleaning Lichfield Trusts

Our industry is very scientific. Our technicians are trained to correctly identify the type of carpet and the backing that needs to be cleaned.  They are trained to identify the kind of stains to be cleaned.  This is very important.

Mould and bodily fluids such as blood, urine and vomit need to be treated correctly. Would you believe that dog and cat urine is very different? Our technicians are also trained in the use of our cleaning solutions and methods. This training is ongoing.

Courtesy & Follow Up

We are a family business and we select our technicians very carefully.

They go above and beyond to be courteous and caring and do a fantastic job. How do we know this? We follow up with a courtesy phone call to our clients to make sure they are completely happy with the work we have done. Many of our clients come back to us year after year. Often commenting how respectful our technicians are and that they feel safe having them in their home or business. An example of going the extra mile is we’ve recently received Dementia Friends training.

As a business, we work hard to provide carpet cleaning Lichfield trusts. Please contact us for free advice on carpet, flooring and upholstery cleaning. Our quotes are free and without obligation.

We are Woolsafe approved.

Woolsafe logo showing accreditation to clean wool carpets and upholstery.

The Rug Cleaner Lichfield Loves

by Admin
rug cleaning

Being the rug cleaner Lichfield loves is an accolade we are very proud of. We are also proud of the training our technicians go through. So whether they are working on a valuable oriental rug or something from Ikea your rug will be returned looking amazing.

To put your mind at rest. The cost of using us, the rug cleaner Lichfield loves, is exactly the same for an expensive or less expensive rug.  Because the process is exactly the same. Some rug cleaners may inflate their prices depending on the value of the item. Or where you live.  We don’t.

Rug & Furniture Restoration

For many years we have been partners with a major furniture restoration specialist.  They call on us to tackle the more difficult jobs. For example, smoke or water damaged oriental rugs and furnishings. All valuable antique rugs need very gentle cleaning. We never use machines on these or any other kind of rug. The proper way to clean rugs is by hand. Yes, it’s time-consuming, but we always use the right process to get the right results.

The biggest challenge when cleaning antique rugs is colours can run or bleed into each other. We train our technicians to firstly identify the fibre. Determining whether it is natural fibre or synthetic. And secondly to do a colour test.

Another challenge is rug fringes, which are often delicate. Because we clean by hand rug fringes are specially treated. They are not cleaned in the same way as the rest of the rug.

Another Reason We Are The Rug Cleaner Lichfield Loves

Smells can occur during the rug cleaning process. Especially wool rugs. Clients love us because we come and collect the rug. Clean, sanitise, deodorise and dry it in our workshop.  Then deliver it back.

For commercial clients and schools, we can collect rugs on a Friday.  Then deliver them back the following Monday.

Top Tips For Rug Cleaning

  1. Always get professional advice before you try cleaning rugs yourself. Our advice is free of charge.
  2. To keep rugs cleaner for longer prevent them from getting dirty:
    • Thoroughly vacuum on both sides to remove dirt and debris
    • Vacuum regularly
    • Get them professionally stain protected
  3. Don’t use off the shelf carpet cleaner from the supermarket. This causes professional rug cleaners like us the most problems.

For more information see our Rug Cleaning page.

We are Woolsafe approved.

Woolsafe logo showing accreditation to clean wool carpets and upholstery.

The Most Caring Carpet Cleaner In Lichfield

by Admin

Our Marketing Manager left her desk and had a morning on one of the vans. Returning to the office she said “We must be the most caring carpet cleaner in Lichfield.”

Hi, I am Karen, and it’s me writing this blog. And that’s right, in my opinion, the most caring carpet cleaner in Lichfield is us. This is why. I work in the office but, last week I spent a morning out in the van.

We went to the home of an elderly lady to clean her lounge carpet.  She was an existing client and really pleased to see Rich. She recognised him immediately.

Being The Most Caring Carpet Cleaner In Lichfield Starts With How We Look

All of us wear our Knight & Doyle uniform. So people know exactly who we are. We have Knight & Doyle Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning branded vans. This shows people they are dealing with a reputable company. The St Giles logo we are very proud to have on our vans is another badge of reliability. Because the hospice wouldn’t deal with any Tom, Dick or Harry.

Customer Care In Action…

We always move the furniture for our clients and are always very respectful and courteous.  So when Rich did this, it was no surprise to me.  What made me very proud was the way Rich decided to tackle the job.  This lady was a bit unsteady on her feet. We needed to move her out of her comfy recliner chair in the lounge so we could clean her carpet.

Fetching a chair and cushions from the dining room, we put them in the kitchen. Using her walking frame gently helped her into the chair and made sure she was comfortable and safe. And had a magazine.

We had to get her back into her recliner chair as quickly as possible. So Rich decided to do the job in sections.  This took us longer, but her safety and comfort was the most important thing. Moving her recliner and coffee table we did a third of the room first.  Put the recliner back exactly where it had been, and the coffee table. Everything was strategically placed for her to reach essential things. Like the telly remote!

We got her back into her recliner chair as soon as we could.  The back door was open to help the drying process. So we wrapped her up in a blanket and got on with the job as quickly as we could.  It was well planned that I was helping Rich that morning.  I did all the junior tasks. Like emptying buckets of wastewater down the drain in the road. Never down a client’s sink! I also failed at winding up all the pipes and wires in just the right way – but I will learn.

…Even Making Sure The TV Worked

When the lady’s carer arrived, we gladly moved things out of her way so she could carry out her tasks without any hindrance, she only had a few minutes. Before we left, we made sure the telly was plugged in and working as we had had to move it to clean the corner of the room.

This was really important to this lady, she had a tradesperson before who had really messed up her telly, which is her main form of company. Rich and I were only too pleased to make sure everything was working and put back exactly right.

Why Being The Most Caring Carpet Cleaner In Lichfield Matters So Much

Our technicians are sometimes the only person our elderly clients will see that day. Rich has told me of several instances where he has had to help someone. Or even once call an ambulance as he was the first to find someone after a fall.

Although jobs may take us longer, we always have time for a chat. Some of our clients we know pretty well because they use us every year without fail. We really appreciate their loyalty. And make sure their loyalty is rewarded. Pop across to our Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Offers Page to see how.

In my role as Marketing Manager, I follow up after every job with a courtesy phone call. I love chatting with our clients. Just last week a lady told me she had used us since 2012. Another lady told me all about her daughter who lives in Devon. I know that I am sometimes the only friendly voice our clients may hear that day. From start to finish good old fashioned customer care is what matters to us at Knight & Doyle.

Cleaning carpets and upholstery is what we do, but it is the way that we do it that makes us the most caring carpet cleaner Lichfield

How To Avoid Cheap Carpet Cleaning Misery

by Admin
professional carpet cleaning machine compared to a cheap one

How to avoid cheap carpet cleaning misery is not difficult. There is a phrase “if you think using experts is expensive, try using amateurs.” We often get asked to put right the mistakes of self-taught carpet and upholstery cleaners in Lichfield. We feel for these clients. A cheap job has at best cost them the price of having the job done a second time.  At worst they have a ruined carpet or sofa and must replace it.

Main Causes Of Carpet Cleaning Misery

The two main causes of cheap carpet cleaning misery are first, the carpet and upholstery cleaner doesn’t turn up, and secondly, their equipment is totally inadequate for the job, and they don’t know how to use it!

Let’s take the first cause.  The reason cheap carpet and upholstery cleaners don’t turn up is that they’ve had a bigger job come in. So they simply dump the client because they can earn more money at the other job. They don’t care about reputation and client care. They don’t even call to cancel.

The second cause relates to their equipment. It is quite easy to buy an inexpensive carpet and upholstery cleaning machine. Typically entry-level machines cost around £500 and it’s easy to set yourself up with a Facebook page and start trading. These machines only perform one kind of cleaning method, such as dry carpet cleaning. The machines we use are built to our spec and cost upwards of £3,200.  They are the machines that trained, professional carpet and upholstery cleaners use. Tradesmen like us who know their craft.

We invest heavily in the most up to date equipment and offer seven different cleaning methods, several of which can be used on the same job. All of our technicians are fully trained and we keep on training them as new techniques and new machines become available.  We encourage our technicians to improve and grow their skills, for example becoming qualified to clean fine fabrics.

What Clients Say About Carpet Cleaning Misery

When clients have suffered cheap carpet cleaning misery, they tell us things like:

My carpets are soaking wet

My carpets smell

The stains are still there

They didn’t show up to do the job

“That’s the best you’re going to get.” They said.

“We don’t move the furniture.” They said.

We had a client say to us “I used someone else but they were nothing like your service” and guess what, the client has now come back to us and said they will never use anyone else.

Common Mistakes Of Cheap Carpet Cleaners

When we go to a job where the client has experienced cheap carpet cleaning misery this is what we commonly find.  The carpet or upholstery has been incorrectly cleaned. The wrong processes and the wrong cleaning solutions have been used. This is because the cheap carpet and upholstery cleaners in Lichfield are self-taught. They are not professionally trained and unqualified. They do not know how to identify the fabric or carpet fibre. So they do not select the correct cleaning method and cleaning solutions.

This is why carpets are left soaking wet and smelly. Not only have they not identified that the carpet is susceptible to absorbing moisture if it is wool or a wool mix.  And bad smells are caused by either not removing the stain, such as pet urine or owing to over wetting mould has begun to grow on the backing.  Taking pet urine as an example, if you don’t use the right cleaning method you will just spread the invisible urine over a larger area and once the fragrance, they have used wears off the smell comes back.  Some stains such as urine and blood can release airborne pathogens which have to be treated correctly.

The black edges you get around skirting boards are called filtration marks, and time and time again the experience of cheap carpet cleaning misery is being told they cannot be removed. They usually can.  It just takes the know-how and the right equipment.

For honest advice for carpet and upholstery cleaning in Lichfield please contact us.

We are very proud to be corporate supporters of St Giles Hospice based in Lichfield and a member of Best Of Lichfield.

Let Us Set Fire To Your Carpet

by Admin
Burn Test for carpet fibres

Let us set fire to your carpet, why would we want to do that? Because it is how we find out what your carpet is made of. We are the premier carpet cleaner in Lichfield and this is very important. We need to make sure we use the right cleaning processes and the right cleaning solutions. If you ever have your carpets cleaned by someone who doesn’t ask what your carpet is made of or doesn’t test your carpet fibres alarm bells should ring.

Using the wrong carpet cleaning process or the wrong solutions could damage your carpet and, you won’t get the best cleaning results.

When our carpet and upholstery cleaning technicians are trained, the burn test is one of the first things they learn.

Let Us Set Fire To Your Carpet The Burn Test For Carpets

Don’t try this at home! We are experts at carpet cleaning Lichfield and know what we are doing. When you let us set fire to your carpet, we only take a few fibres. These will be taken from behind the sofa or somewhere no one will notice.

Here is a quick rundown of the most common types of carpet and how we use the burn test to find out what your carpet is made of. We look at the flame, the smell and what happens to the ash.

Wool Carpets

This is a natural fibre that stains easily, which is why it is used so much to make carpets, it takes the manufacturer’s dyes beautifully. When we do the burn test wool burns slowly and sizzles.  It smells like burning hair and the ash looks like a black bead which crumbles easily.

Nylon Carpets

This kind of carpet is long-lasting but stains easily. During the burn test it burns slowly and melts. It smells like celery, weird but true, and the ash turns into a hard black bead.

Polyester Carpets

Well maintained polyester carpets are soft and keep their colour well, but are not as resilient as nylon and if you don’t use the correct cleaning solutions it can yellow.  The flame sputters as it melts, it smells sweet and like nylon the ash forms into a hard tough black bead.

Let Us Set Fire To Your Carpet It Is Essential

When you let us set fire to your carpet you know we will be doing this to make sure we use the correct cleaning methods and solutions to get the best results.

We are always happy to give you advice as your trusted carpet cleaner in Lichfield. Our quotes and advice are free of charge and without obligation. Please contact us.

Find us on the Best Of Lichfield and read our reviews.

History Of Carpet Cleaning

by Admin
carpet cleaning Lichfield

The history of carpet cleaning starts during the industrial revolution. Before we had the fitted carpets we have today, we had big lose carpets, rugs and before that wooden or tiled floors in our homes. If you want to go way back, the Romans had mosaics, but we are talking about the history of carpet cleaning, not flooring!

For a very long time, pretty much up until vacuum cleaners were invented in the early 1900s, carpets and rugs were hung over a washing line, or the back of a chair and beaten by hand. This only removed dirt and dust though.

From about 1830, when the industrial revolution was in full swing, the new wealthy class of industrialists showed off their affluence by buying carpets and other luxury goods. This lead to published advice on how to clean carpets.

History Of Carpet Cleaning Techniques

Some of the techniques were pretty unusual and downright dangerous by modern standards. To get rid of stains like ink and grease it was recommended you scrub the carpet with lemon juice and a hot loaf of crusty white bread. Rinse thoroughly with fresh water and leave outside to dry. White bread was a total luxury then, well out of the reach of working people and this is being used to clean a carpet!  How rich were these people?!

Another popular method of carpet cleaning was to use Naphtha, this is also a pesticide. Then there was clay paste mixed with water. Left overnight to dry. The theory being that when this was brushed off stains and soil would be removed.  The clay paste method caused the colour to fade, so chloroform was recommended as an alternative. Yes, chloroform, every kidnapper and serial killers favourite knock out drug. Obviously, this didn’t really catch on owing to the paralysing effect of the human central nervous system.

The next major break through in the history of carpet cleaning was the invention of the vacuum cleaner. In 1901 British engineer Hubert Cecil Booth invented the first machine that sucked up dirt.  He had a couple of near fatal experiments with his new vacuum but went on to form the British Vacuum Cleaner Company and his beast of a cleaner was put on a horse-drawn cart and used to clean the homes of the wealthy in London. This included Buckingham Palace and the Royal Mint. To find out more and see photos of the “Puffing Billy” follow this link to the Science Museum website.

Modern Carpet Cleaning Is Born

Some time later people began to think about restoring and conditioning carpets, rather than just cleaning the dirt away.

Following World War II, the use of chemicals heralded the era of modern carpet cleaning and many of the basic principles are still used. At Knight & Doyle we use these basic principles but in a much improved and efficient way.

In the 1970s chemical cleaners used detergents, which are sticky by nature. This fuelled the myth that carpets get dirtier faster once they have been professionally cleaned.  This may have been the case 30 years ago, but not now. Washing up liquid is a detergent and is great for getting rid of grease, but if you use it for carpet or upholstery cleaning dirt will stick to it and cause rapid soiling. The old chemical cleaners were about 12pH which also lead to problems with carpets going brown!

Cleaning Carpets In The 21st Century

Whether using a manmade chemical or a natural chemical, the carpet cleaning industry uses chemicals. Whenever possible we use plant based cleaning solutions, because its better for our technicians and our customers.  You will be amazed what can be achieved with plant based products and products that use enzymes to tackle tough stains.

In the past carpets used to be liable to shrinkage, but that was because our contempories of yesteryear didn’t have the advanced machines and the range of cleaning methods we have at our disposal.

We always tell our clients that one cleaning method cannot tackle every cleaning job.  We use many different methods from Hot Water Extraction to Dry Carpet Cleaning and lots in between. Let’s be sensible you wouldn’t use the same cleaning method on wool, silk, polypropylene or leather, would you?

Contact us for all your carpet and upholstery cleaning in Aldridge. Our advice is free of charge and our quotes are free of charge and without obligation.

To read about our carpet cleaning methods click here