Carpet is a fantastic flooring choice for nearly any home. However, it does have one major flaw: it can become stained rather easily. The good news is that most stains can be lifted without a professional’s help—you just need to know the proper steps for removal. This post will cover how to remove oil from carpet in South Amboy, NJ.

Removing cooking oil stains

Just because your kitchen doesn’t have carpeting doesn’t necessarily mean that a cooking oil stain can’t occur elsewhere in the house. Follow these steps to remove cooking oil if it spills:

• Blot with a paper towel: First, grab a dry paper towel and blot the stain until no more oil appears on the paper towel.
• Apply rubbing alcohol: Take a clean washcloth and apply a little bit of rubbing alcohol to the stain. Be sure to blot the stain with the alcohol instead of wiping, as wiping can spread it to other areas.
• Mix water and dishwashing liquid: A solution of one quart of water and a quarter teaspoon of dishwashing soap will be your heavy-duty cleaner for this mess. Just be sure that the dishwashing soap doesn’t contain bleach or lanolin—these chemicals will ruin the carpet.
• Blot with a sponge: Soak up some of your cleaning solution on a sponge and blot it directly on the remaining stain. Continue blotting the carpet until the stain is no longer visible.

Removing motor oil stains

Another common type of oil spill involves motor oil. Although it’s a bit more time consuming, the answer to the question of whether oil can be removed from carpet in South Amboy, NJ is still “yes.” Here are the steps to take if motor oil spills on your carpet:

• Scrape off excess oil: Using a butter knife, try to scrape off as much excess oil as you can from the carpet. Just don’t press too hard, because you don’t want to rub it in.
• Sprinkle baking soda: Your next step in how to remove oil from carpet in South Amboy, NJ is to sprinkle a little bit of baking soda on the stain. After applying the baking soda, wait 15 minutes and vacuum the area.
• Use dry-cleaning solvent: Place a few drops of dry-cleaning solvent on a clean cloth and apply it directly to the stain.
• Mix a solution: If the dry-cleaning product doesn’t eliminate the stain, you’ll need to mix up a homemade solution. Two cups of warm water mixed with one tablespoon of white vinegar and one tablespoon of liquid dish soap may do the trick.
• Apply and rinse: Use a sponge and work the solution onto the stain. Once you’re done, rinse the area with cold water and let it dry.

Hire our pros to remove all stains!

With a little hard work, the answer to the question, “Can oil be removed from carpet in South Amboy, NJ?” is an emphatic “yes!” If your carpet needs some professional help after you’ve worked on the stain, call Lov ‘N Kare Carpet Center! Our team performs both full carpet cleaning and spot cleaning to ensure your carpeting looks as good as new.

From stains to tears, carpeting can run into a lot of trouble over the years. Another danger homeowners can encounter with their carpet is color loss. Although color loss is often caused by chemicals, it can also occur naturally over time. This post will cover everything you need to know about natural carpet color loss in South Amboy, NJ:

• Sun fading: The most common type of natural color loss is caused by the sun. Over time, carpeting near windows will begin to fade due to the sun’s harmful UV rays. Sun fading can also occur with upholstered furniture placed near windows. In drastic cases, carpeting near southwest-facing windows can begin to lose its color in as little as six months. For this reason, it’s important to consider your flooring options near the windows in your home.
• Fume fading: Carpet can also naturally lose its color due to fume fading. This occurs when pollutants in the air react with dyes in the carpeting. Fume fading often occurs in areas with high levels of car exhaust, like in a big city. But this kind of natural carpet color loss in South Amboy, NJ can also be the result of fumes from pools or spas. If you have an indoor hot tub or pool, we don’t advise installing carpeting.

What can be done to prevent color loss?

So, can carpet naturally lose its color in South Amboy, NJ? Yes, it can. Luckily, color loss is easier to prevent than you might think! Here’s how you can prevent both natural and chemical color loss:

• Close the curtains: Besides not installing carpeting near windows, the only way to prevent sun fading is by keeping your curtains or blinds closed. If you really want to allow some natural light in, consider installing window film on your windows. Protective window treatments block UV rays from penetrating the glass, and they’re hardly noticeable if they’re installed correctly.
• Invest in fade-resistant carpeting: There isn’t much that can be done once your carpeting starts to fade—you’ll have to remove and replace it with new flooring. If you’re still interested in carpet, consider buying fade-resistant carpeting. As the name implies, fade-resistant carpets will last longer before they begin to fade or become discolored. Although this type of carpet may cost a bit more, it’s worth the investment.
• Watch how you clean it: Carpets can also fade or become discolored due to chemicals, mainly those found in some types of cleaners. Using a powerful carpet cleaner with the wrong pH value can permanently fade the carpeting, which is why you should avoid cleaning your carpet by yourself. Bringing in the pros to tackle heavy-duty cleaning ensures a sparkling-clean carpet that’s not going to become faded.

On top of knowing the answer to whether carpet can naturally lose its color in South Amboy, NJ, our team at Lov ‘N Kare Carpet Center can help prevent it. We only install the highest-quality carpeting, and we use the right cleaning agents to prevent chemical color loss. Reach out to us to learn more about our products and services!

There’s nothing quite like a clean, plush carpet underneath your bare feet. Carpets are lovely, whether they’re saving you from cold toes on a chilly winter morning or improving your comfort on a warm summer evening. Once they’re installed in your home, you may never want to get rid of your carpets. Of course, that begs the question: what is the average lifespan of carpet in South Amboy, NJ?

About three to five years (sort of)

Under ideal circumstances—that is, in a family of three with no pets and no smokers—a well-installed carpet should last around three to five years. Over that period of time, it’s fairly certain that one or two spills will have transformed into permanent stains, or that someone will unknowingly track dirt or mud through the house.

Even if you manage to avoid accidents on the rug, the day-in, day-out act of walking across your carpet will wear it down. Eventually, your carpet fibers will fall out, exposing the bottom layer of the carpet and leaving the surface uneven and unpleasant to look at, let alone walk on.

The real truth

That’s the best-case scenario. Want to add a family cat? You’ll also put your carpet at risk of being used as a scratcher. Want a dog? If they don’t come potty-trained, your carpet will feel the pain for the first few months. New babies are tons of fun, but they also have little to no regard for the state of your floors.

For every new family member you add, you can subtract a few months of use from your carpets and rugs. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to extend the lifespan of your carpet in South Amboy, NJ.

Vacuum regularly

At a minimum, you should be vacuuming your carpets at least once a week. If you have several pets or a large family (or both), you should be vacuuming two to three times a week.

Failing to keep up with this cleaning and maintenance could substantially reduce the life of your carpet. What’s more, your carpet could begin to collect dust and germs that exacerbate allergies and pose a threat to those with compromised immune systems.

Call in a pro

The single best thing you can do to extend the life of your carpets and keep them looking fantastic is to schedule a regular carpet cleaning. In our little corner of New Jersey, that means calling in Lov ‘N Kare Carpet Center. We’ll work hard to extend the lifespan of your carpet in South Amboy, NJ.

Since we opened our doors all the way back in 1948, Lov ‘N Kare Carpet Center has dedicated our team to making sure that all of our valued clients are satisfied from beginning to end. We offer a wide variety of services, including carpet installation, carpet cleaning, area rug cleaning, hardwood waxing and so much more. Even better, we’ll clean your carpets with state-of-the-art equipment that will reduce your discomfort all around.

Give us a call today to schedule your free estimate. We can’t wait to hear from you!

Do pollen, mold and dust have you down? We can relate. Could it be that your carpet is the culprit? Are allergies from your carpet even real? Carpet has long been thought to make allergies worse, but some recent studies are challenging this view. While many reputable sources still encourage allergy sufferers to minimize the carpeting in their home—or at least keep their carpets as clean as possible on a regular basis—you might not have to swap out your plush floor coverings for more spartan surroundings.

Logically, it makes sense: carpet traps dirt, dust mites and other allergens within its fibers. When your floors are hardwood or linoleum, it’s much easier to sweep and vacuum the irritants away. However, between 2000 and 2010, several reputable studies showed that carpeting may not be the source of your troubles.

New research shows carpets might not be the source of allergy problems

Although results are inconclusive, the research conducted—both by flooring companies and impartial scientists alike—shows that while carpet does trap allergens and keeps them in your home, the situation might not be as dire as previous studies reported.

Some carpet companies argue that carpeting is actually a benefit because it does trap allergens, rather than allowing them to become airborne. This prevents people from inhaling them, so their allergies should actually lessen. Other studies show that carpeting has no noticeable effect on allergy sufferers either way.

There are no peer-reviewed modern studies claiming that carpet is good for allergies. Though the performance characteristics of modern carpeting are more advanced than what was previously available, that alone does not prove anything one way or the other. Ultimately, it’s up to you to decide whether to ditch your carpet or opt for regular and thorough cleaning.

Clean your carpets regularly for best results

The key to reducing your allergy symptoms, of course, is cleaning. If you’re not ready to get rid of your carpeting, then you should dedicate time to making sure it’s as clean as it can be. Try to vacuum at least once per week, and don’t skimp on time—you need to suck up all the dust mites, pollen, mold and other irritants that could be buried deep under the surface. For cut pile carpets, use a vacuum with a beater bar or powerhead attachment.

You might also consider replacing your high pile carpets with something a bit less plush—although they feel great to walk upon, there’s more space for allergens to be trapped.

Carpet cleaning for allergy sufferers in South Amboy, NJ

If you’ve got carpet allergies in South Amboy, NJ, call us for help. Lov ‘N Kare Carpet Center is the area’s premier carpet cleaning company, offering a full range of cleaning services for carpets, rugs, hardwood floors, tile floors and more. We provide free estimates and pride ourselves on having built a solid reputation over more than 70 years in business. Call us today to find out how our help can make your allergies a thing of the past.

A familiar complaint with carpet cleaning in South Amboy, NJ is the residue left behind once the job is complete. This often leads to soaked carpets that take hours to dry (if not days) and a stench that overwhelms your home. Sometimes, it can even promote mold growth, which can wreak havoc in households with allergy sufferers. At Love ‘N Kare Carpet Center, we use hot water extraction to minimize residue and leave your carpet truly clean. Here are five ways this works out:

• Good planning: Every cleaning job starts with examining your carpet and determining the best cleaning approach. We assess your carpet based on type and amount of soil. During this process, we see which areas need to be pretreated and assess how much cleanser the carpet will absorb. This keeps us from using too much cleanser, which could end up as residue in your carpet.
• Vacuuming: Sometimes, a good vacuuming is all you need for dirt and allergens. We use higher-powered vacuums than the consumer models you keep at home. Even if the vacuum does not pick up all the dirt, it still loosens it up to make for easier cleaning. When we can remove dirt efficiently, that also prevents overusing carpet cleanser that could complicate rinsing and drying.
• Pre-treatments: There are two pre-treatments before we start cleaning your carpet. One is spot treatment for those areas where your pet had accidents or a guest spilled red wine during that holiday party last winter. We also pre-treat areas with high traffic since they attract not only dirt but also pollens and molds. Once we finish spot treatments, we run a carpet groomer or rotary cleaning machine to pre-groom the carpet and loosen soil and stains.
• Using water: The primary means of cleaning carpet is hot water extraction. This uses steam to clean carpet, and it is the most effective means of removing stains and dirt. Since it uses water, you may have a wet carpet when we are done, but no cleanser residue. Hot water extraction also includes a thorough rinse phase, so spot treatment and shampoos do not linger when we are finished. It is impossible to remove all residue with carpet cleaning, but using water is the best way to minimize it.
• Thorough drying: The drying process is important for decreasing residue, preventing mold and avoiding that “wet dog” smell that often follows low quality carpet cleaning services. After we rinse your carpet, we use a combination of heat and pressure to dry it. The pressure brings water and residue to the surface and the heat helps it dissipate. Your carpet may be a little moist once we are finished, but you will not have to wait days for it to dry completely!

For carpet cleaning in South Amboy, NJ, call the experts at Lov ‘N Kare Carpet Center today to schedule an estimate. We look forward to helping you extend the life of your carpet and protect your investment!