Cleaning Tips. Russell Martin Carpets and Rugs. Unforgettable. Serving Naperville and Surrounding Area.

Common Questions about Cleaning

What process does Russell Martin use when cleaning?
Why is it better to clean rugs in the warehouse instead of in my home?
What should I know when bringing my area rugs in for cleaning?
What time frame are in home appointments scheduled for?
What do I need to do in preparation for in home cleaning?
Do you scotchguard?
Do I pay extra for spotting?
How long will it take my carpet to dry?
How do I schedule an appointment?
How do I pay for my cleaning?
Can it hurt my carpet or rugs to clean too often?

What process does Russell Martin use when cleaning?

Russell Martin cleans using truck-mounted hot water extraction. This process has proven itself so much over the years that many of the high end carpet lines we carry in our showroom actually require cleaning by a certified IICRC certified firm using truck-mounted hot water extraction at least every eighteen to twenty-four months to keep your warranty valid.

In order for anything, carpet, dishes, laundry to be properly cleaned, a balance of TACT (TIme, Agitation, Chemical, and Temperature) is important. Different methods of cleaning rely on the use of these properties in varying amounts. For example, when you are washing dishes by hand, you probably use warm water (but not too hot to scald yourself), a little bit of soap, and depending on how long the dishes soaked prior to scrubbing; some elbow grease. Your dishwasher on the other hand is unable to use physical elbow grease so it depends on higher temperature and more time with just a little bit of detergent. The same concepts are true for carpet cleaning. You normally think of three main processes when considering having your home cleaned; hot water cleaning, dry cleaning, and a little portable unit.

We have already told you we stand behind steam cleaning so lets look at the other two first. Dry cleaning doesn't use water so the aspects of time and temperature are nil leaving a great deal of importance on chemical and agitation.

The little portable units that can be purchased or rented do not get very hot nor do they have a strong amperage so they rely on chemical and again old fashioned elbow grease. It is not a bad idea in an active household to keep a portable unit for spot cleaning but unfortunately they have a few issues for whole house cleaning. When you are using one of these portable units, while they rely on the chemical component a great deal, please try to refrain from putting much or any cleaning solution in the machine. The machines do not actually get enough electricity through your house to extract the majority of the cleaning solution ... thus leaving it in your carpet to attract more grease and dirt. To help make cleaning more effective with these units, we recommend putting the hottest tap water you can into the unit prior to cleaning. Synthetic carpet does have a melting point so please do not heat the water, just use hot tap water.

We are now back to truck-mounted (for more power) steam (temperature) extraction as our method of choice. This method allows us to use very little cleaning solution and very little agitation. The heat in the water actually resets your carpet fibers (in nylons and wools) to their original stance instead of fraying them.

Why is it better to clean rugs in the warehouse instead of my home?

Area rugs are a unique animal compared to installed carpet for many reasons.

The most obvious reason is that they are free floating on the floor. Commonly they are on top of a hard-wood or tile floor. When steam cleaning, we clean the whole rug not just the center of the rug. This often means there is over-spray onto your floors beneath. We don't want to risk damaging your wood floors with the water and there is also the concern that someone might slip on the wet wood or tile next to your rug.

The second reason it's so important to clean rugs in our warehouse is that many area rugs have unique needs. Our technicians literally get down on their hands and knees and clean the fringe on your rug by hand. For braided and flatweave rugs, we clean both sides of the rug.

After we finish cleaning, all area rugs are then hung to dry. Depending on the humidity, they can dry in as little as five hours to over a day. After we have ensured that the rugs are completely dry, we drop them to the floor for a full inspection. If we feel the rug could improve with another cleaning, we do not ever hesitate to start the process again. While unfortunately some types of spots that are permanent (then called stains), most will come out with the proper treatment.

What should I know when bringing my area rugs in for cleaning?

We are happy to pick up your rugs and deliver them back to you... but if you are will to do the work yourself, you can earn 30% off the cost of rug cleaning. Rugs can be brought to our showroom at 633 N. Washington for drop off and they are picked up at the same location.

When we have staff meetings certain topics always seem to arise. Inevitably, the topic of area rugs comes up. Considering the fact that we receive anywhere from 5 to 25 rugs in our showroom a day that need to be cleaned and a corresponding number that are being picked up, it is understandable that we sometimes get a little fixated on the topic.

The Russell Martin Rug Olympics involves categories such as lifting the heaviest rug, trying to get a big rug into or out of the trunk of a Mini Cooper or on top of a Lincoln Navigator, attempting to get a huge rug that has been here for six months off the storage shelf when there are 25 other huge rugs on top of it while wearing a skirt,hauling a rug into the showroom only to be told the dampness on the front of your suede jacket is (pick your favorite spot) dog urine, vomit, sewage or old milk, and fishing a long, heavy rug, from the back to the front, of an SUV, over groceries and strollers and between occupied child car seats.

We, as you hopefully do, find most of this funny, however, as we age (three of us are over 50), get pregnant (not any of the 50 years olds though) and like to protect our both our clothing and our backs, we find it necessary to once again define the “Lug your Rug” policy.

What time frame are in home appointments scheduled for?

We are in each customer's home as long as it takes to get your carpet as clean as possible. With this being said, we are unable to give exact times for scheduling unless its the first appointment of the day. The first appointment of the day is scheduled to start between 8-9am. After that first appointment we estimate the next appointment available. There is a wide range of home and thus room sizes in our area. One house in downtown Naperville may be a traditional ranch style with modest room sizes, while their neighbor's home may be a new construction with three stories of steps and larger rooms. This makes scheduling an estimated guess at best. Please feel free to take advantage of one or more of the following options to help you the day of cleaning.

1. Ask us to have your technician call your home and/or cell number on the way. If you do need to run errands, please just stay close by to respond when called.

2. Call us a couple of hours before we are expected to arrive. Once your technician is at the cleaning job before yours, he will have a much better idea of when he will get to your house.

3. Depending on the size of your job and other others scheduled around you, we can normally accommodate a request to arrive after a particular time. For example, if you have a doctor's appointment in the morning, you can request us to arrive after 1pm. This can often be arranged. Please keep in mind that our technicians arrive for work at 7:30 in the morning so they are pretty tired by 3 or 4 so we don't start our appointments in the late afternoon.

To schedule your appointment or just to get more information, please call us at 630-961-1312.

What do I need to do in preparation for in home cleaning?

The answer to the question lies greatly in what you are having done. We have two main ways to clean in the home. The first is where we move most of the furniture (extra large pieces such as pool tables and entertainment centers excluded). When we move the furniture, we move it just far enough to clean underneath it then we put the piece back where it was on either foam or plastic protective squares.

The second way to clean is called traffic patterns. When we do traffic patterns, we go around major pieces of furniture such as sofas and beds instead of moving them. We charge by the square foot but we only charge you for the areas that we clean. When cleaning traffic patterns only, we actually measure the size of the room, the subtract out the square footage of the items we are cleaning around, such as a bed.

While cleaning needs in each home are different (you may be an empty-nester while your neighbor has three kids, two dogs and a cat), we generally recommend that every third cleaning we plan on moving the furniture.

When we are cleaning just traffic patterns, please tuck your bed skirts between your mattresses so we won't get them wet when cleaning up to the edge of your bed. When we are moving furniture, please take the time to move lamps, plants and breakables.

Do you scotchguard?

We can scotchguard but we generally recommend against it. Scotchguard that is applied when cleaning is a topical solution. It actually walks off on the bottom of your shoes. So unless you are having a big party the night we clean, it is best to save your money for something else. Stain resistance in nylon carpet has come a long way in the last dozen years. Almost all nylon carpet produced in recent history has the concept of scotchguard integrated with the fibers on a molecular level. It is then locked in so it won't track off or lessen its strength with cleaning.

The only time you might want to consider having a stain protector applied after manufacturing is with a light color wool that will be prone to dye based stains (Koolaid, red wine, urine). Wool has about a 40-50% absorbency rate so whatever is dropped on it wants to soak in right away. Scotchguard is a water-based product, which allows for track-off. There is another oil based product called Kleenguard which is much more effective. Kleenguard does not prevent stains from setting but it slows the rate of absorption, which is why its so good for high absorbency wool. It then allows you some time to run to the kitchen for paper towels to blot up the spot. Spots are difficult to see on darker or patterned wools so once again I would save your money and not add the protection. It is not expensive (half the cost of cleaning), but in most cases you are better off just getting your carpet and rugs cleaned on a regular basis than adding chemical protectors.

Do I pay extra for spotting?

No, not in most cases. We steam clean your rugs and carpet prior to spotting to prevent the need for additional spotting agents. Most common spots will come without the additional spotters. Any spots we encounter while steaming, we will provide additional attention to for no extra charge.

The only time we have to charge extra is for a special treatment called the Red Out Procedure. This procedure requires extra time, materials and training to be successful. It is used on red dye based stains. We have had success with this procedure on red Koolaid and Gatoraid when the spots have not been worked on by the homeowner prior to our arrival. We do need to know ahead of time if you think you will need this procedure so we can schedule accordingly.

How long will it take my carpet to dry?

Your carpet will typically be dry in about 6-8 hours. This is very much as average time. The more humidity in the air, the longer it will take to dry. In the winter, when your heat is running full time, your carpet will typically dry much faster. On the other hand, on a hot rainy day in the middle of the summer when your windows are all open, it will take much longer to day. In order to assist the drying process during hot and humid weather, please turn your air conditioning on at least the night before we arrive for cleaning and let it run until the day after we clean.

How do I schedule an appointment?

While we are working on building an online scheduler that can access our system, for now there are only two ways to schedule.

1. To schedule your appointment or just to get more information, please call us at 630-961-1312.

2. You can also send an email scheduling request to us at cleaning@rmcarpets.com. Please include in your email basic information such as your name, address and, phone number. Please also include which rooms in your home and which day or time of the day works best for you. We can either call or email you back with some options. Please remember that if you don't check your email regularly, the available appointments we email you may be gone if you wait too long.

How do I pay for my cleaning?

Russell Martin accepts all major credit cards, checks and cash. We are also happy to accept Downtown Naperville Gift Certificates.

Can it hurt my carpet or rugs to clean too often?

When professionally cleaning with truck mounted steam extraction, you can not damage your carpet or rugs by cleaning too often. As previously stated, the process is actually elongates the life of your carpet and rugs by resetting the fibers during cleaning.



Common Questions about Cleaning What process does Russell Martin use when cleaning? Why is it better to clean rugs in the warehouse instead of in my home? What should I know when bringing my area rugs in for cleaning? What time frame are in home appointments scheduled for? What do I need to do in preparation for in home cleaning? Do you scotchguard? Do I pay extra for spotting? How long will it take my carpet to dry? How do I schedule an appointment? How do I pay for my cleaning? Can it hurt my carpet or rugs to clean too often? What process does Russell Martin use when cleaning? Russell Martin cleans using truck-mounted hot water extraction. This process has proven itself so much over the years that many of the high end carpet lines we carry in our showroom actually require cleaning by a certified IICRC certified firm using truck-mounted hot water extraction at least every eighteen to twenty-four months to keep your warranty valid. In order for anything, carpet, dishes, laundry to be properly cleaned, a balance of TACT (TIme, Agitation, Chemical, and Temperature) is important. Different methods of cleaning rely on the use of these properties in varying amounts. For example, when you are washing dishes by hand, you probably use warm water (but not too hot to scald yourself), a little bit of soap, and depending on how long the dishes soaked prior to scrubbing; some elbow grease. Your dishwasher on the other hand is unable to use physical elbow grease so it depends on higher temperature and more time with just a little bit of detergent. The same concepts are true for carpet cleaning. You normally think of three main processes when considering having your home cleaned; hot water cleaning, dry cleaning, and a little portable unit. We have already told you we stand behind steam cleaning so lets look at the other two first. Dry cleaning doesn't use water so the aspects of time and temperature are nil leaving a great deal of importance on chemical and agitation. The little portable units that can be purchased or rented do not get very hot nor do they have a strong amperage so they rely on chemical and again old fashioned elbow grease. It is not a bad idea in an active household to keep a portable unit for spot cleaning but unfortunately they have a few issues for whole house cleaning. When you are using one of these portable units, while they rely on the chemical component a great deal, please try to refrain from putting much or any cleaning solution in the machine. The machines do not actually get enough electricity through your house to extract the majority of the cleaning solution ... thus leaving it in your carpet to attract more grease and dirt. To help make cleaning more effective with these units, we recommend putting the hottest tap water you can into the unit prior to cleaning. Synthetic carpet does have a melting point so please do not heat the water, just use hot tap water. We are now back to truck-mounted (for more power) steam (temperature) extraction as our method of choice. This method allows us to use very little cleaning solution and very little agitation. The heat in the water actually resets your carpet fibers (in nylons and wools) to their original stance instead of fraying them. Why is it better to clean rugs in the warehouse instead of my home? Area rugs are a unique animal compared to installed carpet for many reasons. The most obvious reason is that they are free floating on the floor. Commonly they are on top of a hard-wood or tile floor. When steam cleaning, we clean the whole rug not just the center of the rug. This often means there is over-spray onto your floors beneath. We don't want to risk damaging your wood floors with the water and there is also the concern that someone might slip on the wet wood or tile next to your rug. The second reason it's so important to clean rugs in our warehouse is that many area rugs have unique needs. Our technicians literally get down on their hands and knees and clean the fringe on your rug by hand. For braided and flatweave rugs, we clean both sides of the rug. After we finish cleaning, all area rugs are then hung to dry. Depending on the humidity, they can dry in as little as five hours to over a day. After we have ensured that the rugs are completely dry, we drop them to the floor for a full inspection. If we feel the rug could improve with another cleaning, we do not ever hesitate to start the process again. While unfortunately some types of spots that are permanent (then called stains), most will come out with the proper treatment. What should I know when bringing my area rugs in for cleaning? We are happy to pick up your rugs and deliver them back to you... but if you are will to do the work yourself, you can earn 30% off the cost of rug cleaning. Rugs can be brought to our showroom at 633 N. Washington for drop off and they are picked up at the same location. When we have staff meetings certain topics always seem to arise. Inevitably, the topic of area rugs comes up. Considering the fact that we receive anywhere from 5 to 25 rugs in our showroom a day that need to be cleaned and a corresponding number that are being picked up, it is understandable that we sometimes get a little fixated on the topic. The Russell Martin Rug Olympics involves categories such as lifting the heaviest rug, trying to get a big rug into or out of the trunk of a Mini Cooper or on top of a Lincoln Navigator, attempting to get a huge rug that has been here for six months off the storage shelf when there are 25 other huge rugs on top of it while wearing a skirt,hauling a rug into the showroom only to be told the dampness on the front of your suede jacket is (pick your favorite spot) dog urine, vomit, sewage or old milk, and fishing a long, heavy rug, from the back to the front, of an SUV, over groceries and strollers and between occupied child car seats. We, as you hopefully do, find most of this funny, however, as we age (three of us are over 50), get pregnant (not any of the 50 years olds though) and like to protect our both our clothing and our backs, we find it necessary to once again define the “Lug your Rug” policy. What time frame are in home appointments scheduled for? We are in each customer's home as long as it takes to get your carpet as clean as possible. With this being said, we are unable to give exact times for scheduling unless its the first appointment of the day. The first appointment of the day is scheduled to start between 8-9am. After that first appointment we estimate the next appointment available. There is a wide range of home and thus room sizes in our area. One house in downtown Naperville may be a traditional ranch style with modest room sizes, while their neighbor's home may be a new construction with three stories of steps and larger rooms. This makes scheduling an estimated guess at best. Please feel free to take advantage of one or more of the following options to help you the day of cleaning. 1. Ask us to have your technician call your home and/or cell number on the way. If you do need to run errands, please just stay close by to respond when called. 2. Call us a couple of hours before we are expected to arrive. Once your technician is at the cleaning job before yours, he will have a much better idea of when he will get to your house. 3. Depending on the size of your job and other others scheduled around you, we can normally accommodate a request to arrive after a particular time. For example, if you have a doctor's appointment in the morning, you can request us to arrive after 1pm. This can often be arranged. Please keep in mind that our technicians arrive for work at 7:30 in the morning so they are pretty tired by 3 or 4 so we don't start our appointments in the late afternoon. To schedule your appointment or just to get more information, please call us at 630-961-1312. What do I need to do in preparation for in home cleaning? The answer to the question lies greatly in what you are having done. We have two main ways to clean in the home. The first is where we move most of the furniture (extra large pieces such as pool tables and entertainment centers excluded). When we move the furniture, we move it just far enough to clean underneath it then we put the piece back where it was on either foam or plastic protective squares. The second way to clean is called traffic patterns. When we do traffic patterns, we go around major pieces of furniture such as sofas and beds instead of moving them. We charge by the square foot but we only charge you for the areas that we clean. When cleaning traffic patterns only, we actually measure the size of the room, the subtract out the square footage of the items we are cleaning around, such as a bed. While cleaning needs in each home are different (you may be an empty-nester while your neighbor has three kids, two dogs and a cat), we generally recommend that every third cleaning we plan on moving the furniture. When we are cleaning just traffic patterns, please tuck your bed skirts between your mattresses so we won't get them wet when cleaning up to the edge of your bed. When we are moving furniture, please take the time to move lamps, plants and breakables. Do you scotchguard? We can scotchguard but we generally recommend against it. Scotchguard that is applied when cleaning is a topical solution. It actually walks off on the bottom of your shoes. So unless you are having a big party the night we clean, it is best to save your money for something else. Stain resistance in nylon carpet has come a long way in the last dozen years. Almost all nylon carpet produced in recent history has the concept of scotchguard integrated with the fibers on a molecular level. It is then locked in so it won't track off or lessen its strength with cleaning. The only time you might want to consider having a stain protector applied after manufacturing is with a light color wool that will be prone to dye based stains (Koolaid, red wine, urine). Wool has about a 40-50% absorbency rate so whatever is dropped on it wants to soak in right away. Scotchguard is a water-based product, which allows for track-off. There is another oil based product called Kleenguard which is much more effective. Kleenguard does not prevent stains from setting but it slows the rate of absorption, which is why its so good for high absorbency wool. It then allows you some time to run to the kitchen for paper towels to blot up the spot. Spots are difficult to see on darker or patterned wools so once again I would save your money and not add the protection. It is not expensive (half the cost of cleaning), but in most cases you are better off just getting your carpet and rugs cleaned on a regular basis than adding chemical protectors. Do I pay extra for spotting? No, not in most cases. We steam clean your rugs and carpet prior to spotting to prevent the need for additional spotting agents. Most common spots will come without the additional spotters. Any spots we encounter while steaming, we will provide additional attention to for no extra charge. The only time we have to charge extra is for a special treatment called the Red Out Procedure. This procedure requires extra time, materials and training to be successful. It is used on red dye based stains. We have had success with this procedure on red Koolaid and Gatoraid when the spots have not been worked on by the homeowner prior to our arrival. We do need to know ahead of time if you think you will need this procedure so we can schedule accordingly. How long will it take my carpet to dry? Your carpet will typically be dry in about 6-8 hours. This is very much as average time. The more humidity in the air, the longer it will take to dry. In the winter, when your heat is running full time, your carpet will typically dry much faster. On the other hand, on a hot rainy day in the middle of the summer when your windows are all open, it will take much longer to day. In order to assist the drying process during hot and humid weather, please turn your air conditioning on at least the night before we arrive for cleaning and let it run until the day after we clean. How do I schedule an appointment? While we are working on building an online scheduler that can access our system, for now there are only two ways to schedule. 1. To schedule your appointment or just to get more information, please call us at 630-961-1312. 2. You can also send an email scheduling request to us at cleaning@rmcarpets.com. Please include in your email basic information such as your name, address and, phone number. Please also include which rooms in your home and which day or time of the day works best for you. We can either call or email you back with some options. Please remember that if you don't check your email regularly, the available appointments we email you may be gone if you wait too long. How do I pay for my cleaning? Russell Martin accepts all major credit cards, checks and cash. We are also happy to accept Downtown Naperville Gift Certificates. Can it hurt my carpet or rugs to clean too often? When professionally cleaning with truck mounted steam extraction, you can not damage your carpet or rugs by cleaning too often. As previously stated, the process is actually elongates the life of your carpet and rugs by resetting the fibers during cleaning.	Spot Removal Tips. Russell Martin Lug your Rug and save 30% means…. you Earn your discount. You carry it in, you carry it out You load it You tote it You lift it, You shift it It drips on you So don’t dress too nice Be careful in the parking lot Sometimes there’s ice So, bring a friend To help push and pull And earn your discount We’d be very thankful Dear Russell Martin, Last Friday, I had my carpet cleaned by one of your technicians, Paul. I moved into my townhouse two years ago, and I had had my light cream-colored carpet cleaned twise by two other carpet cleaning services. When I had them cleaned previously, the cleaners were in and out in less than an hour, and the stains remained, even though they were supposedly specially treated. When Paul came, I said that I didn't know whether the carpet was worth saving, and I had already planned to replace them sometime within the year. But Paul said that he didn't forsee any problems and that the carpets should clean up nicely. He was cleaning them for the entire morning, and when he was finished, they looked brand new. There was only one spot which he correctly diagnosed as a plant stain (from a houseplant which I had dropped), and he suggested that it could be patched. I have never had such outstanding service and I must commend Paul for being a complete professional with a committment to excellence and pride in his work. In addition to this, he was very pleasant and personable; he is a real asset to your company, and I hope you will let him know how much I value his service. Also, when I called your company for an appointment and with questions about patching, the people answering the phones were very courteous, helpful, and cheerful. So I have very much enjoyed the service Russell Martin provides, and I will certainly use your services again and recommend them to others. Thank you again. Sincerly, Sheryl M.