Here is a great article from a friend of mine on the subject of bargain rugs..

click to read article

I like my customers to know what they are getting when buying loose rugs for their homes.

Please read this and pass it around to your friends and family who also have an interest in rugs

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Over 50 carpet cleaning companies in Santa Cruz and Connoisseur was the 1st pick to clean the carpet when the popular TV show came to town to do a renovation at Hoffmans restaurant.

SANTA CRUZ — There is no typical shoot for the Food Network program “Restaurant Impossible.”

Each struggling restaurant the program remakes in 48 hours on a $10,000 budget poses its own set of challenges.

Monday, the television show, including celebrity chef host Robert Irvine, invaded Hoffman’s Bistro and Patisserie in downtown Santa Cruz. Along with Irvine, designers and a construction crew worked around the clock to revamp the restaurant’s decor, menu and service.

Tuesday night, the restaurant reopened more than two hours behind schedule. When Irvine finally emerged at 9 p.m. the patient crowd waiting to dine cheered and snapped photos.

“This was the biggest and toughest job we’ve ever done,” the chef said. “I think there is blood on everything.”

Even after opening, the renovation was kept under wraps with plastic covering the windows. However, it was clear that the gold paint still on the facade had been replaced inside with walls painted in white and varying shades of olive. Wood paneling was laid over the floor tiles, and the long chain of bakery cases was gone.

DOWN TO THE WIRE

The tight deadline invariably leads to last-minute scrambling to finish the last few details before the door.

“The shoots never go smoothly,” said executive produce Marc Summers. “Our initial scouts might have an idea where we are going, and then Robert comes in and goes in a completely different direction … We’ve been two hours late with the reopening before, which is never good because you don’t want to anger potential customers.”

So much needs to get done during the frantic two-day process that oftentimes certain jobs only end up 90 percent complete.

“You hope the carpets dry in time after being cleaned,” Summers said. “You hope the paint dries in time. In one episode we had painted chairs that hadn’t dried, and then you have to replace the customers’ clothing. Basically, it’s like cramming 5 pounds worth of stuff into a 2-pound bag in a limited time.”

The show’s producers said Santa Cruz has been incredibly welcoming and accommodating, and at least 30 area residents volunteered to help with the project.

The Hoffman family opened their restaurant on Pacific Avenue a decade ago, immediately poured $500,000 into renovations, and has been struggling to get into the black since. The restaurant’s business dropped 25 percent during the recent economic downturn, June Hoffman said.

While the family reported doing well with breakfast and brunch, their dinner service has never done well. Many of the people lined up outside the restaurant Tuesday evening said they never knew Hoffman’s served dinner.

NEW LIFE

“This restaurant is in debt and they have nowhere else to go,” said Irvine, wearing his trademark black shirt and blue jeans, during a brief break from shooting earlier in the day. “‘Restaurant Impossible’ gives hope to these restaurants that could go out of business otherwise. Hopefully after two days and $10,000 we can help put this restaurant and this family back together again, and give them a new lease on life … We are behind the eight ball now. Who knows if we will get everything done on time.”

Tuesday afternoon the restaurant, and the parking lot in back, were a hive of activity. Designer Nicole Facciuto reported in with supervising producer Jill Littman to say she found a piece of furniture for the restaurant for $10 at a nearby thrift store.

Workers sawed pieces of wood, arranged new turquoise-colored furniture and filled salt and pepper shakers. On monitors in the parking lot, producers watched a live feed of the filming going on inside in which Irvine went over pricing with pastry chef and owner Ed Hoffman.

Reservations for the grand reopening filled up in a half-hour, said associate producer Justin Leonard, and a total of about 400 people were expected at the renovated restaurant Tuesday evening.

Leonard said they expect the Hoffman’s episode, the final one for season two, to air sometime this winter, most likely in January.

I’m proud to say we met the challenge, we got the carpet clean and dry enough for them to continue with the face lift.

We started work at 2:30PM and left around 4:30, unfortunately the work crews made a mess of our artwork

It was impressive how quick everything came together but seeing all that sawdust fall on my freshly cleaned carpet drove us nuts..

This was a great opportunity to show our stuff and we’d love the challenge of cleaning your dining room too..

If you want the very best in protection for your stone floors, counter tops, patios or shower stalls then look no further than Dry Treat brand sealers.

Why seal?

Building materials such as natural stone, tile, masonry, concrete and grout are all made up of countless invisible capillary pores. This makes them porous and allows the absorption of damaging liquids such as water, water-borne salts and oils. These liquids cause the building material to deteriorate prematurely and in so doing reduce their usefulness. Examples of deterioration include; weathering, loss of strength, efflorescence, salt attack, freeze-thaw spalling, sulphate attack, alkali aggregrate reaction, unsightly staining, biological attack, reinforcement rusting, chemical attack, swelling, thermal conductivity, embrittlement and picture framing. Sealing can eliminate or significantly reduce most of these problems.

What type of sealer should I use?

There are two main types of sealers, namely, surface sealers and impregnating sealers. A surface sealer will provide a physical barrier over the surface. The result is a darkening of the surface. These coatings usually wear and weather relatively quickly, make the surface more slippery when wet and must be completely stripped off when re-coating. Salts may also build-up under the surface, causing the coating to appear cloudy. Impregnating sealers can be classified as those that repel water and those that repel both water and oil based stains. Impregnating sealers usually have little effect on the frictional properties and appearance of the surface but will not completely stop dirt and rubber getting into the open pores of the surface. When comparing similar sounding impregnating sealers the two most important questions are: (a) is it permanent? and (b) how deep does it penetrate below the surface? A good depth of penetration is critical to provide protection against traffic wear and weathering.

How do I qualify for a written warranty and what does it mean?

If an area of porous building materials is prepared and sealed by a Dry-Treat Accredited Applicator who holds a current license you will qualify for a written warranty. The warranty is between Dry-Treat and the property owner, and states that if the sealed surface is properly maintained but fails then it will be re-sealed free of charge. The Applicator is able to log in through the Dry-Treat web site and generate and email a warranty that will include important details about the job.

(more…)

If your dog has worn out his dancing shoes on your carpet, make sure to give us a call.

Excuse us while we do some house keeping

Connoisseur cleans carpet, upholstery, area rugs, wool rugs, tile, grout and stone in the following santa cruz county zip codes:

95060, 95061, 95062, 95063, 95064, 95065, 95066, 95067, 95003, 95077, 95004, 95006, 95010, 95007, 95017, 95018

Etching on marble, limestone, travertine and all the calcium based stone is the result of a chemical reaction that occurs when acid comes in contact with a surface. Etch marks on stone surfaces resemble water spots or worn polish.

Seemingly innocent items like tooth paste, mouthwash, orange juice, coffee, vinegar, wine, perfumes, tomato products, mustard and many soft drinks are highly acidic and will etch, discolor, or even scratch. Acid resistant stones like most granite, slate and sandstone will typically not etch, nor will ceramic and porcelain tile. Sealing will give you more time to wipe up a spill, but it cannot stop the chemical reaction that may leave a dull mark. Remember to always use coasters and place mats on these acid-sensitive stones.

The only way to remove Etch Marks is by diamond polishing. Sometimes just the spot can be re-polished. Give us a call and we’ll come out to assess your needs.

How to Test if Your Stone is Already Sealed

Take a quick test, water-repellency test to see if your stone has already been sealed and does the sealer still offer protection from water-based stains.

Directions

1. Make sure surface area is clean, dry and free of waxes and coatings.
2. Apply a drop of water 1 inch in diameter to the stone surface.
3. Allow the water to stand on the stone for overnight. Cover with a cup or bowl to avoid evaporation
   
4. If surface is unsealed, the water will absorb into the stone and darken the surface (absorption speed will depend on porosity of the stone).
5.  In the morning you’ll see if the surface is already sealed or if stone is very dense, the water will bead up and stand on the surface. Some Granites are so dense they do not require sealing at all.

Than you’ll want to spend some time checking out this website

The true beauty of Persian Rugs derives from the people who weave Persian Rugs. When we talk about the Persian or Iranian people we are not speaking of one broad ethnic group we are talking about many. While most Persians are Indo European a significant portion are Altaic/Turkic, Dravidian, Kartvelian/Georgian, and Afro-Asiatic. Currently the people of Iran speak 79 different languages and countless dialects.

Much like the United States people from many backgrounds come together and make one people. One must not try to argue that certain people are true Persians and some are Azeris or Arabs, the people of Iran are the Persian people no matter what their milk tongue. For instance the Persians who weave Tabriz Rugs are by and large the Southern Azeri speaking Persians who speak the Tabrizi dialect of Southern Azeri.

 

Pet activity may happen on your favorite rugs this summer. Guests in the home, or you away from home, restless pets can end up doing things they should not.

With an inexpensive tufted rug, this can be a blessing because it is protecting a much more valuable wood floor underneath it.

With an oriental rug (hand woven), this can be a curse because pet urine on a rug is one of the most dangerous spills on a textile – not only for the rug itself, but for the occupants if you allow the accidents to happen over and over.

With woven rugs, the foundation fibers are typically cotton. This means the wool fibers are tied around cotton warps. So pet urine (or vomit or #2) will penetrate the wool fibers – because this accident is hot and acidic – and will become absorbed by the cotton interior fibers. This means the accident you see is only the tip of the sewage iceburg.

This Chinese rug has much more urine absorbed within its foundation fibers.

Ideally, when you notice an accident has happened – you jump to action. These are your spills steps:

1) If there is anything to scoop up – scoop it up. Blot up what you can with a cotton towel.

2) Pour some club soda (or if you have no soda water – a 50/50 mixture of white vinegar and cool water) into a container. Use a sponge, wringing out the excess, and DAMPEN the affected area. Then blot with a cotton towel to pull out the urine or vomit or fecal matter.

3) Blot until you see nothing coming into the towel. Then take a hair dryer on warm (not hot) and dry the fibers. Ideally raise the rug up in this area so air flow is along both sides.

WARNINGS! If you see the rug dyes transfer into the towel, you need to stop getting the rug damp, and blot and dry as quickly as possible. If you get a woven rug too wet you will risk potential mildew and mold problems, so do not get the fibers WET, just damp. If you SCRUB wool instead of blot, you can potentially create fiber distortion/breaking.

The bigger problem with rugs comes when you allow repeated pet accidents on your rugs. The stains will be permanent, the odor strong, and long term exposure can lead to mildew and dry rot of the rug.

Besides of course the fact that this becomes an open pet toilet in your living space – which is not good for the health of you or your family.

Mildew growth on back of Persian rug with repeated pet urine activity – this is the stage before dry rot sets in.

The only way to remove the urine from the inside of these rugs is to have them completely immersed in a plant specializing in washing rugs. The rug needs a thorough bath.

Cleaning rugs like these in the home only surface cleans them. It gets the top fibers cleaner, but does nothing to the inside fiber contamination.

They may spray some disinfectant, or deodorizer on the rug to make it smell “good” – but smelling good does not mean it is CLEAN. This is not any different than spraying fragrance on a diaper, and then expecting it to be used again. It may not smell bad – but you know that would be completely unacceptable and unhealthy.

Proper cleaning presents a catch 22 though, because what is needed is a good thorough soak for an extended period of time. You soak it first in white vinegar (acetic acid) to penetrate the inside of the rug to liquify and help remove the urine salts from the inside of the rug – many times you can see the water literally run gold from pet problems.

However, pet urine stains, if they have sat on the rug for longer than a week, can create a break in the dye bond to the wool and can make even very colorfast rugs “bleed” during the wash.

The catch 22 is that because there are pet urine stains, the rug needs to be soaked completely… but because there are pet urine spills the dyes will likely bleed if the rug is washed, no matter what a professional cleaner does to stabilize dyes during cleaning.

It is important, as rug cleaners isto inform our client of this, and to make sure they are informed of these four things: 1) the rug must be given a wet wash to remove the odor causing contaminants from the inside of the rug; 2) that pet urine stains are permanent; 3) that even though white vinegar will be used to remove the urine salts, and stabilize dyes during the wash process, pet affected areas are likely to bleed despite all of your best efforts; and 4) that pet urine causes damage to rugs that devalues them permanently.

If a rug can be cleaned properly soon after any significant pet accident, you can avert permanent damage. If a rug cleaning cannot happen quickly, then the steps outlined in this post can help you minimize the damage.

At Connoisseur we can clean your modern. less soiled rugs in the home quickly and safely. If pet urine damage has occurred we recommend having Talisman Rug Cleaning in Santa Cruz or Artisan Rug Studio in Watsonville perform a hand washing to save your valuable piece. We can assist in delivering your rug to either company if we are already in your home cleaning your carpet or tile floors.

Than please look into my wife Paula’s wonderful service for your children..

http://aptosyellowbarn.com/

Our Santa Cruz daycare facility is clean and well kept. The yard and home are large so the children do not feel cramped.  Our focus is primarily on safety and love, and then to keep a balance between fun, education, and moral awareness.  We always try to strike that balance.  I feel that it is important to be efficient, and also spontaneous. It is not unusual for any of us to break out in song and dance, or poem, at any given moment.

We love to spend time outdoors, being active, observing our pets, other animals, and nature.  We love to do arts and crafts, so we try to include projects for the age of the children attending. Singing, reading, and “pretend” are also really fun parts of our day. Equally important are food and hygiene.  As you can see, our days are busy, but you already know that, because you are most likely already parents.

Thank you for your interest and the opportunity to care for your child.  I hope this is the beginning of a beautiful relationship.

Cleaned a fun one down at the Boardwalk last week.

Way down…!

Actually it was the command center carpet which is deep in the subterranean caverns of our beloved Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. No steam cleaning could be done here as the rooms needing carpet cleaning were down many long hallways and only elevator access was available.

It was very interesting seeing how the whole park is kept in control via computers. And don’t think for a minute you can swipe a candy apple or a taffy nugget with out someone seeing you.

After winning Best Carpet Cleaner for the 3rd time we thought we should place a “thank you readers” ad in the Good times this year.

I had this old photo laying around that an old friend made up for me when we first got our Vortex truck. I had shown him some wedding photos that were taken where Mrs Reagan was also a guest and he ran with it. He knows my sense of humor, my wife and my dietary beliefs as well as being aware of our town’s reputation and he ran with it…

I wanted the ad to stand out from all the rest of the thank you ads….

I’ve already received some nice complements..

hopefully I didn’t offend any republican vegans with this weird marketing..

Two years in a row now!
Feels pretty darn good considering not a single vote was solicited.
With over 6000 voters taking part in the online poll this year, it’s nice to know we came out on top over some steep competition.
Santa Cruz has it’s share of very good carpet and tile cleaners so we’re very proud of this achievement.

2011 Winner Best Carpet Cleaner!!

Wall to wall carpet, area rugs, tile and stone floors and counter tops, grout cleaning and sealing, grout recoloring and any and all upholstery. Look to Connoisseur for your next cleaning project.

I do wish they would have contacted me about the article they wrote. We are no longer able to use 90% Bio Diesel. We do run the 5% mixture available at USA on 7th ave. We have 3 we URLs and two that I can not control had not been updated. Sorry for any misinformation.

Farm Fresh To You offers a variety of seasonal fruits and vegetables from our farm and create several home delivery and office delivery service options for you to choose from. Our Regular Service is our most popular home delivery for those who have some time to cook and Mostly Fruit Service is great for those of you who are always on the run. The produce in each service changes weekly and varies seasonally, but we work with neighboring organic farms to ensure a good variety of produce year round.

You Choose the service you would like to receive and the frequency you would like to receive your service. The day that you receive delivery and the frequency of your delivery can be weekly, every other week, every third week or every 4th week delivery.

My family has been using this service for close to a year now and are thrilled with the whole deal.

Everything arrives in perfect condition, the fruits are always a few days away from ripeness and the greens are always crisp and nothing wilted. They will replace anything that went bad in your next order if you let them know. Your “menu” is highly customizable online so you’ll never get stuff you dont want.

Prices are in line with what you pay at the local farmers market if not cheaper.

Click here to learn more

and tell them Mike and Paula Pailliotet sent you along with offer #6164 for $5 off your first order.

Has your dog been sprayed by a skunk? Even if not, all dog owners should know how to handle it – just in case. You may have heard of skunk odor remedies like tomato juice or vinegar, but they really just cover up the odor. Skunk spray is very oily and contains sulfur (hence the stench). This recipe causes a chemical reaction that breaks up the oils and neutralizes the odor.

Here’s How:

1. As soon as you realize your dog has been sprayed by a skunk, don some rubber or latex gloves and old clothes and look her over for bites or scratches. Also check her eyes for redness or discharge. If any injuries are found, you should contact your veterinarian before proceeding.
2. Time is of the essence here – the longer you wait to begin the process, the harder it will be to remove the stench. Get set up for bathing your dog outdoors or in an easy to clean area of your home (laundry room, bathroom, etc). If indoors, open a window to save your nose!
3. Apply a small strip of eye lubricant (such as Puralube) or 1-2 drops of mineral oil to your dog’s eyes. This will help protect the eyes in case any of the solution splashes or drips in.
4. In the plastic container, combine 1 quart hydrogen peroxide, 1/4 cup baking soda and 1 to 2 teaspoons of liquid soap. Add lukewarm water if needed (for larger dogs). Mix ingredients well. The solution will fizz, as a chemical reaction is occurring. Use immediately – do not store.
5. Do not soak your dog with water prior to bathing. Promptly begin cleansing the affected areas thoroughly, massaging the solution deep into your dog’s coat. You may wish to use a sponge or washcloth. Avoid getting the solution in the eyes, ears or mouth.
6. Allow the solution to remain on your dog for at least five minutes (longer if strong odor persists).
7. Rinse your dog well with lukewarm water. Repeat steps 3-5 as necessary until odor is gone.
8. Dry your dog well and give her a treat!

Tips:

1. NEVER place the solution in a closed container or spray bottle, as the pressure will build up and the container could burst. This could cause serious injury to you and your dog.
2. DO NOT use higher concentrations of hydrogen peroxide or substitute baking soda with “similar” products. The altered chemical reaction could cause severe injury to you and your dog.
3. Be certain you use fresh hydrogen peroxide, as it becomes less concentrated over time. If you are unsure how old your hydrogen peroxide is (or if it is expired) get fresh bottles just in case.
4. The solution can be used to remove skunk odor from clothing, however, it can have a mild bleaching effect on some upholstery and rug materials. In addition, your dog’s coat may become slightly lighter as a result of the solution. If this happens, it should resolve over time. Don’t worry, your black dog will not become a platinum blond!
5. To help avoid future meetings between skunks and your dog, try to prevents skunks from becoming attracted to your property. Do not leave food outside, including bird seed and fallen fruit from trees. Make sure garbage cans are well-secured. Placing moth balls and ammonia-soaked rags around your property might deter skunks from approaching. In addition, keep your dog within eye shot and keep her from running into wooded areas unattended.

What You Need:

* 1 quart (32 fl oz, nearly 1 liter) Hydrogen Peroxide 3% (U.S.P)
* 1/4 cup baking soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) *NOT baking powder or washing powder*
* 1 to 2 teaspoons liquid soap (such as Ivory™ Liquid Cleanser or Softsoap®)
* 1 quart lukewarm water (only needed for very large dogs)
* A clean plastic bucket, bowl or other mixing container (do not cover)
* Clean plastic utensils for mixing
* Protective eye ointment or mineral oil (for your dog’s eyes)
* Latex or rubber gloves
* A protective apron and eye goggles if possible
* Plenty of towels

and then it’s time to call Connoisseur to have us clean and deodorize the furniture, carpet and rugs your skunk’d pet came in contact with.

I just got my wife this New Shark upright and boy is she thrilled.

Shark Navigator Web Site

While the original Navigator is still fantastic the new Navigator “Lift Away” takes it up a few notches for hard floor owners..

We got ours and Bed, Bath and Beyond in Santa Cruz for $135 with the 20% off coupon they toss around.

Please watch the video on their site.

Lots of folks I talk to just have no clue on how to go about picking out a area rug for their home.

I thought give some nice simple advice to take away some of the confusion you’ll run into while out shopping.

Lets break the choices into three categories.

1. Synthetic machine made rugs
2. Wool machine/tufted rugs
3. Hand tied wool rugs.

Machine made Synthetics

Synthetic rugs are commonly made from Olefin, Polypropylene or Nylon fibers. They are inexpensive compared to either wool types and provide excellent stain resistance. The craftsmanship is getting better and better and some manufactures are able to make a rug that really looks like a nice Persian or Oriental rug to the untrained eye. Most can be safely and effectively cleaned in your home. Perfect for leaky pet owners, under dining room tables and high likelihood of spilling areas where wool rugs would not hold up to the abuse.

Couch Potato and Rainbow Carpet have many in stock.

Easy to identify with the symmetrical knots shown on the back side and the stiff/rigid feeling to the fibers and rug itself.

Tufted and machine made wool rugs

Low cost wool option that provides the look and feel of a “real” hand tied rug. Most can be surface/steam cleaned in the home with no risk.

A good choice for the wool purist for high traffic areas and spill zones. Drawbacks include short lifespan due to the glue used in the construction drying out within 10 years, high likelihood of a strong burnt rubber smell emitted from the latex glue, very difficult to immersion clean with out damaging the backing and they generally stain easier than quality hand tied wool rugs.

Pottery Barn, Cost Plus and Ikea have a great selection.

Cotton backing hides the glue and the pattern above.

Hand Tied Wool

The real deal.

Expensive and in many cases, collectible. Some are too nice to walk on while others are real work horses and the wear and tear only adds to their charm. Colors and designs that are not possible with other manufacturing processes. No synthetic material used in the construction and with proper care can last for generations. Antiques and delicate pieces should not be cleaned in the home.

Repels dirt very well but liquid spills should be extracted out as soon as possible. Many are not colorfast so cleaning agents should always be tested for safety. Not recommended for homes with pets and careless children and husbands.

Many Rug galleries in the bay area to chose from, be prepared to spend lots of time choosing out a piece.

The visible knots and reverse image are your first clues that this was made by hand.

Connoisseur cleans all three types  and can further assist you with the care and selection of new and old  rugs.

We can help.

At some point hard water deposits and soap scum will etch and cause permanent damage to your Shower Stall glass (and tile and fixtures) but if you’re in the Santa Cruz area we’d be glad to come by and run a free test to see if we can restore your glass.

A special polishing cream and our patented Connoisseur Elbow Grease can often times get your glass like new again.

We may need to sub contract with a Shower Door specialist to have the door removed so we can get to 100% of your problem but the cost will still be 50% of what a new quality door/wall would cost you to replace.

Here is a door we did recently..

Before..

During..

and after..

Now our installer will return to put it all back together with fresh seals and polished hardware.

In this particular case we had already cleaned and sealed the stone walls and floor. They came out so well the home owner became painfully aware of just how bad the glass looked and begged us to do something about it.

We aim to please here @ Connoisseur.

Well. You see. It’s like this.

I’m in a LeTip group and every week someone has to talk about their business. Mike is a highly paid, well-known professional carpet cleaner (and furniture, etc. etc.). Anyway. He’s usually a jokester. But yesterday he took it seriously and gave us an honest-to-goodness lecture on what you want in a vacuum cleaner, which ones he’s tested, which ones we need, and all the whys (which you know I love).

Now picture this. He’s a huge (6’5?) guy, full macho, bike rider, etc. He’s in front of a group of about 40 people. Showing us how to vacuum with a lilac colored vacuum. AND the 40 people who know him are LISTENING and NOT laughing. I, personally, was riveted. Looking back, I’m still laughing!

So here’s the scoop: Best one for us $157.99 + tax at CostCo. (Happens to be lilac so I’m having fun.) Shark Navigator.
Here’s the Mike-taught vacuuming technique (I can still picture him!):

Lower gripping brushes is NOT better. Lugs the motor, burns the belts, doesn’t let the brushes lift the dirt up.

Before washing carpets vacuum vacuum vacuum. He uses the Shark and can spend an hour on one room. Just keeps emptying out the dust and dirt. THEN washes although sometimes doesn’t need to!
Don’t hunt and peck! Forward fast cuz it doesn’t matter. The back REAL SLOOOOW because that’s how the brushes are designed to feed the dirt into the vacuum. This is a hard pattern for me to break — so I’ve been practicing all over the house today.
Lighter and quieter is not better. They have cut back the motor to lighten them so they don’t vacuum as well.
I could go on but I sense I’m boring you. Or you can’t read any more through your tears of laughter.
No matter. I am one happy camper and spreading the gospel to all.

Wait, I think I should do my bedroom again.
Gotta run,
me

Yelp continues to be one of our greatest sources of quality seeking new clients.

Not a day goes by at Connoisseur where we dont hear the word YELP!

Thank you Yelpers for reviewing us into the number one Carpet, Upholstery, Tile and Grout cleaning company for all of Santa Cruz County!

Meet  “Hula” our female Olde English Bulldogge puppy.

Hula Girl

8 weeks old and loaded with personality and heart breaking charm and good looks.

Our five year old boy Diesel hasn’t quite grasped what it all means..

Diesel and Hula

Seeing how he is “intact” it wont take long for him to show us his gratitude..

Paula and her new baby

Baby blue!

My Wife Paula runs the best little Day Care in all of Aptos…

http://aptosyellowbarn.com/

Around our home we love the Sebo X4 upright. It’s a beautifully German engineered piece of equipment.

Built to last forever, extremely well filtered (S class), very easy to use and goes from hard floor to carpet with no manual adjustments. An active on board computer assure that the brush roll is always at the right height for what ever flooring is being cleaned. A real nice feature is that it lays completely flat for getting underneath beds and furniture. A joy to use.

Watch the video!

Sebo X4

———————————————————————————————

Our vacuum of choice at work (these days, check back later) is the Shark Navigator.

We need to be able to see the amount of dry soil we are removing from our customer’s carpets so we can better gauge just how thorough a cleaning will be needed. A clear cup style vacuum tells us volumes about the life a carpeted floor lives. If we fill up the dirt cup 3 times in (which is quite often) one room we know we’ll have to spend extra time and measures making sure we clean as deep and effective as possible. If we remove just a few strands of loose fiber and one pop corn kernel we’ll know not to “over clean” that area. Seeing what we remove also helps us recommenced  better vacuuming techniques or possibly  just a better vacuum to the home owner.

We love the Shark Navigator for it’s ease of use, only 15 pounds!, it’s build quality and it’s amazing performance.

We’ve tested all the available Dirt Cup (bag-less) vacuums and and not even the mighty Dyson can match all the Navigator has to offer. While it looks tiny on the shelf compared to all the other vacuums you’ll see in the store we find that it out cleans the vacuums weighing twice as much. Thanks to a very efficient and unique air flow design it never looses suction as the cup fills up and filter maintenance is a breeze. Standard accessories include an extra set of filters,  a great upholstery and stair tool, an extra long crevice tool and more.

We have been torturing ours at work for a couple months now and it hasn’t missed a beat. With metal in all the high stress areas rather than plastic, a very easy to clean and empty (although a bit too small) Dirt Cup and it’s ease of use around furniture, the Shark is a real deal.

Currently $159.00 at Costco!

Watch the video

the Shark!

(edit) At four months will manage to kill the brush roll motor on this NON Commercial vacuum. Keep in mind that we used it about 230 times before it gave out.

If you vacuum your home once a week, that’s 4 plus year of service. That vacuum has a two year warranty and both Bed Bath and Beyond and Costco will take it back if it fails prematurely. We brought ours back to BBB and they swapped it for a new one no questions asked.

I still have to wonder if anyone actually reads carpet cleaning blogs..

I posted this last year and only a few found the coupon..

Lets try again, $25 off any of our on location services. Minimum charge for your area applies.

Not to be combined with other discounts.

Simply print out this:

And then call 831 476 9721 to book an appointment.

This popular fish house has us out 4 times a year to keep their restaurant looking and smelling fresh and healthy..

before..

after..

We  regularly clean carpet at a variety of popular Santa Cruz restaurants. Assuming we can come out during day light hours, we would love to clean yours too.

We recently had the pleasure of cleaning April Martins Jewelry Studio and home.

We were very impressed with her artwork and attitude..

If we vacuumed up some of your earrings or pendants during your last cleaning we encourage you to look for replacements at @ http://www.aprilmartindesigns.com/

and I think she was pretty darned impressed with how well her carpet cleaned up..

Please check out one of our good customer’s offerings at

http://www.timberlaketextiles.com/

Cindy has impeccable taste and a real eye for modern and classic design. Please give her a call if you need help picking out the right piece for your home.