LadyBug Carpet Care

This is confusing for people who are new to the HOST© process. I totally understand this question as that was my first question when I first looked into using this carpet method. What is important to remember first is that when you have your carpets steamed cleaned, you have lots of water left behind along with chemicals or soap that you cannot see but you can smell and feel the steam cleaning results. (Water left behind can cause a number of problems: water may have forced through the carpet below and into the pad leaving water to foster odors, bacterial, or mold. Truck mount systems can not suck up the water effectively, or their tanks may have dirty water left in it from previous customer and then introduced into your home. So either method is going to leave behind something.) So I say, I prefer to have some natural tiny sponges left behind that can be vacuumed later, rather than water and chemicals that leave carpet damaged and toxic.

HOST© cleaning method does leave a very small amounts of the cellulose natural cleaner behind, but this is not a sticky residue. (Sticky residue is considered soap and chemicals that cause rapid re-soiling of carpet) The HOST© compound is totally non-toxic, organic, and will not harm your children, animals, or hard surfaces if it comes in contact with them. The next few times you vacuum some sponges will continue to come up. As long as it is in the carpeting it is still cleaning and absorbing allergens, conditioning fibers, and dirt from carpet fibers.

***HOST© does not become airborne, due to the weight of it. Tiny amounts left in carpet is safe for infants, animals, and people with lung problems due to it not being able to become airborne. However, when putting an infant on a carpet, a blanket is always important to protecting the infant FROM BREATHING INTO Carpeting. Carpet fibers can be irritating to babies' sensitive skin.

Our cleaning process HOST© has been around since the 1950's. The HOST© method has continued to evolve and adapt to carpet conditions throughout these many years.

Yes, the headquarters that developed HOST© products is located in Racine, Wisconsin.

We use a teaspoon of water per square foot on carpet that is normally soiled. Water is needed to break down dirt. (If you don't use water, then chemicals are needed to break down dirt.) But too much water can cause waste water and steam professionals often can lose control of their waste water. Carpet that is wet underneath the carpet and takes more than four hours to dry can cause mold, odors, bacteria to fester; water stains wick up fibers and reappear later.

We are officially called HOST©, the dry extraction carpet cleaning system. The moist HOST© sponges are extracted out dry after they have done there job cleaning and absorbing dirt with a powerful HEPA commercial vacuum. Areas that are more soiled, or are treated for pet stains may take a few applications of host cleaning treatments resulting in a little longer drying time to extract the host sponges. When we leave, carpets are usually dry within 15 minutes to a half an hour.

All carpet cleaning can have some friction on carpets when cleaning. That is why proper maintenance is first in keeping your carpets looking new. HOST© triples the life span of your carpeting when applied correctly by the HOST© cleaning professional. The right stiffness or softness of the HOST© machine brushes must be used for proper cleaning to not cause texture change. If carpeting is matted, a stiffer brush may be used to fluff up carpet fibers to make the carpet plush and renewed.

I believe that due to our dry climate in CO, steam cleaners can be lucky not fostering mold because the water is evaporating more quickly. In humid areas, such as in Florida, black mold is notorious due to moisture left in carpeting that takes weeks to dry. All types of steam extraction methods have been flooding the market with advertisements and franchises for many years, with cheap promotional coupons and ads. Another reason for lack of knowing about HOST© is that carpet distributors tend to recommend carpet steam cleaners; whereas carpet manufactures recommend our HOST© cleaning method or other more drier type carpet cleaning methods to protect their warranty. Why the difference? The carpet distributors are more interested in selling carpet; the carpet manufactures need to proclaim how to not damage the carpet, if cleaned.

As our web site home page states, it works well on all types of carpeting, area rugs, orientals, and stone tile. Wool carpeting however needs to be cleaned more often, and needs to be cleaned with softer brushes (due to fuzzing). It also takes longer for spots that are cleaned to dry. HOST© is certified with the Wool Safe Seal of Approval. Recycled carpeting is made from plastic pop bottles and it is very durable, but it can have its problems. Dirt can scratch fibers and this makes the carpeting look dull or the fibers can become so matted they bind or meld together. Frequent vacuuming and routine cleaning of both types of carpeting is recommended for keeping these types of carpet from wearing out prematurely. Always see maintenance instructions for your carpet.

We have had a lot of success if the urine is mainly on top of the carpeting. Pet stains can be very problematic if the animal has visited that same area repeatedly. We cannot clean up saturated urine if it has penetrated down in the pad, floor board, or wallboard and neither can a other methods including steam cleaning. This condition needs a different approach to fixing the problem. Often when cleaning we may find more is needed to eliminate urine. We may need to inject enzymes below the carpet and into pad to help eliminate odors. Sometimes we will recommend replacing the pad, cleaning stained floor boards, painting the floor, and cleaning the back of carpeting. Steam cleaning may seem smart, but adding water can cause the urine odor to be activated, to resurface, and to be spread more throughout the carpet area (sometimes leaving the stain worse than before). Often the operator of steam cleaning method is the most important factor, as it takes experience to deal with pet problems. 100% satisfaction is always questionable when dealing with pet problems.

Each job is unique, but if the urine is on mainly on top of the carpet and not in the pad past jobs have shown HOST© to be successful. Often we will leave a small package of HOST© sponges along with our LadyBug D-Molish pet stain remover so customers can continue to work on the area if needed.

I have to agree that all carpet cleaners are proud and boast about their way of cleaning. First of all, our dry cleaning method is not for dirty greasy busy restaurants or car and truck interior carpet. The reason is that it will not be cost effective for the customer. Water extraction works well on these types of carpeting and conditions. Deep down mud or urine below the carpeting cannot be pulled out with a dry method, so we may have to resort to a wet extraction method. Keep in mind though, hot steam cleaning can cause glued down carpet to become loose, cause odors, stretch, or warp. Water can also leak down into cement causing mold problems. So we do have our limits as well as steam cleaning.

HOST© is superior over steam and rotary methods for residential carpeting that usually has a thick pad and dense, delicate carpeting. HOST© is wonderful for businesses as it is dry immediately, eliminating downtime, and HOST© also improves indoor air quality. Water extractions can over-wet and cause indoor air problems, mold, and wicking return of brown stains/spots when applied. Using water on expensive area/oriental rugs can also cause problems such as colors running, rotting, and distorting in shape.

HOST© itself does not become airborne as it is brushed into the carpeting. The dust and allergens from the customer's carpet may become airborne from the brushing action of the host machines if the carpet is very dirty or has mold. We advice persons who have severe asthma or lung disease to not be in the same room we are cleaning due to dust that may accumulate in the air temporarily. We also use HEPA filters on our vacuums to help with the cleaning process and indoor air quality. See our testimonials to hear about how customer air quality has improved.