Water damage in your home or office is a major deal. When a major leak or flood occurs, it usually comes as a surprise and can cause thousands of dollars in damage. The question is, how do your approach cleanup of such an event?

Knowing that immediate action is required, please take a few minutes to read why ensuring some shortcuts can detract from alleviating the problem of water damaged carpets. Cornerstone Chem-Dry wants you to have the information that will prepare you for such a crisis.

Hypothetical Situation

We are all familiar with the stories of busted pipes. Let me tell you about a situation that tends to occur many times for many people.

Mr. and Mrs. Barrera have 14 grandchildren, ages ranging from 8 months through 16 years of age. The Barrera’s recently bought a house with a swimming pool for summer fun with lots of water to survive the Texas heat.

In the midst of all those grandchildren are siblings; Andy, Carlos, and Brittney; ages 13, 14, and 13, respectively. A rather large family, these three have three younger siblings Seth, Olivia and Caroline ages 3, 4 and 4, respectively.

The three older kids engaged in the Battle of Water Balloon fought at Fort Pool one Sunday afternoon. The three younger kids watched, squealed with excitement and plotted their move; they, too, wanted in on the fun. The one, most notable, difference: an indoor splash-o-rama seemed much more fun. From here on we’ll let your imagination depict what Mr. and Mrs. Barrera walked in on while coming inside for lunch.

So, here we have water-soaked carpets on a Sunday afternoon. Their first attempt was using several towels, but quickly realized the size of the damage was not towel effective. The Barrera’s had learned that mold, mildew and other fungal growth promoting bacteria can occur within the 12 – 48 hours of saturation.

We find that many customers discover the hard way that simply leaving the carpets until the next day or later can almost guarantee the need to replace the entire damaged carpet. Home owners have had family members who became very sick from the direct results of waiting. For this reason, Mr. and Mrs. Barrera should call a professional. If they call Cornerstone Chem-Dry, we could have a crew out to their home in a couple of hours—yes, even on a Sunday!

Sanitary Vs. Unsanitary

The first process for treating water-soaked carpets is the determination of the water source. In this case we were dealing with sanitary water. These are cases where the carpets are most often salvageable and returned to normal in a short time.

Should someone’s carpet be soaked with unsanitary water – toilette overflow, sewage contamination, etc. – there is the possibility of carpet replacement for obvious health issues. Even with the sanitary water-damaged carpets a sanitizing agent is used as a deterrent for bacterial growth.

Once our technicians have assessed the situation, as all are not approached in the same manner, we give the proper recommendations accordingly. For instance, sometimes certain rugs, furniture, or other soaked items are required additional drying time. Other times the recommendation is to discard the items. Having a professional access each case is a good idea since many variables are at play for the appropriate action.

Should your carpets ever become soaked, rest assured that Cornerstone Chem-Dry is available 24 hours a day for the treatment of your home. Be aware that even a small amount of soaking can cause serious health problems in your home among your family.

We are ready and waiting for the care of your carpets. We serve the entire North Texas region. Simply call us today from your Dallas, Tarrant, Rockwall, Collin, or Denton County home or office at 877-685-9663.

Fruit juice poured over a carpet strip with Chem-Dry Fabric Protector (left) and without (right), then rinsed off.

Is your carpet protected? Are you sure? We ask customers these questions often. You see, regular traffic and wear of carpets, such as vacuuming, removes the initial protectors placed in carpets and fabrics by manufacturers. With our Chem-Dry Fabric Protector, your fabrics and upholstery can maintain their best look.

The Chem-Dry Fabric Protector forms an invisible barrier against dirt and stains, and because it is water repellent, spills won’t penetrate the fabric. This protection allows for easy clean up with a white cloth or towel.

Over time and with regular wear, factory applied protection for stain resistance can wear off. Cornerstone Chem-Dry can restore the original stain resistance of fabrics and carpets by applying Chem-Dry’s Fabric Power Guard Protector, which will refresh the performance of stain resistant carpets and fabrics, fortifying its ability to resist soil and stain.

Applying Chem-Dry Fabric Protector to your carpets, fabric furniture, and even in your fabric-upholstered cars (yes, cars!) is a great way to save money between deep cleanings. Protecting the fabric greatly extends the life of the carpet or furniture, as well as reduces the frequency of professional deep cleaning.

The benefits of applying Chem-Dry Fabric Protector to your carpets and fabrics include:

• Creates a high-quality shield around each fiber
• Environmentally safe for use around family and pets
• Soil protection for all types of fabrics and carpets
• Repels liquids such as wine, juice, and other staining agents
• Extends the life of your carpet or fabric investment
• Improves the ability to more effectively clean and care for carpeted and fabric surfaces

For more information on how Chem-Dry Fabric Protector can benefit you and your home, along with our new technology in carpet, tile, grout, and specialty leather cleaning processes, please contact us at 877-685-9663. A quick little chat with us can help you better understand what’s best for your particular situation.

P.S. Take a look at our YouTube video below to discover just how effective the Chem-Dry Fabric Protector can be! Truly awesome stuff!

Carpet beetles are those which are known to eat material substances found in your carpet, upholstery, drapes, or other similar items in your home. When adult beetles find their way inside, such as cut flowers being brought in or open doorways or crevices, these eerie little critters can create a huge headache for you—a potential costly one at that!

Carpet beetles can feed on many items in your home, not just carpet! These items can include:

• Wool carpets, rugs or clothing
• Animal skins and furs
• Stuffed animals
• Leather
• Hair
• Silk
• Dried plants

Walk around your home every once in a while and look to see if you find reddish or yellow-brown larvae. Carpet beetles will not only feed on wool or other fibers found in homes, but also feed on the soiled dirt found within dirty carpets and furniture. These destructive pests are known to cause more damage than the infamous closet moths. This is but one of the many reasons for keeping your carpets and upholstered furniture cleaned on a periodic basis.

Vacuuming – Important, but Not Sufficient

It is important to understand that carpet beetles do not feed off of synthetic materials. Don’t be misled by their name. Many believe that it is the carpet itself that carpet beetles feed on, when in fact it is the soils within carpets that make a good meal for the larvae. Having the imbedded grease or remains from basic human existence within your carpets and other materials is most often not visible to the naked eye.

Generally, when most of our customers request carpet cleaning it is usually for aesthetic purposes: getting out the stains. We at Cornerstone Chem-Dry work to build the awareness of the serious effects that may arise from allowing your carpets to build up unseen soils.

What You Can Do

It’s easy. Regularly vacuum and clean your carpet and upholstery to remove the surface soils. You should also have your carpets professionally cleaned by someone—preferably Cornerstone Chem-Dry of course!

We are professional carpet and upholstery cleaners that have the equipment and revolutionary Chem-Dry cleaning process that effectively deep cleans your home where grocery and Home improvement stores-rented equipment does not compare. You get what you pay for, and with us—you get a whole lot more. Oh, not to mention the super speedy dry time!!!

For more information about the cleaning services we office, continue to browse our website. You may also call us anytime at 877–685–9663. At Cornerstone Chem-Dry, we’re your source for a safe, green cleaned home!

Carpet stains happen and are inevitable. Grass and mud stains require two different cleaning techniques to ensure proper cleansing. If mud and grass stains occur at the same time, we highly recommend cleaning the mud stain first, followed by the grass stain.

When mud and grass stains occur, it is essential to tackle the stains quickly so as to prevent the possibility grinding the stain deeper into the carpet, causing more permanent damage.

For mud removal, allow the mud ample time to dry. Also, try to protect the area stained by mud so that it is not walked on, causing the mud to be grind further into the carpet. Once the mud has had time to dry, use something with a flat edge (such as a butter knife) to scrape away any large clumps of mud. A spoon can also come in handy for this. After the larger pieces of mud have been removed, you a vacuum to remove any smaller mud residue. At this point, the vacuum should remove the remaining majority of mud.

Next, quickly and thoroughly treat the stained area by using Cornerstone Chem-Dry’s Professional Strength Spot Remover. The Professional Strength Spot Remover removes the most stubborn spots from colorfast carpets, upholstery, and auto interiors by using our powerful carbonating process to lift stains to the surface allowing for effective stain removal.

Grass stains are entirely different creatures. To solve the problem of grass stains, you can spray the area with Cornerstone Chem-Dry’s Professional Strength Spot Remover. Allow the spot remover to soak for 3-5 minutes before blotting the area with a clean towel. Repeat the spray and blot process 2 or 3 times, or until a majority of the stain has been removed.

For more information on our professional stain removal and carpet cleaning services, please contact us at today at 877-685-9663. Be sure to ask about our current specials as they’re great ways to get save!

For the cat owner wanting to have company who doesn’t find themselves irritatingly sneezing or leaving the owner’s – or cat’s – home with hair stuck on their behind from the couch, keeping cats can be tricky. There are ways to have cats and a clean home all at the same time.

Cat hair has the ability to work up enough static to generate an entire town of fleas. Well, let’s just say that electrostatics is high volume stuff when it comes to cat hair. Then there are the oils that take all that static to a new level. Bottom line: it’s there whether you see it or not.

The first thing you should remember is to routinely vacuum. This should be a common practice for those with carpet in general; however, even if you vacuumed every day, you could never clean the embedded hairs and dander from your carpet and furniture.

The Cornerstone Chem-Dry process deep cleans your carpet and upholstery that regular vacuum units cannot come close to achieving. So, by having a deep clean of hair removal by professionals while pulling the vacuum out there in-between, very few visitors will ever know you have cats. Well, until Mr. Fluffy comes and sits in their lap.

Here are some other tips for a hair-free home:

• Keep items like throw rugs over the places cats tend to lie.
• Brush cats at least once a week to reduce the amount of fur that ends up around you home.
• Feed your cat a healthy diet. It will make a difference you can see and feel in their coat!

For the most part, cleaning cat hair is really quite simple. All of us at Cornerstone Chem-Dry work towards solving the hair hurdle by making available the best quality carpet and upholstery cleaning on the market.  Remember, all you have to do is some regular, routine cleaning in-between our professional deep cleaning process for a cleaner looking and smelling home.

If you would like to alleviate the problems of the wild hair in your home, please contact me, Erika Herman, at 877–685–9663. Ask about the Pet Urinal Removal Treatment System!

Tavertine tile floor before we worked our magic.

For those of you with tile and stone flooring in your home, I can almost bet that at some point you’ve spent some time on your hands and knees trying to clean the stained spots in your tile grout, scrubbing, and scrubbing – and scrubbing. That’s hard work, especially for your knees!

There are many do-it-yourself suggestions out there for cleaning the stains in your grout or getting your tile floor looking its best. Many tile and grout cleaning products can be ineffective—some can even damage or bleach your grout. We offer a few solutions that you can simply and easily apply to obtain like-new tile and grout without the hard work.

• Ensure Clean and Seal Spray – A ready–to–use cleaner/sealer designed to clean and reseal porous tile, stone and grout.
• Tile and Stone Clean & Seal Wipes – Convenient pretreated wipes that are designed to clean and protect porous tile, stone and grout. Ensure Clean and Seal is safe to use on all porous natural stone, man–made tile, and grout.
• Renew Cleaner Concentrate – Use in between professional tile, stone and grout cleaning. A neutral cleaner used for routine maintenance and safe for all stone and tile.
• Radiance Polish – Enhance the sheen of natural stone such as marble, granite, travertine, and limestone with this remarkable stone polisher.

We are also currently running a special for $50.00 off for the cleaning and re-sealing of

Tavertine tile floor after our cleaning process.

your tile and grout floors. So make sure you give us a call and ask about this.

Although your tile floors may be restored to their original beauty by us or our cleaning solutions, it is important to remember a few care tips for the daily maintenance of your floors:

• Clean spills immediately – The porous material of grout causes staining agents to absorb quickly
• Wear sock or slippers – Walking on your floors whether tile, wood or vinyl, is comparative to taking sandpaper and rubbing it on the floor surface. Yes, your shoes act the same as sandpaper while the friction of walking combined with the dirt on the bottom of your shoes scratches the surface causing a dull appearance or even more visible damage.
• Regular cleaning – Our recommendation is to have your tile and grout cleaned every 18 – 36 months

For more quick tips on cleaning your tile and grout floors, or for more information on how Cornerstone Chem-Dry can help you out, give us a shout at 877–685–9663. Ask for me, Erika Herman! Oh, and don’t forget about the $50 off your next tile and grout cleaning services.

Do you have a pet that you think is just adorable? If so, then enter our Perfect Paws Photo Contest today! Grand prize winner of the Perfect Paws Photo Contest will receive a $250 gift card to the Home Depot. Runners up will receive a variety of other gifts, compliments of Cornerstone Chem-Dry.

To enter, all you have to do is attach a photo of your pet to an e-mail and send it to service@co2cleaners.com before May 29, 2010. Along with the photo, be sure to include your pet’s name, breed/type, pet’s age, along with your name, address, and phone number. Upon entering, you grant Cornerstone Chem-Dry permission to publish your submitted photo without consent from you.

Dogs, cats, birds… virtually any household pet of yours qualifies for the contest, so if you have a photographic pet, snap a few pictures and send it on over to us.

The Perfect Paws Photo Contest is a great time to remind each of you that Cornerstone Chem-Dry offers a variety of cleaning services for your home—including Pet Urine Removal Treatment (P.U.R.T. ®). Our P.U.R.T. system is the most effective way to properly clean odor- and stain-causing urine from your carpet.

Pet urine penetrates the fibers of your carpet and contaminates both the backing of the carpet and the flooring material below the carpet. Often, without your knowing, pets will urinate continually in the same general location. These urine odors can permeate from the floor, be it cement or wood, from the tack strip, and even from the framework of the house behind the walls!

Right now, we’re offering 20 percent off P.U.R.T. services, so be sure to give us a call at 877-685-9663 today to schedule an appointment.

For more information regarding our Perfect Paws Photo Contest, give us a call at the number above or shoot us an e-mail. We’ll be glad to help you out.

Good luck and we look forward to seeing your photos!

With Cornerstone Chem-Dry, we not only clean your carpet, but we can clean your upholstery (leather and fabric) and tile and stone floors as well. If you find your carpet coming apart at the seams, or spot-dye the needs to be done—we can take care of those tasks as well.

We’ve taken your feedback and created the following spring specials with you in mind:

Carpet Cleaning Specials

• For a short time, our 1-3 Room Special for $99 includes superior carpet cleaning for up to 350 square feet.
• For larger spaces, we are offering our 1-5 Room Special for $189, covering up to 700 square feet.
• If you have pets who’ve had accidents in your home, talk to us about our Pet Urine Removal Treatment (P.U.R.T.) system. We’re offering this for 20 percent off our normal price!
• Children always spilling something on your carpet? We are offering 25 percent off our fabric protectant solution, saving you time and money by preventing those hard to remove stains.
• Our professional technicians are ready to repair your carpet! Call us today for $50 off repair work. Minimum charges do apply, so give us a shout for details.

Upholstery Cleaning Special

• Many often forget the need to clean their sofas and love seats. Now, we are offering to clean your sofa and love seat for only $150! Like our carpet cleaning, dry time is typically around a couple of hours. Yes. We can treat leather furniture as well!

Tile and Stone Floors

• Have your tile and stone floors lost their luster? Is the grout looking a bit dingy? These floors can be difficult to clean. At Cornerstone Chem-Dry, we can restore the brilliance of your tile and stone floors and grout with $50 off cleaning.

Area Rugs

• Rugs can be an expensive investment. Protect their appearance with our in-plant cleaning service at 20 percent off normal pricing! Minimum charges do apply, and we’ll even pickup and deliver your rugs.

Give us a call today at 877-685-9663 for details on these specials. Hurry, because they are valid until April 30, 2010. We serve the North Texas region, including Dallas, Denton, Collin, Rockwall, and Tarrant Counties.

There’s Dirty and then There’s Dirt

The primary carrier for dirt in carpets would obviously be our shoes. The soiling brought into carpet by our shoes will tend to differ from the dirt substances brought onto upholstery.

In the studies of the cleaning industry, one of the many aspects is determining water-based and oil-based substances. As we sit and live upon the furniture in our homes, culprits for upholstered contaminants can include:

• Soiling such as shedding skin cells
• Sweat and oils from our skin
• Air-borne and clothing-borne soils
• Dander, etc.

According to What are Fluoro Chemical Protectors and How They Work by Dr. Aziz, PHD Chemist, “[Dirt repelling agents] for carpets are designed more for soil resistance than for water or oil resistance, whereas the ones designed for upholstery emphasize more oil and water repellency”.

Cornerstone Chem-Dry Upholstery Cleaning

Many upholstery cleaning companies in Dallas/Fort Worth often use cleaning agents which can result in leaving a dirt-attracting residue. Our aim at Cornerstone Chem-Dry is to clean your home and leave it with a longer-lasting effect rather than a short-term, “look-good” job with short-term benefits.

Once our professional upholstery cleaning technicians have restored your furniture pieces to their intended beauty, we would like to extend a few tips for keeping your newly-cleaned upholstery in good condition:

• Vacuuming the fabric on a regular basis eliminates heavy build-up and soil becoming embedded
• Clean spills immediately, remembering to blot and never to rub
• Turning and fluffing cushions regularly to avoid clumping or sunken spots
• Smoke outdoors or away from upholstery to limit the staining and yellowing of nicotine tar
• Position furniture away from direct sunlight to cut down on fading and damaging effects
• Use the Cornerstone Chem-Dry fabric protectant for less soil penetration and easier cleaning

We Understand

We at Cornerstone Chem-Dry make ourselves available not only with the top-knowledge in upholstery care, but in locality. Since easy availability is important for us, we would like to extend a special welcome to those who live in Dallas, Collin, Denton, Rockwall, and Tarrant Counties.  No matter where you live in North Texas, from Rockwall to South Lake, Cornerstone Chem-Dry can clean and treat your home.

Call us today at 214-367-3938 or 877-685-9663 for more information on our Sofa and Loveseat Cleaning Special for only $150. Plus, ask about some of our professional Chem-Dry cleaning products that can help your furniture looking beautiful longer.

One more thing, yes—we clean and treat leather furniture as well.

Area rugs are generally those specifically selected to suit the shape and colors for just that right spot. After having made the effort for selecting the right rug, do you go the extra mile for the cleaning of your special selection so that your perfect rug maintains its proper place?

Cornerstone Chem-Dry would like to recommend some considerations, since, after all, this is one of the things we do best.

Yes, there are the local grocery store rentals and numerous carpet products available for the do-it-yourself’er. Making the assumption that area rugs differ only in color and style can be a huge disaster! Area rugs come in a vast array of cultural styles, authentic and replicates, weave type, treatment applications, and type of material.

Cultural Styles

To name a few, there are the Sisal from Brazil and Mexico, the Dhurrie from India, the Persian from Iran, and the oriental rugs from the Middle or Far East. While a great majority of area rugs purchased today are oriental rugs, it is important to note that there is also what is referred to as the oriental design rug. They are not made the same even though they look quite similar. Not knowing the difference could mean a mistake in cleaning. Cornerstone Chem-Dry is trained in knowing how to identify these differences so that the proper care may be applied.

Authentic vs. Replicates

Assuming a certain look as a rug type can lead to the same mistakes when dealing with an authentic rug versus a replicate since they are not the same. An authentic rug is made different from a replicated one and knowing whether a natural fiber is used versus a synthetic material could result is a ruined outcome. Some rugs will require a wet solution while others might constitute a dry cleaning method only. The drying time is also relevant. Drying should not exceed 48 hours; therefore, the proper amount of solution is important, otherwise molding may occur.

Weave Type

Cornerstone Chem-Dry’s trained technicians not only look for correct solutions for the cleaning of your area rug, but the proper method in the application process. Different weaving or techniques such as knotting or braiding will also require the proper methods and professional tools for the cleaning of area rugs.

Our Technicians

These are but a few of the considerations vital to the ending result in the cleaning of your area rug. Whether you own an authentic Persian or an Oriental replicate, allowing our professional technicians to make all the decisions for the cleaning process reduces your decision down to a simple call. By having the knowledge of proper area rug cleaning, we can make this a simple and stress free event for you.

If you would like more information on our in-plant area rug cleaning services, please feel free to give me a call at the office at 214-367-3938. We conveniently pick-up and drop-off the rugs, so you don’t have to do any work. Oh, and don’t forget to ask about our cleaning specials!