Strippers for a day!

The days of ugly vinyl baseboards has past!

We were requested to strip wax floors in an industrial manufacturing plant.  The customer was dissatisfied by the quality of the work of prior companies and had some CEO brass coming from out of state to perform a dog and pony show for current and potential clients.  The plant looked great except the floors and bathrooms.  They just didn't look bad they smelled the part too. Getting the floors in shape was the easy part. The prior contractor had failed to strip the floors all the way. 

The baseboards were something different try 20+ years of neglect.  We couldn't just strip the baseboard to get them clean. We used some stone technics and chemicals to perform a miracle. What are your thoughts? Send me an email if you have a similar needs or any issues that you need help to solve. 

The Carpet Butcher a nationwide restoration company

We think we have seen it all but this week we ran into another grand screw up of a nationwide restoration company as a desperate customer called me up based on our miracle reviews.   The client had water damage the restoration contractor sliced the carpet at angles and with a dull blade creating spaces in the seams that you could fit quarters in.  They replaced the pad and then seamed the carpet back together with out detaching it from the track strip and being concerned not to get the face fibers in the seam tape.   Needless to say there were 3 horrible seams if they could be called that. The seam tape showed through the carpet as if it was smiling or frowning with yellow glue and missing fibers everywhere as if the carpet had suffered the same adverse effects of the likely meth tripped installer's smile, missing teeth and sore gums and everything was rushed here and there. The restoration contractor said that was the best they could do.  

We end up correcting this by detaching the carpet from the tack strip cutting back 4 inches of carpet and double seaming all seams and then reinstalling the carpet and re-cleaning it. Our client thought  it look better than when it was first installed.   Why couldn't we have been called first.  Next time we will be in his household.  
Surgeons (Service MediX)(us) up 1 nationwide butcher losses another one .
Thanks Weston and Cody for your help.

The urinary wars! Black-light wielders beware!

I have the meet the needs of some customers monthly as they have a pet or a child that has taken up a urinary war in a certain room or area of the house. Urine allows for an environment where bacteria can grow as well as cause permanent discoloration especially if it is not addressed. In wool carpets it will make the colors bleed together or fade if not addressed promptly or cause permanent felting of the fibers. It will also attract dirt and other soils to make the urine spot look dark. Then there is the smell of it all. There is nothing more offensive than that of a wall of urine smell pushing you back as you enter a room. While a person may live it it daily and may have grown accustomed to it anyone that is no expecting it will be hit the urinary wall every time they go in that part of the house. I will address odor in just a minute. There are many issues and hence many things to address in association with urine. If you are looking at fighting this war yourself it is time to buy your weapon of choice UV lights! The black-light it is like the night vision goggle of the carpet professional. I own several as different frequencies can show up better. We can't fight what we can see! Our invisible foe is smelled some times seen but there is the sniper that will come back and shoot us if we don't look carefully. pH-Urine changes the pH of the carpet in that area. This causes a spot that you can't get rid of that will reoccur every time some one walks across the carpet or the humidity rises and the salts in the urine will attract dirt. On wool carpets this can and will cause the dyes to bleed together, fade or disappear. Also on wool rugs this change in pH will remove the oils and cause felting of the fibers making a matted carpet or felt type appearance. Discoloration-Urine can discolor any carpet with I have seen neglected spots or stains caused by pets on medication or urine mixed with blood cause numerous issues on carpet. These permanent discolorations are hard to correct if not impossible. It is best to clean it up promptly using plain water to flush a fresh stain. you will need an extractor to do this as mentioned below to often people get too much water and not enough suction and will spread their urinary war to other parts of the carpet. Dye issues-You the customer can discolor the carpet or remove dyes in your frantic search to get rid of a spot I have seen customers resort to bleach or oxy-clean or non-color safe pet products in the store that are oxidizers and dye removers to remove the spot. only to be left with bleached out carpet. stay away from oxidizers leave that to the pros. If you have color loss call me we can spot dye carpets perfectly by matching the dye exactly. Wrong spotters-I have seen where customers will make the spot worse by adding the wrong chemical making it attract dirt faster. Be cause urine is an acid base spot at first and then as it drys turns to a alkaline stain the chemistry for getting neutralizing the area is opposite of normal carpet cleaning chemicals. Alkalines clean well and also attract back dirt. so your urine spot if left un-addressed will naturally attract dirt and soil because of the pH of ammonia a by product of the bacteria Flood it or make it bigger-I have seen where customers have flooded a urinary woe in desperation and spread urine it deeper and wider. Pouring gallons of water saturating the carpet pad and sub floor in urine. Don't panic get a machine that will extract the water back if you feel the need to flood the area pull up the carpet remove the pad and put plastic sheeting down under the carpet to create a bowl shape then you can flood the area with a color safe pet product with out spreading the odor every where else. Odors- Odors need I say more. How are you fighting your odors feel free to comment as I proceed a certain way but there are many ways to go to conduct warfare. Malodors are the number 2 reason for people calling carpet cleaners; and professionals respond with experience and proven ways to treat this offence. Below are the ways to address odors Cleaning- you would be surprised how this can cure many issues. Just a good cleaning with good old soap and really hot water. It is the base of all other methods Covering- many products just have a scent of used alone with out cleaning you have just created a new urinary flavor.. but if used in conjunction with the other methods it can work great. Encapsulation- This process coats around the affected area to "seal around the affected area again this works great with cleaning or we some times have to do this when the urine problem had saturated into wood and cement. Molecular Modifiers-These chemicals will change the chemistry of the molecule to create a new ester or smell. They are expensive but worth the money. Oxidizing- this can be in the form of ozone generators or oxidizing bleaches but beware of the impending color loss. Removal- When all else fails remove the porous pad or remove the carpet. Some times this is the best first step. As you can see the urinary wars are fought and won and lost by experience and the weapons we wield and how we wield them. What is your weapon of choice? How will or do you fight your urinary war? Last resort as pictured replace the carpet.

Tips: Salt residue and high pH spot removal

It is that time of year again that the home owner and building manager should become concerned about all the sand and salt tracking in on their carpets and rugs.  Salt penetrates every part of a rug and often gets under area rugs that can cause damage to your stone in the form of spalling or etching.

But as for this blog I would like to address the how to get that ice melting wonder our of your carpets.  Salt/ Ice melt will cause spotting because of the high pH attracting dirt to the area that has the salt residue.  These are some times called re occurring spots, re-soiling or traffic patterns.

1. Vacuum up any salt crystals dry vacuuming is essential if you miss it you will only make more brine solution for your technician to get out.
2. Apply a tannin spotter like Bridgepoint's TCU or This will neutralize the salts and work them back out of the fibers. This spotter will need to be worked in and allowed dwell time
3. Extract and rinse the affected area with multiple over lapping passes. If it is commercial carpet make slow strokes  (make sure you have high flow rates through your jets as this will aid in the rinsing out of this mineral deposit.  Products to use like all fiber rinse or end zone work great to assist in lowering the pH
4. Spray area with fab set or citric acid and fab set mixture
5. Test to make sure you have lowered the pH to neutral or slightly acidic with a digital pH tester or litmus paper
6. Dry quickly using fans
7. Repeat as necessary as these types of restorative processes might take several treatments especially if these areas are not maintained on a frequent enough basis  Make sure you slow down when rinsing and give proper dwell time to the chemicals

I just receive a question about the blog here is my response

This is the Service MediX X-Files where there were unsolved issues by prior contractors and our customers just didn't know where to turn to get answers and solutions to these unsolved issues. This blog shares their stories through writing and where possible pictures. As some of our clients will not allow us to take pictures or mention their name we will use fictional names and unfortunately no pictures.

A page created for you to help you understand what SERVICE MEDIX your Expert Service and Solutions team can do for you 

Let me know what you think by commenting or contact me directly by following the link Jesse Crockett

Expert Service and Solutions will be doing business as Service Medix

When you want results remember X marks the spot! SERVICE MEDIX
816-288-0512 www.SERVICEMEDIX.com

Cleaning the un-cleanable carpet

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=3758572006770&set=vb.322996935223&type=3&theater

Above is a link to a short video on this job

Last year, We were called to clean some upholstery at a local manufacturing/ warehouse in Kansas city,  Missouri.  We cleaned the upholstery and then We offered to clean/ restoring the carpet.  We were told that they had a local cleaning company that cleaned the carpet monthly by contract. (whose name that starts with a J and rhymes with ring)  They had said ti was hopeless and that several companies that were experts had come in to try cleaning it.  It took us about 40 minutes before we had the right chemical formulation to cut through the grease but  it worked.  We were able to clean it and the best part is that it stayed cleaner.  The disappointing part of it was they didn’t get us scheduled to come in on a regular basis to maintain the clean they enjoyed.  Hopeful the company that starts with a J and ends with something that rhymes with ring will keep on top of it.   Maybe our calling is to help our customers get the attention of their contracted cleaning services that hey you are not doing your job!  The picture for this job was on the last post.  We did get several referrals from this job and the best part was the results that we left them with.

Most carpet cleaners and companys move much to fast to really clean the carpets most of the time they are leaving more sticky chemical in the carpet to attract more dirt.  They don’t understand the chemistry need to remove the crud from the carpet  they don’t take the time, use the right equipment or bottom line is they don’t care as long as they get paid.  We are different we care to do the job right.

Remember X marks the spot SERVICE MEDIX 816-288-0512 Expert Service and Solutions

Why DDX Files Service Medics unbelievable images

Welcome to the DDX Files

The DDX Files (Difficult Diagnosis X Files), a term coined by one of our technicians Weston Steele- Odd cleaning/ restoration experiences that require the technician to expand their mind to created the desired out come. Our desire is to solve all these incredible challenges that is why we are in business, that is what makes us a great company.  We have become dedicated to solving your difficulties and it has improved our processes in-turn that these results have become standard everyday occurrences.  We are the flooring experts.  See for yourself before after pictures   Much of the work we do we cant take photos so due to our client request we will some times only include written descriptions of the work we have done.  I had someone bring to my attentions that experts online blog about what they do and they have followers.  Since I am indeed an expert in a few fields that include Tile Cleaning and restoration,  Carpet cleaning, Restoration and Repair and Stone Restoration. I have started this blog and will be setting up accounts on LinkedIn, Twitter and a few other sources.  Follow me if you can.  I am hard to keep up with!

Do you have a challenging issue?  Put us to the test! You will be glad you did.
Give me a call! 816-288-0512 or email me at jcrockett@usa.com

Finally, A Clean You Can See!  How many times have you heard it is as clean as it can get?  We will get it cleaner!

And they said it was not cleanable! We offer a clean you can finally see! And a contractor you can finally trust!

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