Atlas Window & Carpet Cleaning

Consider this when purchasing new carpeting

Jan 16, 2023

A friend of mine purchased a new carpet and it was installed fresh out of the package. The odor coming from the carpet was so bad, it created a problem for about three weeks after the installation.


What he encountered is called 'off gassing'. The 'new smell' could be coming from the chemicals contained within the product and breathing them is not necessarily healthy. Any long time health risk is not known, but why not avoild possible health problems, at worse or an unpleasant experience, at best. 

Some people feel nauseous, get headaches, or become dizzy around products that are off gassing. Off gassing might be detectable by smell, though sometimes there is no odor. Both old and new carpets can be off gassing long after the initial smell is gone. New carpets aren't necessarily the worse offenders. They might even rate better for air quality compared to older carpets that were made when industry standards were different.
 
Most carpets are made from petroleum or oil based materials like nylon, polypropylene and polyester and are woven onto a synthetic backing. Fire retardants containing other chemicals are also placed on carpets. On top of that there is the padding which can also cause off gassing, along with the adhesive used to glue it down. All of these sources might create a problem.
 
Do some homework before purchasing new carpet. Hemp and wool, which are natural fibers, might be a better alternative choice, although the price for these might be higher and they have different challenges as far as cleaning and maintaining are concerned.


MY STRONG RECOMMENDATION:


If you purchase a product that might cause off gassing, you might ask that the carpet be removed from it's packaging and laid out in the warehouse for several days before it is brought to your house and installed. That way the carpet will get to air out before being tacked down. Make this a part of the purchase agreement.

A close up of rain drops on a window.

CURRENT RAINY SEASON POLICY FOR WINDOW CLEANING*    (November 15 thru April 15 Only)

16 Oct, 2024
Except for some unusual situations, rain doesn't affect clean windows in any significant way.​As in any other season, you do notice the windows getting dirty after a few months. If you want to have your outside windows done, during the rainy season, we will have the following rainy season policy:1. If any of the outside window panes that we have cleaned get significantly messed up and you let us know within 2 weeks of the original cleaning, we'll come back w [...]

The Browning Effect - A common carpet cleaning glitch

04 Sep, 2024
We want our carpet cleaning customers to be aware of this common problem that may occur after a carpet cleaning. If you do notice the signs mentioned below, after reading this article, you will know what to do and why it happened. Recently, we cleaned a new client's very soiled carpeting. After we were done, they looked great and were stain free! The client was very happy.A couple of days later, we got a call from that same client, telling us that some of the areas weren't looking too good. [...]

Are we eco-friendly?

28 Aug, 2024
How Atlas Window & Carpet chooses their carpet cleaning productMany people want to use products that are eco friendly. We get people calling asking if we use such products. Elliot has been cleaning carpets for many years now. He is a sensitive guy. When he first started cleaning carpets he tried out different products knowing that he would be working with them constantly over the years. It was very important for him to find products that were not harmful. If you are conscience of your health [...]

Flooding Emergency

25 Apr, 2023
Now that we're in the rainy season we run across occasional circumstances when someone calls us with an emergency concerning flooding. Of course, you can have a bathtub, sink, toilet or washing machine flooding. Hope it doesn't happen to you but if it does... WHAT TO REMEMBERFirst of all, we do not specialize or advertise Water Restoration as a part of our business though if it is a small issue, we may be able to help our ongoing clients. We're talking about clean water flooding. We can't a [...]

Consider this when purchasing new carpeting

16 Jan, 2023
A friend of mine purchased a new carpet and it was installed fresh out of the package. The odor coming from the carpet was so bad, it created a problem for about three weeks after the installation. What he encountered is called 'off gassing'. The 'new smell' could be coming from the chemicals contained within the product and breathing them is not necessarily healthy. Any long time health risk is not known, but why not avoild possible health problems, at worse or an unpleasant experience, at [...]

Why a great price may not be a great value

23 Nov, 2022
Especially in the carpet cleaning industry.Right from the start, let me say that there are several other high quality carpet cleaning companies in Marin. Their rates are similar to ours (some a little higher, some a little lower). They may use different methods to come up with those rates. There is even one high quality carpet cleaning company that, in my opinion, is outrageously high! These companies know that it takes time to do a good job. They know that they cannot do a great job on fiv [...]

Why carpet cleaners are not equal

21 Aug, 2022
It amazes me that some people think all carpet cleaners are equal. These same people recognize differences in qualities of other products and services. Why not carpet cleaning too? All carpet cleaners are not equal. ​ Who believes McDonald’s and the Lark Creek Inn are equal in quality and service. Who would deny the difference in a fast food meal and a gourmet meal? Who would argue that there is no difference between a Yugo and a Mercedes, or Walmart and Neiman Marcus? Obvi [...]

You could have 100 Carpet Cleaners come to your house and not one of them can beat our cleaning system

07 Aug, 2022
Quality Many carpet cleaning systems out there may look like our system. Our system is known as a truck-mounted carpet cleaning system. The rest are known as portable wet cleaning systems or dry cleaning systems. ​ Out of 100 carpet cleaners, some will provide good to excellent quality and some will provide poor to medium quality, with a variation of rates. Let’s talk about rates and service. You can’t think of a bargain with a product and a bargain with a servi [...]

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE CLEANING NEW WINDOWS & WHY WE ASK YOU TO SIGN A WAIVER

06 Apr, 2022
The window cleaning industry began to notice in the beginning of 2000's that there was a problem with some glass coming out of the factories. There isn't a particular brand of window having this problem. It is a quality issue with the manufacturers of the glass. When you as a home owner or your contractor goes to purchase new windows keep the following information in mind. THE TRADITIONAL METHOD OF CLEANING NEW WINDOW GLASS IS BY USING SCRAPERSCleaning new windows has become [...]

We love our pets (and we could use some help with those pet odor problems)

24 Sep, 2021
One of the most difficult challenges is dealing with urine odor and stains. Our tip in this issue is regarding pet urine odor. Obviously, one can always hire a carpet cleaner which is not a bad idea if it happens once in a blue moon. What if it happens often? That could be expensive. The following instructions are what I tell my clients to do if they have to deal with pet urine odor.1. Get yourself a bottle of a pet urine deodorizing product (a quart or a gallon) such as Nature's Miracle,&n [...]
More Posts
Share by: