How does dry carpet cleaning compare with steam cleaning?
Dry carpet cleaning is a newer technology in the carpet cleaning industry. It is not as popular as steam cleaning because it often requires more time to service a residential carpet as compared to steam cleaning. The main difference is that carpets are dry and ready to use immediately after the cleaning. Some companies use a semi-dry “VLM” (very low moisture) method of cleaning that leaves the carpet dry within one to three hours. Some steam cleaning companies claim that it takes as little as four hours for the carpet to dry, when in fact the carpet will dry in 24-48 hours. In fact, with steam cleaning, moisture often will remain in the pad and subfloor long after the carpet pile is dry. This moisture, if not force-dried by high volume air movers, dehumidifiers, and heat, create an unsanitary environment for your home. The moisture in carpet can cause growth of mold, mildew, and bacteria within 2-3 hours after the steam cleaner has left your home. Imagine taking a clean towel, soaking it in water, wringing out the water, and then leaving it to dry on a clean surface. Even though the towel was perfectly clean before soaking it with water and wringing it out, there is a substantial amount of moisture that remains in the towel. This moisture will cause bacteria, fungi, and other microbes to multiply in the towel. The next day, if you smell the towel, you will not be able to smell the bacteria, but you can smell the mildew (fungi). This indicates that the towel that was once clean and dry, because water was added, is actually filthy. That is why we dry our clothes with heat and air quickly to avoid unsanitary conditions.

How does Angel Dry clean carpet better than steam cleaning?
Clean carpet is an integral part of making a healthy, happy home. Angel Dry guarantees to clean your carpet better than any steam cleaning company and we never use optical brighteners, harsh bleaching chemicals, or dyes. It is actually quite simple for our company to stand behind this guarantee because of differences between steam cleaning and the Angel Dry carpet cleaning method. Steam cleaning leaves a substantial amount of water in your carpet. This water is forced, in a downward motion, deep into your carpet, backing, pad, and subfloor. Water jets actually push a significant amount of dirt into the depths of your carpeted floor where this soil is trapped and hidden from view. Often, but not always, some of the dirt makes its way back to the surface by way of a phenomenon called wick back. The soil particles are carried upward by evaporating moisture.

How does dry upholstery cleaning compare with other methods?
Angel Dry offers a unique and highly effective method for cleaning all types of upholstery and fabrics. Instead of using water and chemicals to flush and rinse dirt from upholstery, we use rotating upholstery brushes and Green Seal certified dry cleaning solution to release and encapsulate soil before it is extracted. In most cases, your upholstery will be completely dry once we leave the home. Our process is safe on all types of natural and synthetic fabric, including cotton, linen, wool, and even silk blends. We do not use any VOCs, solvents, butyls, heat, or harsh chemicals and the small amount of moisture used will not penetrate into the wadding, padding, foam, or structural components of your furniture. This is the safest and most effective way to clean your upholstered furniture.

How does Angel Dry clean hardwood floors?
Angel Dry uses an Austrian made counter rotating brush machine with special brushes that lift up dirt and residue from your wood floors. The brushes reach deep into wood grain, bevels, edges, ends, character marks, and other crevices where your mop can not reach. We only use Bona cleaning solutions and would never recommend using any other cleaning or restoration product for deep cleaning wood floors.

How does Angel Dry clean tile and grout?
Angel Dry uses a variety of tools and equipment to clean different types of tile and stone flooring. We use powerful counter-rotating brush machines to scrub away dirt and grime from tile and grout. We also use orbital machines, commercial grout scrubbers, and other rotary grout cleaners for cleaning tough stains in grout. We always clean grout by hand. Steam cleaning grout uses high pressure hot water jets that can cause grout to chip and break up. If you grout has been regularly sealed and is in good condition, steam cleaning may be the simplest solution. However, most steam cleaning companies will avoid cleaning grout with hot water pressure systems to avoid potential damage.

How does Angel Dry clean grout?
If your tile floors are ceramic or porcelain, they are likely grouted with sanded grout. This grout is porous and should be sealed to prevent soil from penetrating inside of the grout. Once dirt makes its way into the grout, it can be difficult to clean and also causes damage to grout. You may notice that your grout has small pits or uneven areas. This can be difficult to see when the grout is dirty so you may need to examine your grout up close to see the condition.

How often should sanded grout be resealed?
The two most common types of grout are sanded grout and expoxy grout. Expoxy grout is smooth, non-porous, and does not require sealing. Sanded grout has a gritty texture and looks more like natural stone. It does require sealing to maintain structural integrity and prevent dirt and stains from penetrating into the grout. Sanded grout is also referred to as cementitious grout, or cement-based grout. This type of grout is by far the most common type of grout used in residential tile floors. Most manufacturers recommend sealing grout once or twice per year, but most homeowners do not follow these recommendations. This often leaves grout exposed to the elements of water, air, oxidizing minerals, dirt, and oils that can damage grout over time. If you have not had your grout resealed in the past two years, we strongly recommend a thorough cleaning before resealing. It is important that you remove as much dirt and residue from the grout as possible before resealing. If you have been regularly resealing your grout, then the residue and soil will essentially sit on top of the sealed grout and can be easily cleaned away. Resealing often is the best way to take the headaches out of maintaining a tile floor.