When it comes to leather, there are different types and also different procedures for cleaning or restoring these leather types. Of the three basic types, Protected, Aniline, and Nu-buck, I will show an easy way someone can inexpensively restore protected leather themsThe the first picture shows a chair with a protective leather, which means this type of leather usually has a polymer coating that is somewhat flexible but over time can crack and leave unsightly crack marks. The second picture wi...

What Causes Wrinkles in Area Rugs   We have all seen it. A nice big wrinkle in your custom area rug that looks terrible, people trip over it and you just can’t get rid of it. There is a relatively simple reason for this. Many custom areas rugs are made of all-natural fibers. Whether it is wool, cotton, linen, silk, or even a combination of these fibers. They all have one thing in common, they expand and contract as humidity changes. Some of these rugs may be woven and others may have a b...

Salt Stains on a Rugs It’s hard not to track in some of the salt residuals you put down in your driveways and walks such as Calcium Chloride. You just need to realize there are problems when this gets tracked into your home. First, the salt itself is hygroscopic (attracts moisture), and stays wet, attracting soil. This damp residue is also alkaline, and because of this, potentially harmful to dyes used in acid-dyed nylon and wool carpets. Most carpet cleaners will use a pre-spray designed for ...

Odors in Carpets There are different reasons why you might have odors in your carpets and considering no one wants their carpets or house to smell, something needs to be done.  Yet many times living with odors every day, we seem to become immune to the odors in our own homes and visitors don’t want to offend you and mention it.  Typically, if something is clean, it will not smell or give off an odor. What we need to determine is how clean is clean. Sometimes carpets may appear clean b...

What is the best type of leather upholstery to get Today, many people have decided to go with leather upholstery instead of your traditional fabric upholstery. Like anything else, there are pluses and misuses.  First, let us consider why people would feel this way. Most, probably have had upholstered fabric that either didn’t hold up well or got soiled and or stained from spills that they just could not get cleaned, so thought leather would be a better choice. The truth is, there are thre...

 Ink on Upholstery? This can be a simple stain to get out or it can be the worst possible stain. It all depends upon the amount of ink. Typically there are two main types of ink stains. A line, usually caused by an accidental swiping of a pen across the surface of a fabric. The other type is blots and can be caused by either the dropping of a pen between cushions and left undetected for some time. This allows the tip of the pen to come in contact with the fabric and as a result the ink wic...

Boston Carpet Cleaning Whether it is Boston carpet cleaning you need or Boston upholstery cleaning. We have the knowledge and experience as well as the passion to provide you with the highest level of service in the greater Boston area.  Alec’s Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning LLC was established in 1970 and provides carpet and upholstery cleaning services to the greater Boston area as well as all of Cape Cod. We provide our services at many of Boston’s most exclusive residences such as T...

Cleaning of Wool Carpets When it comes to the cleaning of wool carpets there are many items of concern. Many more than those carpets made of the latest synthetic fibers. The first concern is using cleaners that are safe to use on wool fibers. Most cleaners today are designed to be used on synthetic fibers and are much too strong for wool. To strong means that the ph level is too high and can cause a chemical burn on natural fibers. Some people think if the cleaners are too strong, they can jus...

        Everyone likes new furniture and we all like it to stay looking like new.  To accomplish this, there are a few things we can do.  Of course, we all know the importance of a regular vacuum and periodically have it professionally cleaned. There is something else we can do.  When you first buy upholstery, you should have it treated to prevent overall soiling and spills from absorbing into the fabric.  This is important because if a spill absorbs int...

  A common question we get is how should I remove a red wine stain?  By understanding that red wine contains tannins and different acids will aid in the removal of these stains.  Tannin is a naturally occurring vegetable dye found in many plants, especially grape skins and, it is these different food acids that have the potential to affect the color of a carpet or upholstery.  Acids are very important structural components of wine.  If a wine is too low in acid, it tast...