Dealing With a Chimney Soot Explosion

The photo contest winner this issue is Joel Stenger of Sharp Carpet & Air Duct Cleaning in Omaha, Nebraska. His company will receive a chemical prize package from Solutions by Steam Pros worth $250.

Joel describes this particular chimney soot job: “We received a call from a local chimney sweep company. They had something happen during their work process. It happens from time to time, resulting in heavy soot deep into the fibers in the entire room. You can see where the chimney sweep technician placed his tarp to protect the carpet. The before picture was after a thorough vacuuming. So my tech, Jim Bennett, and I got to work. We applied Flex with a citrus solvent and oxygen booster. We scrubbed thoroughly with a CRB machine and extracted with a mild alkaline detergent. The customer and his wife were beyond thrilled and told us it looked like magic.”

For an opportunity to win a chemical prize package from Solutions by Steam Pros (worth $250), send your images and a brief 100-word description on how you obtained your results to Jeff Cross, executive editor, at [email protected] or 193 Purple Finch Loop, Pataskala, OH 43062. Contest rules available by request.

In the latest Cleanfax Carpet Cleaning Benchmarking Survey Report, just 8 percent of respondents indicated being involved with a franchise system, while 92 percent were reportedly independent.

In the same survey report, hot water extraction (truckmount and portable combined) remained the #1 cleaning method of choice, with more than 90 percent using HWE as  their primary cleaning method.