Carpet cleaners clean more than just carpets

FALLS CREEK
©Courier-Express/Tri-County 2009

A decision to spend more time with their children led to a new career for Bob and Debbie Hrin. While having her own carpets professionally cleaned, Debbie Hrin thought that was a field the two could pursue and make people happy, and Carpet Spa was born. They had no idea that their plan would lead them beyond cleaning carpets, to helping people get their lives back in order after floods and cleaning up after crimes.

To initially start, the couple went to Pittsburgh for a week of training to learn how to clean carpets and upholstery, but it wasn't long before they began to expand their services and become certified in a number of other areas including biorecovery, fire clean-up and structural drying. The two attend training sessions regularly to stay up-to-date.

The school they attended in Pittsburgh set them up with a supplier, who is always available to answer questions about how to get different types of stains out.
Bob Hrin became nationally certified in biorecovery, which is pretty unique to this area, since in the past crews have had to be called in from miles away to clean up, he said.

This field requires a certain type of person since the person may be cleaning up after a traumatic event such as a crime or a serious injury. "About a year ago, I saw a need for it and felt it was something I could do," Bob Hrin said. He does have part-time people, that he trained, that help him out. It's important to be able to detach yourself from the situation when doing this type of work.
It requires specialized training on how to deal with the situation, as well as learning what may need to be reported because it could be important to the investigation. If a body is in the home for a few days before it is found, there can also be dangerous airborne pathogens present that can be breathed in, so proper precautions needed to be taken, such as wearing a face mask.
People often aren't aware of the dangers of what they can come in contact with in these situations.

To become certified in biorecovery, Bob Hrin had to learn how to disinfect for viruses and learn about the decomposition of the body. The Hrins' goal is to get things back to normal as quickly as possible for people, whether it is while doing biorecovery or structural drying.

One time, a family had been out of town for a few days and their pipes froze. It was discovered on Christmas, leading to water everywhere.The Hrins told the family to go and enjoy Christmas at a relatives' house and they worked to get everything cleaned up. In four days, the house was dry and back to normal. "You can dry out a house without tearing everything apart," Debbie Hrin said. There are machines that will dry the walls through dry wall, so the walls don't have to be torn down.
Another job required Carpet Spa to remove 15,000 gallons of water from an office building. It dried out within five days without carpets being ripped out and everything taken apart after a pipe broke. And when a second pipe broke, they went in and cleaned that up, as well.

Time is of the essence with water because the quicker the response, the less damage, and the quicker the situation is under control, Bob Hrin said. But you also have to be careful when drying out an area, because if you dry it too quickly, there can be secondary damage from condensation.

An environment that mold doesn't like has to be created, Debbie Hrin said.
Being a firefighter for the last 24 years, Bob Hrin knows first hand the mess that can be left after a fire so Carpet Spa does fire restoration, as well.
It helps to know the type of fire, whether it is a natural, synthetic or protein (food), because that determines what needs to be used on the walls, rugs and furniture to clean it. If it's a wood fire, or natural fire, that is the simplest to clean. Synthetic is the most difficult because it is oil based, Debbie Hrin said. But before they even do that, the rooms need to be dried out since usually the fire department has sprayed water into the room to put out the fire.

As a family-owned business, Carpet Spa tries to go above and beyond what is expected. "We've gone to bat for customers a lot to make sure they get what they are entitled to from their insurance company," Bob Hrin said. People being taken advantage of bothered Bob Hrin when he was a mechanic and it bothers him in the carpet business, too. "We like to see people get more for their buck," Bob Hrin said. "We always try to do a little extra, such as cleaning the throw rugs." Their priority is customer satisfaction.

Although they don't always work regular hours after an emergency, the Hrins' also clean carpets and tile by appointment and can set the times.Carpet Spa has cleaned tile and carpets in factories, restaurants, hotels and churches. For many carpet and upholstery jobs, hot water is all that is needed. Unlike many other companies, Bob and Debbie Hrin have a machine that cleans the carpet, rather than using a wand. The carpet dries in about an hour. Hot water is the most effective cleaner, but they also use a mild detergent on rugs that is safe for people and pets. People don't realize that it doesn't cost that much more to have someone do it professionally then it does to rent a machine. And if they do it themselves and there is a soap residue left behind, dirt will be attracted to it and a month later it will look worse then it does originally, Debbi Hrin said.