A carpet job we filmed in Blackrock
We filmed the video on this page during a carpet clean in Blackrock. It shows the process we use in every house here: a look at the carpet, pre-treatment on the marks and the traffic areas, then hot water rinsed through the pile and pulled straight back out by the portable extractor. Drying usually takes a few hours, helped along by air movers and whatever airflow the house has.
From village terraces to the estates inland
Blackrock packs a lot of different homes into a small area. Near the village and towards Monkstown there are Victorian and Edwardian terraces and bigger period houses. Inland, towards Mount Merrion and Stillorgan, there are estates of semis and detached family houses from the middle of the last century. Around the main street and the seafront there are apartment blocks, some older, some new.
Each type asks for something slightly different:
| Home | Typical carpets | What to tell us |
|---|---|---|
| Period house | Wool or wool-blend halls, stairs and reception rooms | Number of floors, and any runner on the stairs |
| Family semi or detached house | Synthetic carpet upstairs, often timber downstairs | Pets, children and the worst stains |
| Apartment | Synthetic carpet in the bedrooms and hall | Lift, car park and management rules |
Family homes: the whole upstairs in one go
In many family houses here, the carpet is upstairs only: bedrooms, landing and stairs. That's an easy job to plan. We clean the bedroom furthest from the stairs first, work back across the landing, and finish down the stairs and through the hall. Light furniture like bedside lockers and chairs is moved and put back; beds and wardrobes are cleaned around unless you've cleared them.
Children's rooms usually need the most spot work: juice, slime, play-dough, felt-tip. Most of it lifts with the right pre-treatment, though strong food dyes on a pale carpet may leave a faint shadow. Teenagers' rooms tend to need the most rinsing, which is a polite way of putting it.
Pets are common too. A dog's favourite spot by the radiator or at the top of the stairs collects oil and hair, and it cleans up well. Old urine that has soaked into the underlay is harder, and we'll be upfront if a smell is likely to linger.
spotless.ieOlder houses near the coast
Blackrock's older houses are close to the sea, and some have a musty smell in a room or two, especially on the ground floor or near an outside wall. A carpet clean freshens the carpet itself, lifting soil, spills and the stale smell that builds up with them. If the smell is coming from damp in a wall or under the floor, though, it will return until the damp is dealt with, and we'll mention it if we see signs.
Wool carpets in these houses need controlled moisture and a solution that suits the fibre, and they take a little longer to dry than synthetics. We test a hidden spot first and keep the wand passes quick, so the backing never gets soaked.
Upstairs only, or the whole house? Send a photo of each room, the stairs and any stains on WhatsApp, and we'll come back with a fixed price, usually the same day.
Moving out of a Blackrock apartment
A lot of the apartments around the main street and the seafront are rented, and tenants often book a carpet clean in the last days before handing back the keys. Do it once you've packed and moved out, so every corner of the floor can be reached, and leave a few hours for drying before the inspection.
Most of these flats have synthetic carpet in the bedrooms, which cleans well. Everyday soiling, food and drink usually come out. Burns, bleach and carpet worn thin inside the door are damage rather than dirt, and it's better to know that before the landlord's visit than during it. Our end-of-tenancy carpet cleaning guide covers deposits and what landlords look for.
Clean it or replace it?
If a carpet is due to be replaced in the next year or two, is a clean still worth it? Often, yes. A clean can make a tired carpet presentable for a sale, a new tenant or visitors, and it's far less upheaval than new carpet. But if the pile is worn through on the stairs or a stain has bleached the colour, a clean won't hide that. Send us the photos and we'll tell you honestly which side of the line your carpet is on.
Blackrock, Booterstown, Monkstown and Stillorgan
We cover Blackrock and the areas around it: Booterstown, Monkstown, Mount Merrion, Stillorgan and on to Dún Laoghaire. Near the village, parking is mostly pay-and-display; in the estates there's usually a driveway. For apartments, tell us about the car park and the lift.
Further inland, see carpet cleaning in Dundrum; towards the city, Ballsbridge. Sofas and mattresses can be done on the same visit: see upholstery cleaning and mattress cleaning. If you're clearing a family home first, our house clearance page for Blackrock explains how that's done.
Spotless is fully insured, and the person cleaning your carpets will usually be Ciprian himself, who trained with Prochem in 2018. The full service is on our Dublin carpet cleaning page.
