By Camille Gillies

Did anyone spill red wine on your carpet over the holidays? Did your relatives get a little sloppy with the gravy or let their kids run wild through your house in muddy shoes?

Instead of calling a national carpet cleaning chain that specializes in putting fine print on their coupons and racing through your house at lightning speed, you might want to instead consider enlisting the expertise of a local, family-run carpet cleaning business that prides itself on doing a thorough job and leaving customers amazed at the wonderful results the company is able to achieve.

Babysoft Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning is a professional, full-service carpet cleaning, carpet repair, fabric-care, upholstery and even grout cleaning company that has been serving Wesley Chapel, Land O’ Lakes, Lutz and New Tampa for 20 years. Started in Lutz in 1992 by owner and master technician Chris Kallas, the business blossomed as the region boomed, but Babysoft still remains a hands-on family affair. A 30-year veteran of the carpet industry himself, Chris operates Babysoft with his sons Spiro and Kosta Kalogeropoulos.

Chris, 70, is a native of Greece who became interested in the carpet business after years of watching his mother make rugs using wool from sheep raised on the family farm. He began as a carpet installer but after 25 years, he tired of the physical demands required by the trade and became interested in the cleaning and repair side of the business.

He views carpet cleaning as a craft and his pride is evident. “My customers can’t believe how clean I get their carpets,” Chris says with his thick Greek accent. “I don’t rush through a job. I take my time, going over areas two or three times.” As a result, when he completes a job, Chris not only has removed the dirt from the carpet, he also has extracted enough moisture that the carpet dries in a couple of hours.

Spiro, 37, and Kosta, 44, both enjoyed careers as mechanical engineers before joining their father at Babysoft. Spiro acts as general manager, spearheading the company’s marketing and operations, while Kosta serves as a technician. Together, the team employs only certified and experienced technicians who strive to extend the life of your carpet, upholstered furniture, bathroom, kitchen and floor tile and grout — at always-fair prices.

 

Thorough Carpet Cleaning

Babysoft utilizes the hot-water extraction (also known as the “steam cleaning”) method, which they claim is the most effective way to clean carpet.

“Water,” stresses Spiro. “Nothing beats it for cleaning. Cleaning your carpet with a dry process is like shampooing your hair without water. You are basically just moving the dirt around without rinsing it out.”

Spiro says that Babysoft has tried numerous methods of cleaning carpets and that hot-water extraction tops them all. The company also has invested in high-tech equipment that facilitates the removal of dirt and other materials from deep within carpet fibers. These systems achieve maximum soil and spot removal without leaving a sticky residue or over-wetting your carpet.

The company’s technicians stay up to date on the latest technological advances in cleaning equipment, tools and chemicals. All Babysoft technicians are certified by the IICRC (Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Certification), which Spiro says is the most recognized organization certifying carpet and upholstery cleaners. “With my dad’s years of experience with different textiles and fabrics, our customers can relax and feel confident in our abilities,” he says.

Some customers feel so at ease with Chris that they offer him blank checks for his work. “I have had at least four customers leave me signed, blank checks,” he states. “They trust me to do a good job and they trust me in their homes.”

Babysoft cleans all types of carpets, including Oriental and area rugs, and also offers carpet repair. If you have a tear or ripples in your carpet, the company can stretch the carpet, patch it and fix damaged seams. Your technician also can treat your carpet for urine damage and apply a pet enzyme treatment for pet stains.

Spiro says that local Realtors have used Babysoft’s services to help with cleaning-related problems. “We are proud that the area’s most respected carpet retailers, interior designers and Realtors recommend us and have used our services,” he says. “We also have serviced commercial accounts like USF, MOSI, Lowry Park Zoo and Swiftmud (the Southwest Florida Water Management District).”

New Tampa resident Jean Luciano was thrilled with the results Babysoft achieved after cleaning carpets in her rental properties. “We had white Berber in our rental condos,” Jean wrote on Babysoft’s website. “After three years, it wasn’t white anymore. When Babysoft Carpet Cleaning finished, the carpet was white again and all of the stains were gone — and they never resurfaced! It is the best carpet-cleaning service I have ever used. Their methods are revolutionary!”

 

Tile & Grout Cleaning

Scrubbing tile and grout yourself is an unpleasant chore that takes a lot of elbow grease and often doesn’t produce the desired results. You can kiss that aggravation goodbye with a simple phone call to the pros at Babysoft.

Experts at restoring the luster to your tile and grout, the company uses a powerful truck mount machine with special attachment tools to eliminate the embedded dirt and stains that cause floors to look aged and dull. Sprio says that a combination of a specialized cleaning product used with a high-pressure, hot-water system restores tile to like-new condition. After cleaning the grout, Babysoft technicians seal it to maintain its fresh appearance.

 

Upholstery Cleaning

With advanced technology and detergents, Babysoft also cleans upholstered furniture. Your technician can recondition your favorite chair or sofa right on-site and often the furniture can be used within hours.

“We take our time to carefully recondition, clean and dry all furniture pieces, and we offer fabric protection that helps maintain their fresh appearance,” explains Spiro.

 

An Offer That’s Hard To Refuse

With some carpet-cleaning companies, it can be difficult to calculate the cost of having your carpets cleaned, which is why Babysoft eliminates the confusion with this incredible offer: $189 to steam clean all wall-to-wall carpet in single-story homes under 3,000 square feet; $239 for two-story homes under 3,000 square feet (including stairs); for homes 3,000 to 5,000 sq. ft., the cost is $249 for a single story and $299 for two stories, including stairs. There is no limit to the size or number of rooms. The offer does not include area rugs.

Tile and grout cleaning and grout sealing are all charged by the square foot. Tile and grout cleanong costs 49 cents per sq. ft.; grout sealing is 39 cents per square foot; and upholstery cleaning is quoted individually per piece. The minimum price for any cleaning is $99.99.

For more information, visit www.BabySoftCarpetCleaning.com or call 991-7545. Look for a redesigned website in March that will include demonstration videos, a shopping cart feature, a price estimator and online booking.

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