Carpet Cleaning Can Help You Breathe Easier This Winter
Greater Boston Carpet Cleaner Offers Tips for Improving Indoor Air Quality
WEYMOUTH, MA (01/11/2011)(readMedia)-- Cabin fever and the common cold are common health concerns during New England winters, but they may not be the only threats to health and well-being during hibernation season. Indoor air quality, coupled with more time spent inside, can give allergens a chance to attack, leading to long, sleepless nights of sniffles, sneezing and difficult breathing.
"The first reaction to winter sniffles is that it's a cold, when in a lot of cases it's a carpet that's to blame," said Jay Kennedy, president of Kennedy Carpet, a Greater Boston carpet cleaning and carpet sales company. "We keep our homes airtight during the winter to help preserve heat, but that also keeps any irritants inside. Carpets and upholstery can be one of the leading sources of indoor allergens, depending on how they've been cleaned."
Kennedy notes that carpets are not the only culprit behind poor indoor air quality. Homes with forced hot-air heating systems should have vents cleaned on a regular basis, and air filters should be checked annually. Bedding should be washed at least once a week, and furnaces and hot water heaters should be inspected to ensure that soot is properly vented out of the home.
If these common sources of allergies have been eliminated, then it's time to take a look at the carpets. Kennedy explains that some carpet cleaning methods can actually make allergies worse, even if the carpets themselves look clean.
"Regular vacuuming just drives dirt, hair and other allergens deeper into the carpet, and this is when people start looking at professional cleaning," Kennedy said. "What they may not realize is that some carpet cleaners can leave chemical residues behind, which will make allergies worse for sensitive people."
According to Kennedy, the best choice for carpet cleaning is the Hot-Water Extraction (HWE) method, which many people refer to as Steam Cleaning, even though there is no steam involved.. This type of cleaning uses machines that inject heated water deep into the carpet to flush out dirt particles that are then vacuumed up along with much of the water.
HWE carpet cleaning can be performed with hypoallergenic cleaning solutions or, in some cases, no detergents at all. Kennedy recommends that allergy sufferers clean their carpets at least twice a year for the best possible air quality.
"A professional hot-water cleaning will pull out the detergent residue that other cleaners have left behind, which can significantly improve indoor air quality," Kennedy said. "Even if allergies aren't a concern, a deep cleaning makes a home a more pleasant place to be. Since we'll all be spending much of the next few months inside, this is the perfect time to freshen up those carpets."
About Kennedy Carpet
For Greater Boston carpet cleaning and carpet sales, the company to choose is Kennedy Carpet. Their team of Greater Boston carpet cleaners has the expertise to handle everything from routine carpet and upholstery cleaning to flood damage. They also offer carpet sales throughout Massachusetts with their Show Wagon, which comes straight to customers' doors, and their three showrooms in Milton, Needham and Weymouth. To schedule an appointment, or to learn more about Kennedy Carpet sales and cleaning, visit www.kennedycarpet.com, or call them toll-free at 800-896-2000.
Kennedy Carpet Sales & Cleaners: Laying down a growth strategy
Carpet cleaner/retailer gambles on new showroom to help build brand - Friday Nov 21, 2008
Boston Business Journal - by Sean McFadden
Jay Kennedy readily admits that now is probably not the most ideal time to be rolling out an expansion of his carpet cleaning and sales business.
But by the time the founder and president of Kennedy Carpet Sales & Cleaners (incorporated as Kennedy Carpet Cleaning Inc.) had opened the doors to his new 4,500-square-foot showroom in Milton in late September, the plans had already been well under way — and there was no turning back.
Kennedy already owned a 22,000-square-foot combination office/warehouse/showroom location in Weymouth and leased a 1,500-square-foot retail space in Needham.
But, in the fall of 2006, he stumbled upon a 12,500-square-foot plot of land on which two rundown houses sat on Granite Avenue in Milton — an area that he said sees 200,000 cars drive by each day. Kennedy said he had the property under agreement that night; the purchase price was $750,000.
“I looked at this as a marketing and image opportunity — it’s all about the exposure; building top-of-mind awareness,” Kennedy, 54, said.
Funding the deal through the sale of some personal property in Florida, as well as a refinancing of the company’s Weymouth location, Kennedy forged ahead with his plans to turn the new Milton location into a venue that would represent “a totally different type of shopping experience,” he said.
The fruits of his labor are evidenced by the store’s elegant interiors — high ceilings, casual seating areas, a fireplace and ample displays of a wide variety of carpeting, including such brand names as Nourison, Couristan and Masland, along with tiles and hardwood flooring.
The process proved to be quite an undertaking: Obtaining the appropriate permitting for a full-color digital sign that adorns the storefront dragged on for months. And Kennedy said the company didn’t actually break ground on the project site until the fall of 2007.
Kennedy estimates the company invested $2 million in the project.
At the same time, Kennedy has been faced with the challenge of launching a new location in the midst of an economic downturn.
“It’s a little slower than I thought,” Kennedy admitted. “It just seems like people are adverse to spending any money right now.”
Because of the additional overhead he’s taken on with the new showroom, Kennedy expects revenue to remain flat at around $7 million this year.
He’s currently reviewing every aspect of his operations for possible belt-tightening; that includes advertising, for which the company currently spends about half a million dollars annually, primarily for spots on major-market TV and radio stations. And while he hasn’t had to do it yet, Kennedy said he’ll also consider a reduction in hours for his 75-person staff, if there’s not enough work to justify a 40-hour week.
A saving grace may be that the company has an established brand identity that sees about 75 percent repeat or referral business. At the same time, Kennedy’s been savvy about diversifying his business. And, he’s survived tough financial times before.
While it began solely as a carpet-cleaning business, Kennedy launched a separate carpet cleaning equipment and supplies division, Prochem of New England, in the early 1980s.
In 1993, he introduced Kennedy Restoration Services, which provides emergency service work in homes and offices in case of flood, fire or other disasters. That division helped Kennedy dramatically increase his revenue, but it also left him with virtually no cash flow. After meeting with resistance from several banks, he eventually found a community bank that loaned him $200,000 in 1994.
In 1997, the company established its most successful division, Kennedy Carpet Sales, which represented about $2.7 million of the company’s total revenue last year.
Joe Petrowski, CEO of Canton-based Cumberland Farms Inc. and Gulf Oil, who’s known Kennedy for almost 20 years, attributes Kennedy’s longevity to trust.
“It’s the essence of a good brand — you know what you’re going to get. And also (Jay’s ability) to keep it fresh,” Petrowski said.
A longtime proponent of reinvestment in his business, Kennedy is confident he can ultimately make the Milton showroom a success: “Of course, the timing’s not right … (but) you fight through it,” he said. “If I have to sit here seven days a week selling carpet (myself) to make this work, I’ll do it.”
Kenneth Kirkland, Kennedy’s accountant and a principal at KAF Financial Group in Braintree, said of Kennedy’s new showroom: “I think it’s a great location; it’s got the ability to work, but it will take patience.”