Q: Can you explain the difference between a spot and a stain? Does it really matter that much in regards to how you proceed with cleaning?

— Neil, Aurora, CO

A: Whether a substance in a carpet or on furniture is a spot or a stain can affect how you approach the job. Spots are relatively easy to remove, while stains may take quite a bit of time and you should plan for that and probably price accordingly.

Basically, a spot is substance on the outside of the fiber, such as chewing gum, paint and many common food residues. A spot is something you can feel with your fingers. A stain is substance inside the fiber, such as caused by most synthetic or manmade dyes and many natural food dyes, like turmeric dye found in condiments such as mustard.

Here's something interesting: Some materials can be both a spot and a stain because, once you remove the material on the outside of the fiber, you have some material that has penetrated into the fiber. This can happen with dry solvent-soluble materials like ink and tar. It can happen with mustard, which we all know you can feel on the fiber but when you remove the "crusty" part of the spot, you have a tough yellow stain underneath.

If you can determine something is a spot, it should be easy to remove. Most spots come out simply by using a quality pre-conditioner, some agitation on the carpet pile and rinsing.

But if you think you have a stain, you know that you may have a challenge on your hands and probably a job that will take much more time to perform. You can virtually guarantee to remove every spot, but you should hesitate before guaranteeing that you can remove a stain.

Each job is different, so be aware of that, especially if someone has already worked on the spot or stain before you, as the professional cleaner, were called to do the job.

Q: I've been working as a carpet cleaning tech for about a year. What does it take to be considered a true "cleaning specialist?"

— Patrick, Dayton, OH

A: There are many great cleaners in the industry who have learned their trade different ways.

Some did it with "on-the-job" training. Others did it with classroom training, which they then took that knowledge into the field. And still others did it by combining both.

Many business owners and facilities will hire someone as a cleaning technician, do some of their own training, and when the tech has the basics down will send him to a seminar or two to get some advanced training. But to become a specialist is another thing.

A specialist means commitment, it means caring about what you are doing and having a desire to learn as much as you can to do a better job.

Most cleaning seminars have a few "industry veterans" with all kinds of skills and experience, but the fact they attend is a testament to their desire to always learn more and continue their training as a cleaning expert.

No matter your skill level, there is always a new trick or application to be learned. So if you want to be a specialist in carpet cleaning, develop a thirst for knowledge and apply what you learn. Obtain knowledge from any source you can, whether from classes and seminars, books, online bulletin boards, electronic media, videos, or in the field.

Have a question for us? Ask at Cleanfax.com/experts or jcross@ntpmedia.com.