History & Services

About me:

I've lived in Arroyo Grande most of my life and really appreciate being able to offer my neigbors, and all CENTRAL COAST residents, a One Stop source for their Carpet and Window cleaning needs.

I learned how to clean carpet and windows in 1982. My first window cleaning job was at the Robert E. Kennedy library on the campus of the California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo in October of 1982. I did that job again in the spring of 1983. It has 900 windows with a total of 22,000 square feet of glass and takes a week for 3 men to clean.

In the summer of 1983, I went into construction for a few years and then spent 6 years working in oil refineries as a pipefitter, while still doing window cleaning on the side. In 1994, I started David Ingram Carpet & Window Cleaning full time. At that time, there were only a couple of other companies doing what I do. I've worked hard to build a loyal customer base, but it's been very satisfying to know that some of my customers' children, who I watched grow up, are now calling me to clean their carpet and windows. I even clean for 3 generations of some families now!

Since Day One, I've worked by the motto "Every job done right the first time for a fair price and with a good attitude!!!"

Over the years, I've worked to develop techniques that would allow me to do an excellent job for my customers while keeping the costs reasonable and I've boiled my work ethic down to 2 main components: COMMUNICATION & TRUST. I ask my clients what they need and then offer them cost-effective ways to accomplish the task, and they trust that I'll give them excellent value for their cleaning budget. I don't believe in using high pressure sales tactics or "selling" unnecessary ad-ons. I'm a homeowner and a consumer too, and don't like it when pushy, aggressive sales people try to sell me products or services that I don't need or want, so I've always given my clients the dignity and respect they deserve by not trying to sell them services that they don't need. People seem to like this approach because my clients tell their friends, family and business associates about me, and as a result, I've been able to keep my rates reasonable because I don't have to spend a fortune on advertising trying to attract new customers. WIN-WIN.

For my Carpet Cleaning services, I have the policy to always dry vacuum the areas to be cleaned with a high quality commercial vacuum cleaner (Windsor Sensor XP15, which automatically adjusts to the right height for whatever surface that is being vacuumed). This ensures the removal of as much loose debris as possible before starting the wet cleaning process. I've spoken to many of my carpet cleaning competitors and am shocked and quite frankly disappointed at how many of them skip this essential step. Many of them have told me that their truck mount unit will extract everything without taking a few minutes to dry vacuum. (REALLY?!?) Have you ever tried to pick up a hair off of a wet surface? Check the edges and corners of your carpet after they've finished "cleaning" it, and tell me they did a complete job.

When choosing a carpet cleaner, ask them to show you their vacuum cleaner. If they can't or won't, you'll know that they cut corners. That's why so many carpet cleaners will tell you that you have to have your carpet cleaned every 3 months. I think that's unnecessary if you take a few basic steps to maintain your carpet. I gladly offer practical suggestions to help keep your maintenance costs down.

Any cleaning service provider should be able to fully explain their process and answer any questions you may have, and in a way that you easily understand. This is where having good communication skills are very important!! If your current cleaning company is not putting enough effort into the detail of the service they provide, please call me for a free no-obligation consultation. If a job is beyond my capabilities, I will be quick to say so, and I will probably know of someone who can handle the job. Some jobs are just too big for a one-man operation like mine, and I know my limitations. My quality control is much more stringent though, because I do all the work myself, so the jobs are done the way I would expect if I was hiring them to be done.

One thing though: I'm not available to work nights or weekends. I work hard all week and need time to enjoy being with my family and doing other activities that are an important part of my life. Plus, let's face it, we all need a little down time and when you live in an area as beautiful as we do, you want to enjoy seeing the sights that people travel here from around the world to see. That's part of why I still enjoy my work so much, and I really enjoy the variety of people that I work for. Hopefully this has given you a little insight into who I am and how I operate. I look forward to hearing from you and discussing your various cleaning needs. Again my numbers are:

(805) 489-3900