Family owned, on Main Street in Slater
The Clean Machine is an almost magical collision of new and old: the latest cleaning technology, with a level of service that takes you back to a different time. Since 2008, easily the grooviest carpet cleaning company between Ames and Ankeny.
Our story
The Clean Machine, LLC was formed in the spring of 2008 by Russ and Mel Terhaar.
Russ's carpet cleaning experience began in 1999 in Charlotte, North Carolina, and carried on over the years in New York, Colorado and Montana. Tens of thousands of residential and commercial customers have been served along the way. In 2008 the adventure of carpet cleaning in Iowa began.
Russ and Mel both have a real passion for customer service and for their customers. They also love the idea of keeping control of a small, service-intensive business.
At the close of 2019 the Terhaar family moved to Main Street in Slater. The commercial space they found is incredibly unique and has everything they were dreaming of to take the service experience to the next level. They see it as a chance to deliver "Carpet Cleaning and Beyond" to the Ballard community and to the larger communities of Ames and Ankeny.
Over the years The Clean Machine has earned the trust of clients as "far out" from Slater as Clive and Waukee. Of all the places Russ has had the chance to clean, he would say central Iowa is his favorite, and he and Mel couldn't be more excited about this chapter for their family and their business.
Meet the team
Russ Terhaar
Russ is the owner of The Clean Machine, and he's also our resident floor and fabric care specialist. Pretty far out to know that the boss-man is also the trusty technician at your service, huh? He's also really, REALLY into his carpet cleaning van.
Mel Terhaar
Mel will likely be the first person you talk to when you reach out. She's passionate about an upbeat customer service experience, whether over the phone, by email or on social media. Occasionally you can spot Mel out with Russ on a job site. Turns out she's pretty savvy with a vacuum and a CRB machine.
Summer
Summer is the mascot of our business and chief exe-CUTE-ive shop dog. We love her more than carpet cleaning, and that's A LOT.
Our process
- Walk-through. We walk through the areas with you, address any concerns, point out problems we see and explain how we can help. We measure the carpet and give you an estimate before we begin, so there are no surprises.
- Pretreat. Water-based cleaning detergents that are safe for your family and pets, applied at 200 degrees so they start loosening soil right away. On heavily traveled areas a CRB (counter rotating brush) machine scrubs the solution down to the base of the fibers.
- Rinse and extract. Our van-powered Butler System makes copious hot water and suction to pull out the soil the pretreatment and scrubbing loosened. A special rinse runs through the hot water line to flush out the first detergent, so the carpet is left soft and free of soapy residue.
- Post-spotting. The pretreatment takes out most spots and spills, and some need a little more. We specialize in stain removal, from coffee spills to Kool-Aid dribbles, and ask about them during the walk-through.
- Speed drying. As we finish each area we set carpet drying fans in it, so you can get back to normal life as quickly as possible.
- Grooming and protector (optional). For homes with children, pets or a lot of traffic, we recommend a carpet protector. It helps prolong the life of the carpet, makes vacuuming more efficient and makes spots and spills easier to clean up. We can apply it everywhere we clean, or just the high-traffic areas.
The van, and the shop
Far out service at a down to earth price.
Tell our assistant what you need cleaned and Russ and Mel will take it from there.