Nearly 26 years and counting. That’s how long Sooner Carpet Cleaning has been in business.

Opened by Jim Mitchell in 1994, the business moved in June from its location near Norman North High School on Research Park Boulevard to 4389 S. Pennsylvania Ave. With the move, the business nearly doubled its space and changed its name to Sooner Cleaning + Restoration.

Mitchell’s wife, Carrie, who joined the business as a co-owner 20 years ago, said they started looking for a new location after their former building was sold last April.

“We thought about it for a long time and needed more space,” Carrie Mitchell said, adding that they now have room to expand.

Regarding the name change, she said that, too, had been discussed for a while, but the move provided the best timing to rename the business to better represent the variety of services offered.

To celebrate the changes, Sooner Cleaning had a ribbon cutting Friday with Norman and Newcastle chambers of commerce, followed by an open house and customer appreciation event.

Mitchell said the event included food, and gave the 12 full-time employees a chance to show how appreciative they are of longtime patronage.

Mitchell said customer referrals are a huge part of their business, and she sees a lot of positive social media posts about Sooner Cleaning.

Plus, they usually don’t get much walk-in service, so Friday’s event offered a chance for residents to see their home base.

“We wanted to find way to say thank you,” Mitchell said.

The co-owners celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary a few weeks ago and have three sons together.

“Our business and marriage have gone hand in hand,” Mitchell said, adding that she sold her first car so they could buy the business’ first van. Now, the company has nine vans.

Their oldest son worked for Sooner Cleaning for one year, and another son worked there one summer. Mostly, though, the couple runs the business themselves.

The number of services Sooner Cleaning has offered has grown over the years, Mitchell said.

The business began by offering carpet cleaning and floor waxing. Water loss restoration, air duct cleaning, chimney and dryer vent cleaning, tile and grout cleaning, and carpet re-stretching and repair have all been added.

She said they receive about 30 to 70 calls a month for area rug cleanings. The new location has allowed them to expand this service to include more in-plant rug cleanings, and residents can either drop off rugs or schedule a pickup time. The average time frame is seven to 10 days, due to a high workload.

Regular services are offered from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. They are closed Sunday for service work.

However, Sooner Cleaning responds 24/7 to water loss emergencies, Mitchell said, which they see almost daily.

Carrie Mitchell said her husband has many certifications, including air duct cleaning through the National Air Duct Cleaning Association — one of only three in the metro with the certification — and being considered a master restorer through the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification. This means Sooner Cleaning can do large commercial jobs, in addition to residential jobs. The NADCA certification requires year recertification, which is obtainable through conferences, workshops and retesting.

In addition, all employees are certified in water restoration, she said.

Carrie Mitchell said Sooner Cleaning has been involved in many noteworthy calls.

One time, employees cleaned an unoccupied flooded apartment unit that had no working air conditioner. She said black mold was three feet up the walls and was growing rapidly. On occasion, employees have been hired to clean up after crime scene investigations are finished.

Mitchell said Sooner Cleaning was called to clean an apartment after a college student, who was locked out of their unit, fell through a glass window while trying to crawl in through the window. The student was cut and injured.

Mitchell recalled being asked to clean carpet in the back of a rental unit. When she walked near the back, she looked down and saw fleas up to her knees, to the extent it looked like she was wearing black socks.

“It was awful,” she said.

According to Mitchell, the staff are advised to be ready for any situation and to be compassionate and understanding.

Source: https://bit.ly/2J4SyRy