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The Rotary Club of Nicholasville’s regular weekly meeting had speaker Joey Pickett, owner of local business Joey’s Carpet Care.  

The meeting began with the group inducting a new member, real estate agent Roger Fields. After the induction, Roger shook Rotary Club President Ruby Mason’s hand and told her that if there were anything the Rotary Club needed him to do, he would provide it. 

Joey’s Carpet Care is a local business that is in its second generation of ownership. Joey’s son, Ben Pickett, is an owner alongside his father and has expanded the team and the company’s offerings with his wife, Tiffany. 

Ben was supposed to be the Rotary Club speaker, but due to the floods that recently ravaged homes throughout the central and western parts of the state, he had to instead spend the time assisting homeowners with flood cleanup.

According to Joey, the business’s rug cleaning plant was one of the first in the Jessamine County Industrial Park and still serves central Kentucky today. Joey and his father started the company in 1980. 

Joey is highly skilled, with 48 years in the industry and advanced designations as Master Textile Cleaner (MTC), Master Water Restorer (MWR), Master Fire Restorer (MFR), and Senior Carpet Inspector (SCI). His reputation has him known as a carpet expert. He created the seven-step process to clean carpets that professionals use worldwide today. He has completed consumer reports and has worked with FEMA and the Canadian government. He’s also provided consumer education through local TV and radio appearances in Central Kentucky, where he received the name “Dr. Stain.” 

Although he still owns his company, he now primarily works as a consultant. His son and his daughter-in-law are the next-generation owners. 

Ben started working with his father at about age five and became the youngest person to receive his carpet cleaning certification at age 12. 

When Ben realized that so many homeowners were switching from carpet to tile flooring, he became interested in adding tile and grout cleaning to his certifications. Joey sent his son to the best instructor he could find. 

“The one thing I would say is when I started this business, we called it Joey’s Carpet Care because I worked with another company and developed a nice reputation. But what I didn’t realize is what a carpet care business usually becomes. Most of my customers just call us Joey’s because we do so much,” Joey said. 

As an A+ Better Business with the Better Business Bureau, Joey cleans upholstery, curtains, tile, grout, stone, and wood, as well as cleaning residential and commercial rugs and large area carpets. They also do carpet repairs, carpet stretching, dryer vent cleaning, air duct cleaning, OZONE odor treatment, and micro sealing for furniture with a lifetime warranty. One member of the Rotary Club confirmed that he and his partner had an issue with the initial microsealing job by Joey’s, so Joey’s employees came back and fixed the problem at no cost. 

Joey’s Carpet Care recently visited a Ronald McDonald House to clean its rugs and delicate upholstery.

When finishing his presentation, Joey discussed issues that many people have when trying to clean their own carpets. “Most of your carpets today, unless they’re made out of wool, are made out of plastic,” he said. 

Most non-natural fibers are adsorbent, meaning they do not absorb water and hold that water at the surface of the carpet. Joey explains that this is why people may clean their carpets with a spray, and after a while, the stain comes right back. “If you clean a carpet like you always have, it’ll look great, but it will come back unless you learn to adjust your cleaning procedures,” he said, emphasizing the importance of understanding your carpet material and the right way to clean them. 

He also recommends a thin, dense carpet with a firm foundation underneath so it doesn’t flex and shorten the carpet’s life. Most people want super soft flooring, but this is not the best for longevity. 

“One of the things that we always teach people is anything we tell you beforehand is education; anything you tell anyone afterward is an excuse. So we like to give people honest and accurate information. There are times we tell people you’d be better off replacing their carpet, that it’s not worth it,” Joey said. “We’re not looking for one-time customers. I’ve already told you we’re a second-generation company, and I’m hoping to get to the third generation. But you don’t do that by taking advantage of people.”