FORT SMITH - Although he owns several businesses, Fort Smith's Blaine Walterhouse still occasionally takes the time to steam clean carpets.

The owner and operator of Phil's Steam Cleaning, he purchased the business in 2002.

Blaine Walterhouse owns and operates Phil's Steam Cleaning in Fort Smith. - Paul Bickford/NNSL photo

"It's physical, but relaxing," he said of cleaning carpets. "You don't hear a phone. It's just you and the carpet."

Walterhouse usually helps out with major commercial jobs.

"Clients like to see me involved," he noted. "I'm a hands-on manager."

Walterhouse has one year-round employee and up to three in the summer when steam cleaning is most in demand.

"There are a lot more people who want to get things done in the summer," he said.

For example, Aurora College gets its main building and residences steam cleaned in the summer when students are gone.

Some businesses have their carpets cleaned three times a year and others - such as restaurants - six times depending on the amount of traffic.

Walterhouse said his business also has the occasional call for flood clean-up.

Walterhouse took a one-week course from a supplier to become a certified steam cleaner.

"It teaches you how the carpet is made and how to use the proper chemical on the proper carpet," he said.

Steam cleaning can make a dramatic difference to the appearance of a carpet beaten down by use, he noted. "With our machines, we can actually lift the fibres back up and take out the traffic lanes."

Walterhouse's advice to homeowners is to rotate furniture to prevent traffic lanes from developing, although he noted not many people do it.

"We try to preach to our customers to do that," he said.

Some people leave their furniture in the same location for decades, and their carpet can become like linoleum, he noted.

Steam cleaning must be done carefully to prevent staining a carpet, and to avoid using an excess amount of water and chemical.

Phil's Steam Cleaning was started by Phil Norwegian, the owner of Fort Smith Janitorial.

Walterhouse said he decided to keep the business name because when people in Fort Smith think of clean they think of Norwegian.

"I wanted to keep that reputation going," Walterhouse said.

Back then, he was working as a warehouse technician with the BHP diamond mine, and bought the steam cleaning business for something to do with his two weeks off from the mine.

"I always wanted to be my own boss," he said.

Now, the 35-year-old also owns Lou's Small Engines and T&B Holdings, which has commercial rental space and a courier service.

In addition, he is planning to open an enclosed car wash in Fort Smith in the fall.