.Put walk-off mats inside and outside every entrance to the home.
.Also place mats at carpet entrance from high traffic areas like kitchens.
.Keep mats clean:vacuum frequently and machine wash or hose and squeegee clean.
.Vacuum traffic areas 3 to 5 times per week, all open areas weekly.
.Reapply protective finish each time carpet is cleaned.
.Clean your carpet at least once a year.
.Seek and remove spillables before they spill.
.Clean spills up immediately.
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Pet Stains
• Blot up as much of the urine as possible. Do not scrub. When you think you have as much of it up as possible, blot the area again using a towel soaked in warm water. Be careful not to get the area too wet—you may force the urine deeper. Blot the area again with a dry towel.
• Next, apply a low-residue carpet spot remover, let sit for 60 seconds and again blot the spot.
• Finally, fold a dry towel to several layers, place over the spot and apply at least 10 pounds of weight. Let it sit overnight. When you remove the towel, fluff the carpet up and allow to dry. If the spot returns after a few days, repeat the last two steps.
After the carpet dries, stick your nose down to the carpet and give it a good whiff. Any odor? If so, please be very careful what you use. Most store-bought deodorizers only work in mild odor situations. Don’t over-use them, you may do more harm than good. Call us if you need help.
• Blot up as much of the urine as possible. Do not scrub. When you think you have as much of it up as possible, blot the area again using a towel soaked in warm water. Be careful not to get the area too wet—you may force the urine deeper. Blot the area again with a dry towel.
• Next, apply a low-residue carpet spot remover, let sit for 60 seconds and again blot the spot.
• Finally, fold a dry towel to several layers, place over the spot and apply at least 10 pounds of weight. Let it sit overnight. When you remove the towel, fluff the carpet up and allow to dry. If the spot returns after a few days, repeat the last two steps.
After the carpet dries, stick your nose down to the carpet and give it a good whiff. Any odor? If so, please be very careful what you use. Most store-bought deodorizers only work in mild odor situations. Don’t over-use them, you may do more harm than good. Call us if you need help.
• Next, apply a low-residue carpet spot remover, let sit for 60 seconds and again blot the spot.
• Finally, fold a dry towel to several layers, place over the spot and apply at least 10 pounds of weight. Let it sit overnight. When you remove the towel, fluff the carpet up and allow to dry. If the spot returns after a few days, repeat the last two steps.
After the carpet dries, stick your nose down to the carpet and give it a good whiff. Any odor? If so, please be very careful what you use. Most store-bought deodorizers only work in mild odor situations. Don’t over-use them, you may do more harm than good. Call us if you need help.
• Blot up as much of the urine as possible. Do not scrub. When you think you have as much of it up as possible, blot the area again using a towel soaked in warm water. Be careful not to get the area too wet—you may force the urine deeper. Blot the area again with a dry towel.
• Next, apply a low-residue carpet spot remover, let sit for 60 seconds and again blot the spot.
• Finally, fold a dry towel to several layers, place over the spot and apply at least 10 pounds of weight. Let it sit overnight. When you remove the towel, fluff the carpet up and allow to dry. If the spot returns after a few days, repeat the last two steps.
After the carpet dries, stick your nose down to the carpet and give it a good whiff. Any odor? If so, please be very careful what you use. Most store-bought deodorizers only work in mild odor situations. Don’t over-use them, you may do more harm than good. Call us if you need help.
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Cleaning Tips
. Do not mix ammonia and vinegar together. They will neutralize each other.
. Vacuum cobwebs instead of smashing them on the surface with a broom or dust mop. They are sticky and can leave a stain.
. Wash your painted walls instead of repainting. It's faster and cheaper. You can have them professionally washed for a fraction of the cost of repainting.
. When washing walls or floors, use two buckets. One with a cleaning solution, one with clear rinse water. Rinse your sponge or mop in the rinse water before placing it in the solution bucket. Change the rinse water frequently. You will use less cleaning solution with this method.
. Remove crayon marks from painted walls with lighter fluid.
. Remove black shoe marks from flooring with an eraser.
. To wash window screens, lay them on a flat surface with an old sheet underneath. Apply cleaning solution, scrub them gently with a brush, rinse with a hose and shake off excess water.
. Rotate area rugs so that they soil and wear more evenly. If they have a pad under them, vacuum it annually.
. Use a hair dryer to blow dust from dried flower arrangements or silk flowers before vacuuming the room.
. Remove candle wax from holders by placing them in the freezer for an hour.Then peel off the frozen wax.
. Vacuum cobwebs instead of smashing them on the surface with a broom or dust mop. They are sticky and can leave a stain.
. Wash your painted walls instead of repainting. It's faster and cheaper. You can have them professionally washed for a fraction of the cost of repainting.
. When washing walls or floors, use two buckets. One with a cleaning solution, one with clear rinse water. Rinse your sponge or mop in the rinse water before placing it in the solution bucket. Change the rinse water frequently. You will use less cleaning solution with this method.
. Remove crayon marks from painted walls with lighter fluid.
. Remove black shoe marks from flooring with an eraser.
. To wash window screens, lay them on a flat surface with an old sheet underneath. Apply cleaning solution, scrub them gently with a brush, rinse with a hose and shake off excess water.
. Rotate area rugs so that they soil and wear more evenly. If they have a pad under them, vacuum it annually.
. Use a hair dryer to blow dust from dried flower arrangements or silk flowers before vacuuming the room.
. Remove candle wax from holders by placing them in the freezer for an hour.Then peel off the frozen wax.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Clean Secrets
True or False: You can make your water clean better and clean easier.
True: To a sink of sudsy water, add 1 tablespoon of bleach to kill germs and a few drops of water softener to make cleaning agents penetrate faster.
True or False: There are more harmful germs on your bed sheets than on your sofa.
False: Sofa's have more germs because they don't get cleaned enough, while sheets are washed often.
True or False: For dust allergy sufferers, hard floors are better for health than carpets.
False: Properly maintained carpets are better, because they hold dust instead of letting it blow around.
True or False: Guests decide if you are dirty or clean by the appearance of your carpet.
True: 60% of your guest's first impression of the inside of your home is formed around the carpet.
True: To a sink of sudsy water, add 1 tablespoon of bleach to kill germs and a few drops of water softener to make cleaning agents penetrate faster.
True or False: There are more harmful germs on your bed sheets than on your sofa.
False: Sofa's have more germs because they don't get cleaned enough, while sheets are washed often.
True or False: For dust allergy sufferers, hard floors are better for health than carpets.
False: Properly maintained carpets are better, because they hold dust instead of letting it blow around.
True or False: Guests decide if you are dirty or clean by the appearance of your carpet.
True: 60% of your guest's first impression of the inside of your home is formed around the carpet.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
What Shoud I Wear On My Feet When Indoors?
The best thing to wear on your feet in the house is white cotton socks. Shoes are abrasive on the carpet and track minute amounts of oils on the carpet (like tar and asphalt), which then attract dirt.
Bare feet also have oils from skin and soap, which attract dirt. So socks or special indoor-only slippers are best. Cotton is great because dirt sticks to cotton easier than it sticks to synthetic carpet fibers.
By wearing cotton socks, you actually pick up some of the dirt that would otherwise end up on the carpet. I suggest white socks, because some socks or slippers have dyes that rub off and stick to the carpet and can stain the carpet permanently.
Bare feet also have oils from skin and soap, which attract dirt. So socks or special indoor-only slippers are best. Cotton is great because dirt sticks to cotton easier than it sticks to synthetic carpet fibers.
By wearing cotton socks, you actually pick up some of the dirt that would otherwise end up on the carpet. I suggest white socks, because some socks or slippers have dyes that rub off and stick to the carpet and can stain the carpet permanently.
Sunlight Is A Natural Deodorizer For Your Home
Often people open all the doors and windows to 'air out the house.' The flush of fresh air is healthful and refreshing, but much of the benefit comes from the fact that more sunlight is brought in, which works as a natural deodorizer by chemically neutralizing many odor sources.
The sunlight also kills many germs and spores that lurk in the home. On the bad side, the same force in sunlight also faded textiles and degrades or discolors many furnishings.
The sunlight also kills many germs and spores that lurk in the home. On the bad side, the same force in sunlight also faded textiles and degrades or discolors many furnishings.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
How Do I Get Rid Of Indentations In The Carpet
We recently moved into a 3 year-old house. The carpet is in great shape, except for one thing: There are indentations in the carpeting where the previous owners had their furniture. How do we remove them? Will cleaning the carpet help?
Signed, Mrs. Dent
Deep furniture indentations are a combination of compression of the carpet pad (which is most likely irreversible), stretching of the carpet backing (which can sometimes be improved), and distortion of the face fibers.
Cleaning alone, will not remove the dents. It may help improve the carpet and backing, but will do very little for the carpet pad. Over time, the pad may slowly return to it’s original shape, but that rarely happens - especially if the pad is of lower quality.
You can try a couple of things:
1. Place a damp, white towel over the dents and set a steam iron over the towel. Remove it after 1 minute, then fluff the carpet fibers up and allow to dry.
2. Try the ice cube trick: Put an ice cube on each dent and let it sit over night. I have never tried this, but I’ve heard that it works in some cases. Don’t ask me why.
If none of the above works and the indentations are really bugging you, as a last resort you could have the carpet pulled back and have new pieces of carpet pad inserted where the compressed pad is.
Signed, Mrs. Dent
Deep furniture indentations are a combination of compression of the carpet pad (which is most likely irreversible), stretching of the carpet backing (which can sometimes be improved), and distortion of the face fibers.
Cleaning alone, will not remove the dents. It may help improve the carpet and backing, but will do very little for the carpet pad. Over time, the pad may slowly return to it’s original shape, but that rarely happens - especially if the pad is of lower quality.
You can try a couple of things:
1. Place a damp, white towel over the dents and set a steam iron over the towel. Remove it after 1 minute, then fluff the carpet fibers up and allow to dry.
2. Try the ice cube trick: Put an ice cube on each dent and let it sit over night. I have never tried this, but I’ve heard that it works in some cases. Don’t ask me why.
If none of the above works and the indentations are really bugging you, as a last resort you could have the carpet pulled back and have new pieces of carpet pad inserted where the compressed pad is.
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