Posted by Stephanie Webb on Mon, Jan 04, 2010 @ 09:59 AM
The holiday season is time for food, family, fun and all sorts of stains on clothing. Here are a few tips on removing some of the most common stains you'll find this season.
Alcohol and Wine - Soak in a mixture of 1 quart cool water and 1 tablespoon vinegar. If stain remains, sponge with rubbing alcohol or detergent. Launder in hottest water safe for the fabric. If the fabric is dry-cleanable, be sure to tell the professional dry cleaner the stain contains alcohol so the proper cleaning methods are used.
Chocolate/Hot Chocolate- Rinse the fresh stain with cool water. Treat the stain with a laundry pre-treating product (such as Shout®). Wait at least 30 minutes then wash as usual. Rinse with the hottest water safe for the fabric.
Coffee and Tea - Soak in cool water, work in 1 teaspoon of liquid detergent and 1 tablespoon of vinegar. Do not use soap; it could make the stain permanent.
Cranberries - Soak in cool water for 30 minutes or overnight. Work in a detergent. Then force extremely hot water through the stain by putting the stain over a bowl in the sink and pouring water through it. Launder in hottest water safe for the fabric.
Eggs and Eggnog - Rinse the fresh stain in cold water. Apply oxygen bleach and soak for 30 minutes in warm water. Launder in warm water. Do not use hot water; it can set the stain.
Turkey Fat - Rinse fresh stains in cool water. Saturate the area with an aerosol pretreatment laundry stain remover. Wait for a minute and launder with detergent. Wash in the hottest water safe for fabric.
Posted by Stephanie Webb on Tue, Aug 18, 2009 @ 09:27 AM
Oil stains can ruin your driveway or garage floor, and even detract from the value of your home. If you act quickly on fresh spills, you can clean up the mess before it becomes problematic. However, if you wait too long, you may need to call in a professional to give the surface an intense power wash.
- Oil Stain Solution #1: Kitty Litter
Kitty litter works wonders on oil stains. (It's also a good idea to keep a small jug of kitty litter in your trunk in the winter. You can use it to give your tires traction if you get stuck in an icy parking lot.) Simply spread the litter on the oil, wait until it discolors, then sweep it away. Continue to add litter and sweep it away until the oil disappears.
- Oil Stain Solution #2: Portland Cement
As Portland Cement is brushed over the stain, the powdery cement will ball up as it gathers oil. When this happens, simply sweep the debris away and repeat the process with fresh powder. You can find Portland Cement at your local hardware store.
Posted by Stephanie Webb on Tue, Jul 21, 2009 @ 09:05 AM
Shower enclosures are a chore to keep clean -- but they can be less of a problem if you follow these guidelines:
- Keep mildew from taking hold by wiping shower walls with a towel after each shower.
- If the shower area is subject to mildew, periodically spray it with a mildew inhibitor and disinfectant.
- Remove hard-water deposits on shower enclosures with a solution of white vinegar and water.
- Glass shower doors will sparkle when you clean them with a sponge dipped in white vinegar.
- Add 1 cup liquid fabric softener to 1 quart warm water, and use to loosen and clean soap scum from shower doors. Do not use on the tub; it will become slippery.
- Remove water spots on the metal frames around shower doors and enclosures with lemon oil.
- Note: Never use harsh abrasive powders or steel-wool pads.
Remember when it is time to have a professional in depth cleaning on your shower call our professionals at Carpet Tech. We can have your shower tile and grout cleaner than ever before!
Posted by Stephanie Webb on Mon, Jul 06, 2009 @ 10:42 AM
Your carpets take a lot more abuse than you realize, and we're not just talking about the occasional spots and spills. Daily wear and tear can really take its toll on your carpet and shorten its life. Carpeting is an expensive investment and we want to help you protect that investment. Here are a few signs your carpet is in trouble and how to rectify the problems. As always, make sure to have regular professional cleanings at least once a year.
- 1) Sprouting: Shoe nails, pet claws or defective cleaning equipment can pull tufts above the level of the carpet. To prevent additional problems, use a sharp pair of scissors to trim the excess tufts as soon as you notice them.
- 2) Shedding: These short, broken fibers can be trapped during the yarn-making process. After your carpet is installed, they may show up as fuzz. While some is normal in high quality spun yarn, it's best to get these fibers up and out by vacuuming to eliminate the problem.
- 3) Shading: Heavy traffic causes carpet pile to lie in a variety of directions, so tufts remaining upright appear darker than compressed fibers. A thorough vacuuming or combing will rectify the situation so pile wears uniformly.
- 4) Pilling: The small, fuzzy balls that stick to carpet surfaces are caused when strong, unbroken fibers cling to weak ones. Most often, the cause is using old cleaning equipment, so ask your carpet care professional to inspect your vacuum and other cleaning tools. Pets may also be the culprits, too.
- 5) Furniture dents: Finally decided to rearrange the living after 20 years? You can try getting rid of those unsightly dents by holding a steam iron over (never against) the indented pile, then gently brushing the area.
Posted by Stephanie Webb on Mon, Jun 29, 2009 @ 09:02 AM
Here at Carpet Tech we are professionals in ALL areas of cleanliness from the floors and vents in your home to everything you own. We know how important it is to keep your home a clean and healthy environment, especially when our kiddos are involved!
If your children have stuffed animals, it can be alarming just how easily they can become laden with allergy-causing dust mites. However, it is just as easy to kill all the dust mites in stuffed toys without having to constantly be washing and drying them.
To kill dust mites in stuffed animals, simply wrap them in plastic - such as placing them in a Ziploc bag - then just pop them in the freezer for a few hours. Freezing will kill the dust mites living within the fluff and stuffing.
This tip also works on pillows, too! Just make sure you wrap them well in plastic, and place them in the freezer a bit longer since they are so much larger than stuffed animals.
Do this every week or so to keep the toys dust mite free. It is easy to just pop them in right before going out and running errands, that way you don't need to worry about your child wanting the stuffed toy while it is being de-mited!
Posted by Stephanie Webb on Thu, Jun 25, 2009 @ 09:32 AM
Talk about ironic: We'd never take a pass on washing our bed sheets. But what about our furniture? Some of us spend as much time crashed on the couch as we do in bed. We sit, nap and eat there. We even invite the pets to join us.
Despite the fact that many of us log an overabundance of sofa time, equally as many of us will admit that we're not nearly as good about regular cleanings when it comes to our couches. This article may change that because we're going to reveal a big secret: When you ignore regular upholstery cleanings, you're doing exactly what furniture manufacturers want you to do. Neglect having your upholstered furniture sanitized on a regular basis and the fabric will wear out fast. Before you know it, you're out shopping for a new couch or a new recliner. As we said, that's exactly what furniture makers are banking on.
If you'd rather not be out shopping for furniture more than you or your budget would like, take time to care for it by getting rid of small spots, stains and spills as quickly as they happen, then make regular appointments with us to ser-vice your furniture. Our technicians will know where to look for the manufacturers "secret code" (the tag that IDs fabric as cleanable by (S) solvent, (S/W) solvent and water, (W) water or (X) "can't be cleaned"). Because your carpet tech is a professional, he may even know of new products on the market that can tackle fabric in the X category.
Regardless of the cleaning method recommended, you can be sure your Carpet Tech technician will test the material in an inconspicuous place, then give you the whole story on what it will take to clean that particular piece of furniture. In the interim, vacuuming sofas with the same regularity as you tackle your carpet will go a long way toward removing the everyday grime that "magically appears" on your upholstered pieces.
Posted by Stephanie Webb on Tue, Jun 16, 2009 @ 10:57 AM
The best way to keep your carpets cleaner longer is simply to vacuum on a regular basis. Particles of dry soil get tracked in to your home on shoes, clothing and even gentle summer breezes through open windows. If not removed, they'll settle deep into the pile of the carpet, actually damaging the fibers and making it look dull and dingy... as well as dirty!
To do all you can to keep your carpet fresh and looking new, keep these tips in mind:
1) Go the extra mile when shopping for a vacuum. Cheap vacuums don't reach down deep into the carpet fibers, so a great deal of soil is left to accumulate deep down.
2) Use the correct vacuum tools to care for your floor covering. Thick, loop pile, if brushed the wrong way, can shorten a carpet's life. Combination beater/brush bars agitate pile and loosen it down deep for removal. Describe your carpet type to your vacuum salesperson for the right fit.
3) Many vacuums today offer bagless technology, which is downright convenient when it comes to disposing the dirt you've trapped. However, paper bags tend to do a more efficient job trapping particles. If you find bags that trap particles smaller than two microns in size, you've got a winner. Don't forget to replace bags when they're between one-half to two-thirds full for maximum efficiency.
4) If your vacuum has an adjustable height mechanism, start at the highest setting then lower it until it just touches the pile. Your vacuum should slightly vibrate carpet. If the brush is set too low, you'll wind up overworking the motor and possibly needing to purchase a replacement vacuum sooner than expected.