Cleaning Tip #1
After the holidays mess? Remove those
liquor and other
party stains ASAP. How? Call your carpet
care professional if the old vinegar and
water remedy doesn’t work. You can ruin
good carpet by trying to
"do-it-yourself" so for the low
cost of carpet cleaning today, have it
cleaned right!
Cut down on dust: cover heating floor
vents or registers with cheesecloth;
take the vent off and tape a piece of
cheesecloth across the back.
Murphy’s Law: The chance of a piece of
bread falling with the buttered side
down is directly proportional to the
cost of the carpet.
Cleaning Tip #2
You’ve heard it before and we’ll repeat
this often: vacuum, vacuum, vacuum!
Don’t inhale those nasty dirt particles
- let your vacuum cleaner have that
honor. Entry ways should be vacuumed
daily; I know, what a drag! Yes, drag
and push that vacuum cleaner and make it
your slave.
Buying new carpeting? Tips from the
American Lung Association:
(1) Ask your carpet dealer to allow the
carpet to rest
unrolled in a well ventilated area for
at least 24 hours
before it’s installed to get rid of "new
carpet" gases from
the chemicals used in the carpet glues,
backing, dyes, and stain resistant
treatments.
(2) Open windows and doors or use
ventilating systems before and after
installing new carpeting; air out house
for 2-3 days.
Cleaning Tip #3
Carpeted Stairs: can hold up to one
pound of dirt in each square yard. Dirt
tends to concentrate in the center and
front of the tread. Vacuum cleaner with
beater bar works
best; use 6 to 8 overlapping strokes
against the nap and
3 or 4 strokes at the edges and risers,
where dust, pet hair, and lint
accumulate.
Hawaiian Punch Stain? The folks who make
the punch recommend you flush the spill
with plain club soda and blot with clean
white towels; remember to dab (blot) but
don’t rub.
Mud and Play-Doh mess? Let dry
completely before you try to remove.
Wait before you wet. Remove as much of a
stain as possible BEFORE wetting it.
Blot, dab, blot, dab, blot.
Cleaning Tip #4
Upholstery foam cleaners? A not-so
bright idea!! Scrub this approach! Why?
Most commercial foam upholstery cleaners
contain fluorescent brightening agents
that make the fabric appear cleaner
initially but can yellow with age and
exposure to ultraviolet light. Call in a
professional carpet/upholstery cleaner
at least once a year to clean all your
upholstery and make it last for years.
Vacuum your upholstery weekly to remove
dead skin cells which feed dust mites;
they leave their feces and decomposing
carcasses behind serving as allergens.
YUK!
Tempted to wash those zippered covers on
your sofa cushions? DON’T! They could
shrink. Call a professional.
Vinyl furniture should be cleaned with
mild liquid dishwashing detergent and
water; use a soft bristle brush to
loosen dirt from crevices and textured
surfaces - rinse with clear water and
buff dry.
Vinyl cleaners (like Armor All) help
remove stubborn soil and the
conditioners in these cleaners help
rejuvenate the plasticizers that keep
the vinyl soft. Never use oil on vinyl!!
NEVER use acetone, lacquer thinner, or
dry-cleaning fluid to remove spots or
stains from vinyl.
Real leather? revive by beating two egg
whites lightly then apply with a soft
clean sponge. Let it set for 3-5 minutes
before cleaning off with a soft cloth,
barely dampened with clear warm water.
Dry immediately and buff off any
residues.
Cleaning Tip #5
Don't cry over spilled wine - a splash
of red wine on your
upholstery? Just cover it immediately
with a generous coating of salt. Blot up
the wine and salt and finish with a
sponge dipped in a solution of Woolite
and cool water.
Puppy potty oooops - blot like crazy
with paper towels by
stomping on them; next, combine 1
tablespoon white vinegar and 2
tablespoons dishwashing liquid. Dab
mixture into stain with damp sponge and
let sit for 20 minutes, then sponge up
with warm water; BLOT, don't rub. Test
first in hidden area of the carpet to
make sure you don't discolor it.
Shaving brush trick - dust delicate
collectibles -- the
bristles are soft and gentle and will
remove dust from even the tiniest
crevices.
Cleaning Tip #6
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
How often should we clean our carpets?
Most carpet
manufacturers recommend deep leaning
every 6-12 months. If you wait until
your carpet "looks dirty," soil has
already taken its toll and has begun to
grind away at
your carpet fibers.
How about do-it-yourself home shampooing
machines?
OK for touch-ups and spot cleaning
in-between professional cleanings, but
these machines don’t clean as deeply or
as thoroughly as our professional
equipment plus they’re tough to drag
around. Let our automatic high power
equipment do the work.
But isn’t professional cleaning
expensive? No, Not like
years ago -- every company in the Kern
River Valley is
reasonably priced and some run specials;
many mobiles and small homes can be
cleaned for under $75 in most cases
Cleaning Tip #7
MORE FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions -
cont’d)
Why are some spots difficult if not
impossible to remove?
Pet urine sometimes bleaches the dye in
your carpet and leaves a spot of its
own; you stand a better chance of good
removal if you can catch the "accident"
right away, blot it with paper towels
until no more moisture appears on the
towel, and then dab the areas with
professional spotter and blot again.
Why is my carpet turning brown around
the edges near window areas? Sometimes
if a brightener has been used as a
"finishing" touch on your carpet, when
it is exposed to ultra violet rays from
the sun coming through a window, the
area will "brown-out." Make sure to
check with your professional cleaner
that if brighteners are used this will
not happen.
When is the best time of day to get our
carpets cleaned?
Any time of the day or evening (we work
evenings at no extra charge) is ok
because our powerful equipment extracts
most of the moisture.
Cleaning Tip #8
When Spring arrives -- put new "spring"
in your upholstered furniture by getting
it professionally cleaned. All that
winter sitting around on it by you and
Rover and Fluffy has probably soiled it
-- protect the fabric by keeping it
clean and have it professionally
Scotch-guarded.
Selling your home?? Shampoo the carpets
before showing your home; if you don’t
want "shoppers" walking on your freshly
cleaned carpets, make temporary runners
out of white freezer wrap plastic coated
paper available in large rolls -- very
inexpensive way to keep off tracking and
a great way to show the viewers that you
care about protecting your carpet. Your
realtor will love you, plus clean
carpets increase the value of your home:
The condition of your carpet is a major
factor in how quickly and at what price
your home sells, or whether it sells at
all.
Use walk-off mats -- it takes 4 steps
with each foot to remove 90% of the dirt
from the bottom of your shoes. That’s
about 15 feet!!
Cleaning Tip #9
Stop! Don’t spot -- the wrong spot
remover can set a carpet stain forever;
if plain cold water or plain Perrier
doesn’t work, call us.
Cute as a bug in a rug? NOT! Vacuum at
least twice a week to cut down on bug
visitors.
Why pay for fancy dust cloths! Make your
own: dip cheesecloth in mixture of 2
cups of water and 1/4 cup of lemon oil.
Air Dry. Dust away!
Sprinkle a little salt on your carpet to
revive its color;
won’t hurt fibers! Provides mild
abrasive cleaning and kills
flea eggs.
Damp carpet? Lay brown paper sacks in
traffic areas to
walk on.
Cleaning Tip #10
Plug in, plod on -- Invest in a 25-foot
or longer extension
cord for your vacuum cleaner so you can
move about without unplugging
frequently.
Ink spots? Mix a little cream of tartar
and lemon juice.
Dab, don’t rub carpet! (Test first for
color fastness in
inconspicuous area). Let sit for a
minute then remove
powder with clean brush. Next, sponge
lightly with warm
water --don’t saturate. Repeat if
necessary.
Stinky vacuum odor? Put a drop or two of
cinnamon oil on
each new bag; oil avail in most health
food stores.
Ice it! Deep indentations in carpet from
heavy furniture?
One ice cube overnight will revive
flattened carpet fibers.
Cleaning Tip #11
Grand entrance? You bet! Place that
entry mat next to carpeted areas, not on
top of the carpet, if possible; frequent
cleaning of entrances and high traffic
areas reduces tracked in contaminants
and soil particles.
Dusty curtains, drapes, throw cushions?
Toss into dryer on "air" setting.
Dot light bulbs (before turning them on)
with a drop of
perfume to give the house a fresh, clean
smell.
Don’t talk dirty! Dab alcohol on a
cotton ball and clean
that phone.
Come clean! Mud on floors and carpets?
Let it dry, then brush or sweep up.
Cleaning Tip #12
An analysis by Proctor & Gamble Labs of
carpet soiling samples across the U.S.
revealed that carpet soil contains: 55%
tracked-in gritty particles 12% animal
fiber from people, pets, and fabrics,
12% vegetable matter from indoor plants,
lawn trackings and paper products.
Yuk! With all this stuff in your carpet,
how often should
you vacuum? As often as possible - more
is better!!
You can’t over vacuum a carpet.
Disposable paper bags are better than
cloth bags; when a bag is half full,
vacuum efficiency is reduced by 60-80%,
so dump it way before it’s full. Get rid
of the dust mites
and their feces, discarded human skin
cells that mites feed upon, mold spores,
and who knows what else lurks in your
carpet!
REMEMBER: Pro-Tec uses soft water
to clean your carpets and is ready to
serve you daily, including evenings and
weekends to accommodate working folks
and weekenders.
CALL US
TODAY!
