Summer Is Winding Down – Get Your Carpet Ready For Winter

Summer is dwindling to a close now and before long the guests won't be coming and the kids will be back to school. On your list of things to do in getting the kids ready for school, the last thing on there should be get the carpets cleaned.

Why? Well, summer is a busy time. Kids home all day, guests in and out. The foot traffic is heavy and your carpets have taken a beating. Even though there were the weekly vacuuming chores for the kids, or even if you do it yourself, the dirt and grime that gets worked into the fibers is still there.

Before winter gets here and locks everyone up inside for endless weeks, take the time now to get your carpeting professionally cleaned. This will not only get the dirt and grime down deep into the fibers, but it also gets rid of bacteria and germs that you and your family will be breathing in. You may be thinking you'll just rent one of those machines and do it yourself, but when not done right or if the machine isn't working right, can only bury the dirt and grime down even further.

With the dirt and grime buried down deeper and deeper, it makes a good place for more bacteria, dirt, germs and grime to keep building up. Your carpeting will start to look dingy and lose its color too. However, the equipment that professional carpet cleaners like American Cleaning and Restoration can pull up all that nasty stuff and make your floors as well as your whole home healthier.

Be Careful Using Plain Water To Clean Your Furniture

The kids have been home and they've had friends in and out all summer. Maybe you've had guests staying a few days here and there as well. With that going on, the chances of something getting spilled on a chair or your sofa is pretty high. If you attempted to clean it up with plain water, you may have just made it worse.

A popular fabric on furniture right now is Viscose, or you may know it as Rayon. It is manmade from natural materials that include wood pulp, which is similar to cotton. It is nearly pure cellulose and has been around for what seems like forever. Viscose gives furniture a high sheen pile fabric that feels good and looks good.

The downside to viscose is that when it comes in contact with any form of water, drinks, wet hands, etc., the fibers of the fabric swell and stay swollen. The spot becomes even more visible because Viscose fibers that have been in contact with water remain swollen because they reflect light. This will make the spot stand out massively more so than the rest of the furniture that didn't get wet. That spot now looks a different color permanently and when viscose fibers become wet, they become 40% weaker as well.

So what do you do to clean this type of furniture? A steam cleaner can be your best friend when you own furniture with viscose fabric. The main purpose of these machines is to clean floors, but some come with attachments for cleaning upholstery too. However, steam is made of water and if not done properly can make the matter even worse. You could even ruin your furniture completely if not careful.

Depending on how old your furniture is, how long you plan to keep your furniture, and how bad the wet spots are, it may be in your best interest to call a professional service such as American Cleaning and Restoration. We not only have the experience, knowledge, and skills to clean your viscose furniture, but we also have the proper equipment.

Got Chlorine On Your Floors?

For all intents and purposes, chlorine is a protector from bacteria when we're inside the pool. However, when it makes it way inside the house. That can be bad news and could very well happen when the kids are home during the summer. American Cleaning and Restoration offers the following tips to get rid of those stains if that does happen:

Chlorine Stains on Acetate, Acrylic Fabric, Burlap, Cotton, Linen, Modacrylic, Nylon, Olefin, Polyester, Rayon, Silk, Spandex and Wool:

Apply a stain remover immediately to loosen the chlorine and then flush the stain with a mixture of 1 teaspoon sodium thiosulfate and 1 quart water. Use caution while handling the sodium thiosulfate to avoid inhaling it, contact with eyes, or digesting any. Once the stain is neutralized, flush with water to remove the chemicals.

If the stain is still present, combine 1/4 teaspoon Rit Color Remover in 1/2 cup cool water and with a sponge use light strokes, working out from the center then flush with clear water.

Chlorine Stains on Acrylic Plastic, Asphalt, Cork, Linoleum, Masonry Tile, Plexiglas, Vinyl Tile:

This chlorine stain must be treated immediately because it will bleach the color out if left. Wipe up immediately and using a damp, sudsy cloth, sponge the surface. Rinse with clear water and wipe dry.

Chlorine Stains on Leather, Suede, Vinyl Clothing, Vinyl Wallcovering:

Any chlorine on these surfaces is permanent and cannot be removed. If you are not successful with any of these removal tips, call a qualified carpet cleaning service like American Cleaning and Restoration immediately. We have equipment and products as well as proven methods to remove most stains or dye the carpet almost to its original color.

Kids Are Home For Summer – House Is A Mess!

During the summer, it’s pretty normal for a family's home to get a little messy. The kids are home all day with friends in and out. They stay up late and get up late. Things just seem to pile up and nothing is cleaned. The floors are often the first thing to show this activity, or lack thereof, especially the areas that have a lot of traffic. American Cleaning and Restoration knows this all too well and offers a few suggestions to help get things in order now and keep them that way till school starts.

Make Cleaning Fun!

Okay, that may sound like something that just isn't going to happen, but if you can get the family in in team mode with each team having 15 minutes to complete their task, it can be fun! Winner gets choose what's for lunch and losers have to fix lunch!

De-clutter!

If your home is like every other family's, your den is probably the most used common area by everyone. Overnight the clutter just appears, or so it seems. When you just need to “tidy up” the area, vacuum only the areas of floor that have a high volume of traffic every day and do the whole floor just once a week. The same goes for dusting and wiping down the hardwood floors. Vacuum first then mop so you get the dust and lint that are stirred up by vacuuming.

Freshen the throw blankets and throw pillows off the chairs and sofa with a dryer sheet in the dryer on the air cycle setting. Take that stack of mail that's been piling up and throw away the piles of junk mail (after checking for valuable coupons!) and do a quick straightening on the coffee and end tables.

Family Chores!

Once you have the house cleaned and back in order, give each member of the family a daily chore. By doing these little things each day, you will have a clean house without bogging down the summer time fun! The week before school starts, call American Cleaning and Restoration and schedule a deep down carpet cleaning as well as your drapes and furniture! Getting the house freshened up before winter sets in will be one step to a healthy and clean home.

Summertime Crafts and Carpeting Don't Always Mix

Summer is here and the kids are going to be home most days, so there is the issue of keeping them busy and entertained. You'll have days at an amusement park or the local city park and you'll have days, like rainy days, that they'll be stuck in the house looking for things to do. They'll only be satisfied with DVD movies for so long, then they are going to get out those left over paints from art class.

You walk in to a room and not only do they have a wonderful masterpiece they've created for you to place on the refrigerator, but they also left somewhat of a masterpiece on the carpet too! Before you explode or faint, BIBO (Breath In, Breath Out) and let American Cleaning and Restoration provide you some tips to cleaning that mess up.

First identify the paint type. Did your little Rembrandt use and oil-based paint or a water-based acrylic paint? What's the difference? Well an acrylic or water-based paint are designed to be water soluble, which if your little artist used paint from an elementary grade, is most likely what kind of paint you have on your carpet. However, if it was an older kid's paint, it most likely is an oil-based paint and will be a little more difficult to remove.

After you have identified the type of paint, read the label on the paint package. While both acrylic and water-based paint mean any non-washable fabric that suffered are probably headed to the rag box in the garage, carpet and furniture may be saved. First, scrape up as much of the paint as possible and blot with an absorbent, clean towel that you don't care about. It’s important to keep the paint stain moist. If the paint has already dried, brush off what you can with a hard-bristled brush. Next, add soapy water or a paint remover and scrape off the remaining paint. Spray the area with water and, with a clean towel, blot with rubbing alcohol.

Keep repeating these steps until the stain is removed. If you have a large paint stain, soak it with water and
lay clean towels over the stain then blot before applying the above method. If the paint stain is from a water-based paint, another solution we suggest is apply soap, turpentine, and water to the stain while still soft. If you don't find the stain until its hardened, use the same brushing procedure described above and then apply turpentine to soften. If the paint stain is wet, do not use liquid paint remover!

If none of these work, give us a call a professional carpet cleaner like American Cleaning and Restoration before you get quotes on new carpet! We have the equipment and products along with experience that will get most stains out.

Clean Your Carpet Naturally

The carpet stain removers you can buy today are petroleum-based solvents that may have chlorine and other caustic substances in them which can be harmful to your children and pets. What you may not realize is that many of your carpet stains can be cleaned with all natural substances like vinegar and water.

American Cleaning & Restoration offers the following list of tips on cleaning those small stains quickly yourself:

Crayons and Glue

There is no doubt that you will find crayon, glue, or gum on your carpet at some point while raising children and you can't always afford to have a professional carpet cleaning service when you find it. Take a toothbrush, dip it in vinegar, then scrub the area. For glue, you will need to mix vinegar with water, heat it up, and use the same process of scrubbing with a toothbrush. For a stubborn stain, you may need to let it sit for 15 minutes before scrubbing.

Grease

This could happen with the handy husband just as easy as it can with one of the kids. Sprinkle a small amount of cornmeal and let it sit for 5 minutes then vacuum up. Next use the vinegar and water solution described above and sponge the area with the solution.

Chocolate, Coffee, and Cola

With the kids home this summer, you are going to have the spills! A solution of vinegar and water will clean those stains quick and easy. Mix 1 cup vinegar with 2 cups water in a spray bottle. Spray on the area, lightly brush with a toothbrush then blot dry with a clean towel. Just plain water won’t remove coffee or tea spills and dried stains, so it’s best to go back to the vinegar and water process.

Mildew

When there are liquid spills that are allowed to just sit, mold grows. By mixing a ratio of 1 to 1 vinegar and water, treat the area needed and allow to dry. It’s best if you can put the carpet outside to dry. If not, use a hairdryer.

Red Wine

This may be one of the easiest stains to clean! Sprinkle salt on the spot and hold a towel over the area for 15 minutes then vacuum. If there is any residue, mix up a 1 to 1 ratio of vinegar and water, apply and blot with a dry towel.

Once you have got the summer settled down, call a professional carpet cleaning company to do your whole house. Make sure you point out troubled areas and let them know what treatments you used when cleaning the spots.

Nothing Says Clean the House Stronger Than Cat Urine

Nothing Says Clean the House Stronger Than Cat Urine

Cat urine is one of the strongest odors known to mankind. It is also one of the hardest odors to get eliminate. Short of giving the cat away and packing up your belongings to relocate, what can you do? American Cleaning and Restoration has a proven do-it-yourself treatment that takes common household products you already have on hand:

• Baking Soda is the absorbing ingredient you'll find in carpet fresheners and toothpaste. Chances are you've probably got a box in your freezer and refrigerator to absorb those funky, odd smells. Remember that baking soda absorbs odor and it is a natural product that is safe on carpet and safe if Tiger gets hungry too.  Baking soda starts by attracting the odors to it and then it neutralizing them. So if the urine is recent, rinse with cold water and blot it dry with paper towels then apply a generous amount to the area then rub it in as deep as you can. Once it dries, vacuum up. 
• Vinegar is another do-it-all wonder product. Using apple cider vinegar or white vinegar, saturate the area where the cat has urinated. Vinegar is safe on all floor surfaces, so no worries about ruining your carpet or hardwood. In approximately one hour, the strong vinegar smell will be gone taking the urine smell with it.
• Hydrogen Peroxide is a great cleaner if the area is colorfast safe. Test a small section that isn't seen and poor straight peroxide and in about 2 hours you'll know if it is going to bleach the color out. If the color stays, then pour direct over the offending area and let it sit for about 2 hours then blot dry. This isn't as good at eliminating odors as the first 2 suggestions so you may need to repeat the process again.

If all else fails, call a professional carpet and floor cleaning service like American Clean and Restoration. We can provide you an estimate over the phone and schedule your service for you. Our work is guaranteed, so if the odor does return, just give us another call!