Is Your Carpeting Going Bald?!

Are you starting to notice bald areas on your carpeting? Like a small area where there fibers are missing and maybe you can see some shredded up paper or wood around or on the bald area?  This could be an indication that carpet beetles or carpet moths have gotten infested in your carpet. And no, this does not mean that you are not a clean person or have a dirty house.

Why Your Carpet?

Well, if it makes you feel any better, they like clothing, curtains, and any type of natural fiber like silk or wool. They digest the keratin protein that comes from natural fibers, so anything made of natural fibers can draw them.  If it is something made of natural fibers and has moisture too, even better, meaning dirt and sweat from your clothing.

When it comes to carpeting, the dark corners and where the carpet goes under furniture is their favorite. The adult beetles and moths lay eggs and then as the larvae hatches and becomes adults, they leave their calling card: their larvae casings.

How Should You Handle This?

Well, there is a remedy! Your first call should be to a professional carpet cleaning service after you have thoroughly vacuumed any area affected by them. Be sure to empty the bag or container when you’re done vacuuming and take it outside to the trash. You’ll also want to call a pest control service.  Have them use a natural agent that is safe for animals and humans, but will effectively eradicate those little creatures.

In regards to the blading areas of your carpeting, if you have any leftovers from your carpet installation, it can be repaired. There will be some difference in the color, but most likely, the area is in a dark corner or under furniture, so it won’t be noticeable.

What Kind of Carpet is the Best Carpet?

Well, it totally depends on what room you’re installing it in and what goes on in that room. We’re going to provide you a little information here on six different rooms in a home, each having its own activity level, and which type of carpet would be best.

Bedrooms

For determining the type of carpet in a bedroom, it is definitely going to depend on who uses that bedroom. If it is your master bedroom or a guest room, it probably won’t have the same amount of foot traffic as your kid’s bedrooms do. Even teenagers have more going on in their room and need a more durable carpet.

In your master bedroom, a nice plush or soft texture will work fine. If you’re on a tight budget, go with a soft polyester type of carpet.  For your kid's bedroom, you have more foot traffic and a bigger chance of spills (even with the house rule of no drink or food in the bedroom, it will happen). So, go with a carpet that is stain resistant like a nylon or polyester carpet fiber.

Don’t go with solid colors if you have any fear of the slightest crumb or lint showing up because it will. Go with a multi-color heather or multi-color tweed, they won’t show those small bits.  Or, go with a pattern and any soil or spills will blend right in.

Living Room

What is your personal taste? What is your lifestyle like? These are the main factors when it comes to choosing carpet in this room. A busy family, especially with children and/or pets, will use the living room more than any other carpeted room. You want a carpet that is stain resistant and odor treated. Also, think about your furniture and how heavy it is. Now, if you are carpeting a formal living room that isn’t used except on rare occasions, then you have more options such as a classic cut pile or a sophisticated cut, maybe even a loop pattern.

Family Room

The family room is the most active of all homes if it isn’t the living room. You, your spouse, your kids and all their friends and all the pets gather here day in, day out, year round. You definitely want carpet that is soil and stain resistant that will stand up to all that foot traffic. A dense texture or a loop pile carpet is great for this type of room and in a multi-color pattern.

Dining Room

You need a carpet in this room that is inherently stain resistance. You’ll dine in here.  Therefore, spills will happen even to the most graceful person. A solution-dyed nylon carpet or a nylon that comes with advanced stain resist properties, is great for this room, as well. Choose a carpet that is anti-microbial for spill protection.

Hallways and Stairs

The hallways and the stairs are usually very high foot traffic areas in most homes, but they aren’t really active areas other than the foot traffic. So, a dense, low pile carpet will work fine because they are most resilient in fiber and nylon products. The most used areas of the stairway, at the very top landing and the very bottom landing, and where the most stress happens. A carpet that is low profile and is extremely dense will have a long life.

Basement

If you’re carpeting your basement, then you’re planning on using it. How you will be using it will be key in determining the type of carpet to get here. If it is going to be used as a family room or game room, follow the notes above. If you’re going to be using this for an office, then most likely, you won’t have the same amount of activity and foot traffic and go with a lesser expensive carpet. No matter what type of carpeting you get here, get a good padding because you are going to be on the very bottom cement foundation in this room.

The Charisma of Carpet Fiber

Have you ever given any thought to the bolts and nuts of carpeting? You know, the stuff it’s made from? Carpet is made from fiber and the technologies involved in carpet manufacturing continue to change and develop when it comes to performance.

Even though the longest history in carpet is wool carpet, the carpet made from nylon fiber has been around for several decades.  In the 1950s, it became high fashion for homes across America. There was experimenting with carpet just as there were other things through the 60s and 70s. There was the bout of round fibers and triangular fibers, and then the manufacturers finally landed on a rounded trilobal fiber that offer the best for performance as well as soil-hiding.

What you may not realize is there are two types of nylon.  There is a Nylon 6.6 and there is a Nylon 6, both of which are normally used in carpet manufacturing. Nylon can be died in a stunning range of color harmonies and a luxuriousness that still offers excellent abrasion resistance, durability, resiliency, and texture retention. The homeowner that purchases nylon carpeting will benefit from its great resistance to soil and stains. 

Then we have polyester carpeting. This type of carpeting has found a niche in commercial carpeting.  It has a great versatility in styles and an amazing range of colorations, both of which lends to its the popularity. Also, when it comes to price competition, it is just as attractive as the others on the market. 

There is a mix of reviews when it comes to polyester carpeting. The luxurious hand and unbelievable face weights make polyester carpet a strong draw.  Because it is a heftier weighted carpet, they are extremely well priced.  They are inherent and have a permanent stain fade resistance and have a great clean-ability about them.

Let us not forget about wool carpeting, too. There is a unique status about wool carpeting that puts it in a league of its own.  It is an all-natural fiber that gives a luxury feel and look as well as great performance on the floor. It offers great color options, it is high bulk, and a naturally soft feel that is inherently flame-retardant.

Tips to Bust Your Anxieties About the Holidays and Pet Stains

The holidays are active and busy with a lot of action around the house and all of that can disrupt not just the family’s routine, but your pet’s routine, too. The disruption of routines can be stressful for everyone, including your pet.

Unfortunately,a pet that is “stressed-out” may begin having accidents inside, no matter how well trained they are. If your home is the go-to place for holiday entertainment, the last thing that you want to worry with is pet accidents and the stains left behind. Fortunately for you, we have some tips for you to help with those accidents so that you can go ahead and enjoy your holidays.

Set up a “safe space” for your pet that will be away from your guests. Place their bed, a toy, food and water.

As much as possible, keep to your regular schedule with their feedings and walks.

Make sure the holiday décor is out of your pet’s reach, as well as alcohol, food and holiday plants.

When your pet does have an accident, clean it up as quickly as possible. The less time it is on your carpet, the less chance of leaving a stain behind. Once the holidays are over, schedule an appointment with a professional carpet cleaning service to get the stain cleaned out deep down in the fibers.

Make Your Next New Vacuum Cleaner an Anti-Allergy One

One of the best ways to minimize allergy issues in your home is to have your carpets professionally cleaned.  However, it isn’t cost effective to have that service daily and going with a quarterly or bi-yearly schedule isn’t enough. Regular vacuuming with your household vacuum isn’t going to get all the allergens, either.

So, you next best option is to buy an anti-allergy vacuum cleaner that you can use daily. In addition to the other anti-allergy things you have in your home, this will minimize the amount of allergens in your home in between your appointments with a professional carpet cleaner.

How to Choose an Anti-Allergy Vacuum Cleaner

Today, more than half of the people living in America suffer from allergies, asthma,or other types of breathing problems. Dust mites, pet dander and ragweed are the most common causes with the dust mites and pet dander being on the inside of their homes and the ragweed an outside allergen.

You can keep the allergies in your home at bay with a vacuum cleaner that is anti-allergen by way of anHEPA filter. With daily cleaning using a vacuum with this type of filter, you can greatly reduce the amount of allergens in your home’s air.

What you should look for in purchasing an anti-allergy vacuum cleaner will depend greatly on your budget. There are several quality cleaners on the market that can fit any budget. Let’s take a look at the feathers you need to look for:

The HEPA Filter

HEPA is an acronym for high-efficiency particulate air. This type of filter traps small dander, debris and dust particles. The vacuum cleaners that are not equipped with a HEPA filter simply circulate those allergy causing particles back in the air, whereas the HEPA filter traps them and then stores the pesky particles.  

Anti-Allergen Seals

A special technology that works with HEPA filters is anti-allergen seals. This seal keeps the canister tightly locked so that the debris, dust and other particles are trapped.

A Strong Suction

An important part of a vacuum cleaner’s working is the suction. The stronger the suction, the better it can lift the allergens deep inside the carpet. Choose a vacuum cleaner that has suction controls which allow the vacuum more power.

What are the Differences Between Hot Water Extraction and Steam Cleaning?

It may not seem like there’s a difference to you, but to an expert in the carpet cleaning industry, there is a big difference between hot water extraction and steam cleaning your carpets. There is a difference in the water temperature for starters and there is a difference with the cleaning solutions that are used.

What this means to you is how you should treat that stain and we’re going to explain the differences to you here:

Fundamental

The temperature of the water used in the two processes is the primary difference. When steam cleaning your carpet, you actually use steam. This means that the temperature of the water has gotten high enough that it transformed into gas. When this process is done to clean carpeting, rinsing is not as effective.
The hot water extraction method requires hot water only. Just how hot though? Hot enough that the carpeting is cleaned deep and effectively. However, it doesn’t get so hot that it changes its matter, such as changing to gas.

USES

Using the hot water extraction method is the most recommended method by the majority of carpet manufacturers. This is because the risk of shrinkage of the natural fibers of carpet is prevented when cleaned with the hot water extraction method. This is the same philosophy with upholstery, too. Steam cleaning your carpets and upholstery can actually make many stains permanent. When cleaning carpets and upholstery made from synthetic materials, the higher heat of steam cleaning is best.

DIY

For those who are looking to save a few dollars and rent carpet cleaning machines from a retailer, proceed with caution.  Why?  If you are not experienced at handling this equipment or if the equipment is faulty, you may end up with soaked carpet full of detergents. And, if the area you’ve cleaned has poor ventilation, you have the risk of mold growth.

Paint on the Carpet? American Cleaning & Restoration to the Rescue!

You used this summer to get some new paint on the walls and freshened up the place. Now, as you’re getting the winter clothes and coats pulled out, you noticed your daughter spilled some paint while doing her room.

Well accidents happen and all is not a catastrophe. The process of how to get that paint stain up will depend on a few things:

• Type of paint
• Color of paint
• How long it has been there
• Type of carpet

So, let’s take a look at a few different solutions and see which one best fits your situation:

Any and All Paint

No matter any of the 4 things we listed above, any and all types of paint spills, you need to act fast! Letting is sit will make a permanent part of your carpeting. So, stop the spill from spreading and surround it with cloths or paper towels to absorb it and blot as much as possible of the paint. DO NOT RUB! Before you begin in with harsh chemicals or cleaning solutions, you need to do a test patch on the carpet where it can’t be seen. If a little bit of the paint does dry in the meantime, you can trim that out with a razor blade or scissors.

ACRYLIC

Apply liberal amounts of glycerin to the paint stain and then blot. The leftover residue can be removed with rubbing alcohol and then you should go over what is left of the stain using a clean sponge with a mild detergent and clear water. Then vacuum the spot dry.

OIL-BASED

Acting quick is the only option here since oil based paints will permanently stain when left too long. You are going to need mineral oil or turpentine to remove this paint stain from your carpet. But if has already dried, turpentine is your best bet. Apply the turpentine to paint stain then with paper towels blot it up. Next, using rubbing alcohol, blot the area to remove any chemical residue that may be left behind. Then using a mild detergent with clear water, and a clean sponge, clean what is left.

LATEX

After blotting up as much as possible, mix a teaspoon of neutral detergent with 1 cup of warm water for a cleaning solution. Now, apply this mixture to the stain and again blot as much as possible. Keep repeating the method until you have removed the stain.

WATER-BASED

After blotting as much paint as you can, keep blotting while pouring water or vinegar on the spot. When you have blotted as much up as possible, add a mild detergent while blotting and rinse with water. Be careful not to add too much water and spread the paint.