Tile, Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Tip Sheet

Sometimes we need a little extra elbow grease and tricks up our sleeves to help keep our homes sparkling clean.  This month, we scoured our cleaning database to bring you our very best stain busting, dirt blasting tips.

Tile:

• Remove scuff stains with pencil erasers.
• Vinegar and a soft cloth can help to buff out water stains.
• Banish dull tile by cleaning it with this solution:  1/2 cup of white vinegar, 1/2 cup of ammonia and 1/4 cup of borax with 1 gallon of warm water.  Rinse well and let air dry.
• Disinfect with a hydrogen peroxide solution.  Fill a spray bottle with 1/2 hydrogen peroxide and half water, plus a few drops of dish soap.  Spray solution onto grout.  Let it stand for about 15 minutes and then wipe clean.  This is a great solution to use on a regular basis to combat mold in your shower.
• Brighten grout with a baking soda paste.  Mix water and baking soda until it creates a toothpaste like consistency.  Spread on grout and let it stand for 5 to 15 minutes.  Scrub with an old toothbrush and rinse well.

Carpet:

• Freshen carpets when you vacuum.  Sprinkle carpets with baking soda.  Let it sit for 15 minutes to trap odors.  Vacuum as usual.
• Always blot stains, never rub.  Rubbing damages fibers and makes the stain worse
• Try removing stains by blotting with club soda.  Apply club soda to a white cloth and blot up the stain.
• Vacuum carpets once a week to prolong the life of your carpet.  Failure to do so may result in build up of soils causing fibers to be cut and damaged.
• Vacuum slowly to get the majority of the dirt out of your carpeting as possible.

Upholstery:

• Remove dirt before it becomes part of your favorite couch!
• Use the upholstery attachments that comes with your vacuum to suck up dirt.
• Work from left to right using short, overlapping strokes.
• Used a can of compressed air to air blast dust and dirt from nooks and crannies.
• Have your upholstery professional cleaned a minimum of one per year using a low-moisture technique for best results.

Checklist: Getting Your Home Ready For Cleaning!

 

Grab the printer friendly version HERE

Upholstery Upkeep!

Spring cleaning is right around the corner!  This is the time of year that many to open their windows, let the fresh air in and start cleaning their homes from top to bottom, welcoming in the fresh scents of spring.

To benefit the most from spring freshness you will want to pay close attention to the upholstery in your home.  There are LOTS of amazing tips and tricks you can apply to get your upholstery promoting freshness this spring!

Use the tools available to you to get ahead of dirt, grime and odors.

Discover the Benefits of Your Vacuum’s Attachments!

So many times we ignore the tools that come with our vacuums and we tend to use our vacuums for floors only.  The upholstery tool is fabulous for sucking up dust, hair and debris from soft fabrics on our couches and chairs.  Try to use this tool on a weekly basis to stop dirt and debris from getting embedded in your furnishings.

Most vacuums come with a crevice tool that can get in between pleats, seams and stationary cushions.  It is perfect for ridding your furniture of crumbs and other dirt and soil.

An Ounce of Prevention…

Prevention is your first line of defense!  Try to keep your family from eating on the couch or chairs around your house.  This will minimize spills that lead to stains.  It will also help stop food and debris from becoming embedded into your furnitures fabric.

If you do experience spills and stains on your furniture, here are some tips to help you avoid a stain:

• Stop the stain before it sets!
• Blot the stain with a white cloth, don’t rub
• Rubbing can actually make the stain GROW!
• Check your furniture’s care label.  It will give you an explanation of how to treat it for stains

For the deepest clean and the most effective way to combat stains, contact Complete Care Systems.  We offer encapsulation cleaning for carpeting and upholstery.  This low-moisture technology allows us to use polymers that trap and extract soiled carpeting and upholstery.  Our encapsulation cleaning method will have your carpets dry in 1 to 2 hours!  Not only is our cleaning method efficient but it is safe and environmentally friendly.

Put us on your spring cleaning list to get the tough cleaning jobs done!  We can help you with making your tile and grout sparkle, freshen stale odors trapped in carpets and upholstery as well deep clean your carpeting and upholstery.

Call us for a FREE estimate today (727) 364-5158.

Visit Us Online: www.CompleteCareSystems.com

Encapsulation Cleaning Is Not Just For Carpets

Encapsulation cleaning technology is amazing for carpets!  Not only does it deep clean your carpets, leaving behind a fresh and clean environment but your carpets are dry and ready to walk on in just about two hours.

Imagine what that could mean for your upholstery?!?  Your favorite sofa, most comfortable chair and the ottoman you rely on to prop up your weary feet take a beating every day.  Imagine, dogs, cats, kids and spills assault your upholstery every day.  Sure, Vacuuming helps keep the surface looking ok, but what about what lies underneath?  Dust mites, bacteria, dirt and grime!  If it’s in your carpet, you know it must live in your upholstery too!

Complete Care Systems not only attacks the dirt and grime that lives in your sofas, love seats and chairs but we also specialize in deep cleaning tufted love seats, suede sofas, leather and micro fiber pieces.

If encapsulation carpet cleaning can make the air you breathe cleaner, imagine what it can do if you also penetrate your upholstery, removing allergens, dust mites, pet dander and more?  Think about it.  Furniture is designed to hide dirt.  With that in mind, you really don’t know how dirty your favorite couch is in your TV room!  What about odors?  Great news!  It’s time to say good-bye to doggy odor because not only do we clean your upholstery but we deodorize it too!  That’s not all!  Our prices include basic everyday stain removal as well!

Your Furniture May Be Harboring DUST MITES!

Most of the allergens we experience are a result of dust mites.  There can be approximately 100,000 dust mites in just 1 square yard of carpeting in your home!  Yuck!  Imagine how many may be living in your upholstery!!!  What makes matters worse is dust mites LOVE to hang out where it is moist!  With all the rain we have experienced this summer, dust mites are in dust mite heaven!  Your BEST defense against dust mites is to keep your home cool and deep clean your carpets and upholstery.

Let us help you breathe easier and enjoy a clean home.  Not only will you enjoy a cleaner home, but you will also enjoy longer lasting carpet and upholstery.  Contact us today to book an appointment or to get a FREE quote!  Call us at:  (727) 364-5158.

Tips and Tricks: Nail Polish

Bam! Your nail polish falls onto your beautiful carpets while giving yourself a bright color for the holiday season. What do you do? You don’t have time to watch youtube videos or search the web. You need some quick tips and tricks to get nail polish out of your carpets and that is where we come in!

1. Act quickly! The longer you wait, the worse the stain will be.

2. Blot the spot. Do not rub. Rubbing the stain will actually push the color into the carpet. Instead, blot from the outside and work your way towards the center of the stain.

3. Remove as much of the excess as you can. Before grabbing for cleaner make sure you get up as much of the nail polish as you can using the blotting technique.

4. Do a test patch. You always want to pick the most inconspicuous spot on the carpet and test which cleaner not only works better, but will not make your carpets worse. This is especially important for dark colored carpets because some cleaners will remove the carpet dye.

5. Remove the stain. For light colored carpets we recommend using a non-acetone nail polish remover. Acetone will actually hurt your carpets. For dark carpets we recommend hair spray or rubbing alcohol. In either case, make sure to put the solution onto a rag and blot the spot until it comes out. If none of these products work you could also try using a window cleaner, such as Windex.

6. Rinse. This is the most important. Once you are done cleaning the spot make sure to pour some water and blot again with a clean rag.

If nothing has worked and the stain is still there make sure to call a professional carpet cleaner. Let them know what you have used and they will be able to help you out. If you live in the Tampa Bay Area makes sure to call Complete Care Systems and 727.364.5158 or visit our website at http://www.completecaresystems.com

Ultimate Fighter: Stain Remover

Welcome to the three week “Ultimate Fighter” series. I am excited to bring you the best ways to fight stains, sickness, and pests in your happy and healthy home!

Stains are always the worst. Thank goodness my kids do their own laundry now, but for you moms and dads who still have younger kids I have three awesome stain removers that are sure to fight away your stains.

In the first corner, weighing in at 12 oz, the essential oils! We have all heard that anything with essential oils is good for our homes, including our nasty stains.

Ingredients: 1 1/2 C water, 1/4 c castile soap, 1/4 c liquid vegetable glycerin, and 5 to 10 drops of lemon essential oil.
Instructions: 1. Mix all ingredients together                        
                    2. Store in a glass container. The essential oils can disintegrate plastic.                        
                    3. To use, shake well and apply liberally. Lightly rub into fabric with your                        
                     fingertips.
Note: It works best if you treat the spot immediately and allow it to soak before tossing it into the washing machine.

In the second corner, weighing in at 24 oz, ammonia! Ammonia is great way to break up dirt and grime from anything, including your clothing.

Ingredients: 2/3 c Dawn dish detergent, 2/3 c ammonia, 6 tbsp baking soda, and 2 cups warm water.
Instructions: 1. Mix together all ingredients in a medium bowl. Using a funnel, pour into a spray bottle.     
                     2. To use, shake the bottle well. Spray as you would on a normal stain then wash.
Note: DO NOT use on anything that will be washed with chlorine because of the ammonia.

In the third corner, weighing in at 6oz, Dawn dishwashing liquid! No matter what homemade cleaner you are told to make, most of the time blue Dawn dishwashing liquid is mentioned in the ingredients. This is because it is a big grease fighter and works on almost anything.

Ingredients: 1 part Dawn dishwashing detergent, 2 parts hydrogen peroxide, and 1 to 2 tbsp of baking soda.
Instructions: 1. Mix ingredients together in a small bowl.       
                     2. Use a small brush to scrub the mixture into the stained area. Rinse, then wash as             
                     usual. 
                    3. For tougher stains, let the mixture sit on the stained garment for an hour or so, then wash. Or treat the area a
                    few times before washing.
Note: Test on an inconspicuous area first because hydrogen peroxide can be tough on certain fabrics.

In our opinion, homemade stain removers work better than store bought ones. Plus, you can change them and even make new recipes to fit your budget and lifestyle. At Complete Care Systems we strive to help you and your family live happy and healthy lives.

www.completecaresystems.com

727.364.5158