Tips on how to care for your Christmas tree and carpets/flooring during the holidays

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Carpeting- To protect the carpet and ensure that your Christmas tree stand has a solid standing, cut out a sturdy piece of plywood for the base of the tree to stand on. Use a tree skirt to hide the wood and tree stand.

 

Hardwoods- Tree stands can easily scratch hardwood floors so put a non-skid piece of carpeting or similar non-slip mat under the tree stand.

 

General Protection- It’s a good idea to place some plastic sheeting (with a non-slip tape) and a scrap piece of carpet under the tree stand to protect hardwood floors and carpets from accidental water spills, leaks and weight marks. It also makes it easier to clean up when the tree is removed.

 

Avoid Direct Heat- A dry tree is a fire hazard so keeping it away from direct heat is important. The risks of being too close to an open fire are obvious, but being too close to radiators and not watering adequately will not only dry out the tree but also limit the tree’s ability to maintain its shape and will encourage faster needle shedding.

 

Maintenance- Sweep or vacuum regularly to clear any needles, while at the same time taking care not to knock branches or the tree trunk as this will cause more needles to drop off. To clear needles that have lodged into carpets, rugs and between the slats of wooden floors, use the smaller attachments on your vacuum or use some duct tape to pull them out.

You handle the turkey, we’ll handle the carpet cleaning!

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Since it’s best to clean up any spills on carpeting as quickly as possible, we have decided to prepare you for any possible spills this Thanksgiving.

 

Remove cranberry sauce- Mix 1 tablespoon of dawn liquid dish soap with 2 cups of cold water. Then, using a clean white cotton cloth, sponge the stain with the solution. Blot until liquid is absorbed. Continue sponging and blotting until stain disappears or is no longer absorbed into the cloth.

 

Remove gravy- Remove as much of the gravy as possible without smearing. Next, sprinkle cornstarch onto the spilled gravy and let it soak up the gravy for approximately 15 minutes. Next, vacuum up the cornstarch, which should have absorbed some of the gravy and grease. Depending on the size of the spill, you may need to repeat the cornstarch application a time or two. Next, use 50/50 mixture of white vinegar and water to clean the remaining spot. Fill your spray bottle with ½ cup of vinegar and ½ cup of cold water. Evenly mist the spot and use a clean cotton towel to absorb the mixture and the spot. Repeat 2-3 times.

 

Remove red wine- Absorb as much of the red wine from your carpet as possible by placing a clean white cotton towel over the spill. Next, put some white wine in a spray bottle and lightly mist the white wine over the red wine stain. Again, use the white cotton towel and absorb the stain. Repeat several times. Eventually, the red wine stain should lift from your carpet.

 

We hope you will not need any of these carpet cleaning tips this Thanksgiving but if you do, remember to act as quickly as possible!

After Halloween Carpet Cleaning

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We would like to share a few basic tips for handling these common halloween messes at home, after a night of sticky trick-or-treating!

 

Chocolate– Blot stain with white cloth and cold water. Once chocolate no longer transfers to cloth, apply a detergent solution to a clean end of the cloth. Continue to blot stain using the detergent solution. Let sit for a few minutes and rinse with cold water using a spray bottle. Blot to remove excess moisture.

 

Gum– Place a couple handfuls of ice in a zip loc bag. Put ice bag directly onto gum to harden the gum for easier removal. Use a scraping tool to carefully scrape gum from carpet. Once gum is removed, sponge the gum stain with a detergent based cleaner. Rinse with cold water using a spray bottle. Blot to remove excess moisture.

Halloween face paint- Apply a small amount of detergent solution to the spot. With a cloth, use a blotting motion to work the detergent into the affected area. Continue until spot is removed. Rinse with cold water using spray bottle. Blot to remove excess moisture.

What’s that smell? Oh, just the scent of spring flowers, rainy days and fresh cut grass

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What’s that smell? Oh, just the scent of spring flowers, rainy days and fresh cut grass.

As the weather warms and we’re spending more time outdoors, our carpets are suffering the damage as we track the beauty that is nature inside of our homes. One of the most popular stains that we are asked to tackle is grass stains on carpet. If you have children or pets then you probably know just how common this stain is. Lucky for you, we include FREE stain removal in all of our specials.

Prepare Your Home For Spring Cleaning

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It’s that time of the year again to start thinking about spring cleaning. Spring is a good time to clean areas of the house that often go neglected. We have come up with a short check list to get you started. Get ready to prepare a healthier living space for you and your family to enjoy.

ORGANIZE- Declutter kitchen cabinets. Throw away any outdated pantry or refrigerator items. Go through files and shred unnecessary papers. Straighten out clothing in closets and dresser drawers. Donate clothing that hasn’t been worn in over a year or sell items that are valuable but no longer needed.

CLEAN WINDOWS- Start with taking down curtains and drapery to be dry cleaned or toss them in the wash. Dust all blinds and clean off windows inside and out with a vinegar- water solution. Freeing these areas of dust helps to refresh the air in your home.

CLEAN CEILING FANS- Those big blades on your ceiling fan are great at moving air, but when they’re idle they’re big dust magnets. Dust settles on the top surfaces where you can’t see it. Out of sight maybe, but not out of mind. For quick and easy cleaning you can use an old pillowcase to gently cover a blade. Pull it back slowly to remove the dust. The dust stays inside the pillowcase, instead of all over your floor and furniture.

PREVENT BUGS- With the weather warming up the bugs will soon return in search for food. Sweep or vacuum behind all furniture and appliances. Make sure all dry goods are stored in airtight containers. Wash your pet’s dishes as soon as they finish meals. Wash and disinfect all waste bins. Wash off containers and bottles before recycling. Reseal the exterior of your windows with a high-quality polymer such as caulk, silicone, or adhesive sealant tape.

REPLACE OR CLEAN OUTSIDE DOORMATS- By now your doormats could stand to be replaced. If you’re sure they have some life left in them, try this: Nitrile rubber backing doormats can be tossed in the washing machine. Then tumble dry. Use a tiny bit of detergent — preferably low-sudsing. All rubber doormats can be scrubbed with a brush and hosed off.

CLEAN CARPET AND RUGS- All winter long the house has been shut and one’s carpet becomes a breeding ground for airborne bacteria, dust mite feces, pet dander, pollen, dirt and pollutants from ice melt chemicals. Dust off rugs outdoors and give all carpet and rugs a good vacuum. Then have it professionally steam cleaned or use your own steamer. When steaming yourself, be sure to thoroughly rinse all residue from carpeting and rugs. (We recommend a professional steam cleaning at least once or twice per year)

Hard as we try, it is inevitable that we accumulate dirt and dust throughout the year. The good news is that spring cleaning is not only good for your home, but great for your mind and health as well. We hope this spring cleaning list helps you as much as it has helped us.