Carpets • Upholstery • Tile Floors• Wood Floors • Water Damage Restoration
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CLEANING TIPS
This page of the web site provides you with a few cleaning tips that you may not know about. If you know of any home other made remedies for stains, odors or other cleaning tips for carpets, I'd enjoy hearing from you. Just email your information to me. If I haven’t heard of them before and the idea works really well, I'll share them with others through this web site, and send you a gift certificate for a free room of carpet cleaning (up to 200 sq ft)!
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Pet using your carpet for a litter box?
Erase Marker Stain Removal from Carpet
Wine Stain Removal from Carpet
Cigarette Smoke Odor Removal from Carpets, Upholstery & Curtaings
Coffee Stain Removal from Upholstery
Perspiration Stain Removal from Upholstery
If your dog or cat urinates on your carpet periodically, keep a supply of disposable diapers and baking soda on hand. No, the diapers do not go on the pets but when you find where they went place the diaper, absorbent side down, on top of the urine spot and stand on it for 3-5 minutes. Your weight will compress the carpet and pad creating a wicking action of urine up into the diaper.
After throwing the diaper away place a new diaper over the spot and place a rock or other heavy, non porous, object on top of the diaper and allow it to remain there overnight. Throw out that diaper and sprinkle baking soda over the affected area and allow it to remain there for 6-8 hours to absorb any remaining moisture and help deodorize the carpet.
Then, using a spoon or dull butter knife, gently scrape any crusted baking soda loose from the carpet and vacuum thoroughly.
Sometimes, when we're going through our carpet cleaning ritual, we come across stains that are a bit more unusual. Take for instance dry erase maker stains. While these aren't common, there are ways to remove carpet stains created by this product. Hairspray, the old tried and true remedy for removing ink stains is your best best. Spray an alcohol-based hair spray directly onto the carpet to saturate, let sit for about fifteen minutes and blot until the stain is removed. Don't forget this important tip for cleaning carpet stains: Always blot a stain, never rub. Rubbing the stain will only cause it to spread. It will also wear away the fibers. In additon to hairspray, alchohol will remove carpet stains caused by these markers. Apply the hairspray directly to the carpet and blot. Blot again with a damp sponge to clean away any residue left behind.
Gum on the carpet can leave behind a sticky, gooey mess! Don’t panic if you have to remove carpet stains made by gum, however. It's quite easy. Spray the area with WD-40, or smear with peanut butter and the gum will come right out. There may be a spot left behind from the dye in the gum. Cleaning carpet stains such as this is easy too. All you have to do is blot with a little club soda. No one will ever have to know!
Because wine contains tannins, it's sometimes difficult to remove. There are simple solutions to cleaning carpet stains made by both red and wine stains. For instance, if you spill red wine on the carpet, immediately pour a glass of white wine over the stain. The white wine will neutralize the red wine and the stain will disappear. To remove carpet stains caused by white wine, just dab with some vinegar. Both stain removal remedies take less than five minutes!
Most wood floors can be kept clean by first sweeping or vacuuming with a floor nozzle to remove most of the surface dust and dirt, then damp mopping with clear water (dip a sponge in clear water, squeezing it out so that the mop is barely damp, almost dry). Use very little water and rinse your mop thoroughly after each use since excess water can dissolve protective coatings, alter the color of the wood and raise the grain to roughen the surface.
If your floors are not dirty enough to need mopping every week, then you should not do it, as it will wear the floors faster, not to mention waste your time. Simply sweeping is often all they need.
If need to restore the shine to your wood floor after you get it clean, try damp mopping it with 1/2 cup vinegar and 2 tablespoons furniture polish in a gallon of warm water. Vinegar is also useful for removing any soap residue or build-up, but should not be necessary every week.
Since the smell of smoke lingers in carpets, upholstery and curtains, you will need to tackle these areas to eliminate the smell of cigarette smoke. You will need to either wash these items, or if you would like a quicker fix, you can try a commercial odor remover. Once the odor is removed, you can try leaving a small container of vinegar in each room to keep it smelling fresh. If you have smokers in your house, you can keep several candles burning while they are smoking, and covering the bottom of ashtrays with baking soda also helps. Nothing replaces fresh air, so whenever possible, open up the windows.
To remove a coffee stain from upholstery, clean the stain with a solution made from dish detergent, vinegar and water. Mix 1 part detergent, 1 part vinegar with 3 parts water. Blot the stain, then thoroughly rinse. If any stain remains, try treating it with dry-cleaning solvent.
Sofa cushions are very absorbent so you will most likely not be able to remove all of the perspiration from inside the sofa. However, assuming your sofa can be cleaned with water (check the tag), you can try to remove the outer stain using white vinegar and a clean, dry, white cloth. Blot (do not rub) the stain, working from the outside of the stain to the center, so as not to spread the stain. Follow the vinegar with either upholstery cleaner or mix 1/2 teaspoon liquid dishwashing detergent in a quart of warm water. Beat with a mixer, and clean the furniture using only the suds. Work on a small area at a time, overlapping areas to avoid spotting. Change the rinse water frequently to keep it clean. Use a fan to thoroughly dry the furniture.
DISCLAIMER: The hints and tips and home remedies given on this web site are informational only. You are free to use any of the advice or suggestions at your own risk. Youmans Carpet Cleaning will not be held responsible for any problems that may occur, or any damage or loss sustained due to the use of this information. This information is designed to help you make informed decisions and is in no way intended to be used as a substitute for professional advice or treatment.
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