Will You be Happy with Your Carpet After it’s Cleaned?

While carpet cleaning may seem like a simple task that requires little training, several factors come into play that can make a big difference in how  your carpet looks after cleaning. When you choose a company who understands your carpet you will get better results.

There are no Easy Answers
Some of the most common questions people ask about carpet cleaning includes, “Will the spots come back?”, “Will the dents from the furniture come out?”, “Will the traffic areas look better after it’s done?”, and “Will these stains come out?” The answer to these and other questions requires knowledge and experience.

Carpet can be made with a variety of fibers, each having its own cleaning characteristics. In addition, every fiber handles traffic and wear in its own unique way. Some soils that are easy to remove from one carpet may permanently stain another. Then there is the construction of the carpet. Looppile, friezé, shag, saxony, velvet plush –all of these styles will respond to traffic in different always. The quality and density of the cushion is  another factor. Even the unique way the pile yarns are twisted and how tightly packed they are in the carpet backing makes a difference in wearability and cleanability.

Questions an Experienced Cleaner will Ask
An experienced cleaner will assess the condition of your carpet, asking: What is the age of the carpet? How was it cleaned in the past, and how often? Was protector applied during the last cleaning? How old are the spots, spills and stains, and have you tried anything to clean them?

With all of these  variables, how can we possibly know what to expect from a carpet cleaning? Unfortunately, it’s not an exact science. BUT there are some things experienced cleaners know about carpet, fibers, soil and stains that give them a clue as to what they can anticipate from the cleaning process. Perhaps the most important consideration is the type of fiber.  Just because they are all soft and fluffy does not mean they are all the same.

An experienced cleaner is trained to identify types of fibers and use their knowledge of that fiber’s characteristics to anticipate potential challenges. Here are a few examples:

• If a carpet is wool you know that it has excellent resilience, so those crushed traffic areas and furniture indentations have a good chance of coming out.  But wool is more easily stained by proteins than other fibers, so some foods, pet urine and other protein sources like blood will be difficult to remove.

• Olefin carpets do not have the resiliency of wool, so high traffic areas tend to pack down and lose that fluffy texture over time. However, Olefin has excellent stain-resistance and colorfastness.

• Stain-resist nylon has excellent resilience and good stain and soil repellency, so carpets made with nylon tend to be the best overall performers. However, depending on how the fiber was dyed, Nylon may be bleached by some household chemicals or sunlight.

• Polyester fibers have an affinity for oily soils, so food or petroleum grease spots will be more difficult to remove. But Polyester, like Olefin, is very resistant to stains and bleaching.

The bottom line is that how the carpet looks after cleaning will depend on some factors out of our control. But you can be assured Hansen Steam Way will produce the best results you can get when we clean your carpets.

Top Choking Hazards

Every year, more than 250 children in the United States ages four and under choke to death on common foods and household objects. According to the American Red Cross, the top culprits include the following:

• Popcorn
• Grapes
• Nuts
• Hard candies
• Deflated balloon pieces
• Coins, pins, buttons, and other small items
• Small toys and toy parts
• Small, circular pieces of hot dogs
• Raw vegetable, like carrots, that are cut into circles rather than strips

To protect your child, be sure to monitor meal and snack time. Scan your home daily for small hazardous items and remove them from reach promptly. Check toys for small, removable or broken parts and do not leave your child unattended in unfamiliar places.

How to Clean Your Oven

Nothing is worse on Thanksgiving than opening up your oven door to place your turkey in the oven and seeing old baked-on spills and dirty oven walls. Head off this disaster by giving your oven a good cleaning before the big day. To help you with this project, here are some tips to make it easy.

All Ovens
Use rubber gloves when cleaning your oven. Remove the racks and soak them in hot soapy water. A great place to do this is in your bathtub, but be sure to line it first with towels to prevent scratching of the tub surface. Adding a handful of dishwasher powder to the soaking water helps loosen all the burned-on bits.

Self-Cleaning Ovens
If your oven is a self-cleaning oven, follow the directions for cleaning your oven. Generally, you will simply need to set your oven to the clean cycle, which locks the door.The cleaning cycle usually takes  several hours. Then when the oven has cooled again, use a sponge or washcloth to wipe up the remaining residue. Do not use oven cleaner on a self-cleaning oven.

Non-Self-Cleaning Ovens
A simple trick to get spills and stains to come up easily is to place 1/2 cup of ammonia into a small glass bowl. Place the bowl in a cool oven, close the oven door, and leave the bowl in the oven overnight to loosen baked-on spills. Alternatively, you can use oven cleaner, following the directions on the bottle. Then use a sponge or washcloth and a solution of 1/2 cup vinegar to 1/2 cup hot water. Rub away any spills or greasy stains. Dry with a soft cloth.

Preventing Falls Among Seniors

It does not have to be inevitable that as you grow older, you will suffer from a debilitating fall. There are several steps you can take to help prevent falls.

First, take time to make your home safer. Remove items you might trip over on stairs and in walkways. Throw rugs should be secured with   double-sided tape to keep them from slipping, and stairways and bathtubs should have handrails installed. You should also wear shoes that give good support and have thin non-slip soles. Avoid wearing slippers in your home.

Your health status can also affect your chances of falling. With your health care provider’s review, you may wish to begin a regular exercise program.   It can improve your balance and coordination and make you stronger. You should also have your vision checked to ensure that you do not have a  condition such as glaucoma or cataracts that limits your vision. If you wear prescription eyewear, be sure that your glasses are the correct strength.

Finally, discuss with your doctor the medications you are taking, including non-prescription medication. Some medicines, or combinations of certain drugs, can make you drowsy or light-headed, which can lead to a fall.