Home for the Holidays

Whether you are planning on hosting a crowd for your holiday get-together or you are anticipating a quiet holiday with family and friends, it is nice to have a clean and organized home for the holidays. Get a jump start on your preholiday housework and the task will seem more manageable. These tips will help  you stay on top of your work, leaving you more time to enjoy the holidays.

Tackle the big tasks first

Launder and press your holiday table linens. Clean your oven and refrigerator well. Do a thorough dusting of your home, wash your windows, and do a general tidying of all the clutter. Spot clean your carpet. Clean bathrooms well.

Move on to the smaller things

Gather together the china and silverware  you will be using. Plan your holiday menu and prepare any dishes that can be cooked ahead of time.  Wash out trash cans as necessary. Sweep and mop floors.

Don’t forget the little details

On the day your  guests are due to arrive, walk through your home and remove any remaining clutter. Set the table. Clean mirrors in the bathrooms and polish the faucets. Empty trash from wastebaskets. Put clean towels in the bathrooms and kitchen. Straighten toss pillows. Put on some holiday music.

Sharing Your Table With Fido

Many pet owners think that one of the nicer things they can do for their pets is to feed them human food, often scraps from their own table. This actually can pose a significant health risk to your pet, however. Experts recommend that dogs and cats should not eat any human food. There are some foods, however, that are more of a threat than others. These foods should never be given to your companion animal:
• Alcoholic beverages
• Caffeine
• Chocolate
• Fat trimmings
• Raisins
• Grapes
• Chicken and turkey bones
• Onions
• Garlic
• Macadamia nuts
• Mushrooms
• Raw eggs
• Salt
• Sugar

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.

It’s Only New Once
Remember when your carpet was brand new? You vowed you would take your shoes off when you came into the house and vacuum twice a week. No eating in the living room! If anything spilled, you cleaned it up immediately. While these are great promises to make to yourself, even the best kept carpet needs to be cleaned regularly. And, if you are willing to admit that you have perhaps slacked off on these promises, your carpet might need to be cleaned more than you realize. In addition, there are other things you can do to keep your carpets looking great.

Your Carpet can “Look” New Again
Many people get their carpets cleaned and suddenly they see their carpet through new eyes, saying, “My carpets look like new!” It’s true, cleaning  your carpets can make them look so much better that it almost feels like you have new carpet all over again. But, like everything else, carpet ages.

Color is usually the most important factor in how a carpet looks. As long as the color looks vibrant and there are no major spots or stains, most of us are quite happy with the look of our carpet. But why does the color start to look tired after a few years even after our best efforts at cleaning? Why can’t we make it look new again? Isn’t that dull, lifeless appearance in the traffic areas just dirt? No doubt, dirt is a contributing factor, but there are three other factors that cause carpet to look old: abrasion, crushing and pile distortion.

Abrasion – Dirt is loose particulate soil tracked in from outside, including mud, pollution, pollen and gritty minerals that scratch and dull the surface of carpet fibers. This abrasion changes the way light reflects off of the scratched fibers so colors are muted. We call this permanent condition loss of luster. This is the primary reason that colors lose their vibrancy. Imagine a car that is scratched with sandpaper. No amount of cleaning can bring back the luster.

Pile crush – Areas that are subject to a lot of foot traffic will crush down and lose some pile height. The carpet loses its soft, fluffy appearance and feel. How severely depends on the fiber type, yarn density, pile depth and quality of carpet pad.

Pile distortion – When pile yarns lose their twist or the yarns are aligned in different directions, high traffic areas can appear dull and dingy. Once the carpet pile has become distorted it cannot be corrected. Some carpets are more prone to this type of appearance change than others.
Keeping Your Carpets Looking New Longer

Here are a few tips you can use to keep your carpet looking newer longer:

• Keep soils out of the home as much as possible. Use doormats at all entrances and take off your shoes when coming in from outside.

• Regular vacuuming is the best thing you can do to reduce damage caused by gritty dirt.

• In areas where there is a lot of traffic, you can reduce wear by rearranging furnishings to redirect traffic.

• Use carpet runners to limit crushing and pile distortion.

• Regular cleaning before your carpet looks dirty is an important line of defense. Once soils have built up to the point of being obvious the damage is already done.

• Applying a professional carpet protector after every cleaning is another great way to assure your carpet stays beautiful longer.

Remember, carpet is only new once but with care you can keep it looking good for years to come.

Do You Breathe Easy at Home? How to Control Indoor Air Pollution

Pollution. We use the word to describe harmful or poisonous substances introduced into an environment.  Water pollution, ground pollution, noise pollution, and air pollution are examples we most commonly relate to the outdoor environment. So it may surprise you to find that the United States   Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published reports that indoor air is 2-5 and in some cases up to 100 times more polluted than the air outside.

This article will give you some recommendations to make your indoor air cleaner, healthier and safer. But first, the basics…

What is “Air”?
Air is a mixture of gases that make up Earth’s atmosphere. The part of the atmosphere that contains the right mixture of gases to support life contains nitrogen and oxygen, as well as trace amounts of argon, carbon dioxide, helium, neon and other gases. Air also contains variable amounts of water vapor. We refer to the amount of suspended water vapor as humidity.

Humidity Plays an Important Role in Indoor Air Quality
The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) recommends maintaining indoor relative humidity levels between 30% and 50% for human healthand comfort. Higher humidity can create an environment where microbes can flourish and create an unsanitary condition.

In addition, higher humidity can result in condensation of water on surfaces. This can hold soils and organic matter, creating a perfect incubator for mold, which can exacerbate asthma and allergies.

Air Suspends Particles
Most airborne particles are harmless. However, others can cause problems, particularly for those with asthma, allergies or immune disorders. There are four keys to keeping your indoor air clean and healthy: exclude, capture, clean and control.

Exclude – Keep contaminants out
Keeping contaminants out of the home is challenging because most airborne particles are tiny and can be everywhere. Pollen, carbon, mold spores, organic matter, insect matter, car exhaust, and plain old dirt  enter the home, transported on air currents, clothing and shoes.

Reduce entry by keeping your doors and windows shut, removing shoes when entering and immediately changing your clothing after dusty activities like yard work.

There are other contaminants that originate from within the home. Pet and human dander, food  particles, dust mites and their feces, cooking gases, sprays, chemicals, cleaning agents and many other  particulates combine to reduce overall indoor air quality. Controlling these can be tricky, because they result from every day living activities. Your best defense is to capture, clean and control them.

Capture – filter and contain that which enters
When airborne particles enter your home, they remain suspended for a period of time. Large and dense particles drop out of the air and settle onto surfaces. Smaller, lighter particles remain suspended longer– some nearly indefinitely – and are best removed by air filtration devices and the filter on your home’s HVAC system.

Pay attention to the filters you use. Use high quality pleated filters. Don’t buy based on price alone. Get filters that are rated MERV 7 or 8. Higher MERV ratings may place excessive restriction on your ventilation system, requiring a change in configuration. Talk to an HVAC professional for more information about how to improve filtration on your ventilation system.

Clean – remove pollutants from surfaces
Eventually, particles settle on surfaces such as floors, furniture, counters, window sills, shelves and walls. Vacuuming and dusting removes most of the particles, but make sure that your vacuum cleaner has good filtration too.

Hard surfaces can be cleaned with electrostatic dusters or dust cloths that attract and hold particles, or  by wiping hard surfaces with a damp cloth and wet mopping floors. Other surfaces such as carpet, area rugs and upholstery will require periodic professional cleaning to remove accumulated soils and pollutants.

Control – maintain equipment, humidity levels and filters
Proper maintenance is important. Ensure your vacuum cleaner, AC unit, range hood and other  ventilation equipment are working properly. Clean or replace furnace filters at recommended intervals;  usually monthly depending on the type of filter and environmental conditions.

Hansen Steam Way can help you breathe easier indoors with regularly scheduled professional carpet and upholstery cleaning. Call us today to set up your clean and healthy maintenance program.

Healthy Babies

Sudden Infant Death (SIDS) is the sudden, unexpected, and unexplained death of a child under one year of age and is sometimes referred to as “crib death.” Although no one knows what causes SIDS, there are some things you can do to make your baby safer.

• Place your baby on his or her back to sleep. Although for many years, this was not considered good advice, studies have now shown that this contributes greatly towards reducing the chance of an occurrence of SIDS. Not all babies should sleep on their backs however. Discuss this with your doctor if your baby has any medical, eating, or congenital problems.
• Babies should never be placed in a crib or bed with large, loose, or fluffy blankets, pillows, or comforters. There should not be any gaps between the mattress and the crib frame.
• The temperature in the room should be kept at a comfortable level. Do not allow your baby to get too warm.
• Establish a smoke-free zone around your baby. Research indicates that cigarette smoke in your baby’s environment increases the risk of SIDS.          • Breastfeed your baby, even if for only a short period of time. Breast milk contributes to your baby’s overall health and can decrease the risk of SIDS.

Is your vacuum cleaner getting the job done?

Regular vacuuming is the most effective way to prolong the life of your carpets. By removing dry particulate soils, you help prevent premature wear caused by abrasive soils grinding away at carpet fibers. A good quality vacuum cleaner that is maintained and used properly does a great job of removing pollutants and contaminants from your home.  You don’t have to spend a fortune, but don’t skimp on quality either. A quality vacuum cleaner is well worth the investment.

There are a few things that you should know about your vacuum cleaner to prevent possible fiber damage, loss of performance and even possible health problems.

Your Vacuum and Airborne Particles

All vacuum cleaners use some kind of motor to turn fans that produce airflow. This airflow is used to   convey soils into a collection receptacle such as a canister or bag. The air must be filtered before it is exhausted back into your home’s environment. This is the basic function of all vacuum cleaners.

But not all vacuums are created equal. Some are better at filtering small particles than others. One micron is one millionth of a meter. The smallest particle that the human eye can see is about 25 microns in diameter.  Depending on the filtering capabilities of your vacuum cleaner, particles as small as .3 microns can be effectively filtered out of the air. But most vacuum cleaners allow much larger particles to get through.

This is a problem, especially in homes with sensitive individuals with allergies or asthma.The smallest  particles are able to be breathed into sinuses and deeply into lung tissue where they can cause irritation and inflammation.  Coughing, wheezing and sneezing are the result. In some cases, full blown asthma attacks can happen.  What is in the dust that creates such big problems? Pollutants include mold and mold spores, human and animal dander, dust mite feces, insect parts, air pollution, lead dust, carbon, cooking residues and more.
Vacuum Filters

Pollutants are captured and filtered out by high quality vacuum cleaners featuring “true HEPA”filtration. HEPA, or High Efficiency Particulate Air filters, are tested and certified to trap 99.97% of all particles at .3 microns, so a true HEPA vacuum cleaner actually cleans the air while it cleans the carpet. But be careful and do your homework. Just because a vacuum cleaner has a HEPA filter does not mean it is “true HEPA”. Less efficient vacuum cleaners do not clean the air. Rather, they have the effect of expelling the smallest pollutant particles into the breathing zone where they can remain suspended for hours. Particles under .5 microns can be suspended indefinitely due to air currents within your home.

Vacuum Maintenance

To get the most out of your vacuum cleaner it is important that it be properly maintained. If it has a replaceable bag it should be exchanged when about half full. Never vacuum up moist soils or damp carpet. This can cause bacterial growth and odors in your machine. Check the belts and make sure that the brushes or rollers are in good condition.  It is best to take your machine in for an annual tune-up to keep it operating at peak performance. When you vacuum do not rush over the surface of the carpet. Take your time. Vacuum over high traffic areas in two different directions to remove the most soil. This will help your carpets stay cleaner and last much longer.

Keeping Your Home Clean

You can maintain your carpet with regular, professional cleaning, and Hansen Steam Way is happy to help with that. But a good quality vacuum cleaner is really your first line of defense in keeping a clean and healthy home.