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4 Tips for Tile Cleaning

  1. Don’t use acidic cleaners – Cleaners infused with acidic components may cause grout to lose its color or crumble out of grout joints. For long-lasting and durable color and surface, try using MARBLELIFE’s Marble and Travertine Cleaner. No damage and plenty of clean.
  2. Learn how to mop the RIGHT way – Scrubbing your tiles the old fashioned way with water, soap product, and a mop is a process of the past. Pushing muddy water around just for the dirt to collect in grout joints, defeats the entire purpose of cleaning. Use a “swiffer” type mop, MARBLELIFE’s Tile and Grout Cleaner, and terry towels to make the process easy and actually productive in fighting germs and maintaining quality.
  3. Seal your grout – sealing your grout will ultimately help you in your future cleaning endeavors. Grout can be sealed to help keep out germs, scum, and mold making your life easier and cleaner.
  4. Have your floors professionally cleaned OFTEN – You should have your tile and grout cleaned at least every 1-2 years by a reputable company such as Hansen Steam Way. We have been trained and certified to clean your floors.

How To Care For Your Carpet

Your carpet is a valuable investment. Any investment requires maintenance. You change the oil in your vehicle so that the engine will last longer and to avoid costly repairs. The same is true for your carpet, or any floor covering for that matter. By properly maintaining your carpet it will look better, last longer, and contribute to a healthier indoor environment.

When it comes to maintaining carpet, one of the most critical areas of focus is the traffic areas. If ground-in soil is not removed on a regular basis, the traffic areas will begin to wear excessively. The dirt is extremely abrasive against the fibers of the carpet as you walk back and forth on it. The second area of focus is spot removal. You must react to “danger” spots immediately. Red wine, red beverages, urine, blood, etc. can cause a permanent stain if not treated immediately. Listed below are the steps that you must take to properly maintain your carpeting. 

1. Check the Warranty Copies of specific warranties on your carpet purchase are available for you upon request. Stain-resistant warranties can vary from 5 to 20 years. All stain resistant warranties require regular cleaning and immediate spot removal! 

2. Vacuum, Vacuum, Vacuum! Vacuum your carpet often. Once or twice a week at least. Vacuuming removes the sharp soil that can cut and slice the fiber causing premature wear. Much of this soil is not visible to the eye. Vacuum before the carpet looks soiled. Remove any loose particles such as loose food, leaves, pieces of crayon, bugs, etc. as these items can cause a spot on the carpet. 

3. Professional Cleaning As a general rule, professional cleaning by a professional, certified firm, should take place about once a year. Many stain resistant warranties require professional cleaning every two years! If you have extremely heavy traffic areas, clean more often. Professional cleaning removes the damaging soil from the traffic areas that vacuuming has not been able to remove. A proper professional cleaning will not leave a sticky residue behind and be done as many times per year. 

4. Spot Removal Immediate spot removal is key to a clean carpet. Great care must also be taken in how spot cleaning is performed. When the carpet is new, it has sufficient protector on it, plain tap water will remove many spots. However, for those spots that will not move easily with water, you must use a spot cleaner. Select a spot cleaner that is recommended by your carpet retailer or your trained, certified professional cleaner. Apply spot cleaner sparingly to a white terry cloth and gently massage the spot causing it to transfer into the cloth. Never pour spot cleaner directly on the carpet. If the product that you are using seems to cause the spot to re-soil over a few weeks period, discontinue use. Any spot that you are not able to remove, and for pet urine and feces, call your professional cleaner immediately. 

5. Protective Coating Residential carpets are treated with stain-resistant properties and soil resistors. The soil resistor part is known as DuPont Teflon or 3M Scotchgard. After a period of two to three years, much of the soil resistor wears off, depending on traffic. At that point, you should consider having a professional carpet cleaner re-apply the treatment after professional cleaning. The soil resistor will help the soil slide off the carpet easier when vacuuming, spots will be easier to remove, and professional cleaning will be more effective the next time it is cleaned.

Area Rugs and Pet Contamination

Are you scared that your precious pet had an accident on your rug or carpet? Do you feel concerned about about odor or contamination? We love our pets, but pet urine can cause permanent damage to your office’s floors and fabrics. It can also create an unhealthy indoor environment. When urine is first deposited onto a floor or fabric, it has a pH of about 5 or 6, which is on the acid side of the pH Scale. It is easier to remove right then when it is fresh. Once it dries it turns into an “alkaline” or to a high pH between 10 to 12 on the scale and becomes more difficult to remove. The warm acid state of the urine offers a perfect breeding ground for bacteria, which begin to flourish almost immediately.

Give your rug some TLC by giving it the most most thorough cleaning. Our rug spa has the most advanced equipment for cleaning your Oriental rugs safely.

Hand crafted area and Oriental rugs should be cleaned IN-Plant only.

Plus, your rugs are cleaned by a MASTER Certified Technician who has been seasoned in the craft for many years.

How Often Should I Clean My Rug?

Have you ever asked yourself, how often should I clean my rug?

A good rule of thumb is to get your rug cleaned every 6-12 months (depending on traffic, pets, and style of the rug) to avoid any permanent damage.

Many times, clients wait until they visually see a rug dirty before they decide to get it cleaned. Even if a rug doesn’t look dirty, you should have it professionally cleaned.

Don’t wait too long to have your rug professionally cleaned by us. Call us today to get on our schedule.

Your home has been under a lot of pressure.

Has your precious pet had an accident on your rug or carpet? Do you feel concerned about odor or contamination? We love our pets, but pet urine can cause permanent damage to your floors and fabrics. It can also create an unhealthy indoor environment. When urine is first deposited onto a floor or fabric, it has a pH of about 5 or 6, which is on the acid side of the pH Scale. It is easier to remove right then when it is fresh. Once it dries it turns into an “alkaline” or to a high pH between 10 to 12 on the scale and becomes more difficult to remove. The warm acid state of the urine offers a perfect breeding ground for bacteria, which begin to flourish almost immediately.

Give your rug some TLC by giving it the most most thorough cleaning. Our rug spa has advanced equipment for cleaning your Oriental rugs safely.

Hand crafted area and Oriental rugs should be cleaned IN-Plant only.

Keep Your Carpet Clean this Fall!

Carpet cleaning is just like exercise! If you get into a routine and keep it up, you will see great results and feel better for it.

And understanding the right way to clean carpet will help you save time by doing it correctly the first time.

3 Easy Steps to Keep Them Clean!
1. Vacuum at the right frequency with a CRI-approved vacuum.
2. Clean spots and spills quickly with products that do not damage the carpet or cause it to re-soil more quickly.
3. Professionally deep clean your carpets every 12 to 18 months to remove embedded dirt and grime.

Benefits of Doing Chores

There’s no question that working parents need all the help they can get when it comes to keeping up their homes. That means kids help too. But as they do their chores, are they helping themselves as well?

New research conducted at the University of Toronto indicates the answer is an emphatic “yes”.

The study of children ages 9 to 14 shows that those with regular responsibilities showed greater sensitivity to the needs of others, were more responsible in other areas and were more likely to spontaneously pitch in, both at home and at school.

The key to making kids more responsible was having them do tasks that benefited the entire family.

Doing things that benefit all get kids in the habit of thinking of others. They were more likely to become responsible and considerate adults.

What if your kids don’t want to do chores? Give them a number of choices and let them decide which ones to take on. They’ll be more likely to help out without complaining.

QUICK Workouts for Better Health

For those who are out of shape or out of time, 30-minute exercise sessions can be daunting.

If your muscles and your schedule aren’t up to it all, three or fourteen-minute sessions will do beginning exercisers just about as much good.

In one test by Stanford University, overweight people were divided into two groups. One group exercised for 40 minutes a day, 5 days a week. The other exercised in 10-minute sessions four times a day, 5 days a week. After20 weeks, both groups boosted their aerobic capacity and experienced similar weight loss (15 to 20 pounds).

But those assigned to short periods stuck to their schedule better than the other group. This suggests that beginning exercisers may find it easier to break up their workouts into small, manageable segments.

Try 10 minutes of brisk walking be-fore work, 10 minutes of stair-climbing or a quick run at noon, and 10 minutes of cycling in the evening, or any other schedule or activity that suits your time and preferences.

Chili-Lime Chicken Kabobs

Keep the grill going all through the fall with this quick dinner.

Ingredients: 3 tablespoons olive oil1 – ½ tablespoons red wine vinegar – 1 lime, juiced – 1 teaspoon chili powder – ½ teaspoon paprika – ½ teaspoon onion powder – ½ teaspoon garlic powder – 1 pinch cayenne pepper to taste – 1 pinch salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste – 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves – cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces – 8 each on each skewer.

Directions: In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, and lime juice. Season with chili powder, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper. Place the chicken in a shallow baking dish with the sauce, and stir to coat. Cover, and marinate in the refrigerator at least 1 hour.

You can also add any vegetables with the chicken to add color and flavor.

Preheat the grill for medium-high heat. Thread chicken onto skewers, and discard marinade. Lightly oil the grill grate. Grill skewers for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the chicken juices run clear.

7 Practical Methods to COMBAT Stress

Take Control Over Your Time and Schedule. Get a handle on your job, relationships, and other activities. Plan your time wisely. Leave room for unexpected events. Avoid procrastinating. Say “no” to requests that you cannot accomplish.

Work Out. Strive and get some habitual exercise such as brisk walking, swimming, or whatever appeals to you. Working out reduces stress, improves sleep, and promotes the release of natural soothing chemicals in your body.

Search Out For A Support Group. Having other people helping and supporting you will help you manage stress. Choose positive friends. Don’t hold grudges. Remember, perfectionism is not a means to happiness.

Take Breaths Deeply and Slowly. Deep breathing calms down your tense muscles and relieves stress and anxiety.

Consume Healthy Foods at the Appropriate Time. Never skip meals, especially breakfast. A nutritionally balanced diet is essential to your overall health.

Live Optimistically. Count your blessings. Learn to enjoy life’s blessings. Live one day at a time.