The Cleaning Blog
The Cleaning Blog is the most helpful carpet cleaning blog out there! We publish multiple entries per month to keep you up to date on the carpet cleaning industry and our expert advice!
At Home Chemicals That Will Damage Your Tile and Grout
You don’t want to neglect your tiles and grout and only hire tiles cleaners in Port Orange when they look dirty and stained. By then, it’s harder to get them clean and sparkling once again, so instead, you should clean your tiles and grout periodically.
Tiles are well known for their durability but don’t just choose any chemical at home to clean them. Some chemicals can damage them, so keep reading to learn which at-home chemicals you should avoid before you get to scrubbing.
At-Home Chemicals That Will Damage Your Tile and Grout
Abrasive Cleaners
You might think that you should be using a cleaner that has something gritty to get the dirt out. Don’t do this, though—something with an abrasive texture will damage your tiles. That’s because you’ll scrape off the seal on your tile that will usually keep the dirt from getting into your tiles and the grout.
By using something abrasive, you’re making it easier for your tiles to be dirty in the long run.
Harsh Chemicals
Bleach seems to be the go-to cleaner for nearly everything, but don’t use bleach for your tiles. Likewise, don’t use lemon and vinegar either. All of these harsh chemicals can damage your tiles, not to mention that they might pose other problems for pets or other items in your home.
Colored Solutions
You might find a colored solution that doesn’t have many harsh chemicals in it, but you should still avoid anything that can color your grout. Grout is porous, after all, so it can absorb that coloring and look worse in the end.
Too Much Water
This isn’t a chemical, but remember to limit the amount of water you’re using for your cleaning, especially when it comes to grout. Too much water can saturate the grout and cause it to lose its grip on the tiles. Especially if you have older flooring, you might end up with water underneath your tiles, causing mold or mildew to develop where you can’t even see.
This is another great reason not to use harsh chemicals: they’ll require lots of scrubbing with water, and too much water isn’t as helpful as you might think.
What to Avoid When Cleaning Your Tile and Grout
We’ve covered the types of cleaner to steer clear of, but there are other things to avoid when it comes to cleaning your tiles and grout. For a nice sparkle to your flooring, keep these in mind:
Don’t Do Too Much
Ultimately, you can clean your tiles just fine on your own, but don’t do anything that’s outside of what you’re capable of. For example, don’t use a steam cleaner if you don’t know how to use it properly. You might end up doing more damage to your flooring or even your cupboards if you expose them to excessive heat.
Not Cleaning and Protecting
Don’t allow stains to sit on your tiles as it will lead to discoloration. Instead, wipe and clean them off quickly. You can also protect your tiles from excess water or dirt by sealing them or using mats to collect any dirt.
No Routine Cleaning
Clean your tile flooring now and again. If you can clean once a week, that’s the best option, but every few weeks is better than never cleaning your tiles and letting them become discolored and dirty.
Conclusion
Your tiles and grout are a long-term part of your home. You want to keep them looking clean and fresh for as long as possible. Be sure to avoid certain cleaners and cleaning methods, and clean your tiles regularly.
Can You Clean Air Ducts Yourself?
Clean air ducts are vital to your home’s air quality. While most people understand the importance of keeping their air ducts clean, some might assume that cleaning them is a simple process. They assume that all they have to do is get on top of the unit, grab some gloves, and wipe inside.
However, what you don’t know is that when it comes to your air ducts, there are risks involved with doing this on your own. In this article, we’ll help you understand why professional air duct cleaning in Orlando is essential.
Can You Clean Air Ducts Yourself? What are the Risks?
Ineffective Cleaning
For one, you could end up with a lot of dust and dirt in your air ducts, even after the cleaning. There are two types of filters: an intake filter that keeps the inside clean from outside particles like pollen; and another filter on top collects dust and dirt brought in from outside.
The first filter is what usually needs cleaning. However, when you clean your air ducts without removing this top layer of dust, all the flotsam collected by it will just end up back inside the unit again.
Duct Damage
You’ll also need to take into account that there are ducts in your house that lead outside. These ducts will always be open and won’t require a filter. However, if you clean the inside of those air ducts, all the dirt on top might end up coating the metal exterior and cause rusting or even permanent damage if it’s not cleaned off in time.
Some ducts have thin walls, which you might accidentally damage. In addition, a tiny hole in your air duct can affect the system’s airflow, leading to higher energy costs.
System Strain
Improper and subpar cleaning can eventually lead to system strain. Your air ducts will slowly suffer from the effects of wear and tear in the long run, causing the system to fail eventually.
Infection Risk
The dust inside your house can have a lot of bacteria and mold that might not be visible to you. They could make people who are sensitive or immunocompromised very sick when inhaled.
If you clean without proper protection, there’s a high risk that you’ll be exposed to these harmful particles.
Lack of the Right Tools and Equipment
You probably already have tools like a vacuum and brush on hand to help you but know that these can never clean your air ducts the way our professional equipment can. For example, the average vacuum hose can’t reach as far in as our specialized machine hose. Neither will your home vacuum have the same kind of power that our machines do.
Our tools and equipment can effectively remove dust, dander, dirt, and other types of air contaminants, so it’s best to leave it to us and get the job done right the first time.
Why Clean Your Air Ducts?
All these risks mentioned are valid reasons to leave the task of cleaning your air ducts for professionals. It’s not just a service – it is a worthwhile investment in keeping your home and family safe. In fact, there are many benefits that come with cleaning your air ducts regularly:
- You’ll be able to breathe cleaner and healthier air inside your own space;
- The risk of getting sick will decrease since you’re no longer exposed to harmful dust particles, which could lead to infections or illnesses;
- Your family members who suffer from allergies might find relief as their symptoms lessen over time because they aren’t constantly inhaling unhealthy air anymore.
Conclusion
Professional air duct cleaning is not just for your peace of mind – there are also important reasons why it’s vital to hire professional air duct cleaners if you want to keep your family safe and healthy. The risks of doing the job yourself can be enough reason to hire an expert as ineffective cleaning can lead to more severe consequences like system strain or even infection risk.
At-Home Techniques to Help Keep Your Tile and Grout Shining Between Professional Cleaning
Your tiles might look great right after professional tile cleaning services, but eventually, they can start to lose that shine. Of course, any homeowner wants to keep both their tiles and the grout clean in between professional cleanings, so try these at-home techniques to prolong that shine.
Techniques to Keep Your Tile and Grout Shining
Classic Soap and Water
This is undoubtedly the most obvious option: a mixture of soap and water. Add some detergent into a bucket with warm water and mix it up. Once you’re ready, you’ll only need to dunk a mop in to start cleaning.
Just make sure that you wring out your mop before you begin and that you replace the water when it starts to look dirty so that you don’t wipe the dirt around. When you’re all finished, rinse off the floor with clean water.
Tile Cleaning Solutions
If you’re looking for something to help mop up stains, you might want to go beyond soap and water. Try baking soda then—just as long as you cut it with warm water. You’ll form a paste that goes over your tiles before you rinse with clean water. Make sure that you dry the tiles to remove any water.
What to Avoid
There are multiple types of tiles, which may benefit from various cleaners. That said, there’s one thing you should avoid with all tiles: acidic cleaners.
Many types of tiles can’t handle cleaning solutions with lemon and vinegar because the pH is too high. From marble to granite, you should be careful about using harsh cleaners that might discolor your tiles. Also, take a moment to check the brush you’re using if you’re scrubbing. A brush with bristles that are too harsh might scratch your tiles instead.
Grout Cleaning Solutions
You can also mop your grout while you’re mopping your tile, but you can do a more detailed clean with a homemade solution. Mix baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and some dishwashing soap before applying it to your grout.
As you might expect, there’s some scrubbing involved. Wait for 5 to 10 minutes for that cleaning solution to sink in before you scrub. Finally, do a rinse with water to finish up, and your grout should come out looking great.
Using a steam cleaner on your grout can help too. Scrub with a brush in a circular motion, and remember to dry your grout with a rag.
What to Avoid
When it comes to keeping your grout clean, you should avoid one thing in particular: bleach. Bleach can weaken your grout, making it more porous and ultimately making it look much dirtier than before. The chemicals in bleach may be too harsh for your tiles as well.
The Importance of Regular Cleaning
You don’t need to mop or scrub every week or even every other week. But there are simple things that you can do to keep your tile and grout clean.
Start by sweeping your floor to get rid of debris you’ve missed or to clear out dust. You’ll want to make sure that you wipe up spills right away, so they don’t have a chance to absorb into your grout—especially things that are acidic, like tomato sauce.
Conclusion
Don’t wait until you notice your tile and grout is dirty—instead, practice regular cleaning. Regular cleaning will go a long way in keeping your tiles and grout looking great. Now and again, do some deep cleaning in between your professional cleanings.
Do Carpet Cleaners Clean the Pad?
Everyone knows about the importance of cleaning carpets. However, not many people know about the carpet pad underneath. The pad is the material beneath the carpet that serves multiple functions such as providing cushion between feet and the floor, preventing the carpet from sliding across the floor, and ultimately prolonging the carpet’s lifespan.
During your professional carpet cleaning, you might wonder: do carpet cleaners clean the pad? Keep reading to find out.
Do Carpet Cleaners Clean the Pad?
The straightforward answer is: no, carpet cleaners do not clean the pad. In fact, they aim to avoid soaking the pad.
It’s essential first to understand that carpet fibers are unable to absorb too much liquid or moisture. You might not realize this, but most of the moisture goes right through into the padding underneath.
One major characteristic of carpet padding is that they are usually spongey in nature. This feature allows the padding to feel soft under the feet. However, this feature also makes paddings highly absorbent, which can be problematic. The padding acts like a sponge and quickly becomes saturated with the water.
It can be rather challenging to remove liquids that get into the padding. You can’t just assume that the liquid will evaporate from the padding because air circulation is lacking in the pad as it is sandwiched between the carpet and the floor.
Once the carpet padding is saturated, you can expect it to stay wet for a few days. In addition, the moisture that is retained in the carpet pad can potentially be a breeding point for mold.
Now that you understand more about the properties of carpet pads and how they work, you’d be able to see that it’s best to avoid saturating the carpet pad.
Our Carpet Cleaning Equipment
Our advanced vehicle-mounted carpet cleaning equipment can clean your carpets efficiently and powerfully. Rest assured that our cleaning process can penetrate the layers and deep rinse your carpet fibers, all without soaking your carpet backing. In addition, our equipment can control the amount of water and moisture, so your carpet pad doesn’t get affected.
After a professional clean, you’ll find that your carpet is deeply rinsed, but just feels damp when you touch it. With good water recovery, our equipment doesn’t leave a lot of moisture behind which means you can expect your carpet to dry in just a few short hours.
What Happens If My Carpet Pad is Stained or Has an Odor?
Pet owners often have issues with pet odor or urine staining their carpet and soaking through into the carpet padding. In extreme cases, it’s not unexpected for the urine to penetrate the padding onto the subfloor underneath. This creates a complex odor issue that spans several layers and cannot be easily removed.
The pet urine has to be neutralized layer by layer, and sometimes, a urine neutralizer might be applied onto the carpet. Unfortunately, in extreme cases, the carpet padding might have to be replaced. The subfloor may even have to be treated.
Conclusion
Carpets are expensive investments that have to be protected, and soaking the carpet pad is something you’d want to avoid. Call us today and trust us to clean your carpet the proper way. Our process powerfully removes dirt and gives a deep rinse, all while leaving your subfloor and carpet pad dry.
Cleaning Grease Off Your Tile Backsplash
Your tile backsplash is supposed to add a bit of charm and beauty to your kitchen. Unfortunately, it seems so easy for your backsplash to get dirty with all that cooking. Tile and grout cleaning is a chore that you’ll have to do at some point and while it’s easy to clean spilled water or food, grease is another story altogether.
Tips For Cleaning Grease Off Your Tile Backsplash
Grease can be challenging to clean as it’s resistant to many different cleaners. Fortunately, grease can be removed with a bit of work and the correct cleaning agent. To get you started, here are the top tips for cleaning grease off of your tile backsplash.
- Baking Soda
Baking soda is a mild detergent that can be used to scrub away grease from a backsplash. To make a cleaning detergent, mix some baking soda with water to create a thick paste. It should be sticky enough to stay on your wall tiles for several minutes.
Once you’ve got your baking soda paste, rub it onto the grease and let it sit for about 10 minutes. When 10 minutes have passed, get a damp cloth to scrub the area with. Scrubbing the grease after letting it sit will further encourage it to come off. By the time you’ve gently scrubbed all the paste off, the grease should be gone too.
- Goo Gone
If you’ve tried a mild detergent and the grease is still on your backsplash, try a strong degreaser such as Goo Gone. It’s essential to test the degreaser on a small, unseen area of your tile before applying it to the greasy spot. There’s always the possibility that it will damage your backsplash, so you don’t want to test it in a visible area.
Once you’ve tested the degreaser and determined that it won’t harm your tile backsplash, follow the included instructions. When you’ve finished, be sure to rinse the remaining residue off entirely.
- Toothpaste
You probably won’t want to use your toothpaste (or toothbrush), but this is a great way to remove grease from the grout between your tiles.
Before using the toothpaste, clean the tiles with water. Once they’ve been rinsed off, get out your spare toothbrush and toothpaste. Be generous when squeezing toothpaste on the grout and tiles. Scrub with the toothbrush then rinse off with a clean rag.
- White Vinegar
You can use white vinegar as a spray detergent if you don’t want to use a chemical solution. Just spray it on the greasy area and let sit for around 5 minutes. After it has sat, you should be able to wipe away the grease with a warm cloth.
- Dishwashing Detergent
Sometimes, all you need is your trusty dishwashing liquid. By nature, your dishwashing detergent should be potent against grease. Place your sponge in warm water and squeeze out the excess. When it’s damp, put just a blob of dishwashing soap on it and put your sponge to work.
If the grease doesn’t come off easily, try letting the soap remain on the grease for a short time before scrubbing again. You can also use a brush to scrub out the grease.
Conclusion
Grease can be tricky to remove from your tile backsplash. Fortunately, many regular household items can be used to remove it. In addition, you don’t always need to buy the most potent degreaser that you can find.
Using one of the solutions above, you can lower the amount of chemicals used in your kitchen while still removing the grease stains. Just remember to test on a small, unseen portion of your tiles first, just to be safe and ensure that the cleaning method of your choice won’t damage your beautiful tile backsplash.
Tips on Preventing Mold and Mildew Buildup on Your Shower Tile and Grout
Every homeowner dreads mold and mildew. They aren’t a pleasant sight, especially as you may struggle with allergies or respiratory issues. The shower is where mold and mildew often grow so take note of these Port Orange tile and grout cleaning tips here to prevent these unsightly fungi from making an appearance in your home.
Tips on Preventing Mold and Mildew Buildup on Your Shower Tile and Grout
Mold likes warm, moist areas which is why your shower is the perfect breeding ground. You might see it on walls and ceilings, but you’ll especially see it in your shower tiles and on your grout. To prevent that, there are a couple of things you can do.
Ventilate
If your bathroom doesn’t have a vent, you should ventilate it in some other way. Keep a window open if possible, or open the door as soon as your shower is over to keep the cool air running into your bathroom.
Dry
It may seem like a hassle, but it’s good to use a cloth to quickly dry off your tiles after your shower. You’re not doing a time-consuming deep clean, but it will go a long way to keep those surfaces dry so that mold doesn’t have a chance to grow.
Shower Door
Whether you have an actual shower door or a shower curtain, it’s a good idea to keep it clean. Wipe down that shower curtain or that shower door to help them dry faster, and never leave them closed. Your goal is to ventilate the shower, so any door should always be open.
Hang Towels
This is a simple thing, but take a minute to hang your towels. Mold will stick to those towels quickly, so to prevent mold from even getting a foothold, just hang them up.
Spray Tiles
Take a minute to make or buy an anti-mold solution for the sake of your shower. Spray it along your tiles once a week to help keep mold away. If you would like to make your own solution, just mix equal parts of water and white vinegar in a spray bottle.
Tips to Prevent Mildew on Your Shower Tile and Grout
Mildew might not be as scary as mold, but it’s not a walk in the park either. This fungus might appear on walls, tile, or grout, and can cause allergies and other problems.
Some of the mildew prevention tips are similar to mold prevention tips. For example, by leaving a window open or venting your bathroom when you shower or mopping up excess water. There are a few mildew-specific things you can do too.
Let In Light
Mildew loves dark places. One of the easiest things you can do is to let the shades up to let in light. You don’t need natural light either; just put your lights on a timer to keep fungus away.
Clean Shower Items
Take a minute to clean up the items around your shower too—don’t just focus on the shower and the tiles. Clean underneath shampoo bottles, make sure you clean your hand towels and replace your loofah. Mildew tends to hide in these types of places.
Seal Grout
You can seal your grout to prevent mold and mildew. Reseal your grout to prevent mildew by keeping the water out. An annual sealing will be enough to keep your home mildew-free.
Conclusion
Mold and mildew are dangerous for any home. You don’t want to worry about potential issues caused by these fungi, so spend a little time preventing their growth with some simple measures. Something as simple as opening a window can do a lot for your home, so before you take your next shower, keep these tips in mind.