Archive for the ‘Newsletter’ Category

Dear Friends,

Some thoughts from Dirk Fowler

As Winter arrives our thoughts turn to the upcoming holidays. We’ll be spending more time indoors and probably doing more decorating and entertaining. Please be aware that there are some common spills and accidents that can cause permanent damage to your carpeting. Make plans to avoid these!

Also, remember this time of year is very busy for carpet cleaners. You will probably have specific plans for the holidays involving entertaining and/or house guests. So it is wise to plan ahead if you are thinking of having any cleaning done this season. The more advance notice we have, the more likely we can accommodate your preferred cleaning time.

I look forward to helping you with all of your carpet and upholstery cleaning needs this holiday season.

Check my ‘Clean Tips’ for some great ways to keep it clean!

Happy Holidays!

Dirk Fowler

Keeping it Clean

Nitty Gritty Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Tips

Carpets take a lot of abuse during the holiday season. Most spills or accidents will be things you can clean up yourself, or will at least be resolved with the help of a cleaning professional. However, there are several common holiday mishaps that often cause permanent damage!

Parties, extra house guests, and special treats all create more opportunities for food and drink spills. These are only the start of holiday related mishaps that commonly occur.
With more time spent indoors, the kids home from school, house guests and holiday decorating, your carpet may take a real beating, but professional cleaning can remedy all but a few of these mishaps.

Avoid  Permanent Damage From These Holiday Mishaps

Christmas Tree

1. Cut Christmas trees can create an array of carpet staining opportunities, since we have to keep the tree in water. If the tree stand water is spilled, leaks or the tree stand overflows the carpet will get wet and can cause several problems.
2. If any metal comes in contact with the damp carpet, rust may develop. Fortunately, this problem can be solved by a professional carpet cleaner like Actually Clean.
3. Colored dyes however, could be transferred to the carpet from a wet Christmas tree skirt or wet wrapping paper. These will generally result in  permanent stains since they are often inks or dispersed dyes that are not removed by specialty spotters.
4. Consider placing a large piece of plastic under the tree to protect the carpet from any water spillage. If colored fabric or paper gets wet be sure that it does not come in contact with the carpet to avoid staining it.

Candles

Everyone loves candles for the holidays. All too often, candle wax is dripped or blown onto the carpet or other fabrics. The wax itself can usually be removed from textiles, but the color pigments used to color the candle will often cause a permanent stain. Be sure to keep a “drip dish” under the candle and extinguish the candle carefully.

Sugar Sprinkles

Those yummy colored sugar sprinkles used to decorate cookies and cupcakes are another hazard. Once they are in the carpet it is easy for them to get lodged in the carpet fibers. They are extremely difficult to remove, even with a thorough vacuuming. If the candy sprinkles buried in the carpet get wet from your spot cleaning or a professional cleaning, their colors can bleed into the carpet creating a permanent stain.

We certainly hope you will celebrate this holiday season with many friends and family accompanied by all the treats and festive decorations you traditionally enjoy. Sometimes a little reminder to take a few extra precautions can insure you’ll feel free to relax and enjoy yourself!

Quote

YOU‘LL LOVE WORKING WITH ACTUALLY CLEAN BECAUSE…
We only use Non-Toxic, Hypo-Allergenic cleaning solution.
You can call us for answers to all your carpet & upholstery questions.
I am an IICRC Certified Technician.
We proudly stand behind our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee .
We personalize our service to meet your needs.
…BECAUSE WE CARE !

Q & A

My child misused crayons or markers. What can I do?

When you purchase “washable” art supplies for children carefully check the fine print. They usually mean it washes off the child and maybe machine washable clothing– not necessarily the wall, carpet, furniture or other textiles. Crayola®, the largest manufacturer of crayons and colored markers provides a toll-free number for answering questions on how to remove their products from a variety of different surfaces. You can request a spotting guide booklet for any future mishaps:

Call 1-800-CRAYOLA weekdays between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. EST.

Help! There is an orange discoloration appearing on my carpet. What is it?

Got teenagers? You don’t remember anyone spilling anything there? Does the spot have a very distinct yellowish-orange hallow around it?. This is caused by a bleaching agent called benzylperoxide. It is commonly found in acne medications and some anti-aging creams. Make sure everyone using these products washes their hands thoroughly. The most common occurrence for this problem is in the family room in front of the TV where the kids lounge. The discoloration can even show up in the shape of a handprint! If this product gets on the carpet in time it will cause a discoloration. Heat and humidity accelerate this bleaching action. In low humidity climates it could take months to appear. But steam cleaning the carpets (a very hot and humid process) will cause the discoloration to appear in a matter of minutes!

Chocolates

Chocolate comes in many different forms for different uses. Do you know their origins and when to use them?

Baking or unsweetened chocolate is cooled, hardened, chocolate liquor. It is mostly used in cooking or as a garnish.

Semi-Sweet chocolate is used in cooking, and has cocoa butter and some sugar added to it.

Milk Chocolate is the kind most chocolate candy bars are made from. It is the chocolate liquor with lots of cocoa butter, sugar, milk, and vanilla added.

Couverture is yet another type of chocolate. It contains anywhere from 33 to 38 percent cocoa butter. The name is French for “covering”. There are two ways to coat things in chocolate. One is to dip by hand; the other is to pour the chocolate over it-called enrobing.

Did you know chocolate ice cream is flavored simply by adding cocoa powder?

Candle Sense

The most common holiday accident we hear about is spilled candle wax. Fortunately, candle wax is something you may be able to remove yourself. Use the following instructions:

1. Use a spoon or dull knife to carefully scrape off as much excess wax as possible.
2. Place  aluminum foil over the bottom of your iron to prevent wax from getting on it. Set the iron on the Low Dry heat setting.
3. Place two layers of paper towels over the wax spill on the carpet or upholstery. Place the heated iron on top of the paper towels. The heat from the iron will start to melt the wax and it will wick up into the paper towels.
4. As the paper towels absorb the wax, rotate them to clean areas and continue to apply the iron’s heat until all the wax is absorbed into the paper towels.

Unfortunately, you may find that all of the color from the candle did not come out with the wax. It is possible for the candle dyes to transfer into the carpet fibers. The dyes used in candles are extremely difficult, if not impossible to clean out even for professional cleaners. This discoloration may be permanent. Check with us first. Using a repair person to cut out the affected area and replace it with extra carpet may be your only recourse to remove the unsightly stain.

Please use safety precautions with candles. Parade Magazine reports that December is the peak month for candle fires in the U.S. Nearly 13,000 occur annually, causing more than $175 million in property damage. Never leave candles unattended, that is when the  National Fire Protection Association says most accidents occur.

For safety tips, visit www.nfpa.org/candles.