Sharing is Caring, Especially When It Comes to Cleaning

Carpet Repairs and Cleaning: How to Know When the Time is Right

We’re so busy every day that it’s hard to find the time for basic cleaning, let alone take care of major cleaning projects. The great part about Spring cleaning is that it reminds you when it’s time to get certain jobs done. Wall to wall carpeting needs to be cleaned often, but how do you know if your carpets need a good cleaning or is it time to make some carpet repairs?

Take a walk around your home, do your carpets have small bumps or ripples? As they age it’s common for carpets to start to ripple and wrinkle. These bumps are tripping hazarards which can be very dangerous for the elderly, or if they are located near stairs. Fortunately, carpet restretching is an easy enough project for do it yourself types and nearly all carpet cleaning companies offer professional carpet restretching services.

Area rug Repair Services

Are there high traffic areas of the home where the carpeting is worn through to the floor, or do you have small burns in the carpet? Certain areas of a home get more traffic than others, often leaving the carpeting in certain areas looking messier than others. It’s easy enough to replace just the carpet in the hallway with spare carpet, making your whole house look as good as new.

After walking around the home, if you don’t notice any major damage to the structure of the carpet, then all you’ll need is an old fashioned carpet cleaning. Having the carpets cleaned at least twice a year will prevent the need for carpet replacement and repair in the future, and keep your home looking beautiful all year long.

Valentines Day Stain Removal Tips

Valentines Chocolates | Flat Rate Carpet BlogAre you planning the perfect Valentines Day for your special someone? A special dinner can quickly turn into a disaster with spills and stains. Know how to treat the most common Valentines Day stains, and make sure your night stays magical.

Chocolate: To remove chocolate from fabric, simply run under cold water and pretreat. Removing chocolate from furniture or carpeting requires nothing more than an ice cube. Hold the ice over the chocolate until it’s solid, and gently scrape with the edge of a spoon. When nearly all the chocolate is gone blot gently with cold water.

Candle Wax: Wax spills are much easier to clean up than most people think. When the wax is solid, simply pick off the large clumps and scrape away what you can with a plastic knife. Next you’ll need an iron and a clean, white cloth. Place the cloth over the wax and iron. Continue moving the cloth around, careful to only iron clean cloth and avoid spreading the wax. Soon the wax will be as good as gone.

Red Wine: Wine stains are pretty scary, but don’t fear. Sprinkle salt on the spill to soak up excess wine, and then rinse well with white wine or club soda, then cold water. If you have a stain treater handy go ahead and pretreat the stain as well.

No matter what kind of spills happen during your romantic evening, the best way to treat any disaster is to stay calm. A ruined dress doesn’t have to mean a ruined night.

Happy Valentines Day.

How to Remove Stains From Wool

Wool Carpets | Flat Rate Carpet BlogWool carpeting is a beautiful addition to any room, and is a great way to add value and comfort to your home. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to prevent dirt and stains from getting onto your carpet, and wool carpeting is very durable, but can still be harder to clean than some synthetic carpets. Often made with natural dyes, wool carpeting is easily damaged by harsh cleaners. Taking care of a stain quickly, and correctly, will help preserve your wool carpets for years to come.

Acting quickly is the number one way to prevent stains from sticking. For liquid stain removal, gently blot up as much liquid as possible with a clean, white paper towel or rag. Continue gently blotting the area until the stain has been removed.

For stains like chocolate or chewing gum, place an ice cube on the chocolate until it is frozen. Then gently pick off the frozen chocolate or gum with a knife.

Make sure that you find a stain treater that is safe for wool carpets, and that will not bleach or discolor the carpeting. Test any new cleaning products on an area of the carpeting that no one will see, such as inside of a closet.

If you’re not sure of the best way to treat a strain on a wool carpet, it’s best to call a professional.

Taking proper care of your carpeting will not only extend the life of the carpets, but will increase the value of your home.

How to Remove Candle Wax From Carpets

Candle Wax | Flat Rate Carpet BlogHannukah is right around the corner, and it’s time to break out the beautiful menorah’s and little candles that will light up the home for eight fun filled nights. Don’t let a few drips of candle wax on the carpet ruin your holiday this year. With this easy way to remove candle wax from carpets you’ll never worry about getting candle wax on your carpets again.

Taking care of any stain right away increases your chance of getting the wax out completely, but make sure not to rub the stain in any further.

For wax stains on carpets, put some ice in a waterproof bag. Place the ice over the wax, allowing the wax to freeze. Getting water on the wax will make it harder to get out, so make sure no ice is dripping into the carpet.

Once the wax is frozen, gently scrape it off the carpet with a knife. Don’t worry about getting out everything, just get out as much as you can without ruining the carpet.

Next, spread a clean cloth or paper bag over the remaining wax stain. Use and iron to go over the area, drawing the remaining wax into the cloth or bag. Continue this last step until all the wax is gone.

This Hanukkah spend your time opening presents and eating latkes, instead of stressing over a few drips of candle wax.

Happy Hanukkah!

How to Remove Coffee Stains

Coffee Stain | Flat Rate Carpet BlogIt doesn’t matter how careful you are, at one point in time we all wind up with a big coffee stain. Whether you’ve spilled coffee all over a new shirt on the way to work, or on a nice new table cloth, we have the tricks you need to remove coffee stains.

As quickly as you can, try to blot up any coffee with a clean paper towel. Gently blot the area with a clean piece of towel each time until no more coffee is coming up. Remember never to rub the area or you’ll wind up helping the stain to spread further.

Next, make your own stain remover by mixing distilled white vinegar, cold water and a bit of powdered laundry detergent. Mix all three until it makes a little paste, the same consistency as toothpaste. Gently spread the paste on both sides of the fabric and let it sit for about five minutes.

Using a toothbrush or other gentle brush, scrub both sides of the fabric with simple, circular motions, and then rinse with cold water.

Pretreat the area with a dab of liquid laundry detergent before laundering regularly.

As with any stain treatment, make sure that you test the stain remover on a small, inconspicuous, area of the fabric to make sure that it doesn’t discolor the fabric.

Remember to treat stains as quickly as possible to ensure that the stain comes out completely.

Don’t let a little coffee spill ruin your fabrics ever again with this easy coffee stain remover.