Sharing is Caring, Especially When It Comes to Cleaning

Cleaning up Christmas, Pine Needle Pick Up

January 4 by

Still enjoying the beauty of a live Christmas tree? Although there are so many benefits to having a live tree, clean up can be a nightmare. Using a regular vacuum to pick up pine needles doesn’t always work, and can cause some serious damage to your vacuum cleaner.

Instead of clogging up your vacuum cleaner this year, just follow these simple tips and taking down that tree will be easier than ever.

Sweep up the majority of the mess with a broom and dust pan. The remaining needles can usually be removed with a large lint roller. You can also wrap duct tape around your hand with the sticky part facing out. It might take some time, and a lot of duct tape, but it’s easier than picking up each needle one by one.

Baking soda is the perfect solution to getting up any remaining needles that are stuck to your carpet with sap. Sprinkle on the baking soda, and wait 10 minutes before picking up the sticky needles.

Although the clean up of a live tree is quite a hassle, the pleasure it brings during the Christmas season is worth all the effort. Hope you all had a Merry Christmas.

Filed Under: Going Green, Holidays, House Cleaning Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Amanda & the Chocolate Milk Cow Explosion

December 20 by


Fighting Mid-Winter Boredom

With the changing seasons, came a serious change in lifestyle for Amanda and her children. No more long evenings playing outside with late sunsets. No more comfortable temperatures and homework-less afternoons. Winter came and Marty, Amanda’s son, got bored.

As an inquisitive and inventive child, Marty decided to make some indoor fun of his own. Feeling inspired by his last biology lesson at school, Marty decided to build a replica of the amazing Guernsey cow, the dairy queen of the farm, but with a twist.

Marty, locked away in his work space, created a beautiful cardboard white and brown spotted cow. As an avid chocolate milk fan, Marty felt it only necessary to finish off the cow with a latex glove utter filled with freshly mixed chocolate milk.

White Pastures, Brown Puddles & Flat Rate Carpet

Feeling utterly proud of his creation, Marty brought his cow out to pasture on the white carpets of the living room.

While frolicking among the carpets, Marty’s Guernsey cow sprung a chocolate milk leak and the glove exploded. Before Marty could react, a giant chocolate milk puddle absorbed into the carpet.

Marty did the only responsible thing he could think of–he called his mom for help. Amanda looked from the chocolate stain to her disappointed son. She shook her head, smiled and said, “Thank goodness for Flat Rate Carpet.”

A technician arrived at her house an hour later and, while he cleared the stain completely, Amanda took a break from her book and thought lovingly to herself, “What will that boy of mine think of next?”

Filed Under: Carpet Cleaning Tips, House Cleaning Tagged With: , , , , ,

Quick House Cleaning Strategies

December 6 by

Having a few friends over? With these simple strategies you can finish your house cleaning quickly, and even have some fun.

Start off by keeping all your supplies close at hand. Fill a box or bucket with all your cleaning supplies, and bring it with you to cut down on unnecessary trips and distractions. Keep a damp rag in one pocket and a dry one in another for convenient touch ups.

Cold weather, busy days and fattening holiday meals make it hard to manage your weight. House cleaning is a great way to get in some old fashioned aerobic exercise while checking things off the to do list. Start by setting the mood with some fast paced music. Keep your heart rate up by dancing while dusting, and move fast. Keeping up a fast pace while you’re cleaning will not only burn calories but will save time as well.

Finally, get some incentive other than a clean house. Go and get a manicure when you’re finished, that way you don’t have to worry about ruining your nails, and you’ll give yourself a much needed break after all that hard work.

Filed Under: Carpet Cleaning Tips, Holidays, Rug Cleaning Tagged With: , , , ,

Amanda’s Post Summer Clean Up

September 19 by

Thanks to the amazing talent of one of our lovely colleagues, we have some excellent artwork to share with you.  Please join us as we tell you epic carpet cleaning, stain removal and even water damage tales.

We start our series with the story of Amanda.

Summer Fun Makes More Than Just Memories

Amanda spent the summer with her two children. On sunny nice days, they played in the park, swam in the pool and enjoyed long picnics on the country side.  But on cool, rain filled days, the kids and Amanda spent time at home. They would cuddle up for movies and popcorn on the couch and build forts in the living room.

At the end of the summer, when the kids went back to school, Amanda looked around her house and found evidence of their summertime fun. Unfortunately, not only did she and her children make beautiful memories, they also made quite the mess. Amanda found grease stains in her furniture, sand in her area rugs and sticky, smelly messes in her carpets.

Professional Cleaning to Clear the Mess without the Stress

So as not to let the messes disturb her down time (or the wonderful memories made with her children), Amanda called Flat Rate Carpet for a cleaning service that included carpet cleaning, rug cleaning and upholstery cleaning. When the technicians finished her couch cleaning, she sat back and caught up with a good book.

And after the technician removed the messy evidence, she thought peacefully, “Thank you, Flat Rate Carpet”.

Filed Under: House Cleaning, Rug Cleaning Tagged With: , , ,

Sacred, Clean Space for a Calm, Collected Mind

September 15 by

I recently read an article about the relationship between physical, aerobic activities and mental health. This study conducted by college students throughout Great Britain suggests that high endurance, strenuous activities lead to a healthier, happier person.

While it’s no scientific mystery that exercise increases energy levels and endorphins, it’s interesting that a clean, organized home brings you to the same level of happiness and health. Many people say that a clean and tidy home increases their concentration and focus. This allows them to engage in more meaningful activities with their families. It also brings them to a higher level of overall happiness and contentment.

So when you want to create a happy, sacred space, start by cleaning and organizing your home room-by-room. And when it comes to the carpets, rugs and upholstery cleaning, call Flat Rate Carpet. We will happily come and help you establish a complete clean throughout your entire home.

Filed Under: House Cleaning Tagged With: , ,