Sharing is Caring, Especially When It Comes to Cleaning

How To Bring New Life To Your Old & Tired Sofa

April 27 by

Buying new furniture is expensive and a hassle. It’s far easier to preserve and revive your current furniture instead. Many people rush to dispose of their sofas and upholstery chairs as they falsely believe they are damaged/worn-out beyond repair.

carpet cleaning before summer

Truthfully, couches do get dirty pretty quickly. People tend to lie on them barefoot, munching a packet of crisps, while binge-watching their favorite show. All to soon the couch is littered with crumbs and oil, giving the couch a distinctly oily look.

 

However, rarely, if ever, are sofas too dirty to clean. With a little bit of elbow grease, some spare time, and the right equipment, you can transform your old and worn out sofas and have them looking as good as new. Here are some expert tips & tricks on the best way to clean an old sofa:

 

  • Prep Your Couch: The first step is always to prepare the couch for a deep clean. This involves vacuuming down the sides for any crumbs and loose dirt. For this step, you can use a stiff brush or a mini-hoover. Also, wipe down the wooden frame with a wipe or damp cloth.
  • Deep Clean: Now’s the time to properly clean your furniture. Which method you use depends on the fabric of your couch. We use steam cleaning, dry cleaning, shampoo cleaning, and deep cleaning methods.
  • Target Stains: Some stains are so deeply embedded in the couch fabric, a regular cleaning method is not sufficient. Instead, you need to target these stains with couch cleaner solutions.
    • The best way to clean a fabric sofa is to use a vinegar based solution. Soak a cloth in the solution and scrub the stain are until all discoloring has been removed. Use a second cloth to apply clean water and remove the soap.
    • For leather upholstery, use an olive oil and vinegar based solution. You can make this yourself or buy a ready-made leather furniture cleaning spray.
    • For synthetic couches, it’s possible to use regular dish soap to spot-target and remove troublesome stains.

A few preventions tips:

Sometimes it’s easier to just keep your furniture clean in the first place. There a few common sense tips that will help you achieve this.

 

  • Treat stains immediately: Spilled your piping hot coffee on the couch? Don’t let it fester! The longer the stain remains, the more difficult it’ll be to clean. Treat all stains right away with the right solution. Better yet, avoid eating/drinking on the couch altogether. Invest in a coffee table and keep your feet away from the upholstery
  • Avoid sunlight:  Too much heat can affect your sofa’s durability. Position your couch so it’s not receiving direct sunlight all day.
  • Keep the room ventilated: Cooking odors and steam can speed up furniture wear and tear. Keep a window open, especially while cooking.

 

Conclusion

Sometimes, even your best efforts won’t be good enough. Some couches are so well-worn that a DIY job simply won’t cut it and you need to call in the experts, (it’s still a fraction of the cost of buying a new couch).

At Flat Rate Carpet, we pride ourselves on our ability to bring back old sofas from the dead. Here is a worn-out sofa in New Jersey which we made look as good as new using our tried and trusted methods. This sofa was so tattered and worn that the owner was about to throw it in the dump. Luckily, we persuaded him otherwise and needless to say, he was pleased with the results.

Filed Under: Upholstery Tagged With: ,

Commercial Carpet Cleaning – Expert Tips & Tricks

April 25 by

If you’re the manager of a commercial property then you will know just how complicated proper carpet care can be. Looking after your carpets at home is a hard enough task, but office and commercial property carpet care can be a real challenge

Each day, dozens, if not hundreds, of people walk through the building, leaving a trail of muddy footprints and tattered carpet fibers. In addition, coffee and soda spills, food stains, dust, and grime all contribute to the decay of commercial and office carpets.

Keeping Your Office Clean Has Amazing Benefits:

Regularly cleaning the office carpets can affect productivity, health, and time. Workers in a clean and sanitary environment can focus on their tasks without being distracted my mess and dirt.

 

A clean and presentable office is also vital for business meetings and visitors. The first thing guests notice when they step into a new office is the cleanliness, and first impressions are everything.

Commercial Carpet Cleaning Solutions:

 

No two office buildings are alike so it’s hard to prescribe a “one-size-fits-all” method for commercial carpet cleaning. That being said, we can offer several tips & tricks from our very own experts which will help you keep your office carpets looking just as fresh and new as the day they were laid:

  • Vacuum Daily: This is our number one tip for a reason. Daily vacuuming will prevent dirt from being stomped into your carpet the next morning. Each night, after the office workers have gone home, your cleaner or cleaning crew should vacuum every square inch of carpet. This makes it easier to perform regular deep cleans and will preserve your carpets in the long run.
  • Perform Regular Deep Cleans: This can be done every 6 months or so, depending on how dirty your carpets get over time. This will require the assistance of a professional cleaning service that uses proper equipment. You can choose either a steam carpet clean which uses a method known as hot-water extraction to rid your carpets of dirt, or dry cleaning which uses various chemicals to remove all dirt and grime from the carpets.
  • Treat spills and stains immediately: Don’t leave coffee stains and grime to fester in the carpet until the next deep clean. Train your staff or janitors on how to correctly treat carpet stains on the spot. Keep a jar of vinegar, baking soda, ammonia handy in the janitor’s closet and make it’s used to clear up all spills as soon as they occur.
  • Use the right method for each carpet: Some office buildings have different types of carpet on each floor. It’s important to use the correct cleaning method to treat each carpet. At Flat Rate Carpet, we offer a wide range of options, including foam cleaning, shampoo cleaning, bonnet cleaning, and more.

“Check out the amazing job we did at this office in New York. The deep, dark stains were completely removed and the entire carpet area looks fresh and welcoming.

Conclusion

Keeping a commercial property clean is no simple feat. There are many common sense reasons to bring in a professional office cleaning team on a regular basis. Not only is it one less thing you have to worry about, but you can also rest assured knowing your office carpets are in safe hands.

Filed Under: Under The Carpet Tagged With: ,

How to clean carpet on stairs

May 18 by

 Stairs before and after

Wall-to-wall carpets have been popular for a long time, and there are quite a few reasons for that. In cold countries, carpeting helps to keep the house warm and insulate it from the outside weather. For households with children, wall-to-wall carpets prevent slipping on the floor and stairs, as well cushion the fall if such a slip does happen. Carpeting also has an acoustic advantage: it muffles noises and sounds within the house. Last but not least, carpeting can be a major factor in the house’s design: not only can it contribute color and texture and create the desired atmosphere – it can also be used to hide an unsightly floor or one that has damages and inconsistencies.

Cleaning carpeted stairs – is it really a hassle?

how to clean carpet on stairs

 

Houses with more than one floor which have wall-to-wall carpets will usually also feature carpeting on the stairs. While that can look very nice, as well as prevent slipping on the stairs, carpeted stairs also pose problems. Regular stairs are difficult enough to clean, so how does one clean carpeted stairs properly? As it turns out, it isn’t as difficult as you might think. If you’ve always asked yourselves how to keep carpeted stairs clean, how to steam clean carpet stairs, how to clean stains off carpet when the carpet is attached to the stairs and so on – you might want to read the following tips.


Ways to clean carpeted stairs

steam stairs Cleaning

Here are some ways you can clean your carpeted stairs. As you’ll see, some of them are recommended day-to-day quick maintenance tips, while others address situations in which the stairs must be cleaned thoroughly. Generally, it is advised to use a mix of the following methods for optimal results.

Ready to get your carpeted stairs sleek and bright?

  • Use a stiff broom/brush to remove dust and debris – We all know stairs don’t usually get dirty all at once; they accumulate dust and stains over time, until their once bright color and strong fibers turn into something that looks like a faded rag. A simple trick that will help prevent most of that is regularly cleaning your stairs using a stiff broom or brush. To achieve maximum effect, sweep/brush the stairs from top to bottom, so that all the dust and particles from a pile on the bottom floor, where you can pick them up with a dustpan.

 

  • Clean individual stains by using carpet shampoo and a cloth – If you’ve been wondering how to clean carpet on stairs by hand if it gets stained, there’s an easy way to do that. Get a good carpet shampoo, and mix it with water. Then, use a brush to apply the mixture to the stain and work it in vigorously. At this point, use a cloth or a towel to blot out the water and shampoo. After drying, the stain will be gone.

 

  • For serious cleaning use a vacuum – Cleaning the carpet lightly on a regular basis is great, but from time to time it’s also necessary to clean it thoroughly. On these occasions, it is best to use a vacuum cleaner. The most effective vacuum for carpeted stairs is a lightweight vacuum (one that has a long cord) or a vacuum which is powered by batteries; this way you can move it around easily and not risk it falling over (or you fall over). First use a brush attachment for vigorous scrubbing, then use a hose attachment to suck up all the dust (as well as mold, bacteria, tiny bugs etc.) that is deeply entrenched within the fibers.

 

  • Use a steam cleaner for heavy-duty cleaning – a step beyond the vacuum is using a steam cleaner. You can get one at a hardware store or a home improvement store. Steam cleaners have many functions, such as pet hair collection, stain removal and extraction of embedded dirt, so they can be used to clean carpet stairs extremely thoroughly.

To sum it all up, you now have several handy methods of keeping your carpeted stairs clean. But if you don’t wish to bother with any of that, just ring up a professional carpet cleaners NYC company to do the work for you!

Filed Under: Carpet Cleaning Tips Tagged With: , ,

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

April 17 by

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.

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

How to Clean Air Conditioning Vents

March 26 by

Clean Air | Flat Rate Carpet BlogIndoor air pollution is a big issue in most homes, and dirty air vents are a major cause of allergy symptoms. All winter long dust and dirt collect in the home, contributing to allergy symptoms. Cleaning your air conditioning vents will not only extend the life of air conditioning units, but it will also make the air in your home more breathable and help prevent allergies.

To get started cleaning your air conditioning vents, take a regular broom and use it to brush dirt away from air vents in the ceiling and on the floor. You’ll be shocked at how much dust collects on the outside of the vents.

Next, remove the vent covers and vacuum inside the air ducts. This will remove the built up dirt and dust and keep it from being recirculated into the home.

Make sure to change the filters in all your vents at least once a year. Blocked filters prevent air conditioners and furnaces from working properly, wasting energy and increasing indoor air pollution.

If you can’t remember the last time you cleaned the air vents in your home, consider hiring a professional cleaning service that cleans air vents and ducts. Professionals have high powered vacuums and brushes that can quickly clean out even the dirtiest vent.

Keep your air vents clean and help your whole family breath easy.

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