(435) 650-1933

Helpful Cleaning Tips

Carpet Care

Carpeting has many benefits among which are: improved aesthetics, insulation, and noise reduction. A common misconception is that carpeting is a source of allergens and other contaminants. This is true if carpet is not taken care of. If PROPERLY maintained, carpet can actually act as a filter reducing exposure to allergens and other contaminants. To help you properly maintain your carpets making your environment healthy below is a list of some helpful cleaning tips. 
  • The first step in carpet care should be preventing soil from coming into your home or place of business. This can be done by cleaning your walkways outside, using door mats and placing  rugs in high traffic areas.
  • The BEST care you can do for your carpets is Regular Vacuuming (at a minimum of 2-3 times per week). 79% of all the dry soil in your carpets can be removed through proper vacuuming. When vacuuming high traffic areas vacuum in 2 different directions. 
  •  Maintain your vacuum cleaner by emptying bags and canisters, cleaning filters, checking for cracks in hoses and removing obstructions that reduce suction. If your budget allows, purchase a vacuum that has the seal of approval from the Carpet & Rug Institute (CRI). In order for a vacuum cleaner to receive the seal of approval it has to meet high performance standards in soil removal, dust containment and surface appearance change.
  • Make sure that your carpets are properly stretched. Carpets that aren't properly stretched may become damaged and are harder to maintain and clean. To test whether they are properly stretched go to an area away from the edge and pull the carpet up. If when you let go the carpet floats down it needs to be re-stretched. If it bounces back they are stretched properly. Also check the edges to see if the carpet has been disengaged from the tack strip. 
  • Treat Stains Properly and Quickly. Do Not use laundry detergent or household cleaners in treating stains. This can permanently trap stains or damage your carpets. When in doubt use clear clean water. When working to remove stains work from the outside in.
  • Have your carpets professionally cleaned. Carpet Cleaning can be broken into 2 phases: Interim and Restorative. Interim Carpet Cleaning is maintaining a clean, consistent appearance and is done between Restorative Cleanings. Restorative Cleaning is returning the carpet to as close as possible to a "like new" condition. Using do-it-yourself carpet cleaners is not an effective way to clean your carpets because: 1) They only clean the surface and don't remove deep down dirt 2) They can attract more dirt to your carpets 3) If you don't treat spots correctly they can become permanent. Professionally cleaned carpets will insure that your carpets will continue to provide the benefits they were intended to bring. 

General Cleaning

To help prevent the spread of seasonal influenza, the common cold and an overall protection of human health an effective cleaning and hand hygiene program needs to be in place. Listed below are some helpful tips to make your home, business and facility healthier.
  • Just Clean and Disinfect. A routine cleaning and disinfecting program will help to reduce the spread of influenza and the common cold. Cleaning is the first step that should be done to effectively disinfect a surface.
  • Understand what the product you are using is designed for. There is a difference between cleaning and disinfecting. Cleaning is removing soil and germs whereas disinfecting is actually killing the germs. Most disinfectants are tested on pre-cleaned non-porous hard surfaces and therefore will not disinfect porous surfaces but will only sanitize. For your product to work most effectively you need to use it in the way it was designed for. (e.g. a degreaser won't disinfect but will remove soil from a surface, bleach is a type of disinfectant and will not work effectively as a degreaser). Read the directions!
  • Clean and Disinfect Frequently Touched Surfaces. The frequency would depend on the amount of traffic, the time of year and if there is a known outbreak of an illness.
  •  Less is More. For products that require pre-dilution before use follow the directions on the correct amount that needs to be added to your water. Depending on what you are cleaning adding more soap can actually attract more soil to the area after you have cleaned it. By using more then is recommended you are wasting your product.
  • Never mix cleaners and disinfectants unless the label indicates it is safe to do so. This is extremely dangerous and can cause death or serious injury. 
  • Dust. Dusting removes dust mites that can cause problems with those suffering from allergies, improves indoor air quality and it improves the overall appearance of your indoor environment.
  • Remove the Source. For foul smelling odors you need to remove the source of that odor and then clean the contaminated area. For example clean the areas around your kitchen stove with a degreaser and then follow it up with a disinfectant. Grease is a common source for attracting odor causing bacteria. Other common sources of odors are: Reactivated Pet Urine (once dried urine comes in contact with moisture the urine odor will intensify), spoiled food, garbage cans, carpet, smoke and mold/mildew. To eliminate the odor you will have to remove the source and disinfect the contaminated area.
  • Replace your furnace and air conditioning filters each quarter. This improves air quality and prevents dust from spreading throughout your home.
  • Wash Up.  Defend yourself by effectively washing your hands with soap and clean running water. You should wash your hands after: blowing your nose, coughing, sneezing, using the restroom, changing a diaper, caring for someone, and treating a cut or wound. You should wash your hands before: preparing food, eating, caring for someone and treating a cut or wound.
  • Micro-fiber products such as mop heads and rags will generally clean better and use less product. When compared to other materials micro-fiber will leave behind less lint and will pick up more soils on the surfaces being cleaned.
  • When cleaning Solid Wood Floors it is important to clean them using as little water as possible. Water is a wood floors worst enemy. Micro-fiber products work great on cleaning wood floors because they leave behind less lint, they use less cleaning solution and because the fibers are smaller they can more effectively remove soils. Just like carpet the first step to maintaining your wood flooring would be to prevent soil from coming into your home or business (i.e. clean walkways, door mats and rugs).
  • When Cleaning Tile & Grout Floors, first make sure that you are using a cleaning solution that will not damage your floor. Use the appropriate amount of cleaning solution and properly rinse the floor after cleaning with clear water to effectively remove residues left behind by the cleaning solution. Using too much cleaning solution or not rinsing your floor will attract soils and drive them down into your grout making your floors appear to be dirty even after cleaning. If you currently have grout that does not seem to be coming clean we offer Tile & Grout Cleaning and our system can effectively remove those soils and restore you floors to as close to a "like new" condition as possible.
  • Clean your Air Ducts. Cleaning the air system in your home will reduce the amount of contaminants such as bacteria, dust mites, mold spores and allergens that can become air borne. Over time your air ducts can collect these contaminants and the only way to effectively remove them is using either a contact cleaning method or a negative air cleaning method. Each method is very effective but depending on the air system one method may be a more acceptable method. We offer both of these types of air duct cleaning.
  • Clean your Dryer Vent. By cleaning your dryer vent you are reducing the chance that the lint from your dryer could cause a fire. This also improves the efficiency of your dryer which can reduce energy, repair and replacement costs. Your dryer vent should be cleaned throughout the whole ventilation system and depending on how much your use your dryer this should be done every 6-12 months. To assist you with this we have the equipment available to effectively clean out your dryer ventilation system.
 

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P.O. Box 1031; 150 South 700 East; Price, Utah 84501 - (435) 650-1933