Tag Archives: spot remover

Keeping a clean, healthy home during the holidays

Deck the halls and fire up the oven! Holiday season is upon us. It’s time for gatherings, finger foods, beverages, decorating, and laughs. It’s also time for spills, drops, tracks, and less time to clean them all up! Tis’ not the season for much stressing over messes and stains. Here are a few tips for a cleaner stress-free holiday season:

holiday_table

  • The welcome mat does more than just welcome. Put area rugs down in high traffic areas to protect your wall to wall carpeting and hard floors. If soiled or spilled upon, you can pick up the area carpet, bring it to be cleaned, or clean it yourself and hang it to dry. Cleaning your wall to wall is not as quick, and hard wood is still exposed to the additional soil and debris tracked in by company. Protect busier areas from all of the extra traffic this season and place a few area carpets down, primarily at entrances and busy hallways.
  • The best policy: No Shoes! Hands down, the best way to avoid wearing in traffic areas is to ask guests and family to remove their shoes at the door. Less soil will be tracked into and throughout your home. It’s another way to say “come on in, stay a while, and relax” in a maintainable, clean and healthy environment.
  • Vacuum, Vacuum, Vacuum. Break it out before and after each gathering. Vacuuming daily is ideal, but for those of us thinking this is highly impractical for the holiday season, do it at least before and after guests. It’s one extra step to do it both times, but it’s definitely worth it to the life of your carpets.
  • Emergency! Emergencies get your immediate, fast attention. Gently blot spills and splatters as soon as you are aware of them. The best results we’ve seen to remove spots starts with a spray of Chem-Dry’s carbonated spot remover and blotting with a cloth towel. No spot remover? Dab the cloth in lukewarm water, but not too much because it can cause the stain to sink deeper. If you’d like a can of spot remover, stop by our office between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and pick one up! Take caution with which spot removers you do trust on your carpets because some can actually set the stain rather than help remove it.

Last but not least: have fun! Don’t stress too much about any one thing. Stressing along with the holiday rush opens opportunity for more accidents. Select simple guidelines to follow, prepare as much as you can in advance, and don’t forget to stop and smell the holiday swag. We wish you the happiest – healthiest holiday season.

Spot Removal Steps

Your Guide to Spot Removal

spot_remover_blog

  • Respond immediately! The faster you respond to removing a spill, the less probability it has of becoming a permanent stain. If your carpet has a protector on it, applied either after a cleaning or fresh from the factory, you have an extra cushion of stain resistance. With protector, you have a great chance that the spill will come out if you are quick to take action.
  • Rather than scrub the area, blot it! Use plain white paper towels or a white, dry cloth to absorb the stain out of the area. Work from the outside of the spill moving inward to avoid spreading it. Scrubbing may distort the pile and might even work the spill in.
  • Use a rounded spoon to gently scrape up substances that are more than just liquid and vacuum anything solid.
  • Make sure you have tested your spot remover before attacking a stain. To test it, apply a small amount in an inconspicuous area. Check it in 24 hours for any change or damage. Also, you may want to check with your professional carpet and upholstery cleaner before using any products. Some solutions can actually set the stain rather than remove it.
  • To use your spot remover: Use a small amount and gently work it in with your dry white cloth or plain paper towel. Continue to apply and blot until you no longer see evidence of the spill on your towel or cloth. This may require repeating these steps several times, so please be patient.
  • Clean up the solution. Now that the spill is gone, rinse the area with cold water and blot it with a dry cloth. If the solution is not entirely removed, this area may attract dirt and soil quickly.
  • Dry it out. Make sure the area is completely dry. If you can, put a fan directing airflow toward the spot. Also understand that now that you have cleaned the area, the protection barrier has probably also been removed. Even factory applied protector is eventually worn away or cleaned off. Protection should be applied after every cleaning.