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How to Get Pine Needles Out of Carpet

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The Holiday season may be behind us but if you had a real Christmas tree this year you may still find pine needles in your carpet. Pine needles tend to get stuck in carpet and don’t want to come out. Vacuuming pine needles does not always work but some of our customers say that a shop vac can be more powerful than your regular vac. Steam cleaning can be even better as it can soften and loosen the needles, allowing them to come loose more easily.

If you have an area that has multiple needles you can wrap a piece of duct tape around your hand and use it like a lint roller. Press down hard on the tape over the needles and it should pick them up. On last resort get down on your hands and knees and pick up any remaining needles with your fingers.

Fall Leaves and Boot Trays

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Many people think that winter and spring are the seasons that can result in the most damage to your carpet. Autumn completely falls under the radar, yet fall can set the stage for mold and mildew growth throughout the winter.

Dry fallen leaves are easily crushed by shoes and the resulting small debris and dust then get tracked indoors where they can make their home in your carpet.

If autumn leaves and decomposing material along with dirt and dust have gotten tracked into your carpet you may be providing fuel for mold and fungus growth. Your shoes can track organic material onto your carpet along with mold and setup a perfect breeding ground to feast on. To prevent material from being tracked in, remove shoes before walking on the carpet and install runners or mats at the doorway entrance to collect dirt and debris.

Boot trays are a great way to store dirty shoes to avoid getting debris and water on carpet. Boot trays come in many colors styles and prices ranging from $8 for plastic trays to $68 designer steel boot trays.

Call us today at 952-224-7222 so we can help you have a mold-free winter!

How to Make a New Carpet Last

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You spent a lot of money on your new carpet so you’d like to protect your investment. There are two things that you can do to extend the life of your carpet. First, have a strict policy of removing shoes at the entry of your home to prevent dirt from coming indoors on the bottom of shoes. If that’s not likely to work, then at least try to make it apply on or just after rainy days.
The other thing that will make your carpet last longer is regular vacuuming. Carpet manufacturers recommend carpets get professionally cleaned every 12 – 18 months depending on foot traffic and usage.
If you don’t wear your shoes in the house and if you do vacuum regularly and have your carpet cleaned annually your carpets will stay cleaner and last a lot longer.

Do your carpets or upholstery need of a cleaning? Give us a call at 952-224-7222

Clean Vomit from Carpet

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Whether you are cleaning up vomit from carpet at home or office you have 2 types of mess to remove – sight and smell. Cleaning up vomit requires both an odor remover and a stain remover. The key is to act fast and get it cleaned up as quickly as possible because you don’t want it soaking into your carpet. Here are a few tips to help you get both.

This may sound gross but remove as much of the solid materials as possible using a dustpan or piece of thick cardboard. Get old rags or absorbent paper towels and blot up any liquid or moisture. Use a second rag over the spot and step over the cloth to absorb any more moisture.

Put down baking soda, corn starch or commercial type moisture and smell absorbent powder. Wait 15 minutes and vacuum up the powder completely. To treat the odor and stain you’ll need to use an enzyme cleaner that will break down the protein in the vomit. Enzyme cleaners are available at pet stores and in supermarkets. If you don’t have any cleaners on hand you can mix water, vinegar and soap as a temporary cleaner. Make sure you blot up all the cleaner and liquid with a clean rag, water will make the bacteria grow if you don’t remove all the moisture.

It is very important that you get all the vomit out of your carpet so there is no odor or stain, and top then remove all remaining residue so that you don’t end up with a re-occurring stain. We can help with that! Just give us a call at Commercial Steam Team and we’ll help remove the remainder 952-244-7222

Types of Carpet

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Spring is here and now is the time to start planning for that new look. Selecting the right type of carpet for your lifestyle can be easy if you know a few simple facts about the types of carpet available. There are 7 main types of carpet to choose from.

  • Textured Carpet – cut pile and suitable for every room of the house.
  • Plushes – smooth, soft and thick more elegant for formal settings.
  • Friezes  – tightly twisted loose yarns for casual settings, does not show footprints.
  • Berbers – tight loop carpet with extra durability, does not show footprints or vacuum marks.
  • Loops – tight loop carpet perfect for high traffic areas as it is durable.
  • Wool – natural fiber carpet, high quality, soft and durable, naturally stain resistant.
  • Indoor/outdoor – mildew and fade resistant good for porches, pool, workshops and basements.

Most carpets are made from synthetic fibers of nylon, olefin, acrylic or polyester. Natural fiber carpets are made from wool, cotton or bamboo. Each fiber has different points that you should know when it comes to durability and absorbency of liquids and oils. Here are a few factors to weigh when making your decision:

  • Olefin & polyester fiber carpet will retain soil and stains if they are not treated promptly.
  • Sunlight may fade some types of carpet and cause it to deteriorate if not treated to resist ultraviolet rays.
  • Wool carpet will mildew if damp or soiled.
  • Synthetic carpets have different flammability ratings depending on what they are treated with.

When choosing carpet talk with your carpet store professional about the types of fibers in carpet and its strengths and weaknesses. If you have kids and pets you may also want to inquire about protective treatments.

If you have any questions about carpet cleaning please give us a call 952-224-7222

Direct Sunlight and Carpet Damage

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Even though it is winter you should still protect your carpet from the sun’s damaging rays. Prolonged exposure to sunlight will cause a bleaching effect and will change the color of your carpet and furniture.

Sunlight damage to carpet can be prevented by drawing blinds, shades or heavy drapes when the sun is shining directly on your carpet. You can also purchase UV resistant types of carpet but drawing the shades is the best form of preventing sunlight damage to your carpet.

There are also special types of window film that you can apply directly to the window that blocks the ultra violet rays but allows other light through. Using window film is a great way to let in light and stop the suns damaging rays from bleaching your carpet and furniture.

If replacing your windows is under consideration, many windows now have UV protection built in. Ask your dealer or contractor about windows with UV protection.

Preventing Stains from Indoor Plant Water

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House plants make beautiful additions to any indoor space. Having house plants indoors can clean the air, adding oxygen and reducing toxins by acting as air filters. House plants also add humidity to the air.

As with most good things, there are some cautions. One in particular is to avoid overwatering.

Plant water from the bottom of a plant pot contains dirt, minerals and fertilizers washed from the soil. These can collect in the bottom of the plant saucer.

Subsequent watering of your plant can result in the water picking up the minerals, dirt, and fertilizer. If you overwater, or jostle the plant pot, this laden water can then spill over from the saucer and stain your furniture, woodwork, or carpet.

If you have larger plants such as trees or palms that are sitting directly on carpet or flooring, having a larger than usual tray under the pot is necessary.

Holiday Parties, sigh…Holiday Spills

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Inviting family and friends to visit over the holidays can be lots of fun. It’s a great time to get together and share family memories. Holiday gatherings usually include great food and beverages and enjoyable conversation.

Unfortunately, holiday celebrations can get a bit messy when people are walking around with food. Spills happen but there are ways you can prevents those spills from becoming stains on your carpet.

Foods that leave the worst stains contain grease and food dyes so try not to serve BBQ wings or foods that have drippy red sauces. Red wine is another spill that is common during the holidays. If you have children at your celebration try to serve clear beverages instead of heavily colored fruit drinks.

Another trick to prevent spills from becoming stains is to keep a bottle of water with a little liquid soap and a few rags handy. When a spill occurs try to absorb as much liquid from the spill in a paper towel or other absorbent cloth then rinse the area with water and blot the spill to remove any liquid. Change the rags or paper towels when they get wet and keep blotting until all the liquid is absorbed.

Dents in Carpet Under Furniture

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If you’ve just moved your furniture you will notice dents in the carpet where heavy furniture legs compressed the fibers. You can fluff up the dents in carpets by using a steam iron or a steam cleaner. If you are using an iron don’t touch the carpet with the iron, simply hold the iron so the steam penetrates into your carpet. Fluff up the wet carpet with your fingers. If you place furniture back on wet carpet it may leave a stain of rust from the furniture leg. Remember to let carpet dry before placing any furniture back onto the carpet.

The best trick for removing dents in carpet is to place a small ice cube in each dent and let it melt overnight. Of course, too much moisture wicking deep into your carpet may result in ideal conditions for mold growth, so don’t do this with larger dents.

Of course, you could also simply schedule your next carpet cleaning with Commercial Steam Team by calling us at 952-224-7222 and let us take care of smoothing and cleaning your carpet at the same time!

Commercial Steam Team uses steam cleaning to clean carpets and places leg protectors under your furniture until the carpet is dry.

Kitchen Carpet Solution

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Most people do not put carpeting in the kitchen because of spills. Kitchens have airborne grease and cooking smells that absorb in the carpet. Most things like spilled milk, broken eggs, grease, sauces, condiments and beverages are hard to get out of carpet and in some cases can actually destroy part of the carpet.

There are alternatives for people who still would like carpet in their kitchen.

Traditionally carpet is installed in one big piece so, when you have a stain it’s with you until you replace the carpet. A better option may be to use modular carpet tiles which are 18” to 24” square. If you get a stain in your kitchen carpet just replace a small section.  Square carpet tiles are easy to install and the edges blend in seamlessly. The smaller tiles are easier to transport in your car and to keep in storage until you need them.  Remember to buy extra tiles and store them so you have them whenever you need to replace a small section of carpet.

Carpet Spills in the Office

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In all the years we’ve been cleaning carpet we have seen some very interesting spills on office carpet that could have been prevented.

Cleaning a spill as soon as it happens helps prevent the spill from soaking in and staining. Facilitate quick clean up by placing a bottle of multipurpose cleaner and an instruction sign on the counter of your break room where spills happen all the time and behind the front counter in your common or reception area. Put a smiley face or other goofy picture on the outside of the bottle to create interest and most people will read and use the bottle.

You will also want to make sure you include instructions on the bottle on how to clean up carpet spills.

 

To prevent spills from setting in:

  • Use paper towels to sop up spill
  • Blot up spill with clean paper towel, Do not rub
  • Keep changing paper towels and blotting until no more liquid is absorbed
  • Use cleaner from the bottle to lightly spray down surface
  • Blot and redo until any color from spill is removed

Winter Carpet Defense For Commercial Buildings

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Fall is the perfect time to do a walkthrough of your building and evaluate your carpets’ high traffic areas. Inspect around your doors and make sure that your runners are properly placed. Fall is when leaves and plant matter get tracked on to your carpet.

 

By placing special debris-collecting runners in the entryway of your building you can trap leaves, dirt, salt and ice melting chemicals and prevent them from being tracked into the building.

Carpet runners also help collect the wet snow and ice which melts into the mat instead of your carpet at the entryway.

The best kind of carpet runner or Industrial mats is the one that has protruding scraping fingers that remove dirt and debris. For outdoor use, choose rubber mats that have a ribbed backing so that it is slip resistant.

Mats and runners will keep your carpet cleaner in between cleanings and extend the life of your carpet.