A list of different ways of cleaning your carpets

Carpets are an essential part of upholstery and are used on the floor of houses to keep the floor warm. They are made up of sturdy fabric and are resistant to wear and tear. Since they are a part of the floor they are the most susceptible to dust and dirt. They are prone to be subjected to liquid stains, solid food spills, dust, sand, grains and several other things of the similar category. The scenario is even worse in homes that have children. Children are messy eaters and tend to spill everything that they hold. It becomes quite a task to maintain your carpet cleanliness and to make this chore easy carpet cleaners have been designed and categorized into various methods that are as follows:

- Robot style vacuums:

Robotic vacuum cleaners are not only restricted to domestic but also office use. They are powerful devices and run on heavy duty electric current to give that perfect clean and dirt free carpet. They have built-in sensors that help them reach the most remote places and not trip over the stairs. They work with the principle of vacuum suction and hence make sure that all the loosely as well as firmly attached foreign particles are sucked into the machine even from the minutest of area on the carpet.

- Absorbent Pad carpet cleaning:

This is a simple method of surface cleaning of the carpets. It costs less and is a rather simple origin. However, this method of cleaning is not recommended for carpets of high quality or price. Another benefit of this process other than being easy and user friendly is that it dries off rather quickly as compared to other wet methods of carpet cleaning.

- Steam Cleaning:

This is also known as hot water extraction method. It is done by first applying a detergent based solution on the carpet followed by the rinsing of the carpet, after a certain period of time, with a pressurized cleaning tool which can be either manual or automatic in nature. It thoroughly removes all the dirt and particulates stuck to the carpet. Chemicals including pretreatments, preconditioners or traffic-lane cleaners are added to the cleaning solution that breaks the binding of the soils to the carpet fibers.

- Dry cleaning:

This process is similar to steam cleaning with the only difference of use of very low moisture. It is fast and effective and less labor-intensive than the steam cleaning.

- Dry compound:

An absorbent cleaning powder is spread evenly on the carpet and is brushed or scrubbed in. All the dirt and soiled particles on the carpet adheres to this powder which is then vacuumed off the carpet.

- Bonnet cleaning carpet:

This is more of an instant cleaning method that removes dirt off one third of the carpet surface. Club soda along with cleaning mixture is deposited on the carpet surface while a round buffer bonnet scrubs the surface in a circular motion. It has longer drying time as compared to other methods.

- Encapsulation:

This involves the addition of substances that have the ability to bind and encapsulate the soil particles on contact. The deep cleaning compound absorbs the dust prior to its removal from the carpet. They are then vacuumed off the surface with ease. It is the most effective method since it leaves little or no wet residue.

Thus are the various methods of carpet cleaning and is practiced accordingly in places of business, residence, retail stores, and hospitals and so on.

How to maintain your tiles?

Tiles are a widely used flooring and wall accessory that is seen in almost all houses. It is used for flooring of all kinds of rooms and for side walls of the bathroom because it is water proof. They are strong and sturdy and that makes them durable and long lasting. They are available in a huge variety of designs and colors and patterns that it gets really difficult to choose one out of the many beautiful available designs. It can always be shortlisted according to the color that complements the rest of the house. They come in the following forms – ceramic tiles, glazed tiles, unglazed tiles, polished cement tiles, glass type mosaic tiles, ceramic type mosaic tiles, terrazzo mosaic, designer cement concrete tiles, chequered tiles, silky matt ceramic tiles, Vitrosa cement tiles, wooden cement tiles and so on and so forth.

Tiles enhance the interiors of your house and there is no doubt about it. But to keep them that way one must pay attention to its regular maintenance in the form of routine cleaning. It is essential to sweep a tile floor on a daily basis. Dirt can easily adhere to the surface of the tiles especially if they are textured. This ensures that the dirt doesn’t get settled there and due to regular contact with the sweep fibers they do not cling on to the tiles for long. Use of a vacuum cleaner is also fruitful albeit you use appropriate attachments to the machine that would avoid scratching. It is advisable to use doormats and mats at other places of entry where one can brush off the dirt from the shoes before they step on to the floor.

Ceramic tiled floors should be mopped with a damp cloth regularly using the sponge or typical tile cleaners available in the market. Textured tiles may require slight scrubbing or the use of electric scrubbers or polisher. Use a mild detergent for scrubbing and after you are done rinse it thoroughly with

water. This could be followed by wiping it with a dry cloth to make sure there is no soap film on the surface that might make it slippery and incompletely cleaned. Make sure the cleaning or scrubbing products you use are compatible with the type of tiles that comprise your flooring. Use of abrasives is to be avoided and they may include steel wool, scouring powders and other abrasive materials. Similarly, utilizing other tile damaging products like bleach or ammonia based cleaners are to be avoided.

Tile staining should be avoided by immediate cleaning post the spilling of liquids on the tiles. It helps the removal of stains easier as opposed to when removed after a certain period of time. Ceramic tiles are breakable and might get chipped off if one uses stilettos or spike shoes on the floor. So you must avoid any sharp pointy objects coming in direct contact with the floor. Make sure your table, fridge all the other furniture in and around the house that touches the tiled floor is separated from the tiles with a softer rubber like base to avoid scratches. Thus with these small steps you can ensure that your tiles look as good as new for longer durations.

Ways to handle grout

Most households have tiles fixed at least at some part of their house if not the major portion of their floors. So almost everyone knows the kind of difficulties faced in maintaining a clean tiled floor or bathroom and kitchen tiled walls. It may even be easy to clean the tile surface but the toughest part to be cleaned is the grout lining in between tiles. These places are the favorite thriving place for grime and dirt. They contain microscopic pores making it easier for all the dirt to settle down there and ruin the appearance of the edges of the tiles.

Whether you have ceramic, porcelain, ceramic, marble, granite, terrazzo or any other existing type of tiles avoiding grout formation is not possible. The longevity of your tiles depends on how well you maintain and clean them. It is tough to remove this type of dirt by regular sweeping or mopping. Hiring a contractor to handle the grout cleaning is the best way to go about keeping your tiles shining clean and brand new. They usually posses the right cleaning solutions and tools to ensure a foolproof cleaning experience.

In places like the bathroom and the kitchen where moisture persists the grout may experience mold formation. This can be both toxic and extremely slimy and dirty to look at. It is worse in the kitchen because apart from the stains discussed above we have additional stains that have their sources from different forms of food which could be sticky and release bad odor. You may want to hire professional cleaners for these problems as well or may also try cleaning it yourself by educating yourself well on the kind of cleaners and scrubbers to be used.

For certain stains some commonly found household items like vinegar or baking soda can be used. Dilute vinegar with water or make a paste of baking soda for the cleaning of the grout. Spray or dab small

amounts of the same and use a stiff scrubber to remove the grime off the grout. Scrubbing should be done in a circular motion rather than to and fro motion. This ensures the removal of maximum dirt from these sleek crevices. Follow this procedure by thorough rinsing with water and subsequent dabbing with a dry paper towel or a sponge.

Alternatively, you could use grout cleaning solutions or powders instead of vinegar and baking soda and follow the same procedure as mentioned above. These products are generally available under the home cleaning section in almost every local supermarket or retail stores. You can also use steam cleaners that helps loosen the sticky dirt and stains and thus facilitate easy removal of the same. Try and find a cleanser that is pH balanced and not too acidic as it might cause some unwanted discoloration or damage to the tiles. It would also avoid unwanted erosion of the tile surface. To get best results spray or apply the cleanser solution and let it on for a few minutes before you start scrubbing. For heavy stains you may opt for stronger chemicals like oxygen bleach powder, hydrogen peroxide or chlorine bleach. However, do not forget to dilute these products before use. Use protective gloves and eyewear. Never mix cleansers together because this might bring about chemical reactions or toxic fumes formation. Post the cleaning you may apply a grout sealer.

About Author:-The author of this article has expertise in finding carpet cleaning maids. The articles on carpet cleaner reveals the author’s knowledge on the same. The author has written many articles on tile cleaning, grout cleaning, upholstery cleaning as well.