There’s an odd cleaning trend growing. It seems that the more advanced technology becomes, the more rudimentary the methods employed by DIY cleaners. As a society, we have terabytes of human knowledge catalogued on the internet. Yet, more and more of the sites on the internet are eschewing modern cleaning techniques in favor of homespun remedies. The king of all home cleaning ingredients? White vinegar.
But, is vinegar indeed the ultimate cleaning ingredient in your home? For example, can you use vinegar to clean carpets in South Amboy, NJ? Let’s find out.
Vinegar certainly has its place
To be fair, there is some validity to using vinegar as a cleaning agent. When combined with water in an even solution, vinegar works wonders on hard surfaces. For the porcelain in your bathroom or the tiles in your kitchen, white vinegar and water is fantastic at clearing stains and removing dirt.
What’s more, for those homeowners with pets, a squirt bottle of white vinegar and water can help remove the smells often associated with pet waste. For example, if you have a cat that can’t seem to hit the litter box 100 percent of the time, eventually, the smell of ammonia will become unbearable. With the help of some white vinegar, you can eliminate that smell rapidly. At first, things will smell like vinegar, but after a day or two, the smell should dissipate and take the cat pee smell with it.
Yes, white vinegar is helpful for certain chores. That said, here’s why you should never use white vinegar to clean carpets in South Amboy, NJ.
Dirt and soil just laugh
As useful as vinegar can be on hard surfaces, it’s borderline useless when used on the carpet. Several studies have determined that a solution of vinegar and water is actually one of the least effective ways to clean your carpet. If you douse your dirty carpet or rug with white vinegar and scrub away, the only thing you’ll gain is a sore back and a dirty carpet that’s also damp.
Other solutions don’t work
Some dubious sources on the internet suggest swapping out the water in favor of a baking soda and vinegar solution. This ultimately creates a paste that gets stuck in your rug and needs to be cleaned out in addition to the dirt.
Still more people suggest mixing vinegar with hydrogen peroxide. Absolutely do not combine those materials—the result is peracetic acid, which is a highly toxic substance.
Let the pros handle your carpets
When it comes down to it, using vinegar to clean carpets in South Amboy, NJ is a bad idea. If you really want to save yourself time and effort, bring your business to Lov ‘N Kare Carpet Center. Since 1948, we have worked tirelessly to help every single one of our customers get the quality service they deserve.
We specialize in the cleaning, maintenance and installation of carpets and area rugs. We’re happy to offer waxing and buffing services for hardwood floors, as well. When your floors need to look their best, give them a little Lov ‘N Kare. Visit us online or give us a call today.
If you’re a home owner who has carpeted rooms, you may be wondering how often to clean your carpets in South Amboy, NJ. There’s not a single universal answer here—the frequency with which you should clean your carpets depends on factors such as whether or not you have kids or pets, as well as how much traffic the carpet in that particular room gets.
Most professionals will recommend you clean your carpets in high-traffic areas every year to a year and a half, and all other carpets every two years. However, you may need more frequent cleanings if you have children or pets.
Here’s a quick overview of what you should know.
How children affect carpet cleaning schedules
There’s no getting around it—children are messy. They track in dirt after they play outside, and they’re prone to spilling drinks and food. A house with young children will be in particular need of more frequent carpet cleanings. You can expect to need to clean your high-traffic areas every six to 12 months. You might consider investing in professional cleaning once a year, and using a rental carpet cleaning machine in the six-month intervals.
How pets affect carpet cleaning schedules
Pet owners also need to clean their carpets more often. This is especially true of dog owners—dogs are going to bring in dirt, grass and all kinds of other debris from outside. But dogs and cats alike will shed and spread their dander. You also need to contend with any accidents the pet may have on your carpeting.
You should make it a point to vacuum at least a couple times a week if you have pets, just to keep the loose fur and dander from affecting your respiratory health, but you should also make it a point to clean your high-traffic carpets every three to six months and get professional cleanings a couple times a year.
If you know there is a spot on the carpet where the pet has urinated, dab the wet urine with paper towels to get up as much of the liquid as possible, then use a vinegar solution or a pet odor removal product to spray on the area and help remove some of the odors.
Keep in mind that your carpet’s warranty may very well be voided by a failure to regularly clean the carpet. Look through the instructions that come with your warranty and see what it says about carpet cleaning. Most warranties will require annual professional cleanings in order to remain valid, but the terms of warranties will vary, so it’s important for you to carefully analyze the terms of your specific warranty so you know how frequently to get professionals in to clean your carpet.
To learn more about the kind of carpet cleaning frequency you should aim for in South Amboy, NJ and the factors that might influence your decisions, we encourage you to contact the professional carpet cleaners at Lov ‘N Kare Carpet Center with any questions you have about our services. We look forward to working with you.
As any active homeowner can tell you, the carpets in your home really take a beating. Maybe it’s the family dog storming through the house after a rainy walk. Maybe it’s one of the kids spilling paint on the ground while working on their next great masterpiece. Or, maybe there’s still a big red blotch from the plate of spaghetti you spilled a few months ago underneath the couch’s new location.
Whatever the cause, the moment you install your pristine new carpet, you have kick-started a countdown to the moment something falls on it. Hey, it’s a part of life. But you don’t have to fret over a stained or dirty carpet. Here’s how to sanitize carpet in South Amboy, NJ.
Start with the right tools
Properly disinfecting the carpets in your home begins with finding the right tools. Fortunately, the actual cleaning mixture is relatively common. White vinegar and hot water have been trusted by amateur and professional cleaners alike for hundreds of years. Why? Because it’s cheap, plentiful and, best of all, it works.
Since this is a specialized process, however, you’ll need a specialized tool to complete it. That means buying or renting a steam cleaner.
Follow the instructions
More often than not, an average steam cleaner will come with instructions on what ratio to use when mixing your cleaning solution (in this case, vinegar) with water. Often, these instructions will explain how to use soap with water in the steam cleaner’s detergent holder. You can just use these guidelines, but replace vinegar with the soap.
If there are no instructions included with the steam cleaner, here’s a good rule of thumb to use: the more vinegar in your solution, the more powerful it will be. For severe stains, for example, a solution of pure vinegar may be best.
Be patient
One of the most important factors to keep in mind when you’re figuring out to how to disinfect carpet in South Amboy, NJ is patience. When you’re done steam cleaning your carpet, it will be wet. If you’re using vinegar, it will also be a bit stinky. With time, however, your carpet will dry and the vinegar smell will recede. You should avoid walking on the carpet until it’s completely dry.
Play it safe
When you’re curious about how to sanitize carpet in South Amboy, NJ, the only surefire answer is to call Lov ‘N Kare Carpet Center. For more than 70 years, we have offered incredible service at an affordable price to all of our valued customers. Why sink your money into specialized tools when you can invest in an experienced team that will save you time and effort?
Breathe new life into your carpets with a little help from our talented team. We also offer a huge array of services, including carpet repairs and re-stretching. We can also offer oriental rug cleaning, as well as alterations on rugs. Need your furniture or drapes cleaned? We can do that, too.
See what happens when you show your carpet a little love and care. Give us a call today!
At the moment, the United States is in the grip of an unprecedented set of circumstances. Thanks to the unforeseeable spread of COVID-19, population centers throughout the country have been ordered to shelter in place and take precautions to prevent the spread of this new disease.
Among those steps, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that every home in the United States be cleaned and disinfected. The CDC recommends a daily routine of hygiene for surfaces you touch continuously, like doorknobs, light switches, kitchen counters, toilets and more. With all that preparedness being emphasized, it’s only natural to wonder about the presence of germs in carpet in South Amboy, NJ.
A haven for bacteria and viruses
Can germs live in carpet? According to some estimates, your carpet can house about 200,000 bacteria per square inch. That makes your South Amboy, NJ carpet roughly 4,000 times more germ-infested than the average toilet seat. What’s more, some of those bacteria, like salmonella, E. coli and others, can be especially harmful to you and your family. Some diseases can even last a considerable amount of time. The norovirus, for example, can survive on carpet for up to 12 days before it dies off.
Even more unnerving, even regular vacuums at the height of their performance fail to remove all of these contaminants.
COVID-19 and your carpets
Though germs in carpet in South Amboy, NJ are relatively common, the good news is that the novel coronavirus COVID-19 isn’t likely to get to you through your bare feet. Though scientists admit that research on the topic is limited due to the fact that the virus is new, COVID-19 doesn’t survive for long on surfaces. The virus can last for up to three hours on hard surfaces (hence the reason for cleaning your doorknobs). On cloth material like carpets, however, the typical coronavirus doesn’t last even that long.
The real danger presented by COVID-19 comes through inhaling particles of the virus hanging in the air. According to the CDC, the odds of contracting coronavirus through contact with a surface are relatively slim. To this point, the disease manifests in the respiratory system as opposed to the circulatory system or the digestive tract. This indicates that COVID-19 is spread through the air.
Give your carpet a little love and care
If you’re worried about germs in carpet in South Amboy, NJ, let Lov ‘N Kare Carpet Center come to your rescue. Our locally owned and operated company has proudly offered the extended area with the best carpet cleaning service for more than 70 years. Since we opened our doors in 1948, we’ve remained committed to our clients’ satisfaction.
We specialize in carpet and rug cleaning, floor waxing and buffing, oriental rug cleaning, tile and grout cleaning, drapery cleaning, carpet repairs, carpet re-stretching and more. When it comes to what’s under your feet, we’ll make it sparkle like new. And when you need it cleaned to its highest degree, Lov ‘N Kare Carpet Center is here to help.
Find out why so many people throughout the Amboy area rely on Lov ‘N Kare Carpet Center for all their carpet and flooring needs. Give us a call today to find out more.
Keeping your carpets clean is important not just for maintaining the carpets and keeping them in good condition, but also for maintaining a healthy home. This is especially true in the winter, when we’re often cooped up inside and unable to open windows. Dirt, pet dander, dust and other debris will build up in carpets, and even if you stay on top of your vacuuming, that’s not going to be enough to keep the carpets truly clean.
Of course, you should also be careful about the kinds of products you use to clean your carpets. This is a little easier if you clean your carpets yourself, but if you work with a professional carpet cleaning company, it’s worth your while to ask what kind of chemicals and products they use in their cleaning processes. Most carpet cleaning companies will try to use mild cleaning chemicals to prevent any damage to your carpet fibers, but there are some that will still use chemicals that could potentially be hazardous to the health of you, your children and your pets.
So, are some of the most common carpet cleaning chemicals in South Amboy, NJ safe? Think again! Here are a few examples of some of the types of cleaning chemicals still occasionally used in the world of carpet cleaning that can be dangerous:
Napthalene: This cleaning solution is designed to quickly dissolve dirt. It is made from coal tar, and is also used in other products as a pesticide that kills off small insects and moths. Exposure to the product can be problematic, as it can cause nausea, vomiting, confusion and liver damage.
Perchloroethylene: This chemical is frequently used in dry cleaning processes, and exposure can result in dizziness, nausea and fatigue. Studies have also shown it can cause kidney and liver damage.
Butyloxy ethanol: This chemical is dangerous because it can get into your body both by coming into direct contact with your skin and by inhalation. It has been connected with liver and kidney damage, among other potentially troublesome symptoms.
When you choose a carpet cleaning company to work with, you should make sure you ask if any of these chemicals will be used. If so, look elsewhere for assistance.
Otherwise, if you’re cleaning your own carpets, it’s important you know what to look for in your carpet cleaning product. The most important thing to look for is a label that specifies the product is certified green and non-toxic. There’s a big difference between “mild” and “non-toxic,” and if you want to get the best cleaning solution that will preserve your family’s health, it’s important for you to not compromise.
You should also look for products that have shorter drying times. If the product remains damp for too long, it becomes easy for bacteria, mold and mildew to set in and spread. This is also why you never want to work with a carpet cleaner who’s going to leave your carpets soaking wet.
To learn more about safe carpet cleaning chemicals you can use and how to select a carpet cleaning company in South Amboy, NJ, we encourage you to contact the team at Lov ‘N Kare Carpet Center today.
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