Monday, 30 July 2012

Different Processes of Cleansing the Grout Lines

Tile flooring dates back to the Ancient Greek and Roman civilization. The world has advanced since then, and so has the type and fashion of the tile flooring. Whatever the type of tiles integrated in the floors, the vast part in maintaining them involves cleaning those vicious mildew stains. These occur in the grout lines of the tiles especially in wet environments. These are easy to remove as long as there is hard work.

The tool needed to clean the grout has to small with special hard bristles. Available at the hardware store as the grout brush, this can also be substituted with an old toothbrush. Any tool that has hard bristles in a small head is efficient for the job. The small head prevents the floor from scratching.

The conventional method of grout cleaning

For the conventional method of cleaning, the concentrated clean out agent used is household chlorine bleach. The brush is first dipped in the chlorine and scrubbed thoroughly. For tough stains, the bleach can be kept in the affected area for several hours before cleaning. When the scrubbing has removed all the grout, a solution of baking soda and water will remove the harmful toxic odor of the chlorine bleach. The final step to this procedure is to wash the floor with pails of water, so that all the bleach has been eliminated.

Precautions to take when cleaning grout conventionally

Bleach is toxic in nature. It releases harmful vapors and therefore, windows should be kept open to avoid the buildup of these injurious elements.While scrubbing, the cleaning agent tends to splatter and therefore it is advisable to wear old clothes.Chlorine is a bleaching agent. This means the hue of the grout lines changes color after repeated use.All pets and children should be kept away from the floor in which chlorine is used.

The professional approach to grout cleaning

Some stains are particularly difficult to remove. Eliminating the stain can become a nightmare and this is the place when a commercial janitorial service would necessitate. Since they use industrial cleaning agents, it is always best to leave this cleaning to those who are trained. They are equipped with gadgets that protect them from these strong cleansing products. They are also aware of the correct techniques and precautions thereby facilitating the entire process.

Going environmental safe: The Green Grout Cleaning Methods

This method utilizes environmentally safe cleaning product. It is made 50 percent of hydrogen peroxide and water. When applied to the grout lines, the dirt and the stain can be removed with a damp sponge, spray bottle and a brush. The only drawback is since it is a mild agent, it may require several applications before you find any real change.

Once the grout lines have been cleaned by any of the above stated methods, sealing them would enable a protective surface. This would also prevent the rebuild of the dirt and mildew.


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Sunday, 29 July 2012

Get Bad Smells Off Your Carpet

The material that is used to make carpets is pretty much easy to guess. The fibers used for carpet making are porous and consequently they easily absorb residue into the fabrics. This is especially true for juice, tea or coffee spills that provoke unpleasant odors in the house. When these spills are not promptly and properly dealt with, they cause bad smell which may lead to air pollution in the house. Needless to say this pollution is a potential health hazard for those living in the house.

I know the question running through your mind now is, what do I do to get the horrible odor off my carpet?

My oldest tip for treating a smelly carpet, while at the same time steering clear of the shampooing process, would be to spread a good amount of baking powder on the carpet and leaving it on for a while. After leaving the baking soda on for a while, vacuum the carpet for a fresh smell.

Home Uses of Baking Soda and vinegar

There is no doubt, looking back at its long history of use, that baking soda is a precious element when it comes to getting rid of carpet odors or any other odor from fiber objects. Another very useful product that helps to get rid of bad smell is vinegar. A blend of two parts of water and one part of vinegar can be scrubbed unto a carpet to deal with odor issues. This option is more affordable than buying shampoo dedicated to carpet cleaning or hiring a shampooing cleaner for the same purpose.

The use of fresh air

Indeed, the use of fresh air to clear your carpet of odors may seem a little strange for a beginner. However, this method is a good aid in combating carpet stench. Nevertheless, spraying a carpet or air freshener on the carpet will only mask the smell for a little while. If you want to thoroughly handle the odor, it would prove inadvertently wise to do intensive shampooing of the carpet. The type of shampoo to use for this would be one that is very strongly scented. To get the best of this cleaning process, you would want to do several repetitions. You will want to concentrate most of your efforts on the particular area that was affected and that is causing the bad smell.

Furthermore, you may scrub the affected areas with a brush before you start the shampooing and vacuuming process. Should in case the shampooing does not give the desired results, you will need to pull up the carpet from the floor and clean beneath. Pulling up a carpet is no walk in the park; you must therefore take all things into consideration.

Indeed, you can use the strongly scented shampoo to get rid of odors provoked by pet urine. However, the scent may not completely go away. As such, you may need to hire the services of a professional carpet cleaner for such delicate situations. If the services of the professional do not deal squarely with the situation, you may want to give up the carpet and get a new one.


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Saturday, 28 July 2012

Benefits of Hiring a Reliable Residential Home Cleaning Service

There are various cleaning companies out there that claim to offer quality services but few that come through with this promise. It is therefore important to hire a reliable residential home cleaning service. However, many people wonder what benefit there is to hiring a professional cleaning service. Wouldn't it be better to hire an individual or contractor at a lower price?

In today's society, security is one of our highest concerns. Watching the news is enough to discourage us from allowing strangers into our homes. When you are considering hiring a professional cleaner, this will be one of your greatest concerns. You need to trust the cleaners to some degree to allow them into your home. This is not easy when hiring an individual.

Using a professional service will take this burden off your shoulders. The service will allow you to hire a professional that has been checked thoroughly. Many reliable services carry out background checks that include checking criminal history records, employment records and other such files. This process can be tedious to an individual who may end up doing a half baked job of it. You can therefore rest assured that your safety has been taken into account by the professional company.

Quality is also a great concern when hiring cleaners. Whether it is an individual or a group of cleaners, you will want them to do a thorough job. It is therefore important to get references from previous employers to determine the kind of quality the cleaner will give you. However, this process is also a tedious one. Professional residential home cleaning services will carry out the reference verification for you and ensure that the cleaners have been trained to high standards. You can therefore rest assured that you will be getting a professional cleaner.

A reliable residential home cleaning service also ensures that all its employees are insured. This will ensure that you are compensated adequately in case of any accidents or loss of items resulting from the cleaner's activities. You will not have to make a claim from your own insurance.

Insurance is also important for the cleaner. In case an accident occurs while cleaning your home, the cleaner will be fully compensated by the company. You will not have to worry about having to cover any medical fees or paying the cleaner while recovering. The insurance of the cleaning service will do all that. It is therefore important to check the insurance cover of the company before you hire them.

Hiring professional residential home cleaning services will give you peace of mind and allow you to create time for other activities. You will have a clean home and lots of free time for your family and other projects.


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Friday, 27 July 2012

Maids - Common Household Chores

Maids are workers who are hired to clean and maintain houses, offices and other establishments. In many cases, these helpers are hired privately and personally by the home owners to clean up the dwellings and keep them the way they are. In some instances, home owners might also like the convenience of hiring these helpers from an agency that has already trained and screened them for the express purpose of doing a proper job and being trustworthy in their job. Females are the usual employees for agencies like these although there are also some males who might enter into this line of work.

Terms of Employment

The terms of employment of the maids that are hired through an agency may vary depending on the firm that has contracted them. Usually, the individuals go through some form of training to familiarize them with the different appliances and gadgets that are used for the job. In dwellings, vacuum cleaners and dish washers are among the most common things that the helper needs to be familiar with in order to do a proper job. Since there are several brands that carry vacuum cleaners and dish washers, it is probable that the agencies that hire out the workers familiarize them with the most common ones. This not only helps them by not wasting time being instructed how to work it but it also lowers the risk of the maid breaking or damaging the appliance. Trustworthiness and the ability to be discreet are also two of the things that many of the people who go through agencies to hire maids expect from them. Many people hesitate to bring strangers into their homes. The firms that hire out their workers to clean up and maintain their clients' homes and offices are very aware of these aspects. The managers, or people who place their workers, make it a point to be clear on this with the people whom they train to be their workers. The employees also go through seminars that address instances that they might encounter in their everyday work. These instances include robbery, abuse, harassment and many others.

The contract that binds the worker with the agency is also quite complicated sometimes. When the worker goes through training at the expense of the company, the helper needs to stay with the company for a certain period of time. This ensures the agency that the investment that they put into the maids goes back to them after a specific period of time. In some instances, the helper needs to pay back the agency if she leaves them within the specified period of time. The agency also receives the payment of the maids from the clients. They receive a percentage of the payment that the helpers receive from the clients. This condition is part of the contract that a worker usually enters into when he signs up for the job. The other conditions and aspects of the contract are dependent on how strict the agency is with regards to other matters.


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Thursday, 26 July 2012

The Added Benefits of a Paving Sealer

While optional, the use of a paving sealer does provide some added benefits, as compared to paving that has not been sealed. A water-based sealer minimizes maintenance and it also prevents stains from drink and food spillage, barbecues, fallen leaves, pet messes, and dirt. If one's pavers are sealed, such stains will occur on the sealant and not on the pores of the paver or the paver itself.

A penetrating/impregnating water-based paving sealer also prevents and slows the growth of mildew or moss in damp areas. It also reduces the rate of color fading and initially inhibits insect infestation and weed. The sealer also helps keep the pavers looking "brand new" longer than a paver without a sealer. A water-based paving sealer, which is environment-friendly, is recommended for most porous surfaces like rendering, concrete stone masonry, and block paving. The penetrating/impregnating water-based sealer gives a protective and durable barrier against oil, water, and grease stains on both vertical and horizontal surfaces and gives a medium luster and sheen.

The water-based paving sealer can be used on most porous surfaces - vertical or horizontal - even if the surface is wet, as long as all standing water has been blown or brushed off. This sealer can be used on imprinted concrete and block paving on footpaths, car parks, driveways, and other areas. It can also be used on floor and wall surfaces like rendering, masonry, slate, and natural stone. It can even be applied to pedestrian walkways, terraces, and stairs.

The added benefits of a water-based paving sealer are that it can be applied to damp surfaces and that it is eco-friendly. It prevents staining and enhances the paver's natural beauty and there is virtually no effect on skid resistance of the surface. The sealer guarantees durability, is fade- and UVA-resistant and can be used externally or internally. The durability is potentially indefinite in light traffic areas and indoors. Durability is guaranteed with correct maintenance and depends upon the type of surface. The paving sealer can be reapplied without stripping.

Maintenance is quite easy. One only needs to regularly sweep the surface to remove abrasive grit and dirt from the surface. Hosing down or mopping regularly using clean water is recommended. A mild detergent can be applied by hand to heavy stains. Marks and spills must be cleaned off/wiped up and not be allowed to dry on.

Applying a paving sealer is also easy. One can have the landscaper seal the pavers or the owner can seal them, too. Some methods on applying the sealer include rolling, dipping, spraying on, or brushing. On dipping, pavers are dipped into the seal before laying them out. On rolling, a paint brush roller is used to apply the sealer. A brush or a broom can be used to brush- or sweep-apply the sealer. Lastly, the paving sealer can be sprayed on using a pump or bottle device. Sealing pavers will extend the "new" look and life of the pavers and the expense and initial work will add luster and life to the newly-laid surface.


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Wednesday, 25 July 2012

Knowing All About Hot Water Pressure Washers

Two types of hot water pressure washer machines are currently available: ordinary hot water machines and tri-mode machines. Before going into details of these machines, it would be worthwhile to have a look into some of their basic aspects.

Basic Features
A hot water pressure cleaner can provide an output temperature of up to 210°F. For this, these machines should contain heating elements. Normally, hot pressure cleaning machines can provide two types of output: hot water and cold water, in other words, heated output and non-heated output.

The difference between a hot pressure cleaner machine and an ordinary pressure washer lies only on its output temperature. There are machines that do not contain heating elements. These are called cold water pressure washing equipment. There are machines that can provide higher output temperatures. These are known as steam pressure washing machines, which can provide output temperatures of up to 330°F.

There is not much difference between an ordinary pressure cleaner and a tri-mod pressure washing equipment in other aspects. For example, there is no constraint on output pressure level or flow rate. Any kind of power source can be used.

Now, it is time move into different categories of hot water pressure washing equipment.

Ordinary Hot Water Machines:
These are one of the widely used cleaning machines. These are used for cleaning outdoor locations such as parks, stadiums, roads, pavement, and parking lots. These are also used as hard surface cleaners of indoor areas, such as floors and walls. Normally, ordinary hot water pressure washers are classified into two types based on the power source: machines powered by electricity and machines powered by fossil fuels.

Electricity-Powered Machines:
Pressure washing machines can have one of two types of sources for generating output pressure: an electric motor or a combustion engine. Machines that use electric motors are known as electric pressure washers, and those that use combustion engines are known as gas pressure washing machines. Heating elements can also be powered by electricity or fossil fuel. The machines that have electricity to power heating elements are known as electric-powered pressure washing equipment.

Normally, these machines are all electric pressure washers; that is, they use electricity to generate both output temperature and output pressure. These machines work smoothly and silently. Moreover, these machines do not emit any combustion byproducts.

Machines Powered by Fossil Fuels:
In such machines, the heating elements are powered by fossil fuel, such as kerosene, diesel, or gas. Such heating elements are used both in electric pressure washers and in gas pressure washers. In fact, such machines are more common than all electric machines.

Tri-Mode Machines:
This is another category of hot water pressure washer machines. These machines can provide three kinds of output temperature: cold water, hot water, and steam. Cleaning workers can change the output temperature based on the nature of the surface.

These are costlier than ordinary pressure washing equipment but suitable for cleaning companies and big factories that have varieties of surfaces to clean. The main advantage of tri-mode equipment is that they can be used to clean almost all kinds of hard surfaces. These machines definitely enhance cleaning efficiency and speed up the cleaning process.


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Tuesday, 24 July 2012

If You Are Running A Successful Business Then Do Not Waste Time Cleaning Windows, Get The Experts In

Cleaning the office windows is always a problem. It's tiring work that takes hours and hours to get it done properly. You have to obtain the right cleaning materials, and then you have to be careful while cleaning the windows so that no smudges will appear on the window and then you have to wait for it to dry to see the results. If the result is not desirable then you have to repeat the procedure all over again. So it is better that you leave this job to professional window cleaners and local window cleaners.

Window cleaners and local window cleaners are professionals and they know what they are doing. The work that you will do in hours, these professionals will do that in a matter of minutes. In addition, their work will be much more effective than yours will. You just have to pay them for their services and your job will be done well. They will have all the proper tools and materials and they are properly trained. You just have to call them and they will do the work for you. You can concentrate on your business knowing that your windows are being cleaned perfectly.

When choosing a company for this service, make sure that they are local. This means that you do not have to pay too much for travelling expenses on top of the normal service. It will also be convenient because they will arrive at your premises early, you will not have to wait for hours and hours for the professional cleaners to come. Alternatively, you can call your usual cleaners to do the job because they will know what kind of standards that you have. This will be more convenient for you and you can be sure that the cleaning of your windows is in the right hands.

Look for the experience of the cleaning company before you hire them. The company you choose should have at least five to ten years of experience and you can be sure that your work will be done the right way. If you hire a new company then you will face more problems than convenience. The workers will not be properly trained and will not be familiar with the different working conditions. They might have some problems with tools and techniques, which might lead to bad results. Never compromise on the company's experience because it is the last thing you want.

You can search for cleaning services online also. Here you can even see their websites and their contact details as well. This will provide you some guarantee on their work. Call their offices and ask questions. Negotiate the terms and ask questions about their working experience. Ask your friends about different companies that work in this field, they will tell you which company is good and which is not. It is always better to get first hand information from someone you know. Make sure that your chosen company has experience in both commercial buildings and residential buildings.


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