Tag: Cleaning

Professional Fabric Protector

Posted on by Kathy McClelland

After your fabric is cleaned, it will need to be protected. Fabric Protector keeps your fabric clean longer and helps avoid permanent staining. Don’t leave your fabric unprotected. The protector will be sprayed evenly on all the fabric, then brushed in. It then “wicks” into the fibers of the fabric creating a protective barrier against soil and stain. Your next cleaning will be more effective as the protector will “en-capsule” body oils and soils that accumulate on the fabric. When it is cleaned, more soil will be removed as a result of the treatment.

Treated Upholstery will: Last longer, look better and keep looking new. 

Fabric Protection Treatment

  • Has no smell and is non-allergenic
  • Does not change the look or feel of the fabric

How to Care for Your Upholstery and Draperies

  • Rotate all loose cushions frequently to ensure even wear.
  • Vacuum dust and dirt from all fabric, cracks and crevasses.
  • Fabric protection is the best possible way to extend the life of your upholstery.
  • Vacuum often to reduce grit that can cause abrasion.
  • Reverse loose cushions weekly for even wear.
  • Protect from the sun. Ultraviolet light can cause deterioration.
  • Keep pets off furniture. Pet’s body oils rub off and are very difficult to remove.
  • Use caution with clothing such as Blue Jeans. Fabric dyes can transfer onto upholstered furniture.
  • All upholstered furniture will become soiled through use. Most spills and soil on upholstery that has fabric protection will clean easily and quickly provided the proper cleaning procedures are followed. A fabric protector application is not an absolute impenetrable barrier and improper cleaning methods can damage both the fabric and the treatment.
  • Blot (don’t rub) spills immediately with a clean absorbent cloth while the spill is still fresh. Dried spills are more difficult to remove.
  • Identify the cleaning code for your type of fabric. This determines what type of cleaning agent to use.
  • Always read and follow the instructions on the cleaning agent.
  • Use distilled water with the cleaning agent if water is called for.
  • Pre-test any cleaner on any fabric in a hidden area. Check for color-fastness and fabric compatibility.
  • Keep a small spill small. Work lightly, blotting from center to the edges. “Feather” the edges by dampening edges irregularly and blotting quickly to avoid rings.
  • Quickly dry a cleaned spot using a small fan or blow dryer on low.

Cleaning Codes

  • Spot clean with water based shampoo or foam upholstery cleaner.
  • Spot clean with a water-free cleaning solvent.
  • Spot clean with upholstery shampoo, foam from mild detergent, or a mild dry cleaning solvent.
  • Clean only by vacuuming or light brushing with a non-metallic brush. Do not use water or dry cleaning solvents.

Always pre-test for color loss and fabric compatibility. Do not over-wet! Always call Buddy for a professional cleaning or if you have any questions!

How to Identify Which Type of Leather You Have

Posted on by Kathy McClelland

Leather is the Mercedes of furniture. When properly cared for a by a skilled technician, it should last for many years. There is a lot of confusion over very basic information on cleaning and restoring leather. It is crucial that your technician be able to identify your leather.

As professional leather cleaners, the first question we ask is, “What type of leather is this?”

Types of Leather:

• Analine – – This is the most natural form of leather. Nothing is done to this material; basically what you see is what you get. This is the most fragile type, yet it is also the most beautiful as its natural color and texture are able to be enjoyed and the leather develops a wonderful patina over time. This leather will feel the lightest and smoothest as it has not received any treatment – it will almost feel like a second skin to you.

• Semi-Aniline – This type of leather is one step away from aniline as it is mildly treated before being made into a product, like leather furniture. It receives a light coating on its surface. This coating might alter the color of the leather a little bit, but not much. This leather will feel a little light and smooth, but will not feel heavily treated.

• Protected/Pigmented – This is the most widely used finishing technique. The finish consists of an opaque basecoat of pigmented resins followed by a protective topcoat. The natural color of the leather is completely covered. Therefore, pigmented leather can be identified by its uniform color.

• Nu-buck – This leather is actually Aniline leather that has been sanded to give it a fine, velvety surface. It should not be confused with suede, which is the flesh side of leather.

• Suede – Made from the underside of the animal’s skin. Soft, more delicate, and pliable than nu-buck.

• Wax or Oil Pull-Up – These two related types of leather are called “pull up,” a phrase originally used to describe the effect on a type of leather also known as “Timberland” after that well-known footwear producer made this type of article famous. These leathers lighten when stretched, bent or “pulled up.” They are categorized as natural because they do not have a thick topcoat.

You can determine what type of leather you have with the water drop test:

First, make sure you conduct this test on a hidden, inconspicuous area of the leather.
• Aniline Leather – Water drop will soak into the leather almost immediately.
• Semi-Aniline Leather – Water drop will sit on the surface and then slowly soak in.
• Pigmented (Protected Leather) – Water will sit or bead up on the surface and not soak in.

Once the leather has been identified, then the best course for cleaning can be pursued. Leather should be professionally maintained at least once a year.

Buddy’s cleaning procedures include:

• Cleaning with high quality products made specifically for leather

• Rejuvenating the moisture and fat liquors that have evaporated.

• Application of the proper protection.

Give our office a call at 417.833.1732 if you have any questions about your leather! 

What Is Filtration Soiling?

Posted on by Kathy McClelland

Black lines that appear around the baseboards and under doorways is called filtration soiling.

If you have light colored carpet, you may have experienced dark areas around the baseboards, under doors, and especially near the HVAC return. This soiling comes from air passing through the carpet as it is attempting to go through the edge of the carpet pile. Microscopic particles of soil are deposited there (hence the term filtration soiling). This occurs over a significant period of time and is not noticed until a significant build up has occurred.

This type of soiling is difficult to remove because the soil particles are so fine that they penetrate deep into the carpet pile, sometimes into the backing of the carpet. Can it be removed? Sometimes. With special products, time and effort, reasonable results can be achieved, although not in all cases.

To help prevent filtration soiling in the future, vacuum the edges of the carpeting on a regular basis. Then wipe the edges of the carpet with a white terry towel. Be careful around the tack-strip under the edge of the carpeting, you could nick your fingers!

You can trust that when it comes to your home that Buddy will apply all of his expertise to your job. Click here to read more about our 12 step restorative cleaning process.

5 Way to Care for Your Oriental

Posted on by Kathy McClelland

An oriental rug is a beautiful centerpiece for your home. Weaving these ornate pieces can take anywhere from months to years to complete. Filled with beautiful and unique designs, oriental rugs are widely respected for their exquisite attention to detail, their top-grade construction and their brilliant colors. However, over time these rugs can become a bit dulled and in need of cleaning. Proper care and cleaning of oriental rugs is essential  to preserve their luster and beauty for generations to come.

Here are 5 easy things you can do from home today to care for your oriental rug:

  1. Vacuum: For day to day cleaning and protection of your orientals, vacuuming will remove surface soils and insects. Do not neglect out of sight areas, such as under beds, and furniture, where insects and moths can do damage.
  2. Clean Spills: If you should spill a liquid, use white paper/cotton (non-colored cotton) towels to soak up excess moisture; then wet, rinse and blot again, elevate the wet area from the floor until dry. Remove spills/solids as carefully as possible with a shop vac or dull knife – rinse as above.
  3. Long Term Storage: If you should have to store you carpet for any length of time, take care to pack your oriental with moth repellents, and wrap in strong paper – NOT plastic.
  4. Protect Fibers: When arranging furniture, it’s wise to have some sort of protection under the legs to prevent the carpet fibers from being crushed.
  5. Professional Washing: Lastly, most Orientals benefit for a professional washing, but send them only to an expert (like Buddy’s!) who understands the care and extra attention they require.

If you ever have any questions on how to clean your Oriental please give us a call at 417.833.1732. At Buddy’s Carpet Care we pride ourselves in educating our clients! If there’s something we know you can safely do from home to clean your rugs we are happy to walk you through that process – we’re here for you when you need professional help as well.

Our Nine Step Oriental & Area Rug Cleaning Process

Posted on by Kathy McClelland

In-Plant Rug Cleaning is recommended for Oriental Rugs and loose woven rugs. They should not be cleaned on location like wall to wall carpet. Our company cares for the finest to the most basic rugs from around the world. We will pick your rug up and bring it to our special cleaning plant where it will receive our very thorough Nine Step Cleaning System to get maximum roil and spot removal. Having your rug cleaned in our plant allows us to give it several treatments for a more thorough cleaning, controlled drying, and the use of various tools that are not available on location.

Buddy’s Carpet Care uses the Ausersehlian Cleaning System on your fine textile rugs. This world-renowned system has been proven to be one of the best, most efficient and safest ways to wash Orientals. We use authentic hand washing and compressed air cleaning for our fine textiles. Your valuable rugs are thoroughly yet gently cleaned.

Step 1: Pre-Inspection and Pick Up

We will determine as much as we possibly can about the type of rug and inherent qualities that may affect cleaning. We will outline the expected results and cleaning “prescription”. Our inherent qualities that may affect cleaning. One of our trained technicans will come to your home to pick up your rug, or you may drop it by our shop.

Step 2: Dry Soil Removal

Woven rugs, especially hand knotted rugs are designed to hide dry soil. A few years ago, the Eureka company did a study and found that a 9×12 could hide 87 pounds of dirt! Wow! We use a variety of techniques to “dust” the rugs from the front and back. A machine called a pile lifter, special vacuum attachments and any many other methods are implemented. This is the most important step in cleaning any textile.

3. Pre-Condition

Depending on fiber content and soiling type, the rug will be pre-treated to emulsify the soils.

4. Pre-Spot and Fringe Preparation

Any potentially difficult spots will be pre-treated with special solutions to increase chances of removal. The fringe is also pre-treated for maximum soil removal.

5. Shampoo

Depending on fiber content and soiling type, the rug will be pre-treated to emulsify the soils. Most rugs are cleaned with a shampoo that is especially designed to get maximum cleaning while protecting sensitive natural fibers.

6. Rinse or Wash

Depending on the type of rug it will be rinsed with extraction equipment on both sides or washed in a wash pit.

7. Dry

Once the soil is rinsed away, the rug is dried flat or hung to dry in a controlled environment. Proper drying is essential to avoid unnatural shrinkage.

8. Finishing

When the rug is dry, it is combed and finished with soft groomers made for specialty rugs.

9. Post Inspection and Delivery

Our cleaning specialist will give the rug a final inspection and release it for delivery. Your rug will be wrapped in brown craft paper to protect it from dust and environmental soils until it is delivered. Upon delivery, we will lay the rug for you.

 

How to Disinfect Your Home Yourself

Posted on by Kathy McClelland

Need to disinfect your home but can’t afford a professional? Here are our trusted tips for cleaning your home!

When trying to disinfect your house, the goal is to break the soil load.  First you must clean to remove the soil and then apply disinfectant, to bacteria and viruses like Covid-19.  

First step: Remove the soil load by cleaning!

  1. Engage in spring cleaning, clear clutter – Home clutter can harbor pollutants, lead to infection and result in an unhygienic space.

  2. Use soap and water on hard surfaces.

  3. Start at the top of the room and work your way down.

  4. Emphasize cleaning touch points. People are not precise when touching objects. Touch point cleaning should extend past the touch point 3-12 inches.

  5. A trigger sprayer and wipe cloth can be used for cleaning most touch points. A foam applicator allows you to see what is covered and allows the product to stay on the surface longer without drying. Always read directions for instructions on application and dwell time.

  6. Spray the cloth rather than the object. 

  7. Fold your towels into 8 squares(instead of wadding them up)  Wipe one direction at a time, left to right. Refold to a clean square and repeat.

Second step: Apply disinfectants!

  1. Look for an antimicrobial or disinfectant approved by the EPA or FDA for the purpose of surface sanitization or listed in the EPA’s “Emerging Pathogen/listN”  or that meet the requirements of the emerging pathogens procedures for enveloped viruses (the class of organism of the SARS-cov-2) applied in accordance with label directions. 

  2. Apply it in accordance with the label directions.

Where Does All that Dust and Soil Come From?

Posted on by Kathy McClelland

When was the last time you pulled out your favorite chair or couch? Have you looked under your bed or pulled out the dresser? Now that can be an eye opener. 

How does all that dirt get there anyway?

About 60% of dust comes from outside.  Soil, Pollen and other outdoor containments can come inside on your shoes, clothes, even your hair. The other 40% come from dust mites (the more dust you have the more dust mites you have), pet dander, dead skin, food debris, insects and insect droppings, lead, arsenic and DDT.

Hidden places dust collects in your home. A quick walk through can reveal obvious places dust collects. Dust also collects in blinds, ceiling fans, light fixtures, tops of doors, windows and cabinets, upholstery, baseboards and carpeting.

Things often look clean until you peek behind the scenes. It’s a good thing that Buddy’s Carpet Care cleans behind the scenes! Our technicians go above and beyond while cleaning your home to give you the most outstanding service experience possible.  We carefully move furniture out of the way before cleaning and return it safely when we’re done.

Click here to schedule an estimate today!

Worried About Disinfecting Your Home?

Posted on by Kathy McClelland

Is all this craziness causing you to worry about the bacteria, viruses and germs in your home?  

Paranoid COVID-19

Have you asked the question: How long does the SARS-CoV-2 (The virus that causes the disease Covid-19) last on surfaces?

Data is constantly changing as research progresses: 

As of March 18th, 2020, reports in New England Journal of Medicine suggest that SARS-CoV-2 can survive outside the human body in droplets for up to 3 hours.  However, on plastic and stainless steel surfaces it can survive for 2-3 days. 

In Journal of Hospital Infection, researchers found that a related coronavirus that causes SARS can persist up to 9 days on nonporous surfaces such as stainless steel or plastic.

On clothing and other surfaces harder to disinfect, it is not yet clear how long the virus can survive.  

The ability of the virus to linger for so long underlines the importance of hand hygiene and the cleaning of surfaces.

One of the few encouraging aspects of the COVID-19 outbreak is that the virus is enveloped. Enveloped viruses are the easiest type to kill by disinfecting.  The structure of these viruses includes a lipid envelope, which is easily compromised by most disinfectants. Once the lipid envelope is damaged, the integrity of the virus is compromised, thereby neutralizing its capacity to infect.

The EPA has suggested the use of the following products for disinfection:

“Flu viruses are killed by heat above 167° F (75° C). Common household cleaning products can also kill the flu virus, including products containing:

  • Chlorine
  • Hydrogen peroxide
  • Detergents (soap)
  • Iodophors (iodine-based antiseptics)
  • Alcohols

If you or a family member, have been exposed to the flu, our cleaning processes can help prevent infection and re-infection. 

Cleaning that favorite couch, chair or flooring in any room, where bacteria may be difficult to remove, is our specialty. 

Our restorative cleaning process uses high heat and safe, approved cleaners – which can greatly reduce, or eliminate germs that cause sickness or re-infection. 

We have enhanced our cleaning with a hospital safe, effective germicide which is not harmful to people or pets. It is made from plants and is totally green.

Call us at 417-833-1732 for more information.

Being safe and clean has always been our goal for our clients.

At Buddy’s Carpet Care we physically flush out and remove the germs and bacteria from your home and transport it directly to our waste tank. We also use routine cleaning precautions between each client to ensure our equipment stays clean and prevents cross-contamination. 

Don’t be scared, Buddy’s Carpet Care is here and available 24/7. We can clean and disinfect almost any surface to help keep your home and business, healthy and clean.

 

Hardwood Floors Lost Their Luster?

Posted on by Kathy McClelland

Hardwood floors are beautiful and can add thousands of dollars in value to a home, but only if they are well maintained.

  • Dirt, sand and grit are major enemies of beautiful hardwood floors. Grit acts like sandpaper digging into the hardwood finish. Regular sweeping, vacuuming or using a clean dust mop are a must.

 

  • Stains caused by water look dark and ugly. Be sure to wipe up any spills quickly.

 

  • Use area rugs near doors and areas that have direct sunlight.

 

  • Use felt protector pads on legs of your furniture.

 

  • Try Buddy’s Hardwood Cleaning Service periodically to deep clean and renew that luster.

 

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