Carpet Cleaning Bradenton FL

Almost daily I hear the question “Should I have my grout sealed?”. The answer is… well you already know if you read the title of this article. Grout is very porous and will absorb anything that is spilled on it if you don’t have adequate sealer applied. Here is a simple test that you can do yourself to see if your grout is properly sealed against water and oil based stains. Put a small amount of water on the grout and let it sit for about 5 minutes. Obviously if the water soaks right in, the grout is not sealed. Now blot up the water with a paper towel. Does the grout appear darker than the surrounding grout? If it beaded up but still got darker from absorbing the water then the grout has sealer but may need a fresh application. If the grout did not change, that’s great! Your grout is still protected against water and oil based staining.

 Call Guaranteed Carpet & Tile Care at 923-2498 if you have further assitance. We are highly skilled and have all the proper equipement to get your floors looking like new again.

 until next time,

 Kenneth Ferguson

1) Avoid Hazards - electrical, slip & fall, microbial

     a) Make sure to avoid flooded areas with appliances and electronics that are making contact with flood water. It’s always better to be safe and turn off the power   breaker to those water damaged areas if there is any possiblility of electrical shock.

       b) Identify any slip & fall hazards as soon as it’s safe to enter the area. Do your best to eliminate those risks for example lay down towels at transition areas from carpet to hard surfaces. Alert others to be careful.

       c) If there is visible mold growth, follow these guidelines.

                 • DO NOT turn on fans and HVAC system. Doing so could and probably will spread mold spores to other areas of the    home/business increasing the area of contamination.

                  • DO NOT attempt to remove mold contaminated materials yourself. Doing so without having the specialized knowledge that our specialist have can and probably will expose you and your family to toxic and/or infectious materials. Risks can range from increased allergies to memory loss and even death. We spend thousands of dollars per year for specialized education on how to handle situations like this because of the potential health threats that come from exposure to mold and other microbials. Our specialists are trained to use the latest equipment and techniques to remove contaminants and restore your structure to a pre-loss condition while limiting and eliminating the health risks to you and your family.

2) Stop The Source - call Guaranteed Cleaning & Restoration ANYTIME at 941-462-2369 if you need help.

a) for condos: The main water shut-off is usually a lever located in the same location as your water heater.

b) for homes: The main water shut-off is usually outside and its location varies from home to home. Turn off any valves you find. Call a plumber immediately if you need help. Many offer 24 hour emergency service.

3) Remove Furniture - wood & metal can cause staining

a) These stains will most likely be permanent on carpet. Please make sure to point any know furniture and rust stains immediately to our specialist so that they can be properly treated before they dry and set. Can’t move it yourself? Don’t worry, our specialists will take care of it. Just try move as much as you can to limit damage to the flooring and furniture.

4) Call us immediately - every minute counts to prevent secondary damage

 a) Don’t wait to call us for help. The damage will begin to spread and increase in severity,complexity and cost for every hour you go without contacting Guaranteed Cleaning & Restoration. If you are reading this because you have an existing water damage, I hope you already called Guaranteed Cleaning & Restoration at 941-462-2369. What are you waiting for!

Good luck!

 Ken Ferguson

If you get a run in your berber carpet, don’t cut it! You will make a very noticeable and permanent ugly line where you can see the backing of your carpet. Instead try the easy steps below to fix the problem.

 You need the following items:

     Hot glue gun

     Clear hot glue stick

     Paper clip

     Paper plate or piece of cardboard

That’s it. A steady hand doesn’t hurt either.

1) Now place the glue gun on the plate or cardboard so that the glue doesn’t drip on the floor.

2) Add a small drop of glue on the backing of the carpet where the loop of the berber was originally attached.

3) While using the paperclip so not to get hot glue on your finger, press the carpet yarn into the glue at the bottom of the loop. There should be dried glue from the manufacturer on the carpet yarn. Attach it there.

4) Repeat all the way down the run until it is all re-attached. Use the adjacent carpet yarn still attached from the factory as a guide.

If you do it right, it should be very hard to tell you repaired it unless you know where it was. I repaired a run in my berber carpet and I forget it ever happened. If you have any questions or would like it repaired professionally, call Guaranteed Carpet & Tile Care at 923-2498 and we will be glad to help.

Ken

“Have you ever tried cleaning a spot on your carpet or rug only to make it worse?” 

If you wait until your rugs are showing soil to have them cleaned, you could be causing them permanent damage. Your rugs can hold a lot of soil before they begin to look dirty. Abrasive soil in your rugs cuts into your rugs fibers every time you walk on them causing them to wear out prematurely. A study by the Eureka Company revealed that a 9×12 Oriental Rug can hold up to 87 pounds of soil without looking dirty. That’s a lot of dirt and grime!

 For maximum soil and spot removal, have Guaranteed Carpet & Tile Care clean your rugs. Guaranteed Carpet & Tile Care cleans Rugs from around the world. From the most basic to the most delicate rugs, you can trust the reputation and experience of our company.   

Every rug we clean comes with our Nine Step Cleaning Program and is completely guaranteed.

Be careful what you use on your oriental rugs to remove spots! Many cleaning products will damage your rugs by causing them to brown, discolor/bleach, colors to bleed, etc. If you are unsure if a cleaning product is unsafe for your rug, then it is best not to use it. If you must get that spot out and you don’t have the patience to wait for a professional, I recommend using just a few drops of dove detergent to a cup of water. Just enough to make the water a little soapy. (do not attempt on silk! call Guaranteed Carpet & Tile Care at 923-2498). Blot up any liquid or gently scrape up any solid that is on the rug. Then dip a cloth into your cleaning mixture and gently blot the spot. If you are getting dye transfer to the cloth you are using, stop immediately. DO NOT GET OUT A WIRE BRUSH AND SCRUB THE RUG AS HARD AS YOU CAN! Aggressive spot removal will permanently damage the fibers trading one problem for another.

 If the spot does not come out or are unsure of what you are doing, call Guaranteed Carpet & Tile Care at 923-2498. Cleaning a valuable rug when you don’t know what you are doing can and probably will result in a costly mistake!
The sooner you respond to the spill the better your results will be. If you

Hi all!

 You don’t have to go out and spend money on all those over the counter cleaners to take care of you tile floors. You probably already have what you need at home. When maintaining your tile floor, I recommend using 1 to 2 ounces of dish detergent such as Dawn to a gallon of hot water. This formula won’t damage any sealer that you may have on your grout and doesn’t leave a sticky residue behind to attract soil. Occasionally you may want to rinse with a white vinegar/water solution (1 cup white vinegar to 1 gallon of hot water).

Ok, lay down the jackhammer and step away before you do something drastic!

Taking care of your tile floor doesn’t have to require desperate measures. Providing you haven’t let dirt and grime build up on it for 15 years before you decide to clean it. The key to keeping your tile floor sparkling is regular maintenance with a low residue cleaning agent. Most problems that I see when I go into a home with dirty tile and grout is from cleaning products that leave a sticky residue and attract soil. This is especially noticeable in the grout lines because they sit lower than the tile surface so all the dirty water that you pushed around with your mop ends up there.

Can you clean it yourself? yes

Will you feel like you’ve been beaten about the back and knees with a bag of marbles? oh yes

 Cleaning a tile floor yourself after it’s been neglected for years is grueling work. Your back and knees will thank you if you have the floor professionally cleaned and sealed first. A reputable company will have the equipment to get your floor as clean as it can be. Once you are starting with a clean slate, your tile and grout will stay clean for a long time with the proper maintenance cleaning. Visit our website at www.healthyhometip.com to learn more about our cleaning process and how Guaranteed Carpet & Tile Care can get your tile and grout back to sparkling again.

 Check back soon. I will teach you how to maintain your floor properly without the residue build up and keeping your floor sparkling for a long time.

Kenny Ferguson

I frequently get asked the question above and I am unhappy to say that the answer is no. When heavy furniture sits on carpet for many years, the backing of the carpet gets stretched out of shape. The only real way to take it out 100% is to actually cut out that part of the carpet and replace it with a new piece. But that is basically trading one problem for another.

There is some hope though for at least some relief. You can put an ice cube in the holes and just leave them there to melt. The cold water from the ice cube will cause the backing to shrink a little giving you some improvement.

 I hope this helps. Please leave some feedback if you try this and it works or doesn’t. I’ve recommended it before and the results were surprisingly good but not perfect.

Before resulting to putting everything under your kitchen sink on a urine stain, please try these steps first. Using the wrong product on some spots can set the spot making it permanent. When urine is first deposited, it has a neutral to slightly acidic pH. At this stage, blot up as much as possible with a towel or paper towel. Make sure the paper towels don’t have a pattern on them because the ink can transfer to your carpet/upholstery. If it is a lot of urine, place a heavy object on your towel or paper towels and leave for about 10 minutes. Now take a clean towel and dampen with water and gently blot the spot. Following up with a solution of one part white vinegar and three parts water will help neutralize any urine that may be a few hours to days old. If you are having some odor or are concerned and want to prevent odor before it starts, there are many products containing enzymes that digest any urine that you did not get out completely. Urine-Off and Natures Miracle work well. Follow the directions on the label. If you have any resoiling in those areas, try cleaning them with just a damp cloth. Many over-the-counter spot removers will just make the situation worse by leaving more residue behind.