Common Mopping Mistakes

1-12-17.jpgWhen it comes to tile, mopping is one of the best ways to give it that wonderful shine.  However, mopping can be a little bit trickier than you think, and there may be some mistakes that you are making when you do it.  Read on to find out some of the most common mopping mistakes out there!

The first mistake that we want to cover is an integral part of mopping: water.  You cannot mop without water, but too much water can spell disaster for your floor.  Using just the right amount of water (where the mops can easily glide across the surface) as opposed to soaking your entire floor in water will not only protect it from water damage, but will actually clean better.  

Another common mistake has to deal with the condition of the water itself.  Mopping with filthy water will not get your tile clean, no matter how many times you go over it.  With that being said, it may be in your best interest to invest in a mop bucket that has a filter on it, or better yet, just switch out the water when you can see it getting brown.  This tip is extremely important for heavily soiled floors, as you can probably get by with just one bucket of water if the floor is relatively clean.  

Finally, a common mistake comes with soap.  Many people choose to use the same soap for all types of floors.  Sure, this may seem like the economical choice, but in actuality one soap that is great for one type of floor is most likely not meant to go on another type of floor.  In our opinion, you should skip the soap all together and just mop with water—there is virtually no chance of ruining your floor due to the soap and will ultimately be easier to clean.  When you think that you need to use a great deal of soap, chances are a professional cleaner can do a much more effective job, in less time than it would take you.

Regular mopping is the way to keep a good floor looking great, but be sure that you have a professional cleaning at least once a year to keep it in tip-top shape.  When it’s time for your cleaning, give us a call today for a free estimate!

Winter-Free Floors

1-10-17.jpgThe first snow of 2017 has fallen in our Jersey Shore region, and with it comes the realization that we are heading into winter’s icy grasp once more.  This season can be a wonderful time for some, but it is almost always a dismal time for your floors.  Learn how to spare your floors from the harsh effects of winter with a few simple tips in today’s blog!

Out of all the simple things that you can do to help protect your floors in the winter is to make one simple investment: doormats.  More often than not, moisture is the number one carpet killer out there, and the recent snowfall will have family and guests tracking in snow into your home.  This snow melts, leaves the water behind, and sprouts a mold growth in your carpet, requiring extensive professional cleaning to fix.  Do yourself a favor and invest in a doormat (or several) so people can wipe their feet off before tracking in things into your home.  Or better yet, encourage everyone who enters your home to leave their shoes by the door.

While moisture may spell disaster for your carpet, and complete lack of it can cause trouble for your hardwood flooring.  Wood floors need a certain degree of moisture to keep their shape, and a total lack of it can cause them to warp, and sometimes to shrink.  With this being said, it is important to keep your home a constant humidity level throughout the season, and can be done easily with a humidifier.  We are used to humid days in the spring a summer (a perk of living at the Shore) so help your floors out and give them an environment that they are used to!

Our final piece of advice for you is a preventative measure: give your hardwood floors a protective coating before the winter gets worse.  By reapplying a protective coating to your floors, you are ensuring the safety and well being of the wood underneath it, which can spell the difference between a pristine and tattered wood floor when people are trudging in and out.  Even by encouraging people to leave their shoes at the door, you simply cannot prevent everything from getting on your hard wood, so do yourself a favor and take the proactive measure today!

However, no matter how you choose to prepare for winter, know that Bayside Carpet Cleaning is here to help no matter the situation or season.  One call to us is all you need to keep your floors looking great, all year long.

Give us a call today for a free estimate!

Loving Leather

1-5-17.jpgLeather furniture is a great addition to any home, but cleaning it may appear to be a problem for some.  Luckily, cleaning leather furniture is just as easy as cleaning other furniture, despite what you hear on the Internet.  Join us today as we give you some helpful tips for cleaning all types of leather furniture!

While the technique of cleaning leather furniture is pretty straightforward, you need to watch out for what you clean it with, as some homemade and commercial cleaners can ruin the leather.  For most jobs, we prefer to use a mixture of vinegar and water, and we steer clear of the commercial stuff.  A simple solution of equal parts vinegar and water will get out most stains, keep your leather fresh, and give it a clean scent afterward.

The first thing you want to do when cleaning leather furniture is to give it a good vacuum to get off loose dirt and dust.  Nothing fancy, just a vacuum with a brush attachment will do the trick.  Then, apply the homemade solution with a cloth, but be sure that the cloth is only damp with the solution and not soaking wet, as lingering water can damage the leather.  Try to only wipe down the problem areas of the furniture, and wipe down only what you need to.  After you’ve wiped down the problem areas, go back over with a dry cloth.  Once the furniture is dry, you are good to go.

Cleaning most things is simple once you break it down to size, and leather is no exception.  For more cleaning tips, be sure to check back to our blog every Tuesday and Thursday!

Carpet Cleaning Resolutions For You

1-3-17.jpgNew year, new you—right, Bayside Carpet Cleaning fans?  While reinventing ourselves is not at the top of everyone’s resolution list, keeping your carpet in great shape should be.  It’s simple, easy, and effective, all with the help of a few simple additions to your regular routine.  Read on to find out more!

When it comes to protecting your carpet, and making sure that it stays in great condition, nothing is quite as effective as a regular vacuuming schedule.  By keeping up on vacuuming, you are keeping dust mites, dirt, and other impurities out of your carpet, which not only speaks to the health of you and your family, but to the health of the carpet itself.  Try to give your carpet a thorough vacuum at least once a week, but feel free to give it some more love if it is in a high-traffic area of the house.

In addition, you should look to protect your carpet in the coming year.  No, we don’t mean breaking out the plastic wrap and covering the whole floor, but instead putting out door mats and throw rugs.  These simple additions will help keep dirt out of your carpet, which equates to less time that you need to spend vacuuming every week.  It is a sizeable investment to capitalize on both time and energy, so why not give it a try?  You can also encourage guests to leave their shoes by the door, as your carpets will accumulate much less dirt this way.

Finally, you should also make it a point to have your carpets professionally cleaned.  Sure, regular upkeep is great, but it cannot get the deep clean that a professional clean can give, like removing dug-in stains and bacteria.  One clean per year should suffice, but more may be needed if it is a high-traffic area.  
To schedule your professional clean, give Bayside Carpet Cleaning a call today!

Preparing for New Year’s

12-29-16.jpgWith 2016 finally coming to a close, everyone all over the country are preparing to usher in 2017.  From parties with relatives and friends, we’re sure that your home will be a great place to be come the 31st.  However, before we get there, a quick clean up may be in your favor.  Keep reading for a simple, foolproof guide to carpet cleaning for New Year’s!

When it comes to cleaning for a party, the first thing you want to do your carpet is to give it a good vacuum.  Go slow, and make sure you get all of the carpet.  The more the vacuum, the less you have to worry about the health of your carpet.  In addition, make sure you vacuum your tile and wood floors, and be sure to give your tile floor a quick mopping with water.

Now that vacuuming is out of the way, make your way over to your carpet and look out for stains.  If you’re short on time, only look for stains that have a clear color difference from the carpet, and use some white vinegar to get it out.  While this will not completely remove the stain, it will make it unnoticeable to your guests.

Finally, before you embark on your New Year’s extravaganza, you should know how to get champagne out of carpet.  For a fresh spill, grab some paper towels and soak up as much as you can, then grab a sponge, soak it in club soda, and dab the stain until it comes out.  Once it comes out, clean the remaining strands with a mixture of water and dish soap, and blot from the outside in.  Dab with cold water, then blot dry with a cloth and you’re good to go!

New Year’s is great, and we want to make sure that you have a good time with your family and friends, not to mention that your carpet stays protected through it all!

From all of us at Bayside Carpet Cleaning, we hope you and your family have a wonderful New Year’s!

Christmas Clean Up

12-27-16.jpgFrom all of us at Bayside Carpet Cleaning, we hope that you and your family had a wonderful Christmas!  Now that the presents have been opened and the relatives have left, it is time to give your flooring a quick touch-up to rid the Christmas messes, and to usher in the new year with a clean carpet.  Read on to find how you can give your carpet a quick, effective clean!

The first thing you need to do is an obvious one: vacuum all your floors.  Relatives galore have most likely tracked in dirt, dust, and who knows what else, so do yourself a favor and break out the vacuum to save yourself and your carpet.  Next, take a walk back through your home, looking for stains.

Should you find a stain on your carpet, you can take advantage of this simple, all-purpose cleaner to take them out.  Mix together cold water and a small amount of dish soap, and dab on stains that you encounter.  If that seems to be ineffective, you can step up your game with a vinegar-based carpet cleaner, and try that.  With enough vinegar and patience, you should be able to get the stain right out.

In addition to taking care of your carpet, you should also give your tile floors a quick mop to relieve them of any Christmas residue left over.  However, we highly advise you to use just water when you mop, as some commercial cleaners can wind up hurting your tile floors over time.  Just water will do the trick, and if you’re feeling a little adventurous, feel free to add in a few drops of essential oils to give your carpet a nice, refreshing smell.

Of course, most of us are busy in the time between Christmas and New Year’s, and do not really have time to give our flooring the cleaning that it deserves.  That is where we come in.  One call to us can give your carpet a professional clean, without the hassle.  In no time, you’ll feel like it’s Christmas all over again with your new-to-you carpet.

Give us a call today for a free estimate!

Last-Minute Clean Up Guide

12-22-16.jpgHey there Bayside Carpet Cleaning fans, the holidays are finally upon us!  This weekend marks the start of the holidays, no matter what you celebrate.  However, before guests come piling through the door, you may want to do a quick check to make sure everything is in order.  Check out our guide to be sure that you’re set for the holiday events!

De-Clutter:  Make sure that there is no clutter in the room that you plan to host all of the festivities in.  If there is, then hide it by stuffing it into another room to be dealt with later.

Carpet:  Run a quick vacuum over the carpet, and keep an eye out for any stains that may be left behind.  If there are any lying around, a quick mix of vinegar, dish soap, and water can lift them right out.  Take 1/4 cup of vinegar and 1 tablespoon of dish soap and pour into a spray bottle.  Fill with water, shake, and spray on the stain.  Let sit for 5 minutes, and then dab dry.  The stain should be gone, but if not, try again until it does.

Wipe:  Finally, make sure you wipe down all of the tables in the rooms you plan to host guests, and give the nearest bathroom a quick wipe down as well.  Nothing fancy, just a spray with a commercial cleaner and wipe it dry with a cloth.

Final Check:  Look around to make sure there is no clutter, dirt, stains, or debris lying around.  If you spot nothing, then you should be good to go enjoy the holiday with your family!

Should you need any last-minute help for cleaning your home, feel free to use all of the previous blogs that we have put up throughout the year.  There is a ton of information on there that you can use to make your home look the best it possibly can.

All of us at Bayside Carpet Cleaning would like to wish you a very happy holiday, and the best of luck on your cleaning endeavors!

Refreshing Scents

12-20-16.jpgSo you plan to clean up everything in your household for the coming onslaught of holiday guests, but there is one question that keeps bugging you: Does my home smell good, and how can I make it smell better?  Well, today we have an answer to your question, using only all-natural remedies that you have right in your cabinet.  Read on to find out more!

Sometimes, no matter how many times you go over your carpet with the vacuum cleaner, the faint smell of pet hair or spilled ice tea still lingers.  However, that smell can begone by just using the cinnamon that can be found in your spice cabinet.  Simply take a tablespoon of ground cinnamon and mix it with a cup of baking soda.  Put the contents into a shaker container (like an empty pepper shaker) and sprinkle all over your carpet.  Let it sit for a solid hour, and then vacuum over.  By letting it sit, you are letting the cinnamon dig into the fibers, providing a fresh smell that lasts even after the powder is vacuumed up.

Now for furniture, the method is the same, but the ingredients are quite different.  To mix together an effective furniture deodorizer, take a tablespoon of baking soda and 2-3 drops of your favorite essential oil.  For the holidays, peppermint may be a great oil to add in.  Once you have mixed those two together, pour into an 8-12 ounce spray bottle, and fill with water.  Shake, and spray your furniture.  No need to wipe this up, and the essential oils will absorb into the fabric, providing yet another lasting scent that will have guests wondering about your scent-based secrets.

Finally, for good measure, you can always place a bowl of vinegar into any room that you think has a funky odor to it.  Wait overnight, and we guarantee that the smell will be gone, replaced by fresh air.

Cleaning for the holidays may seem hectic, but it doesn’t have to be.  Give us a call today to squeeze you in before the holidays!

That New Furniture Smell

12-15-16.jpgFrom time to time, everyone needs an upgrade with their furniture.  However, when you bring home a new piece that will match perfectly with your room, you may find yourself pinching your nose at the chemical smell given off, and slightly regretting bringing it in.  Well, there is no need to fear any longer, as there are a few simple things you can do to rid that chemical smell from your new furniture.  Read on to learn more!

Arguably, one of the best things you can do for your furniture when you bring it home is to let it sit outside for a day.  Now, we realize that this will not work for all pieces of furniture, but for the ones that you can easily move outside yourself, leave them out on a warm, non-humid day.  Let nature do all of the work to push the chemical odor right out of the fabric, and soak in the wonderful refreshing scent of the outdoors.

Now, for the furniture that you cannot move outside on your own, there is an equally effective option that is lurking right in your cabinets: vinegar.  Simply mix together equal parts of vinegar with equal parts of water, and spray all over the piece of furniture in questions.  Let it sit for 5 minutes, and then wipe it up with a dry cloth.

For added protection, feel free to place a bowl full on vinegar right next to the furniture in order to absorb any airborne odors that were left over.  Feel free to apply the vinegar until the smell is gone, and in no time, you’ll have your new furniture smelling great once more.

For more carpet, flooring, and furniture care tips and tricks, be sure to check back to our blog every Monday and Thursday for our latest article!

Pet Hair Begone!

12-13-16.jpgNo matter what your holiday plans entail, chances are that you are going to want to do a great deal of cleaning before guests of any sort come to visit.  While some enjoy cleaning up the house, those who have pets may find that it is an absolute chore, especially with the hair everywhere.  Well today, we hope to alleviate some of that stress, as we have for you a few simple tips on how to get pet hair out of almost anything!

Out of all the things your pet’s hair can be on, chances are that your carpet takes the cake.  By walking, running, and laying on it day in and day out, your carpet has accumulated a lot of hair from Fido, although you may not even see it.  Vacuuming can get most out, but if you are really looking for a deep clean, feel free to take an extra step: mopping.  Grab a mop, spray it with water, and lightly drag it across the carpet to free up all of the pet hair that has been trapped by your fibers for so long.  You may be surprised by how much pet hair this method can get out!

For your upholstery, you can take a similar method to get a whole bunch of pet hair out.  Instead of a mop, get a rubber glove, dampen it, and then run it over the piece of furniture in question to rid it of all the pet hair there is.  Most likely, you will get the pet hair that you cannot see with your naked eye, and your guests may very well thank you for it.

Cleaning up can be a pain, but it doesn’t always have to be.  With just a few simple tips, and a new way of thinking, you can make your cleaning to-do list that much simpler.

Should you want a professional deep-clean before your guests arrive, give us a call today for a free-estimate!