Do’s And Don’ts On Indoor Hard Surface Care

There’s a lot of confusion surrounding how to best maintain stone and ceramic tile and grout floors.  Here are a few do’s and don’ts.  Remember to ALWAYS pre-vacuum your floor before you do any wet cleaning.

• Do use only professional cleaning and sealing products on your floors and countertops.  Pro’s have used them for years,  and after cleaning hundreds of floors you find out quickly what works and what does damage

• Do a regular ‘damp mop’. Use a dry non-treated dust mop. It is the unseen dirt and grit that damages hard surfaces, prevention is the best fix.

• Do keep off floors until dry, all wet floors may be slippery.

• Do everything possible to prevent accidents with perfumes, toothpaste, and makeup. These often contain harmful ingredients that may degrade your sealer.

• Don’t use vinegar, bleach, or ammonia for cleaning.

• Don’t use abrasive products such as dry or wet compound cleansers, or tub and tile cleaners.

• Don’t use store bought citrus based (lemon or orange) solvent cleaners.

• Don’t drag furniture across hard surfaces. Also avoid dropping heavy items onto hard surfaces.

• Don’t scrub hard surfaces. If properly sealed, light duty cleaning is all that should be necessary.

• Don’t attempt to re-color grout lines. There are professional applications that can restore your grout to new-looking color. In fact any color of the rainbow can be chosen.

• Don’t over wet floors when cleaning, always remove excess moisture. Air circulation is most advantageous for speedy dry times.

• Don’t break your back trying to get those floors looking the best they can be. Consult your floor care company for advice or a free written estimate.

• Do all you can to prevent over spraying of aerosols in areas with protected hard surfaces. Air fresheners, bug sprays and other surface cleaners can settle on your floors and leave a residue making cleaning a bigger chore.

• Do consult your cleaning professional about maintenance plans that may be offered.

Absolute Best Tile & Carpet Cleaning has been serving the Western Massachusetts and Northern Connecticut are for over 35 years.   We service areas from Somers and Suffield, Connecticut to Amherst and Northampton, Massachusetts.  If you’re looking for professional tile & grout cleaning or marble & granite polishing visit our website at www.likenewfloors.com or call us at 413-596-5404.

The Story Of Jenny Waitstulong

      Finally free from the kids, who were on their way to school, Jenny grabbed a load of laundry from the hamper and walked down the stairs to the basement.  She starts across the floor towards the washer and a weird thing happens.  Her feet squish on the carpet.  Her socks are soaked.  Oh no!  The basement flooded!  Great, this is just what she needed.  As if she didn’t have enough to do around the house.  She throws the laundry on the washer and digs the wet vac out of the garage.  Slowly she starts working her way across the floor meticulously sucking up as much water as she can with the vac.  Three times she dumped the bucket in the toilet.  How much more!  When she had finally vacuumed every last square inch of her carpet she grabbed a few fans and turned them on and kicked on the dehumidifier.  Satisfied that the floor just had a little more drying to do she threw her load of laundry in the washer and went about her daily chores. 

      She kept the fans on all night and in the morning walked down into the basement.  Everything seemed to be drying fine.  “A disaster averted” she says to herself. 

      A few days go by and Jenny notices the basement has a funny odor.  It was kind of a mildew-y, moldy, musty odor.  What’s going on?  Was there water someplace else?  Maybe somewhere she missed?  No, she was sure she got it all.  What could it be?

      What Jenny didn’t know was that while she had sucked up most of the standing water on her carpet she didn’t get any of the water that was under her carpet or in the walls.  While she thought the carpet was drying, in fact her padding was soaking wet and water was trapped in her walls where she couldn’t possibly remove it herself.  Mold had started growing within 12-24 hours after it had first gotten wet and had continued growing over the past few days until now the odor from the microorganisms was so great it offended Jenny’s senses and left her wondering if there existed a candle strong enough to mask the odor. 

      Frantically Jenny calls a water restoration company.  “Can you save my carpet!” she shrieks.  Her heart starts pounding as she hears the reply.  She waited too long.  Her house can be restored but some parts of her basement will have to be removed.  The carpet and padding are a total loss and must be replaced.  The walls will have to be evaluated and may be saved if it’s not too late.  “Oh if only I had called a professional sooner!” she cries out in dismay.

      Now Jenny Waitstulong, of course, is a fictional character but her story is all too real.  We often get calls from frantic homeowners when their basement starts to smell days after a water invasion.  They thought they had dried it up with a wet vac or portable extraction unit.  What they don’t realize is just how complex water removal is.  First, a homeowner cannot possibly get the extraction power of a truck mounted unit and they don’t have the proper tools to remove water from beneath the carpet or in walls which is much more difficult to remove.  Second, they don’t have the moisture meters and readers to know how much water they really have, where it is, and how much has dried. Finally, they don’t have access to the air movers and commercial de-humidifiers that are needed to thoroughly dry an area. For instance, an average basement requires at least 2 commercial dehumidifiers and 12-20 air movers going non stop for 3 days to get it dry again. Don’t let what happened to Jenny happen to you.  Don’t delay calling us for water removal.  Water damage can be hidden to the eye for weeks or months but can continue to destroy the floor, walls, and building itself.  Bacteria-caused odor develops and infests a mold and mildew growth that is unhealthy to humans and pets and can become permanently integrated with fabric fibers.  If you are looking for water restoration or carpet cleaning in Longmeadow Massachusetts area call Absolute Best Tile & Carpet Cleaning right away! Please don’t wait!

Is Your Grout, Marble, Or Granite Stain Proof?

Whether you have brand new tile and stone or if you’ve had it for a while, protection from staining is extremely important.  Left unprotected, your beautiful new floor can be turned into a nightmare in as little as 3 months and your older floor will be extremely hard to clean.  If you’ve ever tried to “clean” your grout, you know how time consuming and labor intensive it is as a homeowner to get it to look good again.  Many people have confessed to spending days on their floor with toothbrushes only to have it look like they never cleaned it several months later.  Not only is that discouraging and frustrating but it’s completely unnecessary if the floor has been properly sealed and the homeowner knows the right way to clean tile & grout.  The first thing you need to know about your floor, old or new, is if it’s protected now.  With older floors you may think you’re in the clear because you sealed it when it was new, but protection can wear away and some cleaners will strip sealer (such as ammonia, bleach, vinegar, strong degreasers, and sometimes even dish detergent).  Do you have a newer floor? Did you know that most installers DO NOT seal the floors they install?  If you just “assume” the sealing was done, then you could be in for a world of hurt down the road when you have permanent stains in your grout or stone.  So how do you know if your grout or stone is sealed and protected?  This simple test will tell you if your floor or counter is protected from permanent staining.

Step 1 – Find a clean area of grout or stone to test.

Step 2 – Pour a few tablespoons of water on your grout or stone.

Step 3 – Allow 15 minutes to see if the water penetrates.

Step 4 – Wipe up excess water with a dry towel.

Did the grout get darker?  Did the water sink in?

If Yes, your floor has little or no protection from permanent water based stains.

If No, Your floor may be protected from water based stains but what about oil?  Repeat test with alcohol or cooking oil in an inconspicuous area.

If you have any questions about grout or stone sealing or are looking for tile & stone cleaner in Longmeadow, Wilbraham, Hampden, Monson, Amherst, or surrounding areas in Massachusetts, please feel free to visit our website www.likenewfloors.com for more information.

Confused About Carpet Cleaning Methods?

WHICH METHOD DEEP CLEANS BEST?

Dry Foam: The carpet cleaner applies shampoo to your carpet, allows it to dry, and then, without rinsing, sucks the dried shampoo into a vacuum. Can you imagine applying shampoo to your hair, allowing it to dry and then removing the shampoo from your head with a vacuum? This method leaves dirty residue in your carpet, which is one reason dry foam is not too effective.

Absorbent pad (bonnet cleaning): This method is similar to dry foam, except that the company sets a large cotton bonnet on your carpet and, with a floor polishing buffer machine on top, “buffs” the carpet. The rotating motion causes the bonnet to absorb dirt from your carpet. This method is also called bonnet cleaning. Bonnet cleaning is like trying to use a large cotton towel or mop to rub the dirt out of your carpet. It’s not very effective.

NEVER EVER…

Let a carpet cleaner apply ANY solution that contains:

1. Optical Brighteners or
2. Silicone protectant

Because they… (1) can discolor your carpet (2) void your warranty (3) cause your carpet to re-soil FASTER (4) cause irreversible damage.

The major carpet manufacturers (Like Shaw & Mohawk) warn in their care brochures to never apply silicone protectants or optical brighteners.

Dry, Absorbent powder: The dry compound method spreads a moist absorbent powder through the carpet. The powder is allowed to dry and then sucked into a vacuum. This method leaves dry sponge particles at the base of the carpet yarn. Because the carpet is not rinsed, this method is not very effective.

Hot water extraction: This is a fancy way of saying that a hot water cleaning solution under high pressure is forced into your carpet and then sucked out of your carpet.

In a recent Technical Bulletin, Shaw Industries, the world’s largest carpet manufacturer, “recommends the hot water extraction system, which research indicates provides the best capability for cleaning.”

You can choose from two different types: Truck-mount extraction, which is done with a large machine mounted on a truck or van, or portable extraction, which is done with a small, hand-held unit.

On which type to choose: Shaw’s Technical Bulletin states: “[cleaning] can be done from a truck-mounted unit outside the facility with only the hose and wand brought inside, or where a truck-mounted unit cannot reach, by a portable, self-contained system brought into the facility.”

As you can see, Shaw recommends the truck-mounted unit first. This isn’t surprising. You see, the truck-mounted unit cleans much better because it heats the water to a high temperature and shoots the cleaning solution into the carpet at higher pressures. This breaks up the dirt, bacteria, chemicals and pollens in the carpet. Then the machine produces a huge vacuum volume to draw the dirt and chemicals out of your carpet. This is the method our company uses.

No question, the most effective way to clean carpeting is with a hot water unit. It’s the most powerful cleaning machine on the market and the only machine that cleans our carpet of dirt, harmful bacteria, fungus, chemicals, pollens, tobacco residue and dust mites.

Some people believe that hot water damages your carpet, but this isn’t true. By washing and then rinsing your carpet with hot water, we clean your carpet completely – in the same way that the person who showers and then rinses off the dirt and soap will be much cleaner than the person who takes only a sponge bath.

If you are looking for a carpet cleaner in Longmeadow, Wilbraham, Hampden, Monson, or surrounding areas in Massachusetts, please feel free to visit our website www.likenewfloors.com to see before and after pictures, video and testimonials from your neighbors.

Polish My Marble!

Marble is a beautiful decorative stone that is used in many places around the home.  Entry ways, bathrooms, fireplaces, kitchens, table tops and counters.  People are drawn to marble for different reasons.  Some love the colors and the unique variations in the veins.  Many are drawn to the rich glossy shine that marble can have.  Whatever the reason, marble has been a part of architecture for thousands of years. 

A common misconception about marble is that because it’s a stone it’s highly durable.  Unfortunately this is not necessarily true.  Marble is generally considered a soft stone.  It scratches easily and is very porous and so it can stain easily if it is not properly sealed. (The lighter the color the softer the stone.)  So if you have a high gloss marble tile in your entry or kitchen it won’t take long before the scratches and stains begin to show.  What can be done when that happens?

We get many calls from people asking us to “put the polish back” on their marble.  What they don’t realize is if they have a true glossy marble, the shine they see is not a coating put on top of the stone but the stone itself.  When you damage the surface you are damaging the stone.   The high shine is accomplished by diamond sanding with finer and finer grits and then a final polish with special products to create that high gloss.  The finished product is a highly polished marble- not a dull marble with a coating on top.  Worn, scratched and dull marble can be refinished in this way to restore its original beauty and shine.

Some manufacturers do put a coating on dull marble to give it that high gloss.  This is essentially cheating.  It is much easier (and cheaper) to slap a coating on marble than to take the time and carefully polish it.  Coatings on marble can be dangerous.  Marble needs to breathe.  Some coatings prevent this from occurring and moisture trapped beneath the surface can cause spalling; cracking, flaking, and popping.  Other coatings can discolor.  In addition, by applying a coating to your marble you will have to strip and refinish the coating as it gets scratched, dulled, and discolored- which is the same way you would care for a vinyl floor.  Most people buy stone for a reason; they want a natural stone surface, not a wash and wax surface.  We do not recommend putting any kind of coating on most marble, travertine, or limestone.

For more infomation about marble polishing in Longmeadow MA you can call visit www.likenewfloors.com.

Red Flags For Carpet & Tile Cleaning Scams

Read almost every ad from just about every professional cleaner and you will read about how their process or method is the best and they have the best service. We all know you can’t always trust what a company says about themselves. What are some red flags that should make you run for the door? Here are some things to be wary of.

1) Misleading claims – I was reading in one company’s advertising that their equipment was exclusively endorsed by the carpet manufacturers like Shaw Industries. This made it sound like they had special equipment that other cleaners don’t have. In truth, Shaw Industries recommends Truck Mounted Hot Water Extraction because their research indicates that it provides the best capability for cleaning. You can read this in their carpet care guides and technical bulletins. Most professional carpet cleaners use this method to clean carpets so to say that your equipment is exclusively endorsed by Shaw industries is somewhat misleading.

2) Disguising their cleaning process – The same cleaner mentioned in the the prior paragraph calls their cleaning “High Flow Cleaning”. Then they proceed to describe their “unique” cleaning process and how different it is from everyone else. What they describe is Hot Water Extraction. So after reading their advertising you think they have some new and special way of cleaning when in actuality it is the same method used by the majority of carpet cleaners. Another company in our area (Hampden County, MA) claims they have a new revolutionary way of cleaning called “Circular Dry Foam”. Dry foam has been around for 30 years, it is hardly new. Adding the word “circular” does not make it a new process. This company also states statistics from a testing institute on their ad to back up how wonderful their “Circular Dry Foam” process is. The only problem is the institute they claim did the study doesn’t exist and the statistics are all false.

There are no unique processes for cleaning carpet. Unless the company is mixing their own products in their garage and building their own cleaning equipment, it is not unique. There are differences in how companies operate their equipment (some don’t know how to operate their equipment properly) and what cleaning products they use (some products work better than others) and their attention to detail (do they treat all the spots, clean the corners and edges, etc.) but the primary method of cleaning will never be unique.

A local tile cleaner in our area claimed that other tile cleaners use harsh strippers and high pressurized hot water that sprays around your kitchen damaging your tile and grout as well as destroying your walls, cabinets, baseboards, etc. Well first let me say that I have not heard of any professional tile cleaning company cleaning anyone’s floor like that. Would any homeowner allow a company to pressure wash their kitchen floor the same as a sidewalk? Secondly, a stripper and high pressurized water will not damage tile and grout. This misleading scare tactic is almost laughable. What’s worse is this cleaner then describes his cleaning process which includes special cleaners and hot water that “blasts away grime”. Hmmm.. Sound familiar? Yes he too uses strong cleaners and high pressurized hot water. The equipment he describes is the same equipment other tile cleaners use including my company. His process is no different and his claim that other tile cleaners recklessly spray harsh chemicals and hot water all over your kitchen destroying nearly everything is ridiculous.

3) Mystery Testimonials – “I just loved the service I got from Generic Carpet Cleaner. My carpets look brand new.” “Your cleaning is the best.” Great testimonials, however if there is no name, how can you be sure it’s a real testimonial? If a company is truly great and offers superb service there will be no shortage of people willing to provide a testimonial and allow their name to be used as a reference. On our site and in our ads we provide the first and last name of the person who gave us the testimonial. (Used with their permission) It’s ok to be skeptical of testimonials you read. Sometimes even the name can be faked. One of our clients in Longmeadow Massachusetts had people calling her on the phone wanting to know if she was a real person after reading her testimonial about us in a newspaper ad. She was more than happy to tell them about her experience with us because she was so thrilled with our work. We also have 2 large books of actual cleaning testimonials that we bring with us on our in home evaluations.

Companies that have to employ deceptive and misleading advertising tactics to gain clients are no doubt lacking in quality and service. They are most certainly lacking in honesty and integrity. If a company has a great service they should be able to provide you with many references, not just 3 or 4. Check for references at EthicalServices.com. A quality company will have a guarantee in writing that lays out exactly what the guarantee covers and what will happen if you are not happy. For tile cleaning, you should be able to see a demonstration on your floor before committing to the job. For a complete Consumer Guide To Carpet Cleaning or if you are looking for a Longmeadow carpet & tile cleaner go to www.likenewfloors.com or call us at 413-596-5404. We service the Longmeadow, Wilbraham, East Longmeadow, and Hampden Massachusetts area. We have built our company on consumer education and providing an honest and ethical service.

Why Cleaning Carpet Doesn’t Remove Urine Odor

What happens when your pet urinates on your carpet? Does it stay on top of the carpet, floating there waiting for you to clean it? No. It soaks in and goes beneath the carpet into the padding and sub floor. This is where most of the urine resides. Below the carpet fibers. When you clean carpet you are doing just that; cleaning the carpet fibers, not the padding or sub floor. So where does this leave you? With a smelly wet carpet. There is hope though, the padding and sub floor can be treated in many cases to eliminate any noticeable odor. The only way to guarantee complete odor removal, however, is to replace all contaminated surfaces including the carpet, padding, sub floor, baseboards, and dry wall. If you don’t want to do all that, then spot treatment of the contaminated areas is your next best bet. Contact your local carpet cleaner who specializes on deep treating urine spots. They should be able to do an in home evaluation of your situation and see if spot treatment is right for you.  If you are looking for a carpet cleaner in Wilbraham MA, Longmeadow MA, or surrounding areas contact Absolute Best for help in removing your pet odors.  You can visit our website www.likenewfloors.com or call us at 413-596-5404

Is any floor maintenance free?

We live in a day in age when people don’t have time to be bothered with mundane tasks. This is especially true when it comes to cleaning. No one wants a hard to clean floor that takes up days out of their life every couple of months. Yet many people do just that when they rip up their carpets and install “maintenance free” tile. The fact is, nothing is maintenance free. No matter what floor you install, it will require some sort of maintenance. Some more than others.

Many believe (and are even told) that tile is maintenance free. So they install a beautiful tile floor with perfectly matching grout. And what happens? After months of sloshing dirty water around their floor (aka mopping), their grout no longer resembles the perfect color they once chose. It now looks somewhat (or a lot) brown.. What went wrong?

For starters, the grout was probably never sealed. Most installers do not seal the floors they install. And many tile stores never even mention sealing to the customer or if they do, they make light of it. This is a huge mistake. Grout is very porous and will soak up dirt, oil, beverages… You can even end up with permanent staining.

The second thing that went wrong is the homeowner cleaned the floor by traditional mopping. Mopping is the worst way to clean a tile floor, unless you are using a flat microfiber mop and a 2 part bucket system. By mopping the floor, and using the same dirty water you rinse your mop in to then clean more of the floor, you simply spread around the dirt and it soaks into the grout lines. Most homeowners will also use harsh cleaning products such as ammonia, bleach, and vinegar; and will use more than is necessary thus leaving a soap residue that attracts even more soil. (By the way folks, ammonia and vinegar can discolor grout, and bleach can actually bleach the color out of some grouts)

Is there anything that can be done? Yes. If you have a new tile floor (less than 2 weeks old) seal it with a high quality professional sealer or call a service that specializes in stain proofing grout and stone. If your floor is older and needs a little TLC, call a professional tile cleaning service. Don’t skimp. You get what you pay for. Ask the company to do a free demo so you can see what results you can expect. If they won’t do a demo, call someone else. Get references. If you would like tile cleaning in Longmeadow, Hampden, Wilbraham & Monson areas in Massachusetts contact Absolute Best for more information on proper tile and grout care.