17 Mistakes to Avoid When Selling Your House
Selling your house can be both exciting and stressful, especially if it’s your first time. Regardless of why you decided to sell your home, there are a number of pitfalls you can easily fall into, making your home selling experience less than ideal. Luckily, we’ve put together a list of the most common home selling mistakes people make so you can sell your home knowing you have your bases covered. Underestimating the cost of selling your house While you should ultimately profit from the sale of your home, many home sellers forget about the costs associated with selling a house. For starters, you should expect to use five to six percent of the total sale price of your home to cover the commissions of both the seller and buyer agents. For example, if you sell your home for $300,000 you could wind up paying upwards of $18,000 in commission. Furthermore, this hefty cost doesn’t include possible concessions homebuyers might want you to make during the negotiation phase, such as making repairs suggested by a home inspector. Not budgeting for your move When you consider the moving process, you have two options: hiring a moving company or borrow your buddy’s truck and doing it yourself. By hiring a moving company, rather than doing it yourself, you’re getting someone who will pack, move, and then unpack your belongings. This means that a full-service mover can be well worth the investment when you’re preoccupied with all of the other tasks associated with selling your home. Not to mention, when you hire movers your belongings are insured so you’re covered if anything breaks. Selling a house you owe more on than what it’s worth If you still have a remaining balance on your mortgage, you’ll most likely use a portion of the sale proceeds of your home to pay off the existing mortgage. Make sure you don’t owe more on your mortgage than what your house is actually worth or you won’t make enough money on the sale to pay off your mortgage. The best option is almost always to wait on selling your home so that it can build more equity. This way you can sell your home and buy a new one without having two mortgages at the same time. Pricing your home incorrectly If you price your home too high, your home may fall into seller’s limbo, sitting on the market for what feels like an eternity. On the other hand, if you price too low then you will likely sell your home quickly but you risk missing out on a significant amount of money. The first step to understanding how much your home is worth is utilizing an online calculator. Afterward, meet with your real estate agent to discuss a good pricing strategy for your home. They will look at other comparable properties in your neighborhood that sold recently as well as bring keen insights into what the housing market is currently doing. Together, you’ll determine a good starting price as well as a pricing strategy that will incentivize buyers if your house begins to sit on the market for too long. Skipping a pre-listing home inspection before selling your house Selling a house is stressful enough, even when everything goes right. But if a homebuyer hires an inspector who catches an issue like mold, pests, or a cracked foundation, then your stress levels will multiply as you risk losing a potential sale entirely. Given the affordability of home inspections, there’s not much reason to avoid them. Getting a pre-listing home inspection will put your mind at ease as you’ll either know that your home is in sound condition or you’ll be able to tackle problems before homebuyers have the chance to bring them up during the negotiation phase. If an issue does arise, you can either fix it or you can let buyers know and then make a concession during the negotiation phase by reducing the price of your home accordingly. Not refinishing hardwood floors or cleaning your carpet If you’re reading this at home, look down. How do your floors look? Even if they don’t look terrible, there’s a pretty good chance they’re starting to show their age. Since potential buyers are going to be inspecting every aspect of your home, you should start thinking of refinishing your hardwood floors and cleaning your carpet. Whether you’re selling in Atlanta or Portland, the best time to have your carpet cleaned or hardwood floors refinished is right before you stage your home. Since you’ll already be moving most (or all) of your furniture to either a new home or a storage unit, this is a great time to get your floors done (like the floors above) and make them a selling point to potential homebuyers. Not staging your home for a quick sale The main point of staging your home is to allow potential homebuyers the chance to picture themselves living in your space. They get to see a home with furniture and art that’s arranged in a way that highlights key features of your home, rather than an empty house that echoes every sound. Staging your home pays off too as 21 percent of agents told the National Association of Realtors that staging a home increased its’ sale price by as much as 10 percent, making it a worthwhile investment. Forgoing professional real estate photos With the advent of cameras on smartphones, everyone likes to think of themselves as a photographer these days. Even though that picture you took of your dinner last week looked like it could be featured in advertisements, you’re still probably not ready to take your own real estate photos. A real estate photographer will make sure that your home looks great when you list it because not only do they have the equipment, they understand the angles that best sell a home. If you have a large home, a stunning view you want to show off, or a large amount of land, you
How To Maintain Your Upholstery After It’s Cleaned
Maintaining your upholstery after it is cleaned is a simple, quick project that keeps your furniture looking great. At A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning, our professional carpet cleaners serving Denver have some thoughts on the best approach. Pick the Right Fabric Picking the right fabric for the right piece of furniture makes it easy to maintain your upholstery, and can actually help extend the piece’s lifetime. For example, upholstered furniture that sees heavy usage derives far more benefit from synthetic fibers than, say, vinyl. Also, if you have pets, you’ll want to pick fabrics that don’t have loose weaves or too much texture. Protect Your Fabric Before it ships from the manufacturer, upholstery fabric is usually treated with water and soil repellents, and an anti-mildew coating is applied. You can purchase additional fabric protectors from a store, but the best form of fabric protection is in fact prompt attention to spills. Even though the upholstery protectants will delay spills from being absorbed into the fabric right away, an immediate cleaning of the soiled area is essential. Spills should be blotted immediately and gently with a clean folded towel. If the upholstery fabric was pre-treated with a fabric protector blotting might be enough to completely remove the spill. Before you blot, check the manufacturer’s instructions to see if you need a water-based or solvent-based cleaner. Also, it’s a good idea to test the cleaning solution on an inconspicuous area before you apply it to the upholstery. In most cases, the best choice is to use a mild cleaning product applied with a soft brush. Move the brush in a circular motion to work the solvent into the fibers, and then vacuum the spill area when it’s dry. If you’re unsure how a certain fabric should be cleaned, follow the manufacturer’s care instructions or contact our local carpet cleaners in Littleton. Turn the Cushions Periodically turning over your furniture’s loose cushions is a simple way to extend your upholstered furniture’s life. Akin to a tire rotation for a car, turning the cushions promotes an even distribution of wear and tear, and helps keep your cushions from developing indentations. And while you’re turning the cushions, give them a good fluffing to help maintain their shape. Also, swap the position of your cushions so the cushion in a popular sitting place doesn’t get overused. Vacuum Another easy way to maintain your upholstery is by committing to a weekly vacuuming. This is an effective way to keep your furniture free of dust and pet hair, while also removing surface soil and preventing dirt from embedding in the fibers. Another option is to use a brush to whisk the dirt away. If you go this route, make sure you use a soft bristled brush so you don’t damage the upholstery. Trust Our Experts Along with frequent upholstery maintenance, it’s a good idea to contact our nearby carpet repair company for a professional upholstery cleaning every year or two. Don’t wait for your furniture to show visible signs of dirt and wear. The dirtier a sofa or chair gets, the harder it is to clean. Call us today at (720) 344-2870 for your free quote and consultation. Remember at A Personal Touch, “We don’t cut corners, we clean them.”
Keep Up With Your Upholstery Cleaning
Every one or two years: on average, that’s how often you should have your upholstery cleaned by the professional carpet cleaners at A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning in Englewood. However, there are exceptions to this rule. Your lifestyle, the number of occupants in your home, and resident allergy sufferers are important factors. The key is to weigh these criteria and find the ideal frequency. Frequency Of Use Furniture that’s used frequently is a hot bed for dirt and dust accrual. Where exactly this occurs depends on the type of furniture, but with a white, cotton towel you can conduct an easy check of seat cushions, armrests, etc. Just rub the towel on the furniture’s surface, and if stays clean, you still have some time before your next upholstery cleaning. However, if the towel is smudged with dirt, you should make an appointment with our local upholstery cleaners. Of course, an opposing scenario is possible in which furniture that’s rarely used acquires a sheen of dust over time. Furniture of this sort could also be susceptible to assorted insects and their droppings, so it’s just as important to have these items professionally cleaned too. Allergy Sufferers This one’s pretty straightforward. If you and/or others in your home suffer from allergies, you should have your furniture’s upholstery cleaned at least once a year, and maybe more depending on the severity of the allergies and the weather/pollen count. Common allergens like dust, pollen, and dander don’t take long to build up within upholstered furniture, and when they do you’ll have an unhappy allergy sufferer on your hands. Avoid this problem by keeping your upholstery clean, especially during the warmer months. Lifestyle This is the biggest determiner of how often you should have your furniture upholstery cleaned. Here’s a list of common variables. The more of these you check off, the more often you should consider a professional cleaning. Do kids live in the home? Do you have pets? Do you spend a lot of time outside: gardening, cycling, hiking, etc.? Do you have a “hands-on” job like construction worker, auto mechanic, contractor, carpenter, or exterminator? Are people always coming and going in your house, i.e. neighborhood kids, clients of your at-home business? In a place like Denver, where many people live an active lifestyle and are frequently outdoors, the need for upholstery cleaning is more pressing than in a city like, say, Albany. So right off the bat, you can probably check off one or two things on the list above. From there, it’s just a matter of assessing your lifestyle and confirming how many more items apply. But wherever you fall on the list, there’s a very good chance you’ll need your furniture upholstery cleaned more than just once every two years. We’ll Help You Assess and Protect With so many variables involved on the subject of upholstery cleaning near Denver, homeowners can benefit from speaking with A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning. We’ll help you assess your needs and then develop a plan designed to protect your upholstery, and the health of the people who use it. Call us today at 720.344.2870 or use our online contact form to request your free estimate. Remember at A Personal Touch, “We don’t cut corners, we clean them.”
The Dos and Don’ts of Upholstery Cleaning
When you work with a Littleton company like A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning, you get the kind of top-flight expertise that only comes with decades of experience. Keeping your upholstery spotless is one goal of our cleaning company serving Englewood, and our expert team adheres to a specific set of dos and don’ts. Do: Vacuum Frequently Don’t wait until crumbs, dust, dirt, and other particulate is heavily entrenched in your couch, loveseat, or easy chair. Instead, vacuum frequently – daily, if necessary – and ensure that your furniture’s arms, cushions, and crevices are crud-free. Left unaddressed, these materials can cause discoloration and foul odors, yet another reason to keep your vacuum handy. You can also count on our local furniture cleaners to apply the latest, eco-friendliest protective polishes and stain preventers. Do: Spot-Treat and Clean Stains Immediately All of us have spilled something at some point in our lives, and some of these substances have been acidic furniture-damagers like wine and coffee. It’s important to spot-clean these spills right when they happen in order to avoid permanent damage to your furniture. An off-the-shelf cleaning product should be enough to stem the tide (depending on what was spilled, and how much) until our team reaches your house and can assess the issue first-hand. For large stains and/or stains made by a highly acidic or toxic product, we’ll address the problem with professional-grade cleaning solutions and high-powered stain removal equipment. Don’t: Saturate Upholstery With Water It’s natural for a homeowner to want to attack a stain or spill with water, especially when the spill is made of something notorious for causing long-term damage. However, using too much water can lead to its own set of problems. When excess water soaks furniture, the moisture seeping into the upholstery often causes ripples and/or buckling in the fabric, which can be hard to remedy. In fact, extreme cases might necessitate replacing the item with a new piece of furniture. If the spill affects your furniture and the surrounding carpet, it’s equally important not to soak the carpet. Too much water can cause wicking, which happens when moisture penetrates deep into the carpet and then rises back to the top, carrying with it any deep-rooted soil and spill residue. But the “wick” is akin to an iceberg, with the surface-visible residue connected to unseen detritus nestled deeper in the carpet. Carpet wicking, as well as upholstery ripples and buckling is best avoided by using a gentle, low-water approach to cleaning. Don’t: Ignore Fading Colors Sunlight, usage, and airborne/product-based chemicals all contribute to furniture losing its color. Fading begins gradually, but soon you’ll see that one area of your couch isn’t as “colorful” as another. Although this is a natural byproduct of furniture ownership, it doesn’t mean your only recourse is to let the fading continue. Our local cleaning company has the expertise to restore the original colors to your furniture and upholstery. At the very least, we recommend consulting us anytime you think it’s time to replace a faded piece of furniture with something new. Trust Our Experts To Keep Your Upholstery Clean For professional upholstery cleaning near Englewood, trust A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning. With our help, your furniture will remain clean, vibrant, and stain-free for years to come. Remember at A Personal Touch, “We don’t cut corners, we clean them.”
How To Protect Your Upholstery From Pets
Pets are a cherished part of the family, but many customers ask A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning for advice on pet-proofing their upholstery. This is an area of considerable experience for our professional carpet cleaners, and we think the following tips will come in handy. Buy Furniture That Uses Pet-Friendly Materials This is an ideal way for both you and your pet to enjoy the comfort of your living room sofa, and the two best materials are microfiber and leather. Microfiber offers impressive durability, while pet owners love leather because it’s easy to clean. Also, both materials are far more odor-resistant than competing alternatives. Match Your Furniture Color With Your Pet’s Unless you own a hairless cat or routinely shave your dog, you’ll probably end up with at least a minimal amount of pet hair on your furniture. Rather than fight it, why not use your pet’s color to your advantage and buy furniture of a similar color? Or at the very least, purchase blankets/throws that are of a similar hue. This will cut down on your regular cleaning, and probably keep you from tearing your own hair out. Buy a Dog Bed While there’s no guarantee that your dog will like a bed as much as the couch, it’s safe to say that most dogs will spend at least part of their time in a bed that’s just for them. Nowadays you’ll find beds with all sorts of added benefits: heated, pillowed, bolstered, orthopedic, the list goes on. If your dog really wants to be part of the action all the time, start by putting his bed in the living room so he’ll still be close to you. One he acclimates, he’ll probably seek the bed out wherever it is. But even at a bare minimum, the more time your dog hangs out in his bed, the less time he spends shedding/scratching/biting on the furniture. No Bare Wood If your dog is a chewing machine (or a puppy, as the terms are more or less interchangeable), it’s a good idea to avoid any furniture constructed from bare wood. Some dogs love laying into a naked wooden chair leg, and breaking a dog of its chewing habits can be difficult, especially if you’re out of the house a lot. Since chewing is not only harmful to your furniture but also to your pet, we recommend either crate training your dog, or spraying down your wood furniture with a repellent such as bitter apple spray. Make Certain Rooms Off-Limits This is an easy solution – just remember to close the doors of the rooms that you don’t want your dog to enter. This likely won’t apply to your living room or kitchen, but for these spaces you could use baby gates for prevention as well as training purposes. Trust Us For Your Carpet and Upholstery Needs In addition to expert upholstery cleaning services, A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning excels at spot removal, pet damage solutions, and much more. In fact, we’re so confident in our abilities that we’ll provide you with a free quote for any service you need. Contact us today and let’s get started. Remember at A Personal Touch, “We don’t cut corners, we clean them.”
How Do You Clean a Fabric Sofa?
Fabric sofas are comfortable and stylish, but they can be difficult to clean. And since plastic covers likely aren’t an option for you, here are some fabric sofa cleaning tips straight from the professional carpet cleaners at A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning. Tip #1: Check The Cleaning Tag For many people, a piece of furniture’s cleaning tag barely registers on our radar until something bad happens. In this case, check your fabric sofa’s tag and you’ll see a series of useful letters. Here’s what they mean: W – The sofa’s material can be cleaned using water S – Water is prohibited. Instead, a special solvent-based cleaner must be used. WS – Water or a solvent-based cleaner are both ok for cleaning the sofa X – Vacuum only It’s important to follow the cleaning tag’s instructions to the letter. As innocent as water seems, using it on a fabric that expressly recommends a solvent-based cleaner could actually lead to a stain on the sofa. Yes, strange as it may seem, even water can stain certain fabrics/materials. Cleaning a Fabric Sofa Marked “W” or “WS” Here’s a good framework to follow when cleaning a sofa with tags confirming it’s W or WS-approved. Note that you’ll need three light-colored microfiber cloths to complete all of the following steps. Vacuum your couch and rid it of any dirt/debris that your cleaning might accidentally rub into the fabric Mix two cups of distilled water with 1tbsp of dishwashing liquid and 1tbsp of vinegar Dampen a microfiber cloth in this cleaning solution. Make sure that this cloth is light-colored so there’s no risk of it bleeding into your sofa fabric Using your cloth, gently blot (no rubbing or scrubbing) the stained area(s). Rubbing/scrubbing can cause fiber damage. Wet a second microfiber cloth with distilled water only, and blot the stain once more in order to remove any excess soap Use your third, 100% dry microfiber cloth to blot the area one last time Point a fan at the cleaned area and wait until the fabric dries completely Another Option: Steam Cleaning If your fabric sofa is W or WS-approved, steam-cleaning could be an alternative to the “dab and blot” scenario. Consult the manufacturer’s instruction booklet (if you don’t have the hard copy, you can probably find an online version) to confirm that steam cleaning is ok. Some fabric sofas are amenable to water and solvents, but aren’t designed to withstand heat. For extra peace of mind, steam-clean a small, out-of-the-way segment of sofa and see whether the cleaner causes any damage. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions regarding what setting your steam cleaner should be set at. You should also: Steam-clean your couch on a nice day so that you can open the windows and expedite the drying process Vacuum the sofa first and remove all dirt/debris If your steam cleaner uses microfiber cloths to assist with debris pickup, make sure to change these out as you clean. This will optimize the amount of dirt the cleaner grabs. When you’re finished, position a fan on the affected area until 100% dry The Preferred Professional Carpet Cleaners In Englewood Whether you have furniture, carpet, or drapes that require professional care, A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning answers the call. Along with our expertise in upholstery cleaning, we offer decades of experience with pet cleaning, tile and grout cleaning, and much more. Contact us today for a free quote. Remember at A Personal Touch, “We don’t cut corners, we clean them.”
The Most Common Causes Of Carpet Damage
Everyone wants their carpet to last forever, but even the most durable products wear out eventually. Sometimes, damage can hasten the need for new carpet or carpet repair, and in this blog we look at the most common causes of carpet damage. Dirt Dirt, along with mud, grime, and general debris, is a big contributor to carpet damage. Dirt is a year-round problem, tracked in on shoes spring, summer, fall, and winter. Over time, dirt build-up will stain and discolor carpet, working its way into the fibers thanks to constant foot traffic. Ultimately, dirt is a prime reason why some carpet doesn’t last as long as it should. Spills A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning has helped a lot of customers in need of carpet and area rug repair because of a spill. Beverage spills, especially drinks with a high acid content like red wine, coffee, and soda, can permanently stain a carpet if they aren’t addressed immediately. Meanwhile, chemical spills (bleach, oil, etc.) can quickly discolor and/or damage carpet, creating a problem that can’t be fixed no matter what cleaning mixture is used. Homeowners have no choice other than to tolerate these kind of lasting stains and damage until they’re ready to install new carpet. Furniture The heavier the furniture, the more likely it is to cause long-term damage to your carpet’s back-weave and fibers. At best, a weighty dining room table will leave permanent dents in the carpet. At worst, heavy furniture will eventually bore holes in the carpet which sometimes can be remedied via patchwork or sewing. As long as the furniture remains in place, the hole is covered – but when you decide to rearrange the room or sell the house, the damage will require addressing. Foot Traffic Foot traffic is the bane of homeowners everywhere. And not matter how many times we tell people to take their shoes off, it’s certain that a carpet will endure wear and tear. How much wear and tear depends on the size of your family, the frequency with which you have guests over, etc. All shoes, even slippers, cause carpet to wear down over time: the worst culprits are dress shoes and high heels. Additionally, all of these feet/shoes track dirt, dust, and debris into your home, causing your carpet to wear out even faster. Odors The longer your carpet is exposed to a pungent odor, the greater the opportunity for the scent to work its way into your carpet. If you’ve ever been inside the home of a smoker or cat owner who doesn’t prioritize odor removal/air fresheners, you know what we’re talking about. If ignored long enough, these odors will become a permanent part of your flooring and remain as such until you replace the carpet. Pets Here we’re referring to common household pets like cats and dogs, who have a propensity for periodically scratching furiously at the carpet because of something they saw, heard, or smelled. Eventually this habit can lead to serious wear and tear, possibly resulting in rips and holes. Trust The Experts For all of your carpet repair and rug repair needs, trust A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning. Our many years of experience, coupled with our state-of-the-art cleaning tools, are a boon to homeowners throughout the Denver metro area. Call us today at (720) 344-2870 for your free quote and consultation. Remember at A Personal Touch, “We don’t cut corners, we clean them.”
Five Eco-Friendly Upholstery Cleaning Tips
Eco-friendly upholstery cleaning is something all homeowners are interested in, and it’s a service that A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning provides to its customers. If you’re looking for reasons why a “green” approach to your furniture is the way to go, here are five tips to consider. Weekly Vacuuming Dust is ubiquitous in every home, and dirt and debris aren’t far behind, especially if you have kids. These materials enter your house every time someone comes in from outside and each time a door or window is open, even for a brief moment. Left unattended, dust and the like can become ingrained in your upholstery and prove difficult to remove. Get the upper hand in this perpetual fight by vacuuming your upholstery once a week at minimum, and 2 – 3 times for furniture that sees a high amount of usage, or is located close to a window/door. Defeat Spills Promptly Spills don’t require toxic chemicals for removal, as long as you deal with them right after they happen. First, dab the spill and remove any excess moisture from the couch cushion or chair arm where the spill happened. Then tackle the spill with water and hand soap – or, if the spill is from something with a high acid content (i.e. red wine, juice, coffee), use a combination of cornstarch and salt. For spills that leave a bad smell, sprinkle some baking soda over the area, let it sit for 10 minutes, and then vacuum it up. If after all of your hard work there is still a stain left behind, try a combination consisting of one-part distilled white vinegar and three-parts water. This solution works well on most stains, and it’s a much greener, eco-friendly option than store-bought chemicals. Steam-Clean Without Detergent Assuming you’re vigilant with your weekly vacuuming, when it comes time to steam-cleaning your upholstery, you won’t need anything more than water. A steam cleaner heats water to a very high temperature, making it easy to loosen ground-in dirt and dust. Moreover, the hot steam kills bacteria thanks to temperature alone, so a chemical-based detergent isn’t necessary. If you’re cleaning especially dusty/dirty upholstery, feel free to add some white vinegar to your steam cleaner’s water tank. The smell will disappear in less than 24 hours. Only Use Plant-Based Cleaning Products Even the most cleaning-focused homeowner should have some cleaning products on-hand in case of emergency – but instead of buying toxic products, opt for plant-based detergents instead. There are lots of effective green carpet-cleaning products on the market, so just read the label and confirm that yours are 100% organic. Work With The Pros As evidenced by the above, there’s plenty that homeowners can do on their own to ensure a clean house. However, it’s still a great idea to contract an upholstery cleaner serving Littleton once or twice a year for a professional cleaning. With our green products and decades of expertise, you’ll enjoy fresh, clean upholstery for a long time. Get Clean Today A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning is a local upholstery cleaner that also specializes in carpet repair, spot removal, and pet damage. Call us today at 720.344.2870 or use our online contact form to request your free estimate. Remember at A Personal Touch, “We don’t cut corners, we clean them.”
Are Your Carpets Making Your Allergies Worse?
Whereas wood floors and area rugs were the norm in the first half of the 20th century, a marked shift in tastes and costs has greatly increased the popularity of wall-to-wall carpeting in apartments and homes. Carpet is a great insulator and it cuts down on slips and falls, but it can also make allergies worse. Our Littleton, CO carpet cleaning company looks at how. Mold and Mildew Wherever there is unattended water or moisture in a home, mold or mildew is sure to follow. These allergens are equally amenable to growing upon wood and paper as they are in promulgating within a damp carpet or carpet pad. Mold and mildew allergies are two of the most common possessed by human beings, so if you’re wondering why your allergies are acting up while you’re sitting on your living room couch, the presence of mold and mildew could be the answer. If you’ve experienced flooding, a burst pipe, or the like, the affected area needs to be dried immediately before mold and mildew can set in. This is where the carpet cleaning services provided by A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning will really come in handy. Carpet Is an Allergen Trap The very nature of carpet makes it a natural trap for all sorts of allergens. Mold and mildew as mentioned above, but also pollen, pet dander, insect debris, and cigarette smoke. The level at which these things can become trapped in your carpet depend on the type of carpet you have and the thickness of the pile, but even the thinnest carpet contains fibers that accrue allergens. Over time, these substances can cause big problems for people with allergies, even if you vacuum frequently. If you suspect that your carpet is exacerbating the symptoms felt by your home’s allergy sufferers, we recommend contacting our local carpet cleaners and making an appointment for a professional steam clean. In fact, this is something we recommend our customers do at least once a year, regardless of whether allergies are involved. Dust Mites Dust is right up there with mold and mildew on the list of “most common allergies”. Dust is everywhere, and it’s especially prevalent in carpet. Of course, this creates the perfect breeding conditions for dust mites, which multiply quickly and can cause big problems for allergy sufferers. The longer you go without cleaning your carpet, the more likely it is that dust mites will become a major source of coughing and sneezing in your household. Tips For Keeping Allergens In Check Vacuum Regularly For households with pets or kids (and by extension, discernable high-traffic areas), we recommend vacuuming daily. Carpeted areas that see medium traffic should be vacuumed a couple of times a week, and even low-traffic zones require vacuuming at least once per week. Minimize Dirt Dirt is a carrier of allergens, and so the less dirt on your carpet, the better. Make sure you have doormats at each of your home’s entrances so people can wipe their shoes. Or even better, ask people to take their shoes off before walking on the carpet. Clean Non-Carpet Allergen Sources Along with maintaining a clean carpet, make sure to clean other allergen sources in your home: upholstery, drapes, blinds, and the like. Schedule a Professional Carpet Cleaning Carpet can be tough on allergy sufferers, but proper maintenance and cleaning go a long way towards alleviating many symptoms. Contact A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning and learn more about protecting your family’s health and well-being. Call us today at 720.344.2870 or use our online contact form to request your free estimate. Remember at A Personal Touch, “We don’t cut corners, we clean them.”
Tips for Sanitizing Used Furniture
Lots of people enjoy shopping for used furniture at estate sales and flea markets. After all, there are some great deals to be had. However, before you enjoy your latest find, you’ll want to sanitize it so that it’s free of any odors, bacteria, or allergens which could harm you or your family. Clean First – Then Bring Inside One of the most overlooked upholstery cleaning tips pertaining to used furniture is, “clean first – then bring inside”. We understand the excitement that comes from finding the perfect used couch or easy chair that finally ties your den together. However, temper your excitement long enough to keep the new furniture outside of your house until it’s cleaned. If you move it in too soon, you risk exposing your home environment to whatever might be lurking in the cushions, armrests, etc. If it’s nice outside, the experienced team at A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning in Littleton recommends cleaning used furniture outdoors. After all, sunlight is good for killing certain germs. If the weather isn’t great, do your clean-up in the garage or a shed. You definitely want to avoid having the used furniture get wet before you clean it, since moisture exacerbates many bacteria and potential allergen issues. Disinfect Before addressing stains and odors, the first step when sanitizing used furniture is to disinfect the item. Addressing other issues before disinfecting leaves you open to the possibility that something harmful may be lingering while you’re preoccupied with a spot or a smell. The level at which you should disinfect your used furniture depends on the age of the item and whether anyone in your home has a lowered immune system, i.e. a baby or an elderly person. In this latter instance, you should consider contacting our upholstery cleaners serving Denver to ensure that your used furniture is 100% germ-free. If everyone in your household is healthy, there are specific used furniture cleaning products that we can recommend. Or, if the item is small and easy to clean, you could create your own blend of warm water and vinegar, and use it as a disinfectant. Deodorize Once your used furniture is thoroughly disinfected, you can move on odor removal. Not surprisingly, a musty or moldy scent is the most common odor associated with used furniture. These smells originate from moisture in wood or fabric. Sometimes the moisture is trapped in cracks and pockets, and other times it’s leftover from a time when the furniture accidentally got wet. Either way, for these types of smells we recommend covering the affected area with baking soda, letting it sit for an hour or two, and then cleaning it up. Where odor removal gets pricklier, and where you’ll want to enlist the services of A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning, are when the odor is due to pet urine, spilled paint, and other more noxious substances. Stain Removal Minor stains can be removed with a combination of soap and water, or vinegar and water. Difficult stains may require stain removal products used by A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning. In all cases, be sure to test the mixture/product in an out-of-the-way spot to ensure it doesn’t damage the furniture. Should you find yourself struggling to remove especially entrenched stains, don’t hesitate to contact our cleaning experts. Trust a Professional Cleaner In addition to providing furniture sanitization, our local cleaning company offers solutions for carpet repair, bed bug eradication, and tile/grout cleaning. Visit our cleaning services page to learn more about our expertise. Call us today at 720.344.2870 or use our online contact form to request your free estimate. Remember at A Personal Touch, “We don’t cut corners, we clean them.”