Banish mold and mildew with regular tile and grout cleaning
Is your bathroom or kitchen a science experiment? When you take a bath or shower can you see blooms of orange around your shower pan or constellations of dark, fuzzy spots on the ceiling? Has your kitchen or another room in your home started to smell musty? Visible signs and tangible smells are good indicators that you have a mold or mildew issue in your home. What’s the difference between mold and mildew? The terms “mold” and “mildew” are often linked together much like “love” and “marriage” (and “horse” and “carriage”). But, which one is which? According to the Environmental Protection Association (EPA), “Mildew refers to certain kinds of mold or fungus. The term mildew is often used generically to refer to mold growth, usually with a flat growth habit. Molds include all species of microscopic fungi that grow in the form of multicellular filaments, called hyphae. Molds can thrive on any organic matter, including clothing, leather, paper, and the ceilings, walls and floors of homes with moisture management problems. Mildew often lives on shower walls, windowsills, and other places where moisture levels are high. There are many species of molds. In unaired places, such as basements, they can produce a strong musty odor.” No matter what kind of mold or mildew you have, the results can be unsightly. Mold and mildew can also cause health problems in at-risk individuals such as people with asthma. Disappointed with at-home grout cleaning? So, yes, the dirty little secret is out. Many of us have showers that don’t get properly ventilated and kitchen backsplashes that need lots of help. What to do? It’s hard to invite someone into your home to witness that mess, right? You may have tried to fix it yourself. Who hasn’t scoured the internet for ways to eliminate mold from drywall, tile or grout? You may have tried bleach to eliminate mold. Perhaps you’ve mixed vinegar and soda or employed borax with great hope? The problem is, scrubbing your shower with an old toothbrush can be gross. It also doesn’t work all that well or the results don’t last. It can be difficult to ask for help. Rest-assured that we’ve seen it all at A Personal Touch. We can clean your tile and grout in Denver with our proven process for a great price. We’ll apply commercial-grade grout and tile cleaner to your bathroom or kitchen tile areas. Our trained technicians will carefully scrub your tile and grout free of soap scum, water stains, mold and mildew. We’ll apply a top-notch sealant that will keep your grout from accumulating grime in the future. Professionally sealing your tile will make your tile easier to maintain. Want to beautify and safeguard your home? The best way to keep your bathrooms and kitchen areas looking and smelling their best is with regular tile maintenance. A Personal Touch can help remove set-in stains, persistent odors, grime, scum and mildew. We also restore marble and granite countertops. We recommend professional tile and grout cleaning once or twice per year depending on where your tile is located. Book a consultation with A Personal Touch today at 720-344-2870. We are happy to discuss your questions about tile or grout cleaning. Rather reach out online? Fill out our contact form for a free quote today. Source Basic Facts about Mold and Dampness | CDC
Winter weather: Don’t let snow and slush shorten the life of your carpet
Would you invite the Abominable Snowman or the carrot-nosed Olaf from the cartoon Frozen into your house for tea? Likely not. They’d make big messes on your floor. When you come into your house from the driveway in the winter, you may not be as chaotic as Olaf, but your shoes and boots will track water, slush and grit onto your floors or carpets. Protect your fibers The fibers in your carpet are sensitive. Salt, water and dirt from shoes get ground into carpet, especially during the winter months. As the water dries, chemicals from road treatment solutions can rise to the top and cause staining.2 In turn, sand and grit can fall down into your carpet and degrade your carpet fibers. If this goes on long enough, those fibers can be permanently stained. The backing that holds your carpet together can also be affected.1 What can you do? That ounce of prevention Well, first, it’s best to contain that mess before it starts. Ask your family and friends to take off their boots and shoes before they enter the house. Put a boot tray outside your most-used door to keep everything organized. That pet paw solution The weather recently got so cold in Colorado that many dog owners protected their pets’ paws with strap-on booties. While you may remove your dog’s booties before they come back indoors, you may not think to wipe off their feet every time they come in from the yard. Place towels by the door and make drying your pets’ paws a regular habit. That vacuuming routine In 2013, Electrolux (a major household appliance brand) conducted a global vacuuming survey. They asked 28,000 people from 23 countries how they felt about vacuuming.3 The company discovered several interesting tidbits: Koreans vacuum more often than anyone in the world; 29% vacuum at least once a day. Most people worldwide vacuum for less than an hour at a stretch. Thirty-eight percent of respondents vacuum in the morning; vacuuming in the evening is rare. Sixty-eight percent of respondents vacuum in casual outfits, 21% wear a track suit and 4% wear only their underwear. (If you must know, 2% reported vacuuming in their birthday suits.) Of the 18-30 year-old surveyed, 51% listen to music while vacuuming and 6% even dance, listen and vacuum at the same time. Whatever your habits while dragging your Dyson or Hoover across the floor, your carpet will stay younger longer if you vacuum regularly. You don’t need to vacuum several times a day (11% of Koreans surveyed do), but once a week will keep your house fresher and your carpet newer longer. That carpet cleaning schedule As careful as we try to be, our carpets still take a beating in the winter. The family cat might break away before you can clean her paws. Your toddler might squirm out of your arms and run across the carpet in his snow boots. You might knock your hot cocoa over with your elbow while solving the latest Wordle puzzle in front of the fire. A professional carpet cleaner can help you treat stains quickly with the right solution that won’t damage your carpets and area rugs. Regular professional cleaning (every 12 to 18 months) with high-temperature, truck-mounted steam cleaning equipment can lift grit from your carpets to prevent fiber staining. After the cleaning, your professional carpet cleaner can then apply a new coat of protectant to your carpet. Your partners in clean At A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning, we can help you keep your carpets fresh all year long. We are happy to answer any carpeting questions you might have and give you a free, written estimate without cost or obligation. Contact us at 720.344.2870 or use our online form to schedule a free consultation. Sources: https://jkcomplete.com/3-things-can-destroy-carpet-prevent-delamination/ https://www.angi.com/articles/road-salt-wrecks-carpet.htm Electrolux-Global-Vacuuming-Survey-2013-Did-you-know.pdf (electroluxgroup.com)
Five Tips for Preventing Mold on Your Carpet
Mold is bad news, no matter where it is in your home. For most homeowners, a damp basement is prime suspect #1 when it comes to predicting where mold is most likely to take root, but carpets are close behind: reason being that carpets are havens for dirt and dust, two substances that mold thrives on. So how best to prevent your carpets from getting moldy? Here are five tips from the experts at A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning in Littleton. Go Antimicrobial Antimicrobial carpet padding (aka “rubber-slab carpet padding”) is resistant to mold, bacteria, and other sinister substances. It’s pricier than standard carpet padding but provides a significant upside, especially if you live in a high-humidity area. When you’re ready to install new carpeting, we recommend going this route. Vacuum and Clean Your Carpets Regularly A little vacuuming goes a long way – especially if you get in the habit of regularly vacuuming your home’s carpet. When too much dirt and dust are allowed to collect on carpet, they’re better able to trap moisture amongst the carpet fibers. And moisture, as well all know, is a prime ingredient for mold. Along with vacuuming on a regular basis, stick to a periodic carpet cleaning schedule. And when you do have your carpets cleaned, employ a “dry form” of cleaning that allows you to reduce the amount of moisture the carpet is exposed to. Monitor Your Home’s Humidity Level Water might be the primary ingredient needed for mold to thrive, but heat and humidity are close behind. We recommend maintaining a sub-60% indoor humidity level, since this will hamper mold spore reproduction. The more humid an environment, the easier it is for these spores to spawn. If your town is notoriously high in humidity, thus making it almost impossible to keep your home’s humidity level below 60%, there are two things you can do: 1) always keep your home’s temperature below 80 degrees, and 2) use dehumidifiers in as many rooms as possible. No Standing Water One of the main reasons why mold is such a problem is the fact that it requires only a short amount of time (1 -2 days) and a small amount of water in which to grow. Therefore, regardless of how much standing water you may have in your home – ranging from a simple spill to flood damage – you should get rid of the standing water and dry the carpet as soon as possible. Also, don’t forget to check your carpet padding. Depending on the amount of standing water you incur, you may need to replace the carpet and padding to ensure your home is mold-free. Don’t Carpet High-humidity Areas This last tip is straightforward: avoid carpeting areas prone to standing water, i.e. your basement, bathrooms, and laundry room. Instead, tile these areas so mold can’t get comfortable. Find out why Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning is the choice for carpet cleaning services near Littleton. Contact us today for additional mold prevention tips, and to make a service appointment.
Tips for Fixing Water-Damaged Carpet
Fixing water-damaged carpet may seem like a tall task, but the water damage experts at A Personal Touch Carpet Cleaning in Littleton have the tools and the know-how to do the job. With our help, you can rest assured we’ll not only clean the carpet and salvage anything reusable, we’ll also assist with mold prevention and removal. Let’s explore the steps we take to fix water-damaged carpet and make it healthy again. Turn Off Your Water If you haven’t already done so by the time our veteran service team arrives, we’ll help you locate your water turn-off valve and stop the flow of water in your house. This is specific to internal flood sources of course, i.e. a burst pipe or overflowing sink. Confirm the Water Source Confirming the water source is vital for determining what kind of water damage we’re dealing with. Water damage caused by an internal source, i.e. an overflowing bathtub or washing machine, is far different from damage created by an external source, for example groundwater or sewage water, also known as black water. The biggest difference is contamination. Carpet damaged by an internal source (either clean water or gray water, which includes washing machine water, dish water, and even toilet overflow water) can be salvaged, whereas black water should always be considered contaminated, and any carpet damaged by it should be thrown out. Clear the Area and Commence Dehumidifying Remove all furniture and other items in or around the affected area, and make sure nobody walks through. Then open all windows and doors adjacent to the water damage so that the room gets good airflow. Additionally, bring in as many fans as you can, along with a dehumidifier. The main goal here, aside from drying the carpet, is to circulate as much dry air as possible in order to inhibit bacteria and mold growth. Remove the Padding Beneath the Carpet Once your drying implements are in place, remove the tack strip holding the carpet down and remove all wet padding. This must be done quickly since wet padding under the carpet is exactly the kind of damp, warm environment where mold thrives. Remember to buy new padding for installation. If the area is small you might be able to do the install alone, but if the water damage is extensive it makes more sense to contact a professional carpet cleaner. Vacuum Thoroughly and Shampoo The next step is to thoroughly vacuum the affected area, ideally with a water-extraction vacuum since it will absorb significantly more water than a standard vacuum. Depending on how wet your carpet is, the vacuum process could take half a day or more. When the carpet is completely dry, shampoo it so that you kill any lingering fungus or bacteria. Note that if the carpet is still damp after 12 hours of vacuuming, it’s probably beyond saving and should be thrown out before mold starts growing under the carpet and beneath the floorboards. Bear in mind that the cost of new carpet is far less than the price of mold removal. Call us today at 720-344-2870 or use our online contact form to schedule an appointment for expert water damage restoration near Littleton. Remember at A Personal Touch, “We don’t cut corners, we clean them.”