While most people focus on keeping the inside of their homes clean, keeping the exterior clean is equally crucial. Not only does exterior cleaning provide aesthetic value, but it also boosts the durability of materials by eliminating dirt, fungus, mold, grime, and mildew. For most people, whether cleaning their homes’ exteriors by themselves or through professional cleaners, the best options are either power washing or soft washing.

Even though both of these methods are effective, they serve different purposes. Therefore, it helps to know their differences to determine which method is best for addressing your specific needs.

Power Washing

This method works by pushing highly pressurized water through a nozzle to eliminate grime or dirt from any surfaces the water hits. Power washing is highly effective and cleans surfaces quickly, but you should use it selectively.

Due to its forceful approach, power washing could damage your property if not used carefully. Generally, use power washing when cleaning sidewalks, landscaping bricks and driveways, and never use it on your home’s siding.

Soft Washing

Soft washing follows a gentler approach to cleaning, by relinquishing pressurized water in exchange for chemicals. While this method may look somehow similar to power washing because the same type of nozzle is used, the water pressure is low, and cleaning is a result of water and chemical solutions.

The biodegradable chemicals used in soft washing are ideal for removing algae, moss, and dirt. This method will neither damage your home’s exterior nor harm surrounding plants.

When You Should Use Power Washing

As mentioned before, power washing uses pressurized water, usually, 2500 PSI or higher, to clean surfaces. While such pressure can quickly remove stains, there is a likelihood of damaging the soft surfaces of your home’s exterior. For instance, it could destroy your home’s siding, crack windows, damage shingles, or remove paint.

To avoid any damages, reserve power washing for surfaces like:

• Walkways, concrete sidewalks, and driveways

• Stone brick or other hard surfaces

• Paved patios

When You Should Use Soft Washing

The average pressure of water used for soft washing is 1000 PSI or lower, which is safe for the delicate parts of your home’s exterior. Unlike power washing, soft washing cleans surfaces using specific detergents and some patience.

Opt for soft washing when cleaning surfaces like:

• Lanais, screens and screened enclosures

• Wood panel sidings

• Cedar shakes

• Stucco and coquina

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Everyone wants to cut down on the number of germs living in their home. Yet those with pets and babies may worry about using household cleaners. Many of those cleaners can contain harmful or harsh chemicals that can be lethal to both pets and babies. Here are a few eco-friendly ways that you can sanitize your home.

1. Baby-Safe Cleaning Wipes

Whether you have a baby or not, you could always use baby-safe cleaning wipes. These are different than traditional cleaning wipes because they’re made with less powerful chemicals. Baby-safe cleaning wipes are designed to be used against the sensitive skin of babies.

They’re powerful enough to sanitize but not powerful enough that they’ll harm your baby or pet. You can be sure that they’re safer for the environment, too.

2. Remove Carpet

Your carpet could contain a lot of allergens within its fibers. Even if you vacuum regularly, allergens could be lurking deep in the roots of the fibers where vacuums can’t always suck.

You do away with these lurking allergens by removing the carpet entirely. Hardwood floors, vinyl floors, and tile floors are easier to clean. They also don’t trap allergens.

For those who like comfy and soft textures beneath their feet, you can always include a few rugs on the floor. Those can simply be taken outside and beaten to release the allergens.

3. Baking Soda

You can never go wrong with using baking soda. Besides being a great way to deodorize, baking soda can also be used to sanitize.

The alkaline powder inside of baking soda can remove proteins and neutralize acids. When mixed with vinegar, it can create a bubbly cleaning paste that can effectively remove most stains and other problems.

Baking soda is safe to use and easy to buy.

4. Hydrogen Peroxide

Commonly used to disinfect wounds, it can also be used to remove mold, mildew, and stains in your home. It can kill many kinds of dangerous bacteria. Simply coat cloth in the peroxide and wash away counters and bathtubs to sanitize and kill bacteria instantly.

5. Salt

If something is rusty in your home, or you just want a powerful clean, you can add salt to some lemon juice. This can not only clean off the rust, but it can also disinfect your home. You can also create a paste of salt, flour, and vinegar to remove burnt stains on cooking supplies. It can even be used on pewter, gold, and silver to make it shiny.

Finally, if you’re someone who uses their sponges frequently, you can clean them up by having them soak in salt water when you’re not using them.

Stay Healthy

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Keeping your floors clean isn’t easy! Whether it’s the entryway at work, or the foyer at home, anywhere that sees a significant amount of traffic is going to pick up dirt. There are many DIY options for cleaning your carpets at home.

While it’s possible to combat the mess in the short term, it’s important to deep clean your carpets in order to keep them looking bright and new for as long as possible. When that time comes, it’s important to let the professionals handle it and hire

carpet cleaning service!

On the one hand it’s perfectly possible for someone to clean their own carpets. It does take time, the right equipment, and experience in getting the job done, however. For those who don’t have these requirements, it’s just as likely the carpet will get damaged than get clean. For that reason if no other it’s a much better place to turn your carpet cleaning duties over to men and women who will get it done right the first time, and who will make sure the job is done quickly and painlessly.

Maintaining Your Oriental Rug

Taking care of your high-quality Oriental rug is an important step in protecting it. Taking good care of it keeps the value of the rug preserved as well as increasing the value of the rug as time goes by. Whether you keep it in the family as a priceless heirloom, or choose to sell it one day, knowing how to take care of your Oriental rug will help maintain its value. Below are some easy things to do that will keep your rug in excellent shape for generations ahead.

Spot Cleaning – When something gets spilled on your Oriental rug, cleaning that spot right away is the best (and easiest) idea. You don’t necessarily have to perform a deep cleaning on the entire rug with every spill. Keeping a bit of mild dish detergent and some vinegar on hand is great for minor accidents. Use a clean cloth dipped in the mixture of vinegar and detergent to dab the spill off on the rug as soon as you notice it.

Pet Accidents – Even highly trained pets are prone to have accidents. Using a simple solution with vinegar is the best way to clean up a pet accident. Mix together 8 parts of water with1 part of white vinegar and 1 small squirt of dishwashing detergent. An alternative mixture is simply made by using 1 cup of water mixed with 1 teaspoon of ammonia. Use pet odor removal products with extreme caution since they can potentially bleach your rug.

Sunlight – Keep your Oriental rug out of direct sunlight as much as possible. Over time, the sun can fade out the dye in your rug drastically. If you cannot keep the rug out of direct sunlight, try rotating it as much as possible to keep any fading on the rug consistent all over.

Cleaning Rugs Professionally – It’s a good idea to have your valuable Oriental rugs professionally cleaned at least once a year. Even rugs well maintained throughout the year need a professional cleaning to remove hidden debris and dirt that you cannot see.

Rug Padding – Using a padding under your Oriental rug will help protect and stabilize its shape and reduce the chances of wrinkling. This also makes the rug safer to walk on and adds a layer of comfort.

Maintain Rug Repairs – Like most other valuable items, if you keep repairs up-to-date, along with professional cleanings every year, your rugs will last much longer. Some minor rug repairs include reweaving, minor fringe repairs, and patching. As we all know, accidents do happen. Repairing minor things as they occur will prevent major costly repairs later.

Using the Right Vacuum – The type of vacuum you use on your Oriental rug makes a difference. Never use a spinning head vacuum on an expensive Oriental rug. Use vacuum attachments instead, so you can clean delicately while avoiding damage to the elaborate knotted threads.

Oriental rugs add an atmosphere of beauty, elegance, and artistry to your home that regular rugs cannot match. By following some of the above steps, you can keep your Oriental rug as beautiful as it was the day you first brought it home.

Tips For Choosing The Best Flooring For Your Home

Determining which new flooring to put in your home can seem like a tedious, daunting task. There are many popular options to choose from and each comes with its own set of options to pick from as well. When comparing different flooring choices, take into consideration the look and feel of the room and the amount of foot traffic the room gets. Below are some of the top flooring options to compare before making the ultimate decision.

Hardwood

Hardwood is a traditional favorite when it comes to flooring. It offers a natural, warm feel and matches many homeowners’ decor. Of the many types of hardwood flooring options to choose from, oak is the most popular. Exotic hardwood flooring options such as Tasmanian Oak and Brazilian cherrywood can be imported. Styles of hardwood flooring can vary from parquet and plank to pre-finished boards that can be installed yourself.

Laminate

Laminate flooring is another popular choice because of its affordability and durability. It costs less than hardwood and is easier and quicker to install. Laminate flooring is composed of wood-based materials that are laminated together and covered with photographic imprints.

Bamboo

Though the name can be confusing, bamboo flooring is not created from trees. It is manufactured using a light-weight woody grass. Bamboo flooring is highly durable. It is made from a quick-growing, regenerating plant that is as strong as steel. Humidity does not stand a chance with it because it resists swelling and contraction. For environmentally-friendly homeowners, bamboo is a great flooring option because it is grown in controlled forests where it takes only three to five years to grow to maturity. In contrast, the trees used to manufacture hardwood flooring take up to 120 years to mature.

Cork

Cork is another environmentally friendly flooring option. Because of its honeycomb-like structure, the flooring offers a cushiony feel when walking on it. Cork flooring can come in a range of finishes, and pre-finished tiles are available for use. Cork flooring is perfect for bathrooms and kitchens because they offer a non-slip surface.

Linoleum

Another green flooring choice is linoleum. It is manufactured using natural materials and does not deplete forests. The primary materials used to create linoleum are wood flour, rosins and linseed oil. It is waterproof, scratch-resistant, ding-proof and easy to clean. Linoleum can come in a variety of distinctive patterns, colors and is comfortable to walk on.

Tile

When you have a little bit more to spend, tile options such as natural stone, porcelain, granite, slate, travertine and marble are great flooring options. If you want tile but are on a budget, porcelain is the most affordable. It is easier to maintain than marble and has the same beauty and durability as natural stone.

Vinyl

Vinyl is one of the more affordable options of flooring for your home. For homes that are prone to moisture issues, vinyl is a great choice. It is soft underfoot and easier to clean than tile. When it comes to the amount of traffic your home gets, the thicker the vinyl the better.

Concrete

A popular trend in flooring these days is concrete. It is the most affordable, durable and easy-to-clean option available. Concrete can be stained with multiple colors and stamped with countless designs.

Carpet

Of course, carpet is the choice for many homeowners. Carpet provides warmth and coziness along with helping to filter allergens out of the air. If you have your carpets cleaned regularly, they will last for many years. Visit http://www.carpetmdinfo.com/carpet-cleaning-beaverton-oregon/ to learn more!

The autumn brings its own cleaning obligations every year. There are so many items that have to be put into storage for the winter and tasks that need to be done. Closing your swimming pool, arranging your garage, and cleaning out your home while the weather is still warm enough are all at the top of a homeowner’s to-do list. Let’s take a look at the fall deep cleaning routines that many follow in greater detail below.

#1: Raking the Leaves

Raking the leaves is a cleaning chore that is synonymous with fall weather. Fall describes the falling of the leaves and the descent of everything that sprouted in the summer back to the ground from which it came.

Nowadays, you can make short work of lawn care with an electric leaf blower or a mulching mower that chops up any clippings into a rich fertilizer. Many people also turn over their lawns and reseed with a winter fertilizer that is ready to grow new grass in the spring.

#2: Home and Garage Organization

It is critical to organize your belongings in your home, shed, and garage before old man winter comes. If you don’t organize your belongings now, you will have a lot of trouble in the cold weather. You don’t want to be moving furniture or fidgeting with anything when it is freezing cold outside. You can slip on the ice or freeze your fingers off in the cold snap. 

There are also certain things that need to be put into winter storage while other items need to be unpacked or brought out of their storage spots. You should bring your snow shovels and snowblower to the front of your garage for easy access, for example, and store away all those summer toys and pool supplies way in the back.

#3: Shampoo Your Carpets

Before the winter comes, you should deep clean and shampoo your carpets. Hiring a professional company to come in and do it after you have organized and vacuumed is the best idea. You can also have the carpets in your vehicles shampooed. In both cases, you can find car floor mats and use certain habits to limit tracking dirt into the house.

Removing your shoes in a foyer area and investing in laser-measured custom car floor mats are all viable solutions to winter grime. You will be surprised at how fresh your carpets look after they are shampooed and may decide to put off purchasing brand-new carpets.

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Conclusion

You can thoroughly enjoy the winter when you take a few simple steps to prepare. These are just a few fall deep cleaning tips that you should consider. Most homeowners get too busy to think about these things until after the perfect window for fall cleaning closes.

Prioritizing what may keep your home clean during the year can help you assess what is necessary to keeping it that way, clean.

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One of the first things you can do in the morning to help you begin organizing your home is making the bed.

If any laundry needs to be done it is best to organize it in the morning so that you can move any material that needs to be washed into the laundry room and out of the way.

After organizing dirty laundry, assess what needs to be cleaned as far as using cleaning supplies to do so.

Some useful cleaning supplies for rooms such as the bathroom and living room include a microfiber cloth, a wood polishing cloth for any wood furniture that has collected dust, a toilet scrub brush, a spray bottle with multi-purpose cleaner, and a cleaner that is appropriate for any wood furniture you may have.

If your rooms are cluttered with excess items that you may not use, find or purchase a organizer where you can put the items that you do not frequently access.

You could also consider donating items that you no longer use to a local thrift store.

Once you have cleaned and organized your home you can go over the rooms to make sure it is free of clutter and dust.

Remember, your home does not have to be perfectly organized or clean as long as you feel it is comfortable to you.

Many of these tips were referenced from: Real Simple

It is important to keep the tiles and grout clean for two reasons. The first is for the obvious reason which is to make it look nice. The second reason is to slow down the aging process of the floor. If kept unclean the tiles will start to loose their shine and start to fade. The following steps are the most common ways to keep those floors looking new.
1. First, clean the tiles and grout using a broom or vacuum cleaner to get rid of any dust. This is very important because, if you use cleaning solutions when dust is still present, it can make things worse and be counterproductive.
2. The next step is to apply whatever cleaning solution you plan on using. There are many store-bought products available today. If you are against using those, then there is always baking soda, water, and vinegar. Mix the baking soda with water, approximately three parts soda, one part water, and apply it to the tiles and grout. When applying to grout the best way is to use your fingers, and you can wear gloves to do this. Then, mix some water with vinegar and spray it on the floor and grout. However, do not spray vinegar for certain types of tiles such as marble and limestone. Vinegar can damage these. Let the solution sit for about 30-45 minutes
3. After all of the mixtures are applied, you will notice small bubbles forming. This is basically the combination of baking soda and vinegar working its magic. Afterward, when it is time to clean, start with the tiles first. This is because when the tiles are cleaned some of the debris and dirt will find its way to the grout, hence, the reason why the grout is cleaned last. When cleaning grout, the best way is to get on your hands and knees and use a toothbrush. This is what will give it the extra shine. As far as the tiles go, an ordinary cleaning brush will be enough.
4. After all of this is done, pour some warm water on the floor and let it sit for about 10 minutes. This will loosen any remaining dirt still clinging on. Use a mop to clean up the water, and change the water frequently while mopping.

This is how to clean tiles and grout using any solution, not just soda and vinegar.

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Spring cleaning your home is quite simple, but you must ensure that you have divided the work into ten small things you may do. This article will take you through each of the ten items, and it will show you a clean home that was not all that difficult to clean. You must do these items throughout the week, or you may complete them in one day depending on your schedule.

#1: Hire A Carpet Cleaner

You must hire a professional carpet cleaner who will clear the carpets at the beginning of the season. The carpets will feel much better, and they will be far softer after the cleaner is done with their work.

#2: Scrub The Walls

You must clean up the walls and fingerprints that you have throughout the house. The house will be much easier to enjoy when you have clear walls, and they are quite easy to keep clean during the course of the years.

#3: Clean The Fridge

You may clean out your fridge quickly, and you will find there is plenty of food you may pitch.

#4: Clean The Stove

You must clean up your stove, and you will find that spending about an hour on the grates and burners will make it easier to clean going forward.

#5: Clean And Store Winter Clothes

You must clean and store your winter clothes, and you will get them out of the way for the balance of the spring.

#6: Clean Your Closet

You may clean and organize your closet quite easily, and you will notice how simple it is to ensure that the closet is easier to use. You need to move everything off the floor, and you may add storage to the closet if you so choose.

#7: Clean Your Bathroom

You may deep clean your bathroom easily, and you must ensure it smells fresh when you are finished. The tub, shower and sinks will be easier to use once they have been cleaned.

#8: Clean The Basement

You may clean out your basement easily, and you will get rid of things you simply do not need anymore.

#9: Clean The Deck

You must clean your deck so that you may go outside, enjoy the weather and bask in the sunshine that you are getting this time of year.

#10: Clean The Driveway

You must clean your driveway if you wish to complete the process, and you will have a clean house inside and out.