What to do if pets scratch your furniture
In a perfect world, pets and furniture would mix together as well as peanut butter and jelly. Unfortunately in the real world these two household staples can sometimes clash. Your cat might love that new loveseat you bought, but for entirely different reasons than you do: You might love the comfortable upholstery, while your cat loves shredding the upholstery with her claws.
Dogs and cats add a lot of life and joy to your home, but they can wreck havoc on your furnishings if you’re not careful. At Dr. Chem-Dry, we’ve seen what can happen when your pets
get their furry paws all over your beloved furniture. If you need help figuring out how to keep your pet’s destructive impulses in check, follow these simple steps.
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- Published in Uncategorized
Can an old stain still be removed years later?
It’s always best to clean stains as soon as they happen. But what happens when you miss a stain? Or inherit a carpet with a stain that’s a few years old? If you flip your couch cushions and find a coffee stain a crafty guest hid months ago, is it too late to get it cleaned? The answer is no: Just because a stain has overstayed its welcome for a long time doesn’t mean you have to be stuck with it forever.
We’ve been cleaning stains old and new for years at Dr. Chem-Dry. We know that no matter how old or awful a stain looks, there’s still hope: With the right amount of elbow grease and the proper cleaning solutions you can kiss that ghastly old stain goodbye. Just follow these simple steps. And in case you got a stain that you can’t lick, give us a call and we’d be glad to help you get it out.
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- Published in carpet cleaning
How Can I Protect My Tile Flooring at Home?
Tile flooring can be a wise investment for any homeowner. It’s relatively cheap, easy to install, simple to maintain and it looks great. But it can get damaged if you’re not careful. Tile flooring can last you a long time, so long as you treat it right and protect it from wear and tear.
At Dr. Chem-Dry, we’ve seen what can happen when people neglect their tile flooring. The truth is that protecting your tile flooring isn’t difficult or very time-consuming. Follow these simple steps and you should have strong and clean looking tiles for years to come. And in case you get some stains you can’t get out, give us a call and we’d be glad to help you make your tiles shine again.
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- Published in Uncategorized
Will Pets Ruin My Stone Floors?
Every pet owner knows that adding an animal friend to your life can bring you a lot of love and companionship. It can also bring you a lot of messes to clean up. No matter how well you train your pets, it’s only a matter of time before an accident happens. Pet stains can be hard to clean, they can warp your floors and leave a bad odor in your home. You might think if you have stone floors that you won’t have to worry about the corrosive effects of pet urine, but you’d be wrong.
If you can think of a stain, we’ve cleaned it. At Dr. Chem-Dry, we have years of experience working with home and business owners to keep their places clean and tidy. We’ve seen firsthand just how damaging pet stains can be on carpet and stone flooring. Here are some things that all pet owners with stone flooring should keep in mind.
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- Published in Pet Odor
Cleaning Products That Can Damage Your Tile
In recent years, tile has become a popular replacement for the dusty, dirt-trapping carpets of the past. But did you know that even tile can hold dirt and grime for years if not cleaned properly? Many commercially available cleaning products claim to remove years of built-up dirt, but they may be doing more harm than good. We’ve listed some products to avoid below.
Related: Can Stain Removers Ruin My Carpet?
1. Abrasives
Any cleaning product or tool that has a gritty, abrasive texture is going to be damaging to your tile. Most ceramic tiles come with a finish that seals the surface of the tile and keeps dirt and grime from penetrating into the tiles pores. Abrasive products scratch and nick the finish, which actually makes it easier for your tile to get dirty.
2. Bleach or Ammonia-based Cleaners
Some of the most commonly used tile and grout cleaners use bleach and ammonia as a base. They may seem effective at removing stains, but that’s not all they’re removing — over time, these cleaners can discolor your tile and grout, stripping them of the beauty that drew you to them in the first place. These chemicals are also harsh on your hands and lungs, making them a less than ideal solution.
3. Oil-based Cleaner
Some popular soaps and cleaners are oil-based, which gives flooring a nice sheen and glow. But oil-based cleaners aren’t the best choice for cleaning tile. The oils soak into your grout, attracting dirt and leaving ugly stains. To make matters worse, the oils can make your flooring slippery, creating a falling hazard for you and your family.
Alternatives
The best way to clean your tile and grout is to make sure that your grout properly protected with an impregnating tile and grout sealer to block out dirt, grime, moisture, and more. You can also use an environmentally friendly cleaning solution, like Dr. Chem-Dry’s stone and tile cleaning solutions.
Related: How to Clean Tile Grout
For more tile cleaning tips, or to schedule your free quote, give Dr. Chem-Dry a call at 602-243-6379.
- Published in Uncategorized
The Pros & Cons of DIY Carpet Cleaning
When your carpet starts to look a little grungy, it can be very tempting to simply try to take care of it yourself. Unsightly spots and stains affect the look of your entire home, and a clean carpet can do wonders for both your home’s appearance and your mood.
But while going the DIY route has its perks, it also has some major drawbacks. We’ve made a pros and cons list for you below.
Related: How Dirty Carpets Can Affect Your Health
Pro: You save money upfront.
Con: You don’t get as deep a cleaning.
While many consumer-grade carpet cleaners are fairly affordable to rent or purchase, these machines tend to be lower quality than those used by the professionals. They are typically less powerful, which means that the dirt, water, and cleaning solution will not be completely removed.
Pro: You have control over the project.
Con: You have to put in the work yourself.
DIYers may want to only clean certain areas of the house, like the main traffic paths. When this is the case, it can be difficult for a professional to give an accurate estimate of the project. However, If you want to clean the entire surface of your carpet, you may want to hire a professional. Moving heavy furniture by yourself can be tricky or even dangerous, and a professional carpet cleaner will usually take care of that for you.
Pro: You can clean on your own schedule.
Con: It takes forever to dry.
Cleaning your own carpets also means that you can work on your own timeline. If you want to clean your carpets at 2 a.m., that’s up to you. A professional carpet cleaning needs to be scheduled ahead of time. But the amount of water that commercial cleaners use keeps your carpets wet for hours on end, and usually long after you wanted to put the furniture back and be done with it. Dr. Chem-Dry’s patented cleaning technique uses only a minimal amount of water so that carpets dry in hours, not days.
Pro: DIY traffic lane removal & spotter products are cheap.
Con: Self-treated traffic areas and stains tend to return.
Commercially available stain removers may appear to treat your problem areas, but once the carpeting dries, the spots often reappear. This is especially true for stains that have soaked through the carpet to the padding below — when re-wetted with commercial cleaners, the stain wicks back up to the surface. In addition, most cleaners and spotters purchased from a store leave soapy residues in the carpet. These can cause rapid re-soiling, and old stains and traffic lanes will begin to reappear. Dr. Chem-Dry’s method harnesses the power of carbonation to lift even deep, set-in stains and dirt to the surface of your carpet and suck them away with no sticky, dirt-attracting residues.
Related: Can Stain Removers Ruin My Carpet?
Dr. Chem-Dry has been cleaning carpets in the Phoenix area for more than 35 years. We’ve combined our own cleaning formulas with our patented cleaning head to leave carpets sparkling and new while using only a fraction of the water used in other carpet cleaning methods.
To learn more about our carpet cleaning process or to request an estimate, give Dr. Chem-Dry a call at 602-243-6379.
- Published in carpet cleaning, Uncategorized