Twitter Weekly Updates for 2011-11-24

0

Posted by admin | Posted in home health | Posted on 24-11-2011

Tags: ,

Continue Reading

Tips to Help You Clean a Flooded Basement

0

Posted by admin | Posted in Flood Damage | Posted on 26-09-2011

Tags: , , , , ,

flood damage

Tips to Help You Clean a Flooded Basement

By Steve Hunter -

The flooding of a basement occurs more frequently than most people would like. Do you know what to do if it happens to you? Pick up a few tips to help you out of this wet spot in your life.

Flooding of the basement can occur due to natural flooding or burst water pipes. In fact, certain areas of the country are more prone to flooding than other areas. No matter how your basement becomes flooded, it is usually a lot of work to clean it up. Obviously, the first step is to stop the flooding of water into your basement. Then, the next step is to remove the water.

Removal of Flooded Water in the Basement

In most cases, the best way to remove water that has gotten into your home’s basement is to use a wet vacuum, sump pump, or wet shop vacuum to suck the water up and out of the basement. If you have flooding problems one or more times a year, it is probably best for you to purchase one of these items and keep it in storage in the garage until you need it. It is also possible to rent larger versions of these tools from a tool rental shop.

Removal of Flooded Water with a Portable Sump Pump

Sump pumps require an outlet for the water they remove. Portable sump pumps generally have a hose attached to them that allows the water to drain away from the area where it has been removed. Most likely, you’ll need a long hose and access to a window from which the water can exit. In most cases, you are not going to be able to allow the water to drain down an existing drain

in the basement since it may be flooded.

Removal of Flooded Water with a Wet Vac

The majority of wet vacs are not designed to remove large quantities of water.

Therefore, if you opt for a wet vac as your water-removal tool, you are going to need a strong back and lots of energy. Wet vacs typically hold between 5 and 10 gallons of water, requiring constant emptying in the event that a large amount of water has flooded a particular area.

Removal of Flooded Water with a Shop Vac

Shop vacs are designed to hold large amounts of water. However, while this might seem like a good idea at first, you need to realize that you still have to empty the water out each time the shop vac becomes full. The work required to do so will be more tiring and tedious than with a simple wet vac.

Strategies for Removing the Water in a Flooded Basement

You have two basic solutions for water removal. You can start at the highest point where the least amount of water exists. This strategy removes the water from an area that has the least amount of water. Once the water is removed from this section, it should be able to stay dry. You simply work your way down to the deepest area of flooding, opening up more area to dry as you go.

The second strategy is to start at the deepest area of the flooding. Eventually, as long as the water has stopped coming into your house, the water recedes from the highest end, opening up an area so that it can dry. If the water has already stopped flowing into your basement, this strategy lowers the level of the water at the deepest end, possibly disrupting further damage to your home and possessions in that particular area.

Airing the Room Out

It is important to open any windows once the raining stops to allow moisture in the air to escape. As moisture escapes from the air, the room will dry more quickly.

You can also turn on the heat in the room to assist in drying it out. The heat forces the moisture into the air as it dries the floor, walls, etc. The water evaporates and enters the air. Before you turn on your heat, you need to make sure that the flooding has not damaged the equipment.

A dehumidifier can be used to draw moisture out of the air. Dehumidifiers extract moisture slowly, so you shouldn’t rely solely on using this method to dry out the room. This type of device needs to be emptied manually, so be prepared to keep an eye on it.

Fans can also be used to help circulate the air and dry the room out c

ompletely. The fans should be placed so that they blow the air out of the room. This strategy is helpful in preventing mold and mildew from growing.

Once the room is dry, you should take the time to clean it thoroughly. Use a strong cleaner and clean all surfaces thoroughly, even those that were not involved in the actual flooding.

If the damage is severe, you might need to hire a professional cleaning service.

———————————————————————————————–

———————————————————————————————–

Astrobrite Carpet Cleaning

http://www.astrobrite.net

clean@astrobrite.net

703-914-2811

Continue Reading

Why Rent a Carpet Cleaner When You Could Rent a Super Steam Machine?

0

Posted by admin | Posted in home health | Posted on 03-06-2011

Tags: , ,

Most carpet steam cleaners for rent in stores are rated far under the performance of a professional carpet cleaning companies machine. Compare the the rug doctor of 28 psi to the portable steam cleaner in our company of 150-500 psi.

For carpet cleaning 300-400 psi is recommended. Also, how does 148 inches of water lift sound instead of 100 inches from the Rug Doctor. Once you add 200 degrees of heat to the water you can clearly see that none of the rentals can compare.

Therefore, why not call around to your local carpet cleaning companies and see if any would rent out a machine. I have often had one or two extra steam cleaner machines not working and would not pass the chance to rent them out as opposed to letting them sit in the corner. Then you will have a win-win cleaning solution. No pun intended.
By Astrobrite Carpet Cleaning in Fairfax Virginia

Continue Reading

How to avoid four carpet cleaning rip-offs and misconceptions.

0

Posted by admin | Posted in home health | Posted on 20-12-2010

Tags: , , , ,

 

Astrobrite cleans carpets deep guaranteed!


Consumer’s Guide To
Carpet Cleaning

Read this guide and you’ll discover:  

  • How to avoid four carpet cleaning rip-offs! 
  • 6 costly misconceptions about carpet cleaning.
  • HOW TO AVOID FOUR CARPET CLEANING RIP-OFFS RIP-OFF #1:  UNBELIEVABLY LOW PRICE. 

To some degree, all of us are attracted by low price because we want to work within a budget.  But some carpet cleaners use price as the bait for their false and misleading advertising.  They offer a cheap price–usually between $3.95 and $9.95 per room–and then, once they’re in your home, they pressure you into buying “add-ons.”  It’s as if you were buying a car and found that the dealer was charging you extra for the tires and steering wheel.  Carpet cleaning is not as cheap as some unethical carpet cleaners would like you to believe. 

RIP-OFF #2:  BAIT AND SWITCH.  Dual process carpet cleaning describes the process of shampooing or heavy preconditioning, followed with hot water extraction cleaning.  Unfortunately, unethical carpet cleaners often use dual process as a bait-and-switch technique. 

Here’s how it’s done:  first, they “bait” you with a basic cleaning (single process) at an unbelievably low price.  Then, when you call, they try to “switch” you to more expensive dual-process cleaning.  If you don’t fall for their switch and choose their basic service, you’ll likely receive poor workmanship using little or no chemical and they will not guarantee their work.

RIP-OFF #3:  UNSUPPORTED CLAIMS.  “THIS CLEANING METHOD IS THE BEST.” 

You’ll read this in almost every ad.  You’ll hear this from virtually every carpet cleaner.  Remember this:  the method that’s best for you is the method that achieves your goal.  If you want a method that dries quickly, then a method that takes a long time to dry isn’t the best for you.  So before you choose a carpet cleaner, identify your objectives.  Then select the method that best reaches those objectives. 

RIP-OFF #4:  OUTDATED BELIEFS.  “HOT WATER DAMAGES YOUR CARPET.” 

Years ago, many people believed this was true because their carpets were damaged by “technicians” who didn’t know how to properly clean using hot water.  But today, we know it’s false.  By washing and then rinsing your carpet with hot water, your carpet is thoroughly cleaned–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. 

Obviously, each carpet cleaner will be biased towards his own method.  And each method does have advantages.  So I suggest you look to what carpet manufacturers say.  Shaw Industries, the largest carpet manufacturer in the world, recommends only hot water extraction cleaning with a truck-mounted unit used by firms that are IICRC Certified. 

6 COSTLY MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT CARPET CLEANING

 MISCONCEPTION #1:  You should wait as long as possible  before cleaning your carpet.  

No.  Dirt is an abrasive-like sandpaper.  Every time you step on your carpet, you grind dirt into the carpet fibers.  This cuts your carpet, just as if you had used a knife.  A dirty carpet will not last as long as a clean carpet.  And while vacuuming helps–by itself, it’s simply not enough.  The longer you wait to have your carpet cleaned, the more damage you do to your carpet and the faster it wears out.

 MISCONCEPTION #2:  The only reason to clean carpets is to remove the dirt.

No.  As you probably know, outdoor air contains pollens, fungus, bacteria, air pollution, cigarette smoke, car exhaust – and hundreds of other chemicals.  When you come into your home, you carry those pollens, bacteria and chemicals in your hair and on your skin, clothing and shoes.  Not surprisingly, all those chemicals and toxins wind up in your carpet.

 If you have allergies, asthma, emphysema, or other breathing problems – one major source of your problem could be the pollens, fungus, smoke and chemicals in your carpet.

 MISCONCEPTION #3:  One method of carpet cleaning is as good as another.

 No.  The dry cleaning methods – which are dry foam, dry chemicals and dry compounds – do not rinse your carpet in any way.  Instead, they leave a dirty residue.  You might say they clean your carpet only halfway.  The most effective cleaning method is hot water extraction.

Hot water extraction means a hot water cleaning solution, under high pressure, is forced into your carpet and then sucked out of your carpet.  Shaw Industries, the world’s largest carpet manufacturer, recommends hot water extraction as the primary method of cleaning carpets, along with an IICRC-approved firm.

Carpet cleaners use one of two types of hot water extraction.  If they use a large unit that operates from a van or truck outside your facility, it’s called truck-mounted extraction.  If they use a small unit that can be brought inside, it’s called portable extraction.  Shaw’s first choice is the truck-mounted unit – and it recommends the small, portable unit only in areas where the truck-mounted unit won’t reach.

 The truck-mounted extraction cleans much better because it heats the water to a higher temperature – which breaks up the dirt, bacteria, chemicals and pollens in the carpet.  Then the machine uses high suction to draw the dirt and chemicals out of your carpet.  This is the method my company uses.

 MISCONCEPTION #4:  Having the right equipment is all a company needs to clean your carpets properly.

 Not true.  Many companies own hot-water cleaners but very few companies teach their employees how to use them properly.  This is why it’s important that you choose your carpet cleaner carefully.  The best cleaning companies are those that have been certified by the , Cleaning and Restoration Certification, known as the IICRC.  Before you choose a carpet cleaner, ask to see written proof of the company’s IICRC certification and also the certification of the technician who is going to do the job!  If they don’t have them, don’t use them!

MISCONCEPTION #5:  The company that offers the lowest price is the company you should hire.

 No.  I’ve seen so many problems arise from lowest-bid companies that I suggest you NEVER hire the company that quotes the cheapest price.  The two most common problems are:

 (1) The price may not be for the services you want performed.  The company may be equipped to remove only the dirt from your carpet.  But you may want bacteria, fungus, pollens, dust mites and tobacco residues removed as well.

 (2) The price you see advertised may not be the price you pay.  Many homeowners have learned that the low price they saw advertised only lasted until the carpet cleaner got into their home.  Then they were pressured into paying a lot more for a variety of add-ons.  (Some carpet cleaners even break the law by using illegal bait-and-switch tactics.)

MISCONCEPTION #6:  Any honest carpet cleaning company should be able to give you an exact price quote over the telephone.

 I wish this were true, but it isn’t. Honest, reputable carpet cleaning companies almost never price carpet cleaning by the room.  Instead, carpet cleaning is usually priced by the square foot.  So if you’d like me to tell you the exact cost of cleaning your carpet, I need to know the exact number of square feet that you want cleaned.  To get an accurate measurement, I use a measuring wheel to calculate the exact size of the carpet area.

by Steve Hunter 
 
 
 
 

 

Continue Reading

Proper Oriental Rug Cleaning Will Keep Your Home Healthy and Looking Great!

65

Posted by admin | Posted in home health | Posted on 04-09-2010

Tags: , , ,

Rug cleaning Northern VA

If you have ever bought an oriental rug you would know that it has a beauty that cannot be compared. Though they are the finest carpets available, they are also the most expensive. Wool carpets have come to be a status symbol and can maintain the beauty of any room in your home. You will get your money’s worth from these rugs if you take  proper care and clean your rugs
often. Your treasured oriental rugs can easily live longer than you and become a heirloom that future family members will enjoy with frequent cleaning.

Too prevent your wool carpets and oriental rugs from getting too soiled they should be vacuumed regularly two to three times a week. Irreversible traffic patterns can form if you let the dirt to get ground into the rugs before you vacuum. Even though you are vacuuming your wool carpets regularly they need to have a cleaning every year by a professional carpet cleaner to insure that they last many years and maintain their beauty. Make sure the carpet cleaning company has a cleaning system that uses very little water.  The less the quantity of water that the rugs hold will increase drying times and you will prevent your wool carpets from developing mold or mildew.

Wool is very popular when decorating your home and it has many qualities that do not exist in synthetic carpets. Even when they are in areas that get a lot of traffic in your home wool resists being crushed or flattened. When used in high traffic situations many synthetic rugs made of olefin or polyester can crush or flatten in no time. To stop uneven wear on your wool rugs use carpet underpadding under your carpet.  To insure even wear on all sides it is important to rotate your carpet every few months. This will help to prevent bad traffic patterns forming too quickly.

Wool area rugs have an amazing natural ability of stain resistance. Spots and stains are repelled by the natural oils in wool. This is what helps the wool to be stain resistant but not stain proof. When a spill occurs you have to remove it immediately to prevent the stains from becoming permanent. Use a white cloth to blot away as much of the spill as possible but don’t to rub it in, as this might lead to permanent staining. After you get up the spill, use a carpet spotter that is specially made for wool carpets. You can purchase wool carpet cleaning products for all kinds of spills off the Internet if you don’t have the correct carpet cleaner. Many spills contain different oils (shoe polish, crèmes, mascara, butter, salad dressings etc.). Those can be cleaned with dry cleaning chemicals but food items and other non-oily spills have to be cleaned with a mild liquid detergent solution in water. Brush the fibers in the correct direction after washing and dry the carpet with a cool hair dryer.

Wool area rugs can hold up to 30% of their weight in moisture by absorbing moisture into the rug from the air in the room. This lowers the humidity in a room and reduces the static electricity in the carpet.

For a softer, plusher and warmer comfort underfoot use wall-to-wall carpets. They squish between your toes and give off a very comfortable feeling of luxury.  They are great over carpets to add that feeling of luxury and can make your hardwood floors warmer and stone floors more comfortable .

Continue Reading

Testing Blog Post with Twitter Tools

3

Posted by admin | Posted in SEO Websites | Posted on 24-08-2010

Tags: , , ,

social networking

Everything in the social networking world seems to be leaning toward connecting social networking tools for better and easier communication.  Updating one tool and delivering it to all your facebook, twitter, your blog, etc.

It saves time! It can take hours to log into each of your social networks to update the same information.  This post is using a WordPress pluggin to update our Twitter account. Finally, this is what technology is for, saving time.  It’s not for wasting it posting to every account.

Twitter Tools can create a tweet in twitter whenever you publish in WordPress, post an archive of your twitter tweets in your blog, rewrite your URL as a bit.ly URL. You can also extend it to use other services with similar APIs. Visit plugin site. Get more social networking done in less time.

Continue Reading

How to use social media to get the search engines to pay attention.

4

Posted by admin | Posted in SEO Websites | Posted on 21-08-2010

Tags: , , , , , ,

There are many ways to get the search engines to pay attention to your social media.

I will explain one of those ways here. First, what is one of the top ways to get clients to pay attention online? Testimonies are number 1! Potential clients love online testimonials of past client experiences. That is a way to push them to buy. Give your clients testimonial cards to fill out. If you’re not asking for these you are missing out. Then, take these cards they fill out and scan them into your computer and upload to your Flikr account. Since your testimonies are in handwriting most people tend to believe them more.

Secondly, you can blog from your flikr scanned picture in your account to a blog like Blogger.com, WordPress, Blogspot etc. Don’t forget to keyword tag each post and picture so Google and Yahoo may find it. Also, include a link to your website.

Next, go to your Twitter account and send a Tweet about your new reviews from today on Twitter and include a link to your blog and website. Don’t forget to keyword litter your Tweet.

Finally, take your reviews and put them on review sites like insider pages, yelp, Google Local, your own website, etc.  A few days later search the keywords you littered in those accounts and presto magic Google likes you!

Continue Reading

Did You Know That A Diaper Is The Most Effective Carpet Cleaning Tool Ever Made?

137

Posted by admin | Posted in home health | Posted on 17-05-2010

Tags: , , ,

The Secret is out! And the reason it has been a secret so long is because very few of us could ever admit to enjoying having to use or change this energy saving device. And when we have a used one in our possession not one of us can get rid of it fast enough. After your very next spill, simply place this diaper over the affected area, step on it for one minute, then be prepared to see how much of the mess has been literally sucked out of your carpet! You will be surprised.

Hi, my name is Steve Hunter, I am a Certified Carpet Cleaning Technician for Astrobrite Carpet Cleaning Virginia. It is time that someone stood up and told the truth about carpet cleaning! Almost everyone has been soaked by a carpet cleaner, and most people’s expectations have been lowered to believe that all carpet cleaning companies are the same. It seems that every carpet cleaner dwells on the explanation about their super sucker truck mounted equipment and the high heat it produces. And although there is truth in these explanations in getting the carpet clean, education by a recognized training organization and experience in the proper cleaning techniques are even more important.

How often do your carpets require cleaning to extend the time before replacement thereby saving you money. Even the most trained cleaner in the world will not be able to make your carpet last very long if the reason for cleaning your carpets regularly is not understood. Like any other investment of equipment and furnishings only proper maintenance will guarantee maximum usage. Maintenence and frequency of cleaning can only be determined when the following are taken into account. The kind of carpet you have, (nylon, polyester or polypropylene), the amount of foot traffic, the environment to your home (oily or dusty) and the weather patterns at certain times of the year.

Continue Reading

The Importance of Healthy Clean Carpet When It Comes to Buying and Selling Homes

229

Posted by admin | Posted in home health | Posted on 22-04-2010

Tags: , , , , ,

First Impressions: You never get a second chance to make a 1st impression!

   When a prospective buyer enters a home, usually the first thing they will see, and maybe smell, is the carpet. Homeowners don’t often notice those light stains or spots, or any odors because they have become accustomed to them.  But you can bet the prospect will! A clean looking, fresh smelling carpet will help with the ever important “first impression” of the prospective buyer. A guaranteed thorough cleaning by Astrobrite will take care of this problem possibly lessening the likelihood of a sellers’ “carpet allowance”.

The Common Issues and their Solutions!

Who Does A Good Job In This Town, Anyway? Unfortunately, I’m part of an industry that is quite often misrepresented by unscrupulous cleaners who prey on the uneducated consumer, leaving them with both damaged carpet and empty checkbooks. Those who have experienced my services can attest to the fact that I just don’t do business this way. Recently, my company was chosen as a provided on ethicalservices.com. This website has been set up to provide consumers with the right information and the due steps to choosing a carpet cleaner in their area. ABC News’s 20/20 program has featured stories about ‘rip-off carpet cleaners’  To remain in good standing with this company I have pledged to adhere to a strict code of ethics and maintain the highest professional standards available. I simply tell you this; I Guarantee You The Deepest Cleaning, You’ve Ever Seen Or It’s FREE! Nothing is more important than your complete and total satisfaction! Now, that’s how I do business!

 Buyers Expect The Entire Carpet Cleaned: The new homeowners do want the entire carpet cleaned… when the house is empty.  No one wants to be living on others’ dirt and grime. Most sellers have their carpeting cleaned to ‘spruce it up’ for the showing, but move out without a thorough cleaning, leaving the carpet cleaning for the new homeowner. Read on to see how Astrobrite’s Exclusive Realtor Packages can save both the seller and buyer money and help you close homes faster. I guarantee it!

Moving Day Arrives! How About That Poor carpet?  Yup, after unloading the moving truck and carrying in all those furnishings, that nicely cleaned, (and hopefully protected), carpet now has a dirty path through the traffic lanes. Contrary to popular belief, movers and new homeowners no longer take their shoes off as they enter the home during the move-in. We have received calls from a number of homeowners asking us to come out and re-clean the areas dirtied up by themselves or the movers.  They end up calling us, or another company back out to clean it again, at additional cost. Our Pre and Post Sale plans take care of the cost and hassle out of this.

It’s Sparkling Clean; It’s Fluffy Again, Now What? You’ve referred the most diligent, most caring carpet professional in town to your clients. They seller had the carpet cleaned during the selling process (also took advantage of our unlimited touch-up plan), had the entire carpet cleaned after they moved out, you closed the sale, and the new homeowner has the areas they re-soiled during the move-in clean, everyone’s happy! Now what? Since carpet is the 3rd largest investment in homes today, it makes sense to maintain it. That’s my business, carpet maintenance. I’ll provide your clients with a plan to help them maintain their precious investments, no obligations, no funny stuff.   

 Well, since we at Astrobrite are always looking for ways to solve our client’s problems, we put our heads together and came up with some special packages for our Realtor Clients. It is our goal to become your company of choice when it comes to recommending a carpet cleaner. We feel that both the seller and the buyer will feel comfortable knowing that all of the above problems can be solved by choosing one of our packages to meet their needs. If you have any suggestions on how we may better suit your clients, don’t hesitate to let me know.

 The market is hot, the competition is tough. We want to provide you with every available tool to

“get the edge” on your competitors.

 I would like to offer you the opportunity to experience my ‘Deepest Cleaning’ on your home, so that you may feel comfortable when it comes to recommending our company. So I have arranged for you to receive ABSOLUTELY FREE, One Room of Carpet Cleaning! No catches, no hidden costs, no obligation to do any extra cleaning. Please email us at clean@astrobrite.net for your certificate when scheduling your FREE ROOM OF CARPET CLEANING.

Continue Reading

Your Carpet Cleaning Service Is Making Your Carpets Get Dirtier!

637

Posted by admin | Posted in home health | Posted on 06-04-2010

Tags: , , , , , ,

     There are so many carpet cleaning companies out there making carpets dirtier faster. If you go to Google maps and search for carpet cleaning in your town you will find hundreds and maybe thousands in big metropolitan areas. More than half of these companies are not really companies. They are one to two men shows working out of their house. Many of them purchased a used portable from ebay or their local pawn shop.

     These machines are usually four to six years old. They do suck but not literally. They have most likely lost a lot of vacuum power and leave lots of dirty water back in the carpet. This means after getting your carpets cleaned your rugs have soapy residue and dirty water deep down inside. Therefore, stains will come back within two days to a week and they will have a constant stickiness to them which will grab on to every bit of dirt that passes over them making them dirtier than before they were cleaned.

     I know you must be asking what do I do to get my rugs cleaned properly to avoid these problems. The good news is there is a solution. The only way to get the soapy residue, dirt, dust and grime out is to have your carpets cleaned with a truck mounted cleaning company that understands the chemistry of carpet cleaning. There is chemistry to the cleaning solution. Many carpet cleaners are totally unaware of this. They use the cheapest cleaner they can find in Home Depot. A professional carpet cleaner would not buy their cleaners at Home Depot.

     The ph of a chemical is key to cleaning properly. Just like cleaning your hair you must first clean with an alkaline because this will attract the acidic dirt out. Then you must rinse with an acid rinse like a conditioner. This will leave the carpet soft and ph balanced close to neutral. If the carpets are not ph balanced they will continue to pull dust up from the pad. This is called “wicking.” If you have ever had your carpets or rugs cleaned and a spot came back it was probably caused by wicking and or over-wetting.

     Finally, another way to prevent re-soiling quickly or spots coming back is to have the rugs dry within two to three hours after having them cleaned. That will not happen with a portable cleaning. A powerful truck mount system with 300 to 400 cfm will leave the rugs dry within 2 to 3 hours. So, as you can see the only way to get your carpets cleaned and prevent quick re-soiling or re-spotting is to use a company that is trained in the chemistry of carpet cleaning and who use a professional truck mounted system.

By Steve Hunter

Astrobrite Carpet Cleaning

http://www.astrobrite.net

Continue Reading

Previous