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How to Winterize Your Pool

By Deep Cleaning, Pool Cleaning

winterize your poolIs it time to winterize your pool? It may not seem like it now, but before long, the weather will be changing. Leaves will start to fall, and families will start to look toward the holidays. Winterizing your pool protects it from damage when water freezes. If you have a cover, it also keeps out leaves and other debris. Whether you have an in-ground or above-ground pool, here’s how to get it ready for the months ahead.

Deep Clean Your Pool

No matter what kind of pool you have, it needs to be sparkling clean before you winterize. That water isn’t going to be circulating through the filter for months, so anything you leave behind will be a mess to deal with in the spring. Make sure you deep clean in the fall to protect your pool and make it easy to open again next year.

Sometimes hard water stains build up on pool tiles, making them look cloudy. These deposits can be extremely hard to remove. When water sits along the tile line all winter, it leaves behind discoloration and oils from the water. Consider hiring a company that specializes in hard surface cleaning to remove stains before you cover your pool for the season.

Steps to Winterizing an In-Ground Pool

Always check with your pool equipment’s manufacturer to see if there are precautions unique to your type of equipment. The first step in winterizing any pool is to balance your pool water. Several weeks before you close your pool, shock the water, then adjust your pH.

Clean the pool as thoroughly as possible to remove any debris. Lower the water level about a foot and add the chemicals from a pool closing kit. Use your net or brush to make sure chemicals are distributed evenly.

Clean your pool filter and remove drain plugs from filtration equipment. Blow out the lines to make sure there’s no water left that can freeze and cause pipes to burst. Use freeze plugs in skimmers and returns, then shut the pump off at the circuit breaker so it won’t kick back on.

If your pool has a vinyl liner, take a few extra precautions. Monitor your water level to make sure it doesn’t get too low or your liner may pull away from the wall and become damaged. Add water as needed to prevent damage.

How to Winterize Above-Ground Pools

Winterizing an above-ground pool requires many of the same steps as other pools. Make sure you do the following:

  • A few weeks before you close your pool, check and adjust chemicals.
  • Clean your pool and get the water crystal clear. Be sure you vacuum the sides, floor, and clean along the water line.
  • Add winterizing chemicals.
  • Drain water from all pool equipment.
  • Secure your pool cover.

When it’s time to get your pool tile and other hard surfaces as clean as they can be, B Clean Pro Surfaces specializes in restoring surfaces to like-new condition. Get a free quote on our professional cleaning services today.

Signs It’s Time for Tile and Grout Cleaning

By Tile and Grout, Uncategorized

Tile and Grout CleaningYour tiled areas see their fair share of foot traffic and other forms of wear and tear. Whether it’s spilled food in the kitchen or dirty feet in the bathroom, tiled areas can quickly become soiled. However, since grout lines are often narrow and it can be difficult to notice discoloration. It’s a good idea to know some tips for deciding when it’s time to clean tile and grout.

Try a Test Cleaning

If you think your tile and grout are in need of a good scrubbing, start by cleaning a small test area. Over time, floor tiles will lose their luster and grout will darken thanks to repeated foot traffic and the accumulation of dirt, dust, and other debris. Choose a spot to clean and then compare the finished result to the surrounding area. If the difference is very notable, it’s time to clean the tiles and grout.

Professional Sealing

When you installed your tile and grout (or paid a professional to install them), you hopefully used a reliable sealing agent to protect the grout. If not, the grout will likely discolor and fall into disrepair before the surrounding tiles. It’s imperative to properly seal grout and tile to avoid water damage in and between your tiles and other surfaces.

DIY Tile & Grout Cleaning

Some grout and tile cleaning jobs can be done on your own. All you’ll need is a cleaning solution, a scrubbing brush, and patience. You’ll need to saturate the grout lines and work in small areas to fully lift all of the dirt and debris out of your grout lines. However, while you can certainly handle cleaning grout and tile on your own, you may find better results if you hire a professional.

Perks to Professional Cleaners

A professional cleaner will more than likely have better, more effective, cleaning supplies than you have stashed under the sink. Cleaning grout and tile is intense labor, so the expense of hiring a professional cleaner may be easy to justify considering the time and stress you’ll save yourself.

If you’re considering professional cleaning, take the time to research your options. Look for before and after photos of their past cleaning work and see what kind of quote they can provide for your grout and tile cleaning job.

Ultimately, cleaning grout and tile is a pain, but you can handle it on your own with a bit of elbow grease and patience. However, tough jobs certainly require a professional’s attention, and Professional Surface Restoration is ready to help.

Professional Surface Restoration specializes in hard surface cleaning. Why waste time on methods that don’t get your hard surfaces clean? Contact us for a free consultation today.

3 Ways Cleaning Tools Can Make All the Difference

By Cleaning Tools, Uncategorized

cleaning toolsCleaning equipment technology has come a long way in recent years. The right cleaning tools can make all the difference in the results. Here’s how Professional Surface Restoration uses the best cleaning tools for an incredibly deep level of clean.

The Best Cleaning Tools Penetrate to Remove Stains

When we clean, we start with a pre-treatment to loosen deep stains. Our high-tech TMT Surface Cleaner is designed for indoor hard surfaces such as tile and grout, natural stone, and granite. Upright models power through the toughest stains on floors and brick. Handheld edging tools clean fireplaces, back splashes, and the hardest-to-reach areas. We use high-pressure water and over 200 degrees of heat to restore hard surfaces to their natural beauty.

TMT Surface Cleaners Remove Grout Stains

Over time, all grout becomes stained. It’s made from cement that was poured into the joints between your tile. Concrete is porous, so it absorbs anything it touches. If the grout is in your kitchen, spills and food particles cause discoloration. In the bathroom, mildew grows on damp grout and tile. If your home has hard water, mineral deposits and soap scum might accumulate on grout.

You may have tried to scrub your discolored grout with smelly cleaning solutions and lots of elbow grease, only to find it still looked stained. It’s frustrating to put in all that work and not see results.

Professional Surface Restoration restores tile and grout to its original condition using TMT Surface Cleaners, and then we seal it to prevent future stains.

Our specialized cleaning equipment uses heat and high pressure to remove stains from grout and tile. First, we spray your floors with a tile-safe alkaline detergent. Then we scrub your entire floor with pressurized hot water. Last, we apply a sealer that protects your floors without changing their appearance.

Our Cleaners Safely Restore Stone

Granite, marble, travertine, and other types of natural stone can start to look worn over time. The textures and irregularities that make them so beautiful often catch dirt and debris. Commercial cleaning solutions can damage stone. Professional Surface Restoration uses TMT tools to make them look new again.

Our stone cleaning experts take the following steps to restore your stone to like-new condition. They:

  • Inspect your stone to identify problem areas and specific needs.
  • Consider foot traffic and level of discoloration present.
  • Protect furniture and wood trim around stone floors prior to cleaning.
  • Apply our advanced cleaning products and scrub by hand or with our high-tech tools.
  • Remove dirt and debris with hot-water extraction.
  • Use water and diamond abrasives to restore sheen.
  • Apply a high-gloss shine to remove light scratches and scuffs.

Professional Surface Restoration specializes in hard surface cleaning. Why waste time on methods that don’t get your hard surfaces clean? Contact us for a free consultation today.

3 Reasons to Regularly Clean Upholstery

By Upholstery Cleaning

clean upholsteryYou love your furniture and after such a big purchase, you want to safeguard your investment. You may have some questions, like:

  • What’s the best way to protect your furniture?
  • How often does upholstery need to be cleaned?
  • Are there benefits to regular cleanings?

Here’s why having your upholstery cleaned is good for your family, your investment, and your health.

Protect Upholstery Appearance

Your furniture experiences regular wear and tear. Even in the most meticulously maintained homes, over time, upholstery starts to look worn. It happens so gradually you may not notice. Regular cleaning prevents buildup from dust and everyday traffic. Homeowners are often amazed after a cleaning to see the dramatic difference.

Protect Your Family’s Health

Bacteria, dirt, and dust mites love soft surfaces. When you sit on your furniture, you shed hair and dead skin cells. Your pets shed hair. Fabric absorbs odors. Moisture from spilled beverages and sweat provides a place for bacteria to breed. All these elements irritate allergies and keep your home from smelling fresh.

Your Upholstery Needs Special Care

You read the labels on your clothes to decide what can be washed and what needs to be professionally cleaned. Do the same with your upholstered furniture. Find the tag or look it up on the manufacturer’s website to make sure you’re cleaning it the right way. Here are some common cleaning codes and what they mean.

  • W – This stands for water, meaning it’s okay to clean small spots and stains with water-based cleaning products. Always test on an inconspicuous area first.
  • S – Only clean upholstery marked with an S using solvents that are water-free. If you use water, you might get a water ring or cause dyes to run and fade.
  • WS or SW – You can use either water-based products or solvents on upholstery with this code, but you might damage the fabric. Test a small hidden area first or opt for professional cleaning.
  • X – Always have these fabrics professionally cleaned, even on small spots.

The best way to make sure your upholstery receives the best care is to hire a professional. Professional upholstery cleaners recommend upholstery be cleaned every 6-12 months, depending on use. Professional cleaning improves durability, removes allergens, and makes your home smell fresh.

Call us today at (419) 705-8693 to request a FREE demo.

Five Ways to Prolong the Life of Your Carpet

By Carpet Cleaning

5 Ways to Prolong the Life of Your CarpetYour carpet is an investment in your home. Most homeowners choose a carpet because they like the way it looks and feels. A great carpet is warm and inviting to your bare feet. Incorporating certain carpet cleaning practices can help you protect your investment and extend the life of the carpet.

Here are five ways to prolong the life of your carpet:

  1. Take Off Your Shoes

Taking your shoes off and leaving them at the door can go a long way for the life of your carpet. Tests have shown that it takes up to 17 steps for all of the dirt from outside to come off of your shoes. That means the first 17 steps you take into your home you are tracking dirt onto the carpet. Leaving the shoes off helps to keep your carpet free of dirt and debris from outside and leaves your carpet looking new.

  1. Vacuum Regularly

It can be easy to forget to vacuum if your carpet does not look dirty. It is recommended for an active family household to vacuum two to three times a week. During those times you should be making four to six passes in high traffic areas and two to three in low traffic.

The bag or bagless cylinder should be less than half full when you begin vacuuming. Check the brushes of the vacuum and make sure they are not worn or full of hair and lint. Run the vacuum over the entire surface of the carpet, not just the areas where you can see crumbs or dirt.

  1. Clean Spots Right Away

It is important to clean spot stains on the carpet as soon as they happen. Spot cleaning will help to keep the life and appearance of the carpet intact. For liquid spills, blot the spot with a clean white towel. This should remove the liquid before causing a carpet stain.

  1. Schedule a Regular Cleaning

A professional carpet cleaning every one to two years can extend its life. Professional Surface Restoration’s carpet cleaning process gets deep into the carpet and removes more soil and stains than a typical steam cleaning.

  1. Rearrange the Furniture

Heavy furniture can be tough on the carpet. If you keep your furniture in the same place for the life of your carpet, the areas where they have been sitting will be damaged. If the size of your room allows, move the furniture regularly.

Create a Plan

Build a plan that will work best for your family from the above recommendations. It is important to schedule regular vacuuming and carpet cleaning into your routine, so it becomes a habit. Keep an eye on areas below furniture to make sure they are not weathering unevenly. These easy steps can help save you time and money in the long run.

Professional Surface Restoration’s patented process cleans hard surfaces including but not limited to, tile and grout, brick, block, concrete, granite, and marble Terrazzo. Our unique process for hard surface cleaning is revolutionizing the way you restore and maintain all floors back to their natural beauty, including carpet! Call us today at (419) 705-8693 to request a FREE demo.

5 Carpet Care Tips for Pet Owners

By Carpet Cleaning

Carpet Care Tips for Pet Owners

Our fluffy family members bring us joy, humor, and a lot of love – but they don’t share those sentiments with our carpet. Between dirty paws and bathroom accidents, pet owners can become easily frustrated with trying to keep their carpets clean and fresh. Fortunately, there are some steps you can take to mitigate permanent damage to your carpets and keep them looking new. Keep reading for 5 carpet care tips for pet owners.

  1. Clean Carpet ASAP. While many stains won’t have a time limit (such as dirt), others, such as canine urine, can permanently alter the dye of your carpet if not addressed immediately. Try soaking up the stain with paper towels or an old rag before using any cleaners.
  2. Clean Carpet Thoroughly. Compared to humans, pets have significantly stronger senses of smell and can detect the pheromones from a previous accident long after it fades from their master’s noses. When cleaning, keep your pet’s sense of smell in mind and be as thorough as possible.
  3. Make the Carpet Unattractive (to your pet). Part of the reason for so thoroughly cleaning previous accident sites is to prevent your pet from using them again. If you eliminate their scent and make the area unappealing – while simultaneously making the desired bathroom area more appealing – you’re much more likely to change future behavior. To combat the remnant scent, look for enzymatic cleaners at your local pet store or supermarket and follow all bottle directions.
  4. Purchase a Small Steam Cleaner. Larger steam cleaners can do wonders for your carpet, but they’re both expensive to rent and inconveniently bulky to address every stain or accident. To take care of stains quickly and easily, consider purchasing a smaller, hand-held type steam cleaner that can be easily stored and retrieved as you need it.
  5. Win the War Against Pet Hair. Rounding out our list is pet hair’s nefarious ability to get on everything dark on your house. To limit the spread of pet hair, consider offering your pet a designated bed or play area. Lint rollers can be a great option for cleaning pet hair from carpet and furniture. This remedy may become expensive to maintain if you have multiple pets. For a DIY alternative, buy a roll of double-sided packing tape and wrap it around something cylindrical like the cardboard tube from a paper towel roll. Add layers of tape once the current layer loses stickiness.

Professional Surface Restoration’s patented process cleans hard surfaces including but not limited to, tile and grout, brick, block, concrete, granite, and marble Terrazzo. Our unique process for hard surface cleaning is revolutionizing the way you restore and maintain all floors back to their natural beauty, including carpet! Call us today at (419) 705-8693 to request a FREE demo.

3 Reasons to Have Your Carpet Cleaned by a Professional

By Carpet Cleaning

3 Reasons to Have Your Carpet Cleaned by a ProfessionalYou can find countless articles offering do-it-yourself solutions and “life hacks” for common problems around the house (i.e. carpet cleaning hacks), but some things are best left to the experts. Carpet cleaning is certainly one of those things. While you may be able to get your carpet looking acceptable again with a bit of elbow grease and the right tools, a professional carpet cleaning service offers a much more thorough carpet cleaning than you can do on your own.

#1 – The Pros Have Heavy Equipment for Tough Jobs

 You can purchase a consumer grade carpet cleaner at most department stores, but these devices only offer short-term solutions to dirty carpets. While you may see some success using one of these vacuum cleaner-like machines, commercial-grade cleaning equipment used by professional cleaners will achieve a much deeper clean.

Standard carpet cleaners may be able to restore the top of your carpet’s fibers, but they won’t reach the deeper roots. Eventually, the lowest section of your carpet may start to accumulate potential harmful things like mold and dust mites.

#2 – Professional Cleaning Keeps You Healthy

Commercial-grade cleaning equipment will clean the entirety of your carpet fibers. Regular professional cleaning not only ensures you’re keeping your carpets as clean as possible, but also as healthy as possible. Deep cleaning dislodges and removes allergen and dirt buildup in the lowest parts of the carpet.

Professional Surface Restoration’s deep cleaning process pulls all the dirt, dust mites, etc. from the base of your carpet fibers. If the dirt down deep is not removed it will start to wear out your carpet. As people walk on the carpet the dirt granules work like sand paper and breaks carpet fibers down, which accelerates the wear-and-tear of your carpet.

Regular professional cleanings also make your carpet easier to maintain. Most of the dirt you’ll be cleaning out of your carpet is dry. Regular vacuuming will help remove most of the dry dirt accumulation, and deep cleaning with professional grade equipment will make it easier for your vacuum to do its job.

#3 – Professional Cleaning Improves Indoor Air Quality

A great deal of the dirt and debris that becomes trapped in your carpet contains bacteria and allergens as well. Thorough removal helps prevent your carpet from degrading your indoor air quality, which will help you and your family breathe easier. Indoor air quality tends to be worse than the outdoor air quality, so regular cleanings and circulating outdoor air through your home helps prevent indoor allergens, bacteria, and mold spores from proliferating.

You may not be able to do as thorough a job as a professional carpet cleaner, but a professional cleaning will certainly make your own maintenance routine easier. Regular cleanings help you maintain your carpet better just by vacuuming, saving you time and stress. Hire a professional cleaning service for deep cleaning and enjoy the peace of mind that comes with better indoor air quality and cleaner carpets.

Professional Surface Restoration’s patented process cleans hard surfaces including but not limited to, tile and grout, brick, block, concrete, granite, and marble Terrazzo. Our unique process for hard surface cleaning is revolutionizing the way you restore and maintain all floors back to their natural beauty, including carpet! Call us today at (419) 705-8693 to request a FREE demo.

Top 5 Carpet Cleaning Hacks

By Carpet Cleaning

carpet cleaning hacksYour carpet acts as the biggest filter in your home. Over time, it traps pet dander, dust, and other allergen-producing particles. Even though it’s important to keep up with regular professional cleanings, there are several tricks to help keep your carpet clean and fresh. Below are our top 5 advanced carpet cleaning hacks in between professional carpet cleanings.

  1. Deep Clean Carpet Cleaner. Making your own deep-clean carpet cleaner gives you more control over the chemicals brought into your home. This deep cleaner can be used in your rug-cleaning machine. It is made of ¾ cup of hydrogen peroxide, ¼ cup white vinegar, 2 tablespoons dish soap, 5 drops of essential oils, 2 tablespoons of fabric softener, and one gallon of hot water.
  2. Baking Soda and Vinegar. This hack works wonders for spot treatments. If you have a small spill that does not require cleaning the entire carpet, use baking soda and vinegar. When you mix these products together, they produce carbon dioxide, creating lots of cleaning bubbles.
  3. Lemon Juice and Hydrogen Peroxide. This carpet cleaner is very easy to make. Mix some drops of lemon juice with hydrogen peroxide. This mixture can loosen and remove tough stains while leaving a fresh lemon scent.
  4. Remove Stains with an Iron. Vacuum your carpets first to ensure there are no particles of dirt sitting on the carpet. Dampen the stained spots with a towel moistened with one part vinegar and three parts water. Place the towel over the stain and heat it up using your iron. Slowly move the iron over the stain and it will start to lift into the towel.
  5. Baking Soda and Essential Oils. If you notice an odor to your carpet or it needs refreshing, this mixture can deodorize and give you a fresh scent. Add 10-20 drops of your favorite essential oil scent to a 16-ounce box of baking soda. Mix together until the baking soda absorbs the oil. Spread the mixture over your carpet and let it sit for about five minutes. Vacuum up the powder and leave your carpet fresher.

No matter which of the above carpet cleaning hacks you try, your carpets will be clean and fresh. These tips can help you save money on pricey, do-it-yourself carpet cleaners and give you peace-of-mind knowing exactly what products you are putting on your carpet.

Have a carpet situation that the hacks above can’t fix? Give us a call at (419) 705-8693 and we’ll come out and take a look.