Safety first: unplug your washer and dryer and turn off your gas valve before you start cleaning. If you don’t feel comfortable dealing with electricity or gas please call All Natural at 630-759-6762 or go to the web site www.allnaturalservices.com to schedule a cleaning in the Chicago land area.
First: If your drier takes longer than one cycle to dry a load of cloths you have a problem. Your dryer vent should be cleaned once a year to prevent fires and to improve the efficiency of the drying of the clothes. Quick tip # 1 from www.allnaturalservices.com ; having your dryer vent cleaned annually can actually save you up to $400.00 per year in energy costs and prevent a fire in your home!
Second: Remove the vent louvers from the outside vent. If you have a bird cage on the bottom or surrounding the outside vent remove it first. Quick tip #2 from All Natural; use a hair drier to heat up the vent louvers or before you start the project; or start the drier for ten minutes to heat them up and then remove the louvers. Be careful; because of the sun and weather can make them brittle. If there is one flap inside don’t remove it just clean around it.
Third: Get yourself some leather gloves. We are dealing with sheet metal here and it is very sharp! Get a shop vacuum and vacuum all area inside the duct and around the drier. Also vacuum the ten to twelve inch duct leading to the outside vent. Quick tip #3 from All Natural, we recommend replacing the flex duct from the dryer to the wall or ceiling once every two years. They are cheap to replace; only about ten dollars or so and it will improve the safety and efficiency of the system. By doing this you have less to clean.
Fourth: Once everything is clean as a whistle you can reverse everything you did and put it back together. Quick tip #4 from All Natural, Don’t forget to turn the gas back on before you push the drier back. Also crack a window nearby and start the drier for about ten minutes to flush the rest out and get the gas to the dryer. If this seems a little out of you comfort zone please call 630-759-6762 in the Chicago suburbs to schedule an appointment for a professional cleaning by All Natural or email us at blog@allnaturalservices.com
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Thursday, July 16, 2009
How to clean potted plant spills?
Do not grab some cleaner or any liquid including water to clean it up. You will just end up with a permanent plant stain. If you add a liquid; even water you will turn it into mud.
First: Grab a spoon and carefully remove as much of the excess soil without grinding it into the carpet. It is very important that you don’t work any of the soil into the carpet.
Second: Let it completely dry over night. If you let the soil dry out on top of the carpet fibers there is less of a chance of creating permanent damage. Quick tip #1 from
All Natural ; put a towel or paper towel over the spill so everyone else in the house doesn’t track any of the soil around.
Third: The next day make sure the soil is completely dry and vacuum it up. If at all possible use the vacuum attachment or a shopvac to get better suction and control. Quick tip #2 from All Natural ; Do not use a heat to dry the soil; it opens up the dye sites of the fiber and causes a stain.
Fourth: Once you have removed all of the dry soil you can with the vacuum use a foaming spotter i.e. dish washing liquid and finish removing the spot with a towel and the soapy water. Tip # 3 from All Natural only blot the carpet with the towel as to not wear or fray the carpet fibers. The soap may leave a residue but All Natural will take care of that at the next cleaning.
First: Grab a spoon and carefully remove as much of the excess soil without grinding it into the carpet. It is very important that you don’t work any of the soil into the carpet.
Second: Let it completely dry over night. If you let the soil dry out on top of the carpet fibers there is less of a chance of creating permanent damage. Quick tip #1 from
All Natural ; put a towel or paper towel over the spill so everyone else in the house doesn’t track any of the soil around.
Third: The next day make sure the soil is completely dry and vacuum it up. If at all possible use the vacuum attachment or a shopvac to get better suction and control. Quick tip #2 from All Natural ; Do not use a heat to dry the soil; it opens up the dye sites of the fiber and causes a stain.
Fourth: Once you have removed all of the dry soil you can with the vacuum use a foaming spotter i.e. dish washing liquid and finish removing the spot with a towel and the soapy water. Tip # 3 from All Natural only blot the carpet with the towel as to not wear or fray the carpet fibers. The soap may leave a residue but All Natural will take care of that at the next cleaning.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Ink Stains
This is a new blog, and I'm new to this. I want to try to address the issues that I see in my carpet cleaning business.
Lately we have been getting a few people who have had Ink stains. The most important thing to know about Ink stain/spills. DO NOT USE WATER. If the ink remains in gel form you usually can get it out 99% of the time.
The best thing is to find an INK remover, not an all purpose remover or miracle product sold on T.V. at 2:00am. Try going to a local janitorial supply store or Home improvement store, sometimes they have these near the paint isle.
A true ink remover is solvent based and sometimes smells like a paint remover. You will need to have a strong extractor or shop vac. Read the instructions on the product you picked out, generally you will pour a small amount on the stain and then extract immediately, NO agitation.
Once you get out all the ink or no more will come out, you should then use water and flush out the area. You are trying to get rid of the residue from the ink remover. To flush the area, pour water over the area and suck it out.
Good luck! If you have any questions contact us at blog@allnaturalservices.com
Lately we have been getting a few people who have had Ink stains. The most important thing to know about Ink stain/spills. DO NOT USE WATER. If the ink remains in gel form you usually can get it out 99% of the time.
The best thing is to find an INK remover, not an all purpose remover or miracle product sold on T.V. at 2:00am. Try going to a local janitorial supply store or Home improvement store, sometimes they have these near the paint isle.
A true ink remover is solvent based and sometimes smells like a paint remover. You will need to have a strong extractor or shop vac. Read the instructions on the product you picked out, generally you will pour a small amount on the stain and then extract immediately, NO agitation.
Once you get out all the ink or no more will come out, you should then use water and flush out the area. You are trying to get rid of the residue from the ink remover. To flush the area, pour water over the area and suck it out.
Good luck! If you have any questions contact us at blog@allnaturalservices.com
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