Odors and Spot Cleaning Archives - Citrus Carpet Cleaning - Natural Solutions Highlands Ranch Colorado

VOC Off Gassing – Is Your Carpet Cleaner To Blame?

December 13, 2013 by Citrus Man Leave a Comment

You know that smell that is supposed to signify when something is new or clean? The new car smell. The smell of freshly cleaned carpets. We breathe it in, taking pride in the fact we have something in great condition, right?

Well, it may be time to rethink that line of thinking. In fact, that smell you may have enjoyed in the past may be something that is doing you more harm then good.

VOCs (volatile organic compounds) are found in pretty much everywhere. You’ll find it in your new car. You’ll find it throughout your new home. You’ll find it in your paints. You’ll find it in all of your cleaning supplies.

VOCs affect indoor air quality, and are one of the sole pollutants that we have no standard labeling system for, and therefore gets very little attention. Until its too late. Once you start having health problems and discover VOCs may be the culprit, in many ways its too late.

VOC off gassing occurs from the time of installation forward. It’s the process of the harmful chemicals being released into the air. And while its hard to measure every pollutant in existence, certain chemicals do have more results available to show you truly how harmful it can be. For instance, formaldehyde, one of the most common chemicals in a variety of household items, has been recorded as providing steady high levels of emissions into the air for the first few months after production and installation.

How does this impact you when it comes to carpet cleaning? You know that smell you may have thought signified “clean” after a harsh chemical cleaning? It may not be so “clean” after all.

When we discovered the facts, our focus was to find a quality professional carpet cleaning company that didn’t release harmful VOCs into our clients’ indoor air. If we didn’t want it in our own homes, why would we want to use it in yours?

Citrus is a natural cleaner. That’s what we like about it. And we’re sure you will too.

Is There Any Way To Remove Cigarette Odor From Carpets?

September 13, 2013 by Citrus Man Leave a Comment

Smoking cigarettes is an unhealthy and foul-smelling habit, but it is one that still plagues millions of people. Smoking is not only damaging to your health, it can also be damaging to your home.

If you are a smoker, you may not notice the odor of smoke throughout your home. This is because you are used to the smell. People who do not smoke will quickly pick up on the smoke smell when they visit your home – and you may find that your friends visit less and less because of the odor.

Removing the smell of smoke from your home will make it smell better to ensure the comfort of everyone who visits.

You may think that your carpet is a lost cause and that the only way to remove the odor is to remove the carpeting. In some cases that is true. But there are ways you can work on the problem right now.

First, understand that cigarette odor penetrates everything. That means the odor isn’t sitting on the top of your carpets; its actually seeping down into the fibers, into the backing, and into the padding. Depending on how long you’ve smoked in the room will depend on how deep the problem.

Once you start working on the problem, move your smoking habit outside. The problem won’t go away if you keep adding to it. Then start with one of the simplest remedies on the market today – baking soda. Baking soda is one of the most versatile products available. It is especially useful for removing odors, which is why you might have a box sitting in your refrigerator.

To get rid of cigarette odor in your carpets, sprinkle baking soda all over the carpeting. Don’t be stingy – sprinkle it liberally and then use a stiff brush or broom to work the baking soda down into the fibers of the carpet. Then, allow the baking soda to sit on your carpeting for at least 24 hours. This gives the baking soda plenty of time to work its magic and absorb the foul odors from your carpeting. After 24 hours, vacuum the carpet several times to remove the baking soda.

Notice a difference? Again, depending on the amount of smoke in the room will determine how deep the problem exists in your carpets.

While baking soda is your starting point, move to a professional and natural carpet cleaner to continue working with the problem. Tell them about the odor, how long its been penetrating your carpets, and what you’ve done to counter the problem. Then work with him to devise a plan to help you eliminate your odors.

Filed Under: Odors and Spot Cleaning Tagged With: carpet cleaning cigarette odors, remove cigarette odor from carpets

Got Odors? It May Be Buried In Your Carpets

September 6, 2013 by Citrus Man Leave a Comment

Have you ever walked into a house before and instantly noticed “it”.

Yep, that smell.

Some carpets simply grab onto an odor and hold on for what seems like forever. No matter how many candles you use, how many sprays you spray on, or how many things you try, the odor is still there.

Unfortunately candles and sprays only mask the odor. And in some cases the odor is actually intensified by using sprays because the mist lands on the carpets, and the odor combines and enhances it.

Most of the carpets in our homes today are made from synthetic fibers. And synthetic fibers absorb stains and odors. The best thing to do is to invest in a stain resistant and/or natural fiber carpet. But that can be expensive. And if you’ve recently replaced your carpets, do you really want to go through that process all over again?

If that isn’t the road you choose to take, your next best option is regular deep carpet cleaning. Deep cleaning your carpets doesn’t just pick up surface problems; it goes to the root of the problem and penetrates the odor where it lies deep within the fibers.

Yet if you’ve decided that carpet cleaning is your solution, be aware that there is a difference in the types of carpet cleaning services on the marketplace today.

Many companies use heavy chemicals to penetrate carpets and get to the root of the problem. Because they dump the chemicals on, they have to use a lot of water to extract the harmful byproducts. Lots of water also means more potential problems. Have you ever seen mold and mildew build up from standing water? Yes, it can happen if your carpets are allowed to get too wet, or the wetness sticks around for an extended period of time.

Instead of adding more problems to your situation, a natural choice may be your solution.

One of the best solutions on the market today is citrus – it has natural capabilities of cleaning and clearing odors. Which is why we bring CitruSolution to you to help you have clean carpets in a natural way. With natural deodorizers and odor reduction as well.

If you have an odor that just won’t seem to go away, give us a call today.

Filed Under: Odors and Spot Cleaning Tagged With: carpet odors, eliminating carpet odors, Natural Carpet Cleaning

Pet Urine and Carpet Damage – Why You Should Professionally Clean Right Away

July 19, 2013 by Citrus Man Leave a Comment

If you are a pet owner and have carpets in your home, you probably know a little something about pet urine stains. When your beloved furry friend has an accident on your carpet, if it is not properly cleaned right away, it can permanently damage your carpet – not to mention leave a constant odor behind.

Pet Urine and Carpet Damage – Why You Should Professionally Clean Right Away The reason why pet urine is so damaging to carpets is because it is acidic. This can cause your carpet color to change. If you do not properly clean the urine immediately, the urine will turn into damaging alkaline salts.

The common reaction is to blot away the stain as quickly as possible. That is a good start. With a clean towel or rag, press gently on the stain to remove as much moisture as possible.

Yet just because the wetness is gone doesn’t mean the problem has disappeared. Pet urine settles into the fibers, makes its way down into the backing, migrates down through the padding, and eventually finds its way to the floorboards below. The quicker you stop the process, the better chance you have of it not penetrating all the way down to the floorboards. But if it sits awhile, your problem is deeper.

The best place to start is to soak up the wetness as fast as possible. Then apply a natural citrus solution and let it penetrate into the stain. Citrus is a natural cleaner and deodorizer, so if the stain is still on the surface, chances are you can eliminate the problem.

If you enter a home and smell pet urine, your problem is much bigger. Once pet urine penetrates multiple levels, all levels must be cleaned and protected.

A professional carpet cleaner will not just address the surface stain. He or she will also to down to the level where the problem has migrated to. It may mean pulling back the carpet and working with the padding. It may be pulling back the padding and/or removing it all together, and working with the floorboards. Once pet urine has penetrated these levels, the only way to bring it back to normal condition is to neutralize the odor at the source.

As you can see, unless you are a professional carpet cleaner, you simply will not remove all components of the pet urine to fully eliminate the stain. That is why you should leave pet urine stains to the professionals – and try to prevent the accidents from happening again in the future.

Filed Under: Odors and Spot Cleaning, Pets and Carpets Tagged With: Carpet Stains, pets

Summer Parties – The Perfect Chance To Stain Your Carpets

July 12, 2013 by Citrus Man Leave a Comment

Memorial Day. Fourth of July. Labor Day. And of course every day in between is the perfect time for a summer time party. Light up the grill, grab a bottle of wine, and plan on spending a night with close friends and family.

Carpet Stains Natural Cleaning Winter months close up your home and make all of your party plans centered around the kitchen island. Summer months open everything up, and allow people to wander from room to room, inside to outside, increasing the chances of a variety of stains and messes making their way to your carpets as well.

Ketchup and mustard? Yep. Wine and grape juice? Yes, that too. Salsa and salad dressing? Chances are that may end up your carpets as well. And with a wide variety of stains comes the need to be able to spring into action, cleaning each stain as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Head to your local big box store, and you’ll find entire shelves of potential cleaning products. Extra strength, power boosting formulas, and secret recipes will call out to you, claiming they can fight whatever problem comes your way. But the problem with each of these isn’t what they claim to do, its what’s on the inside.

Do you really want to add deadly chemicals, such as hydrofluoric acid or tetrachloroethylene (both of which are commonly found in spot removers) into your home, especially if you have small children or pets crawling around on your carpets every day?

Do you really want to add isopropanal, butoxyethanol or ethanolamine, (commonly found in carpet shampoos and maintenance cleaners), all of which pose great health risks inside and out AND are transported through inhalation and/or skin contact?

Instead, the quickest way to maintain your carpets every day of the year is to act fast.

Start by treating the stain as soon as it comes to your attention.

If it’s a liquid, blot the access up as quickly as possible. Then apply our natural carpet spot solution and continue blotting until the stain is removed.

And make sure you call attention to the stain the next time we provide our regular carpet cleaning service. We’ll give it the extra attention it needs, and make sure your carpets stay clean and looking good well into the future.

Filed Under: Odors and Spot Cleaning

Do You Have Dust Mites In Your Carpets?

June 27, 2013 by Citrus Man Leave a Comment

The thought of having dust mites in your carpets may leave you on edge, wanting to run the vacuum over your carpets as soon as possible. Don’t worry; everyone has them.
Do You Have Dust Mites In Your Carpets?
Dust mites are tiny little creatures that live anywhere in your home where dust can settle. They are small – as many as 19,000 dust mites can live in one gram of dust – yet they are usually closer in numbers to 300-500 mites per gram. Each dust mite produces 10 to 20 waste particles per day, and lives on average about 30 days. A female can add 25 to 30 new mites to the population during her lifetime.

Dust mites thrive on skin and dander particles, so they will thrive wherever it finds food. Carpets, rugs, upholstery, mattresses and bedding are its usual hiding places. Dust mites don’t bite and cannot spread diseases. They typically won’t live on you – just in places you spend a lot of time. And they will only become harmful to you if you become allergic to them.

As much as 10 percent of the general population, and up to 90 percent of the population already suffering from allergies and asthma, will have a reaction to dust mites. If you are allergic to dust mites, typically you will have a reaction to proteins found in their decomposing bodies and/or feces. While they like to settle in to the places you spend a lot of time, they are very light and can float in the air for hours when disturbed. Open up the window or door, walk across the carpet, vacuum, make the bed, or have your pets run and play, and you’ll probably send hundreds of them up into the air.

How can you reduce their effects? Thorough cleanings on a routine basis. Cleaning products and insecticides have no effect on dust mites. Yet regular cleanings can reduce the amount of dust, therefore reducing the amount of dust mites. And while vacuuming alone can keep the number of dust mites down, regular professional cleanings will work even harder to keep your carpets clean and healthy for you and your family.

Filed Under: Odors and Spot Cleaning Tagged With: Do You Have Dust Mites In Your Carpets

Why Spots Keep Coming Back On Your Carpets

June 20, 2013 by Citrus Man Leave a Comment

We’ve all experienced the frustration of a never-ending carpet spot. You scrub it, you vacuum it, you have a professional clean it, but the spot just won’t go away. It may fade for a few hours, or a few days, but eventually that same stupid spot returns. Doesn’t it just make you want to pull your hair out?!

If we want to win this battle of the super spot, it is important to understand a few things. In order to get rid of that stain once and for all, we need to know what made the original stain, how carpet gets stained, and what’s already been done to remove the stain. Why Spots Keep Coming Back On Your Carpets

The first step to eradicating that stubborn stain is to understand the cause of the original stain. Stains react differently depending on the source. If you know the composition of the original stain causing agent, you are one step closer to fighting your nemesis.

Not only do you need to understand a stains origin, but you need to understand how carpet gets stained. Carpet is composed of three layers: the padding, the backing, and the pile. Most stains impact all three layers, but when they are cleaned, they are only cleaned on the pile level. The stain that remains in the backing or the padding acts as an attracting agent for dirt, oils and daily pollutants. So, an improperly cleaned stain will simply rebuild.

Unfortunately, your attempts at removing the stain could also be the cause for its reappearance. If a cleaning agent is not thoroughly rinsed from the affected area a residue is left behind. This residue works much like the remnants of the stain to attract dirt to the area. So, your cleaning attempts could be working against you.

The best way to deal with reoccurring spots is to stop them before they start. Whenever you try to clean a stain, be sure to be thorough. Keep working after the surface appears to be clean and thoroughly rinse the area afterward.

Filed Under: Odors and Spot Cleaning Tagged With: Why Spots Keep Coming Back On Your Carpets

Carpet Stains – What Is Treatable and What Isn’t

June 13, 2013 by Citrus Man Leave a Comment

Carpet Stains What Is Treatable and What Isnt

Your carpeting is one of the first things people notice when they enter your home. They will look at your flooring – and instantly make a judgment, whether subconscious or not.

You want your carpet to look and feel beautiful, to be a reflection of you as a homeowner. You want your guests to know when they glance at your carpeting that you take pride in your home, including the flooring. The best way to keep your carpet looking beautiful is to keep it free from stains.

The first step in having a stain-free carpet is knowing which types of stains are treatable and which ones are a lost cause.

Stains caused by insecticides, hair dyes, bleach, iodine, acid cleaners, and other similar products are a lost cause. These stains do more than just add a stain to your carpet – they visibly change the color of your carpet fibers. These are not stains – they are permanent alterations and they cannot be undone. If your carpeting has this type of stain, either replace the carpeting or strategically use furniture or area rugs to cover the unsightly area.

If a stain on your carpet is not permanent, it is essential that you address the stain as soon as possible. If you allow a stain to set into your carpet, you reduce your chances of removal.

The preferred method of immediate treatment is blotting, not rubbing, the stain with a clean rag. This will remove as much of the actual liquid as possible. If the stain is still there and you’ve used our services before, you can use our spot removal solution we’ve left behind. If you’re shopping around and haven’t given our natural cleaning a try, you can try using some rubbing alcohol or a non-bleaching detergent mixed with water. Spray the stain and blot it again. If the stain remains, hydrogen peroxide may be the answer – avoid over-saturation and blot, never rub.

If, after all of your safe attempts to remove the stain, the stain remains, it may be time to contact a professional carpet cleaner. Professionals have access to a greater variety of stain-removal products. They also know tricks and tips for getting out stubborn stains. While all stains cannot be removed from carpeting, especially those listed earlier, many stains can be safely lifted from the fibers, leaving your carpet beautiful once again.

Filed Under: Odors and Spot Cleaning Tagged With: Carpet Stains, Treatable stains, what won't come out of carpets

Why You Should Never Rent A Steam Cleaner

May 17, 2013 by Citrus Man Leave a Comment

Think the best way to clean your carpets is by renting a steam cleaner from your local grocery or home improvement store? Think again.

Here are just a few reasons to think twice before laying money down for a rental steam cleaner. Why You Should Never Rent A Steam Cleaner

The Lug Factor

Have you ever watched a person rent a steam cleaner? They pull it out to their car, throw it into the back seat or trunk. They yank it out of the car when they get home. They tug it, tip it over, abuse it, and never think twice about the mistreatment it receives.

What Chemicals Were Used?

Sure, every steam cleaner comes with a recommended cleaning solution you buy along with the rental unit. But is that all a person really uses? What if they run out half way through the job? Do they really run back to the store to buy more? Or do they dump whatever they happen to find at home into it? You never know what has been fed into the system, and what still remains inside.

What Germs Lurk Inside?

Why was the steam cleaner rented in the first place? If you’re renting it to clean your family home, you may assume every rental before you was for the same purpose. Not necessarily true. It may be to clean out a car after a wild party. Grease? Maybe. How about blood from a major accident? Yep, I’ve heard those stories as well.

Cleaning

Really think someone takes the time to clean out the steam cleaner once they’re through? Nope, I don’t either. Sure, they empty out the tank from whatever job was just completed. They may even spray it out a bit if it was a particularly disgusting job. But beyond that, you’ll get remnants of all the jobs that come before you.

Still thinking about renting a steam cleaner from your local home or grocery store? Maybe now is the time to switch to a professional, natural carpet cleaning service that can guarantee you results every time.

Filed Under: Odors and Spot Cleaning Tagged With: Why You Should Never Rent A Steam Cleaner

How To Remove Coffee Stains From Your Carpet

April 4, 2013 by Citrus Man Leave a Comment

Millions of people enjoy coffee in the morning. Coffee is often the drink of choice during the morning because it helps you wake up. However, coffee is not the drink of choice for your carpet. Coffee stains can be just as tough as wine stains to remove from carpeting. The next time you spill coffee on your carpet, keep these helpful tips in mind.

Blot up the coffee as soon as possible. Do not let the coffee sit on your carpet – it will only be absorbed into the fibers of your carpet and the padding. Use white cloths or paper towels to blot the coffee. Keep blotting until you can no longer remove any coffee from the carpet. Remember – do not rub. Rubbing will only force the coffee deeper into the carpet.

Decide upon your method of cleaning. Different carpets require different methods of cleaning. For instance, an antique area rug should not be treated with harsh cleansers.

Dampen the stain with lukewarm water. Do not saturate the carpet – just lightly mist it with the water.

Use CitruSolution spot cleaner – we leave a bottle after every cleaning perfect for these little emergencies.

Wet a white rag with the cleaning solution and lay it over the stain. Using the back of a spoon, press down on the rag, working your way from the outside to the center. Do not rub the rag – simply apply pressure with the spoon. This will work the cleaner into the carpet.

Remove the rag and spray with warm water to rinse the stain. Use a rag to dab and blot the wet area to remove the excess water.

Place a clean, dry rag on top of the area. Then, place a book or other weighted object on top of the rag. Let the area dry overnight. Your coffee stain should be gone by morning. Specializing in Highlands Ranch carpet cleaning, Citrus Solutions is your natural choice.

Filed Under: Highlands Ranch Carpet Cleaning, Odors and Spot Cleaning Tagged With: How To Remove Coffee Stains From Your Carpet