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New Year's Resolutions – How Often Should You Have Your Carpets Cleaned?

It’s New Year’s resolution time! Often we at Cincinnati Maintenance hear our clients vowing to have a cleaner, healthier home as a New Year’s resolution – we say, “Go for it, Cincinnati!” Regular, professional carpet cleaning is a great addition to your cleaning resolutions!
Then, we are asked, “How often should I have my carpets cleaned?”  The answer can be different depending on your home, the age of your carpets, the size of your family, whether or not you have pets, etc., but here are some of our recommendations:  Homes with pets and families should have the carpets cleaned every 6-to-12 months.  Office buildings (particularly, ground floor offices) benefit from the same 6-to-12 month recommendation.  
Certain service institutions require more frequent cleaning, due to health and sensitivity concerns:  daycares, once per week; nursing homes, once per month; restaurants, once per month; and, schools, every 3-to-6 months.
Let Cincinnati Maintenance assist in your New Year’s cleaning goals – call (513) 827-6150 today to get started or contact us here!

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Why You Should Get Your Carpets Professionally Cleaned

Cincinnati Maintenance wants to help you keep your home healthy and clean – two very good reasons right there why it’s a good idea, Cincinnati, to get your carpets professionally cleaned!
Why you should get your carpets professionally cleaned:

  • Your home will smell great and will look great, too! Everyone wants that!!
  • Keeping your carpets in good shape keeps or adds to your home’s value – professional cleaning keeps the carpet fibers uplifted and keeps your carpets looking as new as possible for as long as possible.
  • As mentioned in the point above, professional cleaning prolongs the longevity of your carpets.
  • Keeping mold, mildew and harmful bacteria at bay is yet another great benefit of a deep professional cleaning. Your health is important to us!
  • And, hey – it keeps YOU from having to take on the task of deep cleaning your carpets yourself!

Now, THAT’s peace of mind! Call Cincinnati Maintenance today – (513) 827-6150.

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Our Favorite Holiday Advice

Over the years, we at Cincinnati Maintenance have talked about cleaning advice for the holidays – how to cope with a variety of possible circumstances – particularly when it comes to keeping your carpets and floors clean – upholstery, too!

Here are some of our favorite blogs:

Pets in the House? Here’s what you need to know

Should you clean before or after the holidays?

Beware: Rock salt or other ice melting products can hurt your floors

Favorite holiday blogs

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Don't Neglect Your Furniture

We talk all the time about your carpets and floors being one of your home’s largest investments. But, your furniture is, too!
Don’t neglect cleaning your furniture upholstery! We at Cincinnati Maintenance recommend professionally cleaning upholstery every 8-12 months, sometimes even more often if you have small children or pets.
Your couches and comfy chairs can get dirty pretty quickly. Food particles, drink spills, perspiration, dog and cat dander, fur, etc.,….in many ways, your upholstery can end up being even dirtier than your floors – mostly because it is not in the forefront of people’s minds to have their furniture professionally cleaned periodically.
Families sit on their furniture just as often as they walk on the carpets and rugs – but which gets cleaned and vacuumed more often? Something to think about…
Add your furniture to your vacuuming schedule and have your upholstery professionally cleaned a minimum of once per year.  You’ll be amazed at the results when you give your upholstery a little love!

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Low Moisture or Encapsulation Cleaning is Best

There are different methods of professional carpet cleaning. We at Cincinnati Maintenance prefer low-moisture encapsulation. Why? Because Low Moisture or Encapsulation cleaning is the most safe and advanced way to clean and maintain carpet. It dries fast; it’s PH balanced; and there is no chemical residue – therefore is wayyyyyy better for the environment AND for your own home or business.
However, whether you choose hot water extraction or encapsulation cleaning, please consider the following:

  • Pre-vacuuming should be required by the technician. If you hire a professional and they do not begin by dry vacuuming first, send them on their way before they do anything more. Seriously.
  • Request non-toxic, “green” pre-sprays and cleaners. Cincinnati Maintenance often uses Procyon Brand carpet and tile cleaning products to produce amazing cleaning results.  These cleaners are soap free and derived from various plant based ingredients. This helps eliminate any type of chemical exposure whatsoever.
  • Carpet grooming: The crimp and twist of the carpet is set at the mills with either a wet or dry heat.  When professionals clean with heat, the setting from the mills can be disrupted.  Post Grooming can help prevent harming the carpet fibers.

Cincinnati Maintenance is dedicated to staying current on all of the best products and best practices to help keep your home and business clean AND safe.

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Don't Let Your Carpets Make You Sick

Flu and cold season is about here – a topic we like to address this time of year. The kids are in school, probably around more children than usual and therefore more germs. It’s naturally flu season anyway. The change of seasons sometimes seem to bring on colds and whatnot. There’s not a lot you can do about any of that, BUT you can take measures to help keep your carpets from making you sick.

  1. Use an entryway mat. We have talked about this before. Entryway doormats are a place where grit, grime, and, yes, even some germs can be halted before it all reaches your home’s carpets. The trick here is to really, really have that doormat on a good vacuuming and cleaning schedule! And, hey, it’s a doormat – replace them as needed.
  2. Vacuum! Just do it. And, a vacuum with a good filter – preferably HEPA filter – is definitely best.
  3. Clean up spills and food crumbs immediately. The goal here is to reduce bacteria growth from organic material. Same goes for any pet accidents: get it cleaned asap.
  4. Deep, professional cleaning on a regular schedule (once per year or twice per year, even) is always a good idea. More often if you have pets or toddlers in that crawling-around stage.

Minor illnesses, especially during “the season,” can’t be completely avoided, but taking care of your carpets properly is just one more step in taking care of you and your family.
Contact us! Cincinnati Maintenance – (513) 827-6150.
 

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Ewwww….What's in YOUR Carpet?

What’s in YOUR Carpet?
Carpeting can harbor some pretty unpleasant stuff. Of course there is your everyday dirt and grit that gets tracked in your home or office, but did you know…..

  • Your family and employees spill crumbs, bits of food, drinks, etc., in your carpets and even if the spill is blotted up, smaller particles and sticky residue likely remains.
  • Bacteria – yep, bacteria grows from the aforementioned spilled food particles and spilled beverages.
  • Mold – and other ick. Yes, if you have had damp or wet carpets for any reason, deep down mold and mildew can grow if the carpet isn’t properly cleaned. This also means that viruses can live for a period of time if the carpet pad got wet or if your carpet remained damp for a period of time. No homeowner nor employer wants something like norovirus living in your carpet or rugs.
  • If you have pets, naturally your carpet grabs onto pet fur. But, that’s not the only hair in there – your family’s hair or that of your employees and clients is in your carpet, too. And, if there is pet dander (which there is), then, guess what, there are human skin “flakes,” too.

Unfortunately, I could go on and on about what’s in carpet that you would really wish you didn’t know about, but luckily there are solutions. Vacuum, people! Keep your carpets vacuumed  – that’s your first line of defense. Make sure spills and other wet occurrences are thoroughly cleaned and dried. Periodic professional deep cleaning is actually more than a recommendation; we consider it a necessity.
Call Cincinnati Maintenance today at (513) 827-6150 or schedule your cleaning online. Free estimates!

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Helpful Floor Cleaning Tips from #CincinnatiMain

We at Cincinnati Maintenance thought it was time for us all to brush up on how to care for our carpet and flooring in between professional, deep cleanings.
First of all, we cannot stress enough the importance of vacuuming. It’s simply essential. The main reason is that getting up the dirt and grime helps protect your carpet! Dirt and grit wear down and break down the fibers, so vacuuming is pretty high up there in how to take care of your home and business flooring.
Sweeping and vacuuming your un-carpeted flooring is important, too! For the same reasons – it helps keep grit from wearing down your floors.
When you are “sweeping,” we recommend MICRO-FIBER. Using a mop with a micro-fiber pad works so much better than an old-fashioned broom.
Some bonus tips:

  1. For hardwood floors, use a dust mop or micro-fiber pad mop regularly. When damp mopping, a neutral (neutral being the key word) cleaner – such as the Bona products – is best. This product can be found at Home Depot, Lowe’s, etc.
  2. For tile and grout, a good tile brush from Home Depot or somewhere similar will help clean the grout. Definitely avoid sealers and high alkaline cleaners. Again, neutral cleaners are key.
  3. For vinyl flooring, avoid anything that says “enhances shine” and avoid applying floor finishes. A good neutral, preferably “green,” solution is always best.

If you have any concerns or questions, you can always contact Cincinnati Maintenance and we are happy to help!

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Have You Heard of Marmoleum?

A popular flooring out there is called Marmoleum.  Have you heard of it?
Marmoleum is touted as a “green” flooring, meaning it is an environmentally conscious choice for many residential homes.
The adhesive upon installation is solvent free and there is also a “clickable” type of Marmoleum that uses no adhesive.
Some other benefits, according to popular home improvement website dengarden, include:

  • Estimated life of Marmoleum with normal use is 50 years
  • 100 percent biodegradeable
  • Anti-static – therefore, easier to clean because not as much grime sticks to it
  • Made of natural materials – no gaseous output of chemicals

Dengarden also indicates a few disadvantages:

  • Dents easily – so be sure to put furniture foot pads on table legs and chairs
  • Could stain – be sure it is properly installed and finished as well as cleaned properly
  • Must maintain a proper seal on the floor – discuss with your retailer exactly what this entails

As always, feel free to contact Cincinnati Maintenance should you have any questions about your home’s flooring and maintenance needs.
 

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Wicking: Wha-what?

Wicking: Wha-what?
What the heck is “wicking?”
Well, have you ever had your carpets cleaned – particularly a specific stain – and it looks great but in a few days, that stubborn stain mysteriously shows back up? Annoying as all get-out for sure – that’s wicking.
Wicking is caused when a stain has penetrated deep into the carpet.  Then, when the carpet cleaned – commonly by a “wet” (water) extraction method – the part of the stain that has deeply penetrated the carpet is not completely removed.  After this “wet” type of cleaning is performed and the carpet has dried, the residual portion of the soiled area “wicks” its way to the surface of the carpet fibers. Darn it! – and you’re likely out the money for that professional cleaning you just paid for.
The GREAT news is that with Cincinnati Maintenance’s green, low moisture technology, dry time is often only 45-90 minutes and also prevents that nasty wicking or reappearance of a nasty, stubborn stain.
Contact Cincinnati Maintenance today to take advantage of our low moisture cleaning process – a deep clean that is truly just that – a deep clean that dries fast!

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