Maintenance Products and Equipment

Emergency Care for your Carpets and Floors - General Advice

1. Firstly; don't panic but act swiftly, don't wait for guests to leave before tackling problem, they understand the urgency.
2. Liquid spills; Use a white towel, fabric or kitchen roll to quickly mop up the liquid, do not rub, this spreads the problem. Firmly press down on the adsorbent pad, you can even stand on then step off the pad to generate higher pressures. As the absorbent towel becomes saturated either use further dry material or wring it out over a sink, rinse to remove colorants, wring dry and reuse.
3. Semi-solid spills; Use a spoon or spatula to first scoop up solids then as above adsorb any liquids, do not rub. Avoid sharp edged knife that will damage fibres
4. Burns; cigarette or cinder. Safely remove the heat source. With wool carpets you will get scorching but synthetics melt. If not to large trim off scorched ends of carpet fibres with nail scissors. If large and gone into a hole it may be possible to use a bell punch to remove circular plug around hole then fill with undamaged plug taken from carpet remnant or unseen area of fitted carpet like beneath furniture or bottom of cupboard. On wooden floors; if not severe, the slight burn marks can be removed by rubbing with steel wool moistened with soap and water.
5. Scratches, skids and scrapes; See if a pencil eraser will remove skids from solid surface of flooring. With scratched laminate floors determine if manufacturers produce a repair kit or get from your local DIY a generic kit, both will contain tube of putty or wax either coloured or with colorant to mix into filler. Ensure area is dry and clean before applying filler, buff and polish to satisfactory finish.
6. Pet Stains; for everyone who has gone through the house training of a new puppy 4 Easy Steps To Emergency Pet Stain Removal
   1. Do it NOW. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to remove. It isn't always convenient to clean up a pet stain, but your life will be much easier if you take care of it immediately. The stain could become permanent in just a few hours, especially with some light colored fibers.
   2. Use the right equipment. Use a small, hand-held carpet spotting machine or wet vacuum to extract the urine, vomit, or feces. If you find the stain while it is still damp, it is important to extract the liquid BEFORE rinsing or adding a spot remover. Some popular brands to look for are Bissel, Little Devil, and Little Green Machine. For a wet vacuum, go to any hardware department and ask for wet vacs or shop vacs.
   3. Use the proper cleaning agent AFTER the liquid has been removed. Use a low residue spot remover if the stain is fresh or an enzyme spot remover if the stain has been in the fiber for more than a few hours. A mixture of white vinegar diluted at a 1 to 3 ratio will also work in a pinch. Never use bleach. If you are using an enzyme, allow it to dwell for at least 20 minutes or according to the label. An enzyme actually digests the bacteria associated with the odor in urine and works well for spots that have been in the carpet for more than a few hours.
   4. Rinse the spot with plain water and extract the water with your wet vacuum or carpet-spotting machine. This can be done by rinsing with water from your spot removal machine or simply pouring a glass of water on the area and extracting with your wet vacuum.