Carpet Maintenance - Take your shoes off in the house!

I get asked all the time by my clients about ways to maintain their carpets at home.   There’s an EASY answer to this question. We’re not talking about stain removing techniques (although that’s important), we’re not recommending the proper vacuum cleaner (which I will discuss in an upcoming blog), but it’s a very simple preventative measure. Take your shoes off before you enter your home! 

There are very simple reasons why taking your shoes off upon entering you home is crucial to the cleanliness and longevity of your carpet.

Dirt, asphalt, pesticides, and all sorts of bacteria and toxins are living on the bottoms of your shoes. Those can easily be tracked into your home onto your carpet. *think of your child playing on the floor – not a good vision, huh?

Aside from contaminates on the soles of your shoes being tracked into your home, another reason why you should NOT wear your shoes in the house is because dirty shoes can cause those darker pathways to appear around where you walk the most. You've seen them- Those dark paths from one door to another door… Those dark paths are affectionately known as traffic areas. Most think that traffic areas are mainly dirt that deposits on in the carpet from repeated use. That’s only partially correct… Traffic areas are in part, abrasions within your carpet fibers. Think about this… 90% of carpeting today is made from synthetic fiber. Synthetic fibers are mostly derived from plastic. Ask yourself this question… What happens to a plastic bottle when you continually rub dirt on to the clear plastic? Yep, the plastic becomes muddy in appearance (even if it’s perfectly clean) due to abrasions in the plastic. That’s exactly what happens in the traffic areas of your home. Shoes will grind in dirt and debris into the carpet fibers, giving it a dull and dark appearance. No amount of cleaning will improve the look of those carpet fibers.

By NOT wearing shoes in your home, significantly decreases the traffic area affect and ultimately keep your carpets looking new, longer.

So… this is your excuse to find the most comfy bunny slippers that you can find and wear them proudly (inside of your home, of course…).

Stay green folks!

Home water heater effeciency tips

Six years ago, when I purchased my current home, I quickly realized that I had purchased the world's most energy inefficient home! Okay; so I'm exaggerating a bit... Well, I've been slowly but surely making my home more energy efficient as time passes. One tip that I can share from experience is in regards to your hot water heater. The water heater (especially if over 5 years old like mine) is the second largest energy consumer in the home and using it efficiently can reduce energy consumption and save you money in the process. If you're not in the market for a very efficient tankless water heater, there are a few quick tips to save energy on your current water heater.

-If you leaving your home for two or more days, you can lower the temperature of your water heater or even switch it off until you return.
-If you only use your hot water once or twice a day, consider installing a timer on your hot water heater and set it up to run two hours in the morning and the evening.
-The hot water heater setting can safely be lowered to 130-140 degrees
-Newer hot water heaters are more energy efficient than older models, so if yours is over 5 years old (like mine), wrap a fiberglass blanket around your water heater and secure it with duct tape. Or... run over to your local hardware store and pick up a ready-made insulation kit. That's what I did, and I've noticed a significant drop in my heating bill. Also, insulate hot water pipes to reduce heat loss as the hot water is flowing to your faucets.

If you have any other tips in regards to hot water heaters, please feel free to chime in! Until next time; stay GREEN!

Top 4 Green Carpet Cleaning Myths

1)   Green carpet cleaning solutions do not clean as well as the regular chemicals?

Technology has increased greatly in the world of green cleaning. Plant based solutions that are biodegradable can clean just as well, or even better than some of the harsher chemicals being used.

2)   Going green costs too much…

It’s true that ‘green’ can cost a bit more ‘green’ from your wallet, but not significantly more... Dr Green Carpet Care’s prices are comparable with other reputable, non-green carpet cleaning companies. Yes, there are some companies that will advertise that they can clean an entire home for $70; but that’s another topic entirely. Buyer Beware…

3)   I don’t get that ‘clean’ scent in my carpets after the carpet cleaner leaves.

Well, that ‘clean’ scent that you smell is an artificial deodorizer that a cleaner will spray to mask odors… We don’t use artificial deodorizers as they are not environmentally friendly. What we do leave you is actual clean carpets that the odors have been removed to give you a fresh natural smell to your home. It’s the smell of clean, not strong deodorizers.

4)   I’ve always heard that I need my carpet ‘steam cleaned’ for a thorough clean?

Steam cleaning is essentially ‘pressure washing’ your carpet. If done properly, it can clean carpets very well. Also, if you enjoying wasting 30+ gallons of water to clean an average sized home through steam cleaning methods; then that is a decision that you will personally have to make. Green cleaning technology is advanced to the point where low moisture methods that do not involve steam cleaning and the use of enormous amounts of water have been proven time and time again that it cleans just as well or even better in some situations than steam cleaning. So, if a more eco-friendly process is available at your disposal to use, why choose the environmentally unfriendly option?

The moral of the story is that there really is no excuse NOT to patronize an eco-friendly vendor to clean your carpets… That was fun; have a great day, and STAY GREEN!