The Benefits and Limitations of Carpet and Rug Cleaning

More and more people are using steam cleaners, which have proven to be more natural and more effective than chemical cleaners in many situations. But how far do the benefits of steam cleaning really go? Can you use a steam cleaner on just any surface? If you’re wondering these things yourself, we’ve got some advice for you.

Benefits of Steam Cleaning

Because steam cleaning only uses water and heat, you don’t have to worry about any of the risks that chemical cleaners might bring. Nearly all household surfaces are properly sanitized with steam cleaners, more than just the percentage of clean that most chemical cleaners offer. Because the steam evaporates, surfaces will dry faster when cleaned with steam cleaners. Steam cleaners are also excellent at cleaning those tough to reach spots and removing hardened substances like wax or glue.

Best Uses for Steam Cleaners

Steam cleaning works wonders on nearly every surface of a home, but for some materials you may need to pay attention and think of the effect that water and heat may have. For example, steam cleaning is great for carpets, upholstery, mattresses, and even curtains, but for all of these surfaces you need to make sure you’re using an upholstery attachment. 

For floors, tiles, ceramic and metal fixtures steam cleaning works great to kill germs, mold, and fungus, so long as a floor attachment is used. With a window attachment, you can easily clean glass and windows. Even kitchen appliances can be cleaned with handheld steam cleaners. 

The only materials that can’t be steam cleaned are paper and cardboard products, delicate fabrics and anything covered in water-based paint.

Professional Services

Now that you understand what kind of jobs steam cleaners can be used for, you need the right team of technicians to get the job done. The Steam Team professionals are trained at handling high-powered steam cleaners and other cleaning equipment. If your home or business is in need of restoration or cleaning, call The Steam Team today.

Cleaning Up After Construction: The Steam Team Way

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If you’ve had any big construction, renovation or remodeling job done recently on your home, business, or other property, you know that there’s quite a big mess afterwards to clean up. If you’re in a situation where you might have to clean it all by yourself, consider calling in The Steam Team for the job. We can clean up your newly renovated property in no time!

Main Surface Cleaning

When you’ve called in our professional technicians for a post-construction cleanup job, they’ll start by thoroughly cleaning every single main surface of the property, getting rid of any debris like sawdust, metal, dirt or anything left behind from the job. Floors will be vacuumed, mopped or steam cleaned as needed, all cabinets, windows, shelving and countertops will be cleaned by hand until all debris is gone from the main surfaces. Our technicians will use high-powered equipment and professional methods to get the surfaces as clean as possible.

Smaller Areas and Final Touches

When all the main surfaces have been cleaned, our technicians will move on to the finishing touches of the post-construction cleaning process. They’ll begin by cleaning out the vents to ensure that no debris is allowed to remain in the air of the property, as it could be harmful to breathe. Then all of the smaller areas and appliances will be cleaned like microwaves and other small appliances, decorative items, ceiling fans, light fixtures and electronics.

Who Is The Steam Team?

Here at The Steam Team, we offer much more than just post-construction cleanup. We can handle everything from flood and fire damage cleanup, hardwood floor renewal, marble polishing, upholstery cleaning and even pet odor elimination! For more information on our many cleaning and restoration services, please visit The Steam Team website and feel free to give us a call!

Why Does Carpet Get Bald Spots?

It’s no secret that our hair starts to fall out as we age over time. Carpet fibers are no different -- over time, their fibers begin to fall out, especially if they’re not being treated properly. Dirt particles can get under the fibers and destroy them leading to additional wear and tear in your carpet over the years. Areas with higher traffic typically deteriorate quicker – shoes carry dirt particles, the more shoes, the more dirt and the less carpet fibers that stay intact. However, there are a few things you can do to prevent any further damage or deterioration to your carpet. 

Welcome Mat

Providing a mat (or a few mats, depending on the foot traffic in your house) by your front door where your guests can take their shoes off or wipe their feet will eliminate shoes on your carpet, keeping dirt away from your fibers. 

Regular Maintenance

Vacuuming your carpets twice per week will lift the debris out of the carpet and keep them from damaging the carpet fibers. Regularly vacuuming is a guaranteed way to extend the lifetime of your carpet! 

Professional Cleaning 

If you have noticed advanced deterioration in your carpet, a professional cleaning may be the only way to ensure there aren’t any dirt particles left in your carpet fibers. No matter how extreme the damage is on your carpet, reaching out to professionals like us, here at The Steam Team, is a sure-fire way to fix the mess that’s occurred and get your carpet looking brand new again. 

Carpet cleaning uses high pressure and suction to clean out even the deepest of dirt particles. Aside from the actual steam cleaning itself, however, hiring a professional will allow you to have an experienced technician take a look at the current state of your carpeting. If the bald patches are extensive, it may be in your best interest to have them restore those areas with spare carpet patches. 

What’s the current condition of your carpeting throughout your home? If you need help cleaning or restoring your carpet, don’t hesitate to give us a call at 1-800-880-7785 - we are always happy to help! 

Don't Forget About Cleaning Those Window Treatments

When it comes to cleaning the house, window treatments don’t typically need regular maintenance every day. Over time, however, that becomes a different story. Since our draperies, blinds, and other window treatments are often the most neglected areas in our home when it comes to cleaning, they tend to build up dirt, dust, and other grime quickly. In some instances, this could be contributing to continued dust around the home or even those allergies that have been tickling your nose lately! So, what’s the best way to clean any type of window treatment?

A regular vacuum attachment is a good option for an every-now-and-then clean, but ultimately steam cleaning is one of the best options for cleaning drapes, curtains, and any other type of window treatment.

How It Works

Not only is steam cleaning effective, but it’s an extremely efficient cleaning method. We’re not talking about removing all of your window treatments and hand-washing them (if they’re fabric), nope! Everything can stay just where it is, there’s not much you’ll have to do besides let our technicians handle the job.

We’ll use a low moisture, hot water extraction method, or a dry cleaning method to safely remove dust, dander, dirt and other particles from your draperies. Since steam cleaning uses such low moisture, your window treatments will be dry in no time!

Expert Tips for Ongoing Care

While they’re not the most obvious piece of furniture or decoration around your home that needs to be cleaned, we can’t let you forget about your window treatments and their need for some regular TLC. To best maintain any curtains or drapes and keep them around as long as possible, rotate them every so often just like you might a rug or an armchair. This keeps the harsh sunlight from damaging their fabric so they’ll wear evenly.

If you need any more help with the window treatments around your home, don’t hesitate to call in The Steam Team. We’re here to clean those fabrics and bring them back to life!

3 Ways to Freshen Up Your Home

How’s your upholstered furniture looking these days? Is it in need of an old fashioned deep cleaning? It’s possible! Don’t hesitate to give The Steam Team a call if that’s the case. And in the meantime, follow these three guidelines for keeping your upholstery as fresh as can be! Happy cleaning!

Starting with Vacuuming

There’s a handy upholstery attachment on your vacuum cleaner that does wonders for cleaning your furniture! It can reach inside those nooks and crannies like nobody’s business! It can also reach underneath cushions and pillows for your convenience. You can easily remove dirt, dust, pet fur, and dander from your furniture.

Moving onto Stain Removal

Are there any unsightly stains or spots on your upholstery? Let’s remove them! In most cases, stains can be removed with the right cleaning solution and a little bit of patience and elbow grease. In worse cases, a professional may need to be called in, like The Steam Team. Steam cleaning is great for restoring your upholstered furniture to its former glory!

Finishing by Steam Cleaning

Finally, consider steam cleaning your upholstery. A professional grade steam cleaning machine won’t harm your furniture, and it won’t use any chemicals to clean it. High pressurized water and hot, hot steam are all that’s needed in this process! Your furniture will look absolutely amazing after a good old fashioned steam cleaning, done by yours truly, The Steam Team.

The Steam Team is your leading cleaning and restoration company in Austin, TX! We’ve been serving this beautiful city for over a decade now, and there’s no way anyone can stop us! So give us a call today. We’ll come out, take a good look at your upholstered furniture, and get to cleaning right away. You’ll barely believe our results!

A Quick Guide to Cleaning Your Drapery

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Although curtains, blinds, and other window treatments are usually the last thing on your mind (even when cleaning), they easily gather dirt, dust, and other grime just as quickly as anything else. How often you clean your window treatments depends on how quickly you notice your house gets dirty in general, right? Here’s a quick guide to help you best maintain your drapery and other window treatments. Check out our testimonials at The Steam Team of Austin, Texas. 

Take a Close Look at the Material

Believe it or not, the material of your window treatments will determine how often they need to be cleaned and just how to clean them. For every material, be sure to check the care instructions before using any cleaning product or method on it.

The Material Determines the Cleaning Method

For most draperies, we recommend steam cleaning the material. Since steam cleaning doesn’t use any harsh chemicals, most fabrics and other materials can withstand (and benefit from) a thorough steam clean. For sheer material and other thin fabrics, it’s best to call in the professionals. On the other hand, if you’re dealing with heavier materials that are pretty thick, it’s a good idea to phone the professionals, too. It takes the entire task right off your hands, you know the job will get done right, and you know the job will be done well.

In most cases, steam cleaning is your best option for those semi-annual thorough cleanings. Here at The Steam Team, we specialize in steam cleaning upholstery, flooring, and yes -- even those custom window treatments. Our technicians are highly trained professionals that use only the latest equipment in the industry. If you haven’t paid attention to your drapes recently, now’s the perfect time! Give us a call today to set up an appointment with one of our experienced technicians who will walk you through our process and advise you on the what the best care for your home would be.