All You Need to Know About Mold

Fine rug and carpet cleaning in Austin, Texas.

Wherever there’s water, there’s a possibility for mold growth. Unfortunately, once mold spores start to grow, they’re extremely quick to spread and can endanger the stability of your home and your health. That’s why, here at The Steam Team, we want to arm you with the right knowledge so you can take the correct action at the first sign of mold. On today’s blog, we’re covering how it starts growing and how you can tackle it (and we can help).

The Growth of Mold

Mold only needs twenty four to forty eight hours to grow and spread. That’s just one more reason to call in the professionals for a little extra help. The more hands in the circle, the better! The best environment for mold to grow in is a dark, moist area- this is why it’s essential to have your home checked after water damage for mold.

How Mold Affects Your Health

Mold is dangerous to your health. You might’ve already guessed this. It can cause health issues such as asthma, sinus problems, or even skin infections! To protect the health of yourself and your family, contact the professionals immediately so they can begin the cleanup process. 

It Should Be Handled by the Pro’s

Mold is a serious issue that should always be handled by the professionals, especially if you don’t have any experience dealing with it. Fortunately, The Steam Team knows exactly what to do. You can count on us to come out to your home, inspect the situation, and begin the water extraction and mold remediation processes immediately. We won’t leave until your home is safe again! 

The Steam Team is a team of trained professionals in a wide variety of cleaning and restoration projects! Our group of experts has plenty of experience in mold remediation, as well as water damage cleanup and restoration! No matter how large your problem may feel, it’s not too much for The Steam Team. So go ahead; give us a call today! We’re available 24/7 to help you out! 

3 Forgotten Areas to Clean Around the Home

Carpet cleaning in Austin.

With Springtime just around the corner, we’re already thinking about Spring cleaning. Has it crossed your mind? Without diving too deep (because we’ll save that for a Spring cleaning blog), we wanted to give you a few areas to begin dusting before the deep clean a little later. Here at The Steam Team, we’re armed with our cleaners and ready to tackle any project you may throw at us. So, while we have plenty of tips for you here on our blog, don’t forget we can always help you out around the house!

Air Ducts

Air ducts are notorious for hoarding dust, dirt, dander, and other allergens. If you’re having trouble with your allergies this season (even indoors), then it may be time to check out your air ducts and have them professionally cleaned. You won’t regret it! And how often do you need to do this, anyway? Let’s just get it over with. 

Underneath Furniture

When was the last time you moved your couch and checked underneath for dust, dirt, and pet hair? It’s probably safe to say that this doesn’t happen very often. It may be a pain to physically move your furniture around to make sure everything is cleaned thoroughly, but we promise: the results are well worth the effort. 

Ceiling Fans

Try this: turn off your ceiling fan (because we know it runs almost constantly). Now, what do you see? Dust? More dust? So much dust you forgot what color the blades were? That’s okay. Ceiling fan blades can be steam cleaned! So after you’ve dusted, give The Steam Team a call; we’ll be able to reach those tight spots and give your fan the thorough clean that it deserves.

And there you have it, friends! Now, don’t forget: there are plenty of other dusty areas around your home or office, so don’t neglect those! And also don’t hesitate to call in The Steam Team, no matter what you need done around your home. We’re not just here for spring cleaning! We can help with cleanup and restoration, too! 

Why We Offer 24 Hour Service For Water and Fire Emergencies

Carpet Cleaning

You may think that with the right precautions, you’ll never experience water or fire damage in your home. But even with precautions taken, these things occur much more often than we might like to think. According to the U.S. Fire Administration, about one million homes are damaged by fire in the U.S. each year, and water damage is even worth, with over five million homes a year experiencing water damage! With these startling statistics in mind, it's important to have a plan for these possible emergencies, and if you choose to make The Steam Team a part of your plan, you’ll have the comfort of knowing that our technicians are available to clean and restore your home from fire or water damage 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Caring For Our Community

The reason we offer our 24 hour water and fire damage emergency services is that we care about our customers and our local Austin, TX community and our communities beyond Austin. We’ve always wanted to provide our customers with great service and lasting restoration that leaves a positive impact, and that’s why we’re always available to clean and restore your home or business after these damaging events. Whether it's a bust pipe, damaged appliance, flooding damage or the aftermath of an electrical fire, we’ll be right there to fix your problems and get you back into your restored home as soon as possible.

Our Professional Technicians

We wouldn't be the company we are today without our fantastic and highly trained team of technicians and restoration experts. You’ll see for yourself why we have so much pride in them when they show up at your home and assess the problem before using high-tech, powerful cleaning and restoration methods to get your home back in order, remove any water and clean all surfaces. For more information on how we can help with fire and water damage restoration, as well as our many other services, please visit The Steam Team website.

How To Properly Care For Your Leather Furniture

Professional Residential Cleaning Services in Austin, Texas

Some people out there complain that leather furniture maintenance is too much or too complicated, and that leather furniture isn't worth owning, but here at The Steam Team we don’t think so at all! As long as you have a basic understanding of leather furniture care, anyone can have a leather couch, chair or other piece of furniture and keep in in great condition! Let’s discuss what needs to be done to keep your leather in tip-top shape.

Cleaning Spills

As with any piece of furniture, you’ll probably spill something on it at some point, and cleaning up those spills quickly before they can become stains is key. Leather tends to stain easier than some other materials, but as long as you use a soft, dry cloth to wipe up the spill you should be just fine. After you’ve wiped the area, allow the leather to air dry to help avoid staining.

Annual Conditioning

With real leather, since it used to be animal hide, it requires a certain level of moisture to be maintained for it to stay healthy. Most leather will need to be conditioned once every 12 months, but some leathers need conditioning every 6 months. Since this can change based on your specific make of leather, be sure to check the tag or call the manufacturer and ask. But keep in mind that only products specifically designed for leather conditioning can be used on leather. Other products may do harm to the material.

Leather Care From The Steam Team

As you now know, leather cleaning and conditioning isn’t too difficult and can be done all on your own! But for those who don’t have the time or aren’t sure what products and methods to use, Our Steam Team technicians can handle detailed cleaning and conditioning of your leather furniture for you! Just be sure to give us a call or visit The Steam Team website for more information.

A Cleaning Method Using Eco-Friendly Products

Rug Cleaning In Austin, Tx

Consumers today are more aware of the potential environmental impact of the products and services they use. As a result, steam cleaning has become an increasingly popular method of cleaning thanks to its eco-friendliness. Using only water and heat, it is able to clean and sanitize most things, from carpet, vinyl, and tile flooring to drapery and furniture.

How is steam cleaning eco-friendly?

• Only water is used for a thorough, efficient cleaning—without any harsh chemicals. Steam cleaning uses water heated past the boiling point to clean dirt and debris, as well as bacteria, mold, and other allergens. The high temperature of the water does double-duty, cleaning and sanitizing. No additional chemicals need to be added to the water to achieve a thorough and effective cleaning.

• No drying equipment. Drying equipment draws a lot of power. But the water used in steam cleaning is hot enough to evaporate quickly, leading to shorter drying times. Also, a good steam cleaner vacuums up excess moisture from the surface as you clean, immediately sucking it into a holding tank. Most professional steam-cleaners have a truck-mounted system which is even more efficient at removing excess water than a home unit.

• Less water usage. Because a steam cleaner uses steam instead of water, it doesn’t require a lot of water to do the job. More specifically, it uses “dry” steam vapor, which is a high-temperature, low-moisture vapor containing only 5-6% water. This vapor system can produce thousands of gallons of dry steam from only 1.5 quarts of water—per hour! Beware products claiming to be steam cleaners that do not use the vapor system. Their water usage will be much higher.       

The Steam Team proudly offers a wide variety of cleaning and restoration services. From stain removal and carpet cleaning to fire and water damage restoration, The Steam Team has what it takes to complete any project! Contact us today to talk about your cleaning needs. Our team of experts would be pleased to assist you!

The Best Time of the Year to Clean Your Floors

Janitorial Cleaning Downtown Austin

When you decide to have your floors professionally cleaned for the first time, it’s a big deal.  It means you’re ready to fully eradicate the germs, allergens, and dust mites around your home, and you know the professionals are the best ones for the job. Well done!

But now that you’re following through with a professional treatment, you’re bound to have questions! What kind of treatment should be used? Which areas of the house are priority? And most of all, when should the professionals come?

Don’t worry- The Steam Team has answers. Below, we’ll discuss a few deciding factors to consider when scheduling a professional cleaning.

How Are Your Allergies?

If there’s one thing carpets are good at, it’s holding in allergens and pet dander. If you’re prone to sneezing fits, itchy eyes, and other telltale allergy symptoms, we recommend having your floors cleaned after Thanksgiving. Allergens are insufferable this time of year.

With The Steam Team’s help, you can avoid a winter of runny noses!

How Heavy is the Foot Traffic?

With frequent family gatherings, Christmas parties, and other get togethers, the holidays typically bring on an excess amount of foot traffic. Whether it’s Grandpa’s trailing pipe smoke, or your sister’s puppy who’s not-so-housetrained, once the festivities are over, your carpet will need a touch of tender loving care.

What’s on the Calendar?

Timing is different for everybody. Are you having a guest staying for a while in February? Are you considering putting your house on the market in the spring? Thinking of your future timeline can help you pick the perfect time to clean the floors what will be most worth your while.

This holiday season, give your home the gift of freshly steam cleaned carpeting. Santa- we mean, The Steam Team insists!