How To Keep Your Carpet Clean

Whether you’re purchasing a home, currently own a home, or even rent an apartment- knowing how to protect your carpeting is a true life-hack. Often, we find ourselves waiting until we see a stain or doing the bare minimum with a vacuum to clean our carpet, but the best way to care for your flooring is by protecting it first and foremost.

Why Protecting Your Carpet Works

Dirt, dust, and grime can settle into the carpet fibers over time. That’s why, when you focus on protecting your carpet- rather than reacting to it’s filth- works so well. 

Start With Carpet Padding

The best way to start protecting your carpet is to make sure your carpet has the proper padding underneath. Carpet padding increases longevity in your carpet by absorbing the shock of human foot traffic. It protects your carpets binding and backing and makes your carpet much softer to walk upon. 

Finish With Carpet Protectant

If you’re installing new carpet, just after it’s laid- don’t forget the protectant! It’ll add an extra layer of protection between your foot traffic and your carpet fibers before there’s any chance for damage. 

If you’re dealing with older carpet, call in the professionals to take a look and see if you could benefit from carpet protectant. It helps to keep the tiny dirt and grime particles from causing any damage beneath the surface of your carpet.

Thorough Cleaning and Maintenance

Aside from regular, weekly (or bi-weekly, depending on how heavy your foot traffic is) cleanings, are the semi-annual thorough (read: professional) cleanings. We recommend steam cleaning because of how easily it extracts dirt and debris from carpet, leaving little moisture behind- and absolutely no residue. The Steam Team recommends steam cleaning once a year, but if your carpet endures extra foot traffic, or you have a few stains you’d like to finally clean up, twice a year could be sufficient. 

If you’re ready for a professional carpet cleaning or need the professionals to take a look at your carpet, give us a call today. We’re always here to help!

Tile and Grout: The Steam Team Treatment

When it comes to cleaning ceramic tile and grout, many people neglect their floors and don’t clean them near as often or as thoroughly as they should be cleaned. But there’s a way to have your tile and grout cleaned without going through all the trouble yourself. Today we’re going to talk about how The Steam Team’s process for tile and grout can help you.

Setting Up

When you call in our professional team of technicians, they’ll begin by giving your tile and grout a thorough inspection to find the most troubled areas and come up with the right cleaning solution for your specific tile floor. Then, to set up for cleaning, furniture will be moved out of the way and the tile will be separated from any other flooring or other material with tape, to make sure the cleaning process doesn’t affect the rest of the home.

Cleaning Process

Our technicians only use the very best cleaning methods and highest quality products for the full tile cleaning process. First, high powered vacuums will remove all dry soil from the surface, hand sweeping will be used if needed. Then a highly advanced cleaning agent will be carefully sprayed over the entire surface of the tile. Then the tile and grout will be thoroughly cleaned with a combination of rotating mechanical brushes, manual brushes and a self-contained pressure cleaning system. Then a final rinse solution will be pumped through the machine, making your tile good as new. With this intensive cleaning process, even the hardest to reach areas of the tile and grout lines will be completely clean.

Floor Sealer

Once the cleaning process is complete, a floor sealer will be applied. The sealer used will be only the best type of sealant for your specific type of floor tile. Technicians will then have one final walkthrough inspection to make sure that everything was properly cleaned and that you’re satisfied with the results. For more information, please visit The Steam Team website.

Tile Cleaning: Buying a Machine vs. Hiring a Professional in Austin

Tile Cleaning Austin

There’s no doubt that you can buy (or even rent) a tile cleaning machine that will clean your tile – however, there’s also no doubt that a professional would handle everything more efficiently and effectively. While there may be benefits to buying your own tile cleaning machine, you may want to look at the benefits of hiring a professional as well.  Voted best tile cleaning in Austin.

Top Benefits of Buying (or Renting) Your Own Machine:

Cost effective – Buying your own machine may be more cost effective if you plan on cleaning your carpet often. On the contrary, renting may be more cost effective if you plan on using it once or twice.  Voted best tile cleaning in Austin, Texas.

Convenience – You’re not welcoming anyone else into your new home besides a new machine. It’s definitely convenient to be able to just walk to the garage (or wherever you store your machines) and begin cleaning your tile and grout.  

Benefits of Hiring a Professional:

Power – the machines that a professional tile and grout cleaning company uses are industrial grade and usually hooked up to their vehicle. This allows for a much pressure and stronger suction to ensure that all of the dirt, debris, and other grime is lifted from your tile.

Knowledge and Expertise – This is a major one. Professional tile cleaners are cleaning tile all day every day – they know everything there is to know about tile and how to clean it. When you have especially tough stains or odors, they know how to remove them.  

You be the judge, but it is always recommended to ensure the best tile cleaning and the longest life for your flooring – call in the professionals. Here at The Steam Team, our technicians are experienced, knowledgeable, and use state-of-the-art equipment. Contact us today to learn more!

Keeping Your Grout Stain-Free

The Tile And Grout Cleaning Professional Austin, Texas

Grout is notorious for taking the sparkle out of the newly-installed tile in our homes. Because grout is porous in nature, it easily absorbs substances such as oil, grease, dirt- you name it! This is ultimately what causes our grout to stain. Fortunately, there are still ways to restore grout to its previous, more pristine condition. With a touch of determination, and a bit of elbow grease, we can help you stay on top of grout stains and keep your floors looking fabulous!

Cleaning

Grout isn't all too difficult to clean- simply grab your best, most durable scrub brush (or discarded toothbrush), and a bottle of your favorite cleaning solution. If you don't have a cleaning solution that is safe to use on grout, you can create your own by mixing together baking soda, ammonia, and vinegar! Let this solution settle onto your grout for 2-4 minutes before scrubbing.

This is when your elbow grease becomes a hot commodity! You'll need to scrub intensely enough to lift the dirt and grime from deep within the porous grout. Scrub with all your might!

While scrubbing, you may need to stop to wipe up the dirty, soapy solution over your grout, and begin again. Remember, slow and steady wins the race! Taking your time will pay off in the end.

Sealant

The best way to protect your grout from staining is to use a grout sealant. Sealant provides an extra protective layer over your grout that helps to prevent the grout from absorbing liquids- thus keeping your floor from staining as easily.

Of course, to achieve top-notch, professional results, you'll need to call in your local steam cleaning company! Steam cleaning is a fast, effective method of cleaning and removing stains. Your grout will become completely hassle-free when you call in the professionals!

Commercial Cleaning: Keeping Your Restrooms Clean

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Restrooms can sometimes be a harsh reality. In order to continuously keep commercial restrooms clean and sanitary, it’s likely that you’ll have to implement systems or bring in outside help.

Bringing in Outside Help

Deep Cleaning

One of the most common complaints with cleaning high-traffic restrooms is keeping the tile and grout clean. In some cases, this could on the floor, backsplash, or even countertops. Grout can be especially difficult to clean around moisture, but steam cleaning will undoubtedly do the trick.

Targeting Trouble Areas

Of course the tile and grout aren’t the only areas that need attention around the bathroom - especially with how damage-prone the environment already is (from the constant waterflow). Cleaning around the bathroom becomes much more efficient when you target the sinks, floors, counters, toilets, trash cans, etc.

Additionally, if you take preventive measures to keep these target areas from collecting grime, you’ll find that a deep clean can turn a sort-of clean restroom into a room that looks brand-spanking-new!

Cover Every Surface

Last, but certainly not least, don’t leave any surface behind! When you make sure to touch every surface before leaving the restroom, you’re guaranteed a spotless environment.

Now, remember when we talked about bringing in outside help? That’s really the secret to ensuring that your commercial restrooms are continuously spotless. It’s not as daunting as you may think - in fact, it’ll take a huge stress off of your shoulders!

Are you looking for a commercial cleaning company? We’d love to take a look at your office! Give us a call, here at The Steam Team, today.

3 Fun Facts About Steam Cleaning

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Who said cleaning can’t be fun? Steam cleaning may not seem like it could be exciting to you, but when you see the effects it has on various surfaces and environments everyday - it’s certainly intriguing.

Check out these awesome facts about steam cleaning!

1. Steam cleaning can help improve air quality around the home.

Ridding flooring (and other surfaces) of common allergens, dust particles, and grime build up keeps these things from circulating around the home. With all of these particles, the air quality around your home will start to improve.

Don’t forget to clean your air ducts and you’re sure to breathe clean air!

1. The steam cleaner was first invented over 150 years ago.

Since then, it’s come a long way! The technology integrated with steam cleaners now is entirely different. Machines are able to be used on various surfaces, materials, and fabrics for a variety of reasons, too. Not only can flooring be steam cleaned, but furniture, window treatments, appliances, air ducts - you name it!

What we know now versus what we knew when steam cleaning was initially invented is monumental.

1. Carpet should be professionally steam cleaned every 12-18 months.

Regularly cleaning carpets with a steam cleaner helps to eliminate any grime build-up but also keeps allergens and pollutants at a minimum around the home. Remember; steam cleaning is a much more thorough and deep clean versus regular vacuuming. Scheduling a professional to come into your home every 12-18 months has shown to be the most effective and efficient way to protect, clean, and maintain carpet flooring.

If you need a professional to take a look at your carpets, give us a call at The Steam Team today!