Cleaning Up After Construction or Remodelling

Have you recently had a construction or remodelling job done on your home or business, and now you’ve been left with a big mess? Are there paint chips, sawdust or other debris scattered around the property? If the answer is yes, who’s going to clean the whole mess up? Do you have the time or the equipment to take care of it all yourself? If not, it's time to start considering hiring professionals to handle the cleaning for you!

Surface Cleaning

After any serious construction or remodelling, you’ll need a deep clean of the property, starting with all the major surfaces. Floors, walls, countertops and shelving will all be cleaned accordingly. Our professional technicians will use high-powered steam cleaners, commercial vacuums and other top notch equipment to make sure that every surface in the home looks even cleaner than it did before the construction job. Furniture will also be vacuumed and cleaned as needed to remove any dust or debris.

Finishing Touches

With all surfaces and furniture thoroughly cleaned, our team will move on to the rest of the property. Since dust and debris from the construction can enter vents, causing respiratory issues, our cleanup crew will be sure to clean out the vents completely so that the air stays clean. Then we’ll move on to the commonly overlooked areas like small appliances, decorative items, electronics, lamp shades, light fixtures and ceiling fan blades. Our cleanup crew is going to make sure every inch of your home or business is cleaner than you’ve ever seen it, no matter how much of a mess the construction made!

The Steam Team

We’re proud of the cleaning restoration services that we offer all across the Austin, TX area and beyond. For a full list of all of our many services, or to contact us so that our team can clean and restore your home, please visit The Steam Team website.

What's Your Plan After A House Fire?

House fires can happen when you least expect them, and they can cause extensive amounts of damage to your home and destroy irreplaceable items. If this happens in your home, what’s your plan? If your emergency plan includes calling in The Steam Team, we can promise your home will be in good hands. Our professional technicians will arrive with the right equipment and knowledge to restore your home, no matter how serious the fire damage may be.

The Solo Approach

You may be thinking that you can handle the restoration and cleaning of your home all by yourself. But to take on such a massive job, you’d need all the proper safety equipment and high-tech cleaning equipment. And even then, you may be in danger. If there were any chemicals in the home from cleaning products or a variety of other things, the smoke from these burning materials could still be in the home, and inhaling it could be lethal. Ash and soot left behind after the fire could have entered the air vents and could make breathing difficult. Intensive cleaning will be required to get odors and stains out of certain parts of the home, and you likely won’t have the equipment for it. For all these reasons and more, its best to leave the job of fire damage restoration and cleaning up to the professionals with years of experience, the right equipment and great dedication to everyone we help.

Help From The Steam Team

After firefighters have left the premises and you’ve called in The Steam Team, our professional team will get to work right away, inspecting, sealing off the home and beginning the cleaning process. All ash and soot will be removed, all surfaces will be sanitized and the home will be thoroughly cleaned and restored. For more information on how The Steam Team can help you after a serious house fire, please visit The Steam Team website.

Reviving Your Carpet With The Steam Team

If you vacuum your carpet about once a week or even more often, you’re doing a decent job at keeping it clean, but you’re going to need a lot more than that. Vacuuming only takes care of a fraction of the dirt, debris and bacteria hiding in your carpet. And what about the stains in your carpet? Vacuuming won’t do anything to get rid of those. Having your carpet professionally steam cleaned every once in a while is a great way to ensure a full clean. Here’s some information on our very own professional carpet and rug cleaning service here at The Steam Team.

How We Clean Carpets

When you call in The Steam Team and our professional technicians arrive on the scene, they’ll give your carpet a complete inspection to find the most troubling areas and determine the best cleaning methods to use. One of the things that sets us apart is that our technicians will spot-test their preferred cleaning method so that you can see the results before they move on to the full cleaning. If you don’t like how it turns out, we’ll try something else. Our technicians won’t rest until they find a cleaning method that suits your needs. At the end of the cleaning process, we’ll apply a powerful carpet protector to keep your carpet from further stains and damage.

Removing Stains

With the powerful, high-tech cleaning equipment used by our technicians, we’ll be able to remove any stain on your carpet in no time. And it's not just stains either! We can also use modern cleaning methods to remove any unwanted odors from your carpet. Have your pets left odor-filled stains all over your carpet that have been there for years? No worries, just let us handle it and your carpet will look fresh and new in no time!

For more information on our carpet cleaning service, as well as our many other services, please visit The Steam Team website.

Refinishing Hardwood Floors The Right Way

Anyone who owns a hardwood floor in their home or business most likely tries everything they can to keep it in the best shape possible. But do you know what you should do when you notice that you hardwood floor has become discolored in some areas? What about when your floor has tons of little scratches and marks that won’t go away? Or what if your hardwood floor has become completely dull, and won’t be sleek and shiny again no matter how much you clean it? These are all signs that your floor needs professional refinishing.

Our Refinishing Process

When you call in The Steam Team’s trained technicians to handle the refinishing of your hardwood floors, they won’t just enter your home or business and start working without keeping you informed, like some other companies may do. Instead, our professionals will give your hardwood floor a thorough inspection first, asking you questions along the way and walking you through the best solutions for your floor. Then they’ll begin extensive damage repair, fixing all cracks and splits in the hardwood before they move on to a full cleaning. Once the floor has had a full cleaning and abrasion, it’ll be ready for refinishing.

For the actual refinishing, two separate coats of sealer will be applied. Once they’ve both had time to dry, your hardwood floor will be cleaner and brighter than ever before, and it’ll be strengthened for years to come.

Why The Steam Team?

When you choose us for your hardwood floor refinishing, you’ll be choosing the most highly trained technicians with years of experience, using only high-powered professional equipment for a completely dust-free refinishing process. For more information on how we can help you with hardwood floor refinishing, or our many other services, please visit The Steam Team website.

Eliminating Mold Growth Following Water Damage

According to studies around the United States, 7 out of 10 homes suffer from water damage and mold issues, alone. After water damage, inevitably comes mold growth. Water damage unfortunately creates the perfect environment for mold spores, leaving homeowners health at risk. On today’s blog, we’re going over the risks of this mold growth and how we can help eliminate this risk for you and your family. 

The Risks of Mold Growth

If mold begins to grow in your home, it can cause some serious health risks- particularly for those who already have frequent lung or sinus issues. Living or working in a building with mold growth in the vents or nearby at all can cause eye irritation, throat irritation, allergies, cough, nasal irritation and plenty of other symptoms. If you already experience these in your daily life, there may be mold hidden somewhere in your home or workplace. With all of this in mind, it's important to have your home or business inspected for mold, and to have that mold eliminated if it’s found.

Our Mold Experts

When you call in The Steam Team, our technicians will get to work right away, inspecting the property and identifying the damaged areas. To begin our professional mold remediation process, they’ll extract all the water and seal off the area to prevent the mold from spreading. All affected materials will be disposed of, eliminating the mold at its source. Then the HVAC and AC systems will be fully inspected and have mold removed from them as well. A powerful disinfectant will be applied before the final step of repair and restoration. By the time our experts are finished, there won’t be any signs that you had mold to begin with, and you’ll be able to breathe freely again.

For more information on our mold remediation process, as well as our many other services, visit The Steam Team website.

The Unknown Dangers of Smoke and Ash

We often stress the importance of ridding mold after water damage, but you rarely hear about the “residuals” from fire damage. Smoke and ash can both pose dangerous risks to one's health so it’s extremely important that the area is restored properly. Here at The Steam Team, we have a team of expert professional technicians ready to help when disaster strikes 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Leftover smoke and ash are dangerous because they… 

Damage Your Possessions

Sadly, after a house fire, your possessions will not feel, look, or smell the same. In some situations they might be completely ruined. Here at The Steam Team, we understand that this is definitely a trying time for you, so we’ll be right there to back you up throughout this entire process. 

Damage Your Health

Your health is the most important factor here. Obviously, lingering smoke and ash pose a danger to your health and wellbeing. So put on those masks, ventilate the area, and call in The Steam Team! We’ll get your home cleaned up and restored in no time. And yes, we’ll protect your health. We’ll get you out of there! 

Damage Your Home

Lastly, lingering smoke and ash cause damage to your entire home. Smoke causes discoloration, staining, and of course- that unfriendly stench. It clings to your drapes, furniture, and carpeting. It should be tended to immediately! So hurry up! Give The Steam Team a call. We’re experts when it comes to situations like this. 

We’ll say it over and over again: we’re here for you. We know how terrible house fires can be, the plight they put on the homeowner, but we also know how to remedy the situation. So put your trust in us; we can help you out of this mess! 

The Steam Team Guide For Leather Furniture Care

Despite what you may have heard, leather furniture can actually be very easy to take care of and maintain its good condition as long as you have the right knowledge. Luckily for you, The Steam Team knows all about leather cleaning and conditioning, and we’ve compiled this short guide to help you take great care of your leather furniture.

Cleaning Spills

First and foremost, keeping your leather in good condition will require that you don’t let it get any spills or stains on it to begin with. When wiping a spill on leather furniture, use a soft, dry cloth and allow the area to air dry. If you aren’t able to find a cloth quick enough for whatever the reason may be, simply spread the spill towards the edge of the furniture and brush it off. Though this may sound like you’re just spreading the stain around, you’ll actually eliminate the outline of the watermark, which is the most obvious sign of a stain.

Conditioning

If your furniture is made out of real leather, then that means the material of your furniture was once part of a living animal. Since that animal is no longer able to condition the leather with its natural body oils, the burden of conditioning the leather falls on you, and you’ll have to do it regularly to keep the leather in good condition. It should be about every 6 to 12 months. For specifics, contact the manufacturer of your specific piece of furniture.

Professional Cleaning and Conditioning

While keeping your leather furniture cleaned and conditioned shouldn’t be too difficult, we understand that not everyone has the free time to do cleaning and conditioning on their own. That’s why we offer professional leather cleaning and conditioning services! For more information, please visit The Steam Team website.

Is Your Hardwood Floor In Need Of Professional Refinishing?

Your hardwood flooring, like nearly everything else in your home, has a limited number of years before signs of damage and deterioration will start to appear. In the case of hardwood flooring, these signs mean that the floor will need to be professionally re-sanded and resealed. Here are the key signs that you should look out for:

Scratches and Marks

Most hardwood surfaces accumulate small scratches and marks over time. If these don’t irritate you too much, don’t bother having your floor refinished just yet. But pay close attention to these scratches and marks, if any of them penetrate the seal of the floor, they’ll leave the hardwood open to further damage that will require the whole floor to be replaced. If you notice a penetrated seal, it's time to have your hardwood floor refinished.

Color Changes

A significant change in color may be a sign of deterioration in your hardwood flooring. Particularly if the boards have become more grey over time. This likely means that the polyurethane is wearing off and your floors will need to be refinished soon. If you wait too long, the boards will turn black and they’ll need to be replaced completely. Exposure to sunlight for long periods of time can also cause color changes in hardwood, and will also mean you need to have the floors refinished.

Water Damage

Have you noticed dark spots showing up in certain areas of the floors? Or maybe the floor has warped in shape over time in only certain areas? These are signs that there’s water damage underneath the floorboards. This is another case where you’ll want professionals to help you out as soon as possible. Sanding and refinishing will likely be needed, and some boards may even need to be removed so that water from beneath the boards can be extracted.

If you see any of these signs appear in your hardwood floor, don’t hesitate to call in The Steam Team.

What's The Best Way To Keep Your Marble Floor In Good Condition?

If you have marble flooring in your home or business, you probably already know how easily marble can be scratched and stained. It's a very sensitive material that requires the right methods of care and cleaning, but when treated properly, marble can look amazing! Here’s some advice from The Steam Team on how to keep your marble looking that way.

Common Mistakes

First, if you want to take proper care of your marble, you should know what common mistakes to avoid when it comes to cleaning and maintaining your floor.

• Do NOT use acidic chemical cleaners on marble surfaces, or common DIY methods like lemon, vinegar or ammonia, since anything acidic could cause irreversible damage to your floors.

• Avoid using a soaked mop to clean up spills. While spills can certainly do damage to the marble’s surface, a soaked mop may do even more damage. Instead, try to only use a slightly damp mop when cleaning spills.

• Try to avoid dragging heavy furniture or sharp objects across a marble floor, since they can easily cause scratches and other damage in the marble.

Professional Polishing

Now that you know what to avoid, it's time to talk about the right way to clean and polish your marble floor when it's time to re-seal the flooring. If you want to go through with the polishing process on your own, you’ll need to get a polishing compound specifically designed for type of marble, a low-speed polisher and a marble sealant. Then you’ll have to work through the cleaning process. But if you don’t have the equipment and don’t know the process, there’s an easier way. The Steam Team offers a professional marble polishing service that will make your marble shine brighter than when you first got it! For more information, visit The Steam Team website.

3 Tips to Keep Your Home Clean with Pets

One of the leading questions we hear is how to keep your furniture (and home, in general) clean with pets. We don’t mean, just looking clean- we mean, actually clean. Whether you have a puppy, an elderly dog, or anything in between, our friends like Fido can be unpredictable at times. It doesn’t make us love them any less, but we’re never really thrilled about any of their… smells… are we? Here at The Steam Team, we know exactly what to do about pet odors.

Don’t Skip Vacuuming

The first rule of thumb when it comes to taking care of pet odors is to never skip out on vacuuming! In a normal home without pets, carpet should be vacuumed at least weekly. If you have pets in your home, you’ll have to vacuum more often. There’s no way around it! But you’ll be so grateful that you did it, in the long run. 

Use Enzymatic Cleaners

The next thing you’ll want to do to take care of pet odors in your home is to make sure you’re using the correct cleaners. Otherwise, all of your effort is going to waste, right? For pet urine, it’s important that you use an enzymatic cleaner. It’s the only thing that will work on the scent, friends! 

Call in the Professionals

Lastly, if the odors are just too much and you can’t get a handle on them- that’s okay. Just give the professionals a call! The Steam Team, located in Austin, TX and equipped with all of the knowledge, experience, and expertise that you need- is always here to help you! 

No matter what the issue is… if it’s pet odors, filthy tile and grout, hardwood flooring that needs refinishing… the list goes on and on. Whatever your issue is, The Steam Team can take care of it! All you have to do is make a quick phone call! So don’t hesitate. 

Is It Worth It To Stain Concrete Flooring?

The short answer to this question: Yes! Concrete floor staining is most certainly worth it. But you expected a little more than just a short answer, didn’t you? Let’s talk about how a stained concrete floor gives you a better look for less, is super easy to maintain, and then we’ll tell you about how we can help you get your concrete floor stained today!

Cheaper Price For A Great Look

Have you ever thought your concrete floor looks sort of dull? If it's just grey, why not spice it up a little bit? With concrete floor staining, your floor can have the appearance of anything from hardwood to marble, tile, and even leather! But having your concrete stained is way cheaper than actually buying and maintaining all those types of floors. So with staining, you can get any look you want without the high prices.

Simple Maintenance

Concrete floors are some of the sturdiest and longest-lasting flooring options out there. They’re easy on your wallet and also super easy to maintain. Concrete floors won’t chip or crack nearly as easily as other flooring options, and neither will the powerful acid-based stain. The only maintenance it’ll need is occasional cleaning with a damp mop. 

Our Staining Service

Concrete floor staining, whether inside or outside, is a tough job that takes a long time and the right knowledge and equipment, which is why it's best handled by a team of professionals. Our professional process for concrete staining involves rigorous polishing before carefully applying the acid-based stain to the concrete slab. When you choose The Steam Team, you’re choosing only the most experienced technicians with years of training and the right equipments and methods to handle the job and get it done right. For more information on concrete floor staining, as well as our many other services, please visit The Steam Team website.

How Do You Refinish Hardwood Flooring?

Will hardwood floors ever go out of style? Doubtful. Between their esthetic appeal, longevity, and easy maintenance, they’re one of the most popular flooring options for homeowners. Speaking of maintenance; refinishing hardwoods may be inevitable, depending on how old your flooring is. Here at The Steam Team, we’ve put together three reasons it should be done.

Refinishing vs. Replacing is Cost Effective

How exactly does this process save you money? Well, it’s simple. You’re refinishing your flooring, not replacing it. You’re actually preventing yourself from even having to replace it! And as always, we suggest having the professionals come out and handle this process. Restoration companies like The Steam Team can come out (quickly, too), inspect your flooring, and get it back into shape!

Less Time Consuming

You know what the professionals say: it’s all about prevention! If you take care of your hardwood flooring the proper way now, then you won’t be replacing floorboards or the entire flooring in the future. It’s all about what you can do now to save yourself time in the long run. At least, that’s what The Steam Team says!

Creates A New Look

Once the professionals are done refinishing your hardwood flooring, it’ll look amazing. You’ll be so excited to have house guests over so you can show off your new dining or living room floor! It’ll look like brand new all over again! Who doesn’t appreciate a freshly finished floor? We certainly don’t know. 

The Steam Team is your leading steam cleaning and restoration company in the Austin area, and we would absolutely love to come out and help you with your hardwood floors. We’re available 24/7 for other services too, like marble polishing, tile and grout cleaning, and even restoration after natural disasters. All you have to do is give The Steam Team a call!

Steam Team Tips For Battling Water Damage And Mold

The most common cause of damage to homes across the world is water damage. Odds are, you’ve already experienced some form of water damage in your home, but are you prepared if it happens again? And would you be prepared for the mold growth that water damage often brings with it? If not, remember theses useful tips we’ve compiled for dealing with water damage and mold.

Preventing Water Damage

Sometimes water damage can occur within walls or within the floor, and can cause structural damage that you may not notice for quite a while. To make sure you catch it early, keep an eye on your water bill. If you’re hit one month with an unusually high water bill, you may have a leak somewhere in the home. Be sure to have your pipes and appliances inspected for leaks if you can’t find one yourself.

Always keep your roof gutters clean. As long as you clean your roof gutters every few months, you should be okay. But if you allow your roof gutters to build up with leaves or other debris, they could become clogged and water may leak through your roof and cause damage to your home.

Use a drain snake rather than chemical pipe cleaners. While chemical products may be effective at cleaning out a pipe, they may also damage it over time. A drain snake is a safer way to keep your pipes clear.

Preventing Mold Growth

Since water just needs darkness, moisture and time to grow, always make sure you dry up water in the home as soon as possible. If flooding has occurred in your home and your carpet and walls were soaked, you’ll need high-powered fans to dry it out and a steam cleaner to sanitize walls and other flooring as quickly as possible.

Help From The Steam Team

If you’ve recently experienced water damage in your home and don’t have the high-powered fans, steam cleaners and other equipment necessary for the job, or you otherwise can’t do the work yourself, give us a call and we’ll send our best technicians. For more information just visit The Steam Team website.

Handling Leaky Appliances 101: Steam Team Style

There’s nothing more frustrating than coming home to a leaking appliance in the kitchen, laundry room, or bathroom. Making a call to a technician is typically the first step here, but how quickly that call is made is imperative. A small leak might seem temporarily harmless, however, it can turn into a much larger, much messier disaster. If you’re dealing with leaky appliances, don’t hesitate, here’s why:

Damage To Possessions 

Although this one might be obvious to you, but leaky appliances can grow much worse, perhaps turn into a small flood and damage your possessions like your furniture, even the flooring. To avoid all of this from occurring, call in the professionals (like The Steam Team) as soon as you detect a leak. We seriously can’t stress this enough. 

Worsening Leaks

Leaving a leak to grow worse overnight could leave you with a big mess. If you wake up in the morning and find that this is the case, don’t panic. Just call in The Steam Team! We’ll be right out to help control the leak and cleanup the leaky area. We won’t leave until it’s all settled and you’re one satisfied customer! 

The Growth and Spreading of Mold

The first and foremost thing you should be concerned about with a leaky appliance is the growth and spreading of mold. Yes, it’s true that mold only needs twenty four hours to begin growing, so tackle that issue as soon as you come across it. Call in the professionals. A professional-grade steam cleaner will eradicate mold and grime from the area. 

Well friends, there you have it! Leaky appliances are no joke, and nothing to be messed with. So just get in touch with The Steam Team as soon you find out you have a leak, and you’ll be good to go!

How is the Air Quality in Your Office?

It’s often not something you might think of as an employee, but the air quality in your office can directly affect your health and the health of those around you. Let’s think about it this way; when we spend the majority of our time in our offices, we’re breathing mostly that air. It only makes sense that we’re paying attention to it just as we do at home, right? How is it being filtered? Is it in its best shape?

Check Your HVAC System

To start, it’s important to check the shape of your HVAC system and clear out all of that dust and those allergens. We suggest having the professionals do it for you; it’ll save you so much trouble! For more information on your cleaning your HVAC system contact The Steam Team or visit our website! 

Clean the Carpet

Carpet hoards dirt, dust, and other allergens. When we walk on our carpet, we push these substances into the air, and yes, we breathe them in! It’s simple when you think about it, but you really have to make sure your carpet is being thoroughly cleaned on a weekly basis (frequency will depend on foot traffic). 

Dust Surfaces, Shelves, Blinds, Etc

We all know that dusting is the last thing to be done on cleaning day, if it gets done at all! We don’t blame you for neglecting it; it’s a tough chore, and well, it’s almost impossible not to breathe in some dust while you’re doing it. But still, it’s important to dust off shelves, desk tops, blinds, and other surfaces around your office. 

If you’re in need of some help cleaning up your office this season, don’t hesitate to give The Steam Team a call! We’ll be out in a jiffy to help dust off those surfaces, steam clean that carpet, and maybe even your blinds too! You’ll be absolutely floored by our results. So don’t wait; give us a call today! 

One Important Tip To Prevent Fire Damage

For years here at The Steam Team, we’ve been helping people all around the central Texas community in the aftermath of serious fires to clean and restore their home with high-powered equipment and highly-trained technicians. Over the years, we’ve learned a lot about how these fires have started all across homes and businesses everywhere. Here’s one very important tip to help prevent these fires from occuring in your home:

Keep A Close Eye On Your Dryer Vent

Thousands of fires start in a place you may not even think about very often day-to-day; your dryer vent. Lint and debris buildup in the vent of your dryer can easily become flammable and prone to fires if left unattended for too long. Even if it doesn’t always start a fire, the buildup of lint and debris can cause your dryer to work harder, increasing your monthly energy bill. So for both personal safety and financial reasons, it’s smart to keep your dryer vents as clean as you can.

Many professionals recommend that you have your dryer vents and all connected systems inspected and cleaned out every year. As it turns out, The Steam Team professional technicians offer this very service. All vents, ducting and connected systems can be cleaned by our team to help prevent fire damage from ever occurring in your home.

The Steam Team

Our highly-trained team of professional technicians will be ready for your call and thoroughly inspect and clean your dryer vents in no time. We’ll use only the most powerful and effective equipment possible, and we’ll offer you fair pricing backed with a guarantee. We offer not only residential, but commercial dryer vent cleaning as well. So if you’ve been neglecting to have your dryer vents inspected or cleaned this year, what are you waiting for? Call in The Steam Team.

Is It Time to Clean and Refinish Your Hardwood Floors?

Hardwood floors are an expensive but worthwhile investment. Few flooring surfaces can compete with the timeless elegance of classic wood—or add as much value to your home. It’s important to take proper care of your hardwood floors so they remain in good condition for decades to come. Part of proper care involves refinishing. 

What Is Refinishing?

A finish is a protective layer on a wood surface, meant to protect against wear and tear, water damage, and other environmental factors. Over time, it is important to reapply this protective layer, or refinish your wood surface. 

What Type of Finish Do I Use? 

• Wax. The tried-and-true old-fashioned way of finishing hardwood floors, before polyurethane products became available on the market. Apply 2-3 coats, working small areas at a time by hand. Although labor-intensive, it’s easy to touch up by hand. 

• Polyurethane. Generally more durable than wax, it has become today’s standard floor finish. Water-based polys are eco-friendly and can be applied over a previous oil-based finish. Do not apply an oil-based poly over a water-based one.        

How Do I Know It’s Time to Refinish? 

Depending on how much wear and tear your floors experience, you’ll need to sand and refinish your floors only once every several years, or sooner if your floors are in highly trafficked areas. You might want to consider steps to mitigate damage in high-traffic areas, such as sweeping more frequently and using protective throw rugs.  

Here at The Steam Team, we can help you refinish your hardwood floors using dust-free technology developed by Bridgepoint. This system will keep your floors looking good as new, with maintenance required only every 1-3 years. Call us for more info or about our carpet cleaning service ! 512-451-8326.

Should I Steam Clean My Fabrics with Steam Team?

Next time you’re cleaning your house, don’t forget about your curtains! They accumulate dust easily, just like other surfaces in your home—and particularly during times of the year when you like to keep the windows open. But is it safe to steam clean them?  

What material are your curtains?

If your curtains are a delicate material or sheer, you’ll want to give them a good shake, then follow up with a duster or low-power vacuuming using the appropriate nozzle attachment. 

If your curtains are a heavier-weight material, check the care instructions. If they are machine-washable, they are also candidates for a steam cleaning, which saves you the hassle of needing to wash, dry, and iron them yourself.    

If they are dry-clean only, attempt washing them yourself at your own risk! If you’re willing to give it a go, try handwashing or using the gentle cycle and line drying. 

Whichever cleaning method you decide on for your curtains, don’t forget to clean the curtain rod, windowsill, and window moldings, too! 

Do you have allergies?

It’s especially important to keep your curtains clean if you are sensitive to common allergens. 

Here in Central Texas, we are subject to a variety of outdoor allergens year-round: mountain cedar in winter, oak pollen in spring, grasses in the summertime, and ragweed in the fall. So if your windows are open in the spring, don’t be surprised if you notice a fine layer of yellow-green oak pollen coating your windowsill and likely your curtains, too. You might also be sensitive to dust or mold. 

A steam cleaning will be able to pick up the fine particles of any airborne allergens more effectively than a regular wash cycle. If you suffer from allergies, you may also want to consider keeping your windows closed year-round.

Contact our experts at The Steam Team here in Austin if you have any questions about steam cleaning your window treatments! 

Should You Hire a Cleaning Company for Your New House?

Few things are more stressful than closing a new home. After weeks (or months or years) of searching and touring, researching, debating, and starting over time and time again, you found it – your dream home. Whether you’re buying or renting, deciding to turn a new house into your new home can be daunting.

And with the packing, unpacking, and fighting about where the TV should go or whether or not you need end tables on both sides of the couch, the last thing you want to think about is cleaning. 

We get it. There’s more than enough on your plate already. As boxes and bags tower above you, the thought of getting on your hands and knees and scrubbing, scraping, and buffing is a task too horrible to even consider. The only problem? You might not be moving into a clean house.

Is Your New House Clean?

Sure it might look swept up. But cleaning for open houses and potential buyers is different than cleaning for a family to live and thrive in. When agents spruce up a place for walkthroughs, they’re usually just looking for outer cleanliness. The wood might be gleaming and the floors appear spotless -- but does that actually mean that the floors are free from germs and the furniture isn’t just conveniently placed to cover stains? For information on our carpet cleaning services call 512-451-8326 today.

That’s why we suggest giving your new home a good scrub down before lugging in the couch and the kids. To avoid germs, stains, and potential allergens stuck in the house, we know the secrets to making your new home actually seem new again.

And we know asking you to deep clean your home before moving day is an absurd request, so what about letting the professionals handle it? 

At The Steam Team we’re trained in knowing how to get a new home really clean and germ-free without the hassle. Let us take care of the floors and stains, while you worry about whether or not the foosball table from college is making its way in the house. 

What Is the Best Way to to clean in Austin?

Leather is less forgiving than fabric and requires thoughtful care. The same cleaning service applies whether your leather product is a sofa or a handbag. We’ve put together a few universal tips for how to best care for your favorite leather items and avoid damaging them in the future. 

Don’t use soap—not even mild soap. 

Soap is drying, and unlike your skin, leather can’t replenish any natural oils that are washed off. It will eventually become dry and brittle. And you can’t add oil, because oil stains leather. Instead, use a damp cloth (water only!) to gently wipe the dust off your leather. 

Don’t soak it in water

Never immerse your leather in water. If your leather somehow winds up waterlogged, give it time to dry naturally, even if it takes a few days. Don’t put it in front of a heater or use a blow dryer.  

Avoid direct sunlight or extremes in temperature 

Be sure your leather furniture or clothing items aren’t placed in direct sunlight. Although leather fades with time, the direct light and heat will speed up the process and damage the leather. Keep it away from air-conditioners or radiators, too, and cool or heat your home at a consistent temperature.

Blot spills

If you spill something on your leather item, use a paper towel or cloth towel to blot the spill. If it’s a grease stain, sprinkle talcum powder or baking soda on the stain to absorb the oil. Once the spill is cleaned up, use a leather cleaner product, or wipe with a damp cloth.  

Buy a leather cleaner and protector 

Consider purchasing a quality leather cleaner and protector. The cleaner might come in handy when accidents happen, and the protector will help with damage control if applied from the get-go. If you’re looking for a recommendation, contact us at The Steam Team. We’re always happy to help!