Carpets

When dealing with red wine you need to move fast. To keep red wine stains from setting in carpets or linens, quick blotting or rinsing with cold water is key. On a wet stain, dab the carpet or tablecloth with a dry, white absorbent cloth to remove the excess liquid. If it’s the next morning or the stain has dried, apply a small amount of detergent solution. This should be 1/4 tsp. dishwashing liquid and 1 cup lukewarm water. Apply this to a white cloth and gently blot, working from the edges of the spill to the center to prevent spreading. Let it sit for several minutes. Repeat as needed until the stain is removed. Next you want to rinse with cold water and dab with a clean rag until dry.

  Tablecloth

On a new, wet stain, sprinkle coarse salt to absorb liquid from the fabric. Then blot with cold water or rinse under cold water to remove excess sugars and prevent oxidation.

For an older, dry stain, rub a bit of liquid laundry detergent into the stained area. Launder in the hottest water safe for the fabric with laundry detergent and color-safe bleach.

Repeat as needed until the stain is gone.

   Area rugs are very durable, but spills and stains are bound to happen, especially if there are small children in the house. Below are some general guidelines to help keep your rugs in the best of shape.

General Care
     The first step in caring for you rugs is regular vacuuming.  This not only removes grit, but also prolongs the life of your rug.  Be careful if you have a fringed rug, because a vacuum machine will damage the edges of the fringe.  If the fringe needs cleaning, it is better to use a broom or a brush.  Once or twice a year it also helps to flip the rug over and vacuum its back.  This helps knock out grit that has fallen into the rug’s foundation. Depending on how much traffic your rug sees, it is a good idea to rotate your rug every six months to a year.  This helps ensure even wear of the rug’s pile.
     Over time, grit and dirt will become embedded so deeply in your rug that it will require a professional cleaning.  This will not only remove the deeply embedded dirt, it will also brighten the rug’s overall appearance. It is recommended that a rug be thoroughly, professionally cleaned every 4-5 years. This timeline depends on the amount of traffic that the rug gets.
     If you need to store your rug for any extended period of time, It is suggested that it be cleaned first and then rolled against the nap and wrapped in heavy brown wrapping paper.

One mistake that people often make is to douse their hardwood floors with too much water when cleaning. Make sure the mop you use is only somewhat damp, not soaking wet. Just add a little water to your floors to clean them. Too much will damage your flooring. Before you put a mop on your floors, make sure your hardwood has been thoroughly vacuumed to remove excess dirt.

Cleaning your hardwood floors routinely should prevent many problems down the road. This is because a clean hardwood floor is less vulnerable to deterioration and as well, stains and dirt buildups won’t collect over time and thus become difficult to remove later.

Never use ammonia to clean your hardwood floors. Ammonia is one of those miracle cleaners for many materials, but it will only hurt your hardwood floor. Ammonia can discolor and take away a few years from your floor’s life. So when you do have a cleaning product around that you’d like to use on your floor, check the ingredients and if there is ammonia included, do not use it! Vinegar, on the other hand, can be useful. In that sense, hardwood floors really won’t cost you a lot as you can often fight tough stains with simply water and vinegar.

There are some easy things you can do to help keep your hardwood floors in good shape. One of those things is to buy some area rugs to protect your floor in different spots where there might be high traffic. For example, at the entry way of a door, or the middle of a room, you can place a rug down so that your hardwood floor can be saved from some serious wear and tear. Rugs are also a great way to dress up your home and even though hardwood floors are pretty, they can also look bland if there aren’t a few rugs here and there to jazz things up.

Tips for cleaning dust off baseboards

Baseboards can be difficult to clean.  The longer a baseboard goes between cleaning, the more dust there will be to clean off. Over time, dust particles can become stuck to your baseboards and it will take more time and energy to scrape them clean again.

First take a vacuum cleaner and go over the baseboards where they meet up with your flooring or carpet. This will help remove as much dust a possible.

  When you have finished vacuuming, use a clean rag dipped in water to wipe the baseboards clean. If water is unsuccessful at removing the dust that has accumulated on the baseboards you may have to use some sort of cleaning solution. Start with soapy water. If that doesn’t work, try one of the home remedies that are listed below. Make sure that you continue your baseboard cleaning all around the room.

As most people have baseboards that need to be cleaned regularly, there are some common and not-so-common cleaning solutions that you can try. Listed below are some clever home remedies for a dirty or dusty baseboard:

 Once you have cleaned the baseboards, wipe the baseboards again with a used fabric softener sheet. The fabric softener sheet will create a mild static charge that will actually help to prevent dust from settling on the clean baseboard again.

Once you give your baseboards a good cleaning, another way to prevent having to clean them again in the near future is to go back over a clean baseboard with some auto wax (turtle wax). You won’t have as much buildup on your baseboards and the dust that does settle can be easily cleaned with a vacuum extension hose.

To make a simple homemade baseboard cleaner all you need is vinegar and water. Add 1 cup of white vinegar to 5 cups of  hot water.  Mix the solution together and use a rag or sponge to wipe down the baseboard.

Make sure that you do not over saturate the area of the baseboard that you are working on. If your cleaning solution drips onto the carpet it may cause discoloration. Make sure that you wring out the rag or sponge that you are using so that it is just damp enough to loosen the dust without dripping.

Wall to wall carpet is a common choice for flooring in homes. It’s a cheap alternative to hardwood and tile. It’s relatively inexpensive to install and should be done by a carpeting expert.  It can add color and warmth to any room in the home. However, it may not hold up well over time if  you have children and/or pets. Here are some pros and cons to consider when choosing a new flooring or carpet for your home. 

Pros – It’s warm and  easy on the feet especially on cold mornings. Also, it’s quiet and there are lots of colors and styles to choose from.  You have choices of wall to wall carpeting or area rugs. Carpeting  is slip-resistant and  can be very affordable depending on the grade of carpeting you choose.

Cons – More appropriate for drier climates. It collects dirt and moisture – which can turn into mildew. Wall to wall carpeting is not a good choice for people with dust allergies or lots of pets. It’s hard to clean. Polypropylene or washable area rugs are the best choice. Carpet doesn’t really add value to the resale of your home.

Vinyl flooring is a cheap alternative to hardwood and tile flooring. Also, it’s easy for the do-it-yourself homeowner to install. By not having to hire a flooring expert, you can save money to put toward other home projects. Below are a few tips about why vinyl flooring may or may not be right for you.

Pros – Inexpensive, durable, easy on the feet, quiet. It’s also water and stain resistant, and very low maintenance. It’s easy to install – especially tiles. 12 foot wide sheets means seamless floors in small rooms. You can create patterns with the tiles.

Cons – Prone to dents and tears. Moisture can get into seams leading to mildew and lifting. Glossy finishes are slippery when wet, and can dull easily unless waxed regularly. Vinyl flooring doesn’t really add anything to the resale value of your home.

There are several types of tile. Ceramic tiles are made from pressed clays covered with a glaze of metallic oxides and ceramic stains or finished with a matte surface. Porcelain mosaic tiles are baked at a higher temperature, which makes them thicker. Their color also goes through the tile, rather than only covering the surface. Quarry tile is an unglazed mix of shale and clays that also has color throughout.

The spaces between the tiles are filled in by grout. An epoxy grout is recommended to help resist stains. It’s usually best to choose a grout that closely matches the color of the tiles.

Pros

• There are many sizes, patterns, and colors to choose from.
• Tile is durable.
• Glazed tile resists staining and doesn’t require special cleaning or other maintenance.
• Tile is suitable for radiant heat.

Cons

• Glazed tile with no texture may be slippery and pose a safety hazard for the elderly and young children.
• Unglazed tile needs to be treated occasionally with sealants.
• Tile, like stone, can be a little hard on the feet if you spend a lot of time in the kitchen.
• Individual tiles may crack over time so try to get some extra ones with your original batch so that the replacements will match the other pieces.

• Laminate does a good job realistically portraying more expensive types of flooring materials.
• It’s easy to install.
• Cleaning and maintenance are low-stress.
• There’s a good price range, so you can find a laminate to suit your budget.
• Laminate floors work well in family rooms, children’s rooms, and hallways.

Disadvantages of Laminates

• It lacks the warmth of natural wood.
• The boards can warp or otherwise be damaged if exposed to moisture often (i.e. in bathrooms).
• It isn’t particularly sound absorbent.
• Laminate isn’t as durable as wood, linoleum, and higher-quality vinyl, and because it hasn’t been around that long yet, we haven’t seen how well it stands up over the decades.

Hardwood flooring is one of the best options out there, and it’s tough to make a decent pros and cons list, because there just aren’t many cons. Unlike some of the new manmade flooring materials on the market, hardwoods have been proven by the test of time. There are homes that are more than a century old with original hardwood flooring that still looks fabulous. Of course, they’ll need to be refinished now and then, but few flooring materials have the proven track record of natural wood.

Advantages

• Hardwood floors are durable and easy to clean.
• They look beautiful, offering a warm and natural effect.
• They match homes of all ages and styles.
• Hardwood floors increase the value of a home.
• They’re particularly suitable for living rooms, dens, hallways, and stairs.

Disadvantages

• Hardwoods can be noisy if they’re not sound insulated.
• They can be drafty and dusty if placed directly onto joists.
• Hardwood flooring does require periodic maintenance, and it can be scratched (think pet claws) and dented.
• Wood isn’t the best choice in rooms that are likely to get wet frequently, like a bathroom or foyer.
• Wood flooring and installation can be costly. Especially when compared to laminate or tile.