Should I seal my tile grout?

This is another very common question we get- “Should I seal the grout between my tiles?” or “Should I seal my natural stone?”

The answer is the same, in almost every case: yes. Virtually the only time where sealing grout is not beneficial is if you have epoxy grout, as it never needs to be sealed. Otherwise, it’s highly likely that you have cementitious grout, which is comprised of cement and sand. Over time soil, especially acidic soils (particularly around a toilet or in a shower), will eat away at the grout, causing damage. Having a proper sealant on/in the grout will help protect it from breaking down over time.

So what type of sealer should be used? Rather than the inexpensive spray on sealers you can purchase at a big box store, we used penetrating sealers that soak down into the grout (or stone) and protect them from the inside out. These also last much longer than topical sealers and don’t wear off as quickly with foot traffic.

How often should I seal grout? It depends largely on where the tile/grout is located. In high traffic or high moisture areas, it should be done more often.

• General rule: every 1-4 years

• In showers or other high moisture areas: 1-2 years

• In high traffic areas such as kitchens, hallways, and entryways: 1-3 years

• In low traffic/low moisture areas (walls, rooms that hardly get used): 2-4 years

Can grout that has been damaged be salvaged? Possibly. If it’s slight damage from wear over time, we may be able to correct it with acid etching. However, if it’s severely damaged, it would require a company that can repair and regrout those areas.

See below the kind of transformation we can do to tile and grout!

Wash cushion covers in washing machine or get them professionally cleaned?

If you have a couch or chair with removable cushion covers, you’ve probably either thought about putting them in the washing machine or already have done so. Sometimes this can be a convenient and inexpensive way to clean your cushions, but it can also have negative results on the covers.

Upholstery manufacturers are legally obligated to give information on the tag about the upholstery. However, they are not obligated to disclose the exact fiber content of the outside fibers, but only the inside. How crazy is that! This means that sometimes, even if the tag only says polyester, there could be some cotton or other difficult to clean fiber mixed in the outside fibers. If that is the case, putting the cushion covers in the washing machine can cause them to shrink, brown out, or become otherwise discolored. If the covers are 100% synthetic, there is much less concern, but there is always a risk of shrinking.

When you hire a professional upholstery cleaning company like us, we ensure that our cleaning method properly matches the type of fiber, construction, soils, etc. that we are dealing with to not only get your furniture looking clean, but also to make it last. Unfortunately, washing and drying machines can be more harsh on cushion covers than our equipment, leading to quicker degradation, pilling, worn out patches, etc.

If you need an upholstery cleaner with good reviews in the Edmonds, Shoreline, Mukilteo, Seattle, Everett or Eastside areas, feel free to contact us here!

Answered- What is the Best Vacuum Cleaner? The Definitive Guide to Purchasing a Vacuum

As promised in our last post, we want to address another common question- “What is the best vacuum?” Along with that, people often ask- “What is the best vacuum for pet hair?” That fits perfectly into our answer to the first question, which is that it depends on what you’re dealing with and what your budget is! Here we will quickly breakdown what to look for in a quality vacuum.

What to look for (in no particular order):

• CFMs produced by the vacuum motor- this will indicate how strong the suction power is, and you want something that’s is 85 CFM or higher. But remember, regularly cleaning your vacuum and keeping it clog free is the only way to get the full CFM power!

• Ease of maintenance- Some vacuums are very easy to pull apart in order to clean, maintain, and replace parts. Others require just short of an engineering degree to be able to put them back together properly.

• Bagless vs Bag- Many people will tell you that vacuums with bags can do a better job than bagless vacuums, but this is not necessarily true. As long as the specs like CFM check out, then you don’t need to worry too much about if it has a bag or not.

• Quality brush roll- Look for brush rolls that are made from metal or wood rather than plastic. These will last longer and are a key part of getting the most out of your vacuum.

• Style- Upright vacuums are usually the best option for homeowners (and they typically include handheld attachments). Backpack vacuums usually produce better suction, but often require purchasing a separate accessory brush roll and can get very expensive.

• Filtration- Look for a vacuum with a HEPA (High Efficiency Particulate Air) filter. This means the filter will trap at least 99.97% of particles that are 0.3 microns, which are the hardest microns to trap, so that they don’t get realeased back into the air

• Price- There’s a saying that “You get what you pay for.” For the most part, this holds up as true with vacuums, but there is one major caveat, and that is Dyson (see below for more details on that). The vacuums we recommend below range from about $300-600, and anything below that likely won’t be effective over a long period of time, and you’ll end up paying more in the long run by having to replace the vacuum.

Brands (Good and Bad):

• Best overall- ProTeam and Powr-Flite. These are the brands we use at on-site cleanings and in our high end area rug shop. The ProTeam X1500XP is a workhorse and will last for many years without breaking down, but when it does break down it can be very labor intensive to fix/replace parts. The Powr-Flite 15” Upright is our favorite for an effective, household vacuum that doesn’t break the bank and it has a whopping 135 CFM, all while being easy to maintain and replace parts.

• Best for pet hair- While “best” is somewhat subjective, the Shark DuoClean line is very good (here is one good option) due to their dual brushes to pull out the pet hair that’s deeply embedded.

• Not recommended- all Dyson vacuums. We know, we know, but hear us out on this one! Dyson has incredibly convincing marketing, but their vacuums just don’t measure up. We have gone in with our ProTeam vacuums into countless jobs that have already been vacuumed with a Dyson, only to pull up loads of pet hair and soil from the carpet. But here’s the real red flag- Dyson does not release the specs on their vacuums. Virtually any time a manufacturer keeps those secret, it means the specs are not good so they don’t want you to know. Great marketing, but average to above average performance and not worth what they cost.

If you have further questions regarding vacuums, feel free to contact us here or call/text us at 206-801-0161.

How to Clean Cranberry Sauce off Carpet (and Other Thanksgiving Spills)

As we all know, Thanksgiving looked a bit different this year, but even with smaller gatherings, spills still happen! So while we hope you had a great Thanksgiving meal, you might now be wondering how to get cranberry sauce, gravy, or other spots out of carpet, upholstery or area rugs. Below we will lay bullet points to make this a quick read and easy guide for you. Of course, you can always contact us with any questions or to schedule a carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning or area rug cleaning if you’re in the Edmonds/greater Seattle area.

• First of all- do not use vinegar! If you look up how to spot clean online, the most common suggestion is vinegar. However, it is so rare that this would ever help that we recommend just staying away from it completely. Another common recommendation is dish soap- if you do this, use only very sparingly, otherwise it will leave a residue in your carpet.

• Second- one of the most important aspects of cleaning is bringing the surface being cleaned to pH neutral. The best spot cleaners will be safe, yet effective pH neutral cleaners (we recommend Folex for anything store bought). If you are one of our clients, we provide a lifetime supply of our free spot cleaner. This is why using vinegar is not helpful and can actually set stains in- because it’s acidic.

• Hydrogen peroxide is your friend! For virtually any organic stain (wine, caffeinated coffee, most food spills), you want to add oxygen to the spot to help remove the stain. We recommend avoiding big name products like Oxiclean, Resolve, etc. as these have damaging ingredients in them. Instead, you can pick up 3% hydrogen peroxide from the drug store, and at this dilution it’s even safe for wool! Put it on the spot, scrub gently with a brush, let sit 5-10 minutes and then aggressively dab with a towel.

• For cranberry sauce, we again recommend hydrogen peroxide. However, you want to be careful with how much you use, and start with a neutral pH spotter first. After using, be sure to speed dry with a fan (even a small household fan would help).

• Lastly, if it seems like an especially tricky spot, call us! Especially if it seems like the spill may have seeped down into the carpet pad or upholstery cushion, it’s very likely that self-spotting it would actually make it worse. Whether you’re a client or not, please feel free to call us so we can help you troubleshoot any difficult spots you may have.

Remember, if you’re in Edmonds, Shoreline, Mountlake Terrace, Seattle, Mukilteo, Bothell, Lynnwood, Everett, or the surrounding areas- we are here to serve you!

New Year's Resolution: Keep Your Home Clean and Healthy!

It’s not only a new year, but a new decade! How about a less traditional, but very important, New Year’s resolution: keeping your home- including your carpet, upholstery, tile, and hardwoods, clean and thus keeping your home healthy? Surfaces like carpet and upholstery essentially act as really large air filters for your home, so keeping them clean regularly can drastically help improve the air quality of your home.

In addition to the health benefits, regularly maintenance cleaning for your carpet, hardwood and other surfaces is really an investment. Floor coverings, tile and other things like that are extremely expensive to install, so maintaining them is very important to avoid having to replace them before you should need to! Below are the recommended cleaning intervals for optimum maintenance and health.

As you are planning out your year, let us help you achieve your goals both for your home or business! Don’t forget that we specialize in commercial carpet cleaning as well.

Recommended cleaning intervals:

• Carpet cleaning: 6-18 months

• Upholstery cleaning- 6-18 months

• Tile/grout cleaning and sealing: 1-2 years

• Hardwood floor cleaning: 2-3 years

5 Tips to Keep Your Carpet Clean Through the Holidays

We all know how it goes over the holidays. You’re having fun with friends and family, relaxing, maybe drinking a glass of wine, and sooner or later…oops! There goes the wine on the carpet. Or mashed potatoes, maybe a new set of markers the kids got as a gift, or maybe the dog got into the chocolate again and had an accident on the carpet. Whatever it is, having lots of people over is always a recipe for spills! Here are some tips to help keep your place clean during all the fun.

1. Ask your guests to take off their shoes. If you have a covered porch, they can leave them outside. Or if you have a crowded entry, you can designate someone to store all the shoes in an unused room like a laundry room. This is the most important thing you can do to keep your carpet clean and avoid having dirt, animal accidents, oil, and other unwanted soils onto your carpet!

2. Keep a bottle of a quality spot cleaner handy. If you have our free lifetime supply spot cleaner that we give to all clients, keep that on a nearby shelf. You can also use Folex, but make sure to avoid Resolve and OxiClean as they can damage your carpet and area rugs.

3. Don’t listen to that aunt or cousin who the internet told them to “use vinegar!”. On almost all stains, vinegar will actually either set it in or at least make it harder to clean. Sometimes vinegar can even damage carpet, area rugs and upholstery!

4. As boring as it sounds, give everyone a coaster and encourage them to use it. This will give them a designated spot to place drinks, so they don’t get set on random surfaces and knock over by children or the dog’s tail!

5. Keep our number on speed dial: 206-801-0161! You can call or text us at any time, and if it’s an emergency we’ll respond at any hour. You can bet we’ll go above and beyond to get out to your place and save you from the embarrassment or hassle!

Most of all, have fun and enjoy the time with friends and family!

How to keep carpet warranty valid

If you have ever purchased carpet, you probably received a warranty from the manufacturer. Rather than making you read through pages and pages, we’ll break down most of the key points as to how to keep your warranty valid.

*Note: these are general guidelines based on warranty information provided by Mohawk. Always check your warranty paperwork for specifics.

Paperwork to keep:

• Purchase receipt

• Carpet sample tag

• Carpet cleaning receipts

Things to know:

• Carpet must be installed by a professional

• Carpet pad or cushion must meet the carpet manufacturer’s requirements

• Professional carpet cleaning every 12-18 months (depending on your warranty), almost always with hot water extraction cleaning

What can void your warranty:

• Cleaning with a home machine (such as a Bissell, Rug Doctor, etc)

• Professional carpet cleaning with anything other than hot water extraction (such as shampooing, bonnet cleaning, etc)

These are the main keys to know and records to keep when you want to keep your carpet warranty valid. If you have any questions, you can call the carpet manufacturer to clarify before taking action on cleaning your carpet.

When it comes time to clean your carpet, we do truck-mounted hot water extraction cleaning and will take premium care of your carpet needs. You can contact us 206-801-0161 or info@snokingcarpets.com

Best spot cleaner for carpet and furniture

Ever wondered what the best spot cleaner is for carpet? Look no further!

With so many spot cleaners out there, it’s hard to know which one will work the best. In fact, some of the spot cleaners at the store are actually harmful for your carpet and upholstery! Anything that contains a chemical that’s considered an “optical brightener” is potentially bad for your carpet as it can set stains in, make dyes unstable, and thus create bleach spots in your carpet as it sits over time.

That’s why we give away our free bottle of Spot Out to every customer. Not only is it free the first time, but we also provide free lifetime replacements! It’s residue-free, safe for any type of carpet or furniture (even clothing) and it’s safe to use around kids and pets.

If you need an effective carpet or furniture spot cleaner, just book a job with us and you’ll get a bottle absolutely free. Or if you’re a current customer, let us know if you’ve run out and we’ll drop one off for no charge!

How to get mildew out of outdoor cushions

Winter is over and summer is almost here! Many of us know that the Greater Seattle Area is beautiful this time of year, so we spend time outside barbecuing, playing yard games and hanging out with loved ones. But have you ever gone outside to find your patio furniture looks worse than you remember? Have you ever looked at the cushions and seen tiny little black spots everywhere? If so, that’s actually mildew that has accumulated from months of the Seattle rain!

So, how do you clean mildew spots out of furniture? This may come as a surprise to you, but most outdoor furniture is bleach-safe. The product we use for mold is not straight bleach, but it’s a product that is specifically designed to get mold and mildew off of wood and many other surfaces. You can go to the store to purchase a similar product, or even use household bleach (make sure to dilute according to the directions).

When cleaning outdoor furniture, extraction is very important, because all kinds of bacteria can grow in the wet climate throughout fall and winter. So if you have a way of cleaning yourself you can do that, or if you’d rather hire us so that you can just relax on your patio furniture after it gets cleaned, contact us here! We can help you if you are in Edmonds or the surrounding cities.

If you do the cleaning yourself, be sure to check your tag and/or call your manufacturer to check if it is safe to use bleach. And even if they say it is, test a small spot in an inconspicuous area to make sure it’s not going to make the color bleed before putting it all over your outdoor couch or chair. Get ready to enjoy outdoor meals and parties again!

Should you seal grout lines?

This is a commonly asked question in our industry, yet it’s no that should not have much debate around it. Many times, tile installers will not seal the grout because it’s not technically part of their job and is perceived to be a waste of time. However, sealing grout is extremely important, and there are a few helpful details to know.

The first thing we should get out of the way is epoxy grout. Epoxy grout is not very common because it is very expensive and very difficult to install. However, the benefit of epoxy is that it never needs to be sealed! It’s essentially impenetrable, much like ceramic or porcelain tile.

When it comes to common grout types, sealing the grout, especially after cleaning, is very important. The most common type of grout is called cementitious grout. As the name suggests, this grout is made up of cement, as well as sand. Over time, acidic soils (especially around men’s toilets) will eat away at the grout and cause permanent damage. However, if a proper sealer is applied every 1-3 years, depending on use, the life of the grout can be prolonged exponentially. If you hire a professional to clean and seal your grout, make sure they are using a high quality sealer that protects from the inside out, rather than leaving a film on top.

With natural stone, such as marble, travertine or others, it is very important to also seal the tiles in addition to the grout, since the stone is porous. With ceramic tile, it is only necessary to seal the grout lines.

If you want help figuring out the best maintenance program for your tile and/or grout, please contact us here and we will be happy to help!