Summer Cleaning Check List

As spring moves towards summer (if the rain can stop!) there are several “jobs” around the house that you should take a look at. For your comfort, these summer cleaning jobs have been divided into indoor and outdoor jobs. You can do the outdoor jobs early in the season when it’s tolerable outside, and you can do the indoor jobs late in the season in the air-conditioned house.

Windows

Every summer, you should clean your outside windows, screens, and shutters. It is necessary to remove the screens before cleaning the screens and windows, but it is not necessary to remove the shutters. Always use a broom to remove spider webs and dirt before using water. Be careful of possible bee, wasp, or hornet nests.

If you have a large number of windows or a two-story house, you should buy a window washing mixture that hooks onto your garden hose and makes the job much easier.

Decks & Driveways

The beginning of summer is a great time to do these once-a-year cleaning jobs. Don’t use a heavy duty power washer. They can be dangerous, and they can destroy your deck and driveway. For outdoor decks, use a diluted mixture of TSP or deck cleaner (available at home improvement stores), then use a push broom or stiff brush to scrub the deck clean. Be sure to rinse the deck well. For asphalt driveways, use 1 scoop of laundry detergent in one gallon of water. For concrete driveways, use 1/4 cup dishwashing detergent to 1 gallon of water. Scrub with a push broom, then rinse thoroughly.

Grease stains can be treated with kitty litter or dry cement left to absorb the stain and then swept away. You can also use a commercial grease remover.

Lawn Mower

At the end of summer, you should completely clean your lawn mower and prepare it for storage. Never turn a lawn mower completely over. Use a block to prop it on its side. Somewhere on the lawnmower, it should tell you in which direction to lean the mower.

Drain any remaining gas and oil from the machine. Some machines have drains, and others have to be tipped to be drained from where you fill the oil or gas. Drain into an approved container for oil or gas, and then take to an oil-change place and ask them to properly dispose of the old oil and/or gas. Spray the underside of the lawn mower with a hose. Let it dry before storage to prevent rust.

Air Conditioning Units

Window units should be thoroughly cleaned at the end of the season. Unplug the unit and take off the front cover (on the inside). You can gently vacuum the coils with a brush vacuum attachment. Clean the filter for the last time of the season.

If you have a central air-conditioning unit, you should turn off the power to the unit, check the outside for any debris, spray it down with a hose, and then cover the unit. Purchase and attach an outside cover to protect the unit from the elements during fall and winter.

The Pantry

It’s time to sort through your pantry (summer and winter), throwing away whatever has gone bad or won’t be used. This doesn’t have to be a big job. Just drag over a big trash can and get started.

Pay attention to “Use By” dates. If the date hasn’t passed but is coming up and you’re not going to use the item, toss it. You should throw away any cans that are dented or are missing labels.

Mattresses

Twice a year (summer and winter), you should clean all of the mattresses in the house to keep dust mites under control.

Vacuum the top of the mattress, move the mattress and vacuum the box springs, then flip the mattress and vacuum the new top of the mattress. For further protection from dust mites, add a hypo-allergenic mattress pad and wash your sheets in hot water.

Luggage

Whether or not you travel in the summer, it’s a good time to clean and air out your luggage. Clean the outside with a diluted mild cleanser (leather should be cleaned with a commercial leather cleaner). If the inside has a musty smell or possible mildew problem, clean it with a vinegar-water solution (1:5). Let it air dry for several days.

It’s a good idea to air out your luggage for a few days whether there’s a musty smell or not. Before putting the luggage away for storage, toss a fabric softener dryer sheet into the closed bag, especially if you don’t use the luggage often.

Water Heater

Once a year, you should drain and flush your water heater. This cleans out all the sediment from the bottom of your water heater. It makes your unit run more efficiently and last longer. This can be a big job, depending on the size of your tank and where it is located in your home.

Because you are dealing with electricity (or gas) and potential flooding, it is worth calling in a professional. If you’re an ambitious do-it-yourselfer, it’s not a difficult job. Remember to turn off the electricity and then turn off the water before you begin. Turn the water back on first when you’re done. The tank should not have electrical current if it is empty.

Vents and Registers

If you have a central air-conditioning unit, you should clean the vents and registers at the end of the season. This means actually removing the registers. You should be able to vacuum both sides. If there’s caked on dirt from condensation mixing with dust, you can use a damp cloth to clean it.

If anyone in your home suffers from allergies, you might also consider using calling Teasdale Fenton for a professional Duct Cleaning.

Courtesy of :  Mrs. Clean

Stop Water Leaks in Your Basement

FIRST IF YOUR BASEMENT IS LEAKING REGARDLESS OF THE CAUSE CALL US IMMEDIATELY SO THE DAMAGE CAN BE MITAGATED (513) 325-4117!!!

If a leak is the source of your problem, have it fixed first, Teasdale Fenton has a waterproofing division that can solve this problem for you.

If you have standing water on the floor of your basement after a heavy rain then it is likely from a leak in the foundation.

Clean rain gutter and redirect downspout runoff away from the foundation.

Make sure the ground around the house slopes down away from the foundation. If necessary, re-grade so the ground does slopes away.

If you have a sump pump, make sure it is working properly.

If you have water stains on the ceiling or wall under or near a bathroom it could be a leak from a water pipe, toilet, bathtub or shower. Hire a plumber to repair the leak.

If the leak has caused substantial water damage or mold you will want to call Teasdale Fenton as we specialize in mold remediation and water damage repairs.

The main thing is don’t wait!  The problem will only get worse!  (513) 325-4117

Green Beer Stains in the Carpet?

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!  If you are enjoying the day and get some green dye, or worse, on your carpet give us a call and we can get them out for you!

Did you know:  St. Patrick was not Irish! His dad was Italian, his mother was Scottish and he was born in Scotland.  On the average day, 5.5 million pints of Guinness are consumed around the world.  That number more than doubles on St. Patrick’s Day, with more than 13 million pints going down the hatch.  The beloved McDonald’s Shamrock Shake, introduced in 1970, is not available nationwide.

Tile and Grout Cleaning, get off your knees!

Let us get you off your hands and knees with our, powerful, fast and safe, tile and grout cleaning process. Using some of the best chemicals on the market and our high-pressure, hot water rinse, we can clean all your tile and grout surfaces.

You can see great results anywhere in your home: bathroom floors, showers and tubs, kitchen floors, entryways, tiled halls, sunrooms, countertops, and more. Build up from shampoos, soap and dirt tend to stick like glue to tiled surfaces.

Because tiles are typically used in spaces that are steamy, wet or moist the majority of the time, mold and mildew are also a common problem. Our technicians can get rid of most of these problems.

We recommend getting your grout sealed after it has been cleaned. This provides extra protection on your grout that will make it resistant to spills, stains, and keeping the grout and the surface looking clean longer.

Whether your tile is in your kitchen, bathroom, or some other area of your home, those stubborn stains, embedded bacteria, and germs don’t stand a chance. Your tile and grout will look very much as it did the day it was installed.

To schedule an appointment or for more information give us a call  Cincinnati:  513.797.0900  Dayton:  937.434.4800

Santa Brought a Dog…how do you clean this mess?

Remember how magical Christmas morning was? Your kids were tearing through presents, and then out came the BIG gift. Equipped with a red bow, Santa brought a puppy.

Now after the tree is taken down and the kids are back in school, you realize that you are a proud owner of a dog. With that realization, as you ready know, that dog will never be able to clean up after itself.

General Rule of Thumb with pet cleaning
A cleaner pet means a cleaner house. Bath and brush your pets regularly to minimize the amount of pet hair and pet dander, and to help with stinky dog smells.

Removing pet hair
On carpeting, use a vacuum with a good beater brush or brush roll. Plain vacuums don’t generate sufficient lift to pick up all the pet hair from the floor.
Invest in a “pet rake”, a brush with crimped nylon bristles, for speedier removal of pet hair from fabrics and upholstery.

Lifting stains
You have already experienced that the bundle of joy is going to pee and poop everywhere. To remove a pet urine stain, dilute the spot using a cloth dampened with water. Then, clean the area with an acid solution consisting of one quart water mixed with one teaspoon white vinegar.

Stomach trouble
What happens when your new pet digs in the garbage and starts to throw up? This cleanup may be trickier. The extremely acidic nature of vomit can cause the acid dyes in the carpet to move, permanently damaging the carpet. That’s why it’s essential to neutralize or at least dilute the acid as quickly as possible to minimize damage. To bring the carpet back to a neutral pH:
• Treat the affected area using a professional carpet detergent.
• Rinse the area with clean hot water.
• Extract the soiled solutions away from the carpet.

Short term
For most of us these are short-term problems. Eventually your dog will get potty trained and you will only have to deal with the occasional accident, when you don’t let him out.

Long term
For pet owners, we suggest that you get your carpets professionally cleaned at least twice a year. This will keep your carpets clean from dirty paws and general wear and tear caused by pets.

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Upholestry Cleaning Brings Back Vibrant Colors during the Winter

Every day we clean the carpets of customers throughout Northern Kentucky, Southeast Indiana, Cincinnati, and Dayton. Every day we are amazed by how many of these customers never thought about having us clean their furniture when we are in their home. And every day when we mention it, most take us up on the offer.

There’s a practical reason for cleaning your furniture. Keeping upholstered furniture clean will increase the life of the fabrics, in addition, the steam and hot water kills dust mites and many common allergens that may be trapped in your furniture.

Almost all of our customers marvel over how Teasdale Fenton upholstery cleaning service restores the beauty and vibrant colors of the furniture pieces. “I forgot that was the color of that chair,” is a typical response.

It’s not quite as easy to clean your furniture as it is your carpet. Upholstered furniture uses more varied materials and methods of manufacture than carpet. One upholstery cleaning process will not work to clean all upholstered furniture. Special characteristics such as color fastness and dimensional stability of the fabric must be considered. For some items steam cleaning is best, while others require dry cleaning methods. At Teasdale Fenton, we will provide the cleaning process that’s right for your particular upholstered surface, whether fabric or leather. In all cases Teasdale Fenton gets your upholstery deep down clean and fresh.

We are confident that you will be thrilled with the results, but we don’t stop there, Teasdale Fenton’s upholstery cleaning and deodorizing service comes with a full satisfaction guarantee.

Protecting Against Moisture

If you haven’t already, you are going to be pulling your Holiday decorations out of storage soon.

As you unpack them, it is time to throw away those old brown cardboard boxes from 1989.  This is especially important if you are storing the boxes in a place where moisture can get to them, like an attic or basement.

Moisture poses the biggest threat to ruining items that you store seasonally. After cleaning 1000’s of water emergencies, the one thing we know about water is it will find exactly what you don’t want it to find, like your valuables.  Paper boxes offer no resistance to this moisture.

We suggest that you do the following steps for storing seasonal items, important papers, and valuables.  Put items in waterproof plastic bins and totes.  Place packets of silica gel desiccant in the bins to further absorb moisture if storing in the basement and attic. Lastly, raise items off the floor with wooden pallets or plastic crates.

Your Holiday decorations deserve more than tattered boxes, go get some plastic totes for when you pack them back up in January.  Hopefully this will help preserve them for generations to come.