Floor Care 101

Whether it took you a year to pick out your flooring or you've had your carpets for 10 years, the way they look is important to you. Your floors play a huge role in the way the rest of your home looks, so it's crucial to know exactly how to take care of them properly. 

Floor care takes a commitment, but with just a little work every day, your floors will continue to sparkle and shine for years to come. Here are a few tips to take care of the most common floor types:

Carpets

Carpet is the most challenging type of flooring to keep clean, but it is easily manageable with these little tricks and tips. 

• Vacuum your floors regularly (at least twice per week.) Those homes with children or pets should vacuum high-traffic areas daily, if possible. 
• Keep floor mats at every entrance so less dirt and dust are tracked in through the home.
• Consider becoming a "no-shoes-in-the-house-family." Although this may take a while getting used to, it will ultimately help out with unwanted dirt and carpet stains. 
• Always clean up spills as soon as they happen. The longer that you wait, the less chance you'll have of getting it out. 
•  When it comes to stains, never rub or scrub. Always dab gently with a damp cloth with a bit of mild dish soap.
• Don't use harsh chemicals or cleaning agents on carpets. Harsh cleaning agents can fade or bleach a carpet, as well as contaminate your indoor air. 
• Get the carpets professionally cleaned to keep up their beautiful appearance.  

Wood Floors

Wood floors give a gorgeous glow to any home, and can last a lifetime, if cared for properly. Here are a few tips to remember:

• Just as with carpeting, it's important to place a mat at each entrance to prevent dirt and dust from entering the home.
• Sweep your floors regularly with a high-quality broom or a vacuum without beater bars.
• Don't use excessive water to clean your floors, as they may warp over time. 
• It's recommended that you limit sun exposure if you have wood floors because it will gradually fade them. Be sure to install a window treatment to block the sun. 
• Try not to scoot furniture when rearranging, as it can scratch and possibly tear up the flooring. 
•  Trim your pet's nails regularly and try not to wear stiletto heels inside, both of which can scratch floors easily.
• Schedule a professional wood floor cleaning to restore luster and keep it beautiful for life!

 Tile Floors

Tile flooring can give your home a beautiful and earthy appearance. Here's how to keep them glowing:

• Regularly sweep or vacuum your floors to eliminate dust and dirt. Before vacuuming, make sure yours doesn't have the beater bars attached. 
• Just like carpeting and wood flooring, keep a mat at every entrance to your home to keep it clean.
• Spot clean stains or spills with a sponge and some mild detergent to prevent stains from setting in the grout. 
• Take proper precautions when rearranging your furniture to prevent scratching. 
• Don't use bleach or ammonia-based cleaners, as they can discolor the grout. 
• Be familiar with what stone type your tile is and know the manufacturer's instructions in order to keep your warranty. 
• Schedule a tile floor cleaning to keep your floors gorgeous as long as possible.  

For more information about floor care, call Kiwi Services today to speak with one of our friendly home care consultants!

 

Keep Your Home Safe with Kiwi Services

The safety of your home is more important to you than any piece of furniture, any extravagant comforter, or any type of decoration. Your home is your haven and the place where your loved ones sleep every night. It's vital to keep your home safe, dry, and livable. 

Kiwi Services was started by a mom, so you can rest assured that safety is always our number one priority. As a homeowner, it's important to know how your home works, what some potential dangers are, and how to keep your home in tip-top shape to avoid accidents or crises. 

Kiwi offers a variety of services that can keep your home protected, which includes:

• Air Duct Cleaning

 Over time, dust, mold, mildew, and hair can collect on your air duct surfaces, which can contaminate your indoor air quality and worsen symptoms of allergies or asthma. An air duct cleaning will purify the air inside your home, increase the efficiency of your HVAC system, and can even lower your energy bills. 

Every full-system air duct cleaning service automatically comes with our Two-Year Air Duct Cleaning Guarantee. We guarantee that our antimicrobial treatment will prevent the regrowth of mold and mildew within two years of your services or else we will reapply the treatment at no charge to you. 

• Dryer Vent Cleaning

 The Consumer Product Safety Commission has identified clothes dryers as being responsible for thousands of fires every year. These fires are caused by stray lint that builds up in the dryer vent and connecting air duct. A thorough cleaning of your dryer vent will not only prevent house fires, but it will also increase the efficiency of your dryer and will extend the lifetime of the appliance. 

• Water Damage Repair 

 Water damage, whether caused by a natural disaster or an accident, can be a very traumatic experience for a homeowner. Kiwi Services provides emergency water damage repair services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so that we can begins repairs immediately and get your home back in working order. Water damage repair and extraction services can prevent the growth of mold and mildew and can make sure that your home is 100% safe for you and your family once again. 

Keep your home safe with Kiwi Services! For more information about these services or any others, call your local Kiwi Services center today.

 

How to Eliminate Pet Stains

Although we love our furry friends dearly, there is nothing worse than arriving home and finding a big surprise on your carpets, floors, or upholstery. 

 

Pet stains or pet odors are one of the main reasons homeowners call and schedule a carpet cleaning, which is unsurprising to those of us who have ever had to deal with pet accidents. So what should you do when your pet has an accident in your home?

The best thing to do is simply act quickly.  Like any other carpet stain, the quicker you tend to it, the less likely it will set into your carpet. When you know that your dog or cat has left behind an accident, immediately grab a bunch of newspapers or paper towels to soak up as much of the urine as possible. If you can't find the accident spot, it might be a good idea to invest in a black light. Turn of all the lights and turn your black light on and the spots should instantly reveal themselves.

It's important that when you're cleaning up the mess, that you don't to scold or strike your pet after she's eliminated on the floor. If you rub your pet's nose into the mess or strike her after she's eliminated indoors, then it might make her afraid to ever use the bathroom in front of you again.

Once you've soaked up as much of the urine as possible, it's best to call a professional carpet cleaner. Many of the pet stain cleaning solutions on the market can bleach, oversaturate, or dye your carpets. 

Kiwi's professional carpet cleaning technicians have been thoroughly trained in our three-step pet stain removal process: 

• First, your technician will try to eliminate the stain and odor on the carpet surface. 
• If the stain and odor persist, the technician will then inject an antimicrobial treatment into the carpet padding. 
• If the stain and odor are still present after the injection, your technician will then lift up the carpet, replace the padding, and wash and seal the floor beneath. 

Kiwi Services can always get your home back to fresh after your pet has an accident, but the best way to keep your home fresh is by preventing pet stains and odors before they happen.

Here are some tips to train your furry friend to prevent an accident inside:

•  If your cat is the culprit of the indoor accidents, make sure his litter box is in a place where he is truly comfortable and feels like he has privacy. Cats are notorious for being very particular about everything, especially the placement of their box. Be sure to put a lot of distance between their food bowl and their litter box. Also be sure to keep their boxes away from loud appliances, as this might scare them out of the room and force them to eliminate in the hallway or on the couch. 
• If you're training a new puppy, the key is to be patient. It might even be a good idea to take a couple of days off work, just to ensure that you've established a routine with your new pet. 
• Take your dog outside every couple of hours when they're inside with you. Never let a puppy wander around alone inside the house, because the second you turn your head, you'll have a pet stain on your new rug. 
• Reward your dog with treats and affection when they have been properly trained to use the bathroom outdoors.
• Take up the water dish a couple of hours before bedtime, so you can know for sure that they don't need to go outside.  

For more information about carpet treatment or carpet cleaning, be sure to call Kiwi today! Our friendly customer service representatives will answer any questions you may have about any of our services.