Concrete pavers can be a real challenge to keep clean in the Tampa St Petersburg area. Concrete pavers are very porous and need to be sealed to keep water from carrying dirt down into the pavers. The problem is that pavers are used outside and that leaves them at the mercy of our hot Florida sun and heavy pounding rains.
If you've just installed new decorative concrete pavers at your home you need to make sure they are well sealed. Sealing helps keep water from drawing organic material into the pavers so that mold and mildew grow. It also keeps oil from penetrating into or adhering to the suface of the concrete pavers. A properly sealed paver will be easier to care for and look great for a longer time.
Pavers cannot be effectively sealed with an interior stone sealer as the UV from the sun and the pooling water will break it down very quickly. Concrete Pavers need to be sealed with either a solvent based acrylic topical sealer or a penetrating sealer with an UV inhibitor.
Floor Cleaning Experts offers a topical sealer that gives the concrete a shinny sealed look or a penetrating sealer that bonds to the molecular structure of the concrete permanently sealing the pavers with out changing the appearance of the concrete paver.
The topical sealer that the Floor Cleaning Experts uses is Euclid's Ever Clear Concrete Sealer. This product will withstand pooling water and direct sunlight but will need to be resealed every 2-4 years.
The penetrating sealer is Drytreat Stainproof sealer. This product penetrates deep into the concrete paver and bonds to the molecular structure of the paver. Nothing will break this sealer down. As a Drytreat Stainproof Certified Applicator the Floor Cleaning Experts can offer a 15 year manufactures warranty on Drytreat Stainproof. This permanently seals concrete pavers.
What do you do when the sealer, did they seal it, breaks down and the pavers look dirty and stained? Call the Floor Cleaning Experts of course. We provide a full restoration cleaning of concrete pavers. The key to pavers is knowing what was on the paver originally. If it was coated with a topical we will need to strip the concrete pavers before cleaning.
Pavers need much more aggressive cleaners then we would ever think of using inside. Concrete paver restoration is one service I would strongly recommend leaving to the professionals.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Dry Carpet Cleaning or Truck Mounted Hot Water Extraction Cleaning?
I'm asked all the time, which is better, dry cleaning carpets or hot water extraction cleaning of carpets?The answer to this question depends on the type of carpet fiber being cleaned and the level of carpet restoration needed to return to a clean healthy carpet.
Truck mounted hot water extraction is a restorative carpet cleaning process. Encapsulating dry foam carpet cleaning is a maintenance carpet cleaning system. These two cleaning method used together are the most cost effective way to always have clean carpets.
When a carpet looks dirty it is very dirty. Millions of dollars have been spent on research to create carpet fibers that hide dirt as long as possible. Carpets should be cleaned not because they look dirty but because regular cleaning of your carpet is like changing the oil in your car. It removes the abrasive that wear the fibers causing the carpet to dull out.
Residential carpets that are visibly soiled or stained should be cleaned with the truck mounted hot water extraction method. This is a restorative carpet cleaning method and is the most thorough and costly type of cleaning.
Encapsulating dry foam carpet cleaning is a maintenance cleaning process that is faster and thus less expensive then hot water extraction cleaning. Most commercial carpets respond better to the encapsulating dry foam carpet cleaning process then to the truck mounted hot water extraction cleaning.
It is possible to never have dirty carpets again. With the right maintenance your carpets can stay clean all the time cost effectively.
The first step is to get the carpets as clean as possible and then protected with a very good protector like Scotch Guard or Dupont Teflon.
The Floor Cleaning Experts full restoration carpet cleaning is a 12 step process following the standards set by the IICRC. Pre-Inspection, pre-vacuum, furniture moving, pre-condition & spot treatments, Pre-grooming, truck mount extraction, neutralize, post spot treatments, Teflon carpet protector, speed dry, post groom, and post inspection. We offer this complete service for one price with no additional charges. This will get the carpet as clean as it can get.
Once the carpet has been restored to a clean and healthy state it can be kept there by servicing your vacuum and using it regularly. Vacuuming regularly with a clean strong vacuum is the best way to keep damaging abrasive dirt from building up in your carpets.
Encapsulating dry foam carpet cleaning is a great way to keep your carpets clean after they have been restored. Dry foam cleaning is very efficient and effective when combined with regular vacuuming with a well serviced strong vacuum cleaner.
The encapsulating detergent absorb the dirt and detergent residue and then drys to a hard brittle crystal when it drys. This crystal shatters under traffic and vacuuming and the dirt and detergent residue are removed with the vacuum. Dry foam cleaning is fast and less then half the price of hot water extraction cleaning but is a maintenance cleaning process so it needs to be done regularly with the frequency depending on the carpets traffic.
The Floor Cleaning Experts has a Never Ever Have Dirty Carpets Again program. This annual service agreement includes 1 truck mounted hot water extraction cleaning, 3 encapsulating dry foam maintenance cleanings, and 2 emergency spot cleanings per year for less then a dollar per foot.
Truck mounted hot water extraction is a restorative carpet cleaning process. Encapsulating dry foam carpet cleaning is a maintenance carpet cleaning system. These two cleaning method used together are the most cost effective way to always have clean carpets.
When a carpet looks dirty it is very dirty. Millions of dollars have been spent on research to create carpet fibers that hide dirt as long as possible. Carpets should be cleaned not because they look dirty but because regular cleaning of your carpet is like changing the oil in your car. It removes the abrasive that wear the fibers causing the carpet to dull out.
Residential carpets that are visibly soiled or stained should be cleaned with the truck mounted hot water extraction method. This is a restorative carpet cleaning method and is the most thorough and costly type of cleaning.
Encapsulating dry foam carpet cleaning is a maintenance cleaning process that is faster and thus less expensive then hot water extraction cleaning. Most commercial carpets respond better to the encapsulating dry foam carpet cleaning process then to the truck mounted hot water extraction cleaning.
It is possible to never have dirty carpets again. With the right maintenance your carpets can stay clean all the time cost effectively.
The first step is to get the carpets as clean as possible and then protected with a very good protector like Scotch Guard or Dupont Teflon.
The Floor Cleaning Experts full restoration carpet cleaning is a 12 step process following the standards set by the IICRC. Pre-Inspection, pre-vacuum, furniture moving, pre-condition & spot treatments, Pre-grooming, truck mount extraction, neutralize, post spot treatments, Teflon carpet protector, speed dry, post groom, and post inspection. We offer this complete service for one price with no additional charges. This will get the carpet as clean as it can get.
Once the carpet has been restored to a clean and healthy state it can be kept there by servicing your vacuum and using it regularly. Vacuuming regularly with a clean strong vacuum is the best way to keep damaging abrasive dirt from building up in your carpets.
Encapsulating dry foam carpet cleaning is a great way to keep your carpets clean after they have been restored. Dry foam cleaning is very efficient and effective when combined with regular vacuuming with a well serviced strong vacuum cleaner.
The encapsulating detergent absorb the dirt and detergent residue and then drys to a hard brittle crystal when it drys. This crystal shatters under traffic and vacuuming and the dirt and detergent residue are removed with the vacuum. Dry foam cleaning is fast and less then half the price of hot water extraction cleaning but is a maintenance cleaning process so it needs to be done regularly with the frequency depending on the carpets traffic.
The Floor Cleaning Experts has a Never Ever Have Dirty Carpets Again program. This annual service agreement includes 1 truck mounted hot water extraction cleaning, 3 encapsulating dry foam maintenance cleanings, and 2 emergency spot cleanings per year for less then a dollar per foot.
Monday, April 13, 2009
Travertine Floor Maintenance and Restoration
Travetine marble is formed in mineral springs and is a very porous stone. The travertine marble has viens running through it that are filled with an epoxy before grinding and polishing the travertine tiles. The travertine tiles can be flat and unpolished or can have a satin shine. Travertine marble is softer then most marble but is also less sensitive to acid etching and easy to polish.
Due to is porous nature, it is very important that travertine marble be sealed. When the sealer starts breaking down and the floor starts getting worn travertine becomes harder and harder to keep looking nice. A simple cleaning will not restore travertine to a more serviceable condition. It needs to be cleaned, polished, and sealed.
The first step to creating a easy to maintain and beautiful travertine marble floor is getting the floor flat and level. The Floor Cleaning Experts provides full stone Restoration services. Lippage removal or leveling of the floor makes dust mopping and wet mopping easier and make the travertine have more shine and uniformity.
Due to the soft nature of travertine marble and the veins filled with epoxy it is necessary to fill holes or voids in the travertine marble. These are filled with an epoxy and then ground and polished to blend into the stone.
When the stone is level and any voids are filled and smoothed out its time to diamond hone the travertine marble this brings a nice satin shine from the stone. Powder polishing the travertine marble blends the shine and makes it deeper.
Polishing travertine makes it less porous and easier to clean but it doesn't seal and protect the travertine marble. A penetrating sealer will keep water from penetrating the tile and will keep oils from sticking to the surface. Then Floor Cleaning Experts is a Drytreat Stainproof Certified Applicator. Drytreat Stainproof has a 15 year warranty.
Due to is porous nature, it is very important that travertine marble be sealed. When the sealer starts breaking down and the floor starts getting worn travertine becomes harder and harder to keep looking nice. A simple cleaning will not restore travertine to a more serviceable condition. It needs to be cleaned, polished, and sealed.
The first step to creating a easy to maintain and beautiful travertine marble floor is getting the floor flat and level. The Floor Cleaning Experts provides full stone Restoration services. Lippage removal or leveling of the floor makes dust mopping and wet mopping easier and make the travertine have more shine and uniformity.
Due to the soft nature of travertine marble and the veins filled with epoxy it is necessary to fill holes or voids in the travertine marble. These are filled with an epoxy and then ground and polished to blend into the stone.
When the stone is level and any voids are filled and smoothed out its time to diamond hone the travertine marble this brings a nice satin shine from the stone. Powder polishing the travertine marble blends the shine and makes it deeper.
Polishing travertine makes it less porous and easier to clean but it doesn't seal and protect the travertine marble. A penetrating sealer will keep water from penetrating the tile and will keep oils from sticking to the surface. Then Floor Cleaning Experts is a Drytreat Stainproof Certified Applicator. Drytreat Stainproof has a 15 year warranty.
Thursday, April 9, 2009
What can you do to help your springtime allergies?
This has been a very brutal spring for oak pollen. You could see it settling like a fine mist at times. When there is that much pollen in the air it will invade the home even if you don't open your windows. It comes in with every opening of the door and step of your foot.
If you have hard floors and no rugs it will be more difficult to capture and remove the pollen. Carpet and rugs capture the particle that fall on them and hold them until your trusty vacuum comes to take them away. Dry vacuuming with a new bag and clean heppa filter is your best way to clean pollen from carpets and furniture.
If you are sensitive to pollen or suffer from frequent allergies you should vacuum daily and have your carpets cleaned every 3-6 months. Carpet, rugs, draperies, and cloth furniture act as filters. When dust and pollen fall on the fabric they stick to the fabric instead of getting redistributed in the air with every passing breeze. But these filters need to be cleaned.
A thorough truck mounted hot water extraction cleaning of your carpets and a thorough cleaning of your furniture every 3-6 months will keep allergens under control.
Applying a flourochemical treatment like Scotch Guard or Dupont Teflon will help make vacuuming much more effective and should be applied once per year. This keeps the very small pollen particles from sticking to the carpet like static cling. So the Scotch guard changes static cling to static push which makes vacuuming much more effective.
Properly maintained carpets and rug can help you moderate your allergies and provide you at least one safe haven when the pollen falls like snow.
Again, the most important thing you can do to help your allergies now is to take your vacuum outside and clean it and replace the bag with a new one. Then vacuum every piece of fabric and all rugs and air vents. Then replace your AC filters.
If your allergies knock you low the Floor Cleaning Experts provide a very thorough vacuuming, carpet cleaning, and upholstery cleaning that will leave you breathing deeply again.
If you have hard floors and no rugs it will be more difficult to capture and remove the pollen. Carpet and rugs capture the particle that fall on them and hold them until your trusty vacuum comes to take them away. Dry vacuuming with a new bag and clean heppa filter is your best way to clean pollen from carpets and furniture.
If you are sensitive to pollen or suffer from frequent allergies you should vacuum daily and have your carpets cleaned every 3-6 months. Carpet, rugs, draperies, and cloth furniture act as filters. When dust and pollen fall on the fabric they stick to the fabric instead of getting redistributed in the air with every passing breeze. But these filters need to be cleaned.
A thorough truck mounted hot water extraction cleaning of your carpets and a thorough cleaning of your furniture every 3-6 months will keep allergens under control.
Applying a flourochemical treatment like Scotch Guard or Dupont Teflon will help make vacuuming much more effective and should be applied once per year. This keeps the very small pollen particles from sticking to the carpet like static cling. So the Scotch guard changes static cling to static push which makes vacuuming much more effective.
Properly maintained carpets and rug can help you moderate your allergies and provide you at least one safe haven when the pollen falls like snow.
Again, the most important thing you can do to help your allergies now is to take your vacuum outside and clean it and replace the bag with a new one. Then vacuum every piece of fabric and all rugs and air vents. Then replace your AC filters.
If your allergies knock you low the Floor Cleaning Experts provide a very thorough vacuuming, carpet cleaning, and upholstery cleaning that will leave you breathing deeply again.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009
Cleaning Satillo or Mexican Tile
When your saltillo or Mexican tile and grout stop responding to your mop bucket and brush it may be time to strip the floor down and clean it. Then, after it dries, rebuild the finish.
The floor needs to be completely empty for stipping and waxing saltillo tile. Base boards and delicate surfases need to be protected. The stripper disolves the wax in the tile creating a slippery slurry that needs to be rinsed from the floor. Stripping mexican tile is the most challenging job that the Floor Cleaning Experts does. Most old saltillo tile and grout floors have multiple layers of wax from many different era's. Some of the finishes used in the 70's are VERY hard to break down and require a special stripper.
Once the Mexican tile and grout have been stripped completely free of wax or sealer it is cleaned just like normal tile and gout.
Saltillo or Mexican tile is a sun backed clay tile that is not fire hardened. This leaves the tile soft and very porous. Sealing satillo or Mexican tile is very important as is how you seal it.
The first thing you need to decide is whether to coat the tile and grout with an acrylic topical sealer or a penetrating flourochemical sealer. Floors inside can be decided solely on preference. Shinny finish that needs to be redone every 3-5 years but is easy to keep clean or the natural texture of the stone with a penetrating sealer that lasts much longer but isn't as easy to keep clean due to the course texture of satillo tile.
Outdoors acrylic finishes really get abused by the sun and rain and need either a solvent based acrylic sealer or a UV resistant penetrating sealer. The Drytreat StainProof penetrating sealer bonds to the molecular structure of the tile and permanently seals the tile with the flat texture. And comes with a 15 year warranty when applied by a certified applicator like the Floor Cleaning Experts.
The floor needs to be completely empty for stipping and waxing saltillo tile. Base boards and delicate surfases need to be protected. The stripper disolves the wax in the tile creating a slippery slurry that needs to be rinsed from the floor. Stripping mexican tile is the most challenging job that the Floor Cleaning Experts does. Most old saltillo tile and grout floors have multiple layers of wax from many different era's. Some of the finishes used in the 70's are VERY hard to break down and require a special stripper.
Once the Mexican tile and grout have been stripped completely free of wax or sealer it is cleaned just like normal tile and gout.
Saltillo or Mexican tile is a sun backed clay tile that is not fire hardened. This leaves the tile soft and very porous. Sealing satillo or Mexican tile is very important as is how you seal it.
The first thing you need to decide is whether to coat the tile and grout with an acrylic topical sealer or a penetrating flourochemical sealer. Floors inside can be decided solely on preference. Shinny finish that needs to be redone every 3-5 years but is easy to keep clean or the natural texture of the stone with a penetrating sealer that lasts much longer but isn't as easy to keep clean due to the course texture of satillo tile.
Outdoors acrylic finishes really get abused by the sun and rain and need either a solvent based acrylic sealer or a UV resistant penetrating sealer. The Drytreat StainProof penetrating sealer bonds to the molecular structure of the tile and permanently seals the tile with the flat texture. And comes with a 15 year warranty when applied by a certified applicator like the Floor Cleaning Experts.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Are All Tile and Grout Floors the Same?
There are a wide variety of types of tile and grout floors. Most of them are serviced the same as ceramic tile and grout. There are a few that require special care. These are porous textured tile floors that will generally have a finish applied to them.
The most common are the satillo or Mexican tile, flagstone, quarry tile, and sometimes even porcelain tile. When a topical coating is applied to these floors it must be maintained on a regular basis. When the coating starts looking bad or breaking down you will need to strip the floor of the existing coating and then rebuild the floors finish. This is the most problematic processes we perform. Sometimes it strips easy and other times you have to try 4 different strippers to find one the works. This is an area the Floor Cleaning Experts excels in. Simply because I'm to stubborn to let a floor finish beat me.
After the tile and grout have been completely stripped of wax and sealer, it needs to be either re coated with an acrylic topical sealer or with a penetrating sealer. If there is difficulty removing ALL traces of old finish from the surface re coating the service is the best option. The old sealer will bond to the new sealer and fade from view. Usually, at the next stripping all the old sealer will come off bonded to the new sealer.
When choosing a topical coating you must first look at the floors environment. Is it indoors or out doors? Does it get direct sunlight or pooling water.
If the floor is indoors, a water based acrylic coating will be used. This is a much easier to work with product and gives great performance indoors but will not stand up outside.
Outside or in direct sunlight a water based acrylic will not hold up, A solvent based acrylic is much more durable and can withstand a lot of punishment. But this product is very hard to work with and requires the proper safety equipment and VERY thorough preparation. Your only going to get one chance to get it right and mistakes are hard to fix with these sealers.
If the floor stripped to a pristine state, a penetrating sealer can provide excellent protection and a significantly lower cost of ownership. If you use the right product the right way.
Saltillo or Mexican tile, quarry tile, flagstone, and porcelain tile and grout are porous. Some more so then others. The saltillo and Mexican tile are the most absorbent and require a lot of sealer to fill the tile. These product work from inside the tile to increase surface tension so that water can't penetrate and oils won't adhere.
Sealing is a fine line between not enough sealer to fill the tile and grout and too much so you have a sticky mess to clean up.
The Floor Cleaning Experts uses Drytreat Stainproof to seal grout, porous tile, Mexican tile, and porcelain tile. StainProof penetrates into the tile and permanently bonds to the molecular structure of the tile or grout. This permanently seals the tile and grout. The Floor Cleaning Experts is a Drytreat Authorized Applicator. This allows us to give our clients a 15 year warranty on their grout sealer.
The most common are the satillo or Mexican tile, flagstone, quarry tile, and sometimes even porcelain tile. When a topical coating is applied to these floors it must be maintained on a regular basis. When the coating starts looking bad or breaking down you will need to strip the floor of the existing coating and then rebuild the floors finish. This is the most problematic processes we perform. Sometimes it strips easy and other times you have to try 4 different strippers to find one the works. This is an area the Floor Cleaning Experts excels in. Simply because I'm to stubborn to let a floor finish beat me.
After the tile and grout have been completely stripped of wax and sealer, it needs to be either re coated with an acrylic topical sealer or with a penetrating sealer. If there is difficulty removing ALL traces of old finish from the surface re coating the service is the best option. The old sealer will bond to the new sealer and fade from view. Usually, at the next stripping all the old sealer will come off bonded to the new sealer.
When choosing a topical coating you must first look at the floors environment. Is it indoors or out doors? Does it get direct sunlight or pooling water.
If the floor is indoors, a water based acrylic coating will be used. This is a much easier to work with product and gives great performance indoors but will not stand up outside.
Outside or in direct sunlight a water based acrylic will not hold up, A solvent based acrylic is much more durable and can withstand a lot of punishment. But this product is very hard to work with and requires the proper safety equipment and VERY thorough preparation. Your only going to get one chance to get it right and mistakes are hard to fix with these sealers.
If the floor stripped to a pristine state, a penetrating sealer can provide excellent protection and a significantly lower cost of ownership. If you use the right product the right way.
Saltillo or Mexican tile, quarry tile, flagstone, and porcelain tile and grout are porous. Some more so then others. The saltillo and Mexican tile are the most absorbent and require a lot of sealer to fill the tile. These product work from inside the tile to increase surface tension so that water can't penetrate and oils won't adhere.
Sealing is a fine line between not enough sealer to fill the tile and grout and too much so you have a sticky mess to clean up.
The Floor Cleaning Experts uses Drytreat Stainproof to seal grout, porous tile, Mexican tile, and porcelain tile. StainProof penetrates into the tile and permanently bonds to the molecular structure of the tile or grout. This permanently seals the tile and grout. The Floor Cleaning Experts is a Drytreat Authorized Applicator. This allows us to give our clients a 15 year warranty on their grout sealer.
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