Free Web Directory – Add Your Link
The Little Web Directory

Most people are familiar with the standard household steam cleaner that is used to clean floors. You may notice that your steam cleaner runs well at first, but often needs to be serviced.  Whether its actual repairs or the tedious t ask of having to continuously refill the water reservoir, having to use these types of cleaners can be more hassle than help. QCare on the other hand uses a truck mounted hot water Extraction method which utilizes 200 degree hot water and detergents injected under pressure to suspend soil and sanitize carpet fibers. After all the dirt is broken free, powerful wet vacuums remove soil and excess moisture leaving no cleaning residues on your surface.

Do you ever wonder what those black lines around the edge of your carpet are from and why they don’t seem to disappear, even after a good vacuum.  Many homeowners will start to notice this buildup and think it could be caused by a carpet defect or that their vacuum is not working well, however this is a natural occurrence and is called Soil Filtration.

Soil filtration is when dust and other airborne pollutants accumulate on the carpet face fibers in areas with a concentrated flow of air over the carpet or through tiny cracks or other open areas under the carpet. Although there is no way to prevent this from happening to your carpet, there are ways to help minimize these soil lines in your home such as keeping air inside the home as clean as possible by reducing indoor air pollutants, such as cooking emissions, fireplace smoke, burning candles, cigarette smoke, and emissions from cleaning chemicals; and by the installation and regular replacement of high efficiency HVAC air filters.

While no one cleaning technique may be successful in all filtration soiling situations, recent innovations in soil- and stain-resist treatments applied to carpet have reduced the effort previously needed to remove the filtration soil.

To achieve the best results at removing these soil lines contact QCare today for a professional carpet cleaning, and we will help restore and renew your carpet, and help combat the soil filtration issues within your home.

Chris Callas is President of Q Care, Inc. QCare is a full service cleaning company specializing is carpet & upholstery cleaning, hardwood floor refinishing, window cleaning and pressure washing. Chris can be reached at (770)594-1836 or on the web at www.qcare.com

Are the stains permanent?  Will they damage the roof?  Can they be cleaned?  Living in the Southeast you may have found yourself asking these questions.  Just drive through any neighborhood and you’re bound to see roofs with black streaks, or perhaps totally covered in black crud.

So what is it?  The simple answer is Roof Algae.  The scientific name is “Gloeocapsa Magma”, a very hardy algae.  The streaks and discoloration you are seeing is an accumulation of their dead, dark colored cells. While this algae can grow just about anywhere in the continental US, it really likes humid environments. The algae were deposited on your roof by wind and/or wildlife.  Not only is it ugly, but left untreated it will shorten the life of your roof.

Roof Algae will cause damage to your roof by destroying the inorganic materials found in the shingles.  These inorganic materials are what hold the shingles together. Over time this Roof Algae will loosen up the ceramic granules that are providing ultraviolet protection for your roof.  The ceramic roofing granules will begin to fall away much faster than they should, reducing the expected life of your roofing shingles.  The dark growth also draws in more heat than the clean spots on the roof, which reduces the life of the shingle and increases air conditioning costs. In addition, roof algae are very infectious, meaning it will transfer from one side of your roof to the other; or even from one house to another.  The more algae there is the faster it will grow.  This is all the more reason to have it removed from your roof and to encourage your neighbors to do the same.

The good news is that there is a safe, low cost treatment to remove roof algae that is far less expensive than replacing the entire roof.  The roof can actually be cleaned!  There are non toxic, non bleach solutions that are designed specifically to remove roof algae without any damage to surrounding plant life but they must be properly applied and rinsed with special low pressure equipment to prevent damage to the roofing shingles.  This is not a job for the everyday pressure washer.   Special roof cleaning equipment, designed specifically for residential roofs, should be used in order to apply the correct rinsing pressure and minimize foot traffic on the roof.  A technician that is properly trained and has the correct equipment will clean the roof from the ground or from the very top of the roof with minimal disruption (i.e., wear) to the roofing shingles.

Homeowners are always amazed when they see their newly cleaned roof that seemed permanently scarred and stained just hours before.  So if you have Roof Algae, call a roof cleaning specialist – it will improve your home’s curb appeal, extend the life of your roof and may even reduce your air conditioning costs.

Chris Callas is President of Q Care, Inc. QCare is a full service cleaning company specializing is carpet & upholstery cleaning, hardwood floor refinishing, window cleaning and pressure washing. Chris can be reached at (770)594-1836 or on the web at www.qcare.com

Is it better to wet clean or dry clean? When and how should my carpets be cleaned? Will professional cleaning damage my carpet fiber and make it wear out faster? My carpets don’t look dirty so why should they be professionally cleaned?

Leading carpet manufacturers and the Carpet & Rug Institute agree that the two most important factors for properly maintaining and cleaning carpet are: 1) regular vacuuming and 2) professional cleaning every 6-18 months depending on household traffic.

Loose soil deposits from common foot traffic are your carpet’s worst enemy. To the naked eye soil may appear smooth but, under a microscope, common soil has sharp jagged edges that act like little tiny saws or sandpaper, cutting into the carpet fiber when agitated by normal foot traffic. Regular and thorough vacuuming will remove up to 75-80% of the dry, loose soil trapped in carpet fibers. The remaining 20-25% of deeply imbedded soil must be removed periodically by professional cleaning to prevent premature wear and permanent damage.

While there are many different professional carpet cleaning methods, they typically fall into two categories – “wet cleaning” and “dry cleaning”. Let’s examine each.

Dry Cleaning

There are several variations of dry cleaning. They involve applying a liquid or sawdust like substance to the carpet, spreading it around, and then vacuuming up the dried substance along with the soil. Unfortunately, it doesn’t actually rinse the carpet fibers, it leaves residue which attracts more soil and it doesn’t reach deep down into the carpet fiber to extract the deeply embedded soil. Dry cleaning is usually recommended for interim cleaning, typically in commercial settings where wet cleaning is not feasible. Many cleaners offer dry cleaning to homeowners as a cleaning method of first choice because it is easier and less expensive for them, not because it produces the best results.

Hot Water Extraction

Also known as steam cleaning, it involves applying a cleaning agent deep into the carpet fibers to emulsify the embedded soil, then injecting hot fresh water deep down into the carpet fibers to rinse the stubborn soil, and then “extracting” the soiled water and cleaning agent with a high powered wet vacuum. When performed by properly trained technicians, it provides the most thorough cleaning possible without leaving any harmful residues. That is why the two largest carpet manufacturers, Mohawk and Shaw, recommend this method and will actually void your warranty if this method is not used! Critics of water extraction point to long dry times but, when done properly, there should be very little moisture left after extraction and any inconvenience is far outweighed by the superior cleaning results.
Simply put, the best way to clean your hands or laundry is to wash with hot water and soap and then thoroughly rinse. The same is true for your carpet and rugs…

By Chris Callas, President & CEO, QCare, Inc