19. August 2010 by Dean of Clean.

Fall is rapidly approaching, and now is an excellent time to get a jump on your fall cleaning…that’s right - I said fall cleaning. Specifically, cleaning your air ducts before you turn on your furnace for the winter.

You see, your furnace and air ducts may contain quite a buildup of dust, dirt…even small toys and deceased mice! (Gross, I know…but we’ve seen it on a regular basis.) So a good thorough cleaning before switching the system on this year may be in order - but why stop there? Wouldn’t it be nice to have your carpets and upholstery freshly cleaned before the holidays as well, sending you into winter with a clean, allergen-free house?

Call 385-8444 during the month of September and ask for our Fall Cleaning Special. We’ll clean your air ducts and your carpet, all in one day, and give you a 20% discount on both services! But we have a limited number of appointments available for this special offer, so call today to reserve the date that works best for you! Then relax as our IICRC Certified cleaning specialists remove the dirt and allergens from your heating system, carpets and upholstery, leaving your home fresh and healthy for the winter months, and sparkling clean for holiday visitors. Learn more about our Carpet Cleaning here.

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22. July 2010 by Dean of Clean.

Have you ever looked around your yard or property and wondered whether the colorful plants sprouting randomly about were wildflowers…or noxious weeds?  You can find out with some help from my friend Eve Gilmore who helped me with my landscape planning earlier this year.

Eve  has specials exclusively for UltraSteam clients this month…check them out and be one of the first to call!

Two 30 minute Garden Consultations from Gardens by Eve for a resident or business in La Plata County
Consultations are directed by the garden owner’s lifestyle needs and experience of her or his space.  Perhaps you have particular questions regarding opening up a view, screening views you’d like to see less of, finding the perfect plant for a key area in the landscape, making the overall outdoor space more cohesive, or relaxing, or whimsical.  A consultation with Eve leaves her clients feeling inspired and empowered to create an outdoor space they will love.

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8. June 2010 by Dean of Clean.

Here at RugMasters of Durango, we took in some old Persian Rugs for cleaning the other day, and two of them were, as we say in the cleaning industry, “painted” - that is to say, they were worn to the foundation fibers, and those white cotton fibers had been colored to look like the original wool pile and “blend in” with the pattern on the rest of the rug! So I made a video about “painted” rugs - how to identify them, and the cleaning considerations that go with this condition, and posted it to YouTube…you can find it here:

Cleaning “Painted” Oriental Rugs

Enjoy, and click the following link if you have any questions about Oriental Rug Cleaning and Restoration

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12. April 2010 by Dean of Clean.

Ultrasteam Restoration team members Mark Helmich and Jim Winzer recently completed their Renovation and Repair Certification course to comply with the EPA’s new lead paint rules concerning water damage and other types of restoration. You can read more at this link:  Durango Flood Professionals receive EPA Lead Certification

This makes UltraSteam the first and currently only restoration firm in Durango to be certified under this new EPA rule. Other companies have until April 22nd to get in compliance or face fines of up to $32,500 per offense.

The Renovation & Repair course taught us how to identify lead paint in older houses, and how to properly deal with it to avoid causing any harm to occupants and workers on flood restoration projects and water damage in residential or commercial situations. Most lead pain is found in houses built prior to 1965, but some houses built as late as 1978 can have lead content in the original paint. It’s important that your restoration company know how to avoid dispersing that into your indoor environment as they clean up water damage or flooded carpet in your home.

For more information about disaster restoration click here: Flood and Water Damage Cleanup, Drying & Restoration or call us at 385-8444 for prompt, courteous service from our IICRC Certified Water Damage Experts!

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16. March 2010 by Dean of Clean.

Well, spring is here in Durango and soon you’ll be hooking up the sprinkler or hose to water your lawn or flowers. And chances are, you have a so-called “freezeless” outside faucet on your house. But did you know these faucets aren’t actually freezeless?
Freezeless faucets actually can freeze if a hose is left attached to them in cold weather…and even the best of us often forget to take the hose off during that first hard freeze or two.

Due to their design, if they freeze, the pipe will often break inside your wall…and when you turn the faucet on, most of the water will run into your walls instead of out to the hose! And it’s all too easy not to notice until suddenly there’s a big puddle in the living room or basement!

So before using your outside hoses unattended this year, check them first. Use a closed nozzle on the hose and listen carefully for any unusual noises inside the wall that might indicate a leak. If you hear something odd, or the water pressure seems low, turn the faucet back off and call a licensed plumber to repair the pipe before using it. (I use Brad at TimberLine or Gene at Roto-Rooter)

And if in spite of your best efforts you experience a broken pipe, ice damage or any other water damage situation, call UltraSteam at 385-8444 for Water Damage Restoration in Durango, or click the link for more information about water damage and the steps you must take to minimize the damage if you should experience it.

Happy gardening, may your green thumb shine bright - and have a great spring!

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3. March 2010 by Dean of Clean.

Hi everyone! We just wrapped up three floods in a row, all caused by melting snow on the client’s roofs, running into an ice dam at the edge that caused the water to flow into the attic and down walls, damaging the drywall, carpet, pad and subfloor. So as the weather warms up, be sure to check your roof, especially north-facing eaves, and make sure you don’t have ice dams built up that prevent your roof from shedding its’ winter snowload.

Water damage in your walls, ceiling or flooring is not a simple do-it-yourself matter. Just because you can’t feel moisture on the interior wall surface doesn’t mean that there is not be moisture trapped inside. If not dried promptly, it can lead to microbial growth within just a few short days, damaging your home’s structural integrity and your family’s health. Sometimes we can dry your walls and carpet in place, minimizing the disruption to your life, but on some jobs we may need to remove wet drywall and insulation to prevent mold growth in exterior walls. UltraSteam has the sophisticated moisture mapping equipment needed to detect moisture inside walls, ceilings, floors and carpet, and a dedicated team of IICRC Certified Water Damage experts with over 50 years of combined experience, to return your home to normal…like nothing happened at all!

If you need help removing the snow or ice here in Durango, CO, give my friend Chip Huntoon a call at 946-8041 and his friendly, professional crews will be glad to help out, or check his website at CH Property Services of Durango for a complete list of services.

If you should suffer the misfortune of water damage to your house, call 385-8444 right away and UltraSteam’s courteous Water Damage experts will respond right away to remove standing water and start drying your house, keeping it healthy and secure.  Learn more here: Durango Flood & Water Damage or call us with any questions you may have!

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7. February 2010 by Dean of Clean.

 Durango now has two IICRC Certified Master Textile cleaners - both at UltraSteam! Richard Carpenter and Mark Helmich have both just attained this prestigious designation,joining a select handful of the professional cleaners worldwide who have achieved this certification. It requires at least 5 years experience (and they each have over 17) as well as certification by the Institute for Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification in the following areas: Carpet Cleaning, Upholstery Cleaning, Odor Control, Color Repair (Spot Dying)and Carpet Repair and Reinstallation. Both men are also certified Water Damage Restoration technicians; Helmich is certified as a Stone, Tile and Masonry cleaner, while Carpenter holds the Rug Cleaning certification.

“It’s a great honor to be among the select few cleaners in the country who have attained Master Cleaner status. Knowledge is the key to solving our clients’ cleaning problems”, said Carpenter. He added, “To tell the truth, though, I feel that exceptional customer service has always been the key to our success – and that grows from what we keep in our hearts, not the information in our heads.”

The Institute for Inspection, Cleaning & Restoration Certification is a worldwide nonprofit teaching and certification body for the cleaning and restoration industry. More information about the IICRC can be found at CertifiedCleaners.org, including a complete list of certified firms in your area, and the certifications they hold.

Click the link for more information about UltraSteam Professional Cleaning & Restoration Inc.  or call 970-385-8444 for cleaning services in theDurango, Colorado area.

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27. January 2010 by Dean of Clean.

Hi everyone, I just got back from one of my quarterly meetings in Phoenix, AZ with the Piranha Platinum Plus group. We are the top 100 cleaning companies in the country (and a few from Canada!) who meet regularly to exchange ideas and information, as well as set goals and lay out strategies for our continued success. Here I am with Lisa Wagner, owner of K. Blatchford’s Oriental Rug Cleaning in San Diego. Lisa has been cleaning rugs since she was a child, and is also known in the industry as “The Rug Chick”. If you click on the link for Rug Chick Blog, you can read some of her stories and information about rug cleaning!

Thanks Lisa for all your help and friendship over the years…and I’ll see you in May!

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27. January 2010 by Dean of Clean.

Life is funny. It doesn’t matter that I’m the Dean of Clean, my roof leaks like anyone else’s when ice builds up at the edge! This was brought to my attention the other night when a drip of water fell on my head while I was reading, and I’ve spent the last few days removing the ice dam, removing part of my ceiling, and drying the wall and ceiling cavity to prevent mold growth in the wet materials, and keep my house sound and secure!

So, now that the snow has fallen, check your roof and make sure you don’t have an ice dam built up at a corner or edge - if so, you should either remove it yourself, or hire someone like Chip Huntoon (946-8041) to do it for you. This will prevent water damage from melting snow backing up under the metal or shingles and working its way down into your attic and walls and flooding your carpet!

But if you feel water dripping on your head, or something goes “squish” under your feet on the way to the bathroom in the mornin, give me a call at 385-8444 and I’ll get your flooded house or water-damaged building cleaned up and dried out right away. We’ll work with you and your insurance company to get your home dry and healthy, and your life back to normal fast,like nothing happened! Want to know more? Click the link for Water Damage, Structural Drying & Flood Cleanup and Restoration in Durango information.

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30. December 2009 by Dean of Clean.

This Navajo rug came into our plant for cleaning yesterday, the unfortunate victim of a holiday red wine spill (lower left-hand corner & side)

Wine can be difficult to remove at all, let alone completely. Fortunately, the owner took action and brought it to us right away for cleaning. After dusting and cleaning the rug, I carefully stripped out the wine stain, and was able to remove virtually all of the winestain from the rug.

A couple of quick tips on wine stain removal:

Blot up as much as possible with a clean dry towel, then apply club soda to the stain and re-blot until you can no longer remove any more color. Be careful not to overwet multiple colors, especially on Navajo rugs, to avoid bleeding of the natural dyes. Often you can remove the wine yourself with this method. Otherwise bring it to a qualified rug cleaner promptly for cleaning and dye removal. (check this link to find a Master Rug Cleaner in your area)

If you don’t have a qualified professional in-plant cleaner for your rugs, see our site at Professional Oriental, Persian & Navajo Rug Cleaning by RugMasters. We accept rugs from all over the country for cleaning - just call 970.385.5777 for shipping information, and I’ll clean and care for your fine rugs like the works of art they are!

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