30. December 2008 by Dean of Clean.

Hi There! Richard Carpenter here, sharing our January specials with you:

1 - Donate $25 in non-perishable food, cash or check to Manna Soup Kitchen, and we’ll give you 100 square feet of carpet cleaning and ScotchGard ( a $57 value!)

OR

We’ll give you $50 OFF Stone, Tile or Grout Cleaning or Rug Cleaning with your donation!

As a special January Bonus, we’ll buy you a FREE Red Ball ticket for every $100 you spend with us this month! Red Ball proceeds support Rotary service projects here in our community, as well as funding local nonprofits…and you could win $5000 on February 7th! (Be at DMR that day to win lots of door prizes - but you need not be present to win the 1st, 2nd or 3rd place cash prizes!)

Hope to see you soon!
Get free spot removal tips and current specials at www.ultrasteamcleaning.com

Learn more about fine area rug cleaning at www.rugmastersofdurango.com

Posted in tile cleaning, stone cleaning, rug cleaning, Carpet Cleaning | No Comments »

11. May 2008 by Dean of Clean.

Have you ever over-watered a plant on your Saltillo Tile floor, and noticed after a few weeks that there’s a kind of light haze in that area all of a sudden? That…doesn’t mop away? Or that the stone in your gorgeous shower has white spots and streaks? Or the brick retaining wall out front was really beautiful until the first few hard rains - and now it looks like birds sat on it and , ahem, you get the idea.

In our cleaning adventures, we occasionally encounter this problem. There are solutions, some that you can employ and some that may require our help.

The name for this haze is Efflorescence, and it is caused by mineral salts in the stone, brick or grout being liberated by excessive moisture and wicking out to the surface where they dry. (If you have hard water this only aggravates the problem, since there are minerals in it as well that tend to build up on these hard surfaces.)

The good news is that ceramic tile (glazed or porcelain) is pretty much invulnerable, being fired and sealed on the surface. If hard water builds up (in a shower, say) you can use a safe acidic cleaner to remove it without damaging the tile. Same for the grout in between the tiles, and a soft wire brush may improve your results on the grout in extreme cases. NOTE: Read the label directions carefully, wear protective gloves and always provide adequate ventilation when using any cleaning products! The grout should be sealed with an impregnating sealer after you’ve achieved the desired results.

Brick, such as on retaining walls, can also be addressed with a wire brush or wheel, followed by a cloth dampened with an acidic product designed for this purpose. Don’t “rinse” the brick with water afterward - the moisture will only re-activate the salts. Follow this by sealing with an impregnating sealer; this will prevent moisture getting in or out of the brick.

Saltillo tile is very soft, so DO NOT use a wire or other aggressive brush on it - you’ll take the surface of the tile right off! Go with a dry green pad to buff off the first layer, then a dampened acidic cloth. An impregnating sealer is preferred for Saltillo, but if you prefer a more glossy finish then use a concrete sealer or an acrylic floor finish that are approved for Saltillo. DO NOT MIX different finishes, or apply them over each other. Also, be aware that with topical, gloss finishes, you’ll need to maintain them more (spray-buffing) and be willing to strip and re-coat eventually in order to repair a worn finish. This can be time and cost-intensive.

Click here to see Saltillo Tile Cleaning by UltraSteam

…or here for more information on our Stone, Tile and Grout Cleaning

…or here for Carpet Cleaning in Durango, Bayfield and Hesperus
Next Time: Efflorescence on Natural Stone…

Posted in tile cleaning, stone cleaning, haze, saltillo, grout cleaning | No Comments »