Do you hate to clean? Would you rather be enjoying the outdoors with your family instead of on your hands and knees scrubbing the tub?
I would rather be almost anywhere than cleaning my house, even at the dentist. (Well, that might be pushing it. I hate visiting the dentist!)
If I could just afford to pay a full-time cleaning service to come and take care of it all, I would be in 7th heaven. Instead, I will settle for learning how to clean more efficiently; like a professional.
Professionals follow a formula: 25% Chemical, 25% Heat, 25% Agitation and 25% Time. This simple process spells C.H.A.T.
As home-owners, we usually don’t have the heat needed to compare with the professionals. Instead, our cleaning solutions tend to be room temperature, and so is the water (no matter how hard we try to keep the cloth warm). We also don’t give cleaning solutions the time needed to work properly. Lacking adequate heat and an appropriate amount of solution dwell time, we need to be cleaning with the right product.
When we clean at home our CHAT chart looks more like this: Chemical 40%, Heat 10%, Agitation 25% and Time 25%. We must use the right product and let it dwell on the surface as recommended. Only then we can use agitation and time to our advantage.
So, use the right products and follow the recommendations and we can all be cleaning like a professional!
Tags: agitation, chemicals, cleaning, Families, green, health, heat, house cleaning, Knoxville, Tile cleaning Knoxville, time, toxins
Would a red wine spill stain your grout?
Sealing your grout is essential to protecting your investment.
Grout is made of porous cement and takes on the colors and odors of oils, soil, and other contaminants. The tiny holes in the cement can be filled with either whatever it comes in contact with, or with a grout sealer. Unfortunately, grout that is not sealed will eventually ruin your tile floor.
Grout sealant is applied immediately after cleaning. It is a clear in color and penetrates to protect the grout from future discoloration. It does not change the appearance of the floor.
Most floor dealers recommend applying sealant when the flooring is installed, but sealant does not last for the life of the floor. It is important to ensure periodic reapplication in order to extend the life of the tile.
The benefits of applying a grout sealant are numerous:
- If you’ve ever spilled red wine or anything else on your tile, you know that once it soaks into the grout, your chances of removing it are basically zero. If the tile is sealed, the liquid is repelled and cleans up nicely.
- Mold and mildew can grow in unsealed grout that is continuously exposed to a wet or humid setting. Mold is not only unsightly, but more importantly, can also be unhealthy. By sealing the grout, mold growth in the grout is entirely eliminated.
- You spend less time cleaning and more time doing the things that are important to you!
Tags: chemicals, cleaning, contaminants, dirt, Families, Flooring, floors, green, grout, Knoxville, mildew, mold, stains, tennessee, Tile cleaning Knoxville, toxins
(Part I of III)
What is your child being exposed to?
While no one in school should be exposed to dangerous chemicals, children are especially vulnerable to environmental health hazards. Medical research shows that children’s organ systems are still developing. They proportionally eat, drink, and breathe more per pound of body weight than adults. Their behavior exposes them to more environmental threats and they are least able to identify or protect themselves from hazards. Air pollutants can cause respiratory ailments such as nasal congestion, shortness of breath, wheezing or worsening of asthma, nosebleeds, a cough, or other symptoms such as itchy, watery eyes, headaches or dizziness, fatigue, nausea, rashes, fever, muscle aches and more.
HOW CHILDREN ARE EXPOSED TO TOXIC CHEMICALS IN SCHOOL
Whether a product is freshly applied or misapplied, mixed improperly (some common cleaning products, when mixed together, can give off deadly gas), used in an undiluted state, stored in an unventilated hall closet, or leaves a heavy residue, there are three exposure routes.
- Inhalation: (children breathe more air per pound of body weight than adults) Aerosols, vapors, fumes, or dusts can be inhaled causing breathing problems, and/or absorbed into the bloodstream and carried to other body organs.
- Skin contact: (children are less able to identify and avoid hazards; they have immature systems that may not detoxify poisons) Residues from chemicals can damage skin by burning skin tissue or by being absorbed through the skin and carried to body organs, resulting in dryness, redness, or dermatitis.
- Ingestion: (children play on the floor or ground, put their hands in their mouth, and rarely wash their hands before eating lunch or snacks) Can accidentally eat chemicals via hand-to-mouth contact.
CHEMICALS USED TO CLEAN AND MAINTAIN SCHOOLS TODAY
Of the 85,000 synthetic chemicals in commercial use today, only a small fraction have been individually tested for toxicity. Tests on various chemicals acting in combination with one another is practically nonexistent.
Despite this, a wide variety of toxic or hazardous products are routinely used for cleaning homes and offices. Schools are no different, except the majority of school occupants are children, packed very closely together. Adult exposure limits are negotiated in a federal regulatory process. But new research on children and their vulnerability gives reason to urge preventive measures to protect children.
Source: Healthy Schools Network, Inc.
(Stay tuned for Parts II and III for solutions and “green” product tips.)
Tags: ailments, chemicals, children, cleaners, floors, green, health, schools, Tile cleaning Knoxville, toxins
Here are two pictures of a tile & grout cleaning demo we did in a commercial building in Knoxville. The owner thought it was a lost cause but as you can see it is cleaning up great! I will post more pictures when the job is complete.
- tile cleaning demo
Please make sure to check back later to see more pictures.
David Gargan
Eco Clean Carpet Solutions
Tags: Tile cleaning Knoxville
Do you hate to clean? Would you rather be enjoying the outdoors with your family instead of on your hands and knees scrubbing the tub?
