Blog | Expert Carpet, Upholstery & Tile Cleaning Tips

Shower Curtain Cleaning

Shower curtains get dirty. You would think a shower curtain would be the cleanest things in your house- but the damp conditions and soap scum that builds up makes this a dirty disaster.

Bodies combined with bar soap equal soap scum. Toss in possible hard water, and a shower curtain, means you are looking at one dirty shower curtain.

Whether your shower curtain is cloth, plastic or vinyl, it's the bar soap that's the culprit.

Consider switching to body wash which will not result in those nasty deposits on your tub, shower and shower curtains.

How to Clean the Shower Curtain

To get your shower curtains clean and looking better than new, put the curtains in the clothes washer.

Add 1 cup of bleach and 1 cup of detergent. Add several dirty towels or a blanket, etc. to the washer and run on a gentle cycle using either warm or hot water.

Right after the spin cycle, take the shower curtains out of the washer, take them back to the tub and shake gently to remove as much water as possible.

Hang them back up to drip dry. The combined effect of gravity and the hot steam from using the shower or bath will cause any remaining wrinkles to disappear within a day.

Removing Soap Scum

Soap scum and soap film on shower curtains is not a pretty site. But there is an easy way to remove it. Place the shower curtain in the washer with a few large towels. Add detergent and 1 cup of vinegar. Wash on gentle cycle. Remove the curtain right after the spin cycle and hang it back in the shower to dry.

Removing Mold and Mildew

To remove any mold and mildew that does occur, you can wash the curtain in the washer, or soak it in the bath tub with about 1 cup of bleach. Let it sit for about 20 minutes. Mold and mildew on plastic curtains can be cleaned with water in the bathtub and approx. 1 cup of bleach.

After the wash, soak them in either a vinegar or a salt water mixture to prevent mold and mildew.

Removing Wrinkles from the Shower Curtain

Assuming your shower curtain is not vinyl, put it into the dryer on the low setting and run the dryer for approx. 15 minutes.

If you have a vinyl curtain, hang it in the shower, and run the shower on hot. If you can- adjust the spray toward the inside of the curtain so the hot water hits it. This helps to remove the wrinkles.

If you have warm weather in the area, hang the shower curtain over the fence and let the sun do the work.

Pure Carpet Care - Tip of The Day

You've just said goodbye to family and friends after a busy day of kids playing, eating good food, and visiting. As you’re cleaning up you see there are scuff marks on the floor. Most likely they won’t come off by mopping. Here is a list of ways to get those scuff marks clean.

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser

These are ideal for many clean ups throughout the house, scuff marks too. Just wet the magic eraser, wring it out, apply a bit of pressure and clean those scuff marks right up.

Large Pencil Eraser

Not only for correcting spelling errors, it will also remove some of the smaller scuff marks. Rub the area firmly in the direction of the mark. Once you’ve finished with the eraser, apply a little of your regular floor cleaner to clean and remove any remaining residue from the eraser.

Rubber Soled Tennis Shoe

Use the soles of a pair of tennis shoes (that are clean) to erase scuff marks. Just run the heel or the toe over the area firmly until gone.

Baking Soda and Water

Make a thick paste of baking soda and water, apply the paste and lightly rub until the stain is gone. Rinse with a damp cloth.

WD40

Lightly rub the scuff mark and rub the area clean with paper towel.

Toothpaste

Use a clean cloth and rub a little toothpaste on the mark using circular motions. Wipe clean with damp cloth and dry.

Things to Consider

* If flooring is wood or if it has a protective seal, some chemicals could damage the seal. Check to see if your floors came with cleaning instructions or check with the manufacturer first.

* Be careful not to use any type of scrubbing pads or harsh abrasive cleaners or chemicals on hardwood and laminate flooring.

* If you have waxed floors, the things we mentioned above may or may not work. Use them if you know they will not damage the floor.

* If you are unsure of a cleaning method, check in an inconspicuous spot first or check with the manufacturer.

Pure Carpet Care - Tip of The Day

What is the Smell Coming from Your Refrigerator?

There is plenty of leftover food that gets stored in our refrigerators or food items we just never got around to using (or couldn't find) that can cause some really bad smells and that – can be just a bit disturbing.

I don’t know about you but I’ve opened some refrigerators and the smell can just knock my socks off and completely make me lose my appetite.

So if you go poking your head in a fridge and it smells a bit putrefied, whether it’s yours or a family member, either clean it or tell someone else it’s time to clean their refrigerator. I mean mold, bacteria and mildew growing within the fridge is not a place I want to be grabbing my food from.

If the fridge is stinking, your option is to give it a good cleaning. Completely go through it and toss old foods and condiments. Clean the inside, take out the drawers (clean them out and underneath). Wipe everything dry when you’re done and put only the good stuff back in.

Tips for Keeping Your Refrigerator Smelling Odor Free

These are probably no brainer tips but I’m going to list them anyway.

1. Clean up spills as soon as they happen and adopt a policy where whoever spills, cleans it up, no waiting until Mom gets home. Unless someone really needs your help say taking out a drawer or something.
2. Store your food in covered containers and be sure to put the lid on all the way. If you’re covering a plate of food, make sure the saran wrap covers the dish (which usually means using two pieces of saran wrap). I have also found some stretch to fit food covers that work very nicely (and can be washed), they are pretty much like a shower cap.
3. Monitor your leftovers. Really only a couple of days should go by before you toss them out and if you’re just not the kind of family then don’t keep them. I know people that never eat leftovers but hate to waste, so the food gets stored and forgotten about.
4. Monitor the temperature. Most refrigerators are pretty good at keeping a consistent temperature but if yours is being opened and closed all day or if someone doesn’t close the door, it could change the temperature settings.
5. Keep an open box of baking soda in the back of the refrigerator to help keep it fresh.

Pure Carpet Care - Tip of The Day

Do you have a tough stain on a piece of clothing and you're frustrated because it didn't come clean in the wash and now your thinking you might have to throw it away? Wait!! Before you toss it in the trash or use it for a cleaning rag, check out these cleaning tips. You might just find something that works for your situation.

How to Remove Baby Formula

Most of the time, if you catch a fresh formula stain on baby’s clothing, you can pre-treat it and wash it, and then the stains are gone. But what if you have been given some baby clothes with formula stains that have been there a while?

Pre-Treating Baby Clothes

Here are a few things you can try:

• Apply a detergent like Dawn to the stain and gently work it in with a clean, old toothbrush. Let sit for an hour or so.

• Dissolve 2 to 3 scoops of OxiClean into one gallon of cold water and let soak between 24 and 48 hours.

• Good old Mother Nature is another great option. Spritz the stain with cold water and let sit out it the sun. If it’s a tough stain, spritz the baby clothes again and then pour lemon juice over the stain before laying in the sun. There’s nothing like Mother Nature and the stain removal power of lemon juice.

Removing Deodorant Stains from Clothing

I like white cotton shirts, but over time the deodorant and/or sweat stains can become quite evident, as they will turn the fabric a yellow color.

Not all is lost though - you can get these stains out.

OxiClean and Water

Dissolve 1 tablespoon OxiClean into 1 cup hot water. Dampen the stain with the mix and rub it between your hands, then soak the stained areas for 30 minutes on each side. Wash as usual. I know OxiClean can be expensive, though. If you don’t happen to have it on the shelf, but do have the ingredients below, you can make something very similar to OxiClean:

• 1/2 cup Water

• 1/4 cup Hydrogen peroxide

• 1/4 cup Washing soda

Because we are only soaking the armpits of the shirt, you don’t need a whole lot of this mixture. Again, dampen the stained areas and rub between your hands, then let the stained areas soak in the mixture for 30 minutes before washing. If you don’t want to dump this out and you’re washing whites, you can add this to the load of clothes.

Removing Liquid Makeup from Clothing

I’m sure all of us girls have spilled makeup on our clothes a time or two. As with any stain, it’s best to act fast. Even if you can only give yourself a couple of minutes before rushing out the door for work, that’s all you need to pre-treat. Then you can wash the item when you get home.

Using a Laundry Pre-Treater

1. To use a laundry pre-treatment, first use water to rinse the area of the spill really well from the back side of the shirt.

2. Continue until you’ve removed as much of the makeup as you can. If necessary, rub the stained area with your fingers (under the water) to help get the makeup out, but be careful not to spread the makeup around.

3. Apply your pre-treatment option to the remaining stain, and again carefully rub this between your fingers. 4. Wash as you normally would.

Using Bar Soap, Shampoo or Dish Soap

If you don’t happen to have a laundry pre-treater on hand, follow the steps above, except use a bar of soap, shampoo, or dish soap like Dawn in place of the pre-treatment.

Pure Carpet Care - Tip of The Day

Master Textile Cleaner

Different uses for Baking Soda

One great use for baking soda is to make a sachet by pouring some into a coffee filter and stapling it closed. This can then be placed in a closet, hamper, drawer, etc. to help eliminate odor. Once a week, change the sachet and pour the old baking soda down the drain to help freshen it.

Pure Carpet Care - Tip of The Day

Ending Carpet Static

In addition to cleaning carpet stains, you might want to remove static electricity as well. To do this, put a dryer sheet on the bottom of a swiffer duster or dry sponge mop and run over the carpet. Replace the sheet as needed. If you prefer liquid fabric softener, this too will remove static from the carpet. Pour some fabric softener into a spray and dilute with water, about one part fabric softener to five parts of water. Spritz your carpet with this solution and static, and the shock that comes will it, will be eliminated.

Pure Carpet Care - Tip of The Day

Dirt Defense in my home!

No one likes to spend precious free time cleaning carpet. To save wear and tear as well as time spent cleaning carpet stains and dirt, have everyone remove their shoes upon entering your home. If you don't already have doormats and boot scrapers in place for your guests, it would be a good idea to do so. Try and keep walkways and entrances swept and free of dirt and debris that can be tracked in on one's shoes.

Pure Carpet Care - Tip of The Day