What Are The Benefits and Limits of Carpet Cleaning In Your Home

carpet cleaners

You might already know that carpet cleaning is more natural and often far more effective than other forms of cleaning. But how far do the benefits of carpet cleaning really go? Can you use a carpet cleaner on just any surface? If you’re wondering these things yourself, The Steam Team can help.

Carpet Cleaning Benefits

Because carpet cleaning only uses water and heat, you don’t have to worry about any of the risks that chemical cleaners might bring. Nearly all household surfaces are properly sanitized with carpet cleaners, more than just the percentage of clean that most chemical cleaners offer. Because the steam evaporates, surfaces will dry faster when cleaned with carpet cleaners. Carpet cleaners are also excellent at cleaning those tough to reach spots and removing hardened substances like wax or glue.

Carpet Cleaning Limits

Carpet cleaning works wonders on nearly every surface of a home, but for some materials you may need to pay attention and think of the effect that water and heat may have. For example, steam cleaning is great for carpets, upholstery, area rugs , and even curtains, but for all of these surfaces you need to make sure you’re using an upholstery attachment. 

For floors, tiles, ceramic and metal fixtures steam cleaning works great to kill germs, mold, and fungus, so long as a floor attachment is used. With a window attachment, you can easily clean glass and windows. Even kitchen appliances can be cleaned with handheld steam cleaners. 

The only materials that can’t be steam cleaned are paper and cardboard products, delicate fabrics and anything covered in water-based paint.

Professional Cleaning

Now that you’ve heard all about the power and capabilities of carpet cleaners, you need the right team of technicians to get the job done. The Steam Team professionals are trained at handling high-powered steam cleaners and other cleaning equipment. If your home or business is in need of restoration or cleaning, call The Steam Team today.

Battling Bacteria During Flu Season

Professional Carpet Cleaning Services in Austin, Texas Since 1983

It’s that time of year again; cold and flu season! The temperatures have dropped, germs are spreading, and we’re all fighting yet another season of bacteria. On today’s blog, we’re talking about how you can keep the bacteria at bay during these months. We’re fortunate enough to work with a cleaning method that tackles tough stains as well as it battles bacteria- we’d be crazy not to share its benefits with you! Let’s get started:

Carpet Cleaning VS Other Methods of Cleaning

To start, steam cleaning kills 99.9% of all germs and bacteria. With a professional grade steam cleaner, you’ll eradicate those pesky germs from your home, and hopefully everyone will stay perfectly healthy. And you can rest peacefully, knowing that you home is clean, clean, clean. 

But there are other advantages to professional carpet cleaning services, as well! For instance… 

It’s a Versatile Method of Cleaning

Steam cleaning is very versatile! You can steam clean virtually any surface and flooring in your home (as long as it’s not hardwood!). From countertops, to baseboards, to carpeting and more; The Steam Team can take care of it all! That’s what makes it such a versatile method of cleaning: we can essentially clean your home from top to bottom. 

It’s Safe For Your Home, Children, and Pets

Because steam cleaning uses nothing but high pressurized water and hot steam, it’s perfectly safe for the environment. You won’t have to worry about your pets licking off any residue from a cleaning product (or your children putting their fingers in their mouths after crawling around on the flooring). It’s perfectly safe! 

For more information, contact us at The Steam Team ASAP today for a thorough deep cleaning, or visit our website.

5 Dangers To Remember After Fire Damage in Austin, Texas

When you’ve had a fire in your home or business and it's just been put out by firefighters, you’ll need to have someone go in the property and do some intensive cleaning and restoration, and you’ll probably need it very quickly. You might be thinking you can go in and handle the job yourself, but here are 5 things you should know about if you’re thinking of attempting this.

Immediate Threats

If you enter a fire-damaged property, there’s likely still smoke in the air inside the building. By entering, you’re putting yourself at risk of irritation to the eyes, throat and nose, and possibly nausea due to the odor of the smoke.

Long-Term Threats

By exposing yourself to smoke inside the property, you could potentially increase your chances of negative long term effects like developing cardiovascular diseases. It's important to know what’s at risk when inhaling smoke.

Dangerous Chemicals

What makes the smoke even more dangerous is that you may not know the source. In many homes, there are cleaning products or other harsh chemicals that could have combusted during the fire or mixed in such a way that they become toxic to inhale.

Weak Immune Systems

Anyone with a weakened immune system such as infants, children or the elderly are at even higher risk of having negative reactions to smoke and soot. Keep anyone with a weakened immune system far away from the property in the aftermath of a fire.

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

And perhaps the most immediate and obvious threat, if you enter the property and it's filled with smoke, you could suffer from a lack of oxygen and experience carbon monoxide poisoning, which could cause you to pass out.

The Steam Team

But none of these dangers will be a problem for you or your family at all if you call in The Steam Team! Our professional technicians are trained and given the right equipment to enter these fire-damaged properties and completely clean and restore them. For more information, please visit The Steam Team website.

Steam Team Tips: Understanding Leather and How To Care For It

When people purchase new leather furniture for the first time, some people believe it won’t require hardly any maintenance or that it won’t be damaged nearly as easily as other material. On the flip side, there are some people who never even bother buying leather furniture because they believe it requires too much work to take care of. The reality is somewhere in the middle of these. With the right knowledge, taking care of your leather furniture can be a breeze. Here at The Steam Team, we’ve learned a whole lot about leather care over the years, and now we’re going to share some of that knowledge with you.

Different Types of Leather

The first step to caring for your leather is knowing what kind of leather you’re working with, since different types of leather require different methods of cleaning and maintenance. With hair-on leather, the preferred cleaning method is just gently vacuuming or dusting with a dry cloth. For full grain leather, use a damp cloth with warm water to clean up spills and stains, and be sure not to scrub too heavily. We’re not going to go into any more detail about other types of leather here, but be sure to find out what type of leather you have and do more research on your own about how to properly clean it.

Daily Care

Day-to-day care of leather is typically pretty simple. As stated before, when cleaning spills and stains on your leather, make sure you use the right method for your type. For all leather, try to keep it away from any direct sunlight or a heat source, as it could cause the leather to fade in color and dry out quickly. Also, be sure not to use ANY standard chemical cleaner on your leather, most chemicals could damage the leather.

The Steam Team

One more important thing to know about your leather is that it will need to have its natural oils replenished about once every year to maintain its look and feel. Turns out, we offer a service that does just that! For more information on how we can help replenish your leather furniture, just visit The Steam Team website.

How Do You Refinish Hardwood Flooring?

Will hardwood floors ever go out of style? Doubtful. Between their esthetic appeal, longevity, and easy maintenance, they’re one of the most popular flooring options for homeowners. Speaking of maintenance; refinishing hardwoods may be inevitable, depending on how old your flooring is. Here at The Steam Team, we’ve put together three reasons it should be done.

Refinishing vs. Replacing is Cost Effective

How exactly does this process save you money? Well, it’s simple. You’re refinishing your flooring, not replacing it. You’re actually preventing yourself from even having to replace it! And as always, we suggest having the professionals come out and handle this process. Restoration companies like The Steam Team can come out (quickly, too), inspect your flooring, and get it back into shape!

Less Time Consuming

You know what the professionals say: it’s all about prevention! If you take care of your hardwood flooring the proper way now, then you won’t be replacing floorboards or the entire flooring in the future. It’s all about what you can do now to save yourself time in the long run. At least, that’s what The Steam Team says!

Creates A New Look

Once the professionals are done refinishing your hardwood flooring, it’ll look amazing. You’ll be so excited to have house guests over so you can show off your new dining or living room floor! It’ll look like brand new all over again! Who doesn’t appreciate a freshly finished floor? We certainly don’t know. 

The Steam Team is your leading steam cleaning and restoration company in the Austin area, and we would absolutely love to come out and help you with your hardwood floors. We’re available 24/7 for other services too, like marble polishing, tile and grout cleaning, and even restoration after natural disasters. All you have to do is give The Steam Team a call!

What Is the Best Way to to clean in Austin?

Leather is less forgiving than fabric and requires thoughtful care. The same cleaning service applies whether your leather product is a sofa or a handbag. We’ve put together a few universal tips for how to best care for your favorite leather items and avoid damaging them in the future. 

Don’t use soap—not even mild soap. 

Soap is drying, and unlike your skin, leather can’t replenish any natural oils that are washed off. It will eventually become dry and brittle. And you can’t add oil, because oil stains leather. Instead, use a damp cloth (water only!) to gently wipe the dust off your leather. 

Don’t soak it in water

Never immerse your leather in water. If your leather somehow winds up waterlogged, give it time to dry naturally, even if it takes a few days. Don’t put it in front of a heater or use a blow dryer.  

Avoid direct sunlight or extremes in temperature 

Be sure your leather furniture or clothing items aren’t placed in direct sunlight. Although leather fades with time, the direct light and heat will speed up the process and damage the leather. Keep it away from air-conditioners or radiators, too, and cool or heat your home at a consistent temperature.

Blot spills

If you spill something on your leather item, use a paper towel or cloth towel to blot the spill. If it’s a grease stain, sprinkle talcum powder or baking soda on the stain to absorb the oil. Once the spill is cleaned up, use a leather cleaner product, or wipe with a damp cloth.  

Buy a leather cleaner and protector 

Consider purchasing a quality leather cleaner and protector. The cleaner might come in handy when accidents happen, and the protector will help with damage control if applied from the get-go. If you’re looking for a recommendation, contact us at The Steam Team. We’re always happy to help!

Why Does Carpet Get Bald Spots?

It’s no secret that our hair starts to fall out as we age over time. Carpet fibers are no different -- over time, their fibers begin to fall out, especially if they’re not being treated properly. Dirt particles can get under the fibers and destroy them leading to additional wear and tear in your carpet over the years. Areas with higher traffic typically deteriorate quicker – shoes carry dirt particles, the more shoes, the more dirt and the less carpet fibers that stay intact. However, there are a few things you can do to prevent any further damage or deterioration to your carpet. 

Welcome Mat

Providing a mat (or a few mats, depending on the foot traffic in your house) by your front door where your guests can take their shoes off or wipe their feet will eliminate shoes on your carpet, keeping dirt away from your fibers. 

Regular Maintenance

Vacuuming your carpets twice per week will lift the debris out of the carpet and keep them from damaging the carpet fibers. Regularly vacuuming is a guaranteed way to extend the lifetime of your carpet! 

Professional Cleaning 

If you have noticed advanced deterioration in your carpet, a professional cleaning may be the only way to ensure there aren’t any dirt particles left in your carpet fibers. No matter how extreme the damage is on your carpet, reaching out to professionals like us, here at The Steam Team, is a sure-fire way to fix the mess that’s occurred and get your carpet looking brand new again. 

Carpet cleaning uses high pressure and suction to clean out even the deepest of dirt particles. Aside from the actual steam cleaning itself, however, hiring a professional will allow you to have an experienced technician take a look at the current state of your carpeting. If the bald patches are extensive, it may be in your best interest to have them restore those areas with spare carpet patches. 

What’s the current condition of your carpeting throughout your home? If you need help cleaning or restoring your carpet, don’t hesitate to give us a call at 1-800-880-7785 - we are always happy to help! 

Top Benefits from Carpet Cleaning Bonita Springs

Depending on how many feet are sludging through your household, you may only worry about cleaning once or twice per week. However, as those feet increase (whether you gain a few pets or a few kids), those messes will, too. We don’t believe in steam cleaning just because we’re The Steam Team, we’re The Steam Team because we see the effects and benefits from steam cleaning! And today, we’re going to share a few of these with you, too!

Effective and Efficient (and Cost Efficient!)

Steam cleaning only needs hot water and the steam cleaner (and the technician, if you hire the professionals). Say goodbye to any mops, buckets, and detergents!

Carpet Cleaning Eliminates Germs, Bacteria, and Dust Mites

It’s true! Steam cleaning eliminates 99.9% of germs, bacteria, dust mites, and other unsightly things in your home. Anyone in the home who has allergies will also be grateful, as steam cleaning destroys allergens.

Additionally, steam cleaning tackles mold easier than any other method we’ve seen. Using solutions like bleach don’t actually stop mold growth, but the high intensity of a steam cleaner does!

It’s Completely Safe for Your Environment

Because all you’re using is heat and water, steam cleaning is completely safe for your home, children, pets and other family members. There won’t be any leftover residue, either! It’s the most environmentally friendly way of cleaning!

Whether you’re dealing with normal grime or something as devastating as water damage, The Steam Team is here to help! Don’t hesitate to give us a call for help with your flooring, bathrooms, window treatments, HVAC systems, etc. carpet cleaning works for so many different types of materials and we’ve got the equipment to get it taken care of.

Is It Safe to Use A Steam Cleaner on Flooring Besides Carpet?

If you already own a steam cleaner then we don’t need to tell you how great they are, or how beneficial they can be for your carpet. But what about the other types of flooring in your house? Will a steam cleaner be just as effective?

Steam Cleaning Ceramic Floors

As a matter of fact, if you are only using your steam cleaner for your carpet then you’re not using this helpful machine to its full potential. Steam cleaners are actually one of the best things to use for cleaning a ceramic floor. The high pressure steam strips the floor of residue and chemicals left over by other household cleaning products. If you have any pets or children that spend a lot of time on the floor, it’s very important to keep these harmful chemicals off of your tile. To use a steam cleaner on ceramic floor, first do a thorough sweep of the floor to pick up all the larger pieces of dirt and debris. Then just add the water, place the microfiber cleaning cloth on the unit’s cleaner head, plug the machine in, and you’re ready to go!

Steam Cleaning Hardwood Floors

Using a steam cleaner on a hardwood floor isn't quite as simple as it is with a ceramic floor. It depends very much on what kind of steam cleaner you get, as well as the condition of your floor. If you are going to steam clean your hardwood, make sure to only purchase a steam cleaner that is advertised to be used on hardwood. Then, you will notice that there is a warning on the steam cleaner that says to only use it on floors that have been properly sealed. To test the seal on your floor, place a drop of water on it. If it immediately up, then the seal is intact and your floor can withstand the steam. If the water spreads out or sinks into the wood, DO NOT attempt to use a steam cleaner on your floor.

For more information on steam cleaning and professional steam cleaning services, be sure to contact The Steam Team.