That rascally puppy

Puppy fans the nation over will be keeping a keen eye on police puppy, BLADE.

No, he’s not a vampire hunter and his name is much more menacing than his fuzzy face suggests.

http://ow.ly/Q71zN

Blade is a foster dog; adopted by the Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Police Force. For the next year to year and a half, the officer in charge of training the adorable pup will tweet his progress and regale us stories of his misdemeanours.  

Now, many of you have dogs and many of you have been through the joy of puppy toilet training; the puddle, the smell, the elbow grease it takes to remove the odour…if you’re fast enough.

Well, have no fear, Art of Clean is here!

Chances are, that you work. That’s fine, but dogs, puppies in particular are less understanding and do seem to take any opportunity they can to pee on as many surfaces as their tiny bladders allow. By the time you return from work, it’s likely that your first step inside your lovely, carpeted home will be into a damp, yellow spot.

This might not be something you planned for, but it’s OK, we can help. 

Whether it's rugs, carpets, wooden flooring or furniture, we'll be there. Puppy stain-away!

Don't forget to follow @dogpoliceBCH on twitter. 

Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in: 

Wood Floor Sanding,

Stone floor Cleaning,

Carpet Cleaning,

Rug Cleaning,

Upholstery Cleaning 

Leather Furniture Cleaning, 

Working for domestic or commercial clients throughout Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

For more information on our services contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or email us at info@artofclean.co.uk

How to care for your fine rug

You will spend a fair amount of money on a good quality hand knotted rug and to get the best return from your investment it is important to care for your rug well.

Here are a few tips to get you started:

Underlay

Place your rug on underlay or rug pad.  There are 3 main reasons you want to do this:

Reason 1

To protect it from the harsh impact of footfall – if you imagine the underlay absorb some of the impact of hard shoes on the rug.

Choose your underlay well.  You can get underlay for rugs on hard floors: Click here for Hard Floor Rug Underlay

And you can get underlay for rugs on carpets - Click here for Foxy Rug Underlay

Reason 2

To protect rugs on carpets from crocking – no it has nothing to do with frogs making noise (that’s croaking!).  This is a term used when referring to transfer of colour due to rubbing.

If an underlay is used it can save you the surprise when you lift the rug you laid down 4 months ago to find a ping patch on the carpet where the rug was


Reason 3

Finally, a reason for using underlay is to stop slips and falls, especially elderly people should be very careful with rugs slipping on floors.  It is a sound investment for your health to get underlay for your rugs, imagine how can a broken hip affect your life? And how would it compare to a few pounds spend on a good quality underlay?

Vacuuming

Vacuuming your rug regularly will be essential to remove dry soil from your rug to prevent the fibers wearing out – it is like sandpaper on these precious fibers! – best is to turn your rugs upside down and use an upright vacuum cleaner to shake the soil out – spend a good amount of time (5 minutes per square meter) running the vacuum over the back of the rug . Turn the rug over and vacuum the front – Do this on a hard floor surface to prevent dry soil entering carpet fibers – Careful with the rug fringes when vacuuming – The best vacuum cleaner to use for this is a Sebo upright.

Regular stain removal and cleaning

Deal with a spot as soon as it happen – soak up spills and use safe stain removers – always test the product before you use it in larger areas – spray it down in an inconspicuous area and press a white cotton towel down on it for at least 5 – 10 minutes – weigh it down with a heavy item – check for colour transfer

Get a professional to clean your rugs.  Make sure they have been trained in rug care and have a passion for rugs.  It is very important to ensure they are insured to take your rug away for cleaning.  Very few carpet cleaners are actually insured for goods in trust.

For more information visit our website at www.persianrugcleaningcambridge.co.uk  or call us on 01223 863 632

Also like our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/artofclean so see what we get up to.

Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in: 

Wood Floor Sanding,

Stone floor Cleaning,

Carpet Cleaning,

Rug Cleaning,

Upholstery Cleaning 

Leather Furniture Cleaning, 

Working for domestic or commercial clients throughout Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

For more information on our services contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or email us at info@artofclean.co.uk

Cleaning a hand made rug is a art that only a very few can take on and successfully achieve

We spent a big part of our budget on training and investing in state of the art equipment to achieve the results all of our clients require. We believe in over achieving on every clients expectations. It is always such a rewarding experience to deliver a freshly cleaned rug to a client, unwrap it if front of them and see the happy faces when they see the results.

I would like to point out so many of carpet cleaners (even Franchises) call themselves professional rug cleaners - all they do is only apply there knowledge of carpet cleaning to rugs. Sometimes with truly unfortunate outcomes. Many of these cleaners will come and clean your carpets and rug in your home. This leaves your rug wet on your floor. The problem here is the likelihood of shrinkage and colour run. Carpets and rugs are two total different animals in every aspect.


Watch our video to see why we are different compare to other rug cleaning company in Cambridgeshire:

Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in: 

Wood Floor Sanding,

Stone floor Cleaning,

Carpet Cleaning,

Rug Cleaning,

Upholstery Cleaning 

Leather Furniture Cleaning, 

Working for domestic or commercial clients throughout Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

For more information on our services contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or email us at info@artofclean.co.uk

Spot cleaning and stain removal on rugs

Rug cleaning in Cambridge - Art of Clean 

Dry Spills

Sweeping is usually the most effective

Wet Spills

Whatever you do, do it quickly. The longer a liquid remains on the rug, the more likely it is to seep into the pile and stain your beautiful rug.
Do not rub - blot with paper towels then dilute the remainder with cold water and continue blotting until the spill is no longer visible. If any traces remain, a small amount of a mild wool detergent may be used. Try to not increase the area of the spill.

Pet Urine

Pet urine can create severe problems. It can cause the colours to run and create a smell that is very hard to eradicate. Quite apart from making a rug more attractive to moths.
Persistent wetting can affect the foundation of a rug by weakening it to such an extent that the rug can actually crack or break.
Act quickly: Blot up as much liquid as possible with paper towels or a clean cloth. Try to rinse out as much of the spill as possible. Adding a cup of vinegar to a gallon of water can help to reduce the smell!

Spot Cleaning

Rinse the rug thoroughly without soaking it, then blot dry before using a non-shedding sponge or cloth to work rug shampoo (or a mixture of 1/4 cup of white vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon of liquid dish-washing detergent and 2 cups of tepid water) into the area.
The rinse again with clean water, blot dry and allow to dry thoroughly. Ensure both sides of the rug are completely dry before putting it back into service. Draping the wet rug over a couple of chairs, or similar, will allow the air to circulate all the way round and improve drying.

Remember: With rugs, always work in the direction of the nap.

Crushed Pile

Pile crushed by the legs of heavy furniture or similar can be teased out: brush the indented area with a soft brush, gently moisten the area (a plant spray is ideal) do some more gentle brushing.

Curled Corners or Edges

Curled edges or corners are often a result of the way a rug is woven - most can be eliminated, or at least minimised with careful laying out or in some cases bloked in shape when cleaned or in severe cases the rug will require a repair.

Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in: 

Wood Floor Sanding,

Stone floor Cleaning,

Carpet Cleaning,

Rug Cleaning,

Upholstery Cleaning 

Leather Furniture Cleaning, 

Working for domestic or commercial clients throughout Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

For more information on our services contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or email us at info@artofclean.co.uk

Top 3 reasons why waiting to clean your fine hand made rugs can destroy their beauty and their value

* Dirt cuts into your rugs fibres like a knife: every time you walk on a dirty rug the mineral in the dirt and dust actually etch (scratch and cut) the fibres until the lustre and resiliency are worn away. (Harder materials always destroy softer material, so the more dirt in your rugs the faster they wear out and lose their beauty and value.)

Notice the “Cutting Edges” in a grain of sand magnified

 * Carpets and area rugs act like filters and trap insect, dirt, dust and bacteria in the fibres. Without proper cleaning these breed in the carpets fibres – affecting indoor air quality.


* You have to deal with pet stains right away to avoid damage and unsanitary conditions.
- Pet urine and vomit goes HOT and ACIDIC, so it penetrates the rug fibres completely.
- Because hand made rug dyes are “acidic dyes” this means the pet urine essentially “Re-Dyes the fibres yellow and then sets itself.
- If this is NOT dealt with immediately, stains can be permanent.

NB: Repeated urine contamination not only devalues the rug, it is also a health concern for the indoor living environment of your home or office.

Top 3 reasons why waiting to clean your fine hand made rugs can destroy their beauty and their value

* Dirt cuts into your rugs fibres like a knife: every time you walk on a dirty rug the mineral in the dirt and dust actually etch (scratch and cut) the fibres until the lustre and resiliency are worn away. (Harder materials always destroy softer material, so the more dirt in your rugs the faster they wear out and lose their beauty and value.)

Notice the “Cutting Edges” in a grain of sand magnified

 * Carpets and area rugs act like filters and trap insect, dirt, dust and bacteria in the fibres. Without proper cleaning these breed in the carpets fibres – affecting indoor air quality.


* You have to deal with pet stains right away to avoid damage and unsanitary conditions.
- Pet urine and vomit goes HOT and ACIDIC, so it penetrates the rug fibres completely.
- Because hand made rug dyes are “acidic dyes” this means the pet urine essentially “Re-Dyes the fibres yellow and then sets itself.
- If this is NOT dealt with immediately, stains can be permanent.

NB: Repeated urine contamination not only devalues the rug, it is also a health concern for the indoor living environment of your home or office.

Does your rug need to be clean before storing, transporting or shipping?

GREAT NEWS Honey! Our visas has been approved and we can finally get things ready for the move!

In exciting times like this you will unlikely think of smaller details like how your precious had knotted rugs will experience the journey to the new home far far away.

You have invested so much in these lovely rugs not to mention the time and sentimental value - The last thing is you want to expose them to harm though very few people think of storing transporting or shipping rugs correctly and only learn from their mistakes and then it is too late.
Having your fine handmade and area rugs thoroughly cleaned before storing or transport is very important and here is why:

Dirt build ups in rugs acts as a food source for bacteria and insects thus form the perfect environment for them to multiply.

Urine turns alkaline once dry and the bacteria that breaks it down produce alkaline gas in this process and this can case damage to the fabric of the rug.

This can be the perfect breeding ground for carpet moth as you do not know what your rug comes in contact with wile in storage or on the journey to your new home.

This is a rug we discovered stored in a cupboard for months - We did not know what we will find inside - our discovery shocked us to the core - see it for yourself

We have heard and seen countless horror stories of clients finding their inheritance or a cherished family heirloom rug, totally destroyed from bad storage procedures.

Rugs are unrolled and found riddled with moth or rodent holes, covered with mildew damage, moisture caused by dye migrations, or worse yet – pet urine or faeces stains that have faded the dyes and are set forever because the rugs were stored dirty and in uncontrolled heated storage environments.

DO NOT wrap your rugs in plastic. DO wrap your rugs in TYVEK or brown acid-free PAPER. Wool has a moisture content even when it is dry, so changes in heat can cause it to “sweat.”  Because of this you should NEVER wrap wool rugs in plastic or you will create a potential mildew problem.  Tyvek Paper is best (tear and water resistant).



Here is what to look out for when choosing a rug cleaning company:

How do they clean the rug?
Will they use an effective measure to remove dry soil from the rug (a commercial vacuum cleaner or a knock-off rug duster that they built themselves one Sunday afternoon is not the correct piece of equipment up to the task) - If they claim to have this equipment have you seen evidence of this - Maybe multiple videos or photos with them in the picture (careful that some so called rug cleaners attend a one day course take multiple pictures and videos while on the course posing with equipment only to return and clean rugs using a standard carpet cleaning machine)

When saturate cleaning (where the rug is submersed in water) will they have a centrifuge spinner to remove most of the water and hang it in a purpose built rug drying room - or do they clean it in their garage or on their driveway.

Do the rug cleaner offer an alternative means to wrap your rug (in Tyvek) when you mention you will be storing or transporting the rug? If not you need to ask yourself if they are truly the company for you.

Careful when wrapping the rug with moth repellent products inside the rug. This should not come in direct contact with the rug fibres as it can be harmful to your rug - Wrap moth repellent inside a cotton towel and then wrap this in the rug

Would you have any more questions about storing, transporting or shipping your rug safely contact us here at Art of Clean

Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in: 

Wood Floor Sanding,

Stone floor Cleaning,

Carpet Cleaning,

Rug Cleaning,

Upholstery Cleaning 

Leather Furniture Cleaning, 

Working for domestic or commercial clients throughout Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

For more information on our services contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or email us at info@artofclean.co.uk