Best Carpet Value has all the major brands in carpet, carpet tile, and a wide assortment in Luxury Vinyl Tile. All these fine suppliers trust us to carry their product because they know we have the experience and the expertise to help you make the wisest selection for your flooring needs.
How to Care for Eco-Friendly Bamboo Hardwood Floors
Bamboo hardwoods are an effective, green flooring option. Bamboo is hot among DIY homeowners due to its durability, affordability and sustainability.
Regardless of whether you are the proud owner of bamboo flooring or in the decision-making process, you must learn to care for them properly.
Strategic Use of Mats or Rugs
To discourage outdoor dirt from coming indoors, place non-skid mats at entrances.
Be mindful standing water will cause bamboo to warp. It’s a good idea to put a rug on the floor underneath the kitchen sink to soak up water.
Your lovely bamboo flooring is exceedingly durable. Nevertheless, you should place small area rugs in high-traffic areas for optimal protection.
Routine Cleaning
Sweep or dust mop daily and clean bamboo hardwoods weekly with a damp, not soaking wet, mop. Don’t pour water or a cleaning product on the flooring. Do not wax.
Dirt and dust particles will scratch the floor surface if neglected. Routine cleaning will remove debris that is harmful to bamboo.
Spill Management
Moisture seeps into bamboo. Wipe up spills immediately with a soft cloth. Abrasive items like steel wool pads will scratch the floor’s surface. Thoroughly dry the area after cleaning.
Stubborn spills, which could stain your floor, require extra attention. First, take a soft, dry cloth to get rid of the majority of the spill. Then, get a damp cloth and blot the spot until completely clean. Next, use a dry cloth to remove moisture from the area.
Safe Products for Cleaning Bamboo Floors
Your bamboo floors do not like harsh chemicals or commercial cleaning products, as they damage the finish. If in doubt, refer to the manufacturer’s recommendations regarding safe cleaning products.
If you absolutely must use something, prepare a solution consisting of ¼ cup white vinegar to one quart warm water. Scarcely dampen a mop with the vinegar solution and mop one small section of the floor at a time. Immediately go over that section with a clean, soft cloth before mopping the next area.
Bamboo flooring is a sustainable product as bamboo itself is abundantly renewable. If you want to add a striking, eco-friendly element that will also enhance the value of your home, bamboo flooring is an impressive choice.
Proper Care for Wood Floors
Wood floors are different from vinyl flooring and most floor cleaners are not safe for wood. Wood floors, if cared for properly, will just need a good dusting or sweeping for daily cleaning. The key is to make sure the floor is properly cleaned and polished. A good wood polish will cause a high shine that will help to repel dirt and dust, making it easy to sweep up and clean.
One word of warning, never use “wood furniture” cleansers and polishes on the wood floor. Most of these cause the surface to be too slick. Furniture polishes and cleansers are not meant for the types of finishes found on hardwood floors. Use only polishes, waxes, and cleaners meant especially for wood floors.
Another thing never to use on wood floors is water. It may seem like a simple quick clean up to dip the mop in water and sweep over the wood, but this will damage the floor. Wood floor cleansers are oil based, which helps to preserve and protect the wood.
Practice care when moving furniture. Wood floors will scratch easily. Always put soft pads under furniture or put a rug down and put the furniture on the rug. Consider the shoes that will walk across the floor and make sure they have proper soles. Shoes with metal or worn out soles should be removed before walking on the wood floor. The same consideration needs to be given to animals with nails. Keep the pets’ nails well trimmed and file off the rough edges.
Sweeping is okay on the wood floor but a vacuum with a hard flooring setting works best. Rather than a broom that moves dust and dirt around, the vacuum will suck it up at the source. Sweeping may cause scratches and dents in the wood if the dirt is too big.
Protect wood floors from sunlight by placing curtains or sheers over windows. Wood, like carpet, can fade with too much sun exposure.
Environmentally Friendly Carpets
The entire world is claiming a real concern for the world around them today, with recycling no longer just a buzz word, but a way of life.
We’re all recycling household goods, working to save energy, and even using the alternative energy saving light bulbs in order to green up our day to day living. We turn our air conditioner up and our heater down in an effort to do more for the world around us and to lower our footprint on the earth.
It has been a little more difficult to find ways to green up our choices for household appliances and interior design goods. For the interior of the home, upholstery, carpeting and rugs that were recycled material were not, until very recently, what you might call stylish or chic. In fact they simply were not attractive and many did not wear well or last long enough to be a good value.
Today’s carpets are different.
Eco-friendly products are available from nearly every company that makes carpet. Many carpets and carpet tiles state that they are post-consumer content and most are attractive, wear well and are easy to clean and easy to care for.
Eco-friendly carpets have arrived.
The vast shift in the way in which consumers select goods and the way in which companies manufacture them is nothing if not good for the world around us.
Earth friendly interiors no longer have to be shabby or last year’s carpet to be considered green living interiors. In fact, if you haven’t replaced your carpet lately or it isn’t made from natural fibers, the facts are, sadly that your household may not be the most environmentally friendly or even the safest place to live.
Many of the older carpets that are in our homes contain a lot of chemicals or are man made fibers that are not only less healthy for the environment, but may be less healthy for our homes. In the event of a home fire, they can actually give off toxic chemicals, making them quite dangerous to keep. If you’ve not taken a look at new , earth friendly carpeting or it’s been a while since you’ve replaced yours, now may be a good time to take a look at what’s available to you. The carpet world is changing dramatically and offering more environmentally friendly interiors to everyone.
Celebrate Your Favorite Team
The Checkered Flag in Nascar. Touchdown in Football. No matter which sport or which team you love, we have it! Collegiate and NFL teams, black and white checkered flag carpet squares will complete your favorite room to cheer your favorite team or driver on.
Top Five Ways to Boost the Value of Your Home
This house needs work! How many times have you said that? How many times have you looked around and wondered where your renovation dollars would be best spent?
The answer to that question may well surprise you. If you’re considering selling your home or you’re simply looking at the best ideas for renovation that will give you a solid ROI on your home maintenance or modernization, it may amaze you to know that some of the smallest updates can give back big dividends.
Before you consider making huge home improvements like tearing out that wall or making the room larger, take a look at these top ways to get a good return on your investment of renovation money.
- New garage doors can give you a vast ROI on your investment of about a thousand dollars or a little more. Installing a new set of garage doors may raise the price of your home as much as 5K.
- New windows–Your windows may be leaking heat or cool air to the outside world. Setting in a few new energy efficient windows, even if you can only do one room, will give you a nice return on your investment. It may raise the value of your home as much as two or three thousand dollars.
- Painting your home can raise the value as much as five thousand dollars. The colors that you paint your home make a big difference in how much it will raise the value. For example, pale yellow or cream colored homes typically sell faster and may sell for a slightly higher price.
- Add a spare bathroom. Even if it is only a half bath or a shower stall and a small bathroom, a second bathroom will raise the price of your home and give you a return on your investment that may be twice what you spent. If you can’t afford a new bathroom then spend a little and update your current bathroom. You could consider some low cost but sleek looking items such as a wall based towel warmer or other amenities and the return on the investment will be at least twice what you spent.
- As of 2011, the kitchen went back to being the most important room in the home. It was more valuable to home buyers than the living room and the way that the kitchen looked and was laid out was very important. A facelift to your kitchen, stainless steel sink, a coat of paint or new facings in the cabinets can net you a very positive return on your investment.
Every investment in your home is a positive one, but some will give you a far greater return on your investment. The largest outlay isn’t necessarily the best outlay when it comes to home renovation, so choosing carefully based on what will give you the biggest draw to the home buyer and the best return on your investment of money is in order.
Spot Cleaning Your Carpet
Very few things can add beauty to your home more than new carpeting. It can brighten a room and give it a sense of warmth to any who enter. Likewise, there are very few things that can detract from a room like a dingy, worn, or dirty carpet. While vacuuming helps to keep your carpet looking good and extends its life, vacuuming alone is not enough. Your carpets need a deep, thorough cleaning at least once or twice a year, more often if you have children, pets, or smokers in the home. While most people have a rug shampooer in their homes, it is recommended that you have the job professionally done at least once in a while. A professional carpet cleaner can get the job done in about half the time it would take you and they have specialized equipment to make sure that the carpet is truly clean. In addition to that, most professional carpet cleaners are able to treat your carpets so that they remain stain resistant. However what do you do if spills or accidents happen between cleanings?
Having a carpet cleaning machine in your home is a good start, but you can’t always drag it out immediately to deal with stains. In cases like this, it is helpful to know how to spot clean your carpet, or at least treat the stain immediately so that it doesn’t become permanent before you can clean it properly. If you have a bottle of commercial spot remover you can use, then by all means do, but if you don’t have any on hand there are some common household items that will work just as well. The easiest and gentlest on the carpet is cream of tartar. Mix about ¼ cup cream of tartar with enough lemon juice or vinegar to moisten it Using clean, dry towels, blot up as much of the spill as you can and then spread the paste over top of the stain and work it in thoroughly. Allow the paste to dry completely and then vacuum any residual powder out of the carpet. This works very well on stains like red wine, grape juice, or spaghetti sauce. Much as you would with a commercial spot cleaner, test the cream of tartar paste on an inconspicuous area to make sure that the carpet is colorfast. While this will remove small stains completely, you should still clean the area thoroughly as soon as possible.
Football-Sports Themed Rooms
It’s FRIDAY!!! Which game will you be watching this weekend? Lots of great match-ups like Cleveland Vs. Pittsburgh.
Who will you be cheering for?
Lay Carpet Tiles Yourself Homeowner
Did you know that even homeowners with no experience in carpeting could lay their own carpet tiles without any real difficulties? Check out all the styles and colors that we offer here at Best Carpet Value:
https://www.bestcarpetvalue.com/residential-carpet-tiles-list.aspx
Carpet Tips You May Not Have Heard
New carpets can contain a lot less chemicals than older ones. It’s worth your time to trade in your carpet if it is more than five years old.
To remove stains from your carpet, you can scrub a wine stain with club soda. Let it absorb the wine and scrub. If it remains, wipe it down with a few drops of white wine vinegar and it should remove all of the residual stain.
To remove muddy footprints or to clean your carpets well and make them a lot brighter, sprinkle them with ordinary table salt and let the salt stand for about an hour on the carpet. Then vacuum normally with a hepa filter vacuum for better suction.
When properly cleaned and maintained, your carpet may actually help to prevent allergic reactions. Carpets are highly effective places to trap dust and allergens and prevent them from staying airborne. When you vacuum correctly and regularly your household air quality may actually be better than without a carpet.
To get gum out of your rugs, press and hold an ice cube on the carpet to freeze it. Snap off the gum and then use a spot cleaner to get out the remainder. If small bits or particles remain, a VERY light going over with a safety razor may remove the residual.
IF you have a large water spill it is imperative that you remove all residual water and place a fan on your carpet or have it professionally cleaned. Stachybotrys is a household mold that can grow rapidly on wet carpeting and can cause dermatitis and other problems.
If you have depressions in your carpet that are left there by heavy furniture sitting on the rug, you can use a steam iron to remove them. Hold it close to the rug but not touching it and allow the steam to hit it until it is slightly dampened. Using a popsicle stick or flat craft stick lift the carpet fibers gently.
Removed dripped candle wax from your rug by covering it with a paper bag and ironing over the bag. Most of the wax will be ironed into and absorbed by the bag. Clean the rug below with vinegar or club soda. Remember to clean your iron.