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Guest Blog: Cleaning Up After a Leak

Cleaning Up After a Leak

plumbing leaks

When the plumbing in your home develops a leak it can mean a big mess. I know because that has happened to me several times over the years. Each time there was a new kind of mess to clean up. Thankfully I had the internet and I was able to get some help. I looked around at so many different plumbing sites, and the key thing I was looking for was just someone who would be reliable and help me to get my life back in order after the problem was fixed. There were very few sites who showed what skills and qualifications their plumbers had. One example I found was on this website: www.vandammeprojects.com/mains-connections but unfortunatley for me they are based in Australia.

Here are some issues you may face when leaks spring up in your home:

In the Bathroom

The bathroom is a hot spot for leaks. There is just a lot of plumbing going on there! If there is a pipe you can think of in the bathroom than my home has had a leak there. I don’t know if the warrantee ran out or what, but what can go wrong does go wrong at my house.

The first bad spot to face was the bathtub faucet leaking. It was just a constant drip dripdrip that drove me crazy and hiked up my water bill. I figured it would be easy to fix; just a new washer in the fixture. I had done it before in my old home, so why wouldn’t the same thing work in my new home? Of course, things did not work out that easily. The faucet was too old to fix and had to be replaced. It was not just a matter of screwing off the faucet and shoving a new one on. Oh, no that would have been too simple. Instead the tile around the faucet had to be broken and removed, the wall behind that had to be cut out and some of the piping even had to be replaced.

What a hassle! After the plumber had replaced the faucet and left I was staring in horror at my ravaged bathroom. Where would I shower now? Upstairs I suppose. Thankfully I was able to get the bathtub redone and back in good condition but it cost me a pretty penny. For one leaky faucet!

Another leak that sprang up in the bathroom was under the sink. The cabinet around the sink hid the evidence for a while, but when I pulled out a dripping wet towel I knew something was wrong. The hot water hose that connected to the bathroom sink had rusted and corroded over time. Now it was leaking but I couldn’t get it off to replace it. Another call to the plumber and my sink was fixed. I was able to catch the leak before it did major damage to my cabinets, but there was still some warping damage done. Not to mention all the towels that needed to be rewashed and dried. I am so grateful that we have plumbers in the area that on hand for emergencies! It is likely you will find a plumber like this in your area, we have found one example of a website who offer similar services to point you in the right direction – onetorontoplumbing.com

The final straw and biggest mess came due to a major mistake on my part. One Fourth of July I left a single firecracker in the bathroom. There are, of course, matches in the bathroom as well to light the scented candles. That combination proved disastrous when a person I shall not name decided to light the firecracker before thinking about where he would throw it. Into the toilet it went and a moment later the crack boom of shattering porcelain echoed through the house.

You would think that a crack in the toilet wouldn’t cause that much of a mess. Well, you would be wrong. That auto refill feature is a pain in the neck. Just for your information you cannot patch a toilet either. Glue and waterproof tape do not work. We ended up having to take out and replace the whole toilet but not before water had gotten everywhere: in the crevice between the bathtub and the floor, under the cabinets, and out into the bedroom carpet.

It stunk. It wasn’t even dirty toilet water and it still stunk. You can imagine the smell. Gag. I called out the big guns and had it all professionally cleaned. I was not going to risk smelling that stink for any longer than was necessary. Getting it out of the carpet was my number one priority as the carpet can hold on to a lot more liquid than you would think.

In the Kitchen

Moving on, the kitchen is another leak hot spot. My leak happened under the kitchen sink. Once again the cabinets hid the leak until it had become a disaster. This time the stink factor was the tip off. The faint whiff of something off turned into the stench of rotting within a day or two. We finally found the culprit by literally sniffing it out. Removing the sticky, stinky, and wet items from under the kitchen sink revealed that the connection between the garbage disposal and the drain had gone awry. Smelly, rotten, and wet food particulates sprayed across the entire area every time the dishwasher or disposal ran. The cabinets had softened to a mushy pile of pressed wood, rotting through with an unbelievable stench.

Again the professionals were called in. I can’t even imagine doing the clean up on that myself! Fully gloved and masked, they tore out that section of the cabinets and cleaned the cement beneath. The pipes had to be fully replaced, of course, and I bellied up for a new disposal while we were at it. After everything was in ship shape again the cabinet was replaced and we had our nice, scent free kitchen back. Moral of this story is to catch the leak early! Then you won’t have to replace everything like we did. If you do find a link just look up a company in your local area. For example, just searching ‘Plumbing company London‘ can give you hundreds of results.

In the Garage

My horror story about the garage is not as bad as a friend of mine’s. She left on vacation for two weeks and came back to find out her hot water heater had exploded and her entire garage was covered in a thick layer of mold. Ew!

My problem was not due to the water heater, though I know they can be a big leak danger. Mine was due to the air conditioning unit located above the garage. One hot summer the drainpipe got clogged up and the drip pan could not handle the overflow. Water dripped from the garage ceiling and turned a flat ceiling into a threatening bubble of dampness. Thankfully I was able to get everything out of the way before it collapsed onto the floor.

After getting the air conditioner repaired I called out cleaners to make sure the water damage had not spread to more of the ceiling and to clean up the parts of the carpet that had been damaged due to the water. I also had to get a Garage Door Opener Repair too as the water had affected the motor but it was easy to fix. I did not want to get into the fiberglass insulation either. After replacing the ceiling everything thankfully went back to normal.

As you can see, leaks can cause a lot of damage to your home. Even small ones. You need to take water damage seriously as it can lead to all kinds of health risks and complications. Call in professionals to help you with clean up and make sure the job gets done right.

Author Bio:

Ken holds a master’s in business leadership from Upper Iowa University and multiple bachelor degrees from Grand View College. As president of morningsidenannies.com, Ken’s focus is helping Houston-based parents find the right childcare provider for their family. When he isn’t working, he enjoys spending time with his three children and his wife.

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Cleaning Cartoons

Carpet Cleaning Cartoons we have found on the net.

More to come in the near future.

Window Washing Cartoon

Carpet Cleaning Cartoon 1

This cartoon reminds me of a Arcata Carpet Cleaning job we did. You never know what you will find behind a couch when you move it.
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Hot Spots for Dirty Carpets

Hot Spots for Dirty Carpets

If you have carpets in your home then you know there are certain areas that get dirtier than others. These frequently trafficked areas are often the sites of big stains and just an overall dirty look. You can prevent stains in these areas through various methods, mostly through regular carpet cleaning. So, if you’ve just bought a new vacuum cleaner after reading some reviews on a website like https://www.cleanthatfloor.com/, here are some helpful tips to help with your cleaning routine:

  1. Entrances – Your doorways are often the site of many stains. Mud, snow, leaves and so on are easy to drag in on dirty shoes. You can prevent these stains in various ways. One way is to insist on the removal of shoes when entering the home. Another way is to add welcome mats to cut down on some of the stains. You can also have a tiled or wooden entryway to prevent carpet stains in that area. Yet another way to prevent stains is to lay down carpet protection or a rug in those high traffic areas. All these ways can help cut down on the dirt that is brought into your home.
  2. Hallways – Hallways are often a high traffic area, especially in the center. Fight the wear and staining by laying down a long, thin rug or carpet protector.
  3. Stairs – Stairs are another high traffic area. You can cut down on stains on the stairs by avoiding carpet altogether or getting a carpet protector for that area. Often times there are also many spills on the stairs. Prevent food or drinks from being transported up stairs to avoid these stains. Vacuum carpets on stairs frequently to cit down on wear.
  4. Dining – The last place that gets a lot of stains is the dining area. Having your table on top of carpet is a recipe for spilled foods and drinks. Not only this but you can compliment a dirty carpet with dirty upholstery to create a dining room of mess and mayhem! Some carpet cleaning services such as carpet cleaning Hagerstown area can specialize in carpets and upholstery to keep your whole room clean from spills and splatters. However you might also have a large rug under the table. Many carpet cleaning services can clean these too! Oriental rugs look great and prevent the carpet from acquiring stains, however, you will then need to get the rug cleaned. Luckily, there are people like the Sunny Isles Beach Oriental Rug Pros at hand offering their services to get Oriental rugs looking as good as new. Tablecloths also help to prevent drips off of the corners of tables onto carpets.

As you can see, although there are many areas that can get stained there are also many ways to prevent these stains and wear from occurring. Use wisdom on how to best protect and clean your carpets and they should last you a long time.

Author Bio:
This post is contributed by Linda Bailey from housekeeping.org. She is a Texas-based writer who loves to write on the topics of housekeeping, green living, home décor, and more. She welcomes your comments which can be sent to b.lindahousekeeping @ gmail.com.

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Home Cleaning Services

Home Cleaning Services Referrals

Although we do not provide in home cleaning services at the moment, we are staring this blog and will add to it in the coming weeks. We also can help you with a few referrals and suggest some reading on deciding how to chose this service.

Call our front desk for our current home cleaning services referral list. 707-442-3229

For Home Cleaning Service Rates please read this.

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Myths About Carpet Steam Cleaning Revealed

Myths about your carpet cleaning and the facts of steam cleaning.

carpet steam cleaning

Have you carpets seen better days? Do you need to contact a company like A to Z Carpet Cleaning? Or are you hesitant to look into professional cleaning companies?

Most misconceptions about steam cleaning for carpets and upholstery originate from inexperienced cleaners failing to extract all the water and therefore leaving the carpets soaking wet. If you need Carpet Cleaning in rancho santa margarita then rest assured, the professionals know that extracting the excess moisture from the carpets is one of the most important steps to cleaning them.

Myth: ” Well the carpet doesn’t look dirty, so it doesn’t really need to be cleaned.”
Fact: Many carpets can hide dirt, so even if your carpet looks clean, there may be abrasive soil particles wearing at your carpets. This can cause loss of fiber protection or color and other permanent damage.

Myth: “I’m so worried that water from steam cleaning will ruin my carpets, and cause mildew”
Fact: Carpet manufacturers actually recommend hot water extraction, or ‘steam cleaning’, as their preferred method of carpet cleaning. When steam cleaning is done right, the water left from the steam is not enough to actually do harm. Another issue is that many cleaning companies use high-residual detergents that remains in carpets long after the cleaning is done. This actually attracts soil, which makes your carpets dirty faster.

Myth: “Carpet cleaning is really cheap”
Fact: You shouldn’t select a cleaning company solely based on price. Lots of companies will advertise a low price to hook a customer and then sell them ineffective goods at high prices or give them low quality service. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Myth: “I was told to wait as long as possible before cleaning my carpets, because they will never look the same again or I will have to clean them very often.”
Fact: Manufacturers recommend getting your carpets cleaned every 12 to 18 months by professionals (like those that do carpet cleaning in Lexington, to name one example). If you wait too long, it may result in permanent damage that no cleaner will be able to fix. Finding that happy medium between your wallet and your carpets is important, so maybe throw a rug down in high traffic areas to take the brunt of it.

Myth: “Using water to clean my carpets can cause it to mold, split seams, or shrink.”
Fact: This can only happen if the cleaner leaves the carpets extremely wet. Modern steam cleaning equipment is specifically designed to remove all excess moisture and leave only what the carpet fiber itself will absorb. A professional carpet steam cleaning company will properly use this equipment so the water doesn’t even touch the carpet backing, padding, or the floor underneath.

Myth: “My carpet/upholstery is white, so it has to be dry cleaned.”
Fact: A lot of people think that anything white has to be dry cleaned. This is, for the most part, untrue. A professional in any field will test the fabric and know what he or she is doing, use the proper method of cleaning to remove the maximum amount of soil and residue and will do so without harming the upholstery fabric or carpeting.

I hope this article was helpful. For more useful information about carpets check out some of our other articles, like Worst Carpet Messes for Parents or the Hot Spots on your Carpet

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Carpet cleaning white carpets, and how to keeep them white.

Carpet Cleaning White Carpets and how to keep them White.

 This month has been a month filled with white carpets. So I thought I would suggest some tips that can help you keep them that way.

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 1. Making sure your family and guest takes off there shoes before entering the room or house will help keep the carpeting white, however you may want to keep your socks on. Going barefoot on a plush carpet may feel nice, but after time, the oils from your feet will soil your carpet. But this only works if you change your socks once in a while, that could be counterproductive,  and quite offence to family, and pets.  You also could get what Frank Zappa called “Stink Foot” Of course I believe my dog Toby would like me to have a stinky sock laying around. I degrees.

2.  Keeping floor mats runners on your white carpeting will prolong cleanings and shadowing of your high traffic lanes. But you may ask yourself, If I have carpeting why do I need to by more rugs to protect it? I ask my self that same question, but if gives you chance to interior decorate and display oriental rugs. But stay away from plastic matts, their gaudy. I remember my parents did this in the 70’s to protect their awful multicolored shag.

3. Spills happen, so when they do, keep some good spot remover around. I suggest Spot Shot Instant Carpet Stain Remover. I have been using it for years, and you can find it in most drug stores.

4. Call us, and have your carpets serviced regularly.

So owners and landlords don’t need  to worry, because with A-1 Cleaning’s carpet steam cleaner, dirt doesn’t stand a chance, even on white carpets!

 
 

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Appointment Etiquette

Appointment Etiquette
In our busy lives, making appointments is essential to staying organized. I’m sure most people have some sort of calendar where they keep important events; birthdays, doctor’s appointments, dinner with your parents, etc… you get the point. Keeping these appointments is also important, as time is a precious commodity that cannot be replaced once it has been wasted, some companies use software similar to mobile service management software to keep appointments with customers. Software that can be used to help arrange appointments has come a long way. For example, LeadJig is a company that can use its expertise in hyperlocal marketing to target and set one-on-one appointments with its client’s most qualified prospects. Financial companies who are looking to use services like this can go now and take a look at their site, but this is just one example of just how far appointment software has come in recent years.

It is well known that people who are always skipping appointments or showing up late very quickly begin to lose the respect of others. Everyone who has ever stood waiting for someone else knows how disrespectful it can feel, like their time isn’t valued by the other person. And it isn’t always about keeping the appointments, either, but just being mature and letting whomever it is know that you won’t be able to make it. Today, communication is fast and reliable, and all it takes if a phone call to the other party to enable you both to utilize your time better. Even if the appointment may not seem important to you, that time may be precious to someone else, and so you should cancel properly if you are not able to make it. Don’t think it so unimportant that it does not merit a notice or apology.

You might have scheduled those appointments prior to knowing them or by doing a quick Google search using search terms like “dentures clearwater” or something similar. Therefore, if you do have to cancel an appointment, you should do so in a sincere and apologetic manner. When dealing with office appointments, you should try to cancel twenty-four hours in advance if at all possible. Sometimes it can’t be helped, but when other appointments could be scheduled in your place, it is polite to give as much warning as possible.

Appointments are an important part of anyone’s life. Whether you are swamped with work or just use your calendar to remember your dentist appointments, keeping track of what you have to do is a must. No one can keep every appointment they make in life, but it’s polite and respectful to let the person know if you won’t be there.

It must be a relief for such people, however, that there are some sites (like https://www.1800dentist.com/directory/service) these days that can help find a dentist on weekends or even on an emergency basis. So, even if they couldn’t remember their appointment dates, they can take a sigh of relief. But yeah they must inform the person they have an appointment with – in case they wouldn’t be able to show up on the appointed date.

This is a courtesy announcement from A-1 Cleaning Service. When making an appointment, please make sure that the water and electricity are on, and cancel 24 hours in advance if you know you won’t be able to make it. Thank you for your business, and we hope to hear from you!

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Problems With Grass Stains

Grass Stain problems

For your tuff summer grass stains, here are some tips…

– For washables: Use a cleaner made from an enzyme detergent and water, and leave it to soak in a warm place for half an hour. Use an eyedropper to apply a solution of one part ammonia/white vinegar and two parts water to the bleach any remaining stain. Rinse with cold water, and then finish with a normal wash cycle.

– For unwashables: Your best option here is to send your stained fabric to a dry cleaners. They’ll know all of the trade secrets on how to get a stain out of a wedding dress, suit or silk, so don’t try anything at home or you might end up ruining something precious!

– Linoleum/Tile: This shouldn’t be too hard. Just wipe with a cloth dipped in warm sudsy water, rinse, and dry with a clean cloth.

– Carpets: Sponge the area with a dry-cleaning solvent (use light strokes and work outward). Apply the dry spotter to stain then cover with an absorbent rag made damp with the dry spotter. Let it stand, changing the pad as the stain is lifted. Keep both the stain & the pad moist with the dry spotter. Flush with a dry cleaning solvent and allow to dry. Be sure to blot up the excess liquid during the procedure and before drying.

– Leather/Suede: Mix a mild solution consisting of soap and lukewarm water. Swish to create suds. Apply only the foam with a sponge. Wipe with a clean cloth. If there is still an oily stain, powder the area with an absorbent, like cornmeal. Give plenty of time for it to absorb, then brush off the powder. Repeat as needed.

I hope these tips helped! Good luck! 🙂

Why are grass stains so hard to remove?
Essentially, grass stains are dye stains. They are a combination of protein and other organic matter that has been mixed with the grasses’ juices (which includes chlorophyll, xanothophylls, and cartenoids; if you ever paid attention in science class, you know that these are relatively stable pigmented compounds). What makes these so difficult to remove is that these pigments are so similar to natural fibers like cotton, that the stain actually penetrates and bonds to the fabric fibers. These materials don’t bond as easily to scotch-guarded fabric, as the material is incompatible with the binding process, but all the same grass makes for an annoying stain to remove.

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Worst Carpet Messes for Parents

Guest Blog Post: Carpet Castle – Worst Messes That Parents Have to Deal With

Let’s not sugar coat it, children are messy! If you have kid, you’re probably going to need to hire a carpet cleaner at some point. What’s worse is they don’t get any less messy as they get older. Every parent can remember a time where their child has made such a huge mess of their carpets, walls, windows, doors, stairs, bed… actually it’s probably easier to list what they haven’t dirtied!

Here are some of the worst messes that will have you reaching for the phone to find a professional carpet cleaner similar to this Rug Cleaning Brighton company, or possibly even buying a new carpet!

Bodily fluids

From toddlers to teenagers, it’s inevitable you’ll have to deal with pee, poo, blood, sick and more. Almost every parent will have had to pick up and rush their child to the toilet with them peeing every step of the way. Some toddlers have poo-playing phases – most grow out of this quickly but boy, is it messy! As your children grow into teenagers they may start experimenting with alcohol which, as we all know, can lead to puking. There will often be times growing up when they are ill and vomit – but this will not prepare you for the trails of spew across your carpet, up the stairs or on the walls in the general direction of a toilet.

Food stuffs

Children are very creative, which unfortunately also means messy. Talk to any parent and they will tell you about the time their beloved little one found the flour or sugar and decided to make it ‘snow.’ Or when rotten eggs exploded after their kid decided to hatch a chicken, or pouring olive oil over the kitchen floor to make a slip-and-slide. The list goes on, but worst of all is when your sprog manages to get their hands on hamburger meat before promptly grinding it into the carpet.

Sticky stuff

More of a broad category, but it will often leave you on the phone to a carpet supplier to get a replacement carpet. If you thought the food stuffs listed above were bad, just see what happens if they get their hands on honey, syrup, ice-cream or chewing gum! Some things should come with child-lock tops to save parents the hassle of dealing with ridiculous amounts of mess. The worst sticky situations you will be in is if your kids get hold of glue (bad but not terrible), Vaseline (terrible) or adhesive glitter (worse than terrible). The latter of these may even defeat even the most professional and experienced carpet cleaning company!

Organic materials

Typically people think of mud when you refer to organic mess, and for the most part that’s true. However children will bring everything with them! Alongside mud you’re likely to have to deal with sticks, leaves, small animals and even handfuls of gravel or sand. These tend to be annoying and can be tricky to clean up, but thankfully nowhere near as disastrous as some of the above messes!

About the Author – Carpet Castle is a uniquely styled carpet warehouse with thousands of different styles, patterns and colours at unbeatable prices. As one of Wales’ biggest discount warehouses, Carpet Castle offers great prices on carpets, vinyl and carpet remnants.

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Caring for Wood Floors

Caring for those Wood Floors

Taking care of your floors can be a tough. There are so many different factors that can keep your floors from looking nice. Whether you’ve just bought some brand new flooring from somewhere like Prodan Flooring in Gresham, OR, or your floors are vintage and came with the house, looking after your flooring is important if you want it to last. Of course, if you’re noticing an odd lean in your wooden floors or that they’re no longer level, it may be worth checking to see if the issue is with the floorboards or if there’s an issue with the foundation of your house. For the latter, make sure you go to a Quality Foundation Repair firm to keep your property safe. With that in mind, here are a few cleaning tips to make your floors shine.

General Tips for keeping your wood floors looking nice…
– Vacuum your floors weekly. The fine grit in the dust acts just like sandpaper and will wear through your floor’s finish. Use an attachment with a brush or a felt surface that runs along the floor. Rotating brushes can scratch the finish. And if you don’t feel like hauling the vacuum out, a dust mop or microfiber sweeper will work just as well. If you’re needing to clean specifically without damaging your floors, look at this site on how to clean urine on wood floors.

– Be careful with your hairspray and furniture polish, it can cloud up your floors finish. Wipe it up immediately with a damp cloth. For a more thorough cleaning, use a non-ammonia window cleaner.

– Water can ruin your finish as well as stain your wood. Close windows when it’s going to rain, put trays under potted plants, and wipe up water if you see it.

– Use a door mat. They really do their job and beyond. Even though vacuuming and spot cleaning are good tips for keeping your floors from becoming dull, keeping the dirt out of your house is better. Making sure to stop and wipe your shoes before going inside keeps dirt and moisture from entering your home and staining your floors.

– Protect high-traffic zones with area rugs. Walking across an area several times a day eventually wears down a wood floor’s finish. Nice-looking throw rugs are the easiest way to reduce the wear. But make sure they don’t have a backing. Vinyl or rubber backing traps humidity, which can ruin your floor’s finish and stain or damage the wood.

– The rules about using waxes and restorers are an important thing to keep in mind. Yes, you can rejuvenate a wax finish with more wax. But don’t use wax on a surface finish such as shellac, varnish, or polyurethane. It will make the floor far too slippery and interfere with subsequent finishes. Use a polish made for the finish you have on your floor. You can also get a general-purpose floor restorer for some finishes, but make sure to first test the restorer on an inconspicuous area to make sure it won’t peel.

Cleaning Tips For Your Wax Finished Floors:
If you can’t get your floors to shine just using a dust mop, try buffing the floors instead of just adding on another coat of wax. Buffing should always be the first option, as it can provide a nice shine without adding another layer of wax to your floors. If this still doesn’t work, then you’ll need to apply a wood floor cleaner and liquid wax made specifically for wood floors. After you apply it, let the wood dry and then buff. This should be done once or twice a year, depending on how much traffic you have. You can get help with Floor Refinishing in Chesterfield Va if you’re looking for services in that area to keep your hardwood flooring looking as good as new.

Common Stains: Here’s how to remove some common stains from wax finished floors.
– Most food stains are easy to clean by gently rubbing the area with a damp cloth. Start on the outside, and work your way in. Make sure you dry the surface when you’re done.
– Water spots and ink spots (white and dark), can be removed with steel wool. Start with #000 to remove the spot from your floor. If the stain is persistent, then try a very fine sandpaper, then #00 steel wool and a wood floor cleaner. Make sure to wax and buff when complete.
– Surface scratches can be cured by applying a little wax on the area, then buffing.
– If the substance is sticky or soft, harden it with a cold pack or ice cubes. It should then just peel off.

Cleaning your Surface Finished Floors (Urethane):
If you can’t get your floors to shine with just your dust mop, try cleaning with a wood floor cleaner recommended for cleaning wood floors with a urethane finish. If this still doesn’t work, the floor should receive a new coat of surface finish. Keep in mind you should never wax a surface finished floor.

Common Stains: Here’s how to remove some common stains from surface finished floors.
– Food, water, and ink stains can be cleaned using a wood flood cleaner specifically made for urethane finished floors.
– Nicks and scratches can be repaired with a urethane repair kit.
– If the substance is sticky or soft, harden it with a cold pack or ice cubes. It should then just peel off.

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