Category: Articles

Carpet in living rooms, hallways, steps, and other high traffic areas can soil quickly. Some colors and styles of carpeting look clean longer than others. Chances are you have heard the well-intended but ill-advised suggestion to choose carpeting that hides dirt so there will be less vacuuming required and you will not feel the need to get it professionally cleaned as often. Why is this bad advice? Here are the details.

Carpets That Hide Dirt

Two factors to consider when it comes to how long a carpet looks clean are color and texture. Keep in mind that we are not talking about the actual cleanliness of the carpet but only how clean it appears to be. Carpeting with speckled patterns, crazy designs, or dark colored carpeting will hide dirt more than solid or light colored carpet. Certain textures with loosely distributed fibers, such as a low shag or Berber, will allow dirt to fall down below the surface, whereas other textures with densely distributed stiff fiber bundles, like cut pile carpet, will keep dirt on the surface longer.

The Cost of Less Vacuuming and Fewer Professional Cleanings

One might imagine that having carpets that stay looking clean longer would be a good thing, but hiding the dirt means you are also hiding the devastating long-term effects of dirt.

Think of dirt as tiny shards of glass. The sharp edges slice along the carpet fibers every time someone takes a step. Over time, the carpet fibers weaken and break. If you allow premature wear to be the norm, you can count on spending more money, because any money you save with fewer professional cleanings will seem insignificant once you are forced to replace your carpet a lot sooner than expected.

If you want to get the most mileage out of your investment, treat carpet that hides dirt like carpet that doesn’t hide dirt.

Carpet Care Tips

The best way to keep carpets looking clean is to actually keep carpets clean. If you keep your carpet looking clean by hiding the dirt, even professional cleaning won’t be enough to resolve the problem once premature wear becomes apparent. Whether your carpet hides or advertises dirt, it can look clean with proper care.

Vacuum regularly, especially high traffic areas. Vacuuming slowly and evenly to remove the most ground in soil. Place high quality, heavy-duty mats at entrances to reduce the amount of grit and grime tracked in from outside. Have your carpet periodically professionally cleaned, whether it looks dirty or not. Professional cleaning loosens, dislodges, and extracts dirt particles and contaminants that a vacuum can’t remove.

Our Carpet Selection Suggestion

Do not choose your carpet based on how well it hides dirt. It may seem counterproductive, but carpet that does not hide dirt may actually be a better choice. Like the adage, “The squeaky wheel gets the oil,” the dirty-looking carpet gets proper care. Go for the solid or light-colored carpet if that is what you really want. Regardless of your carpet selection, proper care is what really matters.

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This article is one of a series of articles written and published on behalf of Surface Care PROS Partners.

Stone and Tile Slabs as a Focal Point

One fundamental element of interior design is the focal point. Bookmatched slabs take the focal point concept to a stunning new level of elegance. This article explains how to best incorporate bookmatched slabs as a dramatic focal point in your home’s design scheme.

Practical Benefits of Slab Applications

Slabs lack grout lines, which means they drastically reduce the cleaning and maintenance associated with grout lines. As such, they are especially appropriate for applications in wet areas, such as shower walls, bathroom vanities, walls surrounding baths or hot tubs, kitchen countertops and backsplashes, and more. In some cases, with proper substrate preparation, slabs can be installed directly over existing materials. Matching patterns and veins at seams can be challenging. The bookmatching technique is a convenient way to avoid mismatched seams.

Bookmatched Slabs

Bookmatched slabs command attention in the best way. The symmetry of this design feature conveys a sense of order, softened by the curves in the stone veins. Gorgeous bookmatched slab designs are achieved by the strategic pairing of neighboring natural stone slabs, nearly identical in appearance or engineered stone slabs, which are truly identical. The two pieces are placed next to each other, forming a symmetrical, mirror-like pattern. The appearance of the matched slab design resembles an open book, hence, the term bookmatching. When this process is repeated, four slabs are aligned resulting in a pattern that moves in four directions. This X or a diamond pattern is called quadmatching or diamond matching.

Best Places to Incorporate Bookmatched Slabs as a Focal Point

For many years, natural stone or quartz slabs have been a favorite material among designers for creating a focal point for commercial and high end residential properties, and over the past decade or so, large format tiles, such as gauged porcelain tile panels or slabs have also gained popularity. A focal point in interior design can be achieved through a variety of means, from artwork or furniture arrangement to a window with a great view or an architectural feature. Bookmatched slabs are becoming more common as a focal point because of the increased availability of large format tiles, panels, and engineered stone slabs with distinct veins and patterns.

Here are the best places to incorporate bookmatched slabs:

• Facing the main entrance. Nothing says “welcome” more than a space designed to create a positive impression. A feature wall is a great place to showcase the colors and patterns of exquisite natural stone or beautifully engineered slabs.
• Accent walls. Take advantage of the style and mood created at the entrance and continue it throughout the home or property with matching accent walls.
• Exterior living spaces. Finish up the unified look with bookmatched slabs as an accent wall on a covered patio or outdoor kitchen.
• Fireplace surrounds and fire features. Dramatic features in and of themselves, fireplace surrounds and fire features can be downright breathtaking when they are created using bookmatched slabs.
• Fountains and water features. Like fireplaces, even the most unassuming fountains and water features tend to make an impression. Bookmatched slabs can accentuate this phenomenon.
• Backsplashes. Select stone or tile that will hold up against cooking mess and cosmetic splatters for kitchen and bathroom backsplashes, such as granite or quartz. Bookmatched backsplashes create an unexpected work of art between your countertop or vanity top and other wall features, such as cabinets, mirrors, shelves, or windows. For an extra dramatic flair, continue the backsplash all the way up to the ceiling.
• Shower walls and tub surrounds. Whether you have an open shower, a walk-in shower, a built-in tub, or a stand-alone tub, bookmatched slabs are an aesthetically pleasing, functional option for spa-like bathrooms. As mentioned earlier, fewer grout lines are a big plus.
• Horizontal applications. Table tops, bench tops, bar tops, countertops, vanity tops, window sills, and other horizontal applications can all be bookmatched for an unexpected touch of style.
• A statement piece. Like a window, a wall mounted shelf, or an architectural work of art, bookmatched or quadmatched slabs, large format tiles, or panels can be assembled to create a large, stand-alone feature that does not necessarily go from floor to ceiling.

If you are looking to incorporate the timeless elegance of geology into your interior design as a focal point, you cannot go wrong with bookmatched slabs.

This article is one of a series of articles written and published on behalf of Surface Care PROS Partners.

My grout is always dirty!

Tile is pretty easy to clean. Grout, on the other hand, can be notoriously difficult to clean. Once grout is clean, keeping it clean on a regular basis can also be quite a chore. If your grout looks dirty or seems to be a dirt magnet, there are real, lasting solutions available.

Why Grout is Hard to Clean

Grout is porous, which means it absorbs dirt, grime, spills, and other unwanted substances. Sometimes these contaminants can be removed using routine cleaning methods, such as sweeping, mopping, and occasional scrubbing. When contaminants become deeply embedded within the pores of the grout, regular cleaning methods will not produce the desired results. At this point you have two options: aggressive DIY methods or professional cleaning.

Aggressive DIY Methods

Before you start scrubbing grout lines with harsh chemicals, there are a few things to consider. To what lengths are you willing to go to get results? Plainly stated, it may be possible to remove discolorations using DIY methods, but that does not necessarily mean it is advisable. Harsh chemicals can be dangerous to the health of anyone who inhales the fumes, including children and pets, and can damage your floor or the surfaces surrounding your work area.

Begin with the gentlest methods. For example, you could sweep, apply a mild cleaning agent recommended for your type of flooring, allow enough dwell time to soften the buildup, scrub with a soft bristle brush, and then mop with a damp mop. You don’t want dirty mop water to be left to dry in the grout lines. Let the floor dry thoroughly before you decide whether your grout lines are dark, because wet grout is darker than dry grout. If your grout lines come clean, that’s great. You did it!

If your grout still looks dirty and you do decide to use harsher chemicals, be sure to select products specifically formulated, or stated as safe for, your type of flooring and follow all the safety recommendations. We have seen many cases where homeowners or professional cleaning or janitorial services did a little research, learned that sulfamic acid solutions and floor strippers can produce good cleaning results, and tried these solutions themselves only to find that they had inadvertently damaged the floor or surrounding surfaces.

Professional Cleaning

Professional cleaning can flush out contaminants that get trapped in the grout, sanitizing your floors and giving them a clean, fresh appearance. Most of the time, professional deep cleaning will produce the desired results. Qualified professional stone and tile restoration contractors know how to select and appropriately use chemicals to achieve the best possible outcome without causing damage.

Why Grout is Hard to KEEP Clean

Once your tile and grout floors are clean, whether you did this yourself or had a professional do it for you, within a few weeks, you may notice the grout lines starting to turn dark. If dirt and grime are simply coating the surface of your grout, simply sweep and damp mop to remove the discolorations. If the grout lines still look dark, it is because the pores in the grout are filling up with contaminants again, and those contaminants have seeped down below the surface.

Why Grout Sometimes Looks Dirty When It’s Clean

Sometimes, when grout is permanently stained or has an uneven appearance due to improper mixing of grout during installation, neither aggressive DIY methods nor professional cleaning will produce a completely uniform, clean appearance. The floor may be sanitized, yet still have a “dirty” appearance.

How to Keep Grout Lines Looking Fresh and Clean

Replacing your grout with epoxy grout is a possible solution to dirty grout problems, but not a very practical one, since grout replacement is a hefty, and more importantly, avoidable expense.

If the pores in your grout keep filling up with contaminants, clear grout sealer can provide a lasting solution. Note that clear grout sealer will not change the color of your grout, but it will help preserve the color of your grout. It fills up the pores so contaminants stay on the surface where they can be easily removed.

If your grout lines have permanent stains or blotchy spots, grout color sealer would be your best option, because it has all the benefits of clear sealer and more. A good, quality grout color sealer will cover stains and spots, creating a like-new look. The coverage is so good that, if you desire, you can actually change the color of your grout from dark to light or vice versa. Grout color sealer prevents stains and inhibits the growth of bacteria and mildew, and it lasts for years.

If you are not sure whether to have your grout clear sealed or color sealed, you want to learn more about what to expect with professional services, or you want to schedule services, contact us. Our PROS resolve dirty grout problems.

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This article is one of a series of articles written and published on behalf of Surface Care PROS Partners.