Men Arn’t Doing It Themselves Anymore

According to a recent survey, 93% of men have decided to hire a professional to take care of all their household maintenance rather than doing it themselves.

A homes value can be decreased through bad workmanship and incomplete projects. For too many years, many homeowners have attempted to cut their running costs by trying to do as much work as possible themselves. Tasks such as painting and decorating, plumbing and general home refurbishment and maintenance are some of the common ‘I dont need a professional’ problems. Unfortunately, with the amount of home improvements needed these days, a D-I-Y fanatic that does not have the correct skills can easily destroy a project and with it reduce the chance of selling the home for a reasonable price.

A lot of homeowners are turning to professional home maintenance companies for their household jobs since they are starting to recognise that it works out a lot cheaper in the long run.

A leading estate agent has states that, in the current recession where nobody seems to be buying homes, the properties which are quickest to sell are the ones which have kept up the appearance and are defect free.

The home is your families greatest asset and it is essential that regular maintenance and repair be undertaken as problems arise. In the commercial sector it has also been shown that employees are less productive when working in an unpleasing environment where simple tasks like a new coat of paint can alleviate such problems. An established professional contractors can get the job done for you and you don?t have to suffer any interruptions to your business or home.

When thinking about home refurbishment, painting or all of those hundreds of little jobs which it takes to get a home into a ‘Fit for Purpose’ state, here is a short list of things you should take into consideration. You are probably going to be a lot better off by choosing an established company. The reason for this is that they have a reputation to live up to otherwise they wouldn’t get any work. Ask your friends for referrals look for them under the company review websites on the internet, obviously look for the best competitive quote and that only the most suitable materials are used. Finally, and this is important, find out how long it is going to take them to complete.

No matter what jobs you have got planned for this year whether they are domestic or commercial, Betts Contracting is the No 1 choice and can offer you a complete solution in building maintenance with the best refurbishment quote, the highest quality of materials and the highest possible of standards in the quality of workmanship we deliver

Carpet And Upholstery Cleaning.

There are many different ways which you can take when approaching a carpet and upholstery cleaning task. The reason you are cleaning (general clean, removal of stains etc) as well as the kind of fabric you are cleaning both determine the kind of method you will choose. Whether you are going to use a professional carpet cleaning service or you are planning on doing it yourself, here are some basic guidelines to follow to make sure you don’t damage the material.

Methods of cleaning carpets

Other than the countless ‘housewives remedies’, there are generally five recognized methods of cleaning carpets. Steam (also known as hot water extraction), shampoo, bonnet or quick dry and dry absorbent compound cleaning.

Steam cleaning (a.k.a hot water extraction) is probably the most popular of all the different methods but not always the best since the drying time, depending on the material, can be as long as 12 hours. A high-powered pump sprays a cleaning fluid into the carpet which is then sucked out immediately by a strong vacuum.

You can get various different types of shampoo cleaning machines. Many look like an upright vacuum cleaner except that they have two nylon bristle brushes as attachments underneath and a tank which contains the cleaning fluid. The process is similar to that of somebody sitting on their knees with a brush as the carpet is scrubbed with the nylon brushes which loosens the dirt which is then vacuumed when the carpet is dry which, the same as the hot water extraction or steam method, is about 12 hours.

The quick dry or bonnet method might seem to be the same as shampooing the carpet, in fact the machinery is very similar. Instead of the two or three nylon brushes, the machine has a couple of highly absorbent buffing pads. A special quick dry cleaning solution is firstly distributed over the carpet and the machine then buffs the carpet clean by absorbing the solution as well as the dirt. It only takes about an hour to dry so this method is a must for high traffic areas.

Dry Foam cleaning is a mixture between shampooing and hot water extraction. Foam is introduced to the carpet by a machine with rolling brushes and the carpet is then vacuumed to remove the dirt. The drying time, dependent on the carpet type of course, is between an hour or two.

Dry absorbent compound is a powder which contains solvents and detergents, which are spread lightly on the carpet. You, or the professional you hire, uses a machine which scrubs the mixture into the carpet fibers and the carpet is left to stand for a bit. After a little wait, the vacuum cleaner is then used to suck up the compound (which has by now absorbed all the dirt) as a result the carpet stays as dry as it was when you started. This is probably the best method to use if you have thick carpets which can go moldy underneath if they stay wet for too long.

How to clean upholstery

The determining factor when choosing the best method to clean upholstery is the type of material to be cleaned. Some, for example, can only be dry cleaned (velvets and silks) and the cleaning is best left to a professional while other stronger materials can be wet cleaned. The steam method or hot extraction method is the same as what you would use on your carpets. The only difference is that the nozzle is a smaller, hand held version. You can also hand shampoo most fabrics but it is advisable to shake the cleaning solution and only apply the foam using a damp sponge.

Recognising Upholstery

When it comes to cleaning fabric furniture, most people don’t know what the best method to use should be. Search for the manufacturer’s instructions label. You should find it lurking at the bottom of one or all of the cushions and this should contain the manufactures suggestions, warnings and instructions. Apart from all the other images and text, look out for one of three codes: ‘S’, ‘W’ or ‘SW’. ‘W’ indicates that wet cleaning is permissible while the ‘S’ states that the material should only be dry cleaned. ‘SW’ indicates that the material is suitable for both wet and dry cleaning methods.