The most important thing you need to remember and practice with any carpet stain is to blot. Never smear or scrub a stain. Blotting will help lift a stain and prevents it from making the stain larger or pushing it down deeper into the fibers.

Next, pour a very generous amount of kosher table salt over the stains. Enough salt so that it is completely covering the stain and so that you cannot see any liquid seeping through the salt immediately. You can let it sit for a few hours if necessary.

Let the salt sit there a long time. Once you are certain the salt has absorbed all of the moisture then you can get out the vacuum and vacuum up all the salt.

Once all the salt is vacuumed up you can then get a clean white towel and some club soda. Blot the club soda over the area with the clean towel. This helps to clean up any of the remaining salt and you should see the stain lightened tremendously and sometimes completely vanish.

If the club soda doesn’t seem to help fade the stain enough, you can try Oxyclean which can help with red wine stains too.

Aaralyn also enjoys writing articles on her website square area rugs. be sure to red her latest article on washable area rugs.

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One of the best things you can do for the health of your fish is to regularly change the water in your aquarium. It is important to do this once a week. Never use abrasive cleaners or household products on your aquarium. These will disrupt the chemical balances your fish need. Additionally, you should never just add tap water to a freshwater aquarium. The abrupt change in water temperature can send your fish into shock.

Changing the water is an essential part of keeping your aquarium clean. The process does not have to be daunting. In fact, it can be broken down into several easy to follow steps.

First start by disconnecting your aquarium heater. Then transfer your decorations – including any artificial plants – into a brand new bucket. It is important that you use a bucket that is new and reserved only for cleaning your aquarium. If you use your bucket for other purposes, you may inadvertently expose your fish to harsh chemicals resulting in disease or death.

Now take an algae sponge (note: you can purchase one from your local pet store) and carefully scrub inside of your aquarium. If the algae is difficult to remove, you might try using a new razor to carefully scrape the algae away.

Next you should shut down your pump and remove your filter. Bring the bucket with your decorations to a sink and rinse them off. Again, you should not use chemicals. Simple water will do. If there is algae on these things, you can rub your fingers against them vigorously to remove it.

If you have followed the above steps carefully, it is time to use your gravel cleaner. While instructions will vary by manufacturer, the best approach will be to place the cleaner at the bottom of the rocks. Watch as the water and debris travels through the siphon. When the water is clear, move the cleaner to the next spot and follow the same steps as before. Follow this process until you have extracted twenty-five to thirty percent of the water in your aquarium.

Now take the temperature of the water. Make a note of it and adjust your tap water until it is the same temperature. Once you have adequate water, add it to the aquarium. (Note: If your water is chlorinated, you will need to add de-chlorinator to your aquarium first.)

Add your decorations to your aquarium and replace your filter. Connect your heater and turn on your pump.

Remember that it is not just cleaning it but the way you clean it that can make an aquarium a comfortable place for your fish to live.

Brian Wong is a freshwater fish enthusiast, and enjoys helping others get started in this amazing hobby. His newest book, “The Ultimate Guides To Freshwater Aquariums” teaches aquarists everything they need to know about starting and maintaining a thriving freshwater aquarium. For more great information on freshwater aquarium maintenance , visit http://www.freshwateraquariumguides.com.

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Regular vacuuming is very important to your home carpet cleaning routine. Without regular vacuuming, your carpet can become dull and full of allergens in a short time. Even a new carpet contains dust and other foreign particles that need vacuuming soon after it is installed. Of course no one likes dirt on their carpet and vacuuming removes it in most cases just fine. But not vacuuming can do serious damage to your carpet in other not-so-obvious ways.

Vacuuming is important for protecting your carpet fibers from cuts. It’s impossible to avoid the accumulation of dirt and sand on your carpet and especially in high-traffic areas. Consider that sand is used in the making of glass and those tiny particles can be very abrasive causing small tears in the carpet’s fiber. So, as people track dirt and sand in, they ground it in by walking over it and then others who follow ground it in further. This grounding process causes tiny tears in carpet fibers. If you don’t do regular vacuuming, the dirt continues to accumulate making even more of an abrasion threat as people walk over the area. It’s always easier to get the loose dry dirt and sand by vacuuming it early in the game.

Those living in your home with respiratory ailments benefit from vacuuming. People suffering from asthma have an especially difficult time when carpet is not given regular vacuuming. This is mostly due to dust mites that are tiny insects feeding on pet dander and dead human skin cells falling on and residing in your carpet. They can be found in the carpet of any home no matter how clean it might seem. The waste generated from dust mites is the direct cause of respiratory reactions in those susceptible to them. Those with asthma will find their wheezing increases as the problem of dust mites grows. Regular vacuuming does not rid a carpet of all dust mites but it can at least minimize the problem.

Vacuuming does not totally solve the problem of dust mites. This is why it is important to take all the right measures when it comes to carpet vacuuming. The most important measure you can take is making sure your vacuum cleaner bag is changed before it fills to capacity. You might think that vacuuming pulls all foreign matter from your carpet and puts it into the bag but the bag is porous and microscopic particles are thrown back into the home atmosphere eventually resting on the carpet. Dust mites are tiny enough to be able to pass through the bag while vacuuming and the likelihood is even greater when the bag is full. Actually, “vacuum” is a misnomer because these machines depend on air flow through the bag to pull debris from carpet.

Regular vacuuming should be done at least once per week. But if you can manage to do it more often then it is much better. One helpful tool you can use in order to minimize dust and dirt accumulations is a hand-held vacuuming machine. While these hand-held units are not as powerful as their upright and canister counterparts, they can keep your carpets clear on the surface until you get a chance to use your regular vacuuming machine.

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Steam cleaning is actually a misnomer. Technically, steam cleaning is really hot water extraction, which is something you can easily do yourself at home. For reasons we’ll soon see, you are actually better off doing it yourself.

Carpet cleaning machines can be rented from a rent-it-center, local hardware stores, or sometimes even your local grocery store. You can also buy a home unit from a department store and many on-line stores. The machines come in both a tank and upright models, and both styles work quite well. It is recommended however, that you avoid the models with rotating brushes, as these tend to cause wear of the carpet fibers.

If you have a lot of carpet in your home, owning a carpet shampoo machine may be the best way to go. By owning your own machine, you won’t be under time pressure to do all of your house at one time. Another advantage is that if you have pets or do a lot of entertaining at your home, you can take care of any unexpected spills and stains right away before they set up in the carpet fibers.

So what is the actual process? First,you should move as much of the furniture out of the room as possible and then vacuum the room thoroughly. Badly soiled areas should be pretreated with “pre-spray” made by mixing an ounce of the carpet shampoo with five ounces of water. Put this mixture in a spray bottle and mist the soiled area.

Next, fill the machine’s reservoir with the hottest water you can get from your sink. After that, add a carpet shampoo that has been formulated to be used with your machine. Initially you will want the shampoo to be low-foaming. By adding the carpet shampoo after the water is in the reservoir, you won’t generate suds. Use no more than one third of the recommended amount of shampoo. In other words, ignore the directions on the bottle so that the amount of foaming is minimized. You want to minimize foaming in order to prevent excess foam residue from becoming lodged in the carpet.

Visually divide the room to be cleaned into grids. For example, a 10′ x 10′ room could be divided into two 5′ x 10′ areas. Starting at one corner, pull the trigger that allows the cleaning solution to flow onto the carpet. Keep the trigger pulled and take long strokes back and forth across the carpet, covering the room in overlapping strokes. Continue this process until the reservoir is empty.

As the cleaning solution flows into the carpet, it is also being suctioned up into the recovery tank along with whatever dirt is hiding between the fibers. The recovery tank will probably need to be emptied often.

After you’ve covered the entire area, you’ll probably think the carpet is shampooed and clean. This is when commercial carpet cleaners will pack up their gear and leave. In a very short period of time, however, you may discover your carpet is dirty again!

Why? It’s because of leftover soap in the carpet which is now attracting more dirt! Think about this for a moment. When you wash your hair, you rinse before toweling dry. When you wash the dishes, you rinse them. Your clothes washer has at least one rinse cycle. The purpose is, of course, to get the soap out!

For similar reasons, you need to rinse your carpet. Rinse the reservoir tank until it contains no more soapy water and then fill it with cold water. Cold water cuts the soap better than hot water. Go over the area that you’ve shampooed, and do it repeatedly until the recovery tank is no longer picking up soap. Then do it one more time using just the extraction mode. That way you will pick up almost all of the water that’s been left in the carpet.

Let the carpet dry thoroughly before walking on it. If you must place furniture on it, put a piece of plastic wrap under the legs of the furniture. Following these steps will keep your carpet cleaner for a much longer period of time.

Every few years a different way of cleaning carpet seems to appear on the market. Most of these methods involve sprinkling a chemically treated sawdust-like material over the carpet and using an applicator to work it into the fibers. After allowing it to penetrate for a specified amount of time, you simply vacuum it up.

Institutional and commercial property owners often use the “bonnet” method. The “bonnet” is a loosely woven yarn pad with an elastic band around the edge. This pad is soaked in a shampoo solution and thoroughly wrung out. It is then placed on the bottom of a buffer machine which moves it in a circular motion over the area to be cleaned. It’s an effective quick-fix remedy because it easily removes the surface dirt.

Using carpet shampoo is not something you need to do very often. By vacuuming regularly, you will pull up a lot of the dirt and minimize the need to use shampoo. Shampooing and rinsing using the extraction method is really accomplishing the same thing as vacuuming.

Using carpet shampoo and hot water extraction will not hurt your carpet. On the contrary, it will keep your carpet looking new longer.

Carpeting a room or a whole house is a major investment. Give it the care it deserves.

Not everyone agrees on the value of using

More extensive information on carpet shampoo and carpet cleaners is available at Carpet Shampoo World.

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One simple solution uses white vinegar. White vinegar is often used as a cleaning agent because it is a safe solution that cleans effectively without harsh chemicals and residue. A good way to get out carpet stains is to mix one part vinegar with one part water. Put the solution in a spray bottle and saturate the area. After letting it soak into the area for about ten minutes, a sponge can be used to scrub the area clean. Be sure to rinse the area with warm water afterward and then dry it. Some people use ammonia diluted with water instead of vinegar. However, if this method is used it is important not to wet the carpet backing.

One of the most difficult things to remove from carpet is wax. Once hot wax is spilled on the carpet, it is best to let it sit until it has cooled and hardened and then use a knife or a sharp edge to remove as much excess wax as possible. Then place a brown bag, a wet towel, or a paper towel over the area and go over it with a warm iron. That warm iron should make the wax on the carpet stick to the bag or towel and safely remove it from your carpet.

However, the best way and most effective way to remove stains from the carpet is hot water extraction or steam cleaning. For this method, it is best to hire a professional to keep your carpet looking neat and clean.

Commercial Carpet Cleaning, Inc., is a Tucson carpet cleaning company that provides services to residents and businesses in and around the Tucson, Arizona area. Billings Farnsworth is a freelance writer.

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But what is the best way to clean a LCD/TFT type of screen? They are not made from glass, but plastic, and it is very fussy plastic at that. Window cleaner would probably be a bad idea since it has things in it that can eat plastic. Instead, I often use a little cotton wool which has been very slightly dampened with a drop of pure water. This is a good way to get of the dust that seems to always end up on my screen. Perhaps it is static electricity or something, but there is always fluff, hairs, and dust on my laptop screen.

Cotton wool is better than using a rag because not only is ultra clean, but it is the least abrasive substance I know of. Soft tissue paper might seem like a good idea, but I tried that and it left lots of little fibres behind. Dampening the wool shouldn’t be overdone because you don’t want water getting on your screen. Not only is it very bad if it seeps into the electronics, but it also is more likely to leave streaks.

The Dreaded Fingerprint

Dust is least difficult to remove from your screen, whereas finger prints are probably the hardest. A fingerprint seems to have an oily quality that just refuses to breakdown with water alone. Soap and hot water would get rid of the mark, but would also ruin your computer. The best solution to this problem is specially made screen wipes. These are cloths that are soaked in special cleaning agent and they come in boxes of individual sachets. Reassuringly it normally says on the front, “Safe for TFT Screens”.

When your computer screen is operating at full brightness in a dimly lit room, your screen will show little or no signs of dirt. In order to clean the screen properly you first need to be able to see where the dust and stains are. For best results, I recommend looking at your screen at an angle in bright daylight with the screen turned off.

Dust Busting

To prevent your screen from getting dirty in the first place I have a few tips. Firstly, if you have a laptop, close the screen when it is not in use. Not only does this prevent dust from landing on the screen but it also switches the screen off, which I think has to extend the life of the display. Secondly, try to avoid touching the screen with your fingers. I find that when discussing directions or a photograph people can’t help but point at something by touching the screen. This makes me wince, because I know just how long it is going to take before I can completely remove those fingerprints. Instead it is best to use the mouse pointer, the end of a pen, or anything except those darn grubby fingers.

Zach Hope is the author of Speed-Up-Windows-XP.com, a site that can teach anybody to speed up Windows [http://www.speed-up-windows-xp.com/speed-up-windows] to invigorate old computers. You can eliminate slow boot troubles [http://www.speed-up-windows-xp.com/slow-boot] today and transform your slow computer [http://www.speed-up-windows-xp.com/slow-computer].

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When repainting remember that the higher the paint sheen the easier it is to care for. For kids’ rooms, high gloss may be the best choice.

If you must wash an entire wall or ceiling to prepare it for painting or just because, use a microfiber mop or a sponge mop for the large areas and then a sponge or cloth for the corners and edges.

Avoid streaking by starting at the bottom and working upwards. Yep, seems counter intuitive, but trust me that’s the only way.

Never try to spot clean a wall that has even a smidgen of grease on it, or you’re in for a world of hurt.

Remove those nasty grease spatter spots from the wall behind the stove with a Dobie Pad and concentrated all-purpose cleaner or a Mr Clean Magic Eraser. For really heavy-duty grease, use Dow Bathroom Cleaner, wipe and rinse thoroughly right away. After the wall is clean, apply a generous coat of paste wax and those spots will come off with just a paper towel.

An art gum eraser will remove most spots and smudges from wallpaper. (Wallpaper is making a come back, you know!)

For grease spots on wallpaper, rub gently with cornstarch or baby powder. Brush off after an hour or so.

The author is the co-owner of one of San Francisco area’s oldest and largest cleaning companies. They have compiled a multitude of housekeeping tips on their “cleaning proz” blog. To view, go to their web site, http://thecleansweep.com and click on the blog link.

Margaret is also the author of the 1983 book, “Dirt Busters: Over 600 Practical, Down-to-Earth Tips From the Experts.”

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The only way to stop your cat from causing devastation around your Christmas tree is to use a deterrent. Many people will use all sorts of things to try and stop the cat from getting close to the tree, some people will put the Christmas tree in a children’s play pen (however often the cat will happily jump over this or squeeze through the bars), other people will recommend leaving citrus peel around the bottom of your tree, I don’t recommend this method as you can end up staining your floor or carpet if you are not very careful, especially as the fruits contain acid.

I have found by far the best cat deterrent for any type of Christmas tree is home made decorations. It is true that cats do not like the smell of citrus, their noses are very sensitive, and often citrus can be overpowering and they will not approach, this is why I recommend making the old fashioned orange and clove hanging tree ornaments. That way the Christmas tree will still look nicely decorated, and you’ve got a built in cat deterrent.

The ideal way to make these is to purchase large oranges (not the easy peel type), you’ll want to dry these out as much as possible. Dry them in a oven on a very low temperature, you want to evaporate the moisture in the orange rather than cooking the orange. When the orange has dried to a good degree (but not too hard), you need to push in the cloves all the way around the orange, covering as much of the skin as you can. Decide now how you are going to attach the ribbon (to hang the orange on the tree), you could put the ribbon through the orange and secure it at the bottom with a loop at the top, or you could tie the ribbon like a parcel around the orange, if you want to pass the ribbon through the orange, then make sure you make a whole now. Return the oranges to the oven on a low temperature to finish drying. Once dry, let them cool and then tie on the ribbon.

Your oranges are now ready to decorate your Christmas tree. Your house will be wonderfully fragranced with the scent of oranges and cloves, and I can guarantee your cat will avoid the Christmas tree for the entire Christmas season. If it looks like your oranges won’t last that long, then purchase some more and start the process again.

Written by Laura Marsh. For more cat information on cats and cat care visit
http://www.caringforyourcat.info

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Organizing your home entails assembling a good number of storage containers for everything from sugar cookies to Christmas lights and ornaments. The tree can create a mess as well, and if you choose an artificial tree, it will also need to be stored. When it comes to getting yourself and your home ready for this Christmas season, challenges abound. Getting started early, even before Thanksgiving, is a good way to thwart the coming stress of December.

While one may not want to start decorating until after Thanksgiving, there is no real reason to not prepare for decoration. This is where organization can become an issue. The first thing you need to do is to begin cleaning your entire house. All of your non-seasonal knick-knacks need to go. Throw rugs and blankets may need to be replaced as well.

Boxes of all sizes are invaluable for holiday storage and organization. This starts with storing your non-holiday items in order to make room for the Christmas tree and more. Label the boxes by room, and begin filling them up with the items that you are getting replacing. When a box is full move it into storage. Once your home is thoroughly desolate and devoid of decorative flair you can begin to think of your Christmas decorations.

Getting your actual decorations out can be a major hassle. This is the year to overhaul your storage system. Get rid of those cardboard boxes and replace them with plastic containers. Plastic is sturdier, stacks more easily, protects your items better and can simplify your storage process. Furthermore, plastic containers have been tweaked to fit any purpose. Many boxes can easily fit up to sixteen ornaments in safe individual compartments. The boxes come in three snap together trays that can, when put together, can safely store twenty-seven or twenty-eight ornaments. You no longer have to worry about losing precious keepsakes when you store your ornaments. Furthermore, you can avoid the waste of time that comes with wrapping ornaments in layer after layer of newspaper. These simple boxes provide perfect protection for all of your tree trimmings. They also can work wonderfully to stow bows, ribbons and other wrapping accessories.

Another frequent organizational nightmare associated with preparing for the Christmas season is dealing with all of the wrapping paper and ribbon. Keeping these items stored without damage can be a significant challenge. It’s a good idea to store all your gift-wrapping supplies in one location. Hang them on a door for storage, so they don’t get crushed. This can help you keep the rest of your house organized for Christmas.

A final crucial step for getting your house organized for Christmas is to prepare your kitchen. The Christmas holiday season can easily be referred to as baking season, and if you plan on doing a lot of work in your kitchen, then you better be ready. Forget your spring cleaning routine, now is the time to get that kitchen cleaned out. Get your spice rack organized, move those pots to the most accessible location, and get your appliances reorganized to fit your baking needs. For most of the year your kitchen should be organized to meet your day to day needs. But during the holidays, your day to day necessities are thrown aside. Rather then focusing on the meat and potatoes of mealtime you may find yourself emphasizing the cookies and cakes during this time of year. One of the largest organizational disasters that come along with Christmas is trying to work around a kitchen that is not built for baking. You need to rework this room, or your sanity is going to be tested throughout the entire season.

Getting ready for the Christmas holiday season should start just before Thanksgiving. Even if you are one who refuses to decorate until after Thanksgiving, there is work to be done and the benefits can be very rewarding. Begin your organizational work now, and you can be well on your way to a more relaxed holiday season around the house or apartment. However, if you procrastinate, things can quickly become quite hectic and stressful. Invest in the proper storage materials, deal with the problem of wrapping paper and overhaul your kitchen. These steps should set you well on your way to a happy and peaceful Christmas holiday season.

About the Author:

Nick Kakolowski is a freelance writer who writes about home organization, offering seasonal tips and discussing specific items such as Christmas ornament storage.

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So what is the best way to protect your precious memories? The first step is to know which dangers are present that can damage your decorations. While you know that the main concern for your Christmas decorations is breakage, but it is not the only threat present that can damage your ornaments. Others important dangers to your decorations are moisture and sunlight. Understanding each of these dangers can help you store your decorations properly to prevent any serious damage.

Protect From Breakage

Protecting your Christmas ornaments from breakage is the main concern of many. There are several ways to do this. The first is to invest in storage containers that are specifically made for Christmas storage. Ornament boxes are made of a sturdy plastic and have spaces for each ornament individually. This prevents the ornaments from hitting against each other and prevents the box from being smashed if it is stacked in the garage or basement. If your storage containers have empty room in them after careful packing, fill the space with crumpled newspaper or tissue paper. This prevents the items from banging against each other, which can lead to breakage.

Protect From Moisture

While breakage is an obvious problem, moisture is a more insidious one. You may not realize that moisture is damaging your ornaments until it is too late. Moisture is particularly damaging to soft items but can damage anything. If you must store your Christmas items in a damp area, there are several things that you can do to minimize the damage. Store your decorations in plastic containers; raise them a few inches off the ground and add silica gel to packing containers that contain wreathes and soft decorations. This can help prevent moisture from damaging your decorations. .

Protect From UV Damage

Prevent damage from ultraviolet rays by storing your decorations in colored, non-clear containers. UV rays not only bleach out fabric but can weaken it as well. Many plastic containers that are used for storage are clear or opaque. While these are acceptable for storage in a basement, if the storage area receives light through windows, you should invest in colored plastic containers.

Once you know what the threats are to your Christmas decorations, you can protect them much more effectively. Proper organization of your holiday items allows you to find them easily and know that they are protected. While the initial investment in specially designed storage containers may cost more than storing the items in cardboard boxes or trying to fit them back into their original containers it is in an investment that will pay off. You will increase the life of your holiday ornaments, and make the decorating process one you enjoy rather than dread each year. Purchasing the proper storage containers for items such as wrapping paper, ceramic collectibles and candles is a treat that you deserve. The person that does the majority of the decorating should have the option of choosing which storage solutions would work best for the family. They are familiar with not only the decorations, but also the areas where the decorations are stored. This provides them with the most insight into what problems the area of the house may have such as moisture, rodent problems, or intense sunlight.

Once you have invested in these storage containers, they should last as long as your keepsakes. Avoid over packing to prevent the boxes from stretching out. This can cause problems with the seals in your lids, and handle with common sense for the longest life. While there is no reason to be overly gently with these storage containers, do not stack heavy boxes more than three high, and do not throw them around. Just because your items are tucked securely into, their storage container does not mean you can throw the boxes around as if you would other, unbreakable, loads. Ornament storage is important because each decoration has many memories that go with it and learning the proper way to store these decorations can be very beneficial. Consider these tips during the next holiday season and you can safely store your decorations for many years to come.

Rachel Jackson is a freelance writer and blogger who writes about topics concerning home maintenance and organization. Rachel Jackson writes about seasonal organization issues, such as Christmas ornament storage.

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