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Congratulations to "LET THE SUNSHINE IN", our April 2012 Cleaning Corner story of the month! "LET THE SUNSHINE IN!" Q. An errant sprinkler head sprayed a bedroom window several times a week last summer without me realizing it. (It watered at night and I kept the blinds down in that room most of the time. When I realized it was so bad--it was SOOO BAD! I have tried all sorts of window cleaners with no results. I'm tempted to take a razor blade to it but I fear scratching the glass. What can I do? A. Hard water stains can be a hassle! Not only are they unsightly, they can be difficult to remove. Fear not! We have a great solution to those stubborn hard water deposits that doesn’t require a razor blade. Our Once Over Hard Water remover paste uses phosphoric acid to power through even the heaviest hard water build up. Just dampen the window and spread the Once Over paste with an hourglass scrubbing pad. Let it sit for a few minutes without drying then use your scrub pad to scrub away the mineral deposits. Rinse the window with clean water and you’re done! Crystal clean windows without fear of damage! Once the glass is clean, consider applying a coat of Glass Wax to the window to help it stay cleaner, longer, especially if you have problems with chronic sprinkler over-spray or run off. PLEASE NOTE: don’t use the Once Over on auto glass. « Hide this section Congratulations to "MUDDY BUDDIES", our March 2012 Cleaning Corner story of the month! "MUDDY BUDDIES!" Q. On a blustery rainy day I returned from working a 12 hour shift as a nurse, lights were off as I knew all the other members of the house would all be gone. I opened the garage door and was only greeted by one German shepherd instead of 3 which we have. When I opened the door into the house the other two shepherds were there to greet me. I went up the stairs and discovered that someone had not locked the French door to our dining room. These dogs are very smart and know how to open the door if it is not locked. For 10 hours these 3 dogs had been running in and out of the house bringing in all the mud, rain and muck having a wonderful time. Let me just say there was mud everywhere and I mean in every room except for a few that the doors had been shut. Living room, kitchen, dining room, 2 bathrooms, 3 bedrooms, stairs, family room, walls and furniture were covered with globs and splatters of mud. My husband promptly went to the Boise Store first thing the next morning renting the carpet cleaner and purchasing cleaners and supplies needed for this job. So in the future how is the best way to take care of mud stains? By the way we still have our dogs and the house looks great, your products, are the best, thank you. A. Wow, what a mess! I’m glad you were able to get it cleaned up with the help of the professional extractors we rent at our store locations. If muddy stains ever get you down again - and with dogs, it’s just about a guarantee that they will – let them dry. Then, use an upholstery brush and a vacuum to loosen and remove as much of the dirt as you can. This way, you remove the bulk of the problem before adding a wet spotter into the mix. Treat any remaining stain with a carpet spotter like our Oxy Action. Oxy Action is formulated with hydrogen peroxide to remove dirt and mud, as well as most food and drink stains. Just spray it on, agitate it with a Carpet Daisy, let it dry and vacuum it up. Quick and easy! « Hide this selection Congratulations to "OUT, OUT BROWN SPOT", our February 2012 Cleaning Corner story of the month! "OUT, OUT BROWN SPOT" Q. What is the best way to handle a brownish discoloration that remains on the carpet after it was spot cleaned? A. Brownish stains in your newly cleaned carpet are frustrating! Luckily, they’re not difficult to fix. There are many reasons the brown discoloration cab pop up after spot cleaning and shampooing. Over-wetting the carpet, sticky shampoo residue or old stains from the backing that have wicked back up into the tips of the carpet are just a few. The most common problem though is ph imbalance. Using chemicals to spot clean stains can drastically change the normal ph found in the fibers – it’s that difference in ph that makes some fibers more magnetic to dirt and dust resulting in reappearing brown spots. To remove existing brown stains, re-treat the area with your carpet spot cleaner. Rinse the area thoroughly with clear water then spray with a low pH product like our Carpet Rinse & Neutralizer. Put a clean, white cotton cloth over the area and weigh it down with a heavy book or potted plant, anything that will apply even pressure to the area as it dries. This way, the brown spot wicks into your cloth and is whisked away from the surface once the cloth is removed. To prevent the brown spots from appearing in the first place, use the Carpet Rinse & Neutralizer immediately after any carpet spotting or shampooing. The Carpet Rinse & Neutralizer will neutralize any residual shampoo residue, neutralize the ph, while leaving your carpet soft and smelling fresh. « Hide this selection Congratulations to "DIAPER DOOZY", our January 2012 Cleaning Corner story of the month! "DIAPER DOOZY!" Q. I use cloth diapers for my baby and the diaper pail starts to smell really bad only a day or 2 after I clean it. Is there anything to help keep the odor under control between cleanings? I try to clean it weekly and I wash the diapers every other day. A. These types of odors can be tough! I would recommend spraying the diaper pail with X-O Odor Neutralizer between cleanings. X-O is an organic, non-toxic odor neutralizer that will eliminate all odors on contact. Open up the pail and spray it on the diapers inside, as well as in the air around it. And because X-O is non-toxic, you don’t have to worry about dangerous chemicals coming into contact with your baby’s diapers! Additionally, if the container is plastic, check the interior of the pail to look for scratches or wear. In some cases, when the hard, glossy surface coating of plastic is scratched or worn, the material underneath becomes more susceptible to absorbing odors and these odors can be very difficult to remove permanently. Once you remove the smell, you might try using a disposable liner to save your diaper pail from extra wear and scratches that can literally soak up smells. « Hide this section

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