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Green Cleaners: 5 Reasons To Use Eco-friendly Products

July 30, 2021 by Illinois Valley Clean Team

Who doesn’t want a cleaner environment? However, eco-friendly cleaning products can offer you much more! These are 5 benefits of using green cleaning products in the Illinois Valley.

Illinois Valley Clean Team is ready to serve your home with safe and high-quality cleaning services. If you prefer a particular cleaning product, let us know! Learn more about our services here!

Filed Under: General

How To Deal With Mattress Stains (Any Type Of Stain!)

July 12, 2021 by Illinois Valley Clean Team

Illinois Valley Clean Team-How To Deal With Mattress Stains (Any Type Of Stain!)

Are you sleeping in a clean bed? If you are not sure, you just need to look for stains under the bedding! A mattress stain is always a sign that your bed is not as clean as it should be. But don’t worry! In this blog post, you’ll learn how to clean mattress stains—from coffee to blood spills!

Why mattress stains are a big deal

Besides avoiding the warranty, stains on your mattress are a sign that it needs a thorough cleaning. Most stains represent a sanitation risk—for example, food stains or common bodily fluids. 

As mattresses won’t fit a washing machine, homeowners frequently neglect cleaning them. However, this essential piece of furniture gets dirty too! And removing those gross stains is part of their crucial cleaning process.

Learn how to clean mattress stains here:

Step 1. Strip the bedding and prepare the mattress

Maybe you can’t throw a mattress into the washing machine, but the bedding is another story! Strip everything from your mattress and wash it. Even if the sheets or bed linens are stained, laundry detergent is enough to remove it.

Use a vacuum cleaner with an upholstery or crevice attachment to clean the entire bare mattress, focusing on the seams and corners. It isn’t directly related to the stain but, why not? It just takes a few minutes, and the vacuum cleaner will take away dust mites, dead skin, dust, and other allergens.

Step 2. Remove the stains

The process to remove a stain depends on what causes it in the first place. For example, you can clean most spills using room-temperature water, but you need cold water to remove blood stains! 

We tell you how to remove common mattress stains here:

Blood stains

From a period accident to any other reason, a blood stain can ruin your mattress. Removing the blood from the fabric and foam can be tricky and often impossible. 

How to get blood out of a mattress? You need to act fast to clean blood stains. If blood proteins stick to your mattress fibers, the stain will be harder to remove. 

Follow these steps as soon as you can:

  • Use only cold water! Hot or even warm water can set the stain for good into the fibers. Dab the stain using a clean towel damped in cold water. Don’t rub the stain to avoid driving the blood deeper into your mattress! 
  • Try a mix of one part baking soda and two-part cold water. Apply the mixture with a paper towel or clean rag and let it rest for 30 minutes. Then, rinse the mix using a clean towel or rag dipped in cold water—Dab the area dry (without pressing the stain!).
  • If the stain is still there, make a paste mixing ½ cup of cornstarch, ¼ cup of hydrogen peroxide, and a tablespoon of salt. Apply the mixture all over the stained area and let it dry. 
  • Once the paste dries out, scrape it or use a vacuum cleaner to remove it.

For particularly tough blood stains, you can use a meat tenderizer! 

This powder can break down blood proteins and make them easier to remove. Use this hack:

  • Make a paste by mixing a tablespoon of unseasoned meat tenderizing powder and two tablespoons of cold water. 
  • Spread the paste in the stained area and wait for an hour. 
  • Rinse the mixture using a clean cloth soaked in cold water, 
  • Dab the area with a dry cloth until it feels dry.

Sweat stains

What causes yellow stains on the mattress? If you are not sure what kind of stains are, most likely they are sweat stains. Fresh sweat stains seem like a wet spot in the mattress. However, once they dry out, they get a characteristic yellowish tone.

In Illinois Valley’s hot summer months, it’s not a surprise how easily sweat stains can appear in a mattress. However, you can clean them off by following these steps:

  • Mix equal parts of hydrogen peroxide, dish soap, and water. Then, spray it generously on the stain and let it rest for 20 minutes.
  • Blot out the mixture you sprayed on the stain.

Urine stains

A mattress doesn’t have to remain stained after a bedtime accident. Although urine stains don’t stick as other bodily fluids, removing them without soaking the mattress is a challenge too!

How to get urine out of a mattress? 

If it’s still fresh, first you have to deal with the excess liquid: 

  • Blot the urine using a towel. Don’t rub the mattress, as it can push the urine deeper. 
  • When you have blotted most urine away, mix equal parts of white vinegar and water to spray it in the stain. Blot the cleaner a few minutes after spraying it. 

If you need to remove a dry urine stain:

  • Inside a spray bottle, mix a cup of hydrogen peroxide, three tablespoons of baking soda, and three drops of dish soap. Swirl the mix gently.
  • Spray the mixture generously over any urine stain.
  • Let the mixture sit in the mattress until you see baking soda residue appearing.
  • Vacuum the residue and repeat the process until the stain and smell go.

Vomit stains

Vomit is similar to the other bodily fluids, and it can also leave a stain on your mattress—they all are protein-based stains. However, if the fluid is fresh, you’ll first need to clean the mess.

  • Remove the solids and put them in a plastic bag. Throw it outside your home immediately.
  • Remove the bedding and throw it into the washing machine. 
  • Dab the liquid using paper towels or a rag. 
  • Using a rag damped in soapy water, keep dabbing the stained area. Then, mix one-part water and three parts white vinegar to spray it in the stain. 
  • Blot the excess liquid in the area. 

If you are cleaning an old vomit stain, follow these steps:

  • Mist the stained area with plain water until it’s slightly damp. 
  • Mix a cup of hydrogen peroxide, three tablespoons of baking soda, and three drops of dish soap to spray it over the stain. 
  • Scrub the stain with a soft brush.
  • To finish, mist the stained area with plain water again and blot it with a clean towel.

Red wine and other drinks

Wine and coffee spills can leave a lingering stain too. If the spill is fresh, the first thing to do is remove the bedding and blot most of the liquid with an absorbent cloth. 

If the spill is still visible or you are removing an old stain, follow these steps:

  • Mix two parts hydrogen peroxide and one part dish soap.
  • Pour the mixture into a damp cloth and dab the stain with it.
  • Repeat until the mattress is clean, and blot the moisture with a dry towel.

Step 3. Sprinkle the mattress with baking soda

After removing stains from your mattress, you should let it dry completely for 24 hours—you can use a fan to speed up the process. To take advantage of that time, also sprinkle baking soda throughout your entire mattress. 

Baking soda absorbs odors, so you can get rid of the remaining bad smells by placing a generous layer of this wonderful product.

Step 4. Vacuum the mattress and bring the fresh bedding

After your mattress dries out completely, use the upholstery attachment of your vacuum cleaner to remove the baking soda. 

Lastly, bring fresh sheets and linens to make your bed!

Also:

If you haven’t flipped your mattress in a while, now is the perfect time to do it!

Bonus: Consider using a waterproof mattress protector!

Preventing mattress stains is easier than removing them! It doesn’t matter how careful you are; spills and stains are impossible to avoid… unless you use a mattress protector!

A waterproof protector can extend your mattress’ life and help you keep it nice looking and fresh.

Treat your whole bedroom: cleaning services in Illinois Valley

While you are cleaning your mattress, why not give your entire bedroom a thorough cleaning? Your bed isn’t the only piece of furniture that can deteriorate due to lack of cleaning!
Illinois Valley Clean Team delivers high-quality services to La Salle, Peru, Utica, and other areas in Illinois Valley! Check out our cleaning services and pick the one that suits you best!

Filed Under: General

7 Errors To Avoid Next Time You Clean Your Home

June 30, 2021 by Illinois Valley Clean Team

A clean home is a safe home. However, some mistakes can make your cleaning less effective or put you in danger. Learn the common errors so you can avoid them.

7 Errors To Avoid Next Time You Clean Your Home

Filed Under: General

Do You Need A HEPA Filter Vacuum Cleaner To Prevent Allergies?

May 14, 2021 by Illinois Valley Clean Team

Allergy sufferers in the Illinois Valley have a harder time during the spring and summer months. Although many allergy cases need medical treatment, cleaning could ease the symptoms that indoor air triggers. In this blog, we tell you how vacuuming improves indoor air quality and, therefore, it could help you reduce your allergy symptoms. Read on!

What causes allergies

To prevent allergies, we need to understand what causes them in the first place. An allergy symptom occurs when your body’s immune system reacts to a foreign particle or substance. The allergy triggers are called allergens, and they could be food, medicine, or any other thing that is usually harmless to most people. When it comes to seasonal allergies, the triggers are airborne particles like pollen, dust mites, and mold spores. As professional cleaners, what we can do to prevent allergy symptoms is keeping your indoor air and surfaces free from allergens.

How vacuuming prevents allergies?

If a vacuum cleaner can suck up the particles that may be causing allergies, then vacuuming your home regularly should ease the symptoms. However, not every type of vacuum cleaner is capable of retaining those particles. Some allergens are so small that vacuum cleaners just spray them back into your room, even worsening the air quality. Using quality HEPA filter vacuums is your best option to retain most allergens.

What is a HEPA filter?

A HEPA filter (High-Efficiency Particulate Air filter) is a type of pleated mechanical air filter. They remove 99.97% of airborne particles that are at least 0.3 microns in diameter. In other words, a HEPA filter can retain almost every allergen present in your home. These types of filters are not only used in vacuum cleaners. You can also find them in HVAC systems or air filters. 

What’s the best way to vacuum your home 

We already mention that a good quality HEPA filter vacuum can capture most allergens, but a  good technique is also needed. Check out these hacks to dust and vacuum your home—reducing most seasonal allergens indoors.

Use protective gear

A drawback of dusting and vacuuming is that you can stir up allergens inside your home. If you suffer from allergies, try to always use a mask and other protective gear while cleaning. 

Prepare your vacuum cleaner

Before starting your cleaning routine, empty the bag of your device and check for debris or hairs trapped in the brushes. Also, many vacuum cleaners have multiple attachments that are meant for specific tasks. Use the proper tools and accessories to get the best results. 

Dust from top to bottom

Vacuuming your carpets and floors is not as effective as dusting the entire room from top to bottom. Allergens can be on any surface. Start by wiping higher fixtures and vacuuming drapes or curtains. Don’t forget to clean window seals, furniture, and baseboards. If your vacuum doesn’t have attachments for these tasks, you can use a microfiber cloth to capture the particles.

Since 2008, Illinois Valley Clean Team helps busy homeowners with their housework. If keeping your home allergen-free sounds like too much hassle, check out the services we offer. We use backpack-style vacuums equipped with HEPA filters so that we can reach every spot in your home! Request your quote online fast and easily.

Filed Under: General

Essential Measures For A Safe Return To School This Fall

August 11, 2020 by Illinois Valley Clean Team

For many parents, the return to school is a welcome, important and serious step that must be measured and planned carefully. The pandemic is still ongoing, and school principals and parents alike can’t take their guard down. Make sure your kids are safe if they return to school. Here in this blog, we list some of the essential preventive measures you can advocate for as a parent. 

Research the school’s preventive actions

Schools must be able to make in-person learning safe. First of all, the facility must have enough space and classrooms to ensure social distancing and appropriately scatter staff and students. School principals and districts must also present a detailed plan for administering extracurricular classes, food services, health, and other topics. Some other preventive measures are the following:

Staggering lunch and class schedules

Reducing the number of students in one place is the best way to avoid the virus spreading. Creating different schedules for segments of each group can be one way to do it.

Moving classes to the outdoors

If your kids’ school has the resources and spaces to move classes to different spots, this might be a crucial advantage in the fight against COVID. The virus doesn’t spread so freely outdoors, and changing from place to place will give the cleaning staff time to disinfect.

Putting signs to reduce crowding

Hallways, corridors, or stairs can be major crowding points where students and personnel can avoid being near other people. The school must provide a well-planned strategy to manage traffic circulation, directions, and put signs on the walls to guide students.

Validate transportation.

On your side, you have to evaluate if it’s better to use public or private transportation, like the school’s bus, or your car to take your children to school. Undoubtedly, the safest way is to make them yourself, but this won’t always be possible.

Be prepared for a return to online classes.

The pandemic isn’t over, and classes might go online again in the following months, depending on the number of new cases in your community. The best return-to-school plan has to consider this. Be prepared to have your kids all day again. Talk to your boss, your school principals, listen to the authorities and have a plan b to adapt quickly.

Check your child’s medical condition.

Although kids aren’t as susceptible to serious complications from COVID-19 as adults, they can be part of the high-risk population if they have underlying medical conditions. Be sure to have your child’s medical condition checked. Talk to your pediatrician, and clear all your doubts. Also, consider:

Update immunizations

All students (and the school’s staff) must be up to date with their flu shots., especially considering that flu season will come soon during fall and winter.

Ensure emotional support

Children can be affected by stress during this pandemic, the same as adults. Schools have to provide reliable mental health support to their students and recognize the signs of this affection. If you have noticed some anxiety in your child, search for support, and decide if returning to school is a good idea.

Months before we were asking when do kids return to school? Now, we are preparing for this change of routine, as safe as it can. Please take care and follow the preventive guidelines. Remember that Illinois Valley Clean Team is offering cleaning and disinfecting services to help our clients prevent COVID-19 and feel calmer in their homes. Book your service on our website.

Filed Under: General Tagged With: return to school, when do kids go back to school

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