56 The Queens Courier • at home • FEBRUARY 18, 2016 for breaking news visit www.qns.com AT HOME CARPET CARE TIPS By Tresa Erickson Carpet remains a popular option in flooring, especially in bedrooms where bare feet are more likely. Who relishes the thought of sliding out of bed onto an icy cold tile floor in the dead of winter? Carpet can feel great underfoot but can take a real beating over the years. It is important that you clean your carpet on a regular basis to keep it looking its best. Frequent vacuuming is a must to remove loose dirt and debris. Generally, the more pets and children you have in your household, the more often you will have to vacuum your carpet. Weekly vacuuming may not be enough, and you should always vacuum up messes right away. Tracked-in mud or spilt coffee grounds can easily get ground into the carpet if not removed right away. There are several vacuum cleaners on the market. You want one with enough suction power to pick up a lot of debris. Experts recommend a top-load vacuum cleaner that will allow the dirt to fall inward. You should empty the canister frequently and change or clean the filters regularly for optimal suction. Regular cleaning is a must to remove any oily, sticky residue your vacuum cleaner misses. Several methods are available. Most experts recommend the multi-step process of steam cleaning. During this process, the carpet is first pre-treated with cleaner and then agitated to loosen the dirt and debris and work in the soap. Finally, it is rinsed and the water extracted. You can steam-clean your carpet yourself, but most experts advise you hire a professional. Not only will they have all of the right equipment for the job, but they will know how to use it. Shop around for a good service, and when you find one, set up a regular cleaning schedule. Most experts recommend a professional cleaning every 12 to 18 months depending upon the number of people who live in your home and the amount of traffic it receives. Most carpet cleaning services charge by the room. Jobs can run $100 on up depending upon the number of rooms you have done. Many services offer specials. If the cost is still too steep, you may want to look into renting or purchasing a steam cleaner. Just be aware that most do-it-yourself cleaners will leave behind cleaning residue that will attract dirt. In between steam cleanings, you may need to spot-clean your carpet from time to time. Purchase a good cleaner and clean up spills immediately. DonÕt leave the stain to set in. Blot up the excess liquid and clean up the spill according to the manufacturerÕs directions. Do not rub or scrub the spill. You could cause the carpet to fray and twist. Beyond all of this, what else can you do to keep your carpet in good shape? Take off your shoes and walk around your home in your socks. Ask those who live with you or stop by for a visit to do the same. Limit walking around barefooted. The natural oils in your feet will attract dirt. Give your carpet the care it deserves, and it will last you for a long time. When you are ready to purchase new carpet, shop around. Find out where the best brands are, consult with the experts and make the right choice for your home. Get safer drinking water the natural way Household bacteria can be a serious issue affecting your health. In fact, the very steps we take to eliminate harmful bacteria may be spreading it. Everyone washes their fresh fruits and vegetables, but the water in your pipes may contain even more bacteria, especially if you have hard water. The problem isn’t only in the kitchen. When you take a hot shower, the steam you are inhaling can also contain the same microbial contamination that is in the rest of your plumbing, exposing you to pathogenic bacteria such as Legionella, which can cause Legionnaire’s disease. The piping used in home plumbing, whether it is copper or PVC, has very smooth interior surfaces which don’t permit bacteria to settle and grow. However, hard water, which contains high levels of calcium and magnesium, results in scale formation on the interior surfaces of those pipes which provides a perfect home for bacteria. Researchers at the School of Sustainable Engineering at Arizona State University found that bacteria may grow at the same rate in pipes filled with both hard and soft scale. This is important new information as some forms of water conditioners produce this soft scale. The only solution to this problem is to remove the scaling in the pipes entirely, which only a traditional salt-based water softener can do. This type of water softener works by running the incoming hard water through a resin filter that traps the calcium and magnesium in the water, as well as any iron, manganese or radium ions, and replaces them with sodium ions. Bacterial growth in plumbing is well documented and can cause serious hygienic problems in water systems, especially in hospital buildings and hotels. Factors like water flow and plumbing materials influence the growth rate of bacteria, but once it’s in your pipes, it’s distributed throughout your home each time you turn on the faucet. The fact is that salt not only helps remove and prevent the hard water scaling in home plumbing, it is also a natural antibiotic. Throughout history, people have used salt as a vital food preservative to keep bacteria from growing on cured meats and cheeses. New research form the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine shows that salt acts as an antibiotic in the body as well. In the case of a skin infection, the body naturally moves more salt to that spot to fight the infection. The extra salt also helps the body’s defensive systems more effectively fight infection. If you have hard water, there are significant benefits to having a traditional salt-based water softener in your home. Use a home water testing kit to test for water hardness yourself, or have a water treatment professional do the testing. For more information on water softening and salt health please visit www.saltinstitute.org. Courtesy BTP
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