Easy mistake in cleaning can be costly to health and wallet

This morning I received another call about a travertine floor... the homeowner's housecleaner used "something" that removed its finish/shine...oh dear...

That something is probably an acidic cleaner. Acidic cleaners and acids in general will eat away acid sensitive material- such as calcium. Calcium based stones such as marbles, travertine and even most grouts are acid sensitive. When an acid meets an acid sensitive material, they react to each other. This reaction on acid sensitive stone is referred to as an etch. The stone has been eaten away. The finish wasn't cleaned away but eaten away.

The most common accidental etching comes from our little friend: Vinegar. Vinegar is commonly used in green cleaning. However, it is not a mild cleaner. A mild cleaner is non abrasive and has a pH of around 7 or neutral. Vinegar is a non-buffered acid with a acidic pH of 3. Vinegar, even though it is safe to eat, is not always safe to use. Safe and mild are two different things. Safe refers to a product being nontoxic it also may mean - safe to use on all surfaces but not necessarily.

A product can be mild, non-harmful to a surface such as a neutral mildewcide but damaging people

Common household cleaners that are acidic are: toilet cleaners drain cleaners, shower/tile cleaners and vinegar-based window cleaners.

On top of etching, acidic cleaners are also reactive. When mixed with bleaches or alkaline cleaners they react. This reaction can be nontoxic, like the reaction you get when mixing baking soda and vinegar. But... and this is a big but!! It can also create a toxic and deadly gas!!

The most common reactive chemicals are ammonia/strong alkalines, bleaches and acids.

Never mix cleaning products!!! You may be creating a deadly and toxic gas!!!

It is incredibly easy to accidentally mix cleaners. You spray one in the air...and then you spray another in the air.  Walla- you just mixed products. I can't tell you how many times, I been told by a home and professional cleaner they had burning eyes, scratchy throats, coughing, headaches etc. when cleaning or post cleaning!

A travertine floor that has "lost" its sheen will need to be repolished. This is an expensive process and one that could have been easily prevented. An etched floor might be stressful and expensive but at least it wasn't deadly.

Home care is a science and an art.  Cleaning is chemistry and physics.

This blog is a good example why I teach healthy homes, residue free cleaning and sell residue free cleaning products.

  The 3 parts of Residue Free Cleaning

1. Practice Prevention

Start with prevention- read labels, do your research, take off your shoes, wipe down your showers, run your exhaust fans, open windows for fresh air...

2. Use the Mildest means

Always start with the mildest means. Mildest means... dusting, vacuuming, microfibers and neutral, nontoxic cleaners. You can always move up to a harsher cleaner but if you clean well, you rarely ever need to use anything more than water, neutral cleaners, vacuums and microfibers!

3. Leave your home residue free

Leave nothing behind... no germs, no cleaner, no moisture...

Rinse and dry your surfaces, don't spray cleaners in the air, let fresh air into your home

If you are going to leave anything behind in your cleaning...

 let it be gratitude 

Wishing you safe, happy and healthy home,

Denise Frakes

Home and Life Coach at your service

For education, products and coaching contact me at 253-815-0446, message me on facebook  or email me at info@dfbluesky.com

To purchase the best in microfibers click here. Any questions don't hesitate to contact me.

Cleaning should be easy, safe and non stressful!

Reduce your cleaning time by 50%!

Floors are the largest area you clean.  If you really want to save time in your cleaning- invest in better more effective tools.  Tools that cover more ground and work for you.

I see so many homes using disposable and inferior cleaning tools.  Most disposables or cheap tools are about 6 inches to 12 inches wide.  That's a whole lot of waisted time and energy.  

            Bottom line:

         cleaning can be quicker, easier and more effective 

  If you want to save time, improve your tools, create less work for yourself and for heavens sakes... always leave your floors residue free!!

3 ways to save time and energy cleaning your floors

1)  Keep the dirt out!  Install effective entrance mats and rugs.  Take off your shoes!!  

        78% of all soil gets tracked in from outside.

 Less dirt inside - saves you time and energy!!!

2.  Go residue free.  Using a microfiber to clean vs applying cleaner will save you future work.

        Cleaners are made to attract soil.  If you leave cleaner behind it will continue to work- attracting more soil.  By removing soil with friction/microfibers you will no longer be leaving product behind.  Not only will your floors be cleaner and stay cleaner, you will also have less soil/soap build up that will need to be removed later on. 

 Less residue left behind - saves you time and energy

3)  Upgrade your cleaning tools.  Don't waste your time and energy on inferior tools.  Invest in long lasting, heavy duty- and effective tools.  This goes for your vacuum and hard surface tools.  If you have a large home this is crucial!!  I sell the Norwex 20" microfiber mop.

 Faster work - saves you time and energy

Below are links to the Products I talk about in the video

Superior Mop Purchase link:  Click here tool for hard surfaces- save yourself 50% of cleaning time!

Chenille pad:  Click here  tool for when you have rough surfaces or fuzzy shedding critters

Tile and Grout pad: Click here  tool for when you need a wee bit more agitation in your microfiber

Rubber Brush: Click here  tool for cleaning microfiber and excellent cat hair removal brush

Enviro wand: Click here  tool for cleaning hard to reach spaces such as sky lights and ceiling fans

   Happy cleaning.
       Denise Frakes
        Home and personal coach...at your service

An Ounce of Prevention for Returns

Today I returned my blog to its original name:  An Ounce of Prevention.  On Oct 6th 2009, this blog was created. The following was my very first post.  I've been writing about cleaning, healthy and happy homes for a long time- 9 years!  I still love it.  I'm a cleaning, clutter clearing and happy home nerd!

"Yesterday afternoon, I had a call from a lady with travertine floors. Her dog had thrown up and in certain light she could see an etch mark. During our conversation I explained the care and characteristics of travertine. Travertine can be both acid sensitive and scratch sensitive. As we visited a light when on and she realized her house cleaner had just cleaned all of her travertine floors with vinegar! Her heart sank and so did mine.

Calls like this come in much too often. I love my builders, retailer and designers who call on me to teach their clients the care and characteristics of their new surfaces. This customer's frustration and future expense didn't have to happen. My caller could have provided her house cleaner with the correct cleaner and a phone number to us for any questions.

She voiced her frustration of not being taught the proper care and characteristics. I felt for her- I hate these calls. I love teaching and helping to avoid this very situation.

An ounce of prevention should be what we call our education services.

May you have happy homes,
Denise"

Why did I leave this name?  When we sold the tile and stone cleaning part of our company, I thought I should remake this blog.  You might have noticed the shifts and changes.  Nothing felt quite right and nothing stuck.  An Ounce of Prevention was always its name in my head.  This week, I was doing a cleaning demo class and I saw over and over again how at the heart of  cleaning is always prevention.  You wipe down your shower walls and prevent soap scum.  You ask before you use vinegar and save a lot of money and stress.  You pick up your house throughout the week and cleaning day and your chore is faster: prevention-prevention-prevention. See what I mean??

 Travertine Care reminder:  Vinegar has an acidic pH.  Travertine is acid sensitive.  Put them together and you have taken the top micro layer off your travertine.  Tip, unless you want to damage your beautiful travertine floors, countertops and showers, do not use an acidic cleaner to clean them.   Instead use a microfiber mop and if a cleaner is needed use a cleaner with a neutral to slightly alkaline pH. One preferably that doesn't leave a residue.  Call with Questions and call before you use a product your are not sure of.

As always, wishing you a happy and healthy home,
           Denise
Home and Personal Coach- 27 years experience and 9 years blogging

Making cleaning easy and fast tip.  Use less cleaner on your floors.  Cleaner's can build up a residue making your beautiful floors look dingy, muddled and gray.  Cleaning is about removal not addition.  Removing germs, dirt, schmutz is what cleaning is.  Also, use big tools, make each movement count and go floor tools with big heads.  Here is one of my favorite things- the 20 + inch superior mop form Norwex.  It comes with two heads- one for dusting and one for cleaning.  This product will not only save you time, but keep your floors crystal clean and beautiful. Click here to check out this microfiber mop.

Never have to clean soap scum again!

The moment I realized I would never have to clean soap scum out in my own shower was a moment I'll never forget!  I remember running my index finger up and down on my shower walls and it squeaked clean.  Not from cleaning but from prevention.  This was truly an aha moment!  I thought .... "really soap scum is preventable????  Seriously????!!!"  No more harsh chemicals, Saturday's spent scrubbing or moments of procrastination and guilt for having mucky showers??  Ha!  

When Dallas and I were in the midst of our stone and tile cleaning business we were called to remove soap scum and mold from showers a lot.  By far this was our most frequent request.  I wasn't the only one struggling with the built on, indestructible man made coating called soap scum, it was most of us!

As it turns out, soap scum is completely and easily preventable.  In the course of preventing soap scum, you also are preventing mold and hard water deposits!  I know, this just keeps getting better and better doesn't it?  You might be wondering why this little life ease tid bit has evaded your life.  Another of life's unexplained questions...

Dallas and I learned it from a little fiesty and wise lady in her late 80s.  She had a dark brown polished marble shower.  She had called us out to inspect her shower, thinking it might need sealed.  At the time, the shower was about 5 years old.  Her tough to care for shower - looked brand new- no etching - no watermarks and no soap scum!  If you are familiar with marble you will know this surface would be one of the toughest to keep looking great in a shower.  Anyway, we asked her how she kept her shower looking so beautiful. She looked at us blankly, like really dont you know?  Apparently we didn't...  "Well, I rinse and dry it after each use".  hmmm

Common sense isn't always so common......  Of course she was spot on, or maybe I should say no spots on.  Rinse and dry (wax on wax off).  As people, we rinse and dry ourselves otherwise we would all be walking around with soap scum too.  It makes sense- not quite sure why and how I had missed this nugget of wisdom...

So what is the magic recipe for no soap scum showers in your life every again:
      After each use rinse and dry your shower.  Don't put your shower to bed wet and soapy.  It is bad etiquette. 

A couple other helpful hints....

    Use your exhaust fan.  As soon as you turn on the shower water, turn on your exhaust fans and run them for a solid hour after showering.  Mold and dust mights love moisture- remove the moisture and help prevent high humidity and molds.

    Use good tools.  A product I love for drying my showers is the Norwex Microfiber shower mit.  It has two sides- one with the world's best microfiber and the other with a scrub texture.  When I wipe down my shower I'm actually cleaning and detailing it too.  This microfiber also has baclock technology- which is a silver filament keeping your microfiber from building up bacteria- as it self purifiers. 
   I recommend cleaning your microfiber once per week.  Click here to see this tool and order one if you would like.  Click here to learn how to care for your microfibers

So there you have it.  Live a life with no soap scum!  If you already have soap scum build up, feel free to email me.  If you live locally- the Seattle/Tacoma area, I can refer you to a company to help you get cleaned up so you too can live a life of no soap scum!  If you live out of the area, I'll be writing more about showers.  Comment below with any questions and thoughts- thanks;-)

As always, wishing you sweet travels and happy living
              Denise Frakes
Certified Home and Personal Coach at your Service

Quick microfiber care tips....  I'll write more about the care of microfibers but here is the reader's digest version...

Please do not use bleach, fabric softeners and dryer sheets to care for your microfibers.  The bleach breaks down the fibers and the fabric softeners and dryer sheets coat your microfibers, leaving them less effective.  Use a mild and clean laundry detergent.  

The life of a cleaner

Cleaning is being transformed in my world.  As a professional cleaner for the past 25 years I now find myself no longer a cleaner.  This is an odd feeling and freeing feeling.

Growing up, I hated to clean!  Hated it.  I lived on a farm, cleaning meant I was not outside but inside doing the menial work of housekeeping.  Life is really very funny.  After college I took the next logical step, I became a professional cleaner. Seriously, who makes this stuff up???  Thankfully, I found I loved running a business, helping others and when you clean for someone else, cleaning brings great satisfaction.

Over the years of cleaning, I have cleaned everything from mastic off terrazzo floors, carpet for exhausted moms, filthy daycare chairs to award winning stone bathrooms.  I have cleaned for the ultra rich to the very poor.  I have cleaned for families moving in and families moving out.  I have cleaned for kind people, inspiring people, stressed people, families welcoming in a new baby, families hosting weddings and families after a loss.  During this time, I have also cleaned my own home.  I have cleaned, pondered cleaning, researched cleaning and taught cleaning.

As it turns out, cleaning was good for me.  It became my teacher as well as my vocation.  I learned from cleaning. I discovered residue and then taught residue free cleaning.  The value of cleaning and its history became visible. I found myself, in the process of being a cleaner.  Wax on ...Wax off.  There is wisdom in cleaning.  And there is a gift in learning to love your work whatever it may be.

As I write to you I'm in the process of becoming a certified transformational life coach.  As I help families clear out their clutter and live residue free lives my daily work is now my passion.

You see, as I cleaned, I learned that cleaning is also a tool for removing the residues of life.  The residues on our countertops and the residues in our soul.  Cleaning is a beautiful form of daily meditation.  Good cleaning creates a healthy home. Cleaning helps keep your home flowing with fresh energy.  Cleaning creates clarity and cleaning helps keep clutter and stagnation at bay. Cleaning gives you something productive to do when life throws you a curve ball.

I thought about closing out this blog and starting fresh in another blog.  But if I had done so we would not get to continue our chats.  If you call today wanting your travertine floors cleaned, I can no longer help you. I can refer you but I won't be your cleaner.  I can however help you enjoy your life,  I can help you clean out your clutter and life's residues. I can help you find clarity and joy in your daily work. I can help you discover what you love.

I thank all to whom I have had the pleasure to meet and work with over the years.  My husband Dallas and I have been blessed beyond measure.  We thank you.

As always, I wish you great joy in your home and in your life,
           Denise

The 5 essentials of Residue Free Cleaning

Before getting out of bed this morning I was thinking about the traits of residue free cleaning.  Normally I do yoga first thing in the morning but today all I could think about was residue free cleaning.  Who does that?  Me I guess.

When I make cleaning presentations it is usually under the title of green cleaning.  But I rarely actually do a presentation on green cleaning.  Instead, I almost always talk about residue free cleaning.  Green cleaning and residue free cleaning are close cousins but residue free is more of a philosophy than a product or tool.

As a professional cleaner of 23 years and counting we have learned a wee bit about cleaning.  Our style of cleaning- or residue free cleaning as we call it, comes from in insane amount of experience, researching, witnessing, the always helpful school of hard knocks, and a slightly odd amount of time thinking about cleaning.

So without further a dew... drum roll... here are the 5 essentials of Residue Free Cleaning:

1.       Awareness:  knowing what you are cleaning or attempting to clean in the first place is where you start.

          Questions: What is your surface?  What is your soil?  How did it get there?

    Example:  Let’s say you have white deposits on a glass shower door in a shower with travertine walls.  Your soil is most likely hard water deposits and soap scum. Your stone is both acid and scratch sensitive.

    Hint:  Most hard water removers are usually strong acids and will etch your travertine shower.  If you try to scrub off the deposits you may scratch your travertine.  This little bit of awareness can save you big bucks by not having to re-polish your travertine after it is damaged

2.      Practicing prevention:  If damage or soil can be prevented up front then by all means do that!

     Questions:  Could this soil have been prevented and how? 

           Examples:  Taking off shoes, using effective and clean entry mats can reduce the overall soil of a house by 76%!!  It benefits your indoor air quality, minimized your dust and dirt and helps all flooring last longer!  Another example would be to have rinsed and dried your shower each day- this would have minimized any white deposits on your shower walls.

           Hint: An ounce of prevention will save you a ton of time, energy, money and damage.

3.      Start with the mildest and safest means:  When you use the safest, mildest procedure and products your damage to both you, surface and environment is greatly reduced.

Questions:  What is the very mildest and safest way for me to start?

 Often, we find our clients using what we would consider a restorative cleaning product for daily maintenance.  These products tend to be aggressive, potentially dangerous, over kill and often damaging to your surfaces.  

      Hint:  Maybe all that is needed is a good vacuum or dust.  If you do need to clean start mild, you can always improve your system or increase the strength of your cleaning if the mild means doesn't work.  You will find with the right system mild cleaners usually do the trick so start here and then call for help if it doesn't.

       Example:  In the case of the hard water deposits in your shower… prevention rules. But if you do find yourself with hard water deposits, abrading off with a non scratch pad and a non acidic / mild abrasive product is the way to go.  Try baking soda or bon ami.  We use a product that contains sea shells which does require our elbow grease but works wonders.

4.      Break the surface tension:  In our culture of cleaning today, chemicals rule.  But the chemical part of cleaning is only part of cleaning and not the whole equation.  The goal of cleaning is to remove from the surface what doesn't belong on the surface- such as hard water deposits- without doing any damage- to persons, surfaces and environment.

  Question:  How would I remove dried oatmeal from my cooking pan?

    Hint: There are many parts of breaking surface tension

             Know what the characteristics of your surface.   Is it scratch, heat, acid, or bleach sensitive?

             Remove the big stuff- vacuum, scoop up or blow off the big dirt

             When cleaning, implement these four parts of cleaning

a.       Heat:  Heat usually elevates the cleaning power of your cleaner.  By mixing your concentrate cleaners with hot water you can usually use milder cleaners and get way more cleaning power.

b.       Time:  Leaving your cleaner on the surface/soil for a while helps it break the surface tension-            

c.       Agitation:  This is a lot like elbow grease.  In our company we have zillions of different 

                                types of agitators.  Our best agitators are:  microfibers or terry cloth towels, non scratch pads, brushes- natural hair and nylon, neoprene squeegees.

Chemical:  And finally we come to the cleaner.  Did you know water is a very effective cleaner?  Paired with the agitation and technology of a microfiber, it is brilliant!  You don't need a zillion cleaners but you do need a neutral cleaner, an acid, an abrasive cleaner and sometimes a high alkaline cleaner- that is pretty much it.  

    Tips:  One of my favorite neutral cleaners is fragrance free, natural dish washing liquid.  Did you know most hand soaps and dish washing liquids were neutral- meaning they had a pH of right around 7.  Another great little product is your baking soda- it works as a wonderfully mild and safe abrasive.  Vinegar makes an effective acidic cleaner- just don't use it on your travertine shower- it will etch the heck out of it!!!  And as far as alkaline cleaner- start with your dish washing liquid- you will be amazed how go of cleaner they usually are.

5.       And finally and this may be the most important part of residue free cleaning:

    Leave nothing behind!!!  

Question:  What am I leaving behind?

Hint:  Aim to leave nothing behind: soil- chemical- moisture

           Do no harm to people or surface

3 Tips:

a.       Don't spray cleaners into the air- the mist will go places you don't want or expect

b.        Always rinse after applying cleaner- cleaners left behind can make your surfaces re-soil faster.  They also can become food for bacteria and molds.  Residues left behind can give you a false shine and they muddy your surfaces.  And of course they might accidentally end up in us people.  Clean surfaces that have no residue will be clear - the essence of your surface will be apparent.

c.         Always dry your surfaces- nobody likes to go to bed wet and neither does your surfaces.  By rinsing and drying you are removing extra layers of both soil and cleaner.  Dust won’t stick to your surfaces when they are dry and you will have residue free surfaces.

And there you go: the 5 essentials of residue free cleaning.  You will find a residue free home will be healthier, stay cleaner longer, it will save you money and time and it is much better for the environment, for the cleaner and for the surface itself!! Not bad for a little bit of cleaning

     I am now free to go about my day.  My cleaning writing brain is now residue free!!

May your homes be happy, healthy and residue free,

        Denise

How to prevent moldy toes, soap scum on your skin and an ugly shower!

       Showers are part of everyday life.  But do you ever wonder why our skin doesn't have the same chronic soil conditions as our showers:  mold, soap scum, hard water deposits and itty bitty dust bunnies?

    The only reason we don't have soap scum on our tummies and mold between our toes is because we rinse and dry our skin with every shower. If we didn't and treated our skin as we treat our showers, we would have a bad skin epidemic on our hands!  Well, maybe not an epidemic but we would definitely be itchier humans.

3 miraculous things happen when we rinse and dry our showers after each use:

      1.  Hard water deposit build up is minimized

      2.  Soap scum build up is minimized as is mold food

      3.  Less moisture means less mold, mold thrives in moist areas!

      My husband was just telling me about a conversation he had earlier this week.  Our client was wondering if you could in fact clean a shower with mild cleaners- neutral pH.  The answer to that depends on when you clean.  If you rinse and dry after each shower, then you can use the very mildest of products because nothing has set up.  Think about your kitchen dinner dishes and a meal of eggs, pasta or oatmeal.  If you rinse as soon as you are done eating, the process is quick and easy.  If these foods sit up over night, we all know they can turn into concrete!  Soap scum is like concrete on steroids!

     In cleaning, most damage is done by using too aggressive of cleaners or scratching pads (green pad).  Not only do we damage our beautiful showers by what we use to clean, we also damage ourselves.  The cleaners we usually buy to clean our showers tend to be dangerous to our lungs, skins and eyes, they are often acidic, high alkaline or very reactive like bleach.

     Did you know an acidic cleaner will eat away most grout joints and damage many natural stones?  Did you know mixing acids and bleaches cause caustic gasses?  Did you know showers tend to have poor ventilation but most cleaners want you to use in a well ventilated area! 

     The secret to being healthy, having a beautiful shower, minimizing your family's chemical exposure and keeping your shower in great shape is easier than you think.

     5 tips for the incredibly effective daily maintenance of a shower!

1.      Before you turn on your shower - turn on your exhaust fan!                                                             

         Let your exhaust fan run a full 60 minutes after your shower

           This step removes the humidity from your shower that can lead to mold

           Keeping the relative humidity down in the NW also pays big dividends for healthy homes.

2.   After showering

         Rinse the walls, door and shower pan with water

            Hand held shower heads are perfect for this step

            This step removes the soap and personal care products you used from your shower

3.   After showering

        Dry off your showers with either a towel or squeegee.

        If you only squeegee, you will be re-depositing the soap down the walls, into the grout joint and onto your shower pan- creating a surprisingly thick build up of soap scum.

       I personally like to dry with a towel as it gets the details better and I can dry fixtures off at the same time.

4.  Open up shower doors or curtains to let air flow.

     If you close up your shower tight, this will greatly delay your drying- if not stop it completely.

5.  Use the mildest means possible to clean!

      And when you clean your shower: use mild cleaners!  A good choice is a neutral stone and tile cleaner.  Another product which works wonderfully is dish washing liquid.  Dish washing liquid usually has a neutral pH and is already a product you have on stock. (Make sure to dilute or you will have bubbles galore!)

     Also, use a microfiber, wash mitt or wash cloth and rub your shower to break the surface tension- releasing the soil/soap from the walls.

    In our family the rule of thumb is:  Last one in dries the shower.  This daily process takes minimal time and effort but pays huge- gigantic- enormous benefits in the long run!  You will have a squeaky clean shower.  Your shower will last much longer and look better.  You will not need to use or even buy those harsh shower cleaners and on cleaning day- cleaning your shower is a snap!

   If you need help getting your shower back to clean, feel free to call on us.  We specialize in cleaning natural stone, tile and grout.  With our 23 plus years of cleaning experience we can get your shower back to beautiful!

  As always, wishing you and your family a healthy and happy home!

Denise Frakes

Co- Owner of Blue Sky Service: Stone and Tile Care

Certified Healthy home specialist

Residue free and green cleaning specialist

The Mountain's gift

Look deep into a mountain and you might find marble, travertine or limestone. These stones could be 300-400 million years in the making. To remove the gift inside this mountain, the mountain must bleed a little. If you are lucky enough to have the gift from this mountain, remember it is a gift.

The characteristics of marble, travertine and limestone are what they are. Their sensitivities haven't changed over the years. We may have placed these stones in new spots or expected more but the essence of the stones remain the same.

Sometimes when you look for new counter tops or flooring, a material will jump out and take your breath away. You fall in love, the look, the feel, the history, the smell, the way the light dances of the minerals. It doesn't matter, the stone's essence has grabbed you and won't let go. This happens and when you find a true love, sometimes you have to give in. Your brain may give a list of reasons why this stone should not be your stone but just like in love we don't always get to choose.

If you find yourself and your home blessed with a new stone please don't ask for perfection. It won't happen. Don't try to change it's essence or tap dance around your life's messes and mishaps. Let it be as it is. Learn the stones natural sensitivities: Acid sensitive, scratch sensitive and absorbant. Learn how to care for it, what to use and how to prevent unnecessary damage and then love your stone. Yes, it may need professional maintenance and sometimes polishing done. But whatever you do, do not stop living in your home.

Everyday, remember this stone was once part of a grand mountain. It is perhaps the oldest antique in your home. Remember, there is no other stone anywhere in the world just like yours. Everyday, try to find a new pattern or flow to your stone.

This stone you have, will never be perfect, it will be better than perfect. It is a gift from a mountain.

As always, wishing you a healthy and happy home.

Denise Frakes

Residue: the number 1 thing we remove

Websters definition of residue:
Matter remaining after treatment or removal of part; something which remains.

Residue is the number one thing we remove when cleaning is done properly.

What is in this residue?

Here are the usual 3 suspects:
* Soil
* Cleaners
* Water

Part of residue is made up of soils left on the surface. In "cleaning", the soil might be smeared around by mopping or wiping but it's regularly left behind. Residue also comes from the cleaners we use. If the cleaners are not removed, then those cleaners can actually help in attracting new soil- great right? Finally, water left behind is also part of your residue. Water doesn't seem too bad but in water there are hard water or mineral deposits and moisture. You know what hard water deposits can do in a shower! But what about moisture left behind? Have you ever cleaned your car and then had dust land on it? Soil is more likely to stick to a damp surface than a dry one. Plus mold needs moisture to grow. You leave something damp long enough and soon you will also have mold as part of your residue- again think showers!!

Just imagine this: taking a mop and mopping or as we call it smearing, a window. Now let that air dry. Come back next week and do it again. Imagine what a whole year of this weekly mopping would do to a window-yuck!! Imagine 12 years!!!

Window's are obvious because we can actually see the residue left behind. But what about your floors, showers or countertops? The same residue is there, it just is harder to notice. It takes a while but before you know it your floors are brown, black; your showers are water spotted, waxing feeling and moldy; your countertops are greasy and dingy. The true beauty of your home or business is covered with soap, soils, mineral deposits and mold!!

Amazing stuff right? Residue would make a fun science experiment! It is also best removed. This is where we come in, we specialize in leaving surfaces residue free and teaching you how to keep your surfaces residue free!

Wishing you health, happiness and prosperity,
Denise

Blue Sky Services
20 years restoration cleaning experience, research and a very curious mind

Labels Labels Labels......It is a big deal

On your moments of free time what do you do? Do you read the labels of your cleaning products? I'm guessing no. And really why would you? If you are like most families, you may not have oodles and oodles of free time. Why in the world would you add reading your cleaning labels to your list of a million and one to do's?
I can give you two very good reasons why you may want to re-think your free time priorities...

Reading the labels of your cleaners before using can...
1. Protect you and your family from harm
2. It can save you thousands of $$$$$$
Labels are not perfect, but they do give you enough information to be incredibly helpful.
For you and your families protection please at least read:

1) the CAUTION/WARNING/DANGER/POISON section.
This little section will help you know if the product you are cleaning with is dangerous.
It will give safety tips such as: fatal if swallowed; avoid eye contact; do not mix with bleach, mildew removers or any other household chemicals as hazardous gases may be released!!!!!
This is great info to have before you start cleaning!!!!

2) Directions
It is always a good idea to follow directions- enough said.

3) For use on or not to be used on...
You may have to hunt for this one but trust me it is soooo worth your time. The wrong cleaner can do thousands of dollars of damage. Just this week, I visited with the nicest lady who had just etched her travertine floors with an acidic cleaner. This happens all the time! Sometimes the label will be clear: Do not use on such and such, but sometimes you have to dig a little deeper.

A good hint is... if the cleaner says it removes hard water buildup, calcium and lime stains or rust stains it is most likely an acid. An acid will etch acid sensitive surfaces such as marble, travertine, onyx, limestone and grout.

I would love to say labels have all the information we need, but they are far from perfect. However and this is a big however, they do give you enough info to help protect you and your home. When in doubt call the 1-800 on the bottom of your product, look up the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet) or call a professional before you clean.
Also, keep in mind some cleaners such as vinegar are considered food and do not have cleaning instructions. Vinegar is an acid, it may be pretty safe for you but it may still do big $$$$ damage.
If you ever have any questions, please feel free to call us or the manufacture of your cleaners. Today's blog is precisely where our blog site got it's name...
An Ounce of Prevention.

Wishing you a healthy and happy home.
Denise Frakes
Blue Sky Services: Stone and Tile Care
253-946-2056