Keeping your home clean when you have domestic animals

They may be little or they may be fluffy. Either way, they’re cute, and we adore them. Our pets are part of the family, but even so, they should never prevent us from keeping our homes clean.
These little balls of fur are one of our greatest joys. But we have to set aside a little time to clean up after them. It’s essential to consider ways to make life easier so we can enjoy those special times with our animals.

With a little advance planning, you can spare yourself from having to spend hours cleaning and scrubbing later on. First of all, avoid rugs. Animals like to sprawl out on them, and their fur gets trapped in the fibers. Along with the odors, which are easily absorbed by the synthetic materials. It’s better to get rid of the rugs in the rooms where the puppy likes to flop down on the floor. Otherwise, weekly vacuuming with baking soda will be essential.

Clean and brush…frequently

Domestic animals don’t necessarily like baths. But baths are necessary if you want to be able to breathe easily in your own home. It’s important to use the appropriate type of shampoo for your animal, whether it’s a canine, feline or rabbit. Scrub, rinse, brush and dry. And don’t forget the paws, which shouldn’t remain wet.

The same goes for your furry friends when they come in from outdoors. Brush the pads of their feet to prevent spreading germs, dirt and blades of grass. If you have a cat that stays indoors all the time, make sure to clean the litter box regularly. While you may be used to the smell, visitors definitely won’t appreciate it.

Air out the rooms

Make sure to freshen the air in your home or apartment often. Scented candles and air fresheners will do the trick temporarily, but to really make sure the air is clean, you’ll eventually need to open the windows. Weather permitting, you should open your windows and patio doors for 10 to 15 minutes to let in some fresh air.

That smell you’re so used to can easily become trapped in your furniture and mattresses. As much as possible, you should try to prevent your furry little tenant from sleeping on them. You can arrange a little corner for him, where he’ll be sure to enjoy a nice peaceful nap after a long walk.

A healthy diet

A healthy animal in a clean home will give you plenty of reasons to smile. You should feed your pet the food that is intended for it. This means avoiding feeding it table scraps as much as possible. Most importantly, you should put a container under its bowl to catch any crumbs that might escape, making a mess and smelling up your home.

When it comes to your pets’ toys, frequent washing is essential. It’s a question of health for every member of your family, including the one who’s so near and dear to everyone’s heart. They’ll appreciate it all the more if it doesn’t leave any unpleasant traces behind.

Cleaning Tip: Baking Soda!

The many virtues of baking soda

While it’s true that it comes in handy for baking, baking soda does much more than just help you make desserts. It can also help you make your sink shine, clean your refrigerator, freshen the air and even settle your stomach by neutralizing excess acid.

Baking soda can be used to disinfect numerous surfaces, as well as your essential beauty and grooming aids. You can soak your combs, brushes, nail clippers, makeup brushes and makeup remover sponges in a solution of water and eight tablespoons of baking soda. Just rinse them the following morning, and they’ll be bacteria-free.

Clean and shine with baking soda

To remove stubborn stains and hard water deposits from your stainless steel sink, you can clean it with baking soda mixed with a little bit of water. When you’re ready to dispose of the mixture, just add some vinegar to clean and deodorize your drain pipes.

The same goes for your refrigerator. You can clean and sanitize it using a mixture of water and baking soda with a clean sponge. To restore its vitality, just wipe it down with a chamois that’s been previously treated with baking soda and you’re good to go!

Baking soda for personal hygiene

Are your teeth stained from coffee or tobacco? As a mild abrasive, baking soda applied on your toothbrush two or three times a week will help get rid of them. Using it this way—or better yet, diluting it in a glass of water and using it as a gargle—will also help freshen your breath. It’s a time-honored method for eliminating chronic halitosis.

While we’re on the topic of benefits for your body, as spring approaches, baking soda can also help enhance your enjoyment of the warm season. It can soothe irritation caused by sunburn, campfire and barbecue burns, and even insect bites. Just make a paste of baking soda with a little bit of water, apply it to the affected area and let it sit for at least 20 minutes before rinsing.

In the bathtub, baking soda promotes relaxation, aids recuperation after strenuous physical activity and helps eliminate toxins. It’s also wonderfully soothing to the skin after shaving.

An ally throughout the home

In the bathroom, a mixture of baking soda, liquid detergent, water and white vinegar in a spray bottle can help get rid of stubborn soap scum deposits and mildew on all kinds of surfaces.
In other rooms, it can be used to get rid of stains on your rugs and carpets. It’s even effective at eliminating disagreeable odors coming from your garbage disposal. Just mix one cup of baking soda, one cup of vinegar, some warm water, some ice, a cup of rock salt and a lemon, pour it down the disposal while it’s turned on and say goodbye to that unpleasant smell.

Tips on residential carpet cleaning

Clean your carpets to get rid of stubborn dirt

In the winter, it’s de-icing salt, calcium or melting snow. And in the summer, it’s gravel or grass that sticks to the souls of your sandals.

Your home’s rugs and carpets are rarely immune from the ravages of weather, harmful pollutants or everyday mishaps. After all, a glass of grape juice is easy to spill. That’s why proper cleaning is so important to prevent premature wear and tear on these floor coverings that enhance the beauty of your home.

And the best way to do it is to call on specialists who really know how to restore your carpeting to its youthful appearance. A deep-cleaning with hot water, soap or even steam will help dislodge the dirt and hundreds of bacteria and allergens that can become embedded in your carpet.

Some of the things commonly found in rugs and carpets include:

– Human and pet saliva

– Tar residue

– Hair

– Dead skin cells

– Traces of vomit and excrement

That’s why carpet cleaning is necessary at least once a year in any home. And in the case of a business, it’s recommended to do it even more often. Regular vacuuming is helpful, but in the end, it just doesn’t cut it. Sure, it gets rid of dust, but to remove embedded dirt, animal fur and stubborn debris, it’s imperative to have your carpet deep-cleaned.

Experience and know-how

Thanks to our use of truck mounts, our special techniques and our incomparable experience, our services are virtually indispensable.

We use only the best available products, and our highly qualified technicians are specialists in their field. We’re experts in hot-water cleaning, carpet shampooing, extraction cleaning and steam cleaning.

The products we use are non-toxic, so they pose no danger to you, your children or your pets. Once we’re finished, your immediate environment will be clean and safe.

Efficient, flexible and professional

We offer flexible service, during daytime and evening hours and even on weekends. As soon as we arrive, we’ll get to work on cleaning your rugs and carpets, and you’ll be able to walk on them safely as soon as we leave.

We’re not only efficient; we’re also attentive to your needs and requirements.

–       You’ll be satisfied

–       You’ll enjoy a clean environment

–       Your rugs and carpets will be free of pollutants, allergens, animal dander and dust mites

–       We’ll use only the best-quality products

–       Our friendly, thorough technicians will make every effort to provide exceptional customer service

For convenient carpet cleaning services to keep them beautiful and to keep you and your family healthy, you can rely on the experts at Nettoyeur de la Cité, who not only know their business inside and out, but are also ready to respond quickly in order to provide you with a free estimate.

Discover the benefits of getting your mattress clean

Clean your mattress and sleep more comfortably

With the biting winter cold, you don’t even want to think about opening your windows to air out your bedroom.

But at the same time, if you want to get a good night’s sleep, you need a good-quality environment.

That’s why you should consider having your mattress cleaned. You’ll not only sleep better; you’ll also enjoy better health. A clean mattress will help you avoid skin irritations, allergies and respiratory problems.

Cleaning your mattress is one of the most efficient ways to get rid of those pesky little dust mites that can interfere with your sleep. These microscopic arachnids are responsible for:

–       Asthma attacks

–       Allergic rhinitis

–       Sinusitis

–       Conjunctivitis

Getting your mattress professionally cleaned by experts is one of the best solutions to help ward off problems like these.

Improving everything at once

Having your mattress cleaned not only helps you breathe better all night long, but also helps preserve the quality of the mattress, itself. Your mattress will even last longer!

They say you should change your mattress every decade.

Instead, you can call on specialists who really know how to do their job.

At Nettoyeur de la Cité, we’ll come to your home and take care of your cleaning needs.

A deep mattress cleaning will help overcome dust mites, no matter how old your mattress is or what kind of demands you put on it.

Our environmentally friendly techniques and products will get rid of the bacteria, spores, fungus and other microorganisms that easily proliferate in the warm, moist environment deep down in the fibers of your mattress.

When done properly, this process poses no risk to your family members. In fact, it will improve the quality of life throughout your home.

After an efficient mattress cleaning, people with allergies will experience nothing but benefits. They’ll fall asleep and experience a better quality sleep, thanks to a mattress that’s completely deodorized, deep-cleaned and free of impurities.

Bed-wetting

For parents of children who wet the bed, frequent mattress cleaning is essential. You can’t cover up that smell forever! But a simple steam-cleaning is enough to effectively eliminate the stains and unpleasant odors.

In the meantime, you can try these other solutions:

–       Baking soda

–       Vinegar

–       Bleach

–       Alcohol

–       Ammonia

–       Borax

All of these products can be used in moderation to clean a urine-soaked mattress.

But the ideal solution is to consult a specialist, like the people at Nettoyeur de la Cité, who can provide you with some tips and tricks to clean the mattress and get a good night’s sleep.

Contact us today for a free assessment of your in-home mattress cleaning needs. You and your family will all enjoy the benefits of a good night’s sleep in the comfort of a mattress that has received a rejuvenating treatment. Everybody wins!

Cleaning service after renovations

Cleanup after renovations

Having renovations done on your home—even minor ones—is no trifling matter. Once the work is finished, instead of adding major housecleaning to your already long list of chores, you can entrust this cumbersome task to a team of professionals, who will efficiently perform a meticulous post-renovation cleanup of every room that has been affected. You can count on Nettoyeur de la Cité to clean your home from top to bottom. In fact, it will be the cleanest you’ve ever seen it—guaranteed!

With Nettoyeur de la Cité, your home will benefit from a bona fide rejuvenating treatment! Whether you’ve made an addition to your home, had renovations done on one or more rooms or made improvements to a new home prior to moving in, a good post-construction cleanup performed by professionals will save you time and lift your spirits. We’ll clear away all of the dust and debris, whether in your home or your business.

Nettoyeur de la Cité will take care of everything!

The dust and construction debris left behind after renovations can not only cause breathing problems for your home’s occupants and your pets, but can also end up in your heating, ventilation and air conditioning ducts. To avoid the inconvenience of an unnecessary air filter replacement and to ensure the comfort of your family, it’s essential to act quickly. Nettoyeur de la Cité does a lot more than just vacuum your carpets. In addition to cleaning the floors and windows, dusting the furniture and emptying the trash, we’ll also clean the following:

• The inside and outside of cabinets and cupboards
• Major and minor household appliances
• Switch plates and outlet covers
• Heating, ventilation and air conditioning ducts
• Door, drawer and cabinet handles
• Rugs
• Hearths
• And more!

Post-renovation cleanup: where every detail counts

After the construction of a home, you probably don’t want to have to worry about all of the cleaning duties that must be performed before you can move in, like removing stickers from new windows, rinsing grout residue off tile, dusting off heating vents and light fixtures, etc. All of these little tasks can add up to hours and hours of work. That’s why you should entrust your post-construction cleanup to a team of experts, who will save you time and effort. You won’t be sorry!

Why not do a cleanup during the renovations?

A home under renovation can become a veritable construction site, where debris, old flooring and tiles lie alongside half-finished cups of coffee, and the floor is littered with sawdust and discarded packaging. Why not request a cleanup during the renovations to unclutter your workspace? With Nettoyeur de la Cité, you’ll benefit from a clean environment while the work is in progress, with no need to worry about tripping over scraps of lumber or stepping on nails that have spilled out of the box!

Take advantage of top-quality post-renovation cleanup services from Nettoyeur de la Cité. Don’t hesitate to contact us for all types of cleaning, whether commercial or residential, so you can start enjoying your new environment sooner, rather than later.

Understanding Injection-Extraction Carpet Cleaning

To clean your carpet thoroughly, why not try the injection-extraction method? If you don’t know how to proceed, you’re in the right place to understand the method and breathe new life into your carpet. Dry cleaning and cleaning with shampoo are effective at maintaining and reviving a carpet, but the injection-extraction method lets you clean the carpet in depth, to the heart of its fibres.

What is the injection-extraction carpet cleaning method?

The injection-extraction method is carried out using a specific machine called an injector extractor for rugs and carpets. You can find this special machine for sale or rely on a cleaning company for a complete cleaning of your interior and your hardest-to-clean items. The injection-extraction machine works by spraying a special, non-foaming cleaner suited to the machine, which is spread over the carpet, then sucked back into the machine again. This method, which cleans then sucks the product up right after, ensures a deep cleaning of the natural or synthetic fibres of your carpet.

The steps involved in the injection-extraction carpet cleaning method

1 – Prepare the entire surface of the carpet

Start by putting on shoe covers, then remove everything on your carpet, as well as the furniture in contact with or nearby the surface to be cleaned. Then, vacuum the entire surface. Use a powerful device such as a vacuum cleaner with a brush nozzle to try to remove as much dirt as possible before using the injection-extraction method. You must also remove the stains with a stain remover suited to your carpet.

2 – Cleaning your carpet with injection extraction

Begin by placing the injection-extraction machine in a corner of the room, then plug it into an outlet as close as possible to the floor. If the surface of your carpet is extremely dirty, you’ll need to pre-spray with the injector-extractor rod so that the solvents can break up the dirt and free it from the carpet fibres. If your carpet isn’t very dirty, however, you can go right to the injection extraction. Begin the injection at the edges of your carpet. To do this, deposit the solution, then return to the surface with the suction head of the rod to remove the solution that you’ve just deposited. Proceed like this along the entire surface of the carpet.

Be careful: When you’re about to finish depositing the solution, make sure to stop the spraying a few centimetres before the end of the surface that you’re cleaning.

3 – Rinsing the solution on the carpet

To remove the excess cleaning products, and only if this is necessary, you can rinse your carpet with a small, portable cleaning device in which you insert clear water instead of a cleaning product. If you used a product specially tailored to the injection-extraction machines, you normally won’t need to perform this rinsing step.

4 – Drying the surface

To finish your carpet cleaning, you need to dry the surface that you’ve just cleaned. To do this, you can use fans that you should make blow in several different directions to facilitate the movement of the air across the carpet fibres.

If you don’t want to purchase this machine, rely on a cleaning company that has the right equipment. An injection extraction cleaning will clean and disinfect your carpet thoroughly while taking care of the delicate fibres of your carpet.

How to Clean Tiles in the Kitchen?

How do you clean tiles? Often, when you’ve just bought a house or after renovating, the floor gets so dirty that a simple, ordinary floor cleaning isn’t enough to make it shine again. Whether it’s old tiling, in a room inside, or a floor on a patio or balcony, follow our advice to clean very dirty tiles.

When you’re facing lime, grease, bacteria, embedded stains, or burns, don’t despair! You should know that there are solutions for getting rid of all sorts of dirt in the simplest way for you!

Cleaning Dirty Wall Tiles

Many people invest in wall tiles to cover the walls of their kitchen, because it’s a very attractive and decorative element. However, even if it’s easier to degrease than a traditional wall covering, when it takes on grease every day and isn’t cleaned regularly, degreasing it becomes increasingly complicated. To say goodbye to accumulated grease, you should arm yourself with a good concentrated soap. Then, prepare a mixture by diluting this soap in a bowl of water and add a small amount of ammonia. Using this mixture, scrub the dirtiest areas of your wall tiles then the entire surface until there’s no more grease at all.

The Best Economical and Eco-Friendly Degreasers for Your Tiles

To degrease the tiles found on a floor, in your bathroom, or in your kitchen, you should equip yourself with an effective degreaser. It’s best for it to be both economical and eco-friendly in order to protect the health of the people who live there by avoiding chemicals. To do this, turn to black soap, white vinegar, soda crystals, and citric acid (a natural, plant-based acid). If the grease or the burns don’t disappear with these products and all the elbow grease that you’ve applied to this task, you can also use a steam cleaner. Steam mixed with a cleaning product is highly effective at making all sorts of dirt, grease, and embedded burns disappear.

The equipment needed to clean your tile floor perfectly

• The floor cleaner of your choice,
• A sponge,
• A dry mop,
• Cleaning gloves.

Cleaning greasy tiles in 4 steps

1 – Begin by protecting your hands with cleaning gloves. Even if you’re using eco-friendly cleaning products, the thin skin on your hands doesn’t have to bear the reactions of the mixtures.

2 – Create your cleaning solution by mixing (for example) 5 large tablespoons of citric acid with a litre of hot water. If using black soap, dilute two spoonfuls, and for white vinegar, dilute 1 part product in 2 parts hot water.

3 – Clean your dirty tiles vigorously with a push broom or a large sponge soaked in your cleaning mixture.

4 – Then, rinse the tiles generously with clear water and wipe with a dry mop.

To keep a tile floor clean and healthy, you should perform this operation regularly. If the tile is in your kitchen, you can clean it when you cook and create splashes on the floor. If the tiles on your floor or wall are too dirty or if you need to clean a space that you’ve just recovered, don’t hesitate to rely on a professional cleaning company to refresh your tiles or your new home!

Disinfectant for Bedding: How to Make Your Bedding Look Like New Again

Are you looking for a disinfectant for your bedding? To stop the spread of a virus in your home, to treat an illness, or to prevent an infestation of pests and insects, you must take steps to disinfect your bedding. As bedding is a warm and comfortable space for parasites, it’s the only effective way to get rid of them in the long run.

Clean the Bedding Before Disinfecting It

A disinfectant for bedding can only be used on bedding that has been impeccably stripped and washed beforehand. Before you want to disinfect your mattress and your sheets, begin by washing your bedding thoroughly using the appropriate techniques. Bedding that has been cleaned and disinfected will be free of any bad odours that may have accumulated. Before deodorizing your bedding, you should therefore clean it yourself or with the expertise of a professional cleaning company that will use the recommended techniques and eco-friendly products for your bedding.  

Which disinfectant to use for my bedding?

• Steam from a steam cleaner

While steam alone can’t disinfect your bedding, it’s a great help if it’s combined with a professional disinfectant. A steam cleaner lets you project the steam and the product 1 cm into the bedding and to cover the entire surface. Through this process, the steam can eliminate bacteria, viruses, spores, and all kinds of fungi. To carry out this operation if you don’t own a steam cleaner, you can rely on a professional cleaning company for an optimal, lasting result.

• Hydrogen Peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide is a safe, natural, and effective disinfectant suitable for bedding. It’s easy to use: just make a mixture of two parts water and one part hydrogen peroxide, then spray it directly on the bedding. Then, scrub the surface with a clean cloth by dabbing it, then let it all dry.

• Essential Oil of Tea Tree

A disinfectant and a deodorizer, essential oil of tea tree can be used on bedding. To do this, arm yourself with a bottle with a sprayer nozzle and mix two tablespoons of baking soda, six tablespoons of hot water, and eight drops of essential oil of tea tree. Then, spray the solution over all the bedding and let dry.

Tip: To let your bedding dry while disinfecting it further, let it dry outside in full sun. Prolonged exposure to sunlight – that is, at least 5 hours – helps disinfect the bedding.

• White Vinegar and Baking Soda

White vinegar is a natural product widely known for its cleaning and disinfecting properties. To disinfect your bedding, pour a cup of baking soda into a large salad bowl, then add about 1 litre of white vinegar. Let the solution foam for a few moments and take advantage of this time to protect your hands with gloves. Once your hands are completely protected by gloves, soak a sponge in the mixture, then scrub your entire mattress vigorously with it.

To make your bedding look like new again and to clean, disinfect, and deodorize a mattress, especially if it’s a used mattress whose origin you don’t really know, don’t hesitate to call on professional cleaners. In particular, you can contact a cleaning company to do a “spring cleaning” of your interior and take advantage of this opportunity to refurbish your bedding so that it’s clean and healthy once and for all.

Cleaning a Carpet with White Vinegar: What Are the Advantages and Limitations?

Among the most natural and effective products to have at home for cleaning, and especially for cleaning a stained or dirty carpet, white vinegar can be found in the top spot. Cleaning a carpet with white vinegar is an economical, efficient, and eco-friendly operation, despite certain limitations that we will explore.

Advantages of Cleaning a Carpet With White Vinegar

White vinegar – or spirit vinegar – is a natural and therefore eco-friendly product, since it breaks down quickly and completely. It’s also one of the most economical cleaning products because of its very low price. White vinegar is a disinfectant, a deodorizer, a cleaner, a descaling agent, and a stain remover that degreases. It can be used to make dishes and windows shine. Used diluted, it refreshes the colours of carpets and revives the colours of clothes in the washing machine. Cleaning a carpet with white vinegar is therefore quite a feasible solution in case of stains. Make sure to act fast, but also to know the material of your carpet so that you can take the right steps and avoid damaging its fibres.

How to clean a carpet with white vinegar

• If a stain appears, dilute it immediately with a little clear, cold water.
• Then, quickly use paper towels or a soft, clean cloth to absorb the excess water.
• Take a teaspoon of mild detergent, such as dishwashing liquid, and a teaspoon of distilled white vinegar and mix them in about a litre of clear, warm water.
• Apply the resulting mixture to the stain, preferably with a sprayer, to saturate it completely.
• Wait and let the cleaning mixture work for at least fifteen minutes.
• Then, scrub the remainder of the stain in a circular motion with a soft, clean cloth.
• Gently rinse the entire area with hot water.
• Make sure that the carpet fibres are in the right direction before drying to make it easier.
• Absorb the remaining liquid with a soft, clean cloth.
• Open the windows, then place a fan facing the stained area to speed up the drying time.

Limitations of cleaning a carpet with white vinegar

If the stained or dirty surface isn’t too large, you can try to solve the problem with white vinegar, but if you’re dealing with a large-scale problem or mould that extends beyond several square metres, contact a cleaning professional quickly. Cleaning small areas contaminated with mould releases spores into the air, which are very unhealthy and can cause health problems for you and everyone else in the space. Any attempt to clean mould on a carpet could cause health problems that will end up costing much more than relying on a professional cleaner.

In addition, you should know that, to sanitize, freshen up the texture of the carpet, and rejuvenate its fibres to breathe new life into it, a deep cleaning of your carpets should be carried out at least twice a year by a professional specializing in carpet cleaning. Cleaning a carpet using a steam-based process is often the essential condition for its proper maintenance and to make its beauty last. In addition, make sure that the cleaning methods are suited to the type of material and the fibres of your carpet, because certain types of carpets require special cleaning methods to avoid damaging them.