4 Fundamental Carpet Care Tips to Save You Money

Carpets are valued amenities that require a certain degree of care and maintenance if you want them to look new for a long time. Without a regular care routine, carpets quickly lose their structural integrity and begin to look dull and destroyed. In order to keep your carpets performing well and looking good for many more years to come, a commitment to carpet care must be made.

Continue reading to learn some helpful tips on how to extend the life of your carpeting, as well as, who to call for professional carpet replacement near you.

Indianapolis Floor Installation 317-454-3612

Indianapolis Floor Installation 317-454-3612

Vacuum Frequently

Carpet, being a commodity that is typically walked upon, tends to collect dirt, debris, and other unhygienic particles. In order to keep up with the rate of collection, is to vacuum your carpets at least once a week. If regular vacuuming is not implemented, high traffic areas will begin to turn gray and black and other areas of the carpet will fade or discolor. Also, the accumulation of dirt, hair, and debris from human and animal traffic can cause illness and is highly unsanitary. It is a common house remedy to put baking soda in the vacuum to help remove odor.

Immediately Treat Spills and Stains

Another tip to maintaining beautiful and clean carpets is to immediately clean up a stain or accident when it occurs. By not allowing spills and dirt to set-in, you can increase the longevity of your carpeting. If you let a stain sit, it will be more difficult to get out, resulting in permanent discoloration. Numerous stains like these will make your carpet appear old and dirty.

Apply a Carpet Protector

Fabric and upholstery protectants are a great option for enhancing the overall condition of your carpeting. They create a protective coating around carpet fibers, which prevents absorption of any liquids or other materials that may potentially stain them. Not only can these products protect carpeting from stains and other blemishes, it prevents odor from lingering in the fibers as well. Apply a carpet protectant, such as Scotchguard®, at least once a year.

Commit to a Maintenance Plan

The most effective approach to maintaining brilliant shine, quality, and texture of your carpets is to maintain them. Make a carpet care plan and follow through with it, daily, weekly, and monthly. This will prevent premature aging and defects, which will also save you money carpet replacement.

Additional ways to protect your carpet would be to avoid shoes, wipe away paw tracks before you allow pets to come inside, use soil-retardants, have your carpets cleaned professionally on an annual basis, and limit food and beverages in carpeted areas of the home.

Indianapolis Carpet Installation

Residential and Commercial Remodeling 317-454-3612

Residential and Commercial Remodeling
317-454-3612

Call Restoration By L&B LLC at 317-454-3612 if you need to have your carpets or flooring replaced in Indianapolis and its surrounding areas. Our general contractors provide a wide range of residential and commercial flooring services at the most competitive prices around. Owner and general contractor, Lee Elliot, is happy to answer all your questions about home remodel planning, prices, and process. And don’t forget; we guarantee to BEAT any prices quoted by our competition!

DIY Home Hacks That Will Change the Way You Clean

There are the basic cleaning tools and products you have grown to know and use for your cleaning regimen. However, there are several everyday items and products that were not designed for cleaning, but yet, have a huge impact on things like oil, scum, water spots, permanent marker, and more!

Continue reading to learn some examples of everyday items that will certainly change the way you think about cleaning and home care!

Residential and Commercial Remodeling 317-454-3612

Residential and Commercial Remodeling
317-454-3612

Top 4 DIY Home Hacks to Know and Use:

Vegetable Oil

Vegetable oil is more than a cooking agent. Many use vegetable or corn oil to polish their dark-wash sinks, as well as, their wooden floors. Black sinks are very trendy, but they are notorious for showing pesky white water spots and stains that seem to never go away regardless of how much you scrub them. By implementing a baking soda, white vinegar, and vegetable oil regimen, you can keep black sinks shiny and clean!

Simply cover the surface with a baking soda vinegar paste, allow it to sit for 10 minutes, scrub it thoroughly, rinse clean with fresh water, pat dry with paper towel, and then polish the surface with vegetable oil! The same applies to keeping wooden floors looking like new; simply combine equal parts vegetable oil and white vinegar into a spray bottle, spray the surface generously, mop it all up, and then finish with a clean cloth or dust mop.

Windshield Water Repellent

Windshield water repellent is not just for your vehicles. You can also use it to keep your shower glass doors fresh and clear. Since this product is designed to prevent accumulation of rainwater on a car, it is the perfect product to use for your shower doors to prevent stubborn and everlasting hard water and soap scum spots. All you have to do is apply the spray onto the glass, and then wipe it clean with a rag. Best of all, you can purchase this product at any local department store, grocery store, or home improvement store, for as little as a few dollars.

Mayonnaise

What could you possibly use mayo for? Well, mayonnaise happens to work wonders on wood furniture stains! If your wooden furniture has cloudy-looking spots or blemishes, it is likely a result of heat or water ring stains. These stains can really devalue important and expensive pieces, making them quite frustrating. Fortunately, a little mayo and some elbow grease will do the trick! Just slather it over the stain, let it sit overnight (at least 8 hours), buff it out with a clean microfiber cloth, and finish with some furniture polish (Pledge® will do).

Mayonnaise can also be used to eliminate rust stains on porcelain bathtubs, sinks, and other porcelain fixtures and appliances! Use the same application process for cleaning wooden furniture, and you will notice a dramatic difference in luster.

Sunscreen

Sunscreen is one of the most important parts of a skin care routine, but you can also use it for permanent marker and ink stains! When carpets, furniture, clothes, and other upholstered items become stained with permanent marker or ink, rely on some everyday sunscreen. Simply dab on the sunscreen, rub it in, and then launder as usual.

Residential and Commercial Remodeling

Residential and Commercial Remodeling 317-454-3612

Residential and Commercial Remodeling
317-454-3612

Call Restoration By L & B, LLC at 317-454-3612 for professional remodeling and renovation in Indianapolis and its surrounding locations. Owner, Lee Elliot, is a licensed general contractor that provides quality and affordable remodeling services for residential and commercial properties, including drywall repair and installation, interior and exterior painting, home remodels, renovations, repairs, and much more. And we guarantee to beat any competitor’s price!

Bathroom Modification Remodel Ideas for Disabled Loved Ones

When you share your home with a disabled relative or loved one, you want nothing more than to support their ongoing effort to live as independently as possible. One way you can ensure their comfort and safety is to enhance the accessibility of the bathroom. Continue reading to learn some recommended bathroom remodels that can help do just that.

Bathroom Remodeling Contractors 317-454-3612

Bathroom Remodeling Contractors 317-454-3612

Bathroom Remodels for Physical Disabilities

There are all sorts of modifications you can make to your home that can help assist your disabled loved one. From the kitchen and corridor, to the upper levels and outdoor living areas, home accessibility remodels are quite popular, and best of all, easily attainable. One of the most important rooms to remodel for disabled and handicapped individuals is the bathroom. After all, it is the one room we all use without exception.

When it comes to physical disability assistance remodels, it is important to entrust the project to a professional Indianapolis general contractor who can develop the perfect design plan for your disabled loved one’s needs. They can recommend a wide range of personalized accessibility improvements for your bathroom, from minor adjustments and additions, to structural strategies, retrofitting, and more.

Recommended Bathroom Modifications:

Wheelchairs

Wheelchair access is a definite need if your disabled loved one is uses a wheelchair. Widening the doorway is essential for bathroom wheelchair access. It is important that the doorway and the room have enough space for the entire wheelchair to enter, exit, and turn around. Furthermore, you can have the sink and countertop lowered to wheelchair eye level for ease of access.

Fixtures

There are a few fixtures that can help and protect your disabled loved one. First, you can install handrails next to the bathtub and the toilet to prevent slip and fall accidents, while also promoting more control and stability. In addition to handrails, you can also consider having no-slip mats and flooring installed for added traction, or even special faucets that check and regulate temperature levels.

Vision

For those who have poor vision, it is recommended to install brighter lights, or painting the walls a brighter color, to improve their sight in the bathroom. You can also install textured tape against the walls and counters, and around the tub or shower, for added navigation. Hanging braille panels near doors can also help reveal their surroundings. It is suggested to label items they use often too. This can prevent unpleasant mix ups, like using soap as body lotion.

Showers and Tubs

You can have a handicapped disabled access bathtub installed to help improve ease and access for your loved one. These tubs can either be retrofitted over your existing shower and bathtub, or you can have an entirely brand new one installed in place of your old one. There are also custom shower designs that include benches, handrails, temperature regulators, timers, and more, to enhance safety and accessibility for disabled individuals while they bathe.

Indianapolis Home Remodeling and Conversions

Residential and Commercial Remodeling 317-454-3612

Residential and Commercial Remodeling
317-454-3612

Call Restoration By L&B LLC at 317-454-3612 for Indianapolis bathroom remodeling services at competitive prices. Owner and general contractor, Lee Elliot, is happy to answer all your questions about home remodel planning, prices, and process. And don’t forget; we guarantee to BEAT any prices quoted by our competition!

General Rules for Smoke Detector Installation

There are two main types of smoke detector technologies accepted today: ionization smoke alarms and photoelectric smoke alarms. Continue reading to learn about each type of smoke detecting device, as well as, the general rule of thumb for installing smoke detection systems in your home or building.

Indianapolis Handyman 317-454-3612

Indianapolis Handyman 317-454-3612

Smoke Alarm Technology

Photoelectric smoke alarms use light coupled with a sensor to detect smoke. When smoke enters the chamber, it causes the light to scatter, which triggers the alarm to ring. In contrast, ionization smoke alarms are designed containing a minor amount of radioactive material that ionizes the space between two electrically charged plates, which then stimulates a current to flow between them. When smoke enters the chamber of the device, the current that keeps the ions flowing becomes disrupted, which sets off the alarm.

U.S. Fire Administration Recommendation

According to the U.S. Fire Administration, nearly 96% of all homes have ionization smoke alarm systems. However, they strongly recommended to have both types of alarms installed in your home or office. That is because they each use a specific technology that detects different types of smoke and fire, giving you a faster alert and reaction rate. For instance, photoelectric smoke alarms are good at detecting smoldering fires, while ionization smoke alarms react faster to the smoke produced by flaming fires.

Tips for Smoke Detector Installation

You can purchase two different types of smoke alarm systems, but you also have the option of choosing a dual sensor smoke detector with both ionization and photoelectric technology. Once you have your chosen smoke detectors, you are ready to install them. If you are not familiar with handyman work, it is recommended to hire a licensed Indianapolis general contractor for help ensuring your systems are installed properly and up to code. If you are an experienced handyman, you will just need to follow some important rules.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) suggests that a smoke alarm should be installed in every bedroom of the home, as well as, outside of each sleeping quarters, on each level of the home, and even the basement. On the main floors where there are no bedrooms, smoke alarms should be installed in a central area, as well as, the near the stairs to the upper and lower levels of the home.

For smoke alarms that are designed for wall mounting, be sure to install them high on the wall, but no more than a foot away from the ceiling. Ceiling smoke alarms should be strictly used for ceilings only. Avoid mounting smoke detectors within 36 inches of hot kitchen appliances to prevent false alerts. Furthermore, do not install them near doors, windows, or vents; air currents can interrupt the devices ability to detect smoke or fire.

A very important rule of thumb that is also strongly recommended by the NFPA is to have all your smoke alarms interconnected; this way, when one is set off, all others are set off at the same time, thus increasing reaction times. This can be done either by hard-wiring or wireless technology. If you are unfamiliar with how to do this, it is suggested to hire a professional for help installing your smoke detector systems in your home or office.

Indianapolis Handyman Services

Residential and Commercial Remodeling 317-454-3612

Residential and Commercial Remodeling
317-454-3612

Call Restoration By L&B LLC at 317-454-3612 for residential and commercial Indianapolis handyman assistance at the most competitive prices. Owner and general contractor, Lee Elliot, is happy to answer all your questions about home remodel planning, prices, and process. And don’t forget; we guarantee to BEAT any prices quoted by our competition!