Hard wax oil or lacquer? Which one do I choose for my hardwood floor?

We have recently been contacted by a customer, enquiring about what finish she should use to protect her hard wood floors and I thought I would share with you our advice.

As this is quite a common question our customers ask us at Art of Clean, professional floor cleaners in Cambridge, the advice we gave was, it really depends on the type of finish you would like to achieve.  At Art of Clean we would normally discuss these options with you on our initial inspection of your wooden floor.

As hard wax oils contain a mixture of oil and wax, which completely saturates into your timber flooring, which means that no other liquid can be absorbed into your wooden floors.  So if you were to spill any drinks, accidentally tip up your bucket of cleaning water onto the surface then none of this would go into your lovely wooden floor.

The wax element of the hard wax oil, protects the surface from small scratches to the wood. Hard wax oil finishes are generally popular with our customer’s wooden floor cleaning requirements in and around Cambridge, as they are the easiest to maintain. The hard wax oil also comes in various shades and colours, and offers three different types of sheen finishes.

Lacquers on the other hand act in a slightly different way, rather than absorbing into the wooden surface of your floor, it will sit on the surface.

The type of lacquers we use at Art of Clean in Cambridge, have flexible qualities, so rather than drying into a solid rigid surface, the lacquer will flex with the timber when it is scratched or dented. This type of finish is harder to maintain, as although it is durable, if you need to touch up and scratches, it’s much harder. There are also only a two different types of finishes available too.

We realise at Art of Clean that it all comes down to a question of taste, and as hard wood flooring cleaning experts we will be happy to help you choose the most suitable finish for your hardwood floor, so why not give us a call on 01223 863632.
Looking for the most up-to-date advice? Read our updated blog on this topic "Why Are My Floorboards Shrinking?".

Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in: 

Wood Floor Sanding,

Stone floor Cleaning,

Carpet Cleaning,

Rug Cleaning,

Upholstery Cleaning 

Leather Furniture Cleaning, 

CLEANING PRODUCTS

Working for domestic or commercial clients throughout Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

For more information on our services contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or email us at info@artofclean.co.uk

Last minute Christmas cleaning

With only days to go until Christmas there's still so much to do!

Presents to wrap, food to prepare, we're running out of time to get the house cleaned thoroughly!

The key to last minute cleaning is to plan your attack so that you make the most of your time.

Focus on the main rooms-

• If they are just over for the day give your lounge a quick dust and hoover, de-clutter by throwing everything unwanted into a wash basket and put it in your room - you can deal with this at a later date.  Plump the cushions on the sofas and chairs, if you have pets give the upholstery a once over with a lint roller, your guests will notice if you haven't done this, but they won't think twice if you have.
• Give the bathroom or downstairs toilet a quick once over, put out fresh towels and plenty of toilet roll. Open windows to air
• De-clutter the kitchen counter and table tops - put things away in a cupboard and deal with them later.  Give the counter, table and floor a quick clean
• People staying over? This can be a little tricky as usually the spare room builds up a lot of lost property over the year and becomes a general storage space.  Again, throw things in your own room, guests shouldn't venture there.  Open the windows to let some fresh air in whilst you dust and hoover.

Some more handy tips:

• Use mood lighting - It will add atmosphere and guests are less likely to see anything you missed!
• Stains on carpet? Throw a rug over it for now and get it sorted after Christmas - there may be further stains to deal with by that point anyhow!
• Put out flowers - Some pretty flowers will catch your guests eye and make a great distraction

Art of Clean are specialists in: 

Hardwood Floor Cleaning, 

Stone floor Cleaning,

Carpet Cleaning,
Rug Cleaning,

Upholstery Cleaning 

Leather Furniture Cleaning,

Working for domestic or commercial clients throughout Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

For more information about our services please contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or visit www.artofclean.co.uk.

It's the Friday before Christmas!!!

Anybody else getting just a little bit excited?

Art of Clean are specialists in: 

Upholstery Cleaning 

Leather Furniture Cleaning,

Hardwood Floor Cleaning, 

Stone floor Cleaning,

Carpet Cleaning,
Rug Cleaning,

Working for domestic or commercial clients throughout Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

For more information about our services please contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or visit www.artofclean.co.uk.

#3 - In the advent of Christmas we are giving 24 reasons to have your carpet cleaned

It's just 22 days until Christmas!

http://designhomes.pics

 

 

With family coming round it's time to get the house looking it's best.  In order to prepare your home for their arrival, at the top of your "to do" list should be getting your carpets cleaned.  We're going to give you 24 festive reasons to have tour carpet cleaned.....

Reason #3

Removing ingrained dog/cat hair, dander and scent so house smells fresh for guests

 

We love our pets, and often they get away with murder just by giving your those big dowy-eyes.  I know mine do!

We get so used to our lovely fury friends being around that we may not notice they do to our homes.  

• A wet smelly dog can leave quite an odor - especially if they sneakily make their way to the carpet and had a good roll around!! 

• An anxious kitty may have left a widdle somewhere on the carpet that has a lingering smell that our noses just don't notice anymore.

•  Hair and dander become ingrained in the carpet fibers and vacuuming doesn't get down deep enough

   

  Getting your carpets cleaned will give you the peace of mind that when little-ones come to visit they can sit, roll, crawl on the floor and you needn't worry about whats down there with them.

   

  Art of Clean are specialists in: 

  Rug Cleaning,
  Hardwood Floor Cleaning, 
  Stone floor Cleaning,  
  Carpet Cleaning,
  Upholstery Cleaning
  Leather Furniture Cleaning, 
  
  
  Working for domestic or commercial clients throughout Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

  For more information about our services please contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or visit www.artofclean.co.uk.

   

   

   

Cleaning Camel Saddle Bag at Art of Cleans Rug Cleaning Studio in Cambridge

Sometimes we see some unusual items for cleaning in our rug cleaning studio

Here we are cleaning a camel saddle bag...!

 

This will look great on Marcus's CV - especially if he ever fancies a job in Morocco!

 

If you have a camel bag that needs a freshen up then we're happy to help!

Ride on up to our rug cleaning studio in Chittering.

 

Art of Clean are specialists in: 

Rug Cleaning,
Hardwood Floor Cleaning, 
Stone floor Cleaning,  
Carpet Cleaning,
Upholstery Cleaning
Leather Furniture Cleaning, 

Working for domestic or commercial clients throughout Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

For more information about our services please contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or visit www.artofclean.co.uk.

 

 

Vacuuming a duck - Well now I've seen it all!

We don't get much call to clean ducks, however Art of Clean are well rounded in areas of floor cleaning: 
 Hardwood Floor Cleaning, 
 Stone floor Cleaning,  
 Carpet Cleaning,
 Rug Cleaning,
 Upholstery Cleaning and  
Leather Furniture Cleaning, 
for domestic or commercial spaces throughout Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

For more information about our services please contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or visit www.artofclean.co.uk.

 

 

Monday Morning made better by Bill Murray

Thanks Bill Murray.....you've made my day

Hope you all have an awesome day also!

We have a busy few weeks ahead of us in the run up to Christmas but it's not too late to book us in for Hardwood Floor Cleaning, Stone floor Cleaning,   Carpet Cleaning, Rug Cleaning, Upholstery Cleaning and Leather Furniture Cleaning, for domestic or commercial spaces throughout Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

For more information about our services please contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or visit www.artofclean.co.uk.

Hope you have a cracking start to the new week!

 

Hope you have a cracking start to the new week!

We are a professional cleaning company who specialise in Hardwood Floor Cleaning, Stone floor Cleaning, Carpet Cleaning, Rug Cleaning, Upholstery Cleaning and Leather Furniture Cleaning for domestic and commercial clients.  We work through out Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

Call us on 01223 863632 or see our website www.artofclean.co.uk to find out more.

Life has no remote, get up and change it yourself

Make a start today - get your floors cleaned with Art of Clean!

We are a professional cleaning company who specialise in Carpet Cleaning, Rug Cleaning, Hardwood Floor Cleaning, Stone floor Cleaning, Upholstery Cleaning and Leather Furniture Cleaning for domestic an commercial clients.

Contact Art of Clean for further information and we can discuss the services we offer.  Call us on 01223 863632 or see our website www.artofclean.co.uk to find out more.

Art of Clean Team - they're a bunch of bright sparks!

Working together we all managed to get our bulbs alight.

Now power cuts at Christmas wont affect the Art of Clean teams festivities!

We are a professional cleaning company who specialise in Carpet Cleaning, Rug Cleaning, Hardwood Floor Cleaning, Stone floor Cleaning, Upholstery Cleaning and Leather Furniture Cleaning for domestic an commercial clients.

Contact Art of Clean for further information and we can discuss the services we offer.  Call us on 01223 863632 or see our website www.artofclean.co.uk to find out more.  We work throughout Cambridge and beyond, floor cleaning from Ely to Royston and Saffron Walden, and from Huntington to Bury St.Edmunds.

Get your car or van ready for winter?

Gail from Art of Clean checks our vans are ready for the road - nice work Gail!

 The guys know they are in safe hands.

Winter is a treacherous time for vehicles with mud and ice on the roads, restricted visibility from fog and heavy rains.  Our vehicles are out on the roads every day cleaning in Cambridge, from Ely to Saffron Walden, Bury St. Edmunds to Huntington so we need to make sure that they are ready for what the roads and weather has to throw at them.

It is important to check your vehicles oil and water regularly especially, if you are driving a lot of miles.  Ans as winter descends on us we need to make our vehicles ready for the drop in temperature.   

Below is a guide to what help you prepare your vehicle for winter:

• Coolant antifreeze - This is very cheap to buy and is crucial to your engine in low temperatures, without it you risk your vehicles radiators and pipes freezing up and this can cause some major (and expensive) damage.  The coolant level should be between the minimum and maximum pointers on the coolant container - if you are unsure visit your local garage and they will more than likely check it for free.
• Screen wash - ensure you have winter screen wash in your system as this contains antifreeze (with protection down to -10 or -20 degrees depending on how cold your area gets), when you have an icy windshield in the frosty mornings this will help break it down - and when washing your windshield the fluid wont instantly freeze in the frosty air!  A good quality wash works best, else the washer pump may freeze.
• Wiper blades - check they are not damages and are cleaning your windshield effectively.
• Tyres - check they have reasonable tread and have no cracks or bulges.  With all the water, ice and snow on the road aquaplaning and skidding is a real risk, tyres with good tread will give you grip and keep you safer in such conditions.  Winter tyres are advisable if you live in an area that is heavily affected by snow.
• Car battery - This is very important and according to the RAC is the main cause of all call outs for rescue during winter.  Have your battery checked to enure it has decent power.  Starting the car will drain the battery more the colder the climate.  Batteries have a limited life span of anything from 3+ years depending on the quality of the battery.

**** Start your car and let it run for a few minutes before you leave so that it can warm up and clear the windows. Most importantly give yourself more time than normal to complete your journey in case of bad weather and poor driving conditions. ****

We are a professional cleaning company who specialise in Carpet Cleaning, Rug Cleaning, Hardwood Floor Cleaning, Stone floor Cleaning, Upholstery Cleaning and Leather Furniture Cleaning for domestic an commercial clients.

Contact Art of Clean for further information and we can discuss the services we offer.  Call us on 01223 863632 or see our website www.artofclean.co.uk to find out more.

Tip of the day - Adding to keyring? Use staple remover!

Tip of the day - Adding to keyring? Use staple remover!

We are a professional cleaning company who specialise in Carpet Cleaning, Rug Cleaning, Hardwood Floor Cleaning, Stone floor Cleaning, Upholstery Cleaning and Leather Furniture Cleaning for domestic an commercial clients.

Contact Art of Clean for further information and we can discuss the services we offer.  Call us on 01223 863632 or see our website www.artofclean.co.uk to find out more.

Rainbow over Ely Cathedral today.

"The way I see it, if you want the rainbow, you gotta put up with the rain."
~ Dolly Parton

Rainbow over Ely Cathedral today, must mean it's going to be a good day for cleaning carpets......

We are a professional cleaning company who specialise in Carpet Cleaning, Rug Cleaning, Hardwood Floor Cleaning, Stone floor Cleaning, Upholstery Cleaning and Leather Furniture Cleaning for domestic an commercial clients.

Contact Art of Clean for further information and we can discuss the services we offer.  Call us on 01223 863632 or see our website www.artofclean.co.uk to find out more.