The important things to remember when designing a home | Art of Clean

The first thing you should think about when designing your home is to understand how you are going to use the space and what you're going to actually use it for.  

In design terms this is called 'zoning', not to be confused with 'zoning-out', as that's something very different.

The approach to redesigning a living room is very different to designing a bedroom.  A living room could be constituted as more of a public space, in other words everyone in your family uses it , including your friends.  Where as a bedroom is very private, so you have to work out what each room means to you and that's how you'll get the best design out of each room.

We've all done it, torn pretty pictures out of a magazine and thought that is how I want to live, but it's suggested that you sit down and work out how you live, consider the children and if you have a nanny and how do they want to live in the space.  Keep that rule in mind as the most important thing to do when planning your home.  

And then you can get creative and with all the images you've collected over the years, along with the sample fabrics and paint colour charts and stick them onto a mood board.  Now you need to give yourself a bit of time, usually a couple of weeks so you can make changes to your mood board.  And then everytime you go back, it's quite good to have a second look and take things off. You'll see things differently over time and notice things that you didn't see before.  Once you're happy with the final colour choices and fabric scheme etc, set it out onto a design where you'll cost it. 

But the most important thing is to remember how you live in that space. 

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

Top Tips For Cleaning And Disinfecting Hotels

With January and February being on average the two coldest months of the year in the UK.  It’s no wonder combined with winter travel and weather related travel delays, it often means that people spend more time indoors, like hotels and confined spaces like public transport.  Unfortunately being in such confined spaces with our fellow humans, means the spread of illness-causing germs like the common cold and flu germs between people is a more common occurrence. With the increase of germs spreading, hotel staff need to step in with a rigorous cleaning routine to prevent staff and guests from becoming ill.

The most common spots for germs were touched surfaces such as the bathroom counter and tv remote control.

Whilst many hotels have their own routine maintenance plan already in operation, it’s imperative to keep a regular cleaning schedule of disinfecting frequently touched surfaces such as telephones, TV remote controls and bathroom fixtures are essential to help prevent the spread of illness causing germs.   And don’t forget cleaning floors and carpets, which are an excellent place for germs and pests to go unnoticed, until it becomes an obvious problem.

Art of Clean offers the following tips for tackling cleaning and disinfecting challenges in hotels:

 • Make sure you know your high-touch room surfaces. You’ll be surprised by just how many times a light switched is turned on and off and a door is opened and closed by many different people.  These areas need to be disinfected at least once a day.  Some germs like influenza can survive on surfaces for hours, providing ample opportunity for the spread of infection between guests and staff.

 • Where there’s a wiff, there’s generally a problem.  When the smoking ban came into force in the UK on 1st July 2007.  Suddenly other smells in upholstery and carpets etc, which had previously been marred by the smell of tobacco, were more noticeable .  Nobody likes to walk into a hotel room that smells musty, which makes it seem unclean.

 • Remember your soft furnishings.  It is generally accepted that hotels change the sheets and linen after each guest, but other items such as curtains and upholstered furniture might only get a good washing on a sporadic basis.  In between deep cleans and washing, refresh these items before each guest with a simple multi-use product.

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

Find out what we've been up to and more!

You can find our new posts directly on our website, with news, reviews and interviews.  Everything you need to know from the best cleaning company in Cambridge, Hertfordshire and Essex.

Click here to see what we do at Art of Clean.

Twitter: @Artofclean

Facebook: artofclean

Website: www.artofcleanuk.co.uk

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

Are you curious about our cleaning process?

Art of Clean, Cambridge (UK) are THE specialists when it comes to rug and carpet cleaning and while it's nice to praise ourselves and occasionally, allow you to do the same, every once in a while, we think it might be fun for you to see a little behind the scenes.

So, here are our steps...well, the initial steps, can't reveal all the trade secrets in one go can we?

Step 1: Take one scruffy rug and lay on a surface that will allow for said 'scruff' or dirt to fall free from the rug.

Step 2: Take one Badger...but not just any badger, you'll need a shiny, red one. The black and white one can just hang out in the woods.

image found on flickr.com

Step 3: Run over the rug, repeatedly (see why we use a red badger?). This process frees the vast majority or dirt and dust from your rug and then allows us to move on to the secret part of the process...OK, we wash it, there, you happy, I told you.

Here's our reveal shot, showing the dust accumulated on the concrete floor. It's pretty impressive, isn't it.

Then some poor mug has to sweep-up...usually Gavin.

This is a recent video we shot, highlighting the need to have your rug washed every 1-2 years at the least. Constant wear, especially when the rug or carpet is in a "high-traffic" area (not the M11); like an entrance or hallway, leads to grime build-up. Then it's time for the professionals, or a burly fella with a very big stick, you choose.

Don't forget, it's always best to hire the BEST.

Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in: 

Wood Floor Sanding,

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

Leather. Low maintenance...No maintenance?

Do you remember the last time you popped by the furniture showroom? Of course you do, that smell wafted in and everything held the promise of a new look. You wandered the aisles, fended off the salespeople for a few minutes and when you stopped, just for a second at that luxurious, leather sofa set, he or she pounced.

You didn't stop to buy, you stopped to smell. You stopped to admire the feeling. So, at his or her behest, you sat...and that's when it happened. You said "Aaahhhhh".

It's all relative after that. You handed over the credit card and contemplated where on earth it would fit. After all, you live in a British house and they're notoriously cramped. Anyway, the day arrives and it's delivered. The burly chaps finagle it here and there. They chip the door frame a touch, but it doesn't matter because in a few minutes, they'll be gone and you'll be sitting on that fresh, new, clean smelling sofa and watching something on the telly.

The wrapper comes off and that waft hits again. "I'm so happy I Maxed-out my credit card" we hear you say.

The fellas leave, you boil the kettle and make a jam sandwich. You like jam sandwiches.

Sitting down, you flick the channel and absently reach for your snack...and that's when it happens.

Jam always falls face down, right. So, there it is, partially on your leg, but mainly on the arm rest of that beautiful new, cream leather sofa.

The scream rings out and the neighbours dog starts howling. You rush into the kitchen for a cloth and start scrubbing and the dealer's final words echo in your ears..."It's low maintenance".

He or she was right though. Leather is low maintenance, but that does not and we can't stress this enough, it DOES NOT mean, No Maintenance.

A light cleaning, a dusting, a bit of vaccing here and there and you're fine, but, if you neglect your leather assuming it'll be fine, you'll see the problems within a year. The colour will fade, the texture with harden and the shape with alter.

There are some great Leather Cleaning Kits out there (yes, we sell them), but that's not the point. The point is, prevention is better than cure. For a low cost and a very occasional cleaning, you can maintain that new look indefinitely.

Of course, things happen, life gets in the way and that echo from the dealer fades...so, that's where we come in.

Call us and we can and will be happy to clean and re-new that gorgeous leather sofa set.

Art of Clean is a specialist cleaning firm in: 

Wood Floor Sanding,

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

Leather care
Chemspec-AOC shop

UPHOLSTERY CLEANING - PRE-EXISTING HIDDEN DAMAGE

Some pre-existing damage on upholstered furniture will be immediately obvious to your cleaner and will be discussed with you prior to the cleaning being undertaken. However some pre-existing damage will not be so obvious, and may be hidden by soiling, only becoming evident after the cleaning process begins. Hidden damage can include:

1. Colour loss - Soiling can damage colour and then hide the colour loss it has caused. Body oils, and especially salt from perspiration, may cause a significant amount of colour loss. The condition is most often seen in very dark fabrics. Colour loss can also result from exposure to sunlight and from airborne pollutants. All colour loss will become more apparent after cleaning.

2. Loss of ‘finish’ or ‘glaze’ - Some fabrics have a shiny finish that is easily damaged by body oils, soiling and abrasion. In some cases cleaning may remove this finish. Most often, however, the finish is durable to cleaning but wears off in heavy usage areas such as arms and cushions. As with colour loss, this damage is often not apparent until after cleaning.

3. Texture damage - The cushions and tops of the arms of velvet furniture will matt down after even light use. Depending on the fibres used, this dulled appearance may be permanent. Natural fibres are harder to bring back to their original appearance than synthetics; even synthetic materials, however, may be permanently distorted. Grooming a velvet fabric after cleaning should remove wand marks and restore much of the original softness, but unfortunately it will not make heavily worn areas ‘as good as new’.

The good news is, however, that a professional, fully-trained upholstery cleaning technician will always conduct a thorough pre-clean survey prior to cleaning and, if hidden damage is suspected, will then be able will be able to make the necessary adjustments to the cleaning procedure to ensure the best results possible and avoid any further damage. Any potential problems that may arise from the cleaning process, and any possible limitations within the cleaning procedure, will be recorded in writing and will be presented to you before the work is carried out.

In these instances it is always a good idea to read through your copy of the pre-inspection survey thoroughly and carefully, and to voice any concerns you may have, prior to the cleaning process taking place.

Sourced from: http://www.ncca.co.uk

Art of Clean are specialists in: 

Carpet Cleaning,
Rug Cleaning,

Hardwood Floor Cleaning, 

Stone floor 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.

 

 

How to get rid of the smell of smoke

Smoke is a very specific smell that lingers in a space for a long time.  It becomes musty and quite unpleasant to most and only a through cleaning will eliminate the smell.



Perhaps you've recently given up smoking and as your senses clear you've noticed the smell left behind in your home?  Or perhaps you've bought a home or car that has previously been smoked in or had smoke damage?  The smell of smoke clings to most surfaces...walls, ceilings, upholstery. It really gets in everywhere.

Here's a step by step process on how to remove smoke smell:

• Protection- put on protective gloves
• Ventilation - open window and get fans going
• Vacuum - give the entire space a through vacuum to remove any soot or ash
• Brass and Copper items - clean these using material specific cleaners only e.g. Brasso
• Hard surfaces - such as walls, ceilings, floors, books, computer screens, blinds etc. - Use a Chemical Soot Sponge such as Smoke-Solv, this must be used DRY, wipe the area in a single stroke motion - do not rub.
• Soft furnishings and clothes - smaller items such as clothes, curtains and linen can be washed and preferable air dried to remove the smell.  Larger items such as quilts and comforters can be washed in larger machines at launderette.  For furniture you will want to contact a professional.

For further information on our upholstery cleaning service we provide please contact us on 01223 863632 or visit www.artofclean.co.uk.