Floods on their way to Cambridge? How to prepare your home....

Reports this morning of the M25 collapsing due to heavy winds and rain are putting the UK on high alert of the serious risk of flooding again this winter.

Only last week heavy rains caused flooding across Northern Ireland and South Wales.

With this start to the winter it would be wise and prepare for the worst.

 

Unfortunately due to the dynamics of the land around Cambridge we are at risk of flooding.  We only need to look back to last winter to remember the detrimental effects this had to us locally, and nationally.

We cannot predict the weather, but we can prepare for it.  Here are a list of ways to prepare your home for flooding:

Make sure your home is watertight:

• Check drains and guttering are clear for water to flow freely away from the property
• Check for gaps in the brickwork
• Check seals around windows and doors are intact without cracks or gaps

Protect your home:

 There are a number of alterations you can make to your home to make it more resistant to floods.

• Waterproof your walls by using a product such as Waterstop which can be applied to a number of surfaces including brickwork, cememt and tiles.  This creates a protective seal to repel water
• Fit a non-return valve to your pipe works to stop sewerage water from being forced back up your outlets
•  If you have ventilation bricks you can apply anti-flood covers

Sandbags:

Cambridge Council provide sandbags to homes that are at serious risk of flooding.  You can call them to see if you are eligible to these, however I fear these supplies may come too late or, due to demand and resources, not be available to you at all.

Purchasing your own sandbags may be the best option, and the sooner you make inquiries the better many people will wait until last minute, creating a shortage.  Here are a few contacts for companies that supply sandbags:

Instant Flood Sandbags info@instantfloodsandbags.com 01635 550431
Instant Sandbags info@instantsandbags.com 0845 094 5623

If floods are imminent:

Preparing for the worst could save you a lot of costs and heartache.  "Best to be safe than sorry"

• Move any rugs and furniture to a higher floor if possible
• Any furniture and appliances that can not be moved should be raided on bricks
• Furniture lets can be wrapped in plastic to try to prevent moisture absorption
• Empty any low lying cupboards and store content on higher ground
• Unplug any low lying electrical and move to higher level

Art of Clean are the only registered Master Rug Cleaners in Cambridge.  We have a rug cleaning studio at our depot in Chittering, Cambridge, where we have dealt with many unfortunate rugs affected by floor water. If you would like some more information about our professional rug cleaning services please contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or visit www.artofclean.co.uk.

Pierre explains the rug cleaning process in this video below:

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 cleaning for domestic an commercial clients through out Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

Floodline
Telephone: 0345 988 1188
Telephone: 0845 988 1188

Floods on their way to Cambridge? How to prepare your home....

Reports this morning of the M25 collapsing due to heavy winds and rain are putting the UK on high alert of the serious risk of flooding again this winter.

Only last week heavy rains caused flooding across Northern Ireland and South Wales.

With this start to the winter it would be wise and prepare for the worst.

Unfortunately due to the dynamics of the land around Cambridge we are at risk of flooding.  We only need to look back to last winter to remember the detrimental effects this had to us locally, and nationally.

We cannot predict the weather, but we can prepare for it.  Here are a list of ways to prepare your home for flooding:

Make sure your home is watertight:

• Check drains and guttering are clear for water to flow freely away from the property
• Check for gaps in the brickwork
• Check seals around windows and doors are intact without cracks or gaps

Protect your home:

 There are a number of alterations you can make to your home to make it more resistant to floods.

• Waterproof your walls by using a product such as Waterstop which can be applied to a number of surfaces including brickwork, cememt and tiles.  This creates a protective seal to repel water
• Fit a non-return valve to your pipe works to stop sewerage water from being forced back up your outlets
•  If you have ventilation bricks you can apply anti-flood covers

Sandbags:

Cambridge Council provide sandbags to homes that are at serious risk of flooding.  You can call them to see if you are eligible to these, however I fear these supplies may come too late or, due to demand and resources, not be available to you at all.

Purchasing your own sandbags may be the best option, and the sooner you make inquiries the better many people will wait until last minute, creating a shortage.  Here are a few contacts for companies that supply sandbags:

Instant Flood Sandbags info@instantfloodsandbags.com 01635 550431
Instant Sandbags info@instantsandbags.com 0845 094 5623

If floods are imminent:

Preparing for the worst could save you a lot of costs and heartache.  "Best to be safe than sorry"

• Move any rugs and furniture to a higher floor if possible
• Any furniture and appliances that can not be moved should be raided on bricks
• Furniture lets can be wrapped in plastic to try to prevent moisture absorption
• Empty any low lying cupboards and store content on higher ground
• Unplug any low lying electrical and move to higher level

Art of Clean are the only registered Master Rug Cleaners in Cambridge.  We have a rug cleaning studio at our depot in Chittering, Cambridge, where we have dealt with many unfortunate rugs affected by floor water. If you would like some more information about our professional rug cleaning services please contact our friendly team on 01223 863632 or visit www.artofclean.co.uk.

Pierre explains the rug cleaning process in this video below:

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 cleaning for domestic an commercial clients through out Cambridgeshire, Essex, Suffolk and Hertfordshire.

Floodline
Telephone: 0345 988 1188
Telephone: 0845 988 1188

4 reasons to have your carpets, rugs and upholstery protected

Spills and marks can easily deteriorate your precious fine fabrics and furnishings and cause per-mature replacement.

Firstly, lets start with a little more information about protector. Modern protective applications are carbon molecules or the combination of carbon molecules to make fabrics more moisture resistant and thus prevent spills becoming permanent stains. There are 2 options on the type of protector that can be applied to your carpets, rugs and furnishings


Water based or Oil/Solvent based.

Why water based and why oil/solvent based protector?

Water based protector - Art of Clean product of choice in most cases - offers the lowest environmental impact. It drys fast and is safe to use on all wet cleanable items.

Oil based or solvent based protector on the other hand can offer a greater protection solution on sensitive fabrics like cotton velvet.  Oil based protective treatments can be ideal for protection of new fabrics and furnishings (if safe for the fabric).


Here are 5 reasons to have protective coatings applied:

1.    Prevent spills and marks penetrating into the fabric and less likely to permanently stain.
The application of protector usually allows for the liquid spill to sit on the surface of the fabric for long enough to quickly wipe it up. Use a kitchen or white cotton towel to dab away.
2.    Dry soiling is easily removed by vacuuming
Dry soil do not stick to the surface of the fibers easily and therefore stay cleaner for longer.
3.    Carpet/furnishings/rug will last longer
Due to dry soiling being easily removed during vacuuming – the dry soil is not present to wear out fibers so easily and therefore help them to last longer
4.    Better cleaning results
The next time you get your fabrics and furnishings cleaned professionally it will respond much better than untreated carpets due to stains and marks not being able to easily adhere to the fabric

All the above benefits can be yours with the application of a protective coating. And, best of all, modern safe fabric protectors do not change the look or the feel of fabrics at all.

For more information regarding our services contact our friendly team on 01223 863632, or access our website at www.artofclean.co.uk

My rug has got colours change throughout? Has it been bleached? What is it?

What is abrash? It is when colours change in horizontal bands throughout the rugs. A band of light pink, for instance, may lie between larger areas of dark pink. The colour-variation is called abrash.

Most often abrash is caused by variation in dye lots and often happened when the rug is woven in relatively primitive conditions. It can also be that the wool absorbs dye a little differently.

The light pink on the picture may result from a batch of loosely spun wool that absorbed less dye.

We sometimes get rugs that are so dirty that it is not possible to see the abrash. After the clean, the dirt is removed and you can see the lines of colours very clearly. 

If you are not sure if this is abrash or not, you just need to check the back of the rug and if you also see the colour variation at the back, then this is definitely abrash.

Rug cleaning plant in Cambridge

Art of Clean have the one and only rug cleaning plant in Cambridgeshire, and their staff are among the the only trained ‘Master Rug’ cleaners in the UK.

They have invested vast amounts of money in their rug cleaning plant in Cambridge, to ensure that they give their customers the safest care for their rugs.

Unlike some other carpet cleaning companies who outsource their rug cleaning to companies like Art of Clean, they manage their rug cleaning at their specialised rug cleaning plant in Cambridge.

Art of Clean customers get direct prices, saving them money and time as they are able to deliver a faster service to their customers.