During these uncertain times, Clean Bee understands that many of our customers have questions about our services and the steps we are taking to ensure their safety and that of our employees. We’ve updated our cleaning processes and safety protocol to keep your home and business cleaner and healthier.

We are taking all employee temperatures prior to starting their shift.
While working we will be wearing protective face masks, gloves and shoe covers.
We are washing hands frequently, and are avoiding touching eyes, nose or mouth.
We are using Sanitizer after all jobs on our hands
We Apply Disinfectant to all hoses and hand tools after use.
We clean and apply Disinfectant to all equipment used after each job.

Many of these things we were already doing but just modified some of the procedures.

Thanks!

David, Owner of Clean Bee

Protect Your Carpet and Furniture Before Winter: Salt, Slush and Holiday Spills

Winter in Northern Illinois is hard on more than your driveway.

Every snowy day, boots carry road salt, slush, and sand straight into the house. Then the holidays arrive, and with them come red wine, gravy, hot cocoa, and a houseful of guests.

Your carpet and furniture take the brunt of all of it. A little protection before the season starts can make a big difference in how they look come spring.

What Road Salt Does to Carpet

The salt and ice melt used on roads, sidewalks, and driveways around McHenry County do not stay outside. They dry on shoes and get tracked across entryways, hallways, and stairs.

Once that salt is in the carpet, a few things happen:

White, crusty residue. As slush dries, it leaves a chalky film on the fibers, often in a clear path from the door.
Dull, stiff fibers. Salt crystals are gritty. They make carpet feel rough and look flat, especially in traffic lanes.
Spots that keep coming back. Many ice melts attract moisture from the air, so salty areas can stay damp and keep pulling in dirt.
Extra wear. Grit grinds against the fibers every time someone walks over it.

If you have ever had carpet that felt sticky or crunchy even after cleaning, leftover residue is often part of the story. We cover that in why your carpet feels sticky or crunchy after cleaning.

Holiday Spills Hit Furniture Too

Carpet is not the only target. Between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, sofas and dining chairs see more food, drinks, and guests than any other time of year.

Upholstery also collects body oils, hand lotion, and pet oils every day. When the house is closed up for the winter and everyone is spending more time on the couch, that buildup happens faster.

What Fiber ProTector Does

Fiber ProTector® is a fabric protection treatment that surrounds each fiber with an invisible shield. Instead of soaking straight in, most water-based and oil-based spills stay on the surface longer, which gives you time to blot them up.

Here is what that means in a real home:

Spills release more easily. Coffee, wine, and gravy are much more likely to come out with simple blotting.
Dry soil and salt do not cling as tightly. Vacuuming picks up more, so less grit stays behind to wear down the fibers.
Your next cleaning goes further. Protected carpet and upholstery release soil more easily during professional cleaning.
Fabrics last longer. Less ground-in dirt and fewer set-in stains mean carpet and furniture look newer for longer.

It also does not change the look or feel of your carpet or fabric, and it contains no PFOA, PFOS, or VOCs.

One honest note: a protector does not stop spills from happening, and it does not make anything stain-proof. What it does is buy you time and make cleanup much easier. That is exactly what most families need during the holidays.

Where to Use It

Fiber ProTector can be applied to many fabrics around the house, including:

Carpet, especially entryways, hallways, stairs, and family rooms
Upholstered furniture, like sofas, sectionals, and dining chairs
Leather furniture
Mattresses
Drapes
Car and RV interiors

If you only protect one area this winter, start with the carpet closest to your most-used door. That is where salt and slush do the most damage.

Why Timing Matters

A protector works best on clean fibers. It is usually applied right after professional carpet cleaning or upholstery cleaning, when the soil and old residue have been removed and the fibers are ready to be coated.

Late fall is the ideal window. Getting carpet and furniture cleaned and protected before the first heavy snow and before holiday guests arrive means you start the season with a clean slate and a little insurance.

If you have pets, it is also a good time to deal with any old accident spots first. Our post on pet urine in carpet explains why those spots need more than a surface cleaning.

Simple Winter Habits That Help

Protection works best alongside a few easy habits:

Put a heavy-duty mat outside each door and a washable mat inside.
Set up a boot tray and a “shoes off” spot near the entry.
Vacuum entryways and traffic lanes more often during snowy weeks, before salt grinds in.
Blot spills right away with a clean white cloth. Do not rub.
Keep tile entryways clean too, since salty grout spreads residue onto nearby carpet. Our white sock test is a quick way to check.

For a spot that does not come out on its own, our spot removal service can help.

Start Winter Protected

Clean Bee has helped families in McHenry, Lakemoor, Crystal Lake, and the rest of McHenry and northern Lake County keep their homes clean since 2005. Fiber ProTector is one of the simplest ways to keep your carpet and furniture looking good through a long Illinois winter.

Check our current specials, call us at (815) 578-0233, or request a free estimate to have your carpet and upholstery cleaned and protected before the snow flies.