I have lots of home owners asking me what they should use to clean their Granite counter tops with.
There are lots of good safe neutral pH products out there but none are as easy to find as Trader Joe’s Cleanliness is Next to Godliness Multi-Purpose Cleaner. I think everyone in Santa Cruz must shop at TJ’s by now, so it’s easy to pick some up the next time your shopping for some cheap Merlot and fat free Hummus.
The benefits of a “Neutral pH” cleaner are twofold, for one it wont deplete the sealer in your stone or grout like acidic and alkaline cleaners do and second, it wont leave a residue on your shiny granite or marble floor to attract more dirt and finger prints.
Granted, gentle cleaners like this one can take a bit longer to loosen up extreme soil but you can speed things along buy heating up the bottle in your microwave to coffee temperature. (Please take the sprayer off before heating)
Give some a try and let us (and Joe) know what you think!
Our pet owning customers keep us in business in more ways then one.
If its not a over abundance of hair and dander, its a accumulation of midnight accents from the last year.
Whether you have 5 Newfoundlands, 14 Tom cats or just one ornery Ferret, please give Connoisseur a call to see what our incredible cleaning processes can do to freshen up your carpet and your home.
Until then she will just have to keep calling Connoiseur..
Whatever type of home or business you have, dont be afraid to call us due to our fancy unpronounceable name.
We proudly clean for anyone and everyone who can call their place a home.
And if you have a dog, 6 cats or even a dragon, all the better!
You’ll see our truck happily buzzing along in every corner of Santa Cruz, Santa Clara and Monterey Counties.
We have had to run our hoses up and over redwood forests , 6 story balconies, through dungeons, down Pacific Avenue, over (and under) swimming pools, through 300 foot hall ways and over the sand at Pot Belly beach to get to your dirty carpets.
How can YOU challenge our amazing Vortex Cleaning Machine?
Cleaning the Library @ the UCSF Medical Center in downtown San Francisco.
Chances are you’ll need your carpet cleaned every two months or so.
Heavy foot traffic, soiled kitchen floors, spilled drinks and food, driveway oils and the occasional upside down cake, all lead to unappetizing situations for your hungry diners. Give Connoisseur a call so we can discus what the best cleaning frequency and methods would work for your restaurant’s situation.
I cant say enough about the Bissell Momentum upright.
$99 at home depot, better suction then the infamous Dyson, no bags to buy and all the extra tools you’ll ever need. And best yet, no internal filters to clog. The popularity of bagless vacuums can be over hyped when uneducated home owners bring home their new Hoover or Eureka only to discover the half way through there home the new “bagless” vacuum looses most of it’s suction due to a clogged filter or in some cases, filter’s.
Who wants to wash a filter out every time you vacuum up after Chompers and Mrs Fiskers?
The Bissell has somehow gotten around Dyson’s patent and duplicated the same “venturing cyclonic (what ever that means)” filterless system and sells it to you minus the huge cost of an incredible marketing campaign. You can buy five of the Bissells for the cost of one Dyson and still come out a head in the suction department.
Edit: A new model has been introduced, the Bissell Healthy Home Upright.
At $250 or so it’s a complete Dyson knockoff but with a better brush roll, a pile height adjuster and half the price.
If you’re in the need for a new shower stall, kitchen floor or tile counter top you will not find a better tile craftsman the Aptos’ own Joshua McAuley,
Josh is not only a friend of mine but a humble, hard working, very creative professional tile setter. I’ve seen his installs and you can be sure he is not just some fly by night with a used tile saw and a tape measure. First class work all the way.
Whether it be 2000 feet of 16 inch granite tiles meandering through out your home of just fixing the broken bullnose on your 1952 lemon yellow bathroom counter, give Josh a call at 831 688 9856 or email him at mcauleytile@sbcglobal.net.
I would encourage you to take a drive over to Greenspace in Santa Cruz to look at their very unique options available.
While we would love to clean and maintain your Granite and Tile counter tops in the future, you really should look into the great “green” products that the fine folks @ Greenspace has to offer..
Marble, granite, limestone and other decorative stone are durable materials that will last a lifetime. However, if not installed correctly, or properly cared for, will experience problems that will shorten its life. The following are the top ten problems most common in dealing with stone tile.
1. Loss of shine
The loss of the high polish on certain marble and granite can be attributed to wear. This is especially true of marble, since it is much softer than granite. The bottoms of our shoes act like sandpaper on a stone floor surface, and over time, will wear the polish off. To prevent excessive wear, it is important to keep the floor dust mopped, and place walk-off mats at all entrances. To repair a worn, or dulled, stone surface, it will be necessary to re-hone and re-polish.
2. Etching
The dull spot created, when liquids containing acids are spilled on marble, is called etching. Marble and limestone etch very easily. Granite is more acid-resistance, and will rarely etch. To prevent etching, avoid using cleaners and chemicals that contain acids. Bathroom cleaners, toilet bowl cleaners, and lemon cleaners commonly contain acids. Certain drinks and foods contain acids that will also cause etching. Light etching can be removed with a little marble polishing powder. Deep etching will require resurfacing of the stone.
3. Staining
All stone surfaces can become very easily stained. Most foods, drinks, ink, oil and rust will stain marble. Once a stone becomes stained, it can be very difficult to remove. To prevent staining, clean the spilled material as soon as possible. Blot the spill with a clean paper towel or cloth. If this does not remove the stain, a process called “poulticing” may be needed. For more information on poulticing, please refer to our brochure, “Removing Stains from Marble, Stone & Other Porous Surfaces.” It is important to seal stone with a good quality penetrating sealer to prevent staining.
4. Efflorescence
Efflorescence appears as a white powdery residue on the surface of the stone. It is a common condition on new stone installations, or when the stone is exposed to a large quantity of water, such as flooding. This powder is a mineral salt deposited from the setting bed. Do not use water to remove efflorescence. Instead, buff the stone with a clean polishing pad, or a #0000 steel wool pad. The stone will continue to effloresce until it is completely dry. This drying process can take from several days to as long as one year.
5. Spalling, Flaking & Pitting
Spalling is the development of small pits, or small pieces of stone are popping off the surface. This condition is common on stone exposed to large amounts of water, when deicing salts are used for ice removal. Like efflorescence, mineral salts are the cause for spalling and pitting. Instead of the salts depositing on the surface (efflorescence), they deposit below the surface of the stone. This causes pressure within the stone; therefore, the stone spalls, flakes, or pits. Unfortunately, once a stone begins to spall, it is almost impossible to repair. Replacement of the stone is recommended.
6. Yellowing
There are several reasons why a stone will turn yellow: embedded dirt, and grime, can give the stone a yellow, dingy look; waxes, and other coatings, can yellow with age; certain stones will naturally yellow with age. This is caused by oxidation of iron within the stone, and is especially problematic with white marbles. If the yellowing is caused by dirt, or build up, clean the stone with an alkaline cleaner, or wax stripper. If the yellowing is the result of aged stone, or iron oxidation, it is not coming out.
7. Uneven Tile-Lippage
Lippage is the term given to tiles that are set unevenly. In other words, the edge of one tile is higher than the next. Lippage is the result of a poor installation. If the lippage is higher than the thickness of a nickel (1/32″), it is considered excessive. The tile will have to be ground to flatten the floor. This requires the services of a professional stone-refinishing contractor.
8. Cracks
Settling, poor installation, and excessive vibration are the causes for cracks in stone tiles. This is especially true in California. Sometimes, cracks can be repaired, by using a color-matched polyester or epoxy filler. Before a crack is repaired, it is wise to find out how, and why, the cracked occurred in the first place. Otherwise, it may recur.
9. White Stun Marks
Stun marks appear as white marks on the surface of the stone, and are common in certain types of marble. These stuns are the result of tiny explosions inside the crystal of the stone. Pinpoint pressures placed on the marble cause these marks. Women’s high heels, or blunt pointed instruments, are common reasons for stun marks. Stun marks can be difficult to remove. Grinding and/or honing can reduce the number of stuns, but some travel through the entire thickness of the stone; therefore, are impossible to remove.
10. Water Rings/Spots
Water rings and spots are very common on marble tabletops. These spots are hard water minerals, such as calcium and magnesium. These minerals are left behind, when the water evaporates, leaving a ring or a spot. To remove these spots, use a marble polishing powder. Deep spots may require honing. To prevent spots on counters and tabletops, frequently apply a good stone paste wax.
Hopefully this helps, If you have any furthur questions, don’t hesitate to call.
I don’t know about you all but as a professional floor cleaner I can tell you that Carpet as a flooring choice is not as popular as it was five years ago.
Today, most of the homes I go into to service only have carpet in the family/TV room and the bed rooms. The rest of the home’s heavy use areas are getting covered in woods, stone and ceramic/porcelain tiles. Makes perfect sense really. Most hard surfaces are easier to keep clean for the home owner, less prone to show wear compared to carpet and considering to the rising cost of the “fuzzy” stuff, a great investment for your home.
We saw this trend coming years ago and have invested a lot of time, money and education into learning how to properly clean, restore and maintain Stone and Tiled flooring. We are getting lots of phone calls from confused and frustrated home owners who are having issues keeping their stone and grout looking like new. In many cases, if the floor in under a year old, we can walk the home owner through a very effective cleaning process over the phone. If it’s been a couple years and just no amount of scrubbing and bleaching is doing it then it’s time to call in the big guns at Connoisseur. You will be amazed at what
Steam Cleaning can do to bring that soiled Travertine, Limestone, Marble or snow white Grout. You have to see it in action to believe it.
Travertine getting Steamed!
In most cases we like to come out and do a test and demonstration on hard floors, whether it be Marble, Saltillo or Concrete.
Please call Paula to set up a free estimate and inspection.
As a local service provider I am often ( and I mean OFTEN! ) asked to refer other services in Santa Cruz
We have been a part of a local group of small business owners since we started our business in 2001 and I can feel very comfortable referring each and every member in this fine collection of Santa Cruz’s finest..
Connoisseur is very proud to belong to LeTip Santa Cruz. “LeTip is a professional organization of women and men dedicated to the highest standards of competence and service.”
r anyone and everyone who can call their place a home.
I cant say enough about the Bissell Momentum upright.