As Mother’s Day is approaching, what better way to spoil mum than with a day of helping out around the house? It’s a great way to show her how loved and appreciated she really is.

For one whole day, do the chores around the house that she would normally do. Split them up between your siblings, depending on ages and who can do what, and let mum put her feet up. This way she will get to have some more down-time and be able to do more fun activities with the family once the chores are finished: what a treat!

Doing mum’s chores for the day will give you a great feel for what she does around the house and how much work and time goes into it. Here are our helpful tips of what you can do while mum has a sleep in or enjoys a hot cuppa in bed.

Clean your room:

Keeping a tidy or neat room is a big help for mums. They don’t like walking into a room with clothes lying all over the floor, or tripping over toys while trying to get to something. Pack away your toys and activities when you’re finished with them, and place your clothes in the laundry basket instead of onto the floor if they’re dirty and into the cupboard if they’re clean. You could also make your bed, remember to smooth out all the wrinkles on the duvet and really impress her! Tip: If you really want to get into mum’s good books, you should probably not limit this to Mother’s Day!

Do the laundry:

Surprise her by going into all the rooms and collecting the dirty laundry. You can gather towels, clothes and even bedding that needs to be washed. Laundry can be done between other chores, but you might be surprised how much time this takes, especially if you have a large family. It’s a good idea check with mum when it comes to loading the machine and setting the cycle, as the last thing you want to do is make a mistake and shrink her favourite jumper, or turn everything pink by leaving a red sock in with the whites!

Clean the floors:

Depending on your flooring you can either sweep, or vacuum. Don’t forget the corners when cleaning floors as that’s where all the dust collects. If it’s your first time vacuuming, then have a look at our tips on how to vacuum properly.

Cook mum her favorite meal

If you’re a budding Masterchef and enjoy being in the kitchen then you might have picked up a few handy tips from mum already. But if not, instead offer to help your mum, and who knows, you may even end up loving it! If you have siblings, you can also divide the jobs when it comes to cooking and each of you can make something you’re good at. For example one of you cooks the pasta and someone else makes the sauce or does the chopping, then you all put it together at the end.

Pick some flowers and set the table

You can start by picking some flowers from the garden and putting them into a vase with water. Set the table with a tablecloth and pop the vase of handpicked flowers in the middle as a centerpiece. Set the glasses, plates, napkins, knives, and forks for all the places, and if you have them, you can use placemats as well. She will be super impressed, especially with the added touch of handpicked flowers. After all your hard work, you can sit together as a family around the dinner table and enjoy the meal you’ve created especially for mum, to celebrate the wonderful mother that she is.

Note to mom: you may want to print this out and leave it lying around the house for a few days before Mother’s Day 😉 If the kids have a few mishaps along the way, while trying to make the day special for you, and something ends up on the carpet, take a look at our carpet spills and stain cleaning guide for some DIY stain treatments. And if all else fails, get our Drytron professional carpet cleaning team around to properly tackle the problem.

As promised, after all those crafty activities, we’ve put together some DIY tips on stain removal for any mishaps you may have had along the way with glue, food colouring or acrylic paints.

Note: Employing the home remedy’s below could create a risk of damage to your carpet. Some carpet fibres may discolour or harden when the wrong substances are added to them. For safety we recommend testing in an obscure area where damage will have a minimal effect on the appeal of your carpet. Also we recommend you consult your carpet’s manufacturer for their advice, or better still, call a professional carpet cleaner.

Having said that, below are some home remedy’s that we have found:

Spill: Craft Glue
After dabbing up as much as possible, grab some white vinegar and gently dab it on the glue with a clean white cloth or strong white paper towel. Work it in gently and leave it to work on the glue for about 15 minutes. The adhesive should begin dissolving. Get a fresh cloth or paper towel and dab up the remaining craft glue until it’s completely removed. Finish up by ensuring the carpet is as dry as possible and allow to fully air dry.

Spill: Food Colouring
Gently blot any excess spill with paper towel, then make a solution of one tablespoon white vinegar, one tablespoon liquid hand dishwashing detergent and two cups of warm water. If your food colouring stain is red, use ammonia instead of vinegar. Pour some of the solution onto a clean, white cloth and sponge the stained carpet. Dab the carpet dry with a paper towel. Repeat until the stain is gone, or until nothing more comes off. If the stain is still there, sponge with a little rubbing alcohol and small amounts of warm water. Blot it dry after each sponging. As a last resort, moisten the stained area with three percent hydrogen peroxide and let it stand for about an hour. Blot and repeat as necessary and when the stain is finally gone, pile a bunch of paper towels over the area and weigh them down with something heavy. This will absorb all the moisture in about an hour.

Spill: Acrylic Paint
Contain the spill by surrounding it with paper towels or cloths and then blot up as much as possible, without rubbing. Add glycerin to the stain and then gently blot it up. Remove any remaining residue with rubbing alcohol and follow with water and a mild detergent. Absorb the paint with a clean sponge until gone and vacuum once dry.

You can find more of our tips on carpet stain removal here:

And if those DIY tips don’t get your stains out then you can always give us, Drytron, the carpet cleaning professionals a call to get your carpet looking good as new again

With Easter came family, friends and… chocolate, and who doesn’t love a bit of chokkie? But if, like us at Drytron, you prefer your chocolate in your tummy and not on your family’s clothes, the carpet or the sofa, then follow these stain removal tips for getting out those pesky chocolate stains.

Like with most stains, the longer a chocolate stain sits, the harder it will be to remove it, so the best thing to do is to act quickly. As chocolate is a combination of an oil stain with a bit of dye, start by using a butter knife, the edge of a spoon or bank card to lift away any solid bits of the chocolate. Don’t rub the stain because this will send it deeper into the fabric and make matters worse. Once the solid pieces have been removed follow the next steps, depending on the fabric you’re trying to clean.

Clothing

For clothes the item needs to be washed as soon as possible. Sponge the stain with plain, cool water – or a stain remover pen can also be used. Then treat it with a prewash stain remover spray, gel or heavy-duty liquid detergent, and launder as per the care instructions on the garment.

If the stain wasn’t treated straight away, pre-soak the entire garment in oxygen bleach and cool water for at least 4 hours and then launder as usual. You can use this method for all washable fabrics. Once washed, before putting the item into the tumble dryer check the stain has completely gone, as high heat can make the stain harder to remove. If it’s still present repeat the above steps before drying.

Upholstery and couches

For couch and upholstery stains, mix one tablespoon of dish washing detergent with two cups of cold water. Work from the outside of the stain inwards towards the centre, sponging the solution with a clean white cloth. This ensures you don’t spread the stain further.

Use a dry cloth to blot away the moisture and repeat until the stain is removed. Complete one final sponge with clear water and allow to air dry.

If the upholstery is a delicate fabric such as silk or vintage, don’t risk trying to clean it yourself as you can cause irreparable damage. Give us a call at Drytron, the upholstery cleaning professionals, and we will get your curtains or couch stain-free in no time.

Carpets and rugs

If the chocolate is still liquid or melted, place an ice block on it for a minute. This will harden the chocolate and make it easier to lift away. Use a vacuum cleaner to remove the pieces so you avoid rubbing it in. For the remaining stain, dampen a clean white cloth with water and add a drop of dish washing detergent to the cloth. Working from the outside of the stain towards the centre, gently rub in the detergent. Try not to spread the stain outwards while you are doing this. Allow the detergent to sit on the stain for at least five minutes, then wet a clean white cloth with water and rinse the area to remove the detergent. Repeat until you feel no more soap on the stained area, and allow to air dry. Once dry, vacuum to lift the carpet fibers.

If these at-home stain removal solutions are still leaving your carpet a bit chokkie stained, fear not, we are on call to come and tackle those tricky stains for you using our six-step Drytron cleaning process.

With the Easter holidays just around the corner we thought we’d share these simple DIY decorations you can make at home with the whole family, to get your home looking eggstraordinary this Easter!

Egg blowing
Egg blowing is an easy way to preserve egg shells so you can use them as décor again and again – just be careful when storing them, as they’re very fragile of course.

You will need:

• a clean bowl
• a needle, pin, tiny nail or thumbtack
• a toothpick or straightened out paperclip
• uncooked eggs
• scotch tape, masking tape or blue painter’s tape
• towels
• soap and water

Step 1:
Put a small square of stickytape over both ends of an egg and take a needle or pin and poke a hole into the top end of the egg, through the tape. Wiggle the pin around a bit to make the hole just a little bit wider and to help break up the yolk inside the egg.

Holding the egg over a bowl, poke a second hole in the other end of the egg. Make the hole on the bottom end of the egg a little bigger than the hole on top (this is the hole all the insides will come out of).

Step 2:
Take the egg gently between your first finger and thumb, covering both holes, and shake it thoroughly. This will scramble the insides and make them liquid enough to pour out through the bottom hole.

Step 3:
Hold the egg over the bowl again, and blow through the smaller hole at the top of the egg. Make sure you get a good seal around the hole with your mouth so all the air is going into the egg. This part can be tricky but if it’s not working, try shaking the egg a bit more, or making the hole at the bottom slightly bigger. Keep blowing until the egg is completely empty.

Step 4:
Rinse the egg in warm soapy water, making sure you wash the inside of the shell too. Set it aside to dry, making sure the bottom is pointing down so the water can drip out. When it’s dry you can get busy decorating.

Here are some ideas for decorating your eggs:

Egg chicks
Cut coloured tissue paper into strips and squares, and brush with PVA glue. Wrap three to four layers around each egg. Next cut beaks, combs and wattles out of funky foam, felt or card and glue onto the eggs. Finally, glue on googly eyes and feathers to complete your bright, colourful and cheerful chicks.

Dye with food colouring
In a jar or bowl, mix a teaspoon of food colouring of your choice with a tablespoon of vinegar and enough warm water to cover the egg. Lower the egg into the dye carefully and use a spoon to hold the egg underwater for at least 5 minutes. Add more dye and dip them longer for a deeper egg colour.

Painting
Secure your egg in an egg cup or egg carton, with most of the shell visible for painting. if you have an intricate design in mind, sketch this onto the dry egg shell in pencil first – but be careful not to press too hard! Fill in your design with acrylic paint, and remember to let the paint dry before you turn it over to paint the bottom of the egg.

Now you have some masterpieces in your home ready for Easter, it’s time to tidy up. Like with all crafty activities, accidents and spills can happen, especially when working with glue, paint and dye. If you’ve spilt anything on your carpets during all this fun, don’t despair, we won’t leave you armed without a few do-it-yourself stain removal solutions.

Rugs are a great alternative to carpets, as not only are they easy to move, clean and replace when you feel like a change, they also make a great statement in a room, if positioned correctly. But when it comes to using rugs in your home, there are some important things to consider in order to get the right balance in your space. So, before heading to the shops, check out our top tips for rugs and you’ll soon be adding some personality, style and warmth to your home.

Cover Heavy Foot Traffic Areas

Rugs in areas prone to heavy foot traffic, such as hallways and lounge rooms, should be extend close to the full width, so people don’t have to walk with one foot on the rug and the other off it. Not only does an ill-fitting rug make walking awkward and uncomfortable, it can lead to unusual wear patterns on your rug and flooring.

Keep Equal Space Around Your Bed

When positioning a rug under your bed, try to place it directly in the centre so the edges extend evenly out from the bed frame. If it’s lop-sided, it can make the whole room appear unbalanced.

Place Rugs Underneath Furniture

In a large open lounge room your rug should sit under at least the front legs of the sofas – or if you have a large rug, completely under them. If you have armchairs in the space as well, their front legs should be just on the rug too. This creates a cosy atmosphere and cohesive sitting area, without closing it off from the rest of the room.

In a small lounge room, rugs should sit in front of the sofa, so there’s a narrow strip of floor showing. This makes the room appear lighter and more spacious. Meanwhile, In a dining room, rugs should be large enough for both the chairs and the table to all be placed on top. Make sure the chairs remain on the rug even when they are pulled out from underneath the table.

Don’t Place Your Best Rugs in The Spill Zone

Having said this, it’s best to avoid placing expensive rugs in the dining area, where there are likely to be spills and accidents. Even though they’re easier to clean than carpets, it can still be difficult to remove certain stains from rugs. If this does happen, you can always try using our spills and stain cleaning guide, and if those don’t work you can give us a call and get the professionals in.

Don’t Hide Your Rug

If you have a small rug in your lounge room try using a couple of side tables instead of a large coffee table, to show off more of your feature rug.

Don’t Forget to Purchase a Rug Pad

Rugs can provide comfort for your feet and back, however without a rug pad, that comfort may be lacking. Placing a rug pad under your rug will add additional support, prevent slipping and extend the life of your rug. Without one, your rug is free to bunch up, move, and slide around on your floors.

So now you know where and how to position the rugs in your home, it’s time to head to the shops and start shopping! But with so many designs, styles and makes to choose from that can be even more tricky. If you’re struggling to decide, check out tips for picking the perfect rug.

Trying to choose and pick the perfect carpet for your stairs might seem like a daunting task; not only trying to find the right style and colour, but also durability, thickness and how it looks as it wraps around the edge of the stair and bannisters. There’s also the question of whether your carpet actually needs to be replaced or not: here’s our 8 signs to check if you should replace your carpet.

While there’s a lot more to consider when buying stair carpet, choosing the best carpeting for your stairs is easy once you learn how to spot quality carpeting. First, you’ll want to assess your staircase and the type of carpeting you need.

What type of staircase do you have? 

STRAIGHT STAIRCASE

As the most common staircase type found in homes around the world, when it comes to carpeting the straight staircase, you might want to look at going for something durable and sturdy, such as a plush or Berber carpet. With its loop construction, the Berber carpet has a more textured look and feel that also adds durability, allowing it to withstand a high amount of traffic.

CURVED STAIRCASE

Larger homes sometimes boast a grand curved staircase, and the best choice to emphasise this elegant feature is a Plush carpet. You could even choose to go a step further by making use of a carpet stair runner, as opposed to completely covering the original treads and risers. This way the staircase edges will be exposed and create an interesting and elegant feature.

SPIRAL STAIRCASE

Spiral staircases, are usually installed for space-saving qualities, and therefore choosing carpet for a spiral staircase is very dependant on the width of the staircase. It’s important to take this into consideration, to avoid choosing carpeting that could encourage missteps. Metal or wooden treads are better suited for narrow spiral staircases, whereas the wider, more dramatic spiral staircases can be carpeted just as any other staircase.

STAIRS WITH MULTIPLE LANDINGS

When choosing a carpet for a staircase with multiple landings, one thing to consider is the wear on the landings. The turn in the staircase will mean that foot traffic patterns will wear carpet at the point where people turn to go up the stairs. Selecting a high-quality carpet for this will definitely pay off in the long run.

What about thickness? 

A thicker carpet does not mean it is more durable: in fact, some of the most durable carpets are the thinner varieties, and some of the thickest carpets are just full of air, and squash down over time.

Thickness is important when choosing the suitability of a carpet for stairs. A carpet that is too thick can be a safety hazard, as it wraps around the front edge of the stair and acts as a ramp for your foot, with nothing substantial to support your foot, leading to potential slips and falls.

General consensus suggests the ideal thickness for a stair carpet is a pile height of maximum 1.27cm, with a carpet padding of 1.11cm or less and a pile density rating of at least 3.5kgs.

Choosing the right colour

There are so many different tones and shades when it comes to choosing the right colour carpet for your staircase, but basically it all comes down to the type of flooring above and below your staircase as well as the look and feel of the interior décor of your home. Here are a few handy tips to help you make the right decision.

• The most popular and obvious colour choice is a neutral sandy tone, which is the most easy option as it compliments a variety of other colours.
• If your ceilings are low, pick a carpet colour that is slighter darker, or a few shades darker than the colour of the surrounding walls, to give a feeling of extension in height.
• If you have light, white or cream walls and high ceilings, you can go a bit more adventurous with carpet colour and patterns, as this will complement the surrounding neutral colours and make a real statement.

Don’t forget, you also need to consider the right carpet underlay. We’ve written about this before so check our hints and tips here!

Now that you’re a more familiar with what type of carpet will work best for your staircase, we hope you feel more confident in making the right colour and design choices. And once you do get that new carpet installed, check out our article on quick tips for removing that new carpet smell.

Once your carpet is in, remember we are always here to help if you do have any spillages on your way up or down the stairs and end up with some stains that need professional attention.

Valentine’s Day is approaching and in the spirit of staying at home you’ve invited your date over to your place to impress them with a romantic home cooked meal. But what you haven’t factored in is the house cleaning and preparation before their arrival! Don’t worry; we have some quick and easy tips to help you get your humble home all shiny and ship-shape, ensuring you make a great impression this Valentine’s Day.

1. Give the lounge room a spruce up

This is the room your date is likely to see first and will be left alone in when you nip into the kitchen to finish off that Master Chef meal you have going, so you need to make sure their gaze doesn’t fall on anything unpleasant!

Here’s a checklist to make sure you have all areas covered:

• Clear away the clutter
• Remove any rugs and shake them outside before vacuuming
• Wipe down everything with a multi-surface cleaner
• If you have any tough stains in the carpets try some of our carpet spills and stain cleaning guide tips
• Vacuum on the way out (we even have some tips on how to vacuum properly for you)
• Once everything is clean, place your rugs back
• Place a bowl of choccies and some candles on the coffee table. It sets the mood and scented candles might help cover up any funny odours that may be lingering from those sweaty gym clothes or stinky socks you removed earlier
• Why not go the whole hog and arrange a nice bottle of champagne in an ice bucket with 2 sparkling clean glasses ready for their arrival

After all that, if you find there are stubborn stains that won’t come out with our stain removing guide, or you want your house to smell super fresh and clean for your special guest, give Drytron, the carpet cleaning professionals a call, and we’ll get your carpet all spruced up and ready to impress even the most discerning date.

2. Let’s get in the kitchen

You know how the saying goes, “a good cook is a clean cook” and Valentine’s Day is not a good time to put that to the test, so play it safe and follow these quick cleaning hacks we’ve put together for you:

• Load all your dirty dishes in the dishwasher and run a cycle so it’s ready and empty for the evening, making for a quick clean up and no lingering smells
• Fill your kitchen sink with hot, soapy water and put all removable stove burners in to soak
• If you have some tough stains on the stove top mix some baking soda in a small bowl with enough hydrogen peroxide to make a paste. Scrub with the rough side of a sponge and hey presto, squeaky clean!
• Wipe down all surfaces with a multi-surface cleaner (don’t forget the cupboard doors!)
• Scrub, rinse and dry the burners then put them back on the stove
• Vacuum and mop the kitchen floor on your way out
• Add a vase with red roses and put out some wine, glasses and nibbles such as a dip, grazing platter or cheese board, so your date can come and chat to you while you’re cooking

3. Don’t forget the loo!

Probably the most dreaded job, but definitely a date deal breaker, so follow these tips to get that powder room ready to pass muster:

• Pour a good amount of toilet cleaner into the toilet bowl and up under the rim, and let it sit for a while
• Remove the bath mats and towels and replace with clean ones
• Wipe down everything with multi-surface bathroom cleaner
• Clean and tidy the inside of your cabinets and drawers and put away anything embarrassing! (everyone likes to peep)
• Neatly arrange bathroom items like soaps or hand towels in a decorative basket. Don’t forget to provide a basket to place the used ones in for washing afterwards
• Now it’s been soaking for a while, give your toilet a good scrub with the toilet brush and flush it
• Lift and wipe the seat and all around the bowl of the toilet with a disinfectant spray. Make sure there are no stray hairs anywhere and don’t forget the top of the loo as well!
• Time to add those romantic finishing touches – essential oil burners or diffusers and some candles will do the trick
• Vacuum the floor all over, being sure to get under and around and in all those dark corners, and mop on your way out

Last but not least, don’t forget to lay the table before your date’s arrival. Add some candles and a few rose petals to set the ambience and you’re all set to enjoy a relaxed (and clean) Valentine’s date in your home.

You could say having all your loved ones around for the festive season is fun… but after all the guests have gone, you’re left with the aftermath of mess, chaos, clutter and laundry. You may feel a sense of panic kick in as you begin to face and tackle an overwhelming load of tasks in a desperate attempt to get your home looking somewhat ship shape. Well don’t despair – we’ve put together a quick and easy list of tips and tricks to get your home looking fit and fabulous for February in no time.

Let’s start with the fridge

Fridges are always pushed to their limit during the festive season, in terms of how much you can squeeze in and still get the door closed. So it’s always a good idea to go through everything in the fridge after all the guests have left, and throw out anything that’s gone off, expired or beginning to grow legs. Now your fridge is decluttered take the opportunity to give it a good wipe down and disinfect it.

Onto the dishwasher

Let’s face it, during the festive season your dishwasher becomes your new best friend, taking care of all the dirty work while you and your guests use more and more dishes. It’s done you a favour, so it’s time to return the good deed by giving your new bestie a good scrub down and get it looking as good as new! Luckily it’s quite an easy task. Simply start by hand-washing the removable filters if your dishwasher has any. Then add a cup of white vinegar in a dishwasher-safe container on the upper rack of the machine. Run the dishwasher through a hot-water cycle. This will wash away grease and grime and remove musty odours, too. Lastly, sprinkle one cup of baking soda across the bottom of the dishwasher. Run a short, hot water cycle. The dishwasher will be fresh-smelling and have a brightened, stain-free interior.

And now the floors, carpets & upholstery

Your floors, carpets and upholstery always tend to get the biggest beating when it comes to the festive season, whether it be from sandy or wet feet, food crumbs, spilt drinks or pet hair, you name it, they’ll be in desperate need of a good, deep clean once the guests have left. Head over to our easy, step-by-step ‘after party’ carpet cleaning tips and then check out our upholstery cleaning tips too. If that hasn’t quite done the job then give us, the carpet and upholstery cleaning professionals, a call.

Don’t forget the barbie

For those that love entertaining around the barbie over the holidays, I think it’s safe to say it’s probably looking a little grim, greasy and full of grime. Thankfully getting it back in good nick is fairly easy, and won’t take too long! All you need to do is half fill your kitchen sink, or alternatively a large container, with cold water, mixing in 30ml (2tbsp) of washing powder until it is completely dissolved. Place the barbecue grid in the water, ensuring it is covered, and leave it to soak for an hour. Lastly, put in some elbow grease by hand-scrubbing the grid clean before rinsing it well. Then dry it and rub it with cooking oil to prevent it from rusting, and you’re good to chuck another shrimp on the barbie next time around.

Christmas Décor

And lastly, if you still haven’t done the dreaded job of packing away those Christmas decorations don’t be tempted to throw them in a bag and stuff them into the back of the cupboard. Why not make life easier by making the pack-away process enjoyable, organised and creative. Get the kids involved in making a DIY ornament box to neatly and safely store all your Christmas decorations. All you need are plastic/paper cups and sheets of cardboard sized to your choice of storage bin. Simply arrange your plastic cups along the bottom of your storage bin, placing an ornament in each cup and then cover with a sheet of cardboard. Repeat this process until you have filled the storage bin with layers of cups and card. This will help you keep all your ornaments organised and easy to unpack the following festive season. Next you’ll also need to pack away the Christmas lights, but avoid scrunching them up into a ball: wrap them around a piece of cardboard to prevent them from getting tangled up. You could even go one step further by labelling the cardboard ‘front porch’ or ‘Christmas tree,’ to remind yourself where to hang them when they’re needed again. Now you’ve not only successfully and neatly packed away everything, but also got everything prepared and ready for next Christmas – how organised are you?

Cleaning the aftermath of all the festive season chaos doesn’t have to be chaotic, in fact, it’s actually fairly easy and stress free. So, If you haven’t already, why not start now by putting our easy DIY tips and tricks into action and getting your house looking fresh and fabulous, ready to kick start February with a bang! Happy cleaning, from Drytron.

Now the festive season has come and gone, and the new year is already well underway, we’re sure many carpets are feeling a little battered and bruised from the aftermath of the summer holidays. So we thought we’d help you jump into 2021 the Drytron way: clean, refreshed, revived and ready.

The general rule for carpet cleaning is: the sooner you act, the less you need to clean, so follow these easy ‘After Party’ carpet cleaning tips to get your carpets looking primed and pristine, ready to welcome more guests and gatherings during the year!

RED WINE CARPET STAIN 

As cautious and careful as you might be when it comes to drinking and celebrating in carpeted areas of your home, it’s pretty inevitable someone will have a glass or two too many and spill their red wine all over your carpet… and wine, rich in pigment, tannins, and other staining agents, is not that easy to clean. A red wine spill can totally ruin a carpet, and once it’s dried, it’s even harder to remove. But don’t worry, because we’ve got some simple methods for you to tackle those pesky vino stains.

Note, it’s always best to spot test these solutions first on an inconspicuous part of your carpet, before you try them on the stain. 

Solution #1:

Re-wet the stain with a small amount of water, then proceed to apply a generously large amount of salt to the stained area. Salt sucks out the moisture from the wet stain, drawing out pigment and other discolouration’s alongside it. Leave the salt overnight. The next day, you will find that the salt has turned pinkish in colour, which tells you it’s doing its job. Once you’re satisfied, simply scoop up the salt and discard. For the final touches, vacuum up the remaining salt grains and you should be left with a stain that has greatly reduced in size or intensity, or completely vanished!

Solution #2:

Mix 1 tablespoon of white vinegar, 1 tablespoon dishwashing liquid, and 2 cups of warm water in a large bowl. Make sure you only use white vinegar as other vinegars can stain leading to further damage. Wet the stain with the mixture and using a clean rag, dab (don’t scrub!) the stained area. The mixture will loosen the stain. Use a second dry rag to absorb the liquid as you continue to blot. Alternate using the wet and dry rag. When the stain has been mostly removed, soak a third rag in cold water and press it into the stain. This will further loosen and remove the wine. Continue until the stain is gone.

CANDLE WAX STAINS

Everyone’s a sucker for the warmth and intimacy that candlelight so easily provides, and what better occasion for that ambience than a family sit-down Christmas dinner… that is until wax ends up all over the carpet. If you had any wax mis-haps over the holidays, then you’ve come to the right place. Here’s our go-to method for removal…

Solution:

Place a bag of ice, an ice pack or even frozen meat over the wax on the carpet until the wax solidifies and starts to lift up from the carpet fibers. Once the wax stain is frozen, use your knife, or a spoon if you’re afraid to ruin the fibres, to scrape off as much of the wax as you can. If you’re unable to remove all the wax, then grab a paper towel/bag and place it over the wax stain and proceed to rub over the paper towel/bag with an iron on low temperature. Keep repositioning the towel/bag on fresh areas and repeat until all the wax has been absorbed. Ta daaa.

PET URINE STAINS

Don’t we all just love having the relatives over for the holidays, especially Auntie Susan who insists that her precious pooch never gets left behind. Well, it’s all fun and games until you’re left to deal with the aftermath of the pooch’s party on your carpet… Luckily we’re here to give you the perfect remedy on how to remove pet stains from your carpet!

Solution:

Assuming you were wise enough to clean up as much of the urine as possible as soon as it hit the carpet, however, once the remainder of urine dries, the odour will set into the carpet fibres. To get rid of the odour, mix up a solution of 2 cups vinegar, 2 cups warm water and 4 tablespoons of baking soda. Transfer the solution into a spray bottle and spritz it onto the urine stained area. Let that sit for about 5 to 10 minutes, and then dab the area with a soft kitchen towel to remove any excess liquid. If you’re still struggling with the smell or urine stain, proceed to sprinkle some baking soda directly over the affected area. Then pour a half vinegar and half water solution onto the area and let it sit for 5 minutes. Again, dab the area with a cloth to remove any excess liquid.

For more tips on urine and your carpets click here:  https://drytron.com.au/urine-and-your-carpets/

We hope these quick and easy home remedies have come to your rescue, and helped you bring your beautiful carpets back to life, ready to take on another year of celebrations, gatherings and good old fun! However, if you’ve tried everything under the sun, and still find yourself in a pickle you can always call the carpet cleaning professionals – Drytron.

Of course, like everything, even carpets and rugs have a lifespan and if you’re considering replacing your carpet take a quick look here to see if it’s time to spoil yourself by starting the new year with some new carpets. We’ve even made a list of tips to help you pick the perfect rug.

In our last post we shared some tips on how to prepare for the arrival of your friends and family this Christmas, we decided to go a little further in helping you prepare for a fun and fabulous, festive drinks evening at home.

Set up a drinks station

There’s nothing better than kick-starting the festivities with a little extra festive ‘spirit,’ so follow this easy, step by step punch recipe that you can pre-prepare and set up alongside a drinks station – it will free up heaps of time for you not having to play hostess and mixologist extraordinaire at the same time. You might need to taste a few beforehand just to make sure you’re happy with them though!

What you’ll need:

• red grapes
• A bottle of Prosecco
• 1L of cloudy apple juice
• ice
• 250ml sloe gin
• 50ml Jägermeister
• 1 ball stem ginger, finely sliced
• 3-4 sprigs rosemary
• 1 clementine, finely sliced
• A sprinkle of cinnamon

What to do:

The day before your party, put the grapes in the freezer, and chill the prosecco and apple juice in the fridge. Just before your guests are due to arrive, place the frozen grapes and a generous handful of ice in a large 2-3 litre punch bowl and pour all the remaining ingredients on top. Stir gently to combine, then serve. This will keep nice and cool for up to 3 hrs before needing to add more ice. Sip, sip, hooray!

Festive snacks

Make sure you choose simple foods that can be prepared ahead of time. Have the platters and bowls assembled and ready to be pulled out of the fridge or have the cling film taken off at least 15 minutes before guests arrive. Simple finger food allows guests to graze, such as crackers, cheeses and a cut fruit platter, dips and chips or a crudite plate.

Here’s a great recipe for a festive cranberry salsa to serve with your cheese board:

• Pulse cranberries and sugar in a food processor
• Stir together with onions, cilantro and jalapeno
• Cover and refrigerate several hours or overnight
• To serve, place cream cheese on a serving plate
• Drain salsa; spoon over cream cheese
• Decorate with a sprig of holly

Crank up some Jingle Bell Rock

What’s a festive party without some holiday music? Before guests arrive, dim the lights, turn up the holiday tunes, light some scented candles, string up the fairy lights and pour yourself a punch.

Stock up on festive props

Gather a bunch of Santa hats, reindeer antlers, Christmas crackers, silly glasses and other props to leave around the room and encourage people to wear or pose for fun photos. You could even set up an allocated photo booth area by the Christmas tree – there are plenty of photo booth apps available to download.

Get people in the giving mode

Set up a Kris Kringle present game and let everyone know the allocated budget beforehand – it’s a great ice breaker to start the party with as people get into the spirit of some light-hearted “gift giving” fun!

Plan ahead for the morning after

Let’s face it, you don’t want to be worrying about the aftermath of the party while you’re busy enjoying it and having fun, so take as much of that worry away by planning for the clean-up ahead of time. Clear an area, say in the laundry or another room near the kitchen, where you can fill trays with empty glasses ready to be washed, and if there isn’t a sink nearby use a bucket to empty the dregs into. Have some large, strong bin-bags ready for food scraps or disposable plates and napkins, and try to clear these throughout the party. Tidy as much as you can after the guests leave, so it’s not such a mission the next morning (you’ll thank yourself for it later!) And if you have any major spills on the carpet or couches there’s no need to get your tinsel in a tangle because we’ve got that covered too – try our stain removal tips or call in our carpet cleaning specialists to take care of the job for you. You could even think about booking your carpet clean in advance for the week after the party, to take even more pressure off.