It’s Spring! Now, Where Is That Garden Hose?  North Star Clean of Wisconsin.
 
The weather is getting nicer, the birds are chirping more and you see flowers and other signs of botanical life making their annual appearance.
 
It’s a natural urge to get outdoors and clean up around the house, raking old leaves and picking up winter clutter. You’ve been inside long enough!
 
You also want to speed things up with your grass, flowers and plants, so you go hunting for that stored garden hose. You can’t find it. You are sure you put it in the garage. But… there it is. It’s still hooked up to the faucet from last summer.
 
So you proceed to spend an hour or two happily giving everything a good soaking. The problem is… you may be giving the inside of your home or your basement a good soaking as well.
 
What happened? Why this inside flooding disaster when all you were doing was merrily watering your plants and emerging flora?
 
The problem may be leaving the hose connected to the faucet all winter. Water build-up inside the faucet can freeze and break the pipe, and the way faucets work is when you turn the knob, you release water under pressure into the area that is broken, and it naturally forces its way through the break in the pipe and spews water inside the wall, in the home and (if you have one) the basement.
 
Of course, if the winter temperatures in the area you live never dip to the freezing point, this doesn’t concern you… water away!
 
But if you do live in colder climates, be sure to check and see if you have a possible broken pipe behind your faucet. You can do this by having someone inside the home when you turn it on, or by letting pressure build up in the hose and listening carefully to rushing water inside the wall.
 
No matter what happens, though, your water damage pros are a quick phone call way!

Should You Wash Cushion Covers?  North Star Clean of Wisconsin.
 
It’s a very easy thing to do… you notice your sofa cushions are a little dingy, which is perfectly normal with kids, pets and normal usage.
 
So you decide to do-it-yourself and wash the cushion covers. They come out looking nice. But you also notice a little problem. The colors aren’t as bright as they used to be, and it takes a lot of effort to get the covers back over the foam cushions themselves. In fact, for one cushion, you can’t even get it zipped up all the way.
 
The reason is that cushion covers are not designed to be washed like normal laundry. “But it has zippers!” you exclaim. That’s for the convenience of the furniture manufacturing company or the upholsterer.
 
Keep these points in mind if you are tempted to wash your cushion covers:
 

1. When you wash the cushion covers, there is some danger in fabric shrinkage and dye loss. If this happens, not much you can do to fix it.
2. 2. Shrinkage typically occurs in the drier, so if you are tempted to wash your own cushion covers, hang them to dry (but remember there is always risk).
3. 3. Dyes are funny things. The dyes on your favorite t-shirts are pretty tough and durable and last a long time, but on upholstery they can bleed or fade. 
4. 4. Putting cushion covers in the laundry can also cause problems with the integrity of the fabric, such as any latex backing that could be present; delamination, or the separation of the face fiber and backing, can occur.

 
So while you may do this, remove your cushion covers for laundering, keep these points in mind and be very careful with your valuable furnishings! Do your furniture and all upholstery fabric a huge favor: Call your cleaning professionals today!