1. This document is 8831-Q, a series of the the Cooperative Extension, the University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85719. Publication date:

2. Lance Fluegel, Safety Coordinator and Bradley Rein, Engineering Specialist, the College of Agriculture, the University of Arizona, Tucson AZ 85719.
The University of Arizona College of Agriculture is an Equal Opportunity employer authorized to provide research, educational information
and other services only to individuals and institutions that function without regard to sex, race, religion, color, national origin, age, Vietnam
Era Veteran’s status, or handicapping condition.

The appearance and life of your carpet depends on the care it receives. Proper cleaning helps safeguard your carpet investment by keeping you from having to replace it before its time.
Cleaning your carpet the right way does not have to be difficult. It is important to use the right methods, equipment and cleaning products. Using improper methods, equipment or products can result in faster re-soiling, the reappearance of stains, or more serious damage to your carpet.
Maintaining your carpets starts with prevention. When possible, have people remove their shoes before walking on carpet. Also, use mats at entries to prevent moisture and dirt from getting on the carpet. Then clean and maintain your carpets following these 3 simple steps:
1.Dry Soil Removal: Regular vacuuming is the simplest and most important maintenance activity you can do to keep your carpet in the best possible condition. Ever wonder why worn carpet gets matted down and show visible traffic lanes? It is the abrasive nature of dirt and foot traffic that actually causes permanent damage / fraying of the carpet fibers causing them to loose their resiliency. Remember, vacuum, vacuum, vacuum!!!!
2.Clean Up Spills Fast: The faster you clean up a spill, the less likely it will turn into a permanent stain. When a spill occurs, blot up as much as possible with a white towel. Then, spray plain water through a spray bottle onto the area and blot again. Repeat the process until the towel comes up clean. If you own a wet dry vacuum, use it to pull as much moisture out of the carpet as possible or if possible, rent a good quality carpet extractor.
3.Extraction Deep Cleaning: Use a good quality extractor that applies a cleaning solution and then picks up the soiled solution. Use a cleaning chemical that is safe for stain resistant carpet and is designed for extraction cleaning. Some cleaning products can leave a sticky residue that can attract dirt and cause carpets to get dirty faster after cleaning.

Extraction Cleaning Tips:
Pre-Spray Traffic Lanes: Areas that are heavily trafficked and visibly dirty should be pre-sprayed prior to extracting to give cleaning chemicals more time to loosen up dirt. When extracting these areas, make one pass dispensing the cleaning solution followed by a pass with just the vacuum.
Use proper dilutions: Read the label and follow dilution recommendations. Using more than necessary won’t make your carpets any cleaner.
Use warm-hot tap water in the extractor: Using warm or hot tap water improves cleaning performance.
Allow Carpets Ample Time to Dry: Don’t allow people to walk on carpets until completely dry. To speed drying, promote air flow with a fan.

Following these steps will make your carpets look good and make them last for many years to come.

What You’ll Need:

Tackless strips
Stapler
Hammer
Utility knife
Chalk line
Measuring tape
Rolling pin (or rental seam roller)
Work gloves
Safety glasses
Knee pads

Rental Tools:

Knee kicker
Power stretcher
Seam cutter
Seaming iron
Seam tape
Wall trimmer
Strip cutter
Seam roller

Getting Ready

Your first step is to get rid of the old carpet. Start by removing the moldings around the floor and take the door off the entrance, so you can get the old carpet out and the new carpet in easier. Give the old carpet a good vacuuming so you won’t be breathing in dust, and then use a utility knife to cut the carpet into strips about 18 to 24 inches wide.

Start at one end and pull the carpet off the tackless strips and roll it up in sections. Some people feel that you can reuse the existing underlay, but in most cases it will be worn out just like the carpet, so you’re better off getting rid of it as well.

Remove the existing tackless strips and make sure the floor is clean and dry. This is a good time to check your subfloor and securely fasten any floorboards that may be loose so they won’t squeak under the new carpet (use 1 1/2″ screws into the underlying floor joists).

Install new tackless strips around the perimeter of the room, but not in front of doorways. Leave a space of about 1/2″ between the strips and the wall, and be sure the pins or tacks face towards the wall. (They’re called tackless strips even though they have two or three rows or very sharp tacks, because using these “tackless strips” means you don’t need to “tack” carpet down.) At corners, make sure the tackless strips are butted tightly against each other.

Laying the Underpad

Put the underpad down in strips that overlap the tackless strips. Butt the strips against each other – don’t overlap them – then staple the underlay down along the inside edge of the tackless strip. Trim the excess underlay along the inside of the tackless strip and use duct tape to seal the seams.

Laying the Carpet

To install carpet properly, you need to start with a piece that overlaps the edge of the floor by 4 to 6 inches. The overlay can then be trimmed so the carpet fits properly. To cut your first section, measure the room at its longest point and add 6 inches to that measurement. Mark the back of your carpet on both edges with that measurement and join the two marks with a chalk line. Fold the carpet over on itself, and using a straight edge and a sharp utility knife, cut through the backside of your carpet. Be sure to place a piece of scrap board underneath your cut line to protect the underlying carpet.

Seams

If your room is wide enough that you’re going to need another piece of carpet, follow the same process with the second piece – measure, mark and trim. Be sure the carpet pile is running the same way in both pieces, and that the carpet piece is large enough to overlap the wall by 4 to 6 inches, as well as overlapping the first piece of carpet by 4 to 6 inches. (Try to layout your carpet pieces so the seams won’t be in noticeable areas, but obviously sometimes that just isn’t possible.)

Where the carpet pieces will join, overlap the two pieces, and then using a utility knife or a rented seam cutter, cut through both pieces of carpet, ensuring the edges will match exactly. After cutting the carpet, center a piece of seaming tape on the floor underneath where they join, adhesive side up. Use the seaming iron to activate the adhesive (the iron goes on the tape, not on top of the carpet), and then butt the edges together and seal the seam with a rolling pin or a carpet roller.

Attaching the Carpet

Use a knee kicker to attach the carpet along one edge. A knee kicker is a solid metal tool about 18″ long with “teeth” that will grip the carpet on one end, and a heavily padded “butt” on the other. Place the toothed end of the kicker about 3″ from the wall and drive your knee forcefully into the padded end of the tool. This will stretch the carpet over the tackless strip where the tacks will grab it and hold it firmly in place.

A carpet stretcher will finish attaching the carpet. A carpet stretcher is similar to knee kicker, but much longer. Put one end of the carpet stretcher against the wall where the carpet is already attached and place the other end about 6 inches from the far wall. The carpet stretcher also has teeth to grip the carpet, and when you push on the activation lever, it will stretch the carpet over the tackless strip near the far wall.

Work your way around the room stretching the carpet over the tackless strips, and trim the carper near the wall with a utility knife or a wall trimmer.

Finishing Up

Using a stair tool, tuck the carpet down into the gap between the tackless strips and the wall. At the doorway, trim the carpet so the edge is centered under the closed door and install a door edge strip. Finally, cut any vent openings and install the molding on the baseboards.

That’s it. Stretch your back, check to see if your knees still work, and then take some time to admire what all your hard work has accomplished.
Murray Anderson is an experienced freelance writer with articles published in both the United States and Canada. He has written on a wide range of topics, but specializes in home maintenance and how to’s.

Read more: http://www.doityourself.com/stry/howtoinstallcarpet#ixzz0mV09bVTX

Lawn Aeration is a process that perforates the soil with small holes that allow water, air, and fertilizer through to get closer to the roots. This enables the roots to grow deeply, producing a healthier more vigorous lawn. Your lawn shows signs of stress and the need for aeration if it doesn’t turn green after fertilizing, or there is a presence of many worn areas throughout your lawn. Lawns only need to be aerated about once a year, and some, if they are only receiving moderate maintenance, need aeration about every two years. If your lawn has a problem with thatch (the composting grass from past mowing), it may be necessary to aerate a couple times a year instead of once as required by most lawns.

Thatch eventually forms a layer that acts as a barrier over the soil. Using a lawn aeration device to break through the thatch is much easier and less drastic than dethatching the entire lawn. An aeration device consists of a special tool that removes plugs from the soil. They’re available in motorized or manual tools, however, unless you’re aerating a small area, the manual tool is not recommended. These can usually be rented from landscaping companies or a tool rental store at a reasonable rate. There are two types of tools that are marketed as lawn aerators. One will simply punch holes in the soil, but will not remove plugs. This will only compact the soil around the holes and the holes will probably fill back in quickly. It’s recommended that you use the type that will actually remove the soil plugs, instead of poking holes in the soil.

An effective tool should produce holes at least three quarters of an inch in diameter and penetrate three inches deep. Also, the plugs should be no more than three inches apart. Aerate on a day that the ground is moist, but not soppy. If you aerate soil that’s too wet, or too dry, the aerating device will not penetrate the soil fully. The plugs that are left behind with aerating can be disposed of a couple ways. The best is probably just leaving them on the surface to dry for a day, and then mowing them to provide a beneficial top layer to your lawn. Other ways of disposing are raking them to break them up after they’re fully dried, or leaving them in your lawn to break down naturally. However, leaving them can make your lawn unsightly for a couple weeks, while the plugs are breaking down.
Article by www.greatlandscapingideas.com

• Aeration: A core aerator will pull 2-3″ plugs of soil from your turf.  Most all of the aerators that GRS Rents carries will space the holes about 3-4″ apart and deposit the plugs on top of the surface.  It is recommended by Horticulturists that “[t]urf soil should be aerated at least once a year on heavy compacted or clay soils.”¹ Early spring, when the soil is moist, is a great time to aerate.  Using a rental aerator on your lawn allows air, moisture, and nutrients to penetrate deep into the root zone of the lawn.

• De Thatching (Lawn Combing): Plan to dethach your lawn in the spring as well.  Excessive thatch in a lawn can cause stress on your lawns root system, leading to more problems in the summer time.  Lawn dethatchers come in one basic size, ~20″ deck, that pull the thatch to the surface.  Some models that GRS Rents carry have bagging units attached to them, other models allow you to simply rake up the thatch when you’re done.

• Mowing: It may seem obvious, but you should cut your grass once it exceeds 2.5″ in height.  This practice will keep the lawn from stressing and will help avoid disease. If the grass does get too tall, consider using a bag-style mower to avoid excessive thatch buildup in the lawn.  Experts reccomend mower blades be sharpened a couple times a year to ensure a clean cut.  Conveniently, GRS Rents offers mower blade sharpening at all of our locations.

• Edging & Trimming: Take the time in the Spring, before growth takes off, to trim out of control bushes or trees.  It is also an easy time to edge sidewalks, flower beds, and driveways.  We carry an assortment of tools like sidewalk edgers, bed edgers, hedge trimmers, chainsaws, chippers, and more to help you make these jobs a piece of cake.

While these are just a few tips to Spring Lawn care, they should give you a great start to enjoying a beautiful lawn all summer long!  If you have questions about your upcoming projects, give GRS Rents a call at 888-477-7687.  Our helpful staff would love to help you get the most out of your spring projects!

¹ Robson, David. “Spring LawnCare Guide.” <http://web.extension.illinois.edu/regions/lawnandgarden/SpringLawnCareGuide05.pdf>.

It’s simple: whether you’re tackling the simplest of projects or complicated construction or remodeling work, there is almost always a tool to make your project easier, safer, or more affordable. GRS Rents has already done the homework in finding these tools, buying them, storing them, maintaining them, etc. Further, we have a complete staff of rental coordinators to help you match awesome tools to your projects. Consider GRS Rents to be your ‘toy box of tools.’ Our wide assortment of inventory allows us to be your one-stop shop for most any project. We rent everything from Bobcats, Excavators, Utility Track Loaders (Dingos), and landscape tractors to pressure washers, pipe wrenches, and floor mops. If you need something – GRS Rents is likely to have it!

Tool renting lets you:

* Use the appropriate tool for for the job you’re working on. Stop using screw-drivers for chisels, shovels for post holes, and hammers to break concrete! Save time, money, and protect your safety by renting from GRS Rents.
* You can get started right away by working from helpful instructions and tips from GRS Rents staff, rather than spenduing time reading a manual or hunting info on the internet.
* High quality, commercial quality equipment is expensive to buy, but extremely affordable to rent. Did you know you can rent a $450 hammer drill for less than $23?
* By renting tools from our Crystal Lake, East Dundee, or Marengo Stores you don’t have to store them in your garage! Save room for the fun stuff!

When you’re planning your next home improvement project, consider using the right tool for the job. Renting from GRS Rents can save you money, allow you to use the right tool for the right job (safety first!), and help your project done faster!

Thanks for reading! We hope to talk to you soon!