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.

• 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!