Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Five Ways to Go Green in a California Home



From large scale renovations to quick redecorating projects, there are many great ways to go green while making updates to your home.  Cinderella Carpet One in Salinas and San Luis Obispo offers these five tips on making your project a little greener:

1. Repurposing vintage and antique furniture is one of the best ways to be kind to the planet. Family members’ garages, yard sales, and online auction sites like eBay and Craigslist are great places to start. A repurposed piece might need some work but often times, a quick coat of paint or a good cleaning can reveal the perfect piece to add a layer of uniqueness to a new design.
2. Choose a paint that has no VOCs – volatile organic compounds – like Benjamin Moore’s Natura® line. VOCs are also what cause that paint smell so this green choice will also make do-it-yourself painting projects a little more enjoyable.
3. Look for green options in unexpected places. “Many people are surprised to find that there are so many options for eco-friendly flooring and you’re not just limited to hard surface. There are carpet options that are green too.” At Cinderella Carpet One we indicate eco-friendly products with the Green Select label to make them easier for customers to find.

4.  Often times a home project is so focused on what is new that the old is forgotten. Donating old furniture and making sure that construction materials are disposed of properly is a big part of a green remodel. Gently used furniture can be sold in a yard sale or donated to charity. Even carpet can often be reused or recycled - gently used carpet can be cleaned and donated and certain types of carpet can be recycled. It make take a little extra work to keep your old room out of the landfill, but donating and recycling as much as possible is important for green home project.
5. Green goes beyond the actual remodel or renovation. This is a great time to add features that will save energy for years to come. Installing ceiling fans during a renovation can cut down on energy use year round. Energy efficient appliances are an important feature to consider during kitchen upgrades.   And, if exterior doors are part of the project, make sure they are energy efficient as well.
We like to keep the environment in mind whenever products with earth-friendly labels like Energy Star and Green Select make it easy to make the green choice. Home renovation projects can be exciting and gratifying. Keeping the earth in mind will make the new space even more enjoyable for years to come.
For more ideas and information on green products mentioned in this article, please visit Carpet One Floor & Home’s Pinterest Board “Green Home”.
Helping protect the environment is everyone’s business!  Visit our showroom in Salinas and San Luis Obispo and join us in trying to protect our environment, because working together we can make a difference.  Contact us today for your Free in-home measurement of our Green Select floorcovering products.

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

WHY YOU SHOULD VACUUM YOUR CARPET REGULARLY



Carpet is great to have in your home.  It adds comfort and warmth to any room.  That’s why carpet has become one of the most common home accessories.  At Cinderella Carpet One in Salinas and San Luis Obispo, we urge all our customers to put regular carpet cleaning on their to-do list to help maintain the look and feel of their new carpet as well as prolong its lifespan.

Proper vacuuming is the easiest and most effective way to keep your carpet clean.  Walking on dirty carpet allows the gritty particles to work their way below the surface of the pile where they are far more difficult to remove and can damage the carpet fibers.  Do you have heavy traffic areas? If you do you’ll need to vacuum those areas, such as hallways, stairs and exterior entryways, at least twice a week. Vacuum less heavily used areas weekly.  Take your time when you vacuum a carpet, especially a plush carpet in which dirt is sure to be deeply embedded. One pass with a high-powered upright is not enough. Go over each section of carpeting several times, and work slowly to allow the suction to remove all the ground-in dust and dirt.

We also urge our customers to buy a quality vacuum.  If you try and save money on your vacuum it will not effectively remove the hidden dirt and particles embedded in the pile.  So, invest in a good unit to get the dirt you can’t see and prolong the beauty and life of your carpet.  If you need some help investing in a good vacuum visit www.carpet-rug.org to make sure your vacuum is certified through the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI).

For periodic maintenance, your carpet should be deep cleaned every two years. With today’s advanced fibers, be sure to follow the manufacturer’s instructions for cleaning. You can choose professional or do-it-yourself steam or dry cleaning. If you choose professional cleaning, be sure to use a reputable service like Wasson’s Carpet Cleaning and get them to perform a visual inspection of the carpet before giving you a quote.

When you follow our flooring maintenance and care guides for your floorcovering, it’s easy to maintain the beauty of your new floor.  Proper care and cleaning will enhance its life and performance giving you years of enjoyment.  Contact one of our showrooms in Salinas or San Luis Obispo to learn more about the care and maintenance of your flooring.

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

WHY BUY YOUR FLOORING FROM A LOCALLY OWNED FLOORING STORE?

Shopping for flooring in Monterey County? Is the locally owned Flooring Store in Salinas for you? Or are you just considering one of those big box stores? 
This is a good question to ask when it is time to purchase flooring.  There are many benefits to shopping with a locally owned and operated flooring store.  As a retailer, you always want to offer the best and most competitive value when offering flooring.  When we say competitive, we don’t necessary mean the cheapest flooring options.   At Cinderella Carpet One in Salinas and San Luis Obispo we try to give our customer what they want.  Sometimes price is the primary need and we try our best to be the most economical choice.  We try to be extremely competitive, but not to sacrifice the service we offer.

At Cinderella Carpet One we believe in our local community and we think we are a benefit when servicing our local customers. When buying from a locally owned and operated company it helps to keep your money flowing in your own backyard. Probably even more importantly, if you choose a locally owned flooring store, the knowledge of the area, the builders, the style of homes, etc., leads to a much more informative and educated perspective. 

At Cinderella we like to think we are much more personable than the big box stores. And choosing flooring is a social and personable experience. One cannot get the look and feel of a floor for your home without talking to someone who works in the business, on a local level, every day. 
Service after the sale is also important.  We want you to be 100% satisfied that the floor we’ve created together is as beautiful as the one in your dreams.  If not, we will replace it for FREE.  That’s what we call The Beautiful Guarantee
So before buying your flooring, stop by your local Cinderella showroom in Salinas and San Luis Obispo to see how we measure up in value to the big box stores.
For a limited time, every product in our showroom is being discounted.  All in stock merchandise is selling at up to 50% off and remnants as low as $10.  Stop in today to experience Cinderella Carpet One, your locally owned flooring store.  We bet the BEST option for you will be the locally owned option.