Choosing the Best Grout Color

Remodeling your kitchen or bathroom? The design process can be stressful, especially when getting to the detailed elements like grout color. Choosing grout color depends on many factors, but following these three steps might help make the decision an easier one:

1. Choose color tiles
Since tile is more prominent and crucial to your home’s design, you’ll want to choose the color tile you want before settling on grout color. From there, you have a few options - you can either go light, dark, or find an (almost) exact match.

2. Decide between contrast or blend
Going for contrast or a monochromatic look is based upon design preference. If you choose a dark grout for contrast against your white tile, you can conceal dirt rather than displaying it. If you choose a tone that blends more with light-colored tiles, you might risk the chance of more dirt, but you create a cohesive look.

3. Check out samples
Don’t just choose any tile out of a magazine - check out samples first! Place them in the desired spot and see how it looks in different lighting. Sleep on the ideas and choose what your eye goes to more, depending on the other elements in your room.

Once you settle on a color and have them installed, be sure to keep them clean! At Triple S, we offer grout cleaning and color sealing to keep your grout looking brand new for years to come! We are a family owned business with over 50 years of experience and are ready to help you get your home ready for the holidays!

Triple S has three main plant locations:

Stamford Plant | 400 West Main Street
Norwalk Plant | 337 Westport Avenue
Stratford Plant | 1800 Stratford Avenue

Your July 4th Cleaning Checklist

In just days, we’ll be celebrating one of our favorite summer holidays! July 4th is a time to reflect on all of America’s great accomplishments and also a time for outdoor fun! If you’re hosting a Fourth of July party this weekend, impress your guest with these essential cleaning tips:

 Clean the Bathrooms
Wow your guests by quickly tidying up your bathroom or powder room. Work your way from top to bottom, first cleaning your cabinets, then your countertops, and then the floor. This includes emptying off your countertops, arranging your bathroom essentials, and scrubbing the shower - especially if you have overnight guests!

Empty the Fridge
Your kitchen should be in tip-top shape and your fridge should be emptied out, primarily for two reasons: (1) to keep foul odor away and (2) to make room in your fridge for your Fourth of July treats!

Polish Dirty Spaces
From the kitchen to your patio space, wipe down every surface until polished to perfection! This means polishing kitchen countertops as well as your outdoor tables and chairs.

Touch Things Up
This can be done last minute. Before guests arrive, swap out your dirty hand towel for a clean one, vacuum area rugs, fluff up your pillows and outdoor cushions, and hang your patriotic flag outdoors to show our holiday spirit!

If you need help with some last minute cleaning for your carpets, upholstery, and tiles (whether it be for this party or your next), call the experts and Triple S! We are a family owned business with over 50 years of experience and are ready to help you get your home ready for the holidays! Triple S has three main plant locations:

Stamford Plant | 400 West Main Street
Norwalk Plant | 337 Westport Avenue
Stratford Plant | 1800 Stratford Avenue

Textile Cleaning Tips for Summer

Summer is the perfect time for trips to the beach, picnics, and spending time outdoors with family. But with warm and humid weather, it’s also the most ideal time to tidy up the home. Use these tips to help keep your home in tip-top shape for the season:

Shoes off at the door
Walking around the home with dirt on the soles of your shoes only adds to the pollution in your home and creates an unhealthy environment. And since summer weather means more time spent outdoors, you’re more likely to carry dirt on your soles. That being said, it’s important to stop dirt in your tracks by kicking off your shoes at the door.

Vacuum weekly
Whether you’re blasting your AC or keeping the windows wide open on a beautiful breezy afternoon, your floors are likely to get dirty with dust and allergens. Be sure to keep your carpets and hardwood clean by vacuuming with the correct vacuum attachment.

Keep spot removal tips on hand
Let’s face it: spills can happen often. Whether it be wine or ketchup, what you need are a few spot removal tips on hand for emergency cleanups. At Triple S, we like to prepare our customers with the best and safest spot removal tips for when they need it most. Click here to view a few of our spot removal methods for chocolate, coffee, grease, and more! 

Hire a pro
When all else fails, your best bet is to hire a professional textile cleaner for your carpets, upholstery, and window treatments. Companies like Triple S offer all the cleaning services you could need for your residential or commercial property.

Triple S is dedicated to green cleaning to ensure your space stays clean, fresh, and bright! We use quality green cleaning formulas, the most modern techniques and equipment. We then apply all of our skill, energy and experience into restoring their like-new look & beauty.

Triple S has three main plant locations:

Stamford Plant | 400 West Main Street
Norwalk Plant | 337 Westport Avenue
Stratford Plant | 1800 Stratford Avenue

The Importance of Green Cleaning

You know the potent smell of your chemical cleaners? Now imagine how they can damage your home and your health. We’ve got a better solution! It’s called green cleaning:

Health Protection - Many over-the-counter cleaning products contain harsh chemicals that can negatively impact the air quality in your family and your pets. Such harsh chemicals can cause headaches, sneezing, and coughing. But by using green cleaning methods and products, you can lead a more healthy lifestyle.

Better Air Quality - By switching to green cleaning, you can breathe easier in your home knowing that your products won’t affect your health or your home. The reason? Green cleaners contain non-toxic and biodegradable ingredients that don’t negatively impact your home or the environment.

Money Well Spent - There are many green cleaning products you can mix up yourself with the ingredients you have at home. This means you don’t have to constantly pick up new and expensive cleaning products once you run out. By purchasing the (green) counterparts, you can keep more money in your wallet.

Fresher Scent - Did we also mention that green cleaning just has a better overall aroma? That’s right! Toss away the ammonia-based, commercial brand products and make your own. It even helps to add your favorite essential oil.

At Triple S, green cleaning is of the utmost importance to us. We use quality green cleaning formulas, the most modern techniques and equipment. We then apply all of our skill, energy and experience into restoring their like-new look & beauty.

We have three main plant locations:

Stamford Plant | 400 West Main Street
Norwalk Plant | 337 Westport Avenue
Stratford Plant | 1800 Stratford Avenue

The Best Window Treatments for Every Room

Choosing the right window treatments for your windows can set the tone in your home. But keep in mind that not every room should be treated the same. Here are the best textiles to use for every room in your home:

Living room
The window treatments you choose for the living room should compliment your home decor - especially if you entertain often. If your home has large windows and off-white walls, warm them up with Hunter Douglas Nantucket™ shades. These vertical sheers provide a warm and cozy look that brightens up the home and is totally functional.

Bathroom
Bathrooms call for privacy, which some curtains can’t provide the way that others can. Installing top-down bottom-up Vignette® Tiered™ Modern Roman Shades is the perfect solution for all the privacy you could need, allowing you to shift the curtains up or down.

Bedroom
For  your bedroom, you should have the softest window treatment fabric to go with the comfort of your bedtime retreat. Hunter Douglas Pirouette® window shadings feature soft fabric vanes attached to a  single sheer backing that appear to be floated when open, drawing more natural light into your room.

Let Triple S inspire your next window treatment purchase with the highest quality products products and materials. Our experts will do the work measuring dimensions, assessing your room’s lighting, and making sure your purchase is perfectly customized to your home.

To learn more about DUC interiors and Triple S, visit us on the web.

5 Ways to Decorate Your Home for Summer

Summer is just a week away! Time to spruce things up in your home by decorating for the warmer season. Here are five home decor solutions you must try:

Sheer Curtains
Say hello to summer by swapping out your heavy drapes for sheer curtains instead. Not only do sheers allow more air circulation, but they also look beautiful when flowing in the cross breeze throughout your home.

More Plants
Nothing says summer like a fresh vase of sunflowers or a pot of herbs. Take advantage of the extra daylight and warm temperatures by growing your own produce, such as lemons, and adding a natural aroma.

Botanical Prints
You might still have wool, cable pillow covers and holiday-theme embroidered decor laying around, but now is the perfect time to stow them away for a while. Instead, add botanical printed fabrics, which go well in any space around this time of year. Incorporating botanical prints is one of way of bringing the outdoors inside, and the great part is that you can use them year after year.

Bright Colors
Summer is all about vibrant colors and highlights. So whether it be a throw, a pillowcase, a floral arrangement, or a new paint job, brightening up your space can instantly transform your home into a summer retreat.

Shades
Now that we’re experiencing extra hours of sunlight, control the light in your home by installing energy-efficient shades. At DUC Interiors, a division of Triple S, we offer high-tech, cost-effective solutions, like our 100 Douglas Window Treatments.

To learn more about DUC Interiors, click here.  We service Fairfield county including: Greenwich, Cos Cob, Old Greenwich, Stamford, plus more locations!

Triple S has three main plant locations:

Stamford Plant | 400 West Main Street
Norwalk Plant | 337 Westport Avenue
Stratford Plant | 1800 Stratford Avenue

Qualities of a Good Carpet Cleaning Company

Hiring a good carpet cleaning company goes beyond choosing the first five star rated service on the web. Ask yourself these questions before inviting them into your home:

Green Cleaning
Does the carpet cleaning company offer green cleaning and green products? One company might get the job done, but if they’re not using quality green-cleaning formulas and the most modern techniques and equipment, then you might benefit looking elsewhere. 

Ask About Certificates
Ou want a carpet cleaner you can trust, so ask if they’ve been carefully screened and selected for their dedication and pride of performance. Have they also been trained by professionals? Know who you’re inviting into your home and go by your intuition - are these people I can trust?

One Stop Shop
Upon hiring a carpet cleaner, you might realize that you also need oriental and area rug cleaning or upholstery cleaning, etc. Choose a service that offers all of that and more, because let’s face it: even if you get your carpet cleaning one day, chances are you’ll want them to come back to make all your textiles look as spotless as your floor looks.

Spot Cleaning Products
Can the company you're hiring provide you with spot removal products and techniques to fix the little messes at home? Some carpet cleaning companies will use their professional tools and the job is done - the next time you need a cleanup, they’ll charge you for returning. There are other companies, however, who offer spot cleaners and careful instructions that allow you to clean like a pro all on your own!

The next time you need a professional carpet cleaning service, consider these tips.

At Triple S, we offer all of these services and then some! Visit us on the web or call any of our locations to learn more. We are a family owned business with over 50 years of experience and are here to help you keep your home looking and feeling Clean, Fresh, & Bright no matter how messy your furry friends might be!

Triple S has three main plant locations:

Stamford Plant | 400 West Main Street
Norwalk Plant | 337 Westport Avenue
Stratford Plant | 1800 Stratford Avenue

What Is Pet Dander?

If you have a pet at home, then you know the struggles of fur and pet dander. Pet dander is one of the primary concerns for those who suffer from pet allergies, but do you know what it actually is and how to prevent it? Don’t sweat - we’ve got your answers:

 

What it is
Pet dander is made up of tiny, microscopic flecks of skin shed. People with allergy sensitivities can be triggered by these bits of skin, the same way they react to a pet’s saliva and urine. 

Pets that pose the biggest problem
Although more homeowners have cats, twice as many people report allergies to cats than to dogs. Research even shows that male cats produce more allergens than female cats. And because there’s no such thing as a “non-allergenic dog or cat”, both short and long-haired animals contribute dander and allergens to indoor air pollution just as equally.

Controlling Pet Allergens
If you suffer from pet allergies, there’s a few tips that can help you minimize the discomfort:

• Keep pets out of the bedroom
• Wash your fabrics often (linens, pillowcases, window treatments)
• Purchase an air purifier
• Wipe up tile floors
• Vacuum carpet and upholstery weekly

At Triple S, we offer several cleaning services to restore your carpets, drapes, and upholstery once more! We are a family owned business with over 50 years of experience and are here to help you keep your home looking and feeling Clean, Fresh, & Bright no matter how messy your furry friends might be!

Triple S has three main plant locations:

Stamford Plant | 400 West Main Street
Norwalk Plant | 337 Westport Avenue
Stratford Plant | 1800 Stratford Avenue