Welcome to Phil and Nikki's

From our family to yours

2016 already, where did 2015 go?  A new year always feels so bright, shiny, new and full of promise. Do you find yourself making the usual resolutions? I am going to eat healthier, get more exercise, spend more time with the kids and finally repaint the kitchen. We can’t help you get more exercise or repaint the kitchen (although we can get your carpets and furniture nice and clean).  But we can help you eat a little healthier.

As the winter drags on our bodies crave artery clogging comfort foods – fats, sugars and simple carbohydrates. Yep, all the good stuff.  Here are some healthier and easy to make, comfort foods

http://www.amuse-your-bouche.com/caribbean-style-sweet-potato-stew/

Feel free to spice this one up.

http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/black_bean_quesadillas.html

Add a bit of mashed sweet potato and brown rice to the black beam filling in the quesadillas – so good!)

These apples are easy enough for everyday but fancy enough for company.

http://paleoleap.com/apple-pie-baked-apples/

Nikki’s Homemade Hot Chocolate

• 2 cups unsweetened vanilla almond milk (available in the milk section of your grocery store)
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup, or agave syrup
• Coconut whipped cream (available in the cooler section of most grocery stores)
• Cinnamon
• Marshmallows (optional)

Put the milk into a small sauce pan and whisk in the cocoa powder and sweetener while heating slowly. Simmer for 2-3 minutes.  Pour in to two mugs and top with coconut whipped cream and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Wishing you a happy, healthy and green new year from our family to yours….

Phil, Nikki, Kyla, Chelsea and Leo.

Nikki Shames is the General Manager at Ecosuds, a Hamilton Ontario based company that provides high quality and environmentally friendly carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, fine rug cleaning, and anti slip treatments for tile and bath. She can be reached at  905-667-5624 or Nikki@ecosuds.ca. Please visit www.Ecosuds.ca to learn more

Don’t worry about toxins in your cleaning products by making your own safe cleaner

Tired of bringing chemicals into your home? Do you want to switch to a more environmentally friendly way of cleaning but don’t know where to start? Keep an eye out in our newsletters for your monthly dose of green cleaning tips! You can also check out our Facebook page for weekly green cleaning tips. https://www.facebook.com/EcosudsCanada

All purpose cleaner:

Good quality spray bottle

2 tsp baking soda

½ tsp dawn dish soap

4 TBSP white vinegar

400 ml warm water.

4-5 drops of pure lemon essential oil (optional)

Mix all of the ingredients into a spray bottle.  Shake well. Enjoy a clean chemical free cleaning experience!

Kyla Shames is a Manager at Ecosuds, a Hamilton Ontario based company that provides high quality and environmentally friendly carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, fine rug cleaning, and anti slip treatments for tile and bath.She can be reached at  905-667-5624 or kyla@ecosuds.ca. Please visit www.Ecosuds.ca to learn more

By: Kyla Shames

Don’t let cold weather spoil the fun!

It’s that time of year again! Christmas is over and winter seems to be slowly making an appearance. Although we have been extremely lucky with our weather this year the kids may still be going a little stir crazy being stuck inside. Well….no fear Ecosuds is here! Below are some great kid friendly games and activities to fight the winter blues and keep the entire family happy.

• Disney Pictionary – All you need is a pen, a piece of paper and a good imagination!
• Balloon Tennis – Glue a Popsicle stick to a small paper plate, blow up a balloon and have fun!
• Obstacle course – Chris-cross party streamers across the hallway and have the kids crawl between them, “the floor is lava”, make a race path throughout the house. Go wild and have fun with this one!

For more family fun ideas visit the Ecosuds Pinterest page:

Click the Pinterest logo above for tons of fun ideas!

Kyla Shames is a Manager at Ecosuds, a Hamilton Ontario based company that provides high quality and environmentally friendly carpet cleaning, upholstery cleaning, fine rug cleaning, and anti slip treatments for tile and bath.She can be reached at  905-667-5624 or kyla@ecosuds.ca. Please visit www.Ecosuds.ca to learn more

Over the last decade many homeowners have decided to remove carpet and replace it with hard surfaces like hardwood, laminate, ceramic, stone. They did so because they liked the look and felt it would be easier to maintain. What many found however, was that their new floor was not as easy to care for as first thought, and the feel underfoot was not as pleasant as when they had carpeting in the room. The solution many found was to add area rugs to their rooms.

Area Rugs can add a splash of colour, along with warmth, a soft feel, and a safer place for your kids and pets to play. But with so many types of area rugs available, how do you choose the rugs that are right for you?

Is your rug going to be placed in a high traffic area?

In high traffic areas like hallways and family rooms, choose rugs with busy patterns and colours that will easily hide dirt and soil. Select tightly woven or knotted rugs that will not show develop traffic patterns as quickly as thicker rugs would.

Is your rug in a room where you may spill food or drinks on it?

As I recommended in the higher traffic area, stay with a busier pattern. Make sure that a carpet protector is applied to avoid and permanent disasters. A tighter weave or knot helps as well, as spills tend to stay on the top of the carpet, rather than run deep into the fibres.

What about rugs in a bedroom?

Unless you like being woken up with a jolt on a cold winter morning, a plush, thick rug is the perfect choice beside your bed. Thick rugs provide excellent insulation from the cold. They also help to deaden sound, so you won’t disturb your partner when you leave for work early or arrive home late.

Synthetic or Wool?

Synthetic rugs will save you money in the short run, but wool is the better long term investment. It is rare for us to see a synthetic rug come into our shop that is more than ten years old, but we often have wool rugs brought to us that have been enjoyed for decades, some have been more than one hundred years old.  A well made wool rug will likely be passed down from generation to generation.

Special note of warning about long shag rugs

Long shag rugs (rugs with stands over one inch in length) have become very popular in recent years. They look and feel wonderful when you buy them, but you may want to consider these as “disposable” rugs. Because the strands on these rugs are so long, they are exceptionally difficult to maintain. Home vacuum cleaners are rarely powerful enough to suck the dirt from the base of the rugs. Tufts and fibres often pull out. Twisted strands often unravel, leaving a shadowy look that cannot be fixed. Some rugs actually have their colour applied as a coating (like a paint) that wears off over time or when cleaned.

Long shag rugs are the very difficult rug professionals to clean, so they will cost considerably more to have cleaned than other synthetic rugs, often more than wool or silk, so buy wisely.

Whether you are choosing your rug for its colour, design, warmth, longevity, or all of the above, you will find that the contrast of hard and soft surfaces will make your floors more beautiful and your home more enjoyable to live in.

Phil Shames is the Owner of Ecosuds Carpet and Upholstery Care. Serving the Greater Hamilton, Burlington, and Grimsby areas of Ontario. Ecosuds is a multiple award winning company specializing in environmentally friendly, low moisture fine rug, carpet, and upholstery cleaning. Phil can be reached at 905-667-5624 ext. 101 or phil@ecosuds.ca