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Top Tips for Spring Cleaning

Spring Cleaning Hardwood Floors

Cleaning may not be everyone’s favourite task, however, it’s always satisfying to have your place sparkling and germ-free. If your house or workplace is in desperate need of a good spring cleaning, then you’ve come to the right place. Before you begin, you have to know what needs to be cleaned and what equipment you’ll need to get it done. Not sure where to start? Follow these handy tips so you can have your place spotless in no time.

How to Clean Floors – Hardwood, Ceramic and Vinyl

There’s possibly nothing better than having a smooth, sparkling, clean floor. First of all, it’s important to know what type of floor you have. If you’ve got hardwood floors, all you need is a bit of dishwashing liquid and a damp sponge or mop. Make sure you use liquids labelled for hardwood floors. Typically you should avoid using a wet mop because you wan to use as little moisture as possible when cleaning hardwood floors.

On ceramic and vinyl floors, just some water will do the trick. However, if you’re getting tired of mopping up water or if you’ve got a large area to clean then you can use a floor scrubber depending on the floor space. Using a floor scrubber takes much less effort than using a mop and bucket. Before you use one, ensure sure you get rid of any dirt, crumbs, stones or anything else that could cause damage to the floor scrubber or your floor.

Spring Cleaning Carpet

How to Clean Carpet

Carpets can be very tough to clean, especially with those annoying stains that won’t come out. Luckily, there are things you can do to prevent unsightly, grimy carpets. By following these steps, carpet cleaning will be a breeze. Aim to clean your carpets regularly with a good vacuum cleaner. It is recommended to do this at least twice a week to prevent excess dirt build up. If you want to properly remove allergens and greasy residues, then it’s best to use a carpet cleaner. A carpet cleaner saturates your carpet with detergent, then uses a rinse solution to deeply clean your carpet. You can also use it to clean your furniture. It’s best to use a vacuum cleaner before and after to remove dirt and other nasties that may rise to the surface of your carpet. To dry wet carpets, use a carpet dryer along with a ceiling or pedestal fan to prevent moisture from building up.

Best Way to Clean Windows, Walls and Driveways

Cleaning dirt and grime off walls, windows, driveways and even your vehicle isn’t as hard as it sounds. By using a water pressure cleaner, you can get quick results if used correctly. Pressure cleaners are run by either a petrol or diesel engine or by an electric motor that runs a pump to pressurise water. This water is pushed through a specialised pressure hose and lance out a small adjustable nozzle. To ensure it won’t cause any damage, test your pressure cleaner on a separate surface before using it on your wall, window, driveway or vehicle. Once you’re confident the machine is working correctly, start on a small area and then expand out from there. When cleaning a wall, window or vehicle, start from the bottom and work upwards to prevent streaks. Make sure you keep the hose level to prevent water build up and don’t have the nozzle too close to the surface as you may damage the surface.

 

Do you need to hire some cleaning equipment? Master Hire has over 25 years of experience in providing specialised cleaning equipment for hire including carpet cleaners, pressure cleaners and floor scrubbers. For more information, call 1300 107 107 or send us a message.

Pressure Cleaning Driveways
Pressure Cleaning Driveways
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Sunshine Coast Business Awards Finalists – Master Hire Warana

Sunshine Coast 2018 Business Awards Finalist

Master Hire Warana has been chosen as a finalist in the retail category of the 2018 Sunshine Coast Business Awards! Being awarded as a finalist in the category is an achievement on its own and we are very proud. After being originally nominated back in July 2018, Master Hire had to complete a thorough online application process including a business overview, marketing methods and strategy, customer service, sustainability, innovation and finally why we believe we should be Business of the Year. Master Hire 2018 SunShine Coast Finalists

Master Hire is continually looking at new ways to service our customers throughout all our regions. With ever changing project requirements, customer requests and new equipment technologies, Master Hire is constantly updating their hire fleet and service offering to meet the needs of our customers.

How did Master Hire get this far?

Our unique selling points are centered around our people and our service. Many of the products we have available in our rental fleet may be available elsewhere, but we believe no other hire company in Australia can offer our level of service and support to our customers. Excellence in service at Master Hire is no accident! It is the result of focused hard work and diligence by all our team members.

Master Hire’s success has been founded on a passion for providing the best customer experience possible. We have a friendly and dedicated team always going the extra mile to give each customer a reason to return. We have a thorough service and maintenance program and this includes the following 5 points:

  1. Scheduled maintenance for long term hires
  2. Thorough pre-hire servicing of all our equipment
  3. Stocking various parts and consumables within our branches
  4. 24/7 prompt equipment emergency response
  5. Training on equipment at the commencement of each hire

Our promise to our customers

Master Hire has achieved many milestones in our 25+ year history. One highlight is our Quality Assurance accreditation. Over the last number of years, Master Hire underwent a number of internal and external audits to achieve this quality accreditation. In March 2016, Master Hire received formal recognition of the international quality standard ISO9001:2008. Then in March 2017, we successfully upgraded our accreditation to ISO9001:2015 (we believe we were the first general hire company in Australia to achieve this at the time).

Master Hire is committed to nurturing a culture that delivers consistent quality services and products in an effective, efficient manner to the benefit of the customer and our business. This means when you hire from Master Hire, you are guaranteed a quality product with quality service from experienced and well-trained staff. This quality accreditation is something that we have worked on for many years and it was indeed a milestone for our business when we finally achieved our goal.

Our business model

Master Hire is a proud family owned and operated business whose core business is the dry hire of equipment and expert advice for our customers. With over 25 year’s experience, Master Hire provides affordable and effective solutions to your requirements through our range of hire equipment. Master Hire has been servicing the greater Sunshine Coast area for almost 10 years and understand the value of investing in the local community and economy. Our newest store at 252 Nicklin Way, Warana is stocked with modern hire equipment and a very knowledgeable and friendly team.

Master Hire Warana

Opening Hours:

6:30am – 5:00pm Monday – Friday

7:00am – 1:00pm Saturday

Closed Sunday

Address:

252 Nicklin Way

Warana, QLD 4575

Phone: 07 5437 7755

Email: warana@masterhire.com.au

Overall, Master Hire has more than 100 highly trained staff across 8 locations throughout South East Queensland and the Mid North Coast of New South Wales. Our well trained customer service staff, branch managers, account managers and technical advisers are able to give relevant assessments and recommendations for the best equipment to use to all customers, no matter their size.

On the 17th of November, 2018 at the Sunshine Coast Business Awards Gala Dinner, each category winner will be announced along with the overall Sunshine Coast Business of the Year. We look forward to the event and hopefully taking out one or more of the awards on behalf of our Master Hire Warana team.

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A Fiver for a Farmer in September

Fiver For A Farmer Master Hire

Master Hire supporting the drought relief campaign

There are many farmers and families in Australia who need urgent assistance. These farmers and rural communities need our support right now and with your help, we can make a difference. During the month of September 2018, Master Hire will donate $5.00 from each new Dingo or Mini Loader hire from all stores to the Fiver for a Farmer drought relief campaign. This includes all types of wheeled and tracked mini loaders. All proceeds will be shared between Rural Aid and Drought Angels. These two organisations are incredibly well regarded in the community for their efforts in helping the rural community and Master Hire is proud to support their cause.

Help spread the word

  • Website: https://afiverforafarmer.com.au/ 
  • Facebook: A Fiver for a Farmer
  • Instagram: @afiverforafarmer
  • #afiverforafarmer

Ways you can also donate:

  • Go to www.afiverforafarmer.com.au and pay via their Go Fund Me page
  • Direct deposit into the following account – Account Name: St John the Baptist School P&F Association, BSB: 633000, Account No: 142392547. Use ‘A fiver for a farmer’ as a reference.
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What is a turf cutter and how do I use it?

Person Laying Turf

If you are looking to for a turf remover or looking to relocate some grass in your backyard or job site then you have come to the right place. Master Hire has got all the tools to help you get your lawn and gardens looking their best. To make it easier, we’ve answered some commonly asked questions about removing turf and using a turf cutter.

Turf cutters are the best grass removal machine for your job

Depending on what you intend to do with the grass later, you have a few options. You can remove grass by hand, however, it involves a lot of hard work with a shovel. To do this you would make vertical cuts into the soil with a shovel cutting the grass into sections, then slide your shovel horizontally separating the grass from the roots. This process is painful, messy and a lot of work. The end result is you are left with is a sore back and an uneven dirt surface, filled with divots from your shovel. Master Hire’s turf cutters are the perfect grass removal tool. Each unit is self-propelled and has a sharp blade that does all this hard work for you leaving a nice smooth dirt surface.

Petrol Turf Cutter

What is a sod cutter or turf cutter?

A sod cutter is also commonly referred to in Australia as a ‘turf cutter / lawn cutter’ or ‘turf remover / lawn remover”. A turf cutter is a self-propelled turf removal machine that cuts into layers of grass and soil to reveal the ground underneath. You will be left with long strips of grass and a small layer of soil held together by the roots. This is commonly referred to as the ‘sod’ or ‘turf’.

How do you remove grass?

Once you have used the turf cutter on the grass at the desired depth, you will be left with long carpet-like strips of grass. You can simply cut them into lengths, roll them up into manageable pieces and carry them away to either dispose of or re-lay elsewhere if you choose. People often refer to these machines as a turf lifter or turf stripper because of the long grassy strips they leave behind.

Can you replant turf left over from a turf cutter?

Yes, you can use a turf cutter to remove the sod/turf layer from your lawn and replant it again. You will need to make sure your turf cutter is set to the right depth to ensure its collecting enough of the root system and not leaving half the roots behind. If the turf cutter is not cutting deep enough, just adjust the depth and continue. You will need to keep the ground moist and for best results, you will need to prepare your ground properly before re-laying your turf.

Can you use a turf cutter to remove weeds?

Not completely. Turf cutters use a thin blade that slides along under the grass separating it from the soil beneath. The machine will cut through almost everything leaving some larger roots of the weeds behind. You can remove the top layer of grass and weeds but you may have some roots left over. These will most likely grow back if you don’t poison them or dig them up entirely.

How to use a turf cutter?

Here is a quick guide to operating a turf cutter safely.

  • Firstly, check over the machine to ensure all the levers are set to the disengaged setting and that there are no loose bolts or nuts.
  • Next, check the fuel and oil levels on the machine and that no wires or hoses are loose or damaged. If you are hiring a machine, this should already be done, but it’s best to check yourself.
  • Then, start the machine by switching the ignition button to the ON position > Set the choke lever to the ON position > Then pull the starter cord until the engine starts. Once the machine is running, switch the choke lever to the OFF position.
  • Next set the blade angle and depth. Normally you want to ensure the blade angle is set to flat and the depth is roughly 20mm deep.
  • Adjust the throttle to suit a walking speed.
  • Engage the blade and activate the dead man switch. This will start to drive the turf cutter forward and start cutting into your lawn.

(If the turf cutter is not cutting deep enough, simply adjust the depth of the blade. For best results make sure to soften the turf by watering it beforehand. A quick test to see if it is soft enough is to try to insert your thumb to the first knuckle into the ground. If you can, then it’s ready to work with. Cutting into hard, dry ground can slow down your job and can even cause damage to the machine).

Setting the turf cutter depth

To start out we recommended doing a test run and setting turf cutters blade depth to a relatively high cutting height. Then adjust it by lowering it gradually according to your working conditions. Typically you want to set your cutting depth to around 20 – 25mm thick with minimal pitch angle on the blade (flat blade angle).

If the soil is extremely hard or the blade is slightly dull this may cause the blade to ride out of the ground, to combat this you can adjust blade angle and tilt it downward. A short trial run will indicate which is the best blade angle for your soils conditions.

There are a few signs that you don’t have your turf cutter blade set to the right depth. Some examples:

  • The grass layer is falling apart as you try to pick it up (this might mean you are cutting too high and need to set the blade a little lower below the roots and soil layer).
  • Grass roots are still visible in the soil (To combat this you can set the blade to cut slightly deeper into the soil – aiming to cut beneath the grass roots).

Where can I get a turf cutter?

This is easy. You can hire a turf cutter from Master Hire anywhere from a few hours or a few weeks. These units are quite large and heavy, so you will need a ute or trailer with ramps to collect the machine, otherwise, we can deliver the turf cutter directly to you. Delivery prices will vary depending on location. For Master Hire store locations and opening hours, see our contact us page.

We highly recommend you prepare your soil before cutting and before relaying more turf. Some other applications include removing the top layer of grass before digging a trench. By removing the grass temporarily before you dig a trench, you will give your lawn the best chance to recover quickly. Master Hire’s turf cutters are the ideal tool for removing grass. They are easy to use and will save you a lot of hard work and time.

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Why is my lawn spongy and how to fix my spongy lawn?

Master Hire Lawn Dethatcher

Should I mow before top dressing?

The first week of spring is here and that means warm days, sunshine and the starting point for growth in your backyard. As you walk over your grass, you may be noticing it looks and feels like carpet. This is particularly apparent in thicker grass types like Kikuyu and Buffalo. You may be asking the question:

Why is my lawn soft and spongy?

Grass1080

A good amount of growth in the previous years can lead to some build-up of surplus lawn runners in your turf. These runners eventually die and more grass tries to grow on top of it, however, this can restrict the amount of both oxygen and water getting to the roots of the plant. This creates a carpet-like effect in your lawn and is known as thatch. To get rid of this ‘thatch’ and get it back to that soft, green lawn that you have seen in previous years, you need to scarify (dethatch) your lawn with a lawn dethatcher.

How to fix spongy Kikuyu lawn?

Scarifying or dethatching your lawn can be very daunting, but if the right steps are taken it can fix your spongy Kikuyu lawn. Before you start, be prepared that it is going to get ugly. Dethatching your lawn is essentially going to cut and rip up excess thatch that is in your lawn (you’re going to need somewhere to put this). This is typically too much to be able to fit in your green waste bin, so get your hands on a trailer so you can take it to your nearest green waste depot.

Should I mow before top dressing?

You are going to need to mow your lawn first before you dethatch. Then you are going to need to mow over it again, after you have used the lawn dethatcher, to collect all the leftover lawn cuttings. Make sure you fertilize and water the grass soon after so that your lawn can get every possible chance to recover and return to that vibrant green. Finally, give that lawn a good drink and your well on your way to having the best lawn on the street.