Month: December 2010 - page 2

Windows with Blinds: Childproofing your home

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Childproofing your home is such an important step in becoming a new parent. Many people don’t realize what needs to get done before their infant starts getting around. Most new parents are more worried about their child being abducted than worrying about the hazards that come from within their home. What they don’t realize is that there is a greater chance of getting injured at home than being harmed by a stranger.

Statistics show that millions of children each year are rushed to the emergency room with involved in an accident that could have been prevented if their home environment was childproofed correctly. Five thousand children die each year because of an accident that takes place within the home environment. The most complete childproofing jobs are done by hiring a professional. If you choose to childproof your own home on your own avoid mistakes by going room to room. The best way to save a child is to become one. Look at the hazards from their eye level.

In General:

• Do you have windows with blinds? Are the blind cords left loose? Make sure with all blinds that you use hardware to tie the cords where children can not pull on them causing the blind to fall on top of them. Worse yet if cords are left loose they are more apt to cause strangulation. Make sure that beds and chairs are kept far away from blinds. If a child goes to peer out and gets their head caught in the blinds this could cause strangulation.

• Outlet covers should be installed on all outlets. Don’t assume because an outlet is covered by a piece of furniture that it isn’t important. If you move the furniture and forget about the outlet you could end up having a child electrocute themselves.

• Any cord that is left loose is a potential safety hazard. Make sure you zip tie any loose cords and secure them. This will prevent kids from chewing on them or playing with them.

• Make sure smoke detectors are in working order and installed throughout the home. As soon as your child is able to understand start teaching them about fire safety and how to react in an emergency. They could potentially save your life one day. It is never too early to start and each year is a good chance to reinforce the concept when you change the smoke detectors batteries.

• Something most people forget about is door knobs. They sell covers now that don’t allow anyone to open the door without being able to maneuver the cover. This is especially helpful in preventing falls down stairs and escape artists. Children love the outside and will attempt to find their way out with or without you. Door knob covers make this feat harder.

• Curtains should also be looked at. Make sure you do not have any long tassels that could get caught around a child’s neck.

• When using safety gates make sure that they are properly installed. If you are using a gate at the top of a stairway make sure it is the type that screws into a stud to prevent it from coming loose. Children will lean on these gates so make sure yours isn’t going anywhere so that your child doesn’t fall down the stairs.

• Water is another source people often forget. Not only do you have to worry about drowning but also water temperature. Make sure your water heater is kept within the recommended temperature range to prevent burns.

This is a very generic list. It should make you stop and realize that many common household items can be potentially deadly to your child. Something as simple as windows with blinds can lead to the death of a child. Childproofing is not a one day job. Be sure to always be on the lookout for hidden danger within your home.

Heatkeeper

Carpet Cleaning: Tips to Help Keep Your Carpet Clean

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Floor coverings are the ambience producers in homes today. Whether you have wood, tile or carpet floor coverings it is crucial to keep them clean. Carpet cleaning is by far the trickiest of the three floor coverings to clean. It is imperative that a professional be contracted for carpet cleaning. If done incorrectly you could end up with mold, browning or even delaminating carpet. If any of these happen to your carpet you will end up spending a tremendous amount of money to replace the carpet. This article will provide homeowners basic tips on keeping their carpet clean in between cleanings.

Tips in keeping your homes carpet in tip top shape:

• No Shoes Allowed: To keep your carpets in the best shape possible don’t allow people to wear their shoes in your home. Make it completely obvious that guests should leave their shoes at the door. Provide an area for people to sit to remove shoes and a storage place for shoes.

• Use Mats: Use door mats at all entrances and exits of your home. Feet bring in much of the dirt and dust that penetrate homes. It is important to make sure the mats get vacuumed as much as the carpet. They will be catching a good portion of the allergens that will be entering your home.

• Wash Feet: If children have been playing outside with bare feet or flip flops offer them a wash cloth to scrub the bottoms of their feet. Feet that have been in flip flops all day will naturally collect dirt. To ensure you keep your carpets as clean as possible you will need to keep your feet clean.

• Employ Runners: In high traffic areas covering them with a carpet runner will protect them from the everyday wear and tear they naturally receive. Another suggestion is to use 5×7 area rug in areas that are used a lot. This can be especially useful in living rooms where children might be having snacks and drinks while watching a movie. Spills will be less traumatic on an easy to clean area rug instead of cleaning the entire carpet.

• Vacuum: It is imperative to maintain the original look and feel of the carpet. Vacuuming can do this for your home. If you vacuum frequently it will suck up dirt and containments before they can get lodged deep in the carpet. Vacuuming also keeps the carpet from lying down. This is extra important in plush and frieze style carpets.

• Spot Clean: When something does spill or your child colors with green marker on your carpet attack the spot immediately. Do not saturate the carpet with cleaning supplies or water. Simply take a damp white cloth and blot the area. Do not rub this will just allow the stain to soak further into the carpet and padding. Doing this over and over will eventually lift the stain. If cleaning up urine make sure to also blot with white vinegar to detract from future accidents.

Following these tips will length the time between carpet cleanings. If you live alone and there isn’t much traffic on your carpet you might be able to stretch out the cleaning times. The same is true the opposite way. If you have many guests and your traffic flow is high in your home you will want to clean your carpets more frequently. The average time professional carpet cleaners suggest between carpet cleanings is 18 months. Be the judge in your home although don’t wait until the dirt is obvious by then some stains might be permanent.

Saniglow

Tile Cleaning: Keeping Restrooms Clean Equals Keeping Customers

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Walking into a restaurant bathroom and seeing complete and utter chaos does not make your meal look too appetizing does it. If a restaurant can’t keep the bathroom tile clean how clean can they possible keep the kitchen that is cooking the patron’s meals? The same thing goes with retail establishments that leave paper towel hanging over the trashes and toilet paper rolls in disarray. These businesses expect consumers to pay top dollar for clothing and home goods. Businesses need to take into account the way their bathrooms look and make sure they represent the overall atmosphere they want to present to their customers. Keeping a bathroom clean from cleaning the tile to scrubbing the toilets is not that difficult and should be something all business owners account for in their budget. It is imperative to present a clean, organized and sanitized public restroom to provide a consumer with a sense of goodwill. Here are some general tips to keeping public restroom facilities up to consumer par.

1) Repetition: This is the key in keeping order in a restroom. Business owners need to have staff members scheduled at least every hour to check things like paper towels, toilet paper, soap and general cleanliness. They should address any issue that makes the area look unkempt.

2) Natural Products: Using overly scented products leaves an unpleasant odor to restrooms. Products that contain a neutral smell will be more pleasing to the majority of consumers and will not interfere with smells that exist already in your business. This is especially true in a restaurant setting.
• Borax: Leave in a toilet bowel overnight and stains and germs can easily be wiped away.
• Car Wax: Helps remove deposits of soap grime in tubs sinks.
• Vinegar and Water: Used together are the best tile cleaners ever. If you want tile cleaning to be quick and effective mix a gallon of water with a cup of vinegar. Mop the solution on the floor and you will have sanitized tile that sparkles.
• Hydrogen Peroxide and Water: Together this combination eliminates mold growth.

3) Use an Exhaust Fan: Exhaust fans circulate air and keep the bathroom area free of moisture build up. This is important to keep allergens, such as mold, from forming.

4) Empty Trashes: It is important to make sure bathroom trashes are emptied twice a day. Make sure employees know that if the trash is full before the two hours is up they are responsible for empting it.

5) Windex Mirrors: Mirrors are the number one thing that draws women into the restroom. Make sure that consumers can actually see themselves in yours. Mirrors should be cleaned at every other restroom check. Every two hours should be sufficient unless a lot of traffic has come through.

As you can see there isn’t much to keeping a restroom neat and tidy for your customers. Really all of these steps can be done in a matter of minutes each day. Clean tiles, toilets and mirrors can really help to retain customers and keep goodwill for your company. Something this simple can either bring a customer back or make them run for the hills. Make sure your company is doing what it needs to do to hold on to valuable customers.

True Cleaning

Window Cleaning: It is Easier to Hire a Professional

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Cleaning windows is the most exhausting job ever. You clean them and the next thing you know the sun is shining through your windows showing each and every streak you have created. When I clean windows it basically means I move the dirt, grime, bugs and such around. I think I have done a good job. When I stand back to look at my clean windows I realize it is always better to call in the professionals. I have come to a conclusion that I wouldn’t operate on a person because I am not a surgeon. I am not a window cleaner so I should not wash windows.

There is a technique that window washers use that I just can’t master. I have tried Windex with paper towel, Windex with newspaper and a squeegee with soap and water. None of which have produced streak free windows. How is it that professionals are able to get windows so clean and streak free? Speaking with professional window cleaners I have found they follow some specific tips in cleaning windows making their clients windows crystal clear.

Follow these tips to try to recreate a professional window cleaning job. Or you can do what I do and call the professionals. I know now that I won’t ever waste my time trying to clean windows myself ever again. Leave what you cannot do well to the professional. That is my new motto.

Tips from Professional Window Cleaners:

• Invest in quality materials. Measure your windows and use equipment specific for the size of your window. Smaller windows require a small squeegee and a large squeegee is needed for larger windows. It is also important to spend the extra money to get quality products. Quality materials will save time and aggravation during the window cleaning process.

• Don’t wash windows in the direct sunlight. The sunlight will cause it to dry before you’re able to remove the cleaning solution causing those dreaded streaks.

• If you use paper towel or newspaper to wipe up left over drip page and your squeegees make sure to keep the materials dry. If the paper towel becomes damp get a new one.

• If you work the squeegee on an angle instead of straight up and down or side to side you will be less likely to have streaks on your windows.

• Do the inside windows first. Dirt collects on the outside of windows which will leave your cleaning materials dirty. This is why professionals always start on the inside.

If you follow all of these steps and still end up with windows that leave you wanting better call the professional. Not only will hiring a professional save you time but also the stress and hassle of doing this difficult job yourself. Professionals also take the time to clean the screens. Clean windows with dirty screens leave much to be desired. If you can’t see out of the window because of dirty screens what is the benefit of having clean windows? Professionals also do a thorough job of cleaning the inside of the sill and track which alleviates the probability of windows sticking from the gunk that tends to build up over time.

Cleaning windows is one job I like to leave to the professionals. The extra expense saves both time and stress that would be caused from cleaning the windows on my own. I know the old saying practice makes perfect and I do believe that in most circumstances this is true. I have tried and tried again and have yet to master the technique of window cleaning. I have decided to leave this up to the professionals. Good luck on your window cleaning journey. If window washing frustration finds its way into your life do what I do and call the pros.

True Cleaning