November 14,2016
Blog Entries - 2014
Preparing for Holiday Guests with Carpet Cleaning
Do you hire a professional, rent a cleaner or buy one?
With the holidays approaching, many homeowners choose to spruce up dingy carpets ahead of the entertaining season. Ground in dirt, stubborn stains, and high traffic patterns can detract from the appearance of your home. A deep carpet cleaning can be an easy solution to these problems.
There are three basic options for residential carpet cleaning; professional cleaning, renting a cleaner from a local retail business, or purchasing a steam cleaner. The cleaning process for all three options is similar. A detergent solution is sprayed over the carpet, and then worked into the fibers. A vacuum removes the detergent solution along with water and dirt from the carpet. Effectiveness, economy, and convenience are factors that should be considered when deciding which of these options best suits your needs.
Hire a Professional
Professional cleaners use a truck-mounted steam cleaning system. First, a professional pre-spray breaks down soil, then a chemical emulsifier lifts out dirt without creating suds as the water is heated to 200 degrees, which is the maximum temperature recommended by most carpet manufacturers. Consumers will want to check with their carpet manufacturer if their carpet is still under warranty, as the warranty can be voided in some cases if the carpet is not cared for at the manufacturer's specifications.
According to Dale Basel, president of Bob's Janitorial, water temperature and recovery are what set professional cleaners apart from do-it-yourself methods.
"The vacuum on the truck is much more powerful than the vacuum in rental equipment, and it gets your carpet drier," said Basel. "The rental equipment just leaves it in your carpet." This system removes water efficiently for quicker drying times, usually in 4 to 6 hours. The truck system uses its own water and electricity, and the chemicals are non-toxic and safe for children and pets.
Basel also points out that his employees are trained to use the equipment properly, which means less risk of over spraying carpets. Bob's Janitorial often runs coupons in the paper good for cleaning living room, dining room and hallway for $69.95.
Holiday Cooking and Cleaning Checklist
Here are some holiday cooking and cleaning tips, because at this time of year more than any other, the kitchen is the focus of frenzied activity. Throughout the holidays, it's important to remember to take deep breaths, relax, and have fun.
- Before you cook even one holiday recipe, remove kitchen clutter, making as much room as you can for holiday preparations. Cast a cold, hard eye on those kitchen counters. Get out a large cardboard box and fill it with all the things you won't need, and stash the box in the attic or basement.
- Attack the refrigerator. Discard everything that's past its prime. Make space to chill bowls of cookie dough, batches of eggnog, and perishable food gifts you may receive.
- Read recipes carefully and think through every special meal you'll cook. Organize your work area. Pay special attention to pan sizes and the space you will need for such activities as rolling dough and combining several bowls of ingredients.
- Check to make sure you have plenty of storage containers and materials, including plastic wrap, waxed paper and aluminum foil - and that includes the lids that fit them.
- Clean as you go. Make a habit of washing, drying, and putting away equipment as soon as you can after using it.
- If you face a roasting pan with baked-on grease and gunk, fill the sink with hot water, add 2 tablespoons of dishwasher detergent, and soak the pan overnight. Then scrub it with steel wool.
- If you burn something and it sticks to the bottom of the pan, let the pan cool off. Scrape out as much of the burned food as you can. Then fill the pan with cold water and add 3 tablespoons of salt or baking soda. Let it sit overnight. In the morning, bring the water slowly to a boil and let it simmer for 20 minutes. The pan should just wipe clean.
- If your glassware looks cloudy, put 1 to 2 tablespoons of lemon juice in the offending vessel and fill it to the top with hot water. Let it sit for at least three hours. Then rinse it out and wash it in warm, soapy water.
- When cleaning heavily tarnished silver, rub it with a damp cloth sprinkled with salt; then wash off the salt and polish the silver. If you run out of silver polish, use toothpaste. It works just as well and smells a whole lot better.
Why Is Carpet Cleaning Important?
Carpet cleaning is an important routine that you must never miss. Dirt hides in the deepest fiber of the materials and is an important contributor in the shelf life of your investment. Because constant changing of your carpet is expensive, you have to take care of it to save money. Many manufacturers recommend different ways of cleaning it. You can choose to use the vacuum type or use chemical agents. What is important is you keep it clean at all times. Here are the benefits you get in carpet cleaning.
Prevents Mold Formation
Carpet is a good breeding site for mold and other fungal elements. The warmth of the material is very conducive for their growth. This is a common scenario in cold and humid places. When molds form, they can cause skin allergies, especially to children with sensitive skin. The irritation can be severe and lead to skin infections. With carpet cleaning, you discourage the formation of molds in the material. The chemicals you use destroy the possible sources of fungal contamination.
Get rid of Bugs and Beetles
Carpets are giant filters. They trap dirt, dust and allergens in them. These particles are attractive for insects. Because of the favorable temperature and environment, they attract insects like bugs and beetles. When you allow them to stay longer, these insects will start eating up the fibers in the material and ruin your investment. They can also create a foul smell in the house that is very disgusting, especially if you have guests at home.
Maintains the Form
Another benefit of carpet cleaning is the maintenance of its form. The ragged edges of dirt and sand particles contribute to the wear-and-tear of the fibers. Through constant use and accumulation of dirt, you will notice a distortion in its form. However, when you clean it regularly, you freshen up the fibers and make it look new again.
Beat the Heat and Save Money This Summer
Chill Out!
No, it's not your imagination - it definitely is getting hotter. The eight warmest years on record occurred over the past decade. But staying cool this summer doesn't necessarily mean you have to pay a fortune to keep the air-conditioning running day and night. Here are 5 tips - most costing less than $25 - that will keep you comfortable and cut your cooling bill by as much as half. What's needed to get the temperature to drop? Only a little time and a few changes in your routine.
1. Install Programmable Thermostats
A programmable thermostat lets you preset temperatures for different times of the day, so air-conditioning is working only when you are home. These thermostats come with complete directions and are easy to install. The cost to install a programmable thermostat is between $30 and $50. The benefit is saving up to 20 percent off your cooling bill.
2. Set the Dial Higher
If you have central air, set your thermostat above 78 degrees. You'll save 5 to 8 percent on cooling costs with each degree above that mark. When you leave home for more than an hour, set the thermostat to 85 or 90 degrees. Reset it upon your return, and the room will cool down in only 15 minutes. The system will use less energy during the cool-down period than if you had left it running at a lower setting while you were out.
3. Use a Fan
A fan, which costs two to five cents per hour to operate, will make a room feel 4 to 6 degrees cooler. Also, a fan works well in tandem with an air conditioner because the dehumidifying action of the air conditioner provides drier air that the fan can then move around. Ceiling fans can decrease your cooling bill by up to 15 percent.
4. Practice "Texas Cool"
"Texas cool" is a morning and evening routine that takes advantage of cool outdoor temperatures at night and keeps the heat at bay as much as possible during daylight hours. It's very simple to do: At night when the temperature drops, open windows and bring in cool air with window fans or a whole-house fan. As soon as the sun comes up or the air starts to heat up, shut the windows and shades and keep doors closed. Using this practice you can shave 20 to 50 percent off your cooling bill.
5. Use Sun Blockers
As much as 20 percent of summer heat enters your home as sunlight shining through windows. To cut "solar gain," add curtains or blinds to rooms that get direct sun and draw them in the daylight hours. With the shades drawn, a well-insulated house will gain only 1 degree per hour when outdoor temperatures are above 85 degrees. Pay special attention to west-facing rooms late in the day.
read more.....Congratulations Graduates
Total Maintenance Solution would like to congratulation all those who had the perserverence to complete your education and are now graduating! Way to go!!!!
read more.....Happy Mother's Day
Mom does so much for you all year why not help her out by having her carpet professionaly cleaned? Gift certificates are availible! Call today! (513)770-0925
read more.....Get Clean This Spring!
5 rooms + FREE Hallway – $140 – Only $99!
(room =250 square feet)
3 rooms – $80 – Only $60!
(room =250 square feet)
Sanitizer and Teflon – $20 per area - Buy 1 Get 1 FREE!
Upholstery Cleaning – Starting at $35 - Buy 1 Get 1 FREE!
(of equal or lesser value)
*Prices valid for residential properties only
Call today to schedule your appointment
& don’t forget to mentions this ad!
read more.....
Luck of the Irish to you!
Fun Facts about St. Patrick's Day
St. Patrick’s Day is observed on March 17 because that is the feast day of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. It is believed that he died on March 17 in the year 461 AD. It is also a worldwide celebration of Irish culture and history. St. Patrick’s Day is a national holiday in Ireland, and a provincial holiday in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
The actual color of St. Patrick is blue. Green became associated with St. Patrick's Day during the 19th century. Green, in Irish legends, was worn by fairies and immortals, and also by people to encourage their crops to grow.
St. Patrick did not actually drive snakes out of Ireland; the snakes represent the pagans that he converted to Christianity.
The very first St. Patrick's Day parade was not in Ireland. It was in Boston in 1737.
In Chicago, on St. Patrick's Day, the rivers are dyed green. Mayor Daley is also of Irish descent.
In Seattle, there is a ceremony where a green stripe is painted down the roads.
Most Catholics attend mass in the morning and then attend the St. Patrick's Day parade.
Shamrocks are worn on the lapel on this day.
In Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day, people traditionally wear a small bunch of shamrocks on their jackets or caps. Children wear orange, white and green badges, and women and girls wear green ribbons in their hair
Many young people dye their hair green for the special day.
Many people wear green on this holiday to avoid being pinched.
The phrase, "Drowning The Shamrock" is from the custom of floating the shamrock on the top of whiskey before drinking it. The Irish believe that if you keep the custom, then you will have a prosperous year.
Many bars in the United States, and abroad, serve green beer to celebrate St. Patty's Day.
Lucky Charms, a favorite cereal brand among many, young and old, was created in 1963, with its popular mascot, Lucky the Leprechaun. Its jig is a memorable tune for many, including the young at heart:
Hearts, Stars, and Horseshoes
Clovers and Blue moons
Pots of gold and rainbows,
And the red balloon
That’s the luck of me lucky charms!
Their magically delicious!
Fun Facts about the Irish
34 million Americans have Irish ancestry, according to the 2003 US Census. That’s almost nine times the population of Ireland, which has 4.1 million people.
Nine of the people who signed our Declaration Of Independence were of Irish origin, and nineteen Presidents of the United States proudly claim Irish heritage -- including our first President, George Washington.
Some American towns have “Irish” names. You could visit: Mount Gay-Shamrock, West Virginia; Shamrock Lakes, Indiana; Shamrock, Oklahoma; Shamrock, Texas; Dublin, California and Dublin, Ohio.
The harp is the symbol of Ireland. The color green is also commonly associated with Ireland, also known as “the Emerald Isle.”
The Irish flag is green, white and orange. The green symbolizes the people of the south, and orange, the people of the north. White represents the peace that brings them together as a nation.
The name “leprechaun” has several origins. It could be from the Irish Gaelic word “leipreachan,” which means “a kind of aqueous sprite.” Or, it could be from “leath bhrogan,” which means “shoemaker.”
Fun Facts about Clovers
According to the Guinness Book of World Records, the highest number of leaves found on a clover is 14.
One estimate suggests that there are about 10,000 regular three-leaf clovers for every lucky four-leaf clover.
Legend says that each leaf of the clover means something: the first is for hope, the second for faith, the third for love and the fourth for luck.
read more.....Black History Month
Black History Month honors the contributions of African Americans to United States history. Did you know that Madam Walker was America’s first self-made woman to become a millionaire or that George Washington Carver was able to derive nearly 300 products from peanuts? Get the story of the creation of the NAACP, famous firsts in African American history and other black history facts.
- Black History Month began as “Negro History Week,” which was created in 1926 by Carter G. Woodson, a noted African American historian, scholar, educator, and publisher. It became a month-long celebration in 1976. The month of February was chosen to coincide with the birthdays of Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln.
- On February 12, 2009, the NAACP marked its 100th anniversary. Spurred by growing racial violence in the early twentieth century, and particularly by race riots in Springfield Illinois in 1908, a group of African American leaders joined together to form a new permanent civil rights organization, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP). February 12, 1909 was chosen because it was the centennial anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln.
- Jack Johnson became the first African-American man to hold the World Heavyweight Champion boxing title in 1908. He held on to the belt until 1915.
- John Mercer Langston was the first black man to become a lawyer in Ohio when he passed the Bar in 1854. When he was elected to the post of Town Clerk for Brownhelm, Ohio in 1855 Langston became one of the first African Americans ever elected to public office in America. John Mercer Langston was also the great-uncle of Langston Hughes, famed poet of the Harlem Renaissance.
- Thurgood Marshall was the first African American ever appointed to the United States Supreme Court. He was appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson, and served on the Supreme Court from 1967 to 1991.
- George Washington Carver developed 300 derivative products from peanuts among them cheese, milk, coffee, flour, ink, dyes, plastics, wood stains, soap, linoleum, medicinal oils and cosmetics.
- Hiram Rhodes Revels was the first African American ever elected to the United States Senate. He represented the state of Mississippi from February 1870 to March 1871.
- Shirley Chisholm was the first African American woman elected to the House of Representatives. She was elected in 1968 and represented the state of New York. She broke ground again four years later in 1972 when she was the first major party African-American candidate and the first female candidate for president of the United States.
- The black population of the United States in 1870 was 4.8 million; in 2007, the number of black residents of the United States, including those of more than one race, was 40.7 million.
- In 1940, Hattie McDaniel was the first African-American performer to win an Academy Award (the film industry`s highest honor) for her portrayal of a loyal slave governess in Gone With the Wind.
- In 1992, Dr. Mae Jemison became the first African American woman to go into space aboard the space shuttle Endeavor. During her 8-day mission she worked with U.S. and Japanese researchers, and was a co-investigator on a bone cell experiment.
Love Is In The Air!
Don't Let the Flu Get You!
