Who Do You Trust?

Do I Hire a Professional or D-I-Y?

For the sake of this blog we will just stick to carpet cleaning issues.

These are some of the questions you need to ask yourself;
Can I trust someone to come into my home to do a good job and not do any damage?

Remember a Professional Carpet Cleaner knows his job.

A competent service person will:

Save you time and trouble

Use heavier, more effective equipment

Be trained and more experienced

Recognize fiber and fabric type

Know the right cleaning method for a particular stain

Get the work done faster and more efficiently

In the end, the price may not be much more than the cost of doing it yourself

On the other hand, by doing it on your own, you will:

Avoid the task of shopping for a professional carpet cleaner

Satisfy your own standards which might be higher than the company you receive service from.

Increase the risk of leaving shampoo (alkaline) residue in the carpet fibers which leads to rapid resoiling and a shorter life span.

You might even save a few dollars today, but the cost of replacement will be a lot higher in the end.

Let’s face it most consumers don't know as much about carpet as they think they do!

We spend most of our time indoors and the carpet we tread over constantly brings in soils and all sorts of contaminants from the outdoor environment. Sooner or later we look-up and we begin to notice the soils in the carpet and the air doesn't smell as fresh.

Reality sets in, "It's time to clean my carpet."

Everyone is not willing to pay for a Stanley Steemer or Sears to come into your home and pay top-shelf prices to clean their carpets professionally.

It all comes down to what are we willing to pay for carpet cleaning?

Here are a few tips for selecting a carpet cleaner:

1. Contact the Better Business Bureau to see if the company has a history of complaints.

2. Make sure the company has a business license and carries liability insurance.

3. Use a company that uses technicians that are certified by IICRC (Institute of Inspection Cleaning and Restoration) and are in good standing.

4. Make sure their work is guaranteed 100% and never pay unless you are completely satisfied.

5. Avoid using independent contractors or marketing firms. These are companies that don’t actually clean carpet but only schedule appointments for the independent contractors. You might get lucky and get a good cleaner, this is a gamble.

6. Avoid coupon ads. This is a bait-and-switch tactic to lure you into an appointment for a cheaper price and once they are in your home the price is a lot more than originally quoted.

7. Follow the manufacturer’s recommendation on cleaning.
Most recommend HWE(hot-water extraction) using truck-mounted equipment.

8. Get references or testimonials from other satisfied customers.
Use public testimonials like the one’s published to an internet bulletin board or search engines.

9. Place personal belongings or anything of value in a safe and secure place. Never leave money, jewelry or weapons out in the open where they can be easily misplaced or stolen.

10. If unable to resolve any dispute with the carpet cleaner
o Complain to the local office of consumer affairs
o Contact the firm's headquarters, if it is a franchise
o Get the carpet inspected by an independent inspector who might even assist you in solving your claim

Remember everyone’s situation is different. Be upfront when requesting the services of a carpet cleaner.

Since September 11, 2001 the world has changed as we once knew it.
The corporate media focuses on all of the negative issues in the world; terrorism, murder, child abuse, domestic violence. We live in a constant state of fear and distrust.
The world has changed and we have to change with it.

What Does God Have To Say About It?

In I Kings 13, an unidentified man of God performed miraculous signs at the altar in Bethel. But then, after this great victory, he took the word of another prophet to be the truth even though he knew it was contrary to what God had told him. Because of his disobedience, he was killed by a lion.

The story teaches us that God’s Word is superior to anyone else’s word and therefore should be obeyed. When we are tempted to buckle under pressure, it’s when we must stand firm. God’s word, The Truth can always be relied upon on.

An experiment with teenagers showed how they handle peer pressure. A group of 10 adolescents were brought into a room and instructed to raise their hands when the teacher pointed to the longest line on three charts. Nine of the people had been told ahead of time to vote for the second longest line. But one person had not been told.

The experiment began with nine teenagers voting for the wrong line. The tenth person would typically glance around, frown in confusion and slip his hand up with the group because he lacked the courage to challenge them.

How Satan Uses People

Discouragement – A Tool of the Devil

Once upon a time it was announced that the devil was going out of business and would sell all his equipment to those who were willing to pay the price.

On the day of the big sale, all his tools were attractively displayed.

There were Envy, Jealousy, Hatred, Malice, Deceit, Sensuality, Pride, Idolatry, and other implements of evil display. Each of the tools was marked with its own price tag.

Over in the corner by itself was a harmless looking, wedge-shaped tool very much worn, but still it bore a higher price than any of the others.

Someone asked the devil what it was, and he answered,

"That is Discouragement."

The next question came quickly, “And why is it priced so high even though

it is plain to see that it is worn more than these others?"

Because replied the devil, "It is more useful to me than all these others.

I can pry open and get into a man's heart with that when I cannot get near him with any other tool. Once I get inside, I can use him in whatever way suits me best. It is worn well because I use it on everybody I can, and few people even know it belongs to me."

This tool was priced so high that no one could buy it, and to this day it has never been sold. It still belongs to the devil, and he still uses it on mankind.

Dealing With Difficult People- How Do We Respond?

Some people go to extraordinary links to be difficult. Think of the diva actress whose on-set needs can never be met or the boss who keeps moving the goal posts. The difficult person elevates the deliberate provocation to an art form. The underlying message is often, "Unless you agree with me and go along, you'll regret it."

We have all heard the idiom “No good deed goes unpunished” or “Success comes with a price.”

Dealing with customers on a daily basis is not without risk. The rewards are often large in a customer based business, both on a personal level and when it comes to money. Many people love dealing with people, the communication and opportunity to help is what drives them. Also, the monetary rewards for running a successful customer based business or even just working for one can be very substantial.
However, there are dangers lurking in being around and dealing with a high number of people every day. A small percentage of humans are dangerous, and some of them will target you just for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, so to speak. So what can you do to minimize the risk involved? A few small steps can prevent you from being the victim of either a planned or unplanned crime.
Let me first say that nothing you can do will eliminate risks. Just being alive is risky, but doing things right can be the difference between injury and escape. Here are a few tips for staying safe in a customer relations environment.
Always keep yourself to yourself. The customer doesn't need to know anything about your personal life, and only very rarely do you have to reveal anything about your personal life to make that sale. Preserve your privacy.
Stay calm. There will always be unhappy customers, there will always be complaints, and some of these complaints and unhappy customers will get to you, perhaps making you annoyed or even angry. Keeping your cool will also prevent the other party from escalating the situation, and that will in turn give you the upper hand.
Put an early stop to escalating situations. If need be, get your manager - if you are the manager, "freezing" a situation will often be an effective course of action. Inform the other party that you need to consider their claims, and schedule a new meeting at a later date, or even just later the same day.
Make sure you keep your distance at all times. If you have a desk or a counter, keep it between you and the agitated other.
As the observant reader will have picked up by now, keeping your cool and being able to freeze a situation are key points. Freezing a situation is a tried and tested way for everyone from bankers to cops to prevent injury and difficulty, and with a little practice, you will be able to use it effectively to your advantage.
A would be dangerous customer will be tamed very easily if you give him or her no reason or opportunity to escalate, and the result is that you will most likely "win" the argument and prevent further difficulty.

Also, the customer will take his or her aggression elsewhere, which is the most important part of it all.

Written by Gunnar Sommerfeldt
EzineArticles.com

HOW DO WE RESPOND? The Christian advantage

Forgive the one responsible even if they are totally wrong.
Make no attempt to defend yourself
Luke 12:12

“For the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say.”
Ask the Lord,

Set a guard over my mouth, O LORD;
keep watch over the door of my lips.
Psalms 141:3
Maintain a quiet spirit and ask the Holy Spirit if and where you are at fault.
Ask God to show His purpose in allowing this conflict in your life.

Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to his neighbor, for we are all members of one body. "In your anger do not sin" Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. He who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with his own hands, that he may have something to share with those in need.

Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.

Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

But among you there must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or of any kind of impurity, or of greed, because these are improper for God's holy people. Nor should there be obscenity, foolish talk or coarse joking, which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God's wrath comes on those who are disobedient. Therefore do not be partners with them.

For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret.

But everything exposed by the light becomes visible, for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said:

   "Wake up, O sleeper,

      rise from the dead,

   and Christ will shine on you."

Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is.  Ephesians 4:25-32, 5:1-16

Dust Mites: What You Really Didn't Want to Know

According to the American College of Asthma, Allergy & Immunology, approximately 10 percent of Americans exhibit allergic sensitivity to dust mites. The fall and winter months are a particular problem, as we close our houses and the concentrations of dust mites and their feces increases inside.

House dust mites are found in most homes. They are microscopic, eight-legged creatures closely associated with us, but they are not parasitic and do not bite. They don't burrow under the skin, like scabies mites or live in skin follicles, like skin follicle mites.

The concern about dust mites is people are allergic to them. Symptoms associated with dust mite allergies include sneezing, itchy, watery eyes, nasal stuffiness, runny nose, stuffy ears, respiratory problems, eczema and (in severe cases) asthma. Many people notice these symptoms when they stir dust during cleaning activities. But, dust also contains other allergens, including cat and dog dander, cigarette ash, cockroach droppings, mold spores and pollen.

How can you find out if you're allergic to dust mites? An allergist, a medical doctor specially trained to treat allergies, should be consulted for proper diagnosis.
The dust mite allergen is their tiny feces and body fragments which are components of dust. These particles are so small they can become airborne and inhaled when dust is disturbed.

Biology:There are two species of house dust mites found in North America. These mites are so small they are virtually invisible without magnification. Female mites lay cream-colored eggs coated with a sticky substance so eggs will cling to the substrate. These mites have two distinct immature stages. Under optimal conditions, the entire life cycle from egg to adult takes three-four weeks.

House dust mites feed on human skin scales, pollen, fungi, bacteria and animal dander. Dust mites do not drink free water, but absorb water from the air and the environment.
Fact: Nearly 100,000 mites can live in one square yard of carpet.


What May Be Found in House Dust:
Cigarette ash, incinerator ash, fibers (wool, cotton, paper and silk), fingernail filings, food crumbs, glass particles, glue, graphite, animal and human hair, insect fragments, paint chips, plant parts, pollen, polymer foam particles, salt and sugar crystals, human skin scales, animal dander, soil, fungal spores, tobacco, wood shavings.


Dust Mite Management:

Health professionals sometimes recommend that allergy and asthma patients remove carpet from their homes. But those recommendations are generally based on faulty assumptions. In fact, clean, dry, well-maintained carpet actually improves air quality.Carpet acts as a trap for airborne particles grounded through natural gravity.
Professional Testing Labs studied the distribution of airborne dust associated with normal activities on hard and soft flooring surfaces. Their findings showed that walking on hard surfaces disturbed more particles. These particles became airborne and entered the breathing zone. In contrast, carpeted surfaces trapped more particles so that walking disturbed fewer particles. Result: less dust in the breathing zone over carpeted floors.

For more information and videos

Carpet Myths Dispelled

by Jeff Cross

Most complaints about carpet are due to maintenance and installation issues.

Consumers, whether in the residential or commercial market, rarely have their carpet cleaned as often as they need to be cleaned. That's part of the maintenance issue.

And because of this, the carpet often looks terrible and the solution - to the consumer - is to replace them with hard flooring.

It's interesting that the hard floors in a home or facility will get a frequent cleaning, while carpet is ignored until it is blamed for non-performance.

And therein lurks the problem - and the solution. Clean each surface with equal fervor, and you will see myths dispelled.

Carpet myths abound in today's world. Let's look at some of these that affect your customers or facilities.

A positive study

There is an interesting study that the carpet cleaning industry enjoys analyzing.

The study comes from Sweden, with final results very much in favor of the carpet manufacturing and carpet cleaning industry.

Apparently, circa 1975, Sweden made a huge push to remove carpet.

Many blamed carpet as the culprit for allergy sufferers. They said that carpet was the cause of poor indoor air quality.

A document found on the Carpet and Rug Institute (CRI) website shows that nearly all carpet was removed from Swedish homes and facilities because of a nationwide scare of allergens.

Interesting is the fact that allergic reactions and other illnesses blamed on carpet in homes and facilities went up dramatically after carpet had been removed.

Quite the opposite of what was expected.

Sweden has become a nation consuming less and less carpet, and at the same time, suffering more and more from what was originally blamed on carpet.

When you analyze and compare all living conditions in today's world, carpet actually makes a healthier home or facility. You don't have the dust load in the air as you do with hard floors - all things being equal, of course, and cleaned accordingly.

Dust mites and pet dander are often blamed for allergic reactions. Both can build up in carpet, and both can be found on hard floors. We won't even go into tobacco smoke, pollution from automobiles, pollens, and more...

When in carpet, the proper vacuum system - used regularly - along with regular carpet cleaning, keeps allergen levels very low.

For hard floors, the proper dusting and mopping system is important. With just a small amount of air movement on a hard floor, allergens are swept up into the air and into the respiratory systems of occupants.

Potential carpet problem

Many people feel that carpet is a "dirt sink" that traps potentially dangerous contaminants.

True... but that's a good quality of carpet..

With carpet, the fibers act as a filter and hold onto contaminants until they can be vacuumed or cleaned. Hard floors do not do that.

One way to see this for yourself is to watch the air in a home or business when the sun is shining into the home. With carpeted surfaces, you see some dust in the air, but not much.

So you have two options:

Option #1: Carpet, which will hold onto dirt and contaminants until the carpet is either vacuumed or cleaned.

Option #2: Hard floors, which do not hold onto dirt and contaminants, but still perform well if cleaned regularly.

Regular cleaning makes any building or home healthier. Don't blame the product - instead, make it perform better with better maintenance.

Carpet has another great trait: There are less slip and fall accidents on carpeted surfaces.

Carpet and mold!

Can mold grow on carpet? Yes. Can mold grow on just about any surface? Yes. All it needs is an organic base - dirt, as one example.

Mold needs a food source, moisture, a warm temperature and typically a dark place to reside.

Mold does not use carpet as a food source. Today's carpet, the vast majority, are made from synthetic materials. Mold has no appetite for these materials.

Mold, however, will "eat" contaminants in carpet, so if a carpet is damaged (water damage, sewage, etc) and not remediated properly, mold can grow on it. However, it also will grow on the walls, concrete, furnishings, and hard floors.

It's not picky. It just needs certain things to exist, just like people need certain things to exist.

Good, Fast and Cheap ?

I recently saw a show on television,The Bernie Mac Show were the homeowner was having a room added on to his home. When the contractor entered the home he stated to the homeowner, “If you want it Good and Fast, it won’t be Cheap, If you want it Fast and Cheap it won’t be Good” What do you think he decided?

Most homeowner’s are faced with this dilemma daily “How much money do I need to spend?”

There was a young couple I met recently that was faced with that question in regards to carpet cleaning for their home.

The wife had called for a professional cleaning service because her folks were coming into town in a few days and her father is considered by the husband to be a very tidy person.

Now the wife is very budget minded and decides they need to have only the family room professionally cleaned because the carpet cleaning machine they bought two years ago just doesn't seem to be doing the job they expected.

Now the day the professional cleaner arrives the husband is very concerned about the cost and the wife is only expecting to pay the three room minimum price.
What most customers don’t realize is that it takes the same amount of effort to prepare to clean one room as it does the whole house.

The alternative solution; The professional offers to clean the entire house for the price she had been quoted for if she agreed to purchase carpet protector that was already at a reduced price. Plus the cleaner offered to clean her sofa at no extra charge.

Now what do you think the homeowner decided?

Fact 1: Many people waste time on the phone going through the yellow pages to try and find out who is going to give them the best deal. Fast and Cheap.

Fact 2: People do business with people they like and trust and have a reputation for good customer service.

Fact  3: We all look for value in our everyday lives wherever we trade our dollars.

Remember: Businesses only stay in business when they are profitable and are giving back to the communities they serve.

"The Bitterness Of Poor Quality Remains Long After
The Sweetness Of A Low Price Is Forgotten."

The History of Carpet Cleaning

Ever since people first had carpets and rugs in their homes, they have wanted to have someone else clean them. Over the centuries, the carpet cleaning industry has grown from humble origins of mostly self-cleaning done by servants to a multimillion-dollar service industry with companies that come to your home and products you can rent in stores.

Maids and Slaves

c. 11,000 BC: an unknown early human in East Africa’s Rift Valley realizes that, no matter how good it might taste, eating the scum on the floor of his cave is totally gross. Anthropologists term this moment “the dawn of floor-cleaning consciousness”.

2560 BC: an estimated 15,000 Hebrew slaves die cleaning the floors of the Great Pyramid of Giza.

44 BC: in the first major conflict of the nascent Roman Empire, Mark Antony and Octavian fall out over who is responsible for cleaning Julius Caesar’s blood from the floor of the Roman Forum. “Not it, called it,” Octavian famously declares.

c. 400-800 AD: as the Dark Ages fall across Europe, an order of monks in Ireland preserve the remaining storehouse of ancient floor-cleaning knowledge.

1868 AD: Chicago inventor Ives W. McGaffey devises the first cleaner using vacuum principles. The “Whirlwind” is a modest success, but McGaffey abandons the idea to work on another invention: an electric-powered milk bucket that can read cows’ minds.

Up through the mid-1800s, slaves and maids were the primary carpet cleaners used by those wealthy enough to afford them. Methods for cleaning carpets included beating the dirt out of the carpets with a carpet rod or rattan rug beater or simply using a stiff-bristled broom. The use of maids and servants continued after slavery was outlawed. One piece of advice from an 1827 publication on housecleaning advised servants: "if there be any ink spots, take it out with a lemon."

HISTORIC CARPET CLEANING METHODS IN THE NINETEENTH AND TWENTIETH CENTURIES.

The American Frugal Housewife.  Dedicated to Those Who Are Not Ashamed of Economy, Mrs. Child., twelfth edition, 1833.  Boston/Cambridge: A George Dawson Book; Applewood Books, in cooperation with Old Sturbridge Village,

1863 Sweeping Carpets. Persons who are accustomed to use tea leaves for sweeping their carpets, and find that they leave stains, will do well to employ fresh cut grass instead. It is better than tea leaves for preventing dust, and gives the carpets a very bright fresh look.

Enquire Within upon Everything, London: Houlston and Wright, 1863.

1879 Cleaning Carpets.The oftener carpets are shaken, the longer they wear; the dirt that collects under them, grinds out the threads. Do not have carpets swept any oftener than is absolutely necessary.  After dinner, sweep the crumbs into a dusting-pan with your hearth-brush; and if you have been sewing, pick up the threads by hand.  A carpet can be kept very neat in this way; and a broom wears it very much.

To Wash Carpets.Shake, beat, and sweep well.  Tack firmly on the floor.  Mix three quarts soft, cold water with one quart beef’s gall.  Wash with a flannel, rub off with a clean flannel, immediately after putting it on each strip of carpet, - Mrs. R.

Carpets should be washed in spots, with a brush or flannel, one tablespoonful ox-gall in one or two quarts water. – Mrs. A.

To Remove Ink from Carpets.

Take up the ink with a spoon.  Pour cold water on the stained spot, take up the water with a spoon, and repeat this process frequently.  Then rub on a little oxalic acid and wash off immediately with cold water.  Then wet with [1]Hartshorn. – Mrs. R.

Housekeeping in Old Virginia, edited by Marion Cabell Tyree.  Louisville, Ky.: John P. Morton and Company, 1879.

Turn-of-the-Century Advancements

By the late 1880s, carpet sweepers appeared. In the early 1900s, carpet cleaning became a door-to-door business. The very first equipment was so large it was drawn by horse and parked on the curb outside of the home or business being cleaned. The first vacuum cleaners for personal use came shortly thereafter in the 1920s but were very expensive. It would be decades before every household could afford a vacuum cleaner.

Stanley Steemer. Taking advantage of post-war prosperity, Stanley Steemer carpet cleaners was established in 1947. The company, which uses hot water-extraction to steam clean carpets, is still in existence today and still makes house calls to clean your carpets. There are many other local and national carpet cleaning companies in existence today.

Traveling Salesmen. The first traveling salesmen started making their rounds in the mid-1800s, and by the mid-1900s in America, they were a common sight for many housewives. Traveling salesmen would visit suburbs and towns across America, often hawking products door-to-door. Many traveling salesmen would demonstrate their wares on the carpets, effectively letting people "try before they buy." Some carpet cleaning products that were once sold by traveling salesmen included vacuum cleaners. Though they are much less prevalent today, there are still door-to-door salesmen who hawk vacuum cleaners.

Rug Doctor. In 1998, the Rug Doctor company was launched, making it easier for homeowners to deep-clean their own rugs and carpets. The company was originally located in Fresno, California, but it relocated to Texas. You can rent a Rug Doctor steam cleaner at many home-improvement and grocery stores across America.

SuperClean Carpet Care. Since 1995 SuperClean Handyman Services Company has been servicing and educating our customers in the proper methods of cleaning and maintaining their carpet and delicate upholstery fabrics. Our steam extraction method assures the best possible and safest cleaning results for all of your carpets and upholstery without using harsh abrasive scrubbers.

All of our technicians are highly trained in the proper methods of cleaning and we guarantee your complete satisfaction with the job that we do for you.

Our truck-mounted cleaning equipment is state of the art and we use only environmentally safe cleansing solutions. These factors help to assure that your prized carpets and upholstery are not subject to harsh chemicals that could damage the fabric and lead to a shorter lifespan.

We know that where you live and where you work are the two most important places to you and your family, that's why we are committed to providing you with a safer, cleaner and healthier indoor air environment.