Carrara Companies Cleaning & Restoration Services Blog

Blinds Cleaning For a Brighter Home

As the leaves continue to fall, many of us are preparing for the upcoming winter months and our annual task of hibernation.

Cleaning your blinds can be a small task that can make a significant difference in the way you view your inside months.  Window blinds and window treatments are designed to brighten up the rooms of your home, but when a layer of dust covers them, you lose the effect and create additional household chore stress. Here are ways to easily clean your blinds and create a positive environment in your home for the winter. 

• Dusting your blinds when you clean your home will decrease the amount of dust build up, thus making it easier to maintain.
• For small amounts of dust, using a moist cloth can prevent the dust from getting into the air and affecting your indoor air quality. Another inexpensive option, to clean your blinds, is to dip the cloth in white vinegar instead of water.
• If you are cleaning vinyl or fabric blinds, use a dry, rubber sponge to easily remove dust. If your fabric or vinyl blinds are extremely dirty, ask your dry cleaner if they specialize in window treatments and seek professional help.
• An important point to remember when dealing with wood blinds: be careful not to over saturate the wood slats. This could lead to water damage, swelling or warping.
• Another idea is to use your vacuum brush attachment and go across the slats versus up and down.

Finally, after the initial blind cleaning is complete, use a fabric softener sheet on them.  This will give a "fresh" smell as well as postponing dust build up.

Infectious Control in Commercial Buildings

Whether a health care facility, school, or office building, you should have a housekeeping program which maintains your location's aesthetics, but more importantly, ensures your building occupants safety and health.

Today, the concern is surrounding H1N1, or swine-flu, but can it be deadly? There have been several cases, some covered by national media, where is has proven fatal, however studies have shown the normal influenza can be just as deadly. Germs, bacteria, and viruses can be a threat to your facility, and need to be controlled in an indoor environment.

If you fear your facility may be at risk, or wish to be pro-active in your infectious cleaning, make sure when selecting a cleaning company you have first done your research. Is the company a janitorial cleaning service, or do they specialize in infectious control? What practices and chemicals are being used in their processes? If you do find yourself in need of a company which provides this service, proceed with caution. Don't get caught spending money and not getting what you actually need.

For more information about different infectious diseases, please visit the Association for Professionals in Infection Control, http://www.apic.org/ and the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, http://www.cdc.gov/.

Fire Prevention Tips for Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and if you are the host of a thanksgiving party then you must know you are bound to face a shortage of time when it comes to dinner preparation. This may force you to hasten cooking times, which can be dangerous.   

Due to the improper storing, cooking, and serving of turkey, sometimes the growth of harmful bacteria such as salmonella, which can cause food borne illness, may occur. Moreover, the chances of injuries and burns are increased.  According to The United States Fire Administration (USFA) cooking is the leading cause of residential structural fires on Thanksgiving.  

To assist in your cooking and serving planning, below are safety tips to remember when preparing your annual feast.

• Be cautious about hygiene and cleanliness while cooking, washing and storing eatables. Make sure the preparation area is clean and you have used a disinfectant before and after cooking.
• While cooking always check lighting and ensure there is ample of light in the cooking area so as to prevent you from cutting yourself or slip away with a sharp knife.
• Always remember to use hot hands or over mitts in kitchen whenever you are going to handle cooked in the oven or on top of the stove. This will prevent you from burning.
• Always keep the food which requires cold storage away from the food that need to be stored in hot to prevent any kind of bacterial growth in your thanksgiving food.
• Always put on a pair of slippers or shoes while cooking thanksgiving food so as to prevent yourself from any kind of injury resulting from dropping of something hot/sharp on your feet.
• While cooking food on the stove, always ensure the handles of the pans are turn off the side. This will prevent any kind of injury to you or to your family resulting from dropping of the hot pans.
• Do not leave stove unattended and be sure to have working smoke detectors and fire extinguishers in the kitchen area.