The Bureau of Labor Statistics is a leading American authority on the correlation between labor and education, and tracks a number of statistics regarding this matter. Recently, they’d compiled a report of current occupations for people with advanced degrees, and a number of shocking truths were revealed by this survey.

Probably most surprising – and relevant to the cleaning industry as a whole- is the fact that there are currently over five thousand PHDs in the United States who are currently working as commercial cleaners or janitors.

I, myself, have actually met a number of very highly educated people during my years in the field. So these figures – although odd – are not a complete surprise or shock to me.

Some would argue that this goes to demonstrate that we over-value a high-level education. But others would argue that it’s a fundamental flaw in the structure of the education system. (I have no opinion either way)

As a side-effect of having spent so many years in this profession, chemistry and physics has become somewhat of a litterary passion of mine. I’m definitely fascinated by the incredible natural machinery of the universe…. and the way it can be observed on very small and extremely large scales.

But I’ve never considered investing ten years of my life and hundreds of thousands of dollars on this hobby, as I fail to see how practical it would be in the “real life” business world.

So the next time you’re in the office late at night, and you see a cleaner hard at work, ask them if they can explain why Kepler’s laws break down at the atomic level, or how the non-Euclidean geometry of the universe can be observed. You might be surprised by the answer you get back.

To read more about this study, I’d suggest visiting the original article published by The Chronicle For Higher Education.

The Stain Game

One of the hardest parts about cleaning vinyl is determining what is making it so dirty. If you are facing unknown stains, then you will need to get down and dirty. It’s always best to treat a stain right away, but, this is not always possible, especially if you were not aware that the stain was there. Old coffee cups from those morning commutes to work, a melted ice cream cone from that trip to the zoo or a missing M&M that got stuck under your bum on the ride home from the movies can easily become annoying stains later on. The first thing you need to do is determine what the stain is.

For some of the trickier stains, such as gum, you may need to get a chemical composition that can freeze the sticky mess in place and thus allow you to scrap it off later. Any stain that is sugar based, such as cola, chocolate or most of the other stain culprits can be removed with a spot remover. Finally, grease, which can often look like cola, will respond to a grease remover. Because you are dealing with vinyl, a good rubbing should do the trick.

Regular Cleaning

Once the stains have been dealt with, you can get down to business- cleaning the automotive vinyl so it shines like new. The best way to do this is with a specialty formulated vinyl cleaning product. Use some elbow grease and wash all seats and vinyl coverings with a clean rag or paper towel. Because you are dealing with vinyl, you do not have to worry about getting out the steam cleaner.

After you have dusted off the seats and other vinyl coverings, make sure you leave the doors open for a little while. This will get rid of the unwanted smells. You can also invest in an air freshener, especially ‘new car smell’ which can really help return your vehicle to that nostalgic new car time.

Preventative Matters

Of course, the best defense against stains is a strong offense. Although it may be difficult to find the time, try to give your car a good clean and vacuum twice a month. If you cannot manage that, then at least check it over, remove any garbage, unwanted coffee cups, water bottles, shoes, towels and hats that somehow get lost in your vehicle.

So whether you are restoring an old car to you, trying to sell your car and want to get the most money out of it, or simply tired of driving around in musty stained seats, it is completely possible to get that ‘like-new’ feel with a little care.

1. Get the family involved. Does the sound of a vacuum cleaner make your kids run for the hills? Well, it’s time for that to change. Spring cleaning will go a lot smoother if everyone helps out, including the kids. Assign a room or certain chores to everyone and then promise a big reward at the end of the weekend.

2. Set a weekend and stick to it. We all dread spring cleaning but, once it’s done, it’s done. So set up a weekend where there is nothing else on and mark it on the calendar. Most people will put off spring cleaning until ‘the next weekend’ until, all of a sudden, it’s summer. No one wants to spend their hot summer days inside scrubbing the toilet. So make a plan and stick to it.

3. Make a checklist of chores. If you know what you are up against, the job will go a lot faster. Furthermore, you will get some satisfaction watching each item be slowly checked off the list. The best way is to make a checklist for each room. Do one room at a time and then head to the next area. You will find some satisfaction seeing a sparkling room.

4. Get all your cleaning equipment ready. There is nothing worse than spending half your day searching for cleaning supplies. Make sure you have everything you need the day before. Go to the store and stock up and then use a basket to carry around the supplies with you from room to room.

5. Wash the walls form the bottom up to avoid streaking. This is pretty straightforward and an easy tip to ensure your house sparkles.

6. Dust from the top and work your way down. That way you are not spreading the dust around. It is also easier to see what you’ve done when you always have the same starting point.

7. De clutter as you go. Spring cleaning is not just about vacuuming and dusting. You should also look into organizing all your winter stuff. Throw away those things you do not need and de clutter those drawers, closets and dressers that are jam packed with winter gear.

8. Dust first, vacuum later, mop last. This is the easiest way to avoid cleaning what you just cleaned.

9. Note repairs as you go. While you are cleaning, you may see small repairs around the house. Although it may be tempting to tackle them now and leave the cleaning for later, don’t. Instead, jot down what needs to be done and set up a time next weekend to do it. Or, you could always hire someone or get your husband to do his part.

10. Finally, reward yourself. Spring cleaning is no one’s ideal way to spend their weekend so treat yourself to a job well done.

1. http://www.startcleaningservice.com
2. http://duct-911.com/blog/
3. http://www.amycleaning.co.uk/
4. http://clickcleaning.co.uk/
5. http://www.housecleaningmastery.com/
6. http://www.wipeoutcleaning.com
7. http://pamperitclean.com
8. http://www.apexmaintenance.com
9. http://www.50dollarcarpetcleaning.com
10. http://www.maids-express.com

Hope these sires help you as much as they’ve helped me over the years.

I struggled pretty hard to get my first few customers. I tried going door to door, shaking hands…. but it didn’t get me anywhere.

It just so happened that these industries were heavily marketed-to. Because of this, all of my potential customers had gatekeepers that would prevent me from even presenting my value proposition to the key decision-maker.

So then I changed my approach and started writing letters. I put together some short 1-pagers introducing myself and my services. Noting!

Then I started reading about marketing and sales. And as many marketing books have said before, this one suggested sending an introductory offer to my prospects. Today, I look back on this and think it’s so obvious.

But at the time, I was young and inexperienced… so this was like an epiphany from the heavens for me.

So I got very ambitious and decided to offer to work 1 week for free! Who could resist that? Even if nothing came out of it, at least I would make connections and gain experience. And who in the world could turn down FREE?

I thought I had found the Holy Grail.

I bought the finest paper, and hand-wrote the letters to my top-10 prospects. I made sure to do everything as perfectly as possible, paying attention to every minute detail.

Nothing! Not a single nibble. I was just beside myself.

Who could possibly turn down FREE? So I called each prospect to follow up. Because of the gatekeepers, I was only able to get a response from one manager who said that they had gotten the letter and would “think” about my offer.

What is there to think about? It’s free?

That’s when a business-savvy friend of mine gave me some advice. He suggested adding an expiry date to the offers. But the expiry dates should be no longer than 1 week from the date the letters were received.

At this point, I was feeling pretty defeated. I was ready to try almost anything. So I tried another list of 10 prospects, and sent out 10 more letters (printed via computer) with the short expiry date. I wasn’t really expecting any results.

To my surprise, I got 3 responses. This totally changed the way I look at human behaviour.
This is when I saw that people only appreciate something if

• They have to make an effort to get it
• You threaten to take it away

In other words, the value of anything is what you have to give up in order to get it.

This is why infomercials always end with something along the lines of “and if you order within the next 20 minutes, you’ll get a free puppy shaver” This is a compelling call to action that has a pain motivator for people that want to hold off until later before making a decision.

So how does this relate to coupons in general?

Most coupons you’ll see in the papers have an expiry date of about 1 year after publication. If they would just set the expiry dates at 1 or 2 weeks after publication, they would probably see a much higher ROI on their efforts.

Think about this next time you’re sending out lead-generation material or advertising a new offering.

Human nature is really funny sometimes.

First Steps

At the first sign of blood on the fabric, if at all possible, blot with a dry paper towel or other disposable cloth. Blood stains can appear without being noticed due to cuts, splinters or other accidents that aren’t noticed.

If the blood stain has already dried or once the blood has been blotted prepare a pre-treatment made of one spoonful of laundry powder or dish detergent with one cup of peroxide. Using a clean sponge lightly dabbed in the mixture, blot the stain, making sure to get it covered with the mixture but not soaked in it.

There is an exception to this. If the fabric is soaked in blood, it might be necessary to soak it for a few minutes in a pure peroxide solution. Heavier areas of blood might need to soak longer. (Of course… If this is the case, you might have bigger problems)

Wash the fabric according to the washing instructions on the label. Do not wash in hot water and do not dry in the dryer. Heat will cause the blood stain to set into the fabric and possibly become permanent. Air drying allows for a second opportunity to remove the stain.
If at First You Don’t Succeed

If the first attempt at removing the blood stain doesn’t work and the fabric was air dried, there are other options to try.

First, fill a bowl with a mixture of ammonia and water at a 50/50 ratio. Dab with the solution, again using a clean sponge so as not to add another stain to the fabric. Next, use a commercial stain pre-treatment solution and launder according to directions. Air dry the garment to prevent any remaining blood stain from becoming permanent.

Adding Salt to the Wound

An age old remedy for blood stains is also a successful remedy for blood stains. First, run cold water over the area stained, never hot water as it will basically cook the blood into the fabric.
Next, sprinkle a heavy dose of table salt over the stain. The salt will bond to the blood stain. Finally, scrub the stain with a bar of soap. The soap removes any particles of the stain that are not from blood. Finally, rinse well and repeat as necessary.

More than Once

Regardless of the option chosen to remove the blood stain, more than one application may be required. There are also commercially available blood stain removers that can be purchased and used with varying degrees of success. The most important thing to remember is to use cold water and air dry the fabric. Any heat applied will make the stain impossible to remove.

It’s that time of year where human beings like to make everything nice, tidy, and orderly. And while you’re cleaning out the inside of your house, don’t forget to also take care of the outside, where nature has certainly delivered the worst of its messy grossness.

One of the first things I’d recommend getting under control are those hard-to-reach gutters. They serve a very important purpose, but I’ll bet it’s been years since you’ve even given them a second thought.

Well not this season. This is the year that I’m going to call on you to take this most noble of challenges:

To clean out that darn gutter once and for all.

So slap on some gloves, grab a ladder and get up there. It’s time to get dirty.

Make sure you really dig in. Get every last speck of dirt and leaves that the winter has left behind. Make sure to get all of the leftover gunk out of the spout as well. You might want to use a toilet snake to do this, although I’d recommend a high-pressure hose to blast away the debris.

Maybe you’re one of the lucky few that have a detachable spout. If that’s the case, just unhook it and shake it out. That should make for easy work.

I know it’s not that much fun, and that it’s not very easy to do. But it is important for preserving the longevity and beauty of your home. For all of you new homeowners out there, I’d recommend doing this cleaning at least once or twice per year.

If you allow excess sediment to clog the drains, they will allow less water through, and eventually it will defeat the entire purpose of having gutters as the water will simply flow over. And the added strain will also cause the gutters to become damaged more easily and require replacement before their time.

And at the very least, if you don’t want to do this yourself, hire a professional to do it for you. An gram of prevention is worth a ton of cure. Take my word on this one.

Michigan Office Cleaning

So I’ve put together a nice little travel system that you can use almost anywhere to get a nice, high-intensity, full upper-body workout.

In order for this to work, I would recommend you starting out the program at home, and making this part of your regular routine. This way, it won’t feel so awkward or improvised when you travel. Building a strong and consistent work-out habit is, in my opinion, the most important thing you can do for your health. Otherwise, there really isn’t any point in exercising.

Contrary to what the infomercials will tell you, there are no magic pills.

This program is based on the popular 5*4 system that so many fitness coaches talk about. Essentially, you do 5 sets of each of these 4 exercises, and you add one more rep to each set over time until you’re able to do 10*5 of each or more.

The goal is really to build STRENGTH rather than just MUSCLE. If you want to do a bodybuilding program at a later point in time, you would need a fully-stocked gym. Strength training is meant more to help you with your daily life, rather than simply packing on weight for aesthetic reasons.

I know that for myself, being a cleaner, I’m required to do a lot of physical labour, moving heavy objects around in odd manners. My regime is the only reason I can have any energy left at the end of a long day of office cleaning.

Exercise 1: Chin-Ups (Biceps) For this one, you’ll need a chin-up bar. I recommend this one. It’s very inexpensive, and fits inside any suitcase. It’s been a lifesaver for me on so many occasions.
In order to work out your biceps, you simply do the chin-ups with an nderhand grip.

Exercise 2: Chin-Ups (Back) Same as before, except with an overhand grip. This is amazing for the back muscles. After a few weeks of doing these, I began noticing much less strain on my back from moving heavy mops around.

Exercise 3: Dips (Triceps) If there’s one thing that hotels have, it’s CHAIRS. They seem to be everywhere, so you won’t have too much trouble finding 2 of these to work out with. Just place them about 2 feet apart, back to back, and do your dips using these chairs.
Be careful though, don’t let yourself fall down. This is a somewhat unstable piece of equipment.

Exercise 4: Push-Ups (Chest) The traditional push-up is a good exercise, but the straight up-and-down motion misses a lot of the minor muscles that help with your stability in handling oddly-distributed weight.
In order to avoid injury later on, I prefer something that hits the stabilizers and strengthens them.

A great way to do this is to carry a deflated basketball and a portable pump in your luggage. When you do your push-ups, place your feet up high on a chair and grip the basketball on the floor as you do the push-ups.

This greatly increases the resistance and benefit. Most people have trouble just doing 3.

Bonus 1: (Abs) There are dozens of great ab exercises out there. I’m a big fan of Billy Blanks. He has a lot of great impromptu exercises that really isolate the core.

Just don’t lie to yourself. You won’t see your abs until you get your body fat way down.

Bonus 2: (Cardio) A simple skipping rope is a great way to work out. It’s portable and fits easily in any suitcase. For a more intense workout, I’d recommend the Tae-Bo T3 workout system. All you need is a DVD and your laptop.

With everything I’ve described here, you should be able to get a really high-intensity workout anywhere you go. Whether you’re an accountant or a commercial cleaner, this will help a lot.

Of course, from a cleaning perspective, chocolate can be a nightmare. It’s soft, and sticky, and can melt & harden at moderate temperatures. This physical feature makes for a particularly tricky stain.
With this in mind, there are going to be times when you’ll need to perform an emergency clean-up. That’s when we hope the tips outlined here will come in handy and save the day for you and your wardrobe investment.

As soon as the stain occurs, the first thing you’ll want to do is scrape up as much of the chocolate as you can. For this, we recommend any flat metal object such as a spoon or a butter knife.
If this stain occurred on a rug or a piece of clothing, we’d recommend soaking the stain from behind with cold water. Make sure to soak thoroughly.

Then, take a rag with some laundry detergent rub the stain. Try to rub in small, circular motions towards the center. You want to avoid spreading the stain as much as possible in order to minimize the damage.

Leave in the detergent and allow the stain to sit for about 3 minutes or so.
Then, soak the stain in a bucket of cold water for 20 minutes. While this is happening, make sure to rub the stained area about every 4 minutes until the stain begins to loosen.
Finally, rinse everything out thoroughly. If there is still residue left, just repeat the process until it’s gone.

Sometimes, you’ll finish cleaning the chocolate, but there will still be an oily residue left over. Don’t worry. This can be taken care of by applying a stain remover, then washing normally as you would do with the rest of your laundry.

If you spend a lot of money on clothes like I do, this tip alone should save you a lot of money.

First, a word of caution: Some of these solutions work differently depending on the kind of stain, and the type of brick. So always make sure to practice on a sample section that’s out of the way. This way, if the technique creates an undesired result, you’ll know ahead of time without having to damage your expensive fireplace.

One popular solution is to mix a 25/75 solution of ammonia and water. Just be sure to wear protective rubber gloves when you do this, and avoid mixing in any other chemicals. (Ammonia can be dangerous when it reacts with other chemicals)

Take the solution and rub off the dirt using a sponge or a wire brush.

Sometimes, this might not be enough to get the job done. In this instance, I’d recommend using muratic acid, which can be obtained at most hardware store. Most of all, MAKE SURE TO NEUTRALIZE THE ACID AFTERWARD! This can be done easily by mixing water and baking soda, and thoroughly scrubbing off the residue.

But I would caution against this one since I’ve heard that it can cause undesired reactions, depending on the type of brick you’re trying to clean. This is why it’s important to test beforehand.

As an added layer of protection, I would strongly suggest using a sealer on the stone or brick in order to prevent further build-up. This will help maintain the life and beauty of your fireplace.

Another benefit of sealing the masonry work is that it will simplify the clean-up process. Next time, instead of using all of these harsh chemicals, you can simply wipe off the dirt with warm water and soap.

As a last resort, I would suggest using commercial brick cleaners. I say this is a last resort, only because we can’t ever be sure what goes into these, and can’t predict how it will react with your brick or stone.

I hope this cleaning article was helpful for you. If you have any other cleaning-related questions, we would love to hear from you.