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We have an important question for you. When was the last time you cleaned your mattress?  It is ok, sit there and think about it.  Not sure?  Don’t worry, you are like most people.  The average person may frequently clean their sheets but they do not tend to clean their mattress very often.  Today tells us the startling truth about how often we should be cleaning our mattress, “When you snuggle into your bed at night, you’re sleeping on more than a comfy mattress. We’re talking sweat, dust, dust mites and allergens all sharing the bed with you. That’s why it’s important to clean your mattress at least twice a year, or better yet, with the change of the seasons.” No need to panic – if you have not been cleaning your mattress 2-4 times per year, you can start now!

If you have wondered just how many uses there are for a steam cleaner, the answer seems to be ‘endless.’  A steam cleaner is, hands down, the safest and most effect give tool for cleaning and disinfection.  We have discussed that extensively in a multitude of blogs.  But, that is far from the only use for a steam cleaner.  A steam cleaner can be an exceptionally powerful yet very safe tool for removing things that are ‘stuck on’ to just about anything.  From removing to flooring adhesives to gum on sidewalks, a steam cleaner is safe and effective.  And, our wonderful clients love it for removing things that are suck on because it will not damage or stain the surface from which you are removing things that are stuck on.  In fact, it may actually lift and remove stains from the adhesives or gum.  In addition to flooring adhesive and gum, your steam cleaner can be used to remove vinyl graphics.

When you are installing new flooring you usually have to rip up the previous flooring first.  But, as any homeowner or contractor who has done this before knows – it is no easy task.  It may seem easy at first but soon you realize that all of the adhesive used to hold the flooring to the sub flooring is still stuck.  That adhesive usually doesn’t just lift right up.  Nobody wants to spend painstaking hours scraping and applying harsh, chemical-filled solvents that may or may not remove the adhesive. But, unfortunately, starting with a smooth, clean surface is a critical step to properly installing new flooring.  Without doing so, the bond between the new flooring and the sub flooring may be subpar and could lead to problems with your new flooring down the road.

If you are not taking this year’s flu outbreak seriously, you should be.  Reports keep coming in about how strong this flu virus is and just how many people have been affected.  The flu virus is highly contagious and can lead to extreme illness and, unfortunately as we have seen, even death.  ABC News reports on just how bad the flu is this year, “The U.S. Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta said 14,676 people have been hospitalized with influenza since the flu season began in October, double the number from all of last year and the highest ever recorded…The CDC’s latest influenza report shows that at least 53 children have died from the flu this season, including 16 just last week.”  There are many person hygiene precautions such as washing hands and covering when you cough or sneeze that should be taken to help prevent the spread of the flu but many times that simply is not enough.  If your home, school or office has been hit by the flu it is imperative that you take every precaution to stop it in its tracks.  Chemical cleaners use harsh chemicals that are often not safe to be breathed in by adults or children and should not even be touched for fear of skin contamination.  And, what about carpeted areas?  What do you do if bodily fluids such as vomit are in the carpet – can you truly clean and disinfect carpet?  With a steam cleaner, you can!

If you run a professional janitorial service or building maintenance service, you probably have a team of professionals on staff to tackle all of the cleaning tasks at hand.  Additionally, you probably have invested in a wide array of cleaning products (that constantly need replacement), as well as cleaning tools.  But, have you invested in a high-quality, professional-grade steam cleaner?  If not, you need to ASAP.  An investment in a commercial-grade steam cleaner will more than pay for itself in hours saved and reduction in cleaning product costs, and will ultimately transform how you do business.

Steam cleaning is the best cleaning method for a variety of applications from industrial settings, to hospitals, to schools, to homes.  It is quick, efficient, and effective for cleaning just about anything.  But, steam cleaning is more than just a great cleaning method, it can actually disinfect surfaces.  It doesn’t just get rid of some of the bacteria like a lot of cleaners, it gets rid of up to 99% of bacteria without a single chemical! Because it does not use chemicals to disinfect it is ideal for use in hospitals, food preparation areas including both industrial settings and kitchens, and more.  People are often skeptical that just water can actually disinfect so well but it is actually the safest and most effective way to disinfect just about any surface.  Below we explain how steam cleaning disinfects things like bacteria and even MRSA.

This winter many cities have experienced particularly bad cold and flu seasons.  It seems like infection is everywhere and if there is one place that those germs are always present it is classrooms.  Children simply are not as good at infection prevention techniques like covering when they sneeze or cough or washing hands frequently.  That means that they are at an elevated risk of contracting an infection.  Proper classroom m cleaning is incredibly important but not always as simple as it may sound.  With so many children it can be difficult to thoroughly and effectively clean and disinfect throughout the day.  There are a myriad of surfaces that need to be cleaned including hard flooring, carpet, rugs, countertops, sinks, toilets, writing utensils, scissors, toys, and more.  Because there is such a wide range a teacher would typically need multiple different chemical cleaning products and cleaning tools.  And, it is not safe to expose children to so many harsh chemicals so there is not very many practical moments during the day to clean.  Because of this, adequate cleaning is often not achieved in the classroom setting.  But, it does not have to be this way.  Steam cleaning classrooms can overhaul classroom cleaning procedures and produce a new level of cleaning and disinfection.

If you are like us, the mention of bed bugs makes your skin crawl.  Bed bugs are disgusting and typically incredibly hard to get rid of once there is an infestation.  Most people will grab the chemicals and start trying to annihilate bed bugs but it can be hard to get them all, particularly when they are imbedded in fabric or upholstery.  And, bed bugs are slowly but surely becoming resistant to chemical cleaners and pesticides as they are routinely exposed to it.  That means that your efforts may all be in vain!  Don’t panic and start nervously scratching yourself – all is not lost.  Steam cleaning cleans and disinfects but it can also actually kill bed bugs and help you on your quest to completely eradicate an infection.

If your home has already been hit by cold and flu season, brace yourself, it might not be over.  This cold and flu season has proven to be particularly bad and many are saying it could be very severe.  Today describes how bad cold and flu season is, “The latest report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted that the flu is spreading across the country: Activity has increased in twelve states, compared to just seven last week. There was “high activity” of flu in four states: Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Texas. And it’s still just the beginning of the season. Dr. William Schaffner, who is involved in the CDC’s flu surveillance network in Tennessee, has noticed cases of influenza picking up “dramatically.”Even worse, it appears the dominant strain will be H3N2, which can produce more severe illness, said Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center…“It is possible that we will experience low vaccine effectiveness against influenza A (H3N2) viruses and a relatively severe influenza season if they predominate,” Fauci and colleagues wrote in an article published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine.”