If you have allergies, want to reduce the likleyhood of inviting miniture pests, or simply have too much unsightly hair in your enviornment, don't fret! There are a variety of effective solutions for cleaning up after your furry family, no matter your situation. 

The first line of defense starts with your hair habits. For human hair, cleaning out brushes, making sure loose hair makes it into the trash, and regularly washing (or just drying) hairy clothes will help you with overall house cleaning. When it comes to your pets, taking bedding outside before shaking them off, and regular baths and/or brushings will keep the majority of pet hair off your walls, clothes, furniture, and carpets. 

After the hair gets through that first line of defense, most articles on the subject seem to agree that hair problems start with static caused by dry, low-humidity enviornments, so the next thing I recommend is to get a humidifyer for the spaces you tend to have the most trouble with. Start the humidifyer at least 30 minutes prior to any planned cleaning to help speed up the process.  

Once at the floor level, sweep or vacuum all edges and corners, using a finger (beware of painful carpet staples!), toothbrush, or vacuum attachment to drag hairs out of cracks and corners. After that is done, simply vacuum the remaining floor (for carpets) or sweep/vacuum and mop hard floors. ​

If for whatever reason you do not have a vacuum, you can use a pummice stone, FURminator, or the glove method to get by. 

1. Pick the right vacuum: A vacuum built to handle pet hair is highly recommended. Pet vacuums generally have higher suction, specialized attachments, and stronger filters to catch allergy causing dander-and other particulates- brought in by our furry housemates. We feel the Shark Navigatior (NV360) and the Hoover Windtunnel Pet Preformance (UH72630PC) are great for everyday use in pet friendly homes (each with their own pros and cons, of course). 

2. Vacuum Slowly: In my experience, most people do not seem to realize that making passes slowly with the vacuum is more effecient at cleaning up hair than saving time by moving quickly. Moving quickly does save time, but only picks up the surface layer of hairs and other particulates. Moving slowly allows the agitatiors (brushes) to loosen hair and for the suction to pick up the hair. 

3. Switch directions: Go over areas at least twice and alternate directions to loosen stubborn hairs. For high pile carpets, you may need three or more directions to get all the hairs pulled up to your satisfaction. 

4. Use the correct brush height: Most vacuums have the option to raise or lower the 'foot'. Listen to the vacuum: If it sounds like it is having a hard time (deeper tones) or is difficult to push, raise the foot. If it is too easy to push or seems to be leaving particulates behind, lower the foot until you get the results you are looking for. 

On bare floor, lower the foot as needed and turn off the agetatiors, if that is an option. This prevents particulates from being thrown out behind the vacuum, which can be very annoying to say the least! Beware of any hard particulates, pebbles, small rocks, or parts of childrens toys that may scratch your bare floors as you try to vacuum over them. I recommend you pick up those tiny hazards by hand (or with a broom) beforehand. 

We all have our favorite-or at least preferred-ways of cleaning those pesky hairs.
​Please feel welcome to share your successful (or not so successful) experiences! 

The first steps to keeping these tenacious beasts from overgrowing the bathroom and kitchen is to make those areas an inhospitable place to live simply by:

• ​Drying off affected areas more often.
• Regular removal of the soap scum that feeds the bacterium. 
• Reduce your use of phosphorus-containing materials (protein rich foods and some cleaning chemicals). 
• Avoid using abrasive cleaning supplies/tools (cleaners and/or scrubbies) which leave miniature scratches on affected surfaces, creating the perfect stronghold for S. marcencens. 
• Using antibacterial solutions (follow directions to the letter!), bleach, or essential oil mixtures that target and kill bacteria specifically. 

​​For Bleach method:

1. Scrub the biofilm off the hard surfaces with a soft bristled brush and a paste made of 1/4 cup baking soda and 1 Tbsp liquid dish soap. 
2. Rinse off paste and flush the slime down the drain. 
3. Disinfect the same surfaces using diluted bleach (1/2 cup bleach to 1 gallon cold water) and let mixture stand for 10 minutes. 
4. Lightly scrub and rinse areas to wash the remaining bacteria down the drain.
5. Dry areas with a towel or squeegee.

If you are sensitive to bleach, try replacing the bleach mixture with straight vinegar:

1. Wet down your shower or sink.
2. Spray vinegar onto surfaces affected by the pink mold and let stand for 15-20min.
3. Scrub with a soft bristled brush.
4. Rinse everything down the drain.
5. Dry surface with a towel or squeegee.

If you want to get the pink off your shower curtain, simply throw your curtain into the washer. Use gentile cycle and warm water.

In summary, the best way to get ahead of S. marcencens is to be proactive by:

1. Scrubbing off the initial growth of pink/orange bacteria,
2. Wiping up or squeegeeing off lingering water in the affected areas, 
3. Keeping soap scum down to a minimum by wiping up after every use or deep cleaning areas once a week, 
4. Cleaning out protein-rich foods from your kitchen sinks after each use. 

Mold is not only ugly, but it can have serious negative effects on the integrity of your home and, more importantly, your health! Some of the many symptoms of co-habitation with the toxic fuzz are:

If you think you have some of these symptoms and do have mold, please do not panic! Start with this simple step-by-step procedure to help you on the way to a more clean and healthy environment:

1. Find out how much mold is in the home and how widespread it may be. If it is growing thick enough or spread throughout the entire building, you may need consider removing those parts of your home or contact a mold removal specialist to come in and help.
2. After finding all the compromised areas, do what you can to consistently reduce any wetness or dampness so the affected area can dry out (mold LOVES dark, damp areas).
3. While waiting for the areas to become consistently dry, figure out which cleaning method you are most comfortable with: chemical based solutions or natural solutions. 
4. ​Apply your cleaning method, follow all listed instructions, and wear appropriate protective gear. 

Since I have less than favorable reactions to bleach and borax (as many do), I cannot personally vouch for the chemical based solutions. However, I have used a more natural step-by-step solution of essential oil blend, baking soda, and hydrogen peroxide to help scrub off mold and to prevent it from spreading. Here is how I did it:​

1. Vinegar + Tea Tree Oil: I start by combining distilled vinegar, a naturally antimicrobial substance, and tea tree oil (I used a mix of Oregano, Cinnamon, and Clove because my client didn't like the smell of Tea Tree Oil) in a glass spray bottle. Give it a little shake and spray the mixture directly on the moldy area. Let it sit (don’t touch the mold or try to scrub it away) for 30 minutes. The vinegar will kill the mold with its acid, while tea tree oil is naturally anti-fungal and one of the best natural mold killers (so are Oregano, Cinnamon, Clove, and Thyme).
2. Baking Soda: Then I take some baking soda and add it to slightly warm water in a spray bottle. Shake the mixture well until the baking soda has dissolved (or it will clog the sprayer). And then spray this mixture on top of the moldy area. Let it dry on the mold–so don’t touch it for at least half an hour. In addition to killing mold, baking soda will absorb moisture to help keep mold away.
3. Hydrogen Peroxide: Finally, take some hydrogen peroxide, an anti-fungal, anti-viral, and anti-bacterial solution, and pour it into a glass. Dip a clean toothbrush into the peroxide and scrub the moldy area with the toothbrush, rinsing and dipping the toothbrush as you go. (Wear appropriate eye protection to avoid peroxide burns in your eyes!)

I found that this method was great for the space it was used in. It not only killed the mold in the area, but effectively reduced the discolored spots, smelled wonderful, and didn't hurt my lungs! 


If you are interested in buying essential oils to create your own DIY mold remover, feel free to browse DoTerra's collection from my personal link: my.doterra.com/lynnburnett 

OR

Find essential oils at other reputable companies like:
Young Living, Plant Therapy, Aura Cacia, Edens Garden, NOW Foods, or Mountain Rose Herbs. Many people often use Amazon.com, however, please do your research as quality essential oils are usually worth their higher cost! 

Hello all! 

I am happy to say that with the busy season winding down, we are ready to start blogging again! 

The next few topics I would like to talk about are:

• How to treat and help prevent mold.

• Repetitive stress injuries and how to avoid them.
• What's that pink stuff growing in the tub? 

So stay tuned for the next topics!

During the TRADE Show last month, many of our visitors took an interest in the type of chemicals we used and asked us to consider adding more natural chemicals to our cleaning arsenal. Specifically, some individuals were concerned with the impact our chemicals had on the environment, respiratory conditions, or were cancer survivors hoping for a more gentile approach to cleaning. 

In response to those requests, I am happy to announce that, starting June 1st, we will be carrying alternative options for the chemicals we use in your home. All you have to do is ask! 

Here is a sneak-peak at some of the alternatives we will be able to offer: 

• Greenworks multi-purpose spray,
• Vinegar based window cleaning and floor solutions,
• Baking soda and essential oil based shower and sink scrub,
• DIY cleaning solutions that include Essential Oils such as Melaleuca (teatree oil), Lemon, or Thyme.

​
For some more information or insight into the powerful cleaning properties of Essential Oils, please follow this link.

If you have a favorite DIY cleaning solution, comment below and we will be happy to try it for ourselves (and perhaps even add it to our growing list of alternative cleaning options!).