Have you ever stopped to watch a professional window washer. It amazes me how fast they clean a window, and how easy they make it look. Their movements when they use the squeegee to remove the water off the window are fluid. Now I want you to think about how you clean your windows at home. A can of spray cleaner a couple of rolls of paper towels, and in an hour your arm feels like it’s going to fall off. Many of us just say the heck with it, and resign ourselves to look through dirty glass. It doesn’t have to be this way.

Purchasing the  tools a window cleaner uses are  relatively inexpensive. Learning to clean windows like a professional is pretty easy. Finding a place where you can buy these products is the hard part. The public as a rule doesn’t shop at janitor supply companies. You pick up most of your cleaning products from the grocery store. Unfortunately you’re not going to find professional window cleaning products there. Your best bet is a local janitor supply company or www.cleaningsolutionssuperstore.com

You’ll need a squeegee, and a strip washer to wash the glass. A product known as the pill that makes 2.5 gallons of window cleaner, and if you’re doing upper story windows a light weight extension pole. If you have a single story home you can pick these tools up for under $50. People with two story homes can add a light weight extension pole, and their cost will be around $100. This is professional quality equipment you’ll have a lifetime. The two biggest manufacturers of professional window cleaning equipment in the world are Unger from Germany, and Ettore from Italy. Both these companies are excellant, and make great products. If you’d like to see these products being used in cleaning home windows click here. I hope you learned something, and may you never look out a dirty window again.

                                                                                                                                                     Rich

I recently learned one of the major network morning shows featured a guest who recommended cleaning pet urine out of carpet with salt. The recommendation was to dump salt on the pet urine then vacuum it up with your vacuum. I don’t know where people get these crazy ideas. The saddest part of the story is a major television show would give someone a platform to spread this nonsense. First of all salt will not remove urine from carpet. The urine will soak down into the backing of the carpet, and provide a new favorite place for your pet to pee. You have to use a spot remover designed to remove pet stains, blot the stain out of the carpet, and continue this process until it’s out. Use a pet stain remover with an enzyme added to address any residual urine that ends up in the pad.

Lastly if you use your vacuum to suck up pet urine you stand a good chance of ruining your vacuum. Think about the urine you pick up being circulated through all the moving parts of your vacuum. Now imagine what the exhaust will smell like every time you turn the machine on. What do you think happens to the metal parts coming into contact with wet salt and urine. Rust, and corrosion is the answer. Also if you ever read your owners manual it says do not vacuum up wet with your vacuum as a danger of electrocution may occur. Mixing electricity, and moisture isn’t a good idea unless you’re using a wet/dry vacuum.

Having many friends with children I get asked frequently how to remove chewing gum from carpets. Having two daughters myself I’ve never figured out how the gum gets from the their mouth into my carpet. The good news is it’s really easy to get out if you know how. The best way is to freeze the gum with a really great product I found called Gum Out. It’s made by a company in Illinois Claire Manufacturing. You spray the gum in the carpet for five seconds then pop it out using a teaspoon. If it doesn’t all pop out the first time spray the gum and repeat. I’ve heard about using ice cubes to freeze the gum , and I’m going to tell you it doesn’t work. It doesn’t freeze the gum, and all you end up with is a wet sticky mess.

The other product I’ve found that works is made by Core Products out of Texas, and it’s called Citrus Gel. This product dissolves the gum. You need to work fast with this product, and have some rags handy to pull the gum out of the carpet. If you don’t it will dissolve it but it will run down into the backing of the carpet. Aunt Patti understands gum occasionally will magically get in your carpet if you have little ones. Also another fact if you have more than one child you’ll find all are innocent of the crime.