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Use Vacation Rentals Cleaning While You On Vacation

How to Clean Vacation Rentals

If you’re not a “detail person,” this gig probably isn’t for you. You need to be thorough, detailed and have an impeccable eye for ambience.

Those of us who become giddy thinking about a perfectly folded linen or finely chilled bottle of wine to welcome a guest (read: “born host”) will find this work enjoyable and rewarding. It’s not the same as cleaning your own home. It’s more of a mix between concierge and maid services.

But unlike hotel guests, who may leave a space in any shape they wish, guests who book through a rental site can be reviewed publicly by the owner on the site they used to book their stay. Because of this feature, you can usually expect to see a much cleaner and more orderly space.

You’ll need to be able to do the basics well:

Clean and tidy the whole space
Lift or slide rugs and furniture into place
Wash and fold all linens, towels and blankets
Dust, vacuum, mop, scrub and sanitize all surfaces and floors
Clean and put away dishes
Take out the trash and recycling

The details are crucial.

Make the home cobweb and dust free — everywhere.If you think to clean the tops of doors, the wiring and cables behind the TV, or under books on a shelf, you’re probably a good fit for this work.
Add concierge-like touches.From specially folded toilet paper to perfect bed service and a thoughtful welcome basket, guests have come to expect these details in vacation rentals.
Have a strict “No Hair Left Behind” policy.No guest wants to see a former guest’s hair in the sink or tub!

WHAT MAKES A VACATION RENTAL CLEANING DIFFERENT

A vacation rental cleaning goes above and beyond what you’d expect from a typical house cleaning. Your housekeeper needs to be ready to provide a higher level of service, and handle tasks like: test

Cleaning the linens that were used by previous guests
Sanitizing surfaces after previous guests check out
Checking that the next guest has sufficient quantities of toilet paper and cleaning products
Keeping an eye out for damage
Checking for missing items and taking pictures of any damage
Testing various items in the house to be sure they work

Tips For Cleaning Your Vacation Rental

Realize not all cleaners are created equal. Before she hires cleaners for her vacation properties, Cathy Bokman, owner of Beachcomber Vacation Rental Cottages in Colonial Beach, Virginia, asks her trusted staff for input. “They have been cleaning houses for 20 years, so they know each other,” she said. “They know who will show up on time, do a good job, and work efficiently.” Of course, you’ll interview potential hires and check references, but peer input is often invaluable.
Realize even top cleaners aren’t proficient at everything. That’s one reason Bokman will assemble teams that include those who pay close attention to top cleaning (ceiling fans, light fixtures) and lower cleaning (under furniture, baseboards). Play to people’s strengths.
Don’t just rely on checklists. Yes, you’ll want to set cleaning standards and walk through your property with those who will do the work. You’ll also want to spot check work, especially with new cleaning teams. But one mistake some vacation homeowners make is to give cleaning staff checklists. Completed checklists don’t mean everything was finished. They often mean cleaners did the work as they wanted and then just checked everything off by rote.
Keep things fresh. Of course, you’ll air out the home. But long-time vacation property owner David Hillard, founder of Piddlin.com, has developed many tips and tricks for cleaning and making a home smell fresh. He recommends using baking soda to freshen cloth couches, chairs and other upholstered furniture, rugs and even the garbage disposal drain. “When you sprinkle it [on furniture and carpets], allow it to sit for at least 15 minutes and then vacuum it,” he said. “Most people are not bothered by baking soda like they may be by strong perfumed cleaners.” Also – avoid bleach. The smell is industrial and stray splashes may ruin rugs and other items, said Bokman.
Always watch for stray hair. “At the end of a cleaning session, do a final inspection of all surfaces and look for any missed spots or stray hairs,” said Lauren Haynes of Star Domestic Cleaners. “A single stray hair at the wrong place can leave your guests with a bad impression of your rental.” A good way to catch stray hairs is to use a lint roller or double-sided tape. “It just takes minutes to remove pet hair and can even pick up small food crumbs,” added Hillard.
Discard all remaining food items left behind. Some vacationers leave condiments, spices, and other food items as a courtesy to guests. “I’ve found no one wants to use someone else’s ketchup or other foods,” said Bokman. “We clean out the refrigerator and cupboards and leave them fresh for the next guest.”
Attention to Detail Matters In Easy-to-Miss Spots. “You will be surprised how often guests change the position of your furniture, even drawers,” said Haynes. “Make sure to check under the furniture and deep inside all drawers for any leftover food, packaging, or other items.” Other must-clean spots: Cupboard fronts in bathrooms and kitchens, shower screens, sinks, and mirrors. “Dust is always a problem so all-horizontal surfaces should be cleaned between guests,” added Finch-Scally. “This includes indents in ornate doors, which quickly show a ridge of dust. Make sure the rear of the door is cleaned at the same time as the front.”
Prepare for trash disposal. If your trash is collected once a week – say on a Thursday – make sure you can dispose of trash at other times, too. That way if a guest checks out on a Friday, their trash won’t be on your property until the following Thursday. Bokman has arranged for the property’s handyman to dispose of trash on off days.

MAKE CLEANING GO BY UNNOTICED

Your objective is to make the guest neither notice nor think about the cleaning of your vacation rental. You don’t want your guests to be unable to enjoy the impressive views or the stylish paintings you’ve chosen just because the carpets smell stale. Don’t let them leave with a bad impression just because of that stain on the floor, or the fact you didn’t de-grease the coffee pot.

Recent studies have concluded that cleaning (or indeed, a lack of cleanliness) are one of the principal reasons that lead guests to complain. In fact, they wouldn’t hesitate to leave a bad review about your property on the internet if there are problems regarding cleanliness.

So what can you do in the case that you (or your cleaners) have left something dirty? If your guests notify you of any issue regarding cleaning or maintenance, act as quickly as possible to resolve it. If the guests don’t tell you until they leave and you receive a negative review, breathe deeply and respond as calmly and best you can.

5 Things Good Guests Always Do

Arrive and leave on time.

Unlike a hotel, your vacation rental doesn’t have a 24-hour concierge — just a host who’s probably organizing their day around your check-in schedule. Be mindful of the listing’s check-in and check-out times, and send your host a message if you’re running late. If the place is booked after you leave, they’ll need a few hours to clean before their next guests arrive.

Strip the bed and group dirty linens together.

It’s a nice gesture to strip the bed before you go, and pile your dirty sheets and towels by the washing machine. However, it’s not necessary to make the bed or fold any linens, since your host will throw them all in the wash anyway.

Load and run the dishwasher before you go.

Respect your host and their time by washing any dishes you’ve dirtied. It’s also a good idea to wipe down counters and leave the kitchen as you found it.

Empty the fridge and take out the trash.

Don’t leave any of your own stuff in the fridge, unless it’s a thank-you gift like a bottle of wine (in which case, leave a note letting them know it’s in there). It’s also common courtesy to dump all of the trash into one garbage bag and, if possible, take it out when you leave. Different hosts have different rules about trash, and you can always check their guidelines or ask for details if you’re not sure what to do.

Write a note to say thanks or leave a review.

It’s a big deal to share your home with someone, so it’s nice to let your host know you appreciated their hospitality. A handwritten note is great, but it’s possibly even better to leave a positive review to help boost their business. And unless you have serious reasons for posting a negative review publicly (like a no-show host or a dangerous environment), use Airbnb’s private messenger to inform your host of any minor details about the stay that bothered you (like a burner on the stove that wouldn’t light).

Choose The Right Bookkeeping

Ways to Take the Pain out of Your Bookkeeping

Understand the purpose.

One thing that has helped a lot of our clients is understanding why they’re doing their books in the first place. To be able to file their taxes? To provide records to a bank for a loan? To give something to their annoying CPA to get them off their backs?

Sure, all of those things are real reasons. But they are far from the primary purpose that bookkeeping serves.

Review the reports.

This dovetails with the previous point, but at our firm, we are often amazed at how often a client tells us their books are completed, only for it to be clear they have not once looked at the reports. And we’re not talking about minor errors, but rather major items, such as “uncategorized expenses” of $200,000 on the profit and loss or a bank account that is supposedly $50,000 in the negative on the balance sheet. The client hates bookkeeping, so they did all of the data entry (as they felt required to do) but then were done with it.

Take small bites.

Admittedly, even with all of my encouragement, people are only going to “enjoy” their bookkeeping just so much. The tendency will still be to put it off for as long as possible. But beyond losing the valuable information from their reports during that period, that sort of procrastination will also drastically decrease the likelihood of the task ever getting done at all.

Utilize software.

Accounting software has come a long way in the past decade. Many services tie directly into bank and credit card accounts – downloading all of the transactions into the accounting program. Not only that, but they learn over time to which expense category each vendor is tied, which further automates the majority of the process.

Hire someone else.

If nothing else works, just hire someone to do it. We often tell our clients, “We don’t care who does it. You can do it, we can do it for you, or you can hire someone else to handle it. If doing it ourselves is simply not working, we may need to delegate the work to someone else. What matters is that it gets done.”

Ways to Make Bookkeeping Easier

Keep Business and Personal Separate

Maintaining your businesses bookkeeping will be challenging enough without mingling your personal income and expenses. You need to keep your business receipts and invoices for five years, and sorting through a big pile trying to remember if that expense four months ago was personal or business is a waste of your valuable time. Establishing separate files, budgeting systems and bank accounts for your business expenses and income makes tracking and reporting much easier.

Choose the Right Bookkeeping Method for You

If your business is small enough, an Excel spreadsheet might meet your accounting needs for a while. But when your business begins to grow, you’ll need a more powerful solution. Accounting software can be a huge help by organizing your invoices, cataloguing receipts and generating the reports you need to make solid financial decisions with the click of a mouse.

And Keep up With It!

Bookkeeping is like any chore: the longer you procrastinate, the longer it takes to catch up. Unfortunately, ignoring that pile of statements and invoices won’t make them go away! Eventually, you’ll be forced to waste a day that you could be spending with friends or family entering numbers and sending late invoice reminders. Bookkeeping doesn’t have to be a daily chore, but don’t wait until the end of each quarter to pull all that data together.

Pick the Right Time

If you’re most productive and creative first thing in the morning, don’t use that time on your bookkeeping tasks. Determine a time of day or week when you can focus, but don’t need optimal brain function to work. That’s when you should catch up on your bookkeeping. Set this as an appointment in your schedule, and keep to it! If you’re finding this difficult, and that you are behind no matter what, it may be time to add a professional bookkeeper to your support team!

Make Sure You Know the Law

For someone starting out in business, the legal aspects of finances can be the most nerve-wracking. The ATO provides tons of resources, but sorting through the guides can be time-consuming and mind-numbing! A few basic rules you must follow are registering for an ABN, registering for GST if your turnover is more than $75,000, and lodging your BAS on time!

Bookkeeping 101: A Beginning Tutorial

Accountant vs. Controller

Where the bookkeeper records and classifies the financial transactions of the company, the accountant takes the next steps and analyzes, reviews, reports, and interprets financial information for the company.

The controller is actually a company’s chief accounting officer. He/she is responsible for setting up and maintaining the company’s accounting system. The controller is responsible for financial and managerial accounting; in other words, responding to the firm’s accounting data in an appropriate and responsible manner. A controller is usually hired as a business gets larger.

Bookkeeping With and Without a Computer Program

This tutorial on bookkeeping teaches you basic bookkeeping without using a computer program. Why do you need to know that since there are so many computer programs out there you can use? Have you ever heard the saying, “Garbage in, garbage out?” You have to understand the basic bookkeeping behind what you enter into the computer program in order to enter in the correct information. A later tutorial will deal with using a computer program to handle bookkeeping for your business organization.

How to Bookkeep

Decide what type of system to use. The most important part of bookkeeping is being consistent. You don’t want to lose receipts, forget to record transactions, or record the same transaction twice, as this could cause a misrepresentation of your business’s financial health. The simplest way to avoid these errors in by establishing a consistent system for both recording transactions in journals and entering them into the ledger.

Use accounting software. The simplest way to ensure that your transactions are recorded reliably is to invest in an accounting program like QuickBooks, FreshBooks, or Expensify. These will take a lot of the guesswork out of recording different types of transactions and present your information clearly. Many of these programs are available for free or on as a free trial for a limited time.

Use a spreadsheet. For a more manual system, try setting up a spreadsheet to record transactions. This can be done either manually, with physical transaction journals, or on the computer with a spreadsheet program. The formatting of these journals is up to you, but it should include the following, at minimum.

Be consistent. For any system you use, be sure to enter your transaction data on a regular basis and in the same way each time. This is to be sure that transactions are not overlooked and that you have the most up to date picture of your business’s financial health. In addition, it is a good idea to establish a regular schedule for transferring information from the journals to the ledger, perhaps on a weekly or monthly basis.

Small Business Bookkeeping Tips

Keep Business And Personal Banking Separate

All new business owners must make it a priority to open a new bank account for their business, preferably an account with online access, to keep business funds separate from personal funds.

Processing transactions for your personal expenses within the bookkeeping of your business is a waste of precious time.

It’s even worse if you are outsourcing and paying a bookkeeper to process your accounts with these personal expenses mixed in…

Recognize Business Vs Personal Expenses

Drawings (Personal Expenses)

A sole trader or proprietor will most likely withdraw funds from the business account for personal use (drawings). This can be done in place of paying themselves a salary (but check with your Accountant first).

A good practice is to transfer one amount on a regular basis, such as once a week, from the business account into the personal account. The personal account is then used to buy the groceries, books, toys etc.

Choose The Right Bookkeeping Software

The type of bookkeeping software you get will depend on what you need out of it.

Many software providers offer different levels, here are some examples:-

Cashbook

Ledger and Cashbook

Ledger, Cashbook and Inventory

Ledger, Cashbook, Inventory and Foreign Currency Transactions

Ledger, Cashbook, Inventory, Foreign Currency Transactions and Point of Sale

Organize Your Business Documentation

Keeping the documentation for all business transactions is a high priority. They are called accounting source documents. Keeping them enables:-

Easy tracking for any future queries that might pop up, and

Proof (to an auditor or tax man) of what occurred.

Keep Track Of Cash Payments

Any cash received should be paid into the business bank account or petty cash before spending it.

It can be tempting to take the cash right away to purchase supplies but this might cause a mess in the bookkeeping system.

For example, the bookkeeper/owner might.

Carpet Flooring More Safe For A Baby

How to Clean Carpet: Cleaning Tips for Long Lasting Carpet

Set the vacuum at the right height

If your vacuum is set too low, you can damage the carpet as well as the vacuum’s roller brush and drive belt. If it’s set too high, you won’t pick up any dirt. To set the vacuum’s ideal height, raise it to its highest setting, turn it on and lower it until you can feel the vacuum trying to tug itself forward as you begin a how to clean carpet project.

Dirt is like thousands of little blades that cut carpet fibers. When you walk across a dirty carpet, you grind sharp dirt particles against the yarn, making tiny nicks in the fibers. All that fuzz mixed in with the dirt in your vacuum cleaner bags is your beautiful carpet headed out the door one bag at a time. When dirt scratches the fibers, it dulls the sheen, which is why high-traffic areas appear duller than the rest of the carpet. Over time, grinding dirt wears away the fibers too, which mats them down and makes them stain more easily. Follow these how to clean carpet tips to keep your carpet as dirt-free as possible.

Vacuum often

To protect your carpet, vacuum entrance areas and high-traffic areas twice a week and the rest of the carpeting at least weekly. Oily soils attract oily soils, and frequent vacuuming will reduce soil buildup.

Start with a clean bag or filter

A dirty bag, dirt cup or filter can cut a vacuum’s suction power in half. The main reason bagless vacuums stop working is that the filters aren’t changed often enough. Replace or wash (if possible) the filters on bagless vacuums every three months. Replace vacuum bags when they’re three-quarters full.

Vacuum at the right speed

Vacuum slowly enough to get out as much dirt as possible. Make one quick pass over low-traffic areas and two slow passes over high-traffic areas. Two slow passes removes ground-in dirt more effectively than several fast passes.

Use walk-off mats

Use walk-off mats inside and out to keep dirt off the carpeting. Coarse-textured mats outside your doors remove soil and will make a how to clean carpet project easier. Water-absorbent mats inside prevent wet shoes on the carpeting.

The Seven Benefits of Carpet

Style

Despite hard surfaces, such as hardwood, taking up many pages of interior design magazines over recent years, carpet has a style all its own. From luxurious and elegant to casual and comfy, carpet can give a space an entirely different feel, just by changing the style of carpet. Consider a short-pile, patterned carpet for a formal room or a long frieze for a more casual space.

Comfort

Have you ever noticed that after a period of time spent standing or walking on ceramic tiles or concrete, your body is sore and achy? Hard surfaces are just that: hard. They offer no flexibility underfoot, so they lack the ability to act as shock absorbers for your footsteps. So what does this mean? Basically, it means that as you walk across a hard surface floor, your body gets a bit of a jolt each time you take a step because your body rather than the floor absorbs the force of your impact.

In addition to feeling nice to walk, sit and lay on, carpet provides shock absorption thanks to its flexibility and cushioning. This effect is increased dramatically if there is underpad beneath the carpet. So, not only is carpet more comfortable to the touch, but it is also easier on the body when standing or walking on it over a long period of time.

Warmth

Carpet provides excellent insulation value to a space, much more than hard surface flooring materials. In a study conducted by the Georgia Institute of Technology School of Textile Engineering, results indicated that a thicker carpet provides a higher insulation factor (“R-value”) regardless of the fiber type of the carpet. Also, underpad has its own R-value, and the use of underpad in conjunction with carpet combines the R-value of each material, giving greater overall insulation.

Reducing heat loss means that carpet can help you save on the costs associated with heating a home, such as electricity or natural gas. For regions that experience cold winters, this could amount to big cost savings every year.

Source: The Carpet and Rug Institute.

Health

There has been a long-running debate about whether carpet aggravates or alleviates health problems such as asthma and allergies. For years, people with such respiratory concerns were advised to rip up all of the carpets in their homes and replace it with hard surface flooring. However, numerous studies over recent years have consistently shown that carpet is actually more beneficial than hard surface floors for those with breathing difficulty.

Quiet

Sound carries much further when there is no carpet in the space. You’ve probably, at some point, been in a room that is bare of carpet and noticed that sound tended to bounce off the walls and create an echo in the room. This is because hard surfaces can’t absorb sound the way that soft surfaces – such as carpet – can. Carpet contributes to a much quieter space.

Safety

It goes without saying that hard surfaces can be slippery, and they’re not much fun to land on when slips and falls do happen. Carpet not only provides a soft landing surface – which can be especially helpful in baby’s rooms – it also helps to prevent some falls in the first place, particularly on stairs. Hardwood stairs present a safety concern, especially when there are very young or elderly residents in the home or occupants with mobility issues. Properly selected carpet increases safety by preventing many slips and falls. Carpet for stairs should ideally be in the 50- to 60-ounce range to provide durability without being too thick.

Cost

All products have a range of qualities and price points. Therefore, there is no particular floor covering type that is guaranteed to always be more or less expensive than another. However, in general terms, carpet often costs much less than hard surface floors.

Many hard surface flooring products, such as solid hardwood and vinyl floor, require special preparation before they can be installed. Specific sub-floor requirements must be met, or existing flooring must be coated before installation can occur. Carpet typically eliminates these concerns, as it can be installed over a variety of sub-floors, with far less stringent requirements. This saves a great deal of cost.

Additionally, carpet itself can be less expensive than other materials such as hardwood. So, while of course there are exceptions to every rule, carpet is generally more cost-effective than hard surface flooring

Clean Up Pet Accidents

If your pet has an accident on the carpet, act fast. Urine can damage fibers and even change the color of carpet.

First, soak up the urine with white paper towels. Printed patterns can bleed color into the carpet. Press hard to soak up as much as possible. Then add about a quarter-teaspoon of dishwashing liquid to a cup of lukewarm water. (Don’t use the detergent you use with your dishwasher.)
Next, apply the soapy water. Soak the area thoroughly with paper towels. Then blot the area with dry paper towels and repeat this wet-and- dry process at least once. Follow up with clear water to rinse out the detergent and blot the carpet dry again.
Finally, apply one part white vinegar mixed with two parts water and blot the carpet one last time. Cover the damp area with about 20 layers of paper towels and a heavy stack of books. Change the towels again and again until they no longer absorb moisture.
If your pet has frequent accidents on the carpet, buy a “carpet extractor,” a small handheld vacuum designed to suck liquids out of carpets.

The Best Carpet Color to Hide Dirt – Keep Your Home Looking Clean

Red Colored Carpet

Red is a favorite color among many people. When you see red, your breathing increases, preceded by a rapid heart rate. This shows that red stimulates different feelings and emotions which are depended on the context. For instance, it can trigger love or hunger. Therefore, if you love red, buy a red colored carpet for your dining room. Red would not be the best choice for hiding dirt because it can look dirty quickly.

Orange

Orange is a great color for anyone looking for something that’s energetic, warm and welcoming. And if you have anything in your living room with different shades of orange, don’t be surprised if you get unexpected guests from time to time. While orange can come in various shades, it’s best to avoid using it to hide dirt because the difference in the carpet and dirt’s orange will be noticable.

Gold/Tan

Gold/tan is an energetic color which is closely associated with money. Having a gold/tan carpet in your home symbolizes extravagance. This is going to be the best option to hide dirt, especially if you get a carpet with multiple shades of tan. The tan mixture will help the dirt not be noticable if you skip a day of cleaning. Therefore, it will fit excellently in an entertainment room as a welcoming color or an office room as motivational color.

Green

The green color is associated with different emotions. For instance, yellow-green is associated with sickness and jealousy, darker green with money, and lighter green and true greens with renewal, nature, and health. With that in mind, you can use true greens or lighter greens anywhere you want a refreshing and natural vibe. Again, this isn’t a color that can hide dirt, rather the dirt will make green carpet appear to have more wear-and-tear than it really does.

Blue

Color blue symbolizes sea and sky which represent trust, loyalty, and wisdom. Many people view blue as a soothing color because it slows the metabolism of the body helping people to calm down. This means that if you are the kind of person that gets angry very quickly, use a blue carpet either in your master bedroom, living room or any other place you’d want to feel relaxed. Avoid blue in kitchens and dining rooms because it can reduce your appetite.

Purple

Being a mixture of blue and red, purple is closely associated with wealth, luxury and power. Darker purple signifies sadness while lighter purple enhances nostalgia and romance. Therefore, blue will be perfect in a master bedroom anytime you get in with your spouse, the room will be filled with love. You can as well as have a purple-pink in your office to signify power and wealth.

Black

Black signifies mystery, power, and emptiness. However, it’s a perfect color to put it in high traffic areas such as living room or child’s room because it’s excellent in hiding dirt.

White

White means pure and symbolizes innocence and cleanliness. Generally, a white carpet will not hide dirt and because it can be hard to clean, it will be a great idea to have it in fewer traffic areas or areas away from pets or children such as a master bedroom.

Bottom Line

From the above information, it is evident that choosing the right carpet for your home or office is not a walk in the park. However, it could be easy to make an informed decision based on your home’s interior, the color you love the most and the level of traffic expected in the intended areas. Overall, the best carpet color to hide dirt is going to be carpet colors such as black, tan, and gray.

How to Choose a Carpet to Make Your Small Room Look Bigger

If your room is small, choosing a wrong kind of flooring will make you feel that the walls are closing in on you. There are a number of decorating tricks you can adopt to make the room bigger than it actually is. These visual tricks start with selecting the right kind of carpet.

Carpet patterns

When you are in a small room, the busy patterns in the carpet need sufficient quantities of visual processing. The brain’s consequent visual activity makes the room appear smaller. The good choice of a carpet is to choose one with a clear unobtrusive pattern. An example of these is the tone-on-tone carpeting. Such patterns have subtle shading methods which are not too busy and do not distract from the room’s other features.

You can also select a cut-loop and structured grid pattern. This involves the selective cuts of a few of the loops without changing the color. Texture variation in carpeting has the result of visual interest which enhances the appearance of small spaces.

Enlarging a space

Subdued carpets are ideal for smaller rooms. These kinds of carpets blend seamlessly with the furnishings and the walls so that a feeling of larger space is created. Subdued carpets make an excellent choice for home offices and small dens which receive a large amount of foot traffic. If you have a tiny bedroom, go for a textured and plush carpet. These kinds of carpets are known in the trade as cut and pile and can be laid all over the house. Use identical carpeting to make the space look larger and coordinated too.

Carpeting colors

After you have selected the carpeting style for the concerned room, it is now time to select a color. Choose neutral or light colors for small rooms. Unlike dark colors, light colored carpets do not soak in light, but reflect it. This results in the appearance of bigger space. The carpet selected must match the wall covering or paint. This will make the room appear much bigger. Lighter shades of blue or green make for relaxing colors- making them perfect for bedrooms. When it comes to living rooms, choose neutral tones like sandstone, beige or light gray colors. They will make the space seem larger than it actually is.

Tips To Make A Commercial Painting

How To Estimate Interior Commercial Paint Jobs

A new paint job is usually a top priority when a company needs to upgrade their interior space. Painting is a cost-effective way to transform the look and feel of a commercial space without investing a large amount of money in a decor overhaul. However, it’s important to shop around for quality paint services. Here’s how to estimate interior commercial paint jobs to help save overall while still getting a quality finished product.

Pricing a paint job can be tricky because you need to keep business owners happy, but you also need to ensure that you’re covering expenses incurred and you’re making enough profit to keep your business in good standing.

Pricing an Interior Commercial Paint Job

There are two methods of pricing commercial paint jobs: guesstimating and measuring. We’ll look at each of these methods and what factors are involved.

In general, your pricing will always need to take the following 4 elements into account:

Labor
Materials
Overheads
Profit

Methods of Pricing – Guesstimating

Guesstimation is a good method for pricing small commercial painting projects. But medium to large size projects should always be measured to give you a more accurate estimate.

How Do You Use Guesstimating?

You use your experience and knowledge to estimate how many days it’s going to take to complete the project and what materials are required.

Here’s the 4 step process for how to estimate interior commercial painting by guesstimate.

Calculate the number of days

With an existing building, you can visit the site to evaluate the work involved. You can do the same with a new build, as well. If not, the only way is to look at contract drawings.

Multiply this by your daily painter charge

Second, the daily painter charge is usually made up of three elements:

Primary labor costs – how much you charge per hour
Company overhead and profit margin – add 30 – 35% to cover your company’s indirect overheads and profit. (Use the lower percentage rate if you want to keep your price competitive and secure the project)
Project direct overheads – these vary from project to project and cover things like gas, parking, tools, etc.

Calculate your paint costs – you can either:

Add a percentage onto the ‘number of days’ x ‘daily painter charge’ value – 15% for cheaper materials or 30-50% for high spec materials, OR
Estimate the amount of paint you’ll need and multiply by the purchase cost.

This will give you the total price.

Fourth, as mentioned, guesstimating is fine for small commercial projects, but not advised for medium-to-large size commercial painting contracts, complex projects or projects with non-standard specifications.

Be aware that the bigger the project the more complex. Complex projects might also have things like non-standard wall heights, or the business may want to use expensive paints.

If you guesstimate you could be seriously off in your calculations, either far too high or far too low.

Methods of Pricing – Measuring

Measuring is the only method you should use for pricing medium to large commercial painting projects. You can calculate the amount of paint needed and the cost of labor once you know the size of the area.

Here’s the 5 step process for how to estimate interior commercial painting by measuring.

Step 1 – Calculate the size of the area

Multiply the height by the length of each wall. Then, add the figures together to get the total square footage. From this, subtract the total square footage of windows and doors to get the total square footage to be painted.

Step 2 – Determine the amount of paint required

In general, one gallon of paint covers about 400 square feet of smooth surface and 300 square feet of a textured surface. Divide the total square footage by either 400 or 300 to get the total number of gallons of paint required. If two coats of paint are needed you’ll need to double the amount of paint required.

Step 3 – Calculate the total cost for materials

Premium-quality paint typically costs between around $35 – $50 per gallon. While you will save money by using cheaper paint, it won’t have the finish or durability of a premium-quality paint. Multiply the total gallons of paint by the cost per gallon to get the total price for the paint.

You may also want to add on the cost of brushes, rollers, paint trays, and drop cloths to your quote to get the total cost for materials.

Step 4 – Calculate labor cost

Determine how many hours a painter will need for the job to calculate the labor costs. In general, a painter covers approximately 150 – 200 square feet an hour. You should include prep tasks such as:

Washing
Scraping
Caulking
Treating problem areas, and
Applying primer.

You should also need to factor in extra hours for things like:

The intricacy of trim details
Repairs to walls
Smoothing textured walls
Safety tasks

Multiply the number of hours for the job by the hourly painter rate (the hourly painter rate includes primary labor, overheads, direct expenses, and profit margin, etc.) to get the total amount of labor costs.

Step 5 – Calculating the final estimate

Add the costs for materials and labor together to get the final estimate for an interior commercial painting project.

Commercial Painting: More than Just Pretty Walls

If you are a commercial property owner, investor, or manager, you tend to have a lot on your plate when it comes to maintenance. Certainly, you want your building or complex to look its best, but at the same time, it is essential to keep in mind the bottom line. Functionality and productivity are just as important as appearance, sometimes more so. In addition, any refurbishing needs to be done with minimal disruption to your business or tenants.

A good commercial painting contractor will help you achieve your goals. Beyond a fresh new appearance and an appealing color scheme, experienced commercial painters can provide a whole range of related services, together with the smallest possible amount of down time and inconvenience. Find out more.

Image

Whether you aim to convey a particular image or establish a distinctive brand, you want your office, mall, plant, school, religious institution, or other commercial property to look welcoming to visitors. With a neat, attractive physical appearance, you will create a good first impression and foster a sense of confidence. A painting firm which is experienced in commercial work will be qualified to give advice on current color trends in your field (for instance, the hotel industry) and how to use color to create an appropriate mood — soothing blue for a spa, energetic yellow in a factory, or lively red in a restaurant are a few examples. They’ll use digital color imaging to give you a clear idea of how different hues would look in your setting.

Type of Paint

Find a contractor who uses high quality paint, for a good-looking, hardwearing job. Well chosen and applied, commercial paint ought to be able to stand up to five years of heavy use. Your painter should be equipped to advise you about important topics like the best products for various surfaces (including wood, drywall, concrete, metals, and others), wall and floor solutions for high-traffic areas, and exterior sealants that will increase resistance to severe weather conditions like heavy storms or harsh sunlight. For interiors, low-odor paint will allow redecoration to take place with minimal disturbance to employees and clients, while anti-mold paint and products with low or, even better, no VOCs will safeguard their health.

Preparation

A good commercial paint job begins with proper preparation. Look for a professional painting contractor who will perform a thorough cleanup of the surfaces to be treated, including pressure washing of the exterior, and take care of existing problems such as chipping or peeling paint, water damage, mold, graffiti, rust, damage to the substrate, or concrete spalling. Inside the building, other types of repair may be necessary — repair or replacement of drywall; patching of nail holes, cracks, dents, and gouges; and retexturing of acoustical ceilings.

Customer Service

Discuss with commercial painters how they will proceed with their work while causing the least interruption to normal business or inconvenience to your clients and employees. An especially service-oriented contractor may offer you flexible scheduling — that is, working during your off-hours or slow season so that your business can continue to function relatively normally. Consider, also, the safety measures they plan to put in place to protect occupants of the building as well as its equipment and furnishings.

Quality Control

Competitive pricing is important in terms of keeping your project within budget. Beyond the dollar cost of commercial painting, look for detailed written specifications regarding materials, colors, and projected time frame. Reliable contractors will perform regular inspections during the course of the work and upon completion, issuing detailed progress reports which you can present to your colleagues or investors. In addition, they will guarantee both materials and labor in writing.

TOP 5 THINGS TO CONSIDER BEFORE HIRING A COMMERCIAL PAINTING COMPANY

Commercial painting is so much more than just adding a little color to the walls, it’s a statement about how well you take care of your business or organization and your clients or patrons. Hiring the right team of professionals as your commercial painting company is the only way you’ll get a satisfactory paint job that lasts and best portrays how you feel about your business on its exterior. However, the process of finding the right team can be more complicated than it seems. Here are a few things to consider before you make your final decision.

QUALITY COMMERCIAL PAINTING SERVICES

No matter what you need commercial painting services for, there’s no use getting it done if it’s not done right. You’re looking for a company who has consistently shown they can deliver on their promises, and who has the reviews and the reputation to back up their claims. Each industrial space comes with its own set of complications and obstacles, and workers are often forced to make a lot of snap decisions when they’re on the job.

Look for a team that has experience with a variety of commercial spaces, especially if you’re requesting an unconventional project. For example, if you need a huge warehouse painted with high ceilings and plenty of electrical wiring, you’ll need a team who has both the tools and skills to get it all done in record time. A quality paint job is one that won’t need to be redone just a few years later.

RESOURCES OF THE COMMERCIAL PAINTING CONTRACTORS

You don’t have an unlimited amount of time or money to put into painting a commercial space. The right commercial painting contractors will be constantly evaluating your resources to see where they can eliminate waste. There are plenty of contractors out there who are willing to low-ball the price, but who will also cut corners when it comes to their work. They may use old-fashioned technology that pushes your timeline back by days or even weeks, or they may even recommend costly and unnecessary renovations for your space.

The best way to approach finding commercial painting services is to find a company that values their assets as much as you value yours. They should be willing to answer your questions at every stage of the way so there’s no confusion about what’s being done and why. They should be looking at your budget and your long-term goals to see if there are any improvements they can make without sacrificing your limited resources.

COMMERCIAL PAINTING JOBSITE SAFETY

Regardless of a contractor’s experience and skills, accidents can and will happen. However, you still need to look for a contractor that puts a heavy emphasis on safety. All employees should be familiar with OSHA standards and should know what to do in small, high, or dangerous spaces. Workers should understand how to work with lead and how to prevent falls. They should know and be able to follow all compliance rules for emergencies.

The wrong painters can severely increase your liability. While it’s up to the workers to maintain their own safety, an unprofessional company may try to blame accidents or injuries on the owner of the space. One good way to get a sense of a company’s commitment to detail is to ask them for a safety plan based on your particular site and project. This way, you’ll be able to tell just how much forethought and planning goes into each decision.

ENVIRONMENTALLY AWARE COMMERCIAL PAINTING COMPANY

The wrong materials on a project are not only unhealthy for workers, they can also be downright dangerous to the environment. Some painters have been known to cut corners, buying materials that are cheaper in the short-term but irresponsible in the long-term. Green buildings are not only smart for the future of the planet, they’re also excellent for decreasing danger in a space.

Paints that use volatile organic chemicals have been known to affect the air quality of a commercial space, which can make the area unwelcoming to workers and clients or customers alike. The EPA has said that these chemicals may even increase your likelihood of getting cancer. Years after the paint has dried, these chemicals may still be active in the air. A commercial painting company should be doing everything possible to promote safety for everyone.

REPUTATION OF THE COMMERCIAL PAINTING COMPANY

Theft, damage, and shoddy workmanship are just a few things that you have to worry about when it comes to commercial painting services. While you don’t need a company who’s all brag and no substance, there are plenty of ways that you can find out how a company has handled themselves in the face of adversity. From independent review sites to local news articles to trade publications, check into as many sources as possible to get an accurate representation of what it will be like to work with the company.

Choose a company who’s willing to discuss their successes as well as their failures with you. No company is immune from making a mistake, but not all companies are secure enough in their work to step up to the plate about it. When you’re doing your research, don’t be afraid to ask the tough questions. if you can’t get a direct answer, it’s probably a sign to look elsewhere.

How to Maintain Your Commercial Interior Painting Project

Have it Done Right

One of the easiest ways to ensure that your paint maintenance is hassle-free is to make sure it is done correctly in the first place. When your commercial building is being painted, make sure you work with a reputable painting contractor. They will ensure your space is prepped, primed, and painted properly, and they will use high-quality paints that are made to be long-lasting.

Pick the Right Type of Paint

A painting contractor will also help you decide which paints you want for your specific commercial building. If you are in a warehouse, you likely don’t want a flat paint that is hard to clean. In an office, you don’t want to use a super-high gloss paint created for heavily used commercial spaces. Choosing the right type of paint for the purpose of your building, coupled with using an excellent brand will make maintaining your building’ interior walls easier.

Dust your Walls

Allowing dust to accumulate on your walls can cause the paint to fade or peel faster. Dusting your walls regularly keeps buildup from happening, which will help extend the lifespan of your building’s paint. Using a microfiber cloth or a vacuum with a soft brush attachment is an easy way to remove dust or light dirt from your walls.

Clean your Walls with a Cleaning Solution

Cleaning your walls is another important part of paint maintenance. Make sure you test your cleaning solutions on a small spot of your wall first so that you do not damage your paint. Once you are sure that the cleaning product won’t strip the paint away, use a soft sponge to clean your entire wall space. You may want to repeat this process a couple of times in especially high-traffic areas, such as office hallways or bathrooms.

Clean your Interior or Exterior by Pressure Washing or Air Blasting

Many professional painters offer a kind of cleaning service for your painted and stained surfaces, known as pressure washing, power washing, and most recently soft washing. While it’s not practical to pressure wash the interior of your office building (too many computers, papers, and wood surfaces), we can power wash the interior of your factory or warehouse. We can also power wash the exterior of almost any building, floor surface that is not carpet, and stained spaces, such as decking.

What is Commercial Painting?

Learning commercial painting and why it is important can help you choose the right painting contractors. It is different than residential painting because commercial is a business to business painting solution.

We have been painting for businesses for a very long time. Our services stretch Nationwide and we have amazing customer reviews.

First of all, commercial painting is for businesses. A business usually owns a commercial property, and commercial painters like us would be the right choice because that’s what we specialize in.

Second, many commercial spaces are tricky to paint. This makes it very important to have seasoned pros that know how to maneuver around to make every little spot look super professional.

Circuit Breakers Very Useful For Your Home Electronical

How Circuit Breakers Work

Circuit Breaker: At Work in Your Home

The power distribution grid delivers electricity from a power plant to your house. Inside your house, the electric charge moves in a large circuit, which is composed of many smaller circuits. One end of the circuit, the hot wire, leads to the power plant. The other end, called the neutral wire, leads to ground. Because the hot wire connects to a high energy source, and the neutral wire connects to an electrically neutral source (the earth), there is a voltage across the circuit — charge moves whenever the circuit is closed. The current is said to be alternating current, because it rapidly changes direction. (See How Power Distribution Grids Work for more information.)

The power distribution grid delivers electricity at a consistent voltage (120 and 240 volts in the United States), but resistance (and therefore current) varies in a house. All of the different light bulbs and electrical appliances offer a certain amount of resistance, also described as the load. This resistance is what makes the appliance work. A light bulb, for example, has a filament inside that is very resistant to flowing charge. The charge has to work hard to move along, which heats up the filament, causing it to glow.

In building wiring, the hot wire and the neutral wire never touch directly. The charge running through the circuit always passes through an appliance, which acts as a resistor. In this way, the electrical resistance in appliances limits how much charge can flow through a circuit (with a constant voltage and a constant resistance, the current must also be constant). Appliances are designed to keep current at a relatively low level for safety purposes. Too much charge flowing through a circuit at a particular time would heat the appliance’s wires and the building’s wiring to unsafe levels, possibly causing a fire.

This keeps the electrical system running smoothly most of the time. But occasionally, something will connect the hot wire directly to the neutral wire or something else leading to ground. For example, a fan motor might overheat and melt, fusing the hot and neutral wires together. Or someone might drive a nail into the wall, accidentally puncturing one of the power lines. When the hot wire is connected directly to ground, there is minimal resistance in the circuit, so the voltage pushes a huge amount of charge through the wire. If this continues, the wires can overheat and start a fire.

The circuit breaker’s job is to cut off the circuit whenever the current jumps above a safe level. In the following sections, we’ll find out how it does this.

Maintenance and Testing

Circuit Breaker Maintenance and RepairWhen selecting a circuit breaker the user must decide to either buy a unit that is UL Tested (Underwriters Laboratories) or not. For overall quality assurance it is recommended that customer purchase circuit breakers that have been UL Tested. Be aware that non UL Tested products do not guarantee correct calibration of the breaker. All low voltage molded case circuit breakers which are UL listed are tested in accordance with UL Standard 489 which is divided up into two categories: factory testing and field testing.

UL Factory Testing: All UL standard molded case circuit breakers undergo extensive product and calibration testing based upon UL Standard 489. UL certified breakers contain factory sealed calibrated systems. The unbroken seal guarantees that the breaker is correctly calibrated and has not been subject to tampering, alteration and that the product will perform accordingly to UL specifications. If the seal is broken the UL guarantee is void as well as any warranties.
Field Testing: It is quite normal for data obtained in the field to vary from published information. Many users become confused to whether field data is flawed or published information is out of sync with their particular model. The difference in data is that test conditions in the factory vary considerably than in the field. Factory tests are designed to produce consistent results. Temperature, altitude, a climate controlled environment and using test equipment designed specifically for the product being tested all effect the outcome. NEMA publication AB4-1996 is an outstanding guide to infield testing. The guide gives the user a better variant of what are normal results for infield testing. Some breakers come with their own testing instructions. Where no instructions are present use a reliable circuit breaker service company.
Maintenance: For the most part, molded case breakers have an exceptional track record of reliability mostly due to the fact that the units are enclosed. The enclosure minimizes exposure to dirt, moisture, mold, dust, other containments and tampering. Part of proper maintenance is making sure that all terminal connections and trip units be tightened to the proper torque value as set by the manufacturer. Overtime these connections will loosen and need to be retightened. Breakers also need to be cleaned regularly. Improperly cleaned conductors, the wrong conductors used for the terminal and loose terminations are all conditions that can cause excessive heating and weakening of the breaker. Breakers that are manually operated require only that their contacts are clean and that the linkages operate freely. For circuit breakers that are not used on a regular basis an intermittent startup of the breaker is required to refresh the systems.

As always, it is best to consult a certified electrician to determine exactly what type of circuit breaker is right for your generator application. The factors influencing the safe and proper operation of a power generator and a circuit breaker vary from site-to-site and only a licensed professional can specify the right equipment.

Types of Electric Circuit

There are following 5 main types of electric circuit:

Close Circuit

When load works on its own in a circuit then it is called Close Circuit or Closed Circuit. Under this situation, the value of current flow depends on load.

Open Circuit

When there is a faulty electrical wire or electronic component in a circuit or the switch is OFF, then it is called Open Circuit. In the below diagram you can see that the Bulb is Not glowing because either the switch is OFF or there is fault is the electrical wire.

Short Circuit

When both points (+ & –) of voltage source in a circuit gets joint with each other for some reason then it is called Short Circuit. Maximum current starts to flow under this situation. Short circuit generally happens when the conducting electrical wires get joint of even because of shorting in the load.

Series Circuit

When 2 or more loads (Bulb, CFL, LED, Fan etc) are connected to each other in a series, then it is called a Series Circuit. In a series circuit, if one load or bulb gets fuse, then rest of the bulbs will not get power supply and will not glow. Look at the example below.

Parallel Circuit

When 2 or more loads (Bulb, CFL, LED, Fan etc) are connected to each other in parallel, then it is called Parallel Circuit. In this type of circuit, the voltage capacity of all loads must be equal to input supply. Power of “load” can be different. In a parallel circuit, if one load or bulb gets fuse, then rest of the bulbs will still get power supply and will glow. Look at the example below.

How to Turn on a Circuit Breaker

At one time or another, you’ve had to turn on a circuit breaker. It’s also likely you’ve had to turn one off to replace a switch or outlet, or possibly to put up a new light or ceiling fan. Circuit breakers vary from brand to brand but have the same amperage ratings. In any case, turning a circuit breaker on is so easy, as the Geico commercial touts, that a caveman could do it.

Circuit Breakers and Electrical Safety

Electrical safety always begins with turning a circuit breaker off before performing any electrical work on a circuit or device connected to it. You may say it ends when the project is completed and the circuit breaker is once again re-energized by turning the circuit breaker back on.

You can usually see right away if there is a problem by going to the electrical panel and checking for a tripped circuit breaker. Simply open the electrical panel door and search the breakers one by one from top to bottom in both rows of breakers, until you find the troubled circuit. Once located, tape it off so that no one else tries turning on the circuit while you’re working on it. It’s just another safety move that works.

Using a Circuit Breaker

Circuit breakers are no more than a specialized single-pole switch, the difference being it has three states it can be in: off, on, or tripped (a sort of neutral position). Unlike a switch that is either on or off, the breakers tripped position is a state that allows the homeowner to see that a circuit error has occurred.

To turn on a circuit breaker, simply locate the circuit breaker panel in your home or office. On the face of the panel, you’ll see a door. Open that door and there will be many black circuit breakers with switch handles. These breakers will look wider than taller and most of them are black in color. The switches will be stacked in two rows from top to bottom. On each breaker should be a small window that will show red if the circuit breaker trips. The window is clear when all is well but it will show red when the breaker has tripped.

The breaker switch handles are in the on position when the handles are towards the center of the breaker panel. If they are positioned toward the outside of the panel, they are in the off position. The tripped state will be somewhere in the middle with the window showing red. To reset this state, you’ll need to switch off the breaker before turning it back on.

Be sure to find out what caused the tripped state before resetting the breaker. After fixing the problem, you are ready to check the circuit out by resetting the breaker. If the fault clears, you have indeed corrected the problem. If not, you’ll have to find out where the problem is and continue the steps.

Turning them on is no big deal, but you may want to practice a time or two just in the event you ever have to either reset a tripped breaker or turn one on. That way, you’ll be familiar with what a circuit breaker does and how they function as a disconnect switch.

HOW MANY TIMES SHOULD I RESET A TRIPPED CIRCUIT BREAKER?

Well, the answer is, it depends. In general, the answer is you should NOT reset a circuit breaker, unless you know the cause and that cause does not pose a hazard. Circuit breakers are there to protect you, your family, and your home. If a circuit breaker trips, it means there is more current flowing through that circuit breaker than its trip current. So, you must be able to absolutely determine what is causing the excess current through a circuit breaker.

For example, if a 15 Amp circuit breaker trips, it means you have more than 15 Amps of current flowing through that breaker. Now, if you happened to plug in several appliances to that circuit AND you know the draw of the total of those appliances is greater then 15 Amps, then, and only then should you reduce the load on that circuit (unplug things), reset the breaker – only once.

However, most trips of a circuit breaker cannot be isolated that easily. Wiring, like everything else, ages. The insulations’ ability to resist the voltage becomes less and less. Finally, the insulation breaks down and presto – an electrical short. Electrical shorts allow lots of electrons to pass very quickly through the degraded insulation. It’s very much like a pipe that leaks – eventually it can flood your home. Only, in this case, the shorted wire(s) heat up and can burn down your home.

The circuit breaker is your safety valve. But, there’s another inherent and more insidious danger. Circuit breakers, like the wiring in your home, age. In the case of aged circuit breakers, it’s not so much that they trip prematurely, but that they do not trip at all.

Old wires and old circuit breakers are a recipe for catastrophic failure and a fire. In our hot desert environment, circuit breakers have a useful life of approximately 25 years. After that, they must be replaced. Replacing circuit breakers is known as an “Electrical Panel Rejuvenation.”

The moral of all of this, if you are not absolutely sure you’ve unintentionally overloaded a circuit and corrected the overload, DO NOT reset that circuit breaker. Call Eavenson Electric for a safety assessment. We will assure your breakers are functioning properly. If there is a problem, we can correct any faulty wiring or failed circuit breakers.

Kill Silverfish With Pest Control

THE BASICS OF SILVERFISH

It’s too bad silverfish (Lepisma saccharina) are so creepy, because these insects are actually quite interesting. In fact, they are among the oldest species of insects—evidence suggests that their relatives been around for over 400 million years, which makes them older than the dinosaurs. Imagine that you and T-Rex could possibly be creeped out by the same things! Silverfish can also can also live between two and six years, which is relatively long in the insect world.

Despite their long history on this planet, silverfish never developed wings. However, they possess incredible speed, and they can outrun most of their natural predators, including earwigs, house centipedes and spiders. Being nocturnal, it’s not unusual to find these guys during a late-night trip to the bathroom, scurrying around in the sink, bathtub, or any reliable source of water.

Silverfish are small (often measuring between .5 – 1 inch in length), and have flexible, grayish scales covering their bodies that protect them from predators. The scales, paired with the wiggling motion of their bodies when they run, are the reason they’re called silverfish. Their body shape also enables them to snuggle into book bindings (one of their favorite foods). Silverfish also recognizable by the three, threadlike tails sticking out of its abdomen—a shape resembling a pitchfork.

Silverfish prefer food that consists of complex sugars (polysaccharides) and starches. Some examples of these include paper, clothing, plaster, sugar, photos and bookbindings (these guys love bookbindings—if there was a contest for “Most Literate Bug” these guys would probably beat out the notorious bookworm). They will also feast on cotton, dead insects and other textiles. When food is scarce, silverfish have been known to munch on leather, but they can live up to a year without food if water is available.

Although silverfish do not cause harm to humans or transmit diseases, the damage they cause to clothes, books and other household items can be quite costly. For this reason, they are considered pests.

Where do Silverfish Come from?

Silverfish are most active at night in empty areas. They’re attracted to starch and sugar, which means that they gravitate toward materials containing these substances, including the silverfish favorite: books and newspapers. Book bindings, which contain starchy glue, are a common place to find silverfish — especially those of books that have not been used for a long while. Where else do silverfish like to hang out?

Dark and damp areas (think undersink cabinets, for example)

Cracks in walls

Fungal molds, often found in old pipes or in older bathrooms

Cellulose-containing products, such as shampoos and shaving foams, which is part of the reason why silverfish are commonly spotted in bathrooms

Cedar shake roofs, because chances of mold are higher in homes with this roof type

Fabrics. Check your curtains periodically, as the pests could be making tiny holes

How Serious Are Silverfish Problems?

May Cause Allergies

Silverfish often present a mild risk to people and property. They do not transmit disease, but the pests may trigger allergies in some people.

May Attract Other Pests

Their presence sometimes attracts carpet beetles and causes unease due to their strange appearance.

May Cause Damage to Personal Items

While indoors, silverfish also eat grains and chew large holes into clothing, upholstery, or paper. In large numbers, they can cause a lot of damage. Ruined items often include stored files, books, and vintage clothes.

5 Ways to Get Rid of Silverfish

Of all the insect infestations you can be cursed with, silverfish might just be the most skin-crawling — right after cockroaches, of course. Silverfish are mostly a (super-creepy) nuisance pest, but they can destroy books, wallpaper, and clothes with their excrement, according to the experts at Penn State’s Department of Entomology Cooperative Extension program. If you find silverfish in your home, you definitely want them gone fast, but pesticides aren’t the only way to go.

Follow these steps for an effective pest-control plan.

Seal Up Food

You don’t want to pour out a bowl of your favorite cereal just to find it’s swimming with these squirming insects. Penn State recommends sealing dry goods like cereal, pasta, rice, quinoa, flour, sugar, and pet food in sturdy, airtight containers to prevent silverfish from reaching these tempting food sources.

Reduce Humidity

Silverfish thrive in moist, humid environments, says James Norton of Fantastic Pest Control in London. Take away their favorite conditions by using a dehumidifier in damp basements, sealing up leaky pipes, and making sure the bathroom is well ventilated. You should also keep the weather out by sealing up exterior cracks with caulk and making sure gutters and downspouts are clear so water can run down and away, according to Penn State.

Clear Clutter

Silverfish also love hiding in — and feasting upon — old papers, magazines, and books, so if you tend to save every piece of paper that crosses your desk, you might need to do some clearing out. Get rid of the stuff you haven’t looked at in forever, and store items you can’t bear to part with in airtight bins, especially if the papers are kept in the basement or attic.

Sprinkle Diatomaceous Earth

Diatomaceous Earth, or DE, is a white crumbly powder consisting of the fossilized remains of diatoms, a class of algae. When silverfish come in contact with DE, it destroyers their outer waxy coating, causing them to lose moisture and die. You can sprinkle it around the baseboards in your home, and other places you’ve seen silverfish.

Norton recommends applying it in the evening, since silverfish are nocturnal, and for several nights in a row in order for it to work. Purchase DE on Amazon or at a local home improvement store.

Try Some Traps

To speed up these management strategies, add a few traps into the mix. You can buy small packets (like these) designed to trap and poison silverfish with boric acid.

Hide them in places where you’re likely to encounter the creepy crawlies, like bookshelves, dresser and desk drawers, under the sink, and in the basement and attic. Note that boric acid can be toxic if swallowed, so keep the traps where kids and pets can’t get to them and away from where you store food.

New tools needed

With the short reproduction time of these insects, and their genetic ability to evolve resistance to poisons, the scientists are urging less reliance on chemicals as a means of control.

“We need to emphasis that we need to use different tools – we can’t depend totally on chemicals we need to incorporate other alternatives,” said Dr Romero.

“The pest control industry are incorporating new tools, heat, vapour, encasement, there are a bunch of these non-chemical methods that definitely help.”

The scientists recognise and even admire the evolutionary ability of these creatures to rapidly overcome humanity’s attempts to control them.

Dr Romero says the latest research indicates that the bugs are unlikely to be effectively controlled by chemical means in the near future.

“It’s a very complex problem and we are going to have bed bugs for many years because of this problem with insecticides and then there is a social context that makes eradication and control very difficult.”

Understanding the Process of Mold Assessment and Remediation

Molds are fuzzy fungi; they are fuzzy because they are made of root like structures called hyphae. Most mold hyphae grow on and inside of decaying plant materials or wall boards and release millions of tiny spores that float passively through the air like tiny wind blown seeds.

Molds possess the potential to instigate health problems. Molds generate allergens and irritants. Touching or inhaling mold spores cause allergic symptoms in sensitive people. Allergic symptoms include sneezing, red eyes, skin rash, sore throat, sinus congestion, breathing difficulties, skin and eye irritation, higher risk of sinus infection and colds, and rarely upper respiratory infection. The mold effects vary extensively from one individual to another.

Mold assessment in Charleston, SC is the process used in locating the presence of molds and the extent of the infestation in a certain area and structure. Conducting a mold assessment prior to your plan to eliminate molds can provide you better solutions on how to solve the problem. This is the first step in identifying the cause of the infestation but the process can be difficult if lack of skill and learning. Molds can’t be seen easily and sometimes their presence can only be recognized due to their musty smell. These hidden molds are most likely hiding in concealed areas like underside of carpets, wallpapers, rear side of dry walls, and any other hidden surfaces that have constant moisture are sure to be infested. If you can find out the source of the molds and you know the reasons of their build-up, then it will be easy to eradicate them as well as to prevent them from coming back.

Only a trained professional has the required knowledge of designing mold-sampling protocols, sampling methodologies, and interpretation of findings. S/he can take samples of mold for testing the concentration of spores, and the type of fungi that has affected your home. Apart from these findings, analysis is also done for the type of action required for the particular mold remediation. Apart from the mold samples, air sampling is also done to determine the concentration of spores in the air; measures are taken accordingly.

Molds may seem harmless but in truth, they can cause more than just allergies. You can develop respiratory problems from prolonged inhalation of the molds. They also produce mycotoxins which may lead to neurological problems. With molds in your home, you are at risk of being exposed to too much of these mycotoxins which have also been the cause of death in some cases. Doing mold removal is just one way to prevent such things from happening.