Presidential candidate Newt Gingrich recently suggested, in order to save money, school districts should fire their janitors and have the students clean their schools. Unfortunately, when someone makes a comment like this, it usually implies that anyone can clean — even young children — and that cleaning is not all that important. [More]

Typically, a contractor can deduct only a portion of the costs of a new piece of equipment over a period of time. This is referred to as a depreciation allowance. But, with the current tax break, in essence, the contractor is getting a onetime gift from Uncle Sam. [More]

Right now, Uncle Sam has a gift for us. End users who purchase capital equipment for their businesses may be able to take advantage of exceptionally advantageous depreciation and expense deductions that are targeted to expire or decline significantly in 2012. [More]

September 14, 2011, was a big day in the professional cleaning industry. That was when the second round of public comments regarding Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design for Existing Buildings: Operations and Maintenance (LEED-EBOM) began. [More]

Typically, carpet extractors use a lot of water — about a gallon per minute, sometimes more. In fact, some older machines were designed when the belief was more is better — in this case, more water is better. The idea behind this is that the more water used, the more soil could be flushed out of the carpet. [More]

A study released on June 16, 2011, got little or no play in the professional cleaning or carpet cleaning industries; however, I think it is going to have a very big impact on these industries in years to come.

What’s happening, in the most simple of terms, is that our most valuable natural resource — water — is increasingly becoming scarce. This means the cost of water is going to go up significantly, and how we use and manage water is going to become an increasingly bigger issue.

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More of our end customers are coming to us with questions about green floors — specifically, how to clean and maintain them. Apparently, increasing numbers of facilities are installing alternatives to conventional floors and selecting floors made from more sustainable or recycled materials such as bamboo, cork and rubber.

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The battle between canister vacuums, backpacks and uprights — and which is the best type of vacuum — has been raging for years. All three types normally offer tools and options to make cleaning tasks easier.

Today, most provide dual-purpose versatility for carpet or hard floors, and newer models offer superior suction, high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration, enhanced cleaning speed, whisper-quiet operation and are offered at competitive prices. [More]

Many in the professional cleaning industry are unaware that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the California Air Resources Board (CARB) are now requiring the manufacturers of truckmount carpet extractors to modify their systems to meet new lower emissions requirements. [More]

Although most CMM Blog readers are likely to be building service contractors (BSC), that doesn’t mean they don’t need to know some basic carpet care terms.

In most cases, end-customers will turn to their BSC for advice and direction when stains, spots and other soiling appear on their carpets or upholstery. [More]

Summer is coming, which means many people will be taking a couple of weeks off. This also means they will likely be staying in hotels or motels. And, because everyone is a bit concerned about bedbugs nowadays, I thought I would offer a few tips on how to check your hotel/motel room to ensure it is safe from these little parasites. [More]

Many people have curtailed their use of credit cards, believing reducing or eliminating credit card debt is the first step in becoming financially healthy. However, credit cards may be “healthier” to use than we appreciated — mainly because U.S. greenbacks are a lot more soiled than most of us realized. [More]

We are placing considerable importance on sustainability and the protection of natural resources. This is one reason why bio-based, renewable ingredients such as corn and soy, as well as bio-enzymatic cleaners, will make up a far larger share of future green cleaning "chemical" offerings.

It also means that our own business operations will be performed in a more efficient, sustainable manner so that we use natural resources more responsibly and protect the health of our employees. End-users will expect this of us. [More]