12 tips for safer holiday home decorating

 ACCORDING TO CONSUMERREPORTS.ORG  

The year-end holidays can be a time for beautiful home decorations, but the Consumer Products Safety Commission warns of an increasing number of injuries from consumers stringing up festive lights and other holiday decorating activities.

During November and December 2010, CPSC estimates that more than 13,000 people were treated in emergency departments nationwide due to injuries involving holiday decorations. This is an increase from 10,000 in 2007 and 12,000 in 2008 and in 2009.
Estimates of deaths and injuries related to fires from Christmas trees and lit candles are down, but there are still an alarming number of incidents says the CPSC.
Between 2006 and 2008, there was an annual average of four deaths and $18 million in property damage related to Christmas tree fires. During this same time period, CPSC received reports of about 130 deaths and $360 million in property losses related to candle fires.
The CPSC has UL suggest the following 12 safety tips to help keep your holiday home safe this year:

1. Check for freshness when buying a live Christmas tree. A fresh tree is green, its needles are hard to pull from branches, and don't break when bent between your fingers. The bottom of a fresh tree is sticky with resin and, when tapped on the ground, the tree should not lose many needles.
2. Keep trees away from heat sources. Fireplaces, vents, and radiators can rapidly dry out live trees and increase the risk of flammability. Be sure to keep the tree stand filled with water and monitor water levels daily. Place the tree out of the way of foot traffic, and do not block doorways with the tree.
3. Check for a "Fire Resistant" label when buying an artificial tree. It indicates the fake tree is more resistant to catching fire. But still exercise caution since an artificial tree, like a live evergreen, can still catch fire.
4. Avoid sharp, weighted, or breakable decorations when trimming a tree with children. Keep trimmings with small removable parts or ones that resemble food or candy out of children's reach to avoid choking dangers.
5. Keep burning candles within sight. Extinguish all candles before you go to bed, leave the room, or leave the house.
6. Keep candles on a stable, heat-resistant surface. Chose a place where kids and pets cannot reach or knock over burning candles. Lit candles should also be placed away from flammable items—trees, decorations, curtains and furniture.
7. Use only lights that have been tested by nationally-recognized laboratories, such as UL. Decorative indoor and outdoor lights must meet strict requirements. UL's red holographic label signifies that the light decorations meets safety requirements for indoor and outdoor usage. UL's green holographic label signifies the lights are safe for indoor use only.
8. Check each set of lights for damage. Discard decorative light sets with broken or cracked sockets, frayed or bare wires, or loose connections. Do not use electric lights on a metallic tree.
9. Check each extension cord to make sure it is rated for the intended use. Indoor extension cords should not be used for outside lights.
10. Check outdoor lights for labels showing that the lights have been certified for outdoor use, and only plug them into a ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI)-protected receptacle or a portable GFCI.
11. "Fire salts" should be used with care. The salts, which produce colored flames when thrown into lit fireplaces, contain heavy metals that can cause intense gastrointestinal irritation and vomiting if swallowed. Keep them away from children.
12. Do not burn wrapping papers in the fireplace. A flash fire may result as wrappings ignite suddenly and burn intensely.

For more safety advice, see Consumer Reports guide to safety and product recalls.
Holiday Safety Alert: Consumer Injuries Involving Decorations and Decorating Are on the Rise [US CPSC]
Holiday safety tips [UL]

—Paul Eng

Share with us the precaution you take and if you have you followed any safety tips? If not are you going to start following them?

TIME SAVING LAUNDRY TIPS FROM BRITE TOUCH CLEANING!!!!

• Keep a bath towel in your laundry room to throw in the dryer with something that needs “ironing.” Set your dryer for a 10 minute spin, and you are good to go. (If the wrinkles are bad, lightly spray the item with water or put a damp wash cloth in the dryer with the item).

• Clothes dry faster if you pop a tennis ball or two into the dryer with the wet clothes.

• Have pants that can’t go through the dryer? Hang them upside down. The weight of the top of the pants–which is now at the bottoms........ will pull out all or most of the wrinkles.

• Keep a bag or box in the laundry area for those lone socks that always seem to show up in the wash. At the end of the month you will have the joy of witnessing socks reunited with their mates. 

• Vinegar makes a superb fabric softener. Just pour a cup into the fabric softener section of your washer. Vinegar also makes your towels more absorbant, and actually deoderizes your wash too. (I know that’s counter-intuitive, but it’s true–trust me!)

• Yes, you can keep your dark colored clothes from fading. Before the first wash set your washer to the small load setting and add 2 cups of salt and 2 cups of white vinegar to the water, agitate and then add the clothing item. Run it through the wash cycle and then launder as usual.

Now, it’s your turn. What makes “laundry day” easier for you? Please share your tips and ideas with us?

CLEANING FOR A REASON

We are happy to announce that Brite Touch Cleaning was featured in the Brooklyn Newspaper from the Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz highlighting our partnership with Cleaning For A Reason helping women under going chemo therapy.

CLEANING FOR MEANING

Lewisville, Texas resident Debbie Sardone wanted
to make life a little easier for women undergoing
cancer treatment, so she founded Cleaning for a
Reason, a national nonprofit that arranges up to
four, free professional house cleanings a year. Giving
the gift of a clean house may sound like a small
thing, but women suffering from cancer, who are
often exhausted by the treatment, are truly grateful
for the service.
Cleaning for a Reason relies on 975 partners
across the U.S. and Canada to volunteer their services.
And Brooklyn is doing its part. Denise Bogan
has always wanted to help other women, and by offering
the services of her Coney Island company,
Denton Cleaning, she can. “Being a mother and a
working woman is tough enough,” said Bogan. “Offering
to help women who are facing chemotherapy
or radiation treatment is just the right thing to do.”
Melinda Grant of Brite Touch Cleaning Service in Crown Heights was also quick to
volunteer the services of her company and she eagerly awaits her first appointment. Clean
Green Maid in Greenpoint is another Brooklyn cleaning service that volunteered to
partner with Cleaning for a Reason.
Signing up is easy. Those seeking the service fill out an application on the Cleaning
for a Reason website and submit proof of treatment from a physician. Cleaning for a
Reason then arranges for a cleaning service in your area to contact you.
For more information, visit the Cleaning for a Reason website at
www.cleaningforareason.org.

What do you look for when hiring a cleaning service to clean your home?

 What's more important value or price?

 

 

YOUR HARD WORK WILL BE REWARDED

The path to a dream is paved with sacrifices and lined with determination.

And thought it had many stumbling blocks along the way and may go in more than one direction,

It is travelled by belief and courage and conquered with a williness to face challenges and take chances.

 Barbara Cage

It is a rough road that leads to the height of greatness

Brite Touch Cleaning: There's No Challenge You Can't Face

Brite Touch Cleaning: There's No Challenge You Can't Face: "Challenges makes us stronger They push us to try harder They allow us to be brave they offer us courage They engender hope in us And so..."

There's No Challenge You Can't Face

Challenges makes us stronger
They push us to try harder
They allow us to be brave
they offer us courage
They engender hope in us
And sometimes we go farther
Than we ever dream possible...
just by believing that we can.

;;;;;;By Ashley Rice

There Is No Limit to What You Can Achieve

Deep inside you lies unlimited potential.
There are many ways to tap into your talents,
but first you have to believe in your power to create, to dream, and to take risks.
The possibilities are unlimited
if reach beyond what is comfortable.
Learn to accept change,
for it will help you realize
your inner strength and abilities.
To achieve your full potential,
learn to  love without judgement,
create without inhibitions,
laugh without regrets,
and dream with no limitations.
Create your own destiny,
and success will follow you
and your journey.
                              - Jennifer Marsh

Building More Family Interaction with kids

Get to know your kids much better by engaging in conversations with them.

 

According to Stay-at-Home Parents by Suite101 In the life of a busy family, dinnertime is the perfect time to listen to your children, to find out how their day went, and to delve a little deeper into their thoughts, feelings and imaginations.

It may take more than the same yes or no questions every night, but you can learn more about your family with some conversation starters. At the same time, you’ll be giving your children practice at thinking quickly, forming arguments and expressing their thoughts.
Start with a different family member each night. After your kids get the hang of it, don’t be surprised if they’re volunteering to go first.
Let your children come up with questions of their own. Let them ask each other any question they want. Conversation starters based on movies or books that your children have just seen or read will strike a chord. Soon your family will be looking forward to dinnertime as the most entertaining part of their day.

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What other ways do you know or have tried to bring your family together?

NY becomes 6th US state to legalize gay marriage!!!!!!!!

ALBANY, New York (AP) — After days of contentious negotiations and last-minute reversals by two Republican senators, New York became the sixth and largest state in the U.S. to legalize gay marriage, breathing life into the national gay rights movement that had stalled over a nearly identical bill here two years ago.

What do you think?

HANDLING TIPS

According to the NYC Before buying, using, or discarding potentially harmful products, consider the following.

Before Buying

Look for hazard levels on product labels. Look for signal words — DANGER and POISON indicate high-level hazards, while, WARNING and CAUTION represent lower levels. Pay attention to other messages on the label such as “causes burns on contact,” “vapors harmful,” or “extremely flammable.” These labels are required through the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act for pesticides, the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act for cosmetics, and the Federal Hazardous Substances Act for all other hazardous substances. To go beyond the label, search online for Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) for the specific product.
Don’t buy more than you need. Think about how much you’ll actually need in order to reduce how much you discard or store. It may be better to purchase smaller containers as needed rather than one large container, to avoid both spillage and excess material to dispose.
Consider environmentally preferable products. Many retailers sell alternative products that are organic or made with safer ingredients. There are even third-party or industry certifications such as Green Seal, EPEAT, and others to help you identify these products.

When Using

Follow product instructions. More is not better — you won’t get twice the results by using twice as much. Use products only as directed and only when necessary.
Never mix products or chemicals. This is especially true for ammonia and bleach, which can cause respiratory problems when combined. Store potentially harmful products out of the reach of children and pets. Use child-proof cabinet locks or containers.
Store potentially harmful products out of the reach of children and pets. Use child-proof cabinet locks or containers.

When Discarding

Double-bag before discarding. For the safety of Sanitation workers, please double-bag harmful products before discarding these products in your regular trash.
Recycle empty containers. Unless marked “DANGER — CORROSIVE,” empty glass or plastic bottles and all metal containers can be recycled through NYC’s recycling program.

NYC HARMFUL RESIDENTIAL PRODUCTS

According to the New York City residential guide Commonly used household and automotive products can be harmful to you, your family, city workers, and the environment if improperly stored, used, or discarded.
Household products such as automotive products, cleaners,certain paints, and pesticides can also be dangerous after they are thrown away. If these items are improperly discarded, Sanitation workers can suffer eye, respiratory, and burn injuries. In addition, chemicals from these products can leach into the environment and pollute the water, soil, and air.
However, many household products including alkaline batteries, latex paint, and fluorescent lamps are no longer dangerous (or pose a minimal threat) because they are now manufactured with no or few hazardous chemicals.

CLEAN UP CAMPAIGN FOR THE COMMUNITY

Brite Touch Cleaning is giving back to the community we are looking for ideas to help clean up the community, any ideas or suggestions of a clean up campaign is welcome post your ideas or suggestions.

Gift Certificates

http://www.britetouchcleaning.com

Give someone the gift of house cleaning that's affordable, convenient and reliable on a one time, weekly or bi-weekly basis . Let that special one relax and enjoy more important stuff. Get started at http://www.britetouchcleaning.com above.

Brite Touch Cleaning: Brite Touch Cleaning

Brite Touch Cleaning: Brite Touch Cleaning: "Go on our website http://britetouchcleaning.com to take advantage of our Spring Cleaning Specials and to shop and book,all on our website."

Brite Touch Cleaning

Specializing in Regular and Green Cleaning