The final certificate we hold, is the Construction Line certificate.  We conduct a lot of work within the construction industry, and it is these clients- and potential new customers searching for a contractor- who will benefit from us holding this.

In a simple summary, obtaining the Construction Line certificate allows us to be part of a database, with other contractors, who are pre-qualified to work in the building and construction industry.  It affirms that our staff, supervisors and area managers who are assigned to this department, are fully trained, informed and qualified to conduct their work.

This benefits those in the construction and building industries who are looking for a competent contractor to work on their site.  By accessing this database, which holds over 2000 contractors (a figure which is growing all the time) they can see an immediate overview of contractors in their area, who meet the  legal  requirements in terms of safety.  This enables them to select an organisation that they know will prioritise safety and best practice from the outset.

As a result of being part of the Construction Line database, we have been encouraged to be even more diligent with potential developments in laws and legislations, which may be subject to change in these types of workplace.  To retain our certificate, we are assessed regularly, to make sure that all of our knowledge and training is up-to-date.  An additional benefit of this is for our staff, as we can guarantee that they are safe, and that we are acting in their best interests, at all times.

If you would like to know more about how our Construction Line certificate can benefit your business, please don’t hesitate to contact us.  You can telephone Newlife directly on 0800 018 9099.

As part of this, we hold the ISO certificates in extremely high regard, and currently have ownershop of the ISO 14000: 2004 and the ISO 9001. For this post, I thought it would be beneficial to discuss the ISO 9001:2008 certificate, and how our holding it can benefit our clients, and help to aid company and staff development.

This particular certificate places a strong emphasis on the arrangement and implementation of quality management systems within an organisation. For a company like us, the term ‘quality management’ can encompass a wide range of circumstances and services.

Firstly it places a high importance on delivery; making sure that we are completing our works to a high standard, no matter what the size or complexity of the task.  This is as applicable to the legal and industrial guidelines that are placed upon us, just as much as it is to how satisfied our customers are. We interpret this in a way that means we will never leave a job that is incomplete, or that a client isn’t 100% happy with.

There are a number of ways in which we do this, to help us to adhere to the ISO 9001, and to improve the service you receive from us.  This includes setting up a number of systems and indicators, which allow us to monitor our performance as a company, and gives our staff guidelines to work on.  Every cleaning service, and every individual process, has a very strict format on how it should be undertaken.  This includes specifying the correct chemicals, equipment and techniques that need to be used.  With this, key performance indicators will be specified, that will help us to check that we are doing our job correctly.  The results of these guidelines and checks give us points for development that we can work upon to keep improving our service.

If you would like further details on the ISO 9001: 2008, or any of our other certifications, please don’t hesitate to contact us.  You can telephone us directly on 0800 018 9099.

The article discussed many ways in which the health and well-being of employees can be improved, by the addition of more hygienic measures and practises within the office itself.  This is due, in short, to the number of instances during the working day, especially within an office, when employees can be exposed to germs and bacteria which will make them unwell.

There are a number of items in the office where germs, bacteria and other nasty micro-organisms  can hide, which is especially concerning, with the knowledge that they can survive outside the body for up to two days.  Then, all that’s needed is for the hands to come into contact with them,  then to touch the face and eyes, and the germs easily reach the individual’s system.

Tea cups (for that much sought-after cup of coffee in the morning), pens, and mobile phones are all touched a number of times during the day, often by more than one person at a time.  Pens in particular can be a hotbed for bacteria, as staff can often put them in their mouths as they work, without giving thought to where they had been previously, or who else would use them after.

Another hidden harbourer of nasties is the office keyboard- an essential item in every office in the country.  A study by ‘Which?’ states that there are more germs in an office keyboard, than the average toilet.  This is an eye-opening revelation, especially when a number of members of staff eat their lunch at their desk.

On top of all of that, at this cold time of year, you’re likely to have the heating on high, to make sure staff are warm and toasty while they work.  Unfortunately, the warm office where a lot of people are crammed into one space is the perfect breeding ground for germs.

Finally (and potentially the most worryingly), it has been reported by the Federation of Food and Drink, that one third of grown adults do not wash their hands after going to the toilet.  So using that statistic, up to one third of the workforce could be spreading germs and bacteria that their hands have picked up in the toilet.

So how do we prevent this from happening?

Firstly, as most germs are passed from person to person through the hands, and enter the body through the nose and eyes, so it could be worth drawing employees’ attention to this fact.  Making them aware that touching their eyes and noses  in the workplace could lead to making them ill, could help to prevent them from doing so going forward.

At the same time, it could also be worth identifying the importance of regular hand washing during the working day.  Pointing out the common items which could carry germs may make them more aware that they need to wash their hands more often.  It may also be beneficial to aid them by supplying hand sanitising solutions on their desk, so they can freshen their hands and kill any bacteria on them.

To prevent bacteria from being picked up in the office, stopping staff from eating their lunch at their desks may be something worth considering.  Finding another room in your premises where staff can go to eat will prevent the germs from the office keyboard from touching their fingers, and their food.  Additionally, it will give your staff somewhere to chat and interact in a different environment to the office, helping to build and develop employee relationships too.

To encourage cleanliness and correct hand washing after staff have used to toilet, installing automatic soap dispensers into the office toilets, will be one way to show your employees that you are taking hygiene in the workplace seriously.  Operated by infra-red technology, the user does not need to touch the device, so their hands can be cleaned without spreading bacteria onto the dispenser.  Similarly, investing in a hygienic hand drying system may be worthwhile.  There are a number of hand towel dispensers and automatic hand dryers on the market, that will help your employees to dry their hands and remain germ-free.

Finally, as the winter dies away, keep the central heating on at a minimum and open the windows.  This will help to keep fresh air circulating, so unhealthy microorganisms aren’t spread in the atmosphere.

So if you’re a business owner reading this, investing in office cleanliness is an investment that will pay for itself.  You don’t have to lose any of the business’s valuable funds by handing out sick pay, or suffer a drop in productivity; instead hygienic products and an increased awareness will help to keep staff fit, healthy and in work during winter.

If you would like an office deep clean, we can advise you and provide you with office cleaning services.

So how do you clean a burnt pan?
If you’ve got a non-stick pan, one quick and inexpensive method involves some fast action and a little seasoning.  After serving your dinner, fill your pan with boiling water and add an extremely generous sprinkle of salt.  Ensuring that the water is piping-hot, leave the pan to stand for an hour.  You should then be able to easily scour the burnt food away from the bottom of the pan.

As an alternative method, if you have a stainless steel pan, salt’s perfect accompaniment vinegar can be used to remove ingrained burnt food with ease.  Adding half a cup of vinegar to the pan, alongside some piping-hot water, can provide you with an excellent solution.  Simply simmer the boiling mixture for 10-15 minutes and your stainless steel pan will shine as new.

If the dirt is more heavily encrusted, you can try adding bicarbonate of soda to the pan.  The best method to do this is to put the pan onto the hob and add boiling water.  Stir in soda crystals, and set the pan to boil again, before removing from the heat.  Once the water in the pan has been cooled, you simply need to pour the solution away and you should be able to scrub the dirt from the pan.  If you have no bicarbonate of soda to hand, washing powder will be equally as effective, when left to soak into the burnt residue.

To find more ways to clean your kitchen appliances, or to organise a kitchen deep clean for commercial kitchens, please visit the Newlife Cleaning Systems website.

Information for this blog is taken from Woman and Home website.

To begin, it is essential to remember that when you begin to clean an iron, in most cases the appliance must be switched off, and allowed to cool.

The methods which enable you to clean the metal plate on the iron vary depending on which substance is stuck to it.

• Waxy stains do not require any specialist products, and require that the iron is turned on, in order for the substance to be removed.  You need to turn the iron on to it’s highest setting, and run it over some absorbent paper, such as newspaper.  The waxy stain should be displaced onto the paper, preventing it from leaving any lasting damage on your iron.

• Oily substances require the use of ammonia, which needs to be rubbed onto the metal plate with a damp, clean cloth.  After this, simply rinse the surface of the plate, to remove the oily stain.  It is vital that the iron is unplugged for the duration of this process.

To clean the inside of the iron’s vents and pipes, a more gentle touch is required.  Dip a pipe cleaner or cotton bud into the vent, and slowly lift out the residue from within the iron.  Ensure that you use something equally as soft, that isn’t too sharp, to avoid risking damage to the inside of your iron.

For all surfaces on the iron, including the handle, you can use a simple solution found in your kitchen cupboard.  On a clean, damp cloth add vinegar before wiping the surfaces; removing any visible dirt and grime.  If it’s been a while since you last cleaned your iron, you can mix a little baking soda with the vinegar before adding it to the cloth.  It’ll help you to remove tougher stains.

Vinegar can also be used to clean the reservoir of the iron.  Just pour an equal amount of vinegar and warm water into the iron and switch it on.  For about five minutes, leave the iron to steam, allowing the vinegar to reach the ducts through the steam.  After this time, remove the water and vinegar solution from the iron, and rinse with clean water.  Be sure to make sure all vinegar is removed before you start ironing!

The information can be found in full at the Creative Homewares website.

Removing ink from carpets

Firstly, you need to mix the cornflower with a small amount of milk, the quantities of the mixture should be so, that it forms a paste.  Then apply the paste directly to the stain, and allow to dry- this could take anything up to a few hours- before you can revisit the stain.  Once the paste is dry, you simply need to brush it away from the carpet fibres, which should lift the ink stain away too.  Then just vacuum the remnants, to be left with a clean, ink stain-free carpet.

Removing blood from carpets and upholstery

Unfortunately, accidents do happen, and when they do you can prevent any damage to your upholstery with fast action and cornflower.

As soon as you notice the blood stain on the fabric, create a paste out of cornflower and water.  Apply the paste directly to the stain, and work the mixture into the fabric’s fibres.  Once this is done, leave the fabric somewhere warm and dry, where the paste will quickly be absorbed.  Brush away the dry mixture, to lift some of the blood.  If a stain still remains, repeat the process again.

The cornflower may not 100% remove the blood stain from the fabric, depending on how ingrained the stain is and whether the blood has dried or not.  It will, however, be the fastest solution you have to the task at hand.

In addition to the removal of stains, cornflower is also excellent at removing any unpleasant scents from carpets.  All you need to do is evenly sprinkle cornflower onto your carpet before you vacuum; it will remove unpleasant odours from the carpet with ease.

If these simple methods cannot clean your carpet, we have carpet cleaning services available, which will get your carpets looking as good as new.  Please visit the Newlife Cleaning Systems website for more details.

So, with the help of Daily Telegraph and Reader’s Digest booklets, named ‘1000 Ways to Save Money and Time’, we have compiled a series of blogs which will help you to use the products you already have in your home, to keep your appliances clean.

Cleaning a coffee maker

Many people don’t know this, but your kitchen coffee maker can be cleaned by a product that can be found in your medicine cabinet.  Alka Seltzer, used to settle your stomach after a heavy meal (or a heavy evening out) can help you to remove any coffee residue from your machine, and leave it sparking clean; resulting in a better tasting cup of coffee for you.

So how do you do it?

Firstly, fill the water chamber in your coffee machine with water, as you would do before using the machine to brew a pot.

Next, for a standard-sized coffee machine, add four Alka Seltzers to the water, and wait until they are fully dissolved.

After this, switch on the machine and put it through its regular brew cycle.  This will allow the Alka Seltzer solution to reach all of the pipes in the machine, and clean any coffee residue.

Once the cycle is complete, rinse the water chamber to remove any remaining Alka Seltzer from the chamber.  Then run another brew cycle using just water, to ensure all the Alka Seltzer has left the pipes.

Once this is done, you can use your coffee maker as normal, and it will be perfectly clean.

As Alka Seltzer is usually used to combat stomach acids, it can tackle the acids from coffee that cause stains and marks on the machinery.  The fact that the Alka Seltzer is designed for human consumption makes it perfect for cleaning the coffee maker, as there will be nothing within the tablet that can harm people if they ingest it.

Other uses for Alka Seltzer:

Cleaning hard-to-reach parts of vases, flasks, jewellery and sinks.  The Alka Seltzer bubbles reach places you can’t reach.

The artwork, named “Wenn’s anfaengt durch die Decke zu tropfen”, which when translated means, ‘When It Starts Dripping From the Ceiling’, was created by late German Modern Artist Martin Kippenberger.
When looking at the piece, it’s not hard to understand how the cleaner made a mistake.  The sculpture is composed of strips of wood, nailed together to make an unsteady structure.  Beneath that is a trough-like dish, which had been hand-painted with a patina effect.  The term ‘pantina’ describes a distressed, dusty and dirty appearance, which had been applied to inside the bottom of the bucket.  This looked, as the artist had intended it, like the marks left from rain water that had collected there, and then evaporated.

It was this patina effect painted on the trough that the cleaner had mistaken for dirt.  They then proceeded to scrub this effect off the dish, in order to remove the unsightly blemish.

Unfortunately, by striving for cleanliness, the cleaner made a very costly mistake.  The piece was worth an excess of £624,000, in other words, over $1m.

Due to the death of the artist Kippenberger in 1997, the artwork cannot be restored to its original form, or appear exactly as the artist intended it.  However, the collector who had loaned the piece to the museum is willing to keep the artwork there, in its slightly altered state, until a decision can be made about the way to proceed.
This expensive error by the cleaner appears to be in breach of the instructions they were given prior to commencing work at the museum.  The daily cleaners, provided by a contractor, had been told strictly to remain 20cm away from the pieces in the showrooms.  The staff, according to the report, had been working in the Ostwall Museum since last October, so explanations for why this incident happened are still being searched for.

So as a cleaning contractor, what does this incident say to us at Newlife Cleaning Systems?

Firstly, it’s excellent that the cleaner was leaving no stone unturned, but this story shows that being thorough isn’t always the best thing…

Secondly, the incident seems to have occurred because the cleaner hadn’t followed instructions, or had missed out on an essential briefing.  So this story emphasises the importance of communication within such an organisation.

Finally, it’s a testament to artist Martin Kippenberger that his patina was so convincing that a cleaner felt the need to clean it!

For a daily cleaning service that won’t ruin any highly valuable goods, Newlife Cleaning Systems can offer all types of cleaning service, from specialist cleaning services to daily office cleaning services.  If you would like any more information about us, please contact us on 0800 018 9909.

At the beginning of October 2011, the newspapers were awash with thoughts and opinions on…wheelie bins.  Although it seems difficult to comprehend why the country would be in an uproar over such a small matter (although it’s been in an uproar about a lot less) this subject has really captured people’s imaginations.

So what’s ‘bin happening?  According to the report in the North East’s Evening Chronicle, the weekly bin collection to which we-and our waste habits- have all grown accustomed, is soon to be cancelled.  The government has allocated £250 million pounds of their budget to keeping this weekly bin-emptying service going, but it appears that the people of Tyneside are going to miss out.

The local council will, at best, receive £1m from this allocated fund, if they successfully bid for it at all.  Taking this into account, and the additional £70m government cuts they’ve had to accommodate, Councillors in the North East have reached a decision; announcing at the start of October, that the weekly wheelie bin collection had to go.  In many areas now, the green wheelie bin which holds general waste are to be collected every fortnight, whilst the blue recycling bins will be emptied on alternative weeks.  Although this gives the households subject to the changes a more irregular service, it has still instigated the loss of 12 jobs, which is another concerning blow to the already precarious job situation here in the region.

The article in the Evening Chronicle reported that the Councillors did not take this decision lightly, and that the cuts made to their specific budget forced their hand in making this decision.  Thankfully, one Labour councillor mentioned in the report, many people in the region prefer this decision.  This is because, more often than not, they found their wheelie bins half empty every week and they would instead prefer for the money to be spent on education, and on caring for the young and the elderly.

In a converse opinion, the article contains a quotation from communities’ secretary Eric Pickles, who made the statement that:  “(E)very household in England has a basic right to have their rubbish collected every week.”  As one of the vital views that the article brings up, is that if the government can afford to spare £250m to save the wheelie bins, I can’t help asking the question: Why can’t they spend it on other basic rights, such as creating homes, and caring for the most vulnerable people?  This is what the article suggests the people want.

This question aside, for the households in the North East, the fortnightly bin collection draws some positives.  As the Councillors suggested, a less regular bin collection service may make households more willing to recycle, as they will need to utilize both bins to keep their waste manageable.  And also, by making the decision to reduce collections, it’s good to see the council is making cutbacks in areas they think people are happy to be sacrificed.

There will of course be others who see the loss of the weekly bin collection service as a negative. Firstly, punctuated by a lady named Sue in article, some households may generate more waste than the fortnightly bin collection can accommodate.  This therefore poses the question of where the excess refuse bags go; the waste will either have to sit in the home or in the streets.  Either way, keeping refuse in living spaces will lessen the quality of the environment the people are living in.  In addition to this, there may be some families who feel like other things take precedent over arranging for certain items to be recycled.  There is also the added aside, that there are finances being given out across the country, that the region won’t benefit from.

Of course, Government cuts and what to do with the budget they have, is something that never has an easy answer.  Cuts to wheelie bin collection is one of many government cuts, and the cleaning industry has not been spared from this.  At Newlife Cleaning Systems, we have experienced the effects of the government cuts, which have filtered down through the councils, first-hand.  In recent months, we have found ourselves providing school cleaning services to the region’s schools, when the council removed school cleaner’s from their budget, and left the responsibility to the head teacher.  In times such as these, where every penny counts in every sector, we try to do our best for by providing a service which is competitive on price, without any compromise on quality.  Let’s hope that the same thoughts go to the changes in the wheelie bin service, and that no compromises have to be made to households that suffer the change.

The original article in the Evening Chronicle can be found at:
http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/north-east-news/evening-chronicle-news/2011/10/01/fortnightly-bin-collections-still-the-plan-despite-fund-72703-29519927/#ixzz1c1JapVUs

Originally reported in the journal ACS Nano, this new type of window, which has been deemed the “Smart” window by industry professionals, instantaneously adapts as the weather changes.  When temperatures are high and the sun is out, the window darkens to cool the interior of the building and when temperatures turn colder, the window become more transparent in order to capture any heat it can from the sun.  This astonishing new development was created in South Korea, by scientists from the Korea Electronics Technology Institute and Soongsil University; Ho Sun Lim, Jeong Cho and Jooyong Kim.

Although there are already windows on the market which adapt to the changing weather conditions, they do not do so automatically, and are not cost-effective or environmentally friendly to run.  The adaptive windows currently on the market are powered by electricity; there are charged ions in between the panes of glass, which change the window from transparent to opaque when the electricity is switched on.  These windows therefore require manual operation by someone within the building.  Some of the existing models have also been deemed chemically unstable and quite complex to process and maintain.  Such windows can also be expensive to install and run, as they require additional electrical equipment.  These disadvantages stop the windows from being a viable option for many organisations, as they can become costly and inconvenient.

The new windows developed by the Korean Scientists will completely revolutionise the adaptive-window industry, and provide countless benefits to those that have them installed.  Unlike previous types, these windows contain a special polymer and counterions, a different type of particle to the ions found in previous windows, alongside methanol and other solvents.  The differences in components means that the windows can instantly, without intervention from a person, alter between transparent and opaque as the weather changes.

This instantaneous switch has great advantages to property owners.  Firstly, it makes the product highly convenient, as the windows do not need to be operated manually, allowing those in the building to enjoy the benefits without distraction from their other tasks.

These windows will also benefit the property owner financially.  They are being marketed as a great energy-saving product, as they will make savings on heating, lighting costs and air-conditioning bills.
As the windows dim as the sun shines, they reflect away much of the sun’s rays.  This prevents the interior of the building from becoming excessively hot, which therefore saves the property owner additional air-conditioning costs.
In the winter, when the windows are transparent, the clear windows allow as much of the sun’s light and warmth into the building as possible.  This means that those inside the building will benefit from the sun, and the heating and lighting facilities of the building will not need to be used as frequently.
The instant effects of these windows allows the building to benefit from energy-saving qualities immediately, and as frequently as possible.

As an energy and cost-saving product, these windows will provide any property owner with countless advantages that can’t be obtained by other windows on the market.  The Science Daily commented on the launch of this product, suggesting that this type of window could be installed anywhere, from skylights and windows in homes, to larger windows in conference rooms and offices.  The potential uses of this product, and the benefits that coincide with this, could therefore positively effect home owners, as well as commercial property owners; everyone who uses it could make a saving.

This exciting new development for property owners, and those responsible for maintaining the windows on buildings, follows last year’s development in the creation of liquid glass.  This fine spray reduces the cost of window cleaning for property owners, as once it is applied it protects them from every-day damages and scratches.  At Newlife Cleaning Systems, as we provide window cleaning services to many types of property in many different industries throughout the UK.  We find it encouraging that developments such as this are taking place, as they will save the much-needed funds of the many organisations we work with.

Sources:
The original BBC article can be found at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15076773
The article in Science Daily can be found at: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/09/110921132346.htm