Commuting: You Don’t Control Traffic

How traffic moves is beyond your control. It doesn’t matter if you are in a hurry, uptight, or anticipating
something at the end of your commute.

So why not relax and go with the flow? The laid-back approach will keep your blood pressure in check and your temper down. Here are some ways to do it:

• Forget paybacks. Reckless drivers you encounter will get theirs. You’ve seen it happen. The speeder gets a ticket. The cutoff champ gets wrapped around a tree. They will reap the rewards of their actions.

• See real people. Stay alert by seeing individuals around you rather than just seeing cars. What kind of people are they? What do they do, and where are they going?

• Be considerate. Good drivers are polite on the road. It calms the occasional driver who may be hostile
or violent.

• Perk up your commute. Even a small change in routine, like taking a different road part of the time, will
make the trip a little more interesting.

How to Take Care of Yourself After a Heart Attack

The American Heart Association recommends these five steps to give yourself the best chance at recovery from a heart attack.

Take any prescribed medication.
Follow the instructions of your doctor and take all medication as directed. Depending on the severity of heart damage and the underlying causes, you may be prescribed a range of medication. It is important to know what you are taking, what it does, how and when to take it, and any possible side effects.

Continue to see your doctor
Attend any follow-up appointments scheduled with your doctor so they can monitor your progress. Your doctor will continue to assess the effectiveness of your treatment.

Complete cardiac rehabilitation
Cardiac rehabilitation is a medically supervised program aimed at making your recovery successful.

Get support
Getting support from loved ones, health professionals and support groups can help reduce the emotional burden.

Change your lifestyle
High blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes are major risk factors of having a heart attack. Quit smoking. Eat a healthy diet. Stay active.

Follow-up appointments after a heart attack are an important part of the recovery process.

The Power of a Campfire

Consider the power of fire to early humans: It provided heat for food and warmth and protection against
predators.

What is less obvious is that the fire provided a setting where people could talk and socialize.

A study from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that it is the less-oftencited
social activities that may be responsible for humanity’s dramatic evolution we see today. The study,
quoted in The Wall Street Journal, shows that campfires allowed humans to extend the day past sunset for the first time and gave people an opportunity to perform singing,dancing, religious ceremonies, and
storytelling.

All of these activities played a significant role in how humans learned to consider broader social networks, cooperation, big picture thinking and allowed social behavior, in general, to act as a life-extending activity. Campfires brought people together and created a nexus for cultural development.

Fast-forward to the present day, and people have lost that sense of community and social behavior.

According to Fortune, the amount of people describing themselves as lonely has doubled over the past
several decades. Many factors such as cell phones, the internet, no longer living in the same area for
extended periods of time, and more demanding work hours all contribute to more isolation between people despite living in a world that is more technologically connected than ever.

According to the Huffington Post, unplugging from gadgets and going camping can help improve sleep,
mood, and inspire creativity. It can create connections.

It sounds like the early human ancestors had it right all along.

The Truth About Spots and Stains

You may have seen some of the commercials on television that show a bottle of spot remover that can quickly and easily remove stains from carpet and upholstery like magic. Red wine, ketchup, coffee, fruit punch, spaghetti sauce, grass stains and more are removed in seconds with no rubbing or scrubbing. Just spray and blot!

If only it were that easy!

The truth is that advertisers are not being completely honest with you. The spots are usually on new carpet that is most likely olefin or polyester–two fibers that are difficult to stain. They choose spots that
are easily removed by the chemistry of their spotter. The same cleaner on dried mustard on a three-year-old nylon carpet would produce less than stellar results.

In reality, the ease or difficulty of spot removal will vary depending on fiber type, age and condition of the carpet, age of the spot, the type of stain, and even the cleaning agents and methods previously used on the carpet.

The first step is to identify the spot. Sometimes you can’t be sure what it is, so with unknown spots, we play “detective.” Using clues like the color, location, texture, odor and shape we figure out what it might be.

The next step is to categorize the spot.
There are four categories of spots:

Category 1: Water-soluble

Water-soluble spots respond to waterbased solutions. There are several spotting agents that fit into this category. Acid spotters work best on alkaline soils. Alkaline spotters work on common acid-based soils.
Enzyme spotters break down protein spots like blood, milk, eggs and grass.

Category 2: Solvent-soluble

Solvent-soluble spots are best treated with solvent-based spotters. This category includes tar, petroleum grease, lipstick, ink, dried paint, gum and adhesives.

Category 3: Insoluble spots

Insoluble spots include substances that cannot be dissolved with water or solvent spotters. Some examples are graphite, carbon, fireplace ash and powdered copier toner.

Category 4: Specialty treatments

Specialty treatments include strong acids, oxidizers, reducing agents and specialized chemical reactions. Rust, food dyes, urine stains and mustard fall into this category.

First things first. Before applying any spotting agent we determine the fiber type. It is important to be sure that the spotting agents and cleaning method will not harm the fiber.

Once we have selected the correct spotter and qualified the fiber content, spot removal will follow 5 basic steps:

1. Remove excess material with scraping or blotting.

2. Apply the appropriate spotter to the spot. Do not oversaturate the carpet.

3. Agitate gently. Never scrub or rub the carpet.

4. Rinse.

5. Blot with a clean white towel.

These are the basic steps. Our techniques, tools and processes will vary depending on your unique situation. Any remaining discoloration after the spot removal is a stain, and will require more expertise and specialized methods.

Hansen Steam Way technicians are experts at identifying, categorizing and treating the spots and stains that other companies can’t. Call us today if you have questions or need help removing spots, odors and stains from your carpet.