All through the year we track various soils into our homes. Not only that, pollutants from car exhaust, pollens, pet and human dander, and just plain old dirt can damage surfaces in your home including carpet, tile, wood, upholstery and fabrics. Soil control is an important part of keeping your home clean and healthy.

You can control soil by limiting the entrance and buildup of contaminants inside your home. The best way to control soil inside your home is to prevent its entry. They say that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure; it takes 12 times more effort, time and money to remove soil as it does to prevent it from ever entering inside a structure. Remember that whatever is outside tends to come in, so consider the following: Keep walkways, steps and porches clean and free of dirt, mold, moss and algae.

Maintain garage floors in order to prevent oil, road grime and other contaminants from being tracked indoors. Place doormats both outside and inside all of the entrances to your home.

Outdoor mats should be a water resistant, synthetic, non-absorbent fiber such as olefin or polypropylene and be textured to scrape heavy soils off your shoes. Avoid natural fibers which tend to mold and rot creating a new soil source for your home.

Inside doormats should be absorbent like nylon, cotton or wool. Vacuum and wash it periodically to remove built-up soils.

Remove shoes when you come indoors, but don’t make the mistake of going barefoot all the time. The skin of our feet contains oils that attach to carpet and attract soil. Instead of going barefoot, wear clean house shoes, socks or slippers indoors.

Normal daily activities generate a variety of dust and residues that settle on just about every surface inside your home. Vacuuming is the most effective way to maintain your carpets. 74- 79% of soil in carpet is dry, particulate soil that can be removed by vacuuming. You should also vacuum your upholstered furniture, drapery and blinds for the same reasons.

When you dust your furniture, do so gently, preferably with a duster attachment on your vacuum cleaner. If you use a duster, go slow and allow dust to settle for an hour or so and vacuum the floor last. Your carpet can last a long time if properly cared for.

Annual professional cleaning is recommended in most homes. Busy homes with children and pets require cleaning twice a year or more.

Don’t wait until your carpets, rugs and upholstery look dirty to have them cleaned by a professional; by the time fibers have reached a visibly soiled state they are already damaged.

Call Hansen Steam Way to learn more or schedule your next cleaning.

The typical employee feels disengaged or bored with their work for about 10.5 hours per week. However, it is possible to stay sharp and engaged in nearly any job. The first steps happen the night before. They should make sure they get at least seven to nine hours of sleep.

Look at the commute as an opportunity to jumpstart the day. Mentally review your work for the day, noting the task that you will start first. Then, let go of work for a while and inject creativity with a podcast or audiobook.

At the office, take a good look at the workspace and consider adding more ergonomic seating, better lighting, or even a plant to make the environment more comfortable and engaging.

Not feeling challenged can also be a significant roadblock to staying engaged at work. Talk to the manager to see if there is room for an extra creative project or maybe time for skill enhancement.

Save more money by using helpful smartphone apps. Here are a few helpful financial apps to help you save, invest and make financial decisions.

The app Acorns rounds up small purchases. If you buy a $2.50 coffee, it rounds up the price to $3 and invests the 50 cents in a portfolio of low-cost exchange-traded funds.

You can choose the level of risk, from conservative to aggressive. According to Money, one user saved an extra $250 in a few months without noticing any difference.

TaxCaster by Intuit TurboTax can estimate your income taxes. It can do a side by side comparison of your tax obligation estimate with the 2017 and 2018 tax laws, to see how tax reform might affect you.

It can also help you make other tax-related financial decisions such as realizing capital gains, all from your smartphone.

Anyone can learn and understand more after just 10 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise. That is the finding of a University of Western Ontario study published in the January 2018 issue of Neuropsychologia.

The effects of 10 minutes of exercise appear to be immediate. In the study, a group used an exercise bike for 10 minutes and was then tested on reaction time in completing a non-standard task. The exercisers had an immediate 14 percent gain in cognitive performance.

Previous studies have shown that 20 minutes of exercise confers brain benefits, but this study shows that even people with physical and mental limitations can benefit from minor exercise.

The implications are important for everyone. If you are taking a test or about to engage in any mental task, 10 minutes of exercise beforehand can give you an extra mental edge.

Have you ever wondered why we are annually seized by a sudden urge to air out the house, banish dust, organize closets, clean out cabinets, scrub floors, wash windows and organize our garages, attics and basements? It turns out that there are biological, social and psychological reasons for the spring cleaning ritual… and that’s a good thing.

In the winter time days are shorter and melatonin production (the hormone that produces drowsiness and enables us to fall asleep) is increased, making us want to relax and sleep more. We spend more time indoors. Our mood tends to be more subdued and energy levels are lower causing our housekeeping habits to slip. Various soils and contaminants begin to build-up in our homes as a result.

Then, the first day of spring comes in late March, and when it arrives most of us are ready. Days are getting progressively longer and nights are getting shorter. The additional daylight suppresses production of melatonin. The more daylight we are exposed to, the less melatonin we produce and the more alert, energetic and active we feel.

Once the winter doldrums pass, we become more aware of the less-than-ideal condition of our surroundings. The energy and optimism of spring prompts us to improve our environment. It’s easier to be enthusiastic about cleaning and organizing in the springtime.

Cleaning and organizing are tasks that have an obvious goal or conclusion.

You feel a sense of accomplishment upon completing a task. Your self-esteem increases. Endorphins are released in your body, increasing your sense of wellbeing. In addition, you feel pride of ownership when your home is clean and organized, further improving your mood.

The history of early America also provides a basis for the spring cleaning custom. In the winter, fireplaces, oil lamps and wood stoves created a fine layer of oily soot, ashes and dust on floors, walls, ceilings, rugs and windows. As temperatures increased and days got longer, use of these heat and light sources decreased. Spring became the perfect time to fling open windows and doors and clean everything. Rugs were beaten and aired out. Walls, ceilings and floors were swept and scrubbed.

Spring has always been a time of change. Americans tend to have two distinct wardrobes: one for warm weather and one for cool weather. Since closet space is limited, we often clean and organize closets this time of year. The type of work and play activities change, so we put away winter toys and tools and get out the ones for warmer weather. Now we need to clean out and organize our garages, basements and attics.

All of these biological, psychological and social reasons mean that we are basically hard-wired for spring cleaning. However, it is easy to become overwhelmed with all of the things you want to clean and organize. Don’t try to do it all by yourself.

Call an experienced cleaning company to help you with the big jobs. A reputable company can clean your carpets, upholstery and more.

Call Hansen Steam Way to learn more or schedule your next cleaning.