Walking Safely
If you are trying to get more exercise into your routine, walking is a great choice. Not only can you improve your fitness level, but you can enjoy the great outdoors at the same time. Unfortunately, many drivers do not always pay attention to pedestrians on the road, especially as dusk falls. Around 5,000 pedestrians are killed each year by motor vehicles.

What can you do to reduce your risk of injury or death from a car when walking? One of the best things you can do is wear a reflective vest or clothing. Be sure that the reflective area is large enough to be seen well and is exposed from every angle. Many brands of walking shoes have reflective material on the heels. Also dress in light colored clothing to maximize your exposure.

You should walk facing oncoming traffic. Walk defensively. Although pedestrians have the right of way, this doesn’t mean a driver will always yield. Be aware of the traffic around you. If you are walking on a pedestrian path, always walk on the right-hand side so that faster walkers, runners, and cyclists can easily pass.

Never walk alone. If you have no one to walk with, be sure to tell someone the route you will be on and when you expect to return. Also, leave the headphones at home for maximum safety. You are not able to hear potential dangers if you are listening to music.

How to Maintain Your Most Personal Space

Yes, it is often easy to tell when it’s time to clean the carpet in your family room, hallway or the main entrance to your house. You begin to see soil in the traffic areas, or there are those inevitable spots and spills. Despite your best efforts at vacuuming the carpet still looks soiled and you clearly know it needs to be cleaned. But what about the carpet in your bedrooms? Tracked in soils or spills aren’t usually a major problem in bedrooms. This may lead you to think that bedroom carpets don’t need cleaning as often as the rest of the house. Think again.

Your Bedroom is Dirtier than you Realize

Your bedroom is the place where you sleep, dress and groom. The natural body oils,  perspiration, dander, hair, particles from coughing and sneezing, residue from recently  showering and the moisture it generates make the bedroom among the most heavily soiled carpets in your home, even if they still look good. Of course, don’t forget all of the sprays, lotions and potions we use when grooming. These can leave residue behind that is unhealthy itself but which also attracts dirt and germs. It’s no surprise that much of this “stuff” ends up in your carpet. And even though you can’t see these soils, they are there. Need proof? Walk into your bedroom, master closet or dressing area and take a whiff. Chances are, you will notice a natural musky odor that is unique to that room.

The Surprises Lurking in Your Private Spaces

Discussing the most personal space in your home may make you feel a bit uncomfortable, but the fact is that you spend a huge portion of your day in that room. It should be the cleanest room in the house, if you want to be healthy. Let’s consider two major bedroom problems: your carpet and your mattress. Much of the body oil, sweat and dander you lose every day remains in your carpet and mattress. During the natural processes of oxidation and decay, these release gases that are the source of odors. Your bed sheets help protect your mattress, but some of the tiny dead skin cells and body oils, along with 8-12 ounces of perspiration adults lose each night, do make it through and end up in your mattress. Another concern is dust mites. The highest population of dust mites in any house is in the bedroom. This is because the 3 things that a dust mite needs to survive are found there in abundance: food, moisture and warmth. Dust mites eat dead skin, they get all the moisture they need from bedroom humidity and perspiration, and they love the warmth your body leaves in the bed. All of this makes your bedroom the perfect breeding ground to raise happy, healthy dust mites.

Wake Up Refreshed

If you are one of the millions of Americans with allergies, dust mite droppings could be a major  cause of your suffering. Dust mite feces, a major component of household dust, is one of the most potent allergic irritants known to medical science. This is especially true in bedrooms. If you really want your house to be clean and healthy, include occupied bedrooms in every carpet cleaning. For extra protection and potential relief from allergies have your mattress cleaned as well to remove these contaminants. Do you go to bed breathing easy, but wake up congested and sneezy? You may find that detailed cleaning helps to alleviate your symptoms. So call Hansen Steam Way today and breathe easier tonight.

Color Tips for Room Decorating

You may not realize it, but the colors in your room can make all the difference. Color can influence the mood and tone of a room.

Blues: Cool, calming, and a sense of restfulness.

Reds: Exciting and stimulating.

Greens: Cool, reflective, and relaxing.

Yellows: Bright and cheery, energetic and expansive.

Whites: Clean and inviting.

Choose one color to be your main focus and then accent it with one or two complimentary colors. Color can be anywhere in a room, from the walls and floors, to your furniture and accent pieces. Add fringe to pillow, put up new curtains, add color with candles—the possibilities are endless. Keep in mind also that lighting can change the way colors look in a room. When choosing colors, view them under the same lighting that you will have in your room first.

New Year’s Resolutions for Your Pet

It’s that time of year—time to  make New Year’s resolutions. This year, consider some resolutions for your pet. Here are some ideas for a healthier and happier year for both of you.

• Switch to healthy snacks and keep snacks to less than ten percent of daily calorie intake.

• Keep your pet at a healthy weight with a nutritious diet and adequate access to exercise and play.

• Resolve to take your pet to the veterinarian at least once a year for an evaluation.

• Spend quality time with your animal companion through outdoor exercise and indoor play.

Etiquette in the Sky

Traveling by plane can be stressful. Not only can you expect delays, lost baggage, crowds, and uncomfortable seats, you may also be troubled by fellow passengers who are downright rude. Oftentimes, however, rude behavior is simply a misunderstanding. To help make things easier for you and those around you, keep these common points of etiquette in mind.

Reclining Your Seat
Airline seats leave little room for comfort, but it can be even worse when you are struggling with a reclining seat, either yours or the one in front of you. While you should be able to recline if you want to, it pays to be considerate. Recline slowly and acknowledge the situation if the passenger behind you complains. If you are extremely uncomfortable because of the reclined seat in front of you, politely explain this to your fellow passenger.

Sharing the Armrest
While there is no set rule about who gets the armrest, it is helpful to remember that the person in the center seat has no other option. Those on the aisle and by a window can lean outward, but the one in the middle is stuck with nowhere to go. Remember also, it is almost impossible to avoid all contact with your seatmates, but you should also try to remain in your own space as much as possible.

Carry-Ons
More and more people are bringing carry-on luggage as a way to avoid checked bag fees. This means overhead space is at a premium. If you are bringing a carry-on bag, realize that you may not be able to store it directly above your seat, especially if you board after the crowd. You may need to place it several rows away. If it is important to have your bag nearby, consider paying the early boarding fee.

Tea… It Does a Body Good

The rates of type 2 diabetes are lower in countries where there is a high consumption of black tea according to a recent study. Researchers in Switzerland examined 50 countries and compared the amount of tea consumed to the rates of diabetes.

The top three tea drinking countries were Ireland, the United Kingdom, and Turkey. The nations with the lowest consumption were South Korea, Brazil, China, Morocco, and Mexico.

In those countries with high levels of black tea consumption, the diabetes rates were low. The researchers also looked for a link between this  consumption level and the rates of cancer, respiratory, infectious and cardiovascular diseases, but there was no correlation found. It seems that tea drinking only affects diabetes risk. Drinking a cup or two of tea every day won’t prevent you from developing type 2 diabetes, as the research did not prove a cause-and- effect relationship. But it may reduce your risk and keep you healthy longer. So raise your teacup to better health!

Tracking Down the Facts: Common Cleaning Myths Busted

We make New Years’ resolutions to be better people. You may have a spring time goal to shape up  before summer. You have to save money before the holidays. As a group, humans seek to continuously improve, making resolutions and promises to make things better.

While no cleaning company can control your dieting, exercising, shopping or television habits, they can help make your home a cleaner, healthier place to live. Resolutions and goals are usually decisions to make changes. When it comes to keeping your home clean you can make better decisions when you have all the facts.

Of course, we all like to think we make sound decisions based on facts. However, many smart people make poor choices when it comes to their home based on some common myths.

Let’s blow some of these myths away and clarify the others:

Myth: Unless you are expecting company it doesn’t matter what your carpets look like.

Fact: When the holiday parties and graduation celebrations are over is a great time to get rid of the spots, spills and tracked in soil that may have been left behind from entertaining your guests, any time of the year.

Myth: If you clean carpets in winter they will take longer to dry.

Fact: Lower humidity in the air means carpets usually dry faster in the winter. High humidity slows the rate of evaporation. Drier air increases the rate at which water evaporates from materials, including carpets so they dry faster.

Myth: I might as well wait to clean my carpets since spring is right around the corner.

Fact: Spring is almost 3 months away. Since you keep the house closed up tighter in the winter, it makes sense to freshen up your home. Besides, since you are spending more time indoors, shouldn’t your carpets be clean, fresh and fluffy?

Myth: It makes better financial sense to put off carpet cleaning as long as possible.

Fact: Modern carpets rarely wear out. Instead, they “ugly out”. Traffic lanes become dingy. Spots become permanent stains. Fibers become dull from a build-up of abrasive soil and oxidized oils. All of this causes irreversible damage and shortens the usable life of the carpet. Your carpets will last longer and look great all year if you have them professionally cleaned more often. There are reasons to get your carpets cleaned every time of the year. When the kids are in school you can get the carpets cleaned without worrying about them being underfoot. When the kids are out of school you have more traffic and more dirt to get out. You want to clean for the holidays, but don’t forget spring cleaning. The point is, anytime of year is a good time to kick off a cleaner, healthier, more organized home.

Clean Your Entire House – by Accident

When people prepare for professional carpet cleaning they tend to de-clutter, pick up and reorganize their home. So you can force a little spring cleaning anytime of year  by scheduling a carpet cleaning today. Remember that clean carpet improves indoor air quality, so your family will breathe easier. Now that you have the facts, you can make an educated decision about your carpet cleaning schedule.

Essential Nutrients for Healthy Brains

A recent study published in the journal Neurology has shown that seniors who include more certain essential nutrients in their diets were less likely to have brain shrinkage associated with Alzheimer’s disease. They were also more likely to score better on tests of mental performance.

What are those essential nutrients?  They include omega-3 fatty acids, B and D vitamins, and antioxidants C and E. Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin D are found in fish and some plant and nut oils. Vitamins B, C, and E are primarily found in fruits and vegetables. The essential nutrient B12 comes from animal products and fortified breakfast cereals.

Talk with your doctor about including more of these nutrients in your diet. You can get a blood test to check the levels of these chemicals in your body. To increase your intake, eat a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and fish. Before supplementing, speak to your doctor about safely increasing your intake of these nutrients.