Airbag Safety

Driver and passenger airbags in vehicles have been required by the federal government since 1999 for all cars, light trucks, and vans. Airbags have been proven to save lives–more than 147,000 people are alive today because of airbags in their vehicles. But airbags also have injured people in accidents, sometimes causing serious injury or death.

Who is at the greatest risk for injury? Unbelted occupants, especially passengers, are at risk because they are likely to move forward if there is hard braking or other violent maneuvers before a crash, causing them to be seated too close for safe airbag deployment. When riding in a vehicle, you should always buckle your safety belt and keep about ten inches between your chest and the cover of the airbag module.

Children and infants can also be at risk, due to their smaller size and the improper use of car seats. A rear facing infant seat should never be placed in a seat that is equipped with an airbag. Children under the age of twelve should be seated in the back seat of the vehicle and should always be properly restrained. The back seat is always the safest place for a child.

Problem! What Carpet Fiber Should I Choose? Special Report Continued:

Polyester has some excellent qualities and the dye method makes it very resistant to bleaching, fading and soil dye reactions. It is very resistant to water-based stains, but it is not resistant to oily stains. In fact, an oily spill or spot left without proper cleanup can oxidize and even chemically bond with, and become part of, the fiber. You need to know that some of these spots just won’t come out.

Polyester is not a resilient fiber. When crushed it does not regain its original shape easily. Traffic areas tend to lie down, showing “apparent soiling”. Furniture marks can be permanent reminders to the owner of where his furniture used to be. Even when cleaned properly it will lay flat. It tends to lie in different directions (nap reversal) down a heavily traveled hall or room and is very noticeable. The appearance from the nap reversal then looks like a snake down the hall or a pool of water in the middle of a room. Definite improvements have been made by heat setting and using finer yarns, but crimp loss can still be a problem. This is a characteristic of polyester, not a defect.

Inviting Guestrooms
Inviting Guestrooms
With the holidays just around the corner, you are probably planning for some guests in your home. If you are able to offer your guests a room of their own during their visit, here are some ways to make the space comfortable, hospitable, and inviting.
Comfort
Along with clean bed linens, consider adding a featherbed mattress topper, extra pillows, and extra blankets for your guests. If there is space
available, have a small upholstered chair in a corner. Offer some bottled water and some light snacks. The room should have adequate lighting,
including a reading light by the bed.
Space
Keep knick-knacks in your guest room to a minimum, so that your guests do not feel crowded. Provide a place for your guests to place their purse,
keys, and other small items. Consider placing a luggage rack or small table in the room. Clear a space in the closet and include some empty
hangers. One or two empty drawers are also helpful.
Privacy
Window coverings in your guest room should give good light control and privacy. Make sure the door to your guestroom has a functioning lock.
The Extras
A simple alarm clock is a necessity. Keep a pad of paper and some pens on the nightstand. Tissues, an ironing board and iron, and a hair dryer
are also welcome by guests. Place a flashlight in a bedside drawer and offer your guests a copy of your house key. Plan to offer your guests
some magazines or a newspaper. Adding a small television with a remote to your guestroom is also essential for some guests. Finally, if
your guests are interested in visiting local tourist attractions, fill a basket with a local map and some tourist brochures.

Problem! What Carpet Fiber Should I Choose? Special Report Continued:

Nylon has definitely been the most widely used fiber in the residential environment, and for good reason. Nylon is very resilient, has good dry soil resistance, and doesn’t present as many cleaning challenges.

Nylon is also very resistant to spillage. Since most residential nylon is not solution dyed but dyed after the carpet is made, it is not impossible to stain; however, if the spot is attended to in a timely manner, one can expect excellent spot removal results. Residential nylon carpets are also treated with a fluorochemical such as 3M Scotchgard™ or DuPont Teflon, which helps tremendously with dry soil resistance and stain resistance.

According to a Consumer Reports article in the August 1998 issue, branded nylons performed better than non-branded ones.

Wool is more resistant to foot traffic than any other fiber. This is the reason that you see Oriental rugs that have lasted for so many generations. Wool hides dry soil naturally and is not adversely affected by it for quite some time. Another wonderful aspect of wool is that it is a great insulator. In the winter your home will be warmer inside and in the summer it will be cooler. However, the cheaper wool stains easily and may not be the choice where children and pets are present.

Problem! What Carpet Fiber Should I Choose? Special Report Continued:

The second challenge with olefin is a characteristic that is often overlooked: Olefin fibers are less resilient than others. What that means in plain and simple terms is that when a fiber is crushed, it doesn’t “bounce back” as well as other fibers. It also “scratches” very easily. A very common occurrence with olefin installations is the traffic areas begin to look dingy or worn. In fact what has happened is the fibers have been scratched from foot traffic. Imagine a plastic toy that has a scratch on it: there is nothing you can do to remove that scratch. It’s permanent. The same is true of an olefin fiber—once it is scratched, nothing can be done to correct it. In a high traffic area, the carpet may appear completely different than the edges against the wall.

The third interesting characteristic of olefin is that it is an “oil-loving” fiber. In other words, in the same way that it repels water-based soils, it absorbs and accepts oil-based soils, making it difficult to remove common oil-based soils in a household, such as lamp oil, lotion, body oils, and cooking oils. This can be especially important to keep in mind when choosing covering for floors just outside a kitchen area. Some of the higher-quality carpet mills “scour” the olefin to attempt to reduce the oil-attracting properties. Our company uses special cleaning agents manufactured for effectively cleaning olefin carpets.

Stress Busters for Those Short on Time

In your busy life, it can seem like you don’t have much time to get to everything, much less take time to try to relieve the stress in your life. But there are some simple things you can do in just a few minutes that can make all the difference in your day. If you find yourself  running around in circles everyday, take a few moments to stop and try these stress busting activities.
Stop to complete a routine activity that doesn’t take much brain power.  Mowing the lawn, working in the garden, washing the car, or just taking
a quick walk around the block can help stop the gears in your head from spinning out of control. Use the time to try to relax your thought process. The key is to choose activities that are repetitive and routine, letting your body and mind relax into a familiar and easy activity.
Do something out of the ordinary. If you find that you are overwhelmed with daily life, it may be time to step out of your day-to-day routine. Schedule a massage for your lunch hour, visit a museum, or stop to visit a friend. It may seem like you don’t have time for such activities, but taking the time to do something different can work wonders for your mental state.
If you really feel out of control, take some time to get organized. It is easy to put off clearing up your desk or organizing your closets. But the longer you let these tasks go, the more overwhelming they will seem. There is also a psychological boost once you are done, making you feel more in control and helping to add calm and order to your daily routine.

Problem! What Carpet Fiber Should I Choose? Special Report Continued:

Olefin (also called polypropylene) has become extremely popular in recent years. The first attraction to olefin is the price. Olefin is generally—although not always—less expensive than other fibers. The second appeal is that this fiber will not absorb any liquid. If you were to take a yarn from an olefin carpet and place it in a glass of water, the fiber would float on the top of the water. Nylon and wool would not, since each would absorb a certain amount of water. The point is this: when something is spilled on olefin carpet, it will not be absorbed into the fiber. The value is that permanent staining from spillage is reduced. In addition, olefin carpets are solution dyed, which means that the color is introduced to the molten plastic before the fiber is made.

The characteristic of being non-absorbent can present unique cleaning challenges. Sometimes when spillage occurs, it runs down the side of the yarn into the backing of the carpeting. Many times this can cause wicking problems as the spill gets trapped in the backing of the carpet and is not effectively removed. Therefore, it continues to wick up the surface over time. In addition, if an inexperienced carpet cleaner leaves too much liquid in the carpet after cleaning, it simply slides down to the backing of the carpet with the soils, and as the carpet dries, it wicks back to the surface.

Top 5 Financial Planning Tips
October 5-11 is Financial Planning Week. What are the best ways to improve your money and budgeting situation? These top five strategies will help.
Make saving a priority.
Saving on a regular basis can be hard, but if you treat this as an expense, you’ll have better success. As with any bill, you should make it nonnegotiable to pay into your savings account each month. Even a little saved on a regular basis will make a difference. If you struggle with this
strategy, consider an automatic deduction to a savings account to make it a no-brainer.

Plan for the unexpected.
A budget is crucial, but we don’t always know what is in the future.  To prepare for the unexpected, you need an emergency fund. This is different from a long-term savings account because you should expect to use this money at any time. By realistically developing a working budget and having a reasonable emergency fund, you will have the means to pay all your expenses and avoid debt.
Understand your emotions.
It is important to understand your money personality and that of your spouse. If you tend to be a spender, recognizing this and developing strategies to manage your expectations is important.  A person who tends toward saving as much as possible also needs to learn how to properly spend money. If you and your spouse are opposite money personalities, communication about your financial goals will help you develop a plan that works for both of you.
Set your goals.
Without goals, you will be unable to stay on track. Getting input from a good financial planner can help you see how much you need to save for retirement. Paying off debt should always be your first goal in financial planning. You also need to identify what you want to spend your money on. If you love to travel, then your extra money after savings may go toward that. If you have significant expenses coming up, like college for your kids, or the purchase of a new home, then you should be clear about those goals. Whatever your goals are, identifying them, talking about them, and tracking them is crucial.
Don’t bet on what you hope to happen.
Many people plan their financial present based on things they hope happen in their financial future. But if those things don’t materialize, you can be in trouble, especially if you are accumulating debt now in anticipation of a change in your situation. Until you actually get that bonus, move to a cheaper city, inherit that money, or see the stock market move up, don’t spend that money. It is better to have it actually be a bonus and increase in funds than to have to deal with trying to come up with money you’ll never see.

Making Playgrounds Safer
If you have a child who has recently headed back to school, take some time to inspect the school playground and outdoor activity areas. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission reports there are about 20 playground-related fatalities each year, and over 200,000 children suffer  injuries on a playground annually. Eighty-one percent of all playground injuries occur as a result of a fall.
One proven method for reducing these injuries is by installing softer ground coverings. However, it is estimated that as many as 92 percent of American playgrounds do not have adequate ground cover.
One innovative, non-toxic surface is made of shredded and recycled tires. This material outperforms all other surface materials in impact absorption. The material can be produced in a variety of colors and lasts for up to 50 years, saving in maintenance costs for schools.
If your child’s playground has a hard, dangerous surface, take the time to talk to your school official, requesting that a material such as recycled tires be used to replace the ground cover. It is a good idea to educate other parents and teachers on ways the playground can be made as safe as possible, starting from the ground up.

For customers new and established… we offer you this SPECIAL REPORT (revealed in several parts, because we know you love the suspense!).

Problem! What Carpet Fiber Should I Choose?

When purchasing a carpet, the biggest question is “how long will it last?”

In asking that question, one must consider the clean-ability of that particular carpet. Even though the construction of the carpet plays a significant role in the life of the carpet, the fiber type is extremely important.

Before getting into this report, let it be made clear that this advice is NOT to override the recommendations of your carpet retailer. This report simply states some of the characteristics of four fiber types commonly used in carpeting, in order to provide an understanding of how fiber plays a role in soiling and particularly in wear.

There are many fiber types used in carpet manufacturing; however, for the purpose of this article we will focus on the four main players. These will also be the ones you are most familiar with:

• Olefin (polypropylene)
• Nylon
• Wool
• Polyester

Continued next week…..