And you'll be lucky if ANY of those even return your call!Just a few weeks ago I was in need of a new lawn mowing service. I called EVERY lawn mowing service in the yellow pages. I got an answering machine for every phone number except one. On each answering machine, I left the message that I need weekly lawn service for my home and to call me to set up a time or let me know if they needed to see the place first.Did I get a call back? NO. Not one of them called me back and it's been over two weeks.And then, the one that I did get a "live" person--you know how that went? I called the number and got a "hello?" I thought maybe I had the wrong number.

So, I asked if this was such and such business. The lady acted like she never heard of it. I double checked the phone number with her and it was the right number. I apologized and told her I was calling from the yellow pages and that they had the wrong number listed."Oh." She said. "He be back soon."You've got to be kidding me.

Needless to say, I didn't invite them out to my home. But any other service that would have just CALLED ME BACK would have gotten my business. That's a shame.So, I decided to my service industry: carpet cleaning. I started down the list of 98 carpet cleaners in my area--after 20 answering machines. I just gave up.Why should anyone put with that? And for those that do finally call you back, why should they be PAID for such rude, inconsiderate, selfish, "I-Know-You-Need-Me-So-I'll-Call-You-If-And-When-I-Feel-Like-It" attitude?REASON #2: THEY DON'T SHOW UP ON TIMEWhen's the last time you had a service professional show up on time? After all, aren't you the one that re-arranged your whole schedule--had to take off work, have someone else pick up the kids from school, or whatever--just so you could have the "honor" of having them show up at your home when it's convenient for them?After all, that's how they act.

Like it's somehow a privilege for you to have their service; rather than how it should be--a privilege for THEM to be serving YOU.But, again, I've been too generous. It's hard to even GET an exact appointment time for someone to show up on time. Don't you just love it when you call someone for service, and they say, "O.K. We'll be there between 1-5 p.m. on Tuesday." Geez, like you have nothing to do but take a whole unpaid day off just to get your stuff taken care of?My cable company--which happens to be the ONLY cable company in Anchorage--told me this when I needed service for a repair that was a problem with THEIR cable box in my home: "The tech will be there between 10a.m.-5p.m., so you'll need to be there when he arrives or you'll have to reschedule your appt." So, on the day appointed--I had to run to the store real quick.

A 10 minute trip. I even called the cable company to let them know that I would be back in 20 min. Still, I returned home to find a tag on my door that I had missed service and to call to reschedule. I WAS TICKED!For all the money you pay, why should you have to but up with that?REASON #3: THEY DON'T SHOW UP AT ALLI'm sure that exact thing has happened to you more times that you can count on your finger and toes--even if you have four sets of each.Nothing is more aggravating than to go through all you have to just to be home for the appointment--and they never show up!!I bet this one has happened to you like it has me. You buy new carpet.

You schedule with the installer for Tuesday--sometime during the day mind you, no specific time--and he never shows up. So you call at the end of Tuesday. After 5 tries, you finally get to him on his cell phone. "Oh," he explains. "This job took me much longer than I expected and I'll be there tomorrow for sure." No apology.

No specific time for the next day.What, are you supposed to give your two weeks notice at work just to have service done?REASON #4: THEY SHOW UP LOOKING LIKE A 'JUST RELEASED' PRISON INMATELet's face it. Most women end up scheduling service appointments because they tend to take care of the stuff in the home. But the man is present at the appointment 99% of the time. Why? Because most service professionals look gnarly and untrustworthy. Women just don't feel safe being alone in their home with them.And since so many professionals show up looking like felons, TWO people have to take off work.

The woman so she can show what she wants done and make sure it gets done to her satisfaction; and the man to act as the most advanced "protection" and "anti-scam" technology.Again, why should you have to PAY someone to look and act like that in YOUR home?REASON #5: THEY DON'T DO A GOOD JOBNow you can take away all your extra finger and toes and you probably can't even fill up your fingers with professionals that actually do a Good job. What about EXCELLENT work? No. We have to put up with less than good. Barely passable work.What happened to taking pride in work? What happened to honesty and integrity? Apparently it's becoming a thing of the past.Service Professionals do such a poor job at their work that they can't offer a guarantee of any kind. They'd go broke if they did that.

They simply do a poor job, feeding on your necessity; forcing you to move on to someone else and "hope" for better next time.REASON #6: THEY LEAVE A MESSYou know, like the painter that doesn't bring a drop cloth, gets paint on your carpet, takes your money, and leaves...The plumber that fixes the leaky pipe in your crawl space, comes out, tracks mud and dirt on your carpet, takes your money and leaves...The cable installer that walks with shoes on in your home, drills a hole in your wall, goes back outside to hook things up, comes back inside, leaves sheetrock and dirt on your carpet, takes your money, and leaves.Maybe they must think their mess magically disappears or something. No. Obviously they expect you to clean up after them or they'd clean up themselves, right?You shouldn't have to pay for a service and then clean up their mess. But it happens over and over.REASON #7: THEY PLAY LOUD MUSIC, CUSS, AND MAKE A LOT OF NOISEHow someone can do that in your home is beyond me. It's YOUR home, and maybe you've even got small children.

But they act like your stuff is theirs or that your not even around.Cleaners are especially guilty of this. Sure. I like to have music playing when I'm working; but what gives them the right to turn on your stereo--with or without asking--while working in your home?They are there as a paid employee to provide a service and leave. Not to be provided with every comfort that belongs to you.And what about your children? How dare someone use filthy language or off-color jokes that will poison the minds of the ones you so carefully molding? They should be kicked out of your home.And, how many times have you been on YOUR phone in YOUR home but can't hear because of the worker's noise or the cleaner turning on the vacuum right next to you? Really. That's just too much.REASON #8: THEY ARE UNPROFESSIONAL AND CAN'T COMMUNICATEThey're called "service professionals" because they're supposed to be professional.

But they aren't. Maybe that's why we call them "workers"--just using the word "professional" in regards to them degrades the term.To deserve the honor of "professional", one should be clean-cut, polite, competent, credentialed, and literate.You may wonder if you know any "professionals" at all? Obviously most service workers don't look the part; and to add insult to injury, they can't talk it either.They can't talk in terms you understandThey can't even repeat the concerns you expressThey can't tell you what to expect from their serviceThey don't know the meaning of everyday words you useYou can't expect anything satisfactory from someone who can't even communicate on a rudimentary level.REASON #9: THEY SMOKE AND SMELL OF SMOKEIf you smoke, then this probably doesn't bother you. And so it may be news to you that most of us DON'T smoke and can't stand to have it blown in our face or even smell it on your clothes. And not only that, but those of us who DON'T smoke avoid it for our health. And breathing your 2nd hand smoke is downright UNHEALTHY--so we don't want to be around it.Really, I personally think this should be the #1 reason why service professionals are avoided like the bubonic plague.

Because tobacco smoke kills you--just not as quickly.REASON #10: THEY USE 'BAIT AND SWITCH' SALES TACTICSOr sleezy ones, or dis-honest ones...whatever you want to call it."Bait and Switch" is probably the most common one. You know. The promise of one price--even from an estimate or coupon--and then being told the price will be higher because of...whatever.Like the carpet cleaning coupon you get for $9.95 a room. You clean 3 rooms, expecting a bill of $29.85; but you are handed one for $480.23."What's the deal?" you ask.And then you get the run-around that the $9.95 a room was only for rooms under 25 square feet and only for rooms that were cleaned with the basic process. And since all your rooms were over 25 square feet, and since all your rooms required more than the basic process, your rooms were cleaned at the rate of $1.25 per square foot.CONCLUSION:It's a wonder at all that their is an industry for service professionals.

There probably only is due to the public need for it.But what if you were provided with a simple tool that let you avoid the service industry, you'd grab it, wouldn't you?Well, you have the opportunity to avoid the carpet cleaning industry. You don't have to give any carpet cleaner the opportunity to pull even one of the these 10 on you when you clean your carpet yourself!Visit http://www.cleanmyowncarpet.com right now!.

Their machines provide years of consistent, trouble-free performance even under conditions that would make lesser machines break down.

Known for making a dependable, powerful and yet lightweight line of different vacuum cleaners, Eureka has turned itself into one of the largest manufacturers in the world. Owned since the 1960's by Electrolux, the combined company claims 25% of the market for home appliances around the world.

Hoover, originally an English company, has marketed its name to such a high degree that the word "hoover" has become synonymous with vacuum cleaner much the same way that "Xerox" has become synonymous with copy machines in America. Known for its lightweight and powerful models that housewives have grown to love, their reliability and dependability has become legendary. For a lot of people, Hoover is their vacuum cleaner forever.

Another English company with a well-respected line of vacuum cleaners and a good market share in America, Dyson has been around for a long time.

Known lately for "the ball," which is making other manufacturers rethink their design strategies, Dyson is known for pushing the envelope on design features that make life easier for anyone who has to vacuum anything. "The ball" is a rubberized motor cover on an upright vacuum that allows the entire sucking apparatus to turn and pivot with much less effort than other uprights. Pretty soon, if Dyson has their way, you'll be seeing ads for other brands using some altered version of "the ball" on their new models.

A 65-year old company, Rainbow, has the only unique filtration system being used today. Rainbow vacuums use a water canister in the housing to filter the air through, which results in a much higher retention of dust and particulates than with any other filtration system. Combine this unique feature with a reputation for reliability, flexibility and dependability and you have the Rainbow line of vacuum cleaners.

The first Kirby vacuum, incorporating toe-touch control and a belt-driven brush roller, was made available to the public in 1935.

Ever since, the Kirby vacuum has had a loyal and dedicated following that swears by its durability and effectiveness.
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Obviously, if you knew what was wrong, you'd fix it yourself. All most people know when they bring in their broken machine is that it's broken. The repair shop will ask you what was happening when it stopped. He'll ask how old it is and a few other pertinent questions so he can make a quick evaluation of the problem. Then he'll give a quick examination to the obvious moving parts and if he sees something, he'll be able to tell you immediately what's going on and what it will take to fix it.

If he can't diagnose the problem quickly, you'll have to leave the unit in the shop, pay a small fee for him to determine the nature of the problem and discuss the matter over the phone before he makes the repairs. You can then decide if you want to go for the cost of repairing your vacuum cleaner or if you'd rather junk the old one and buy a new one..

The typical home contains 63 products which contain hazardous chemicals. Doctors and scientists are discovering that there appears to be a correlation between the increased use of household chemicals and the increased incidence of chronic illnesses in children such as cancer, asthma, attention deficit disorder, birth defects, and many other illnesses. How do you define toxic? A toxic substance can be defined as any substance that is capable of harming a person if it enters the body in a large enough dose. A toxic chemical is any chemical which through its chemical reaction on life processes can cause death, temporary incapacitations or permanent harm to humans or animals. There are virtually three ways in which toxins can enter our bodies: by ingesting, by inhaling or by contact with the skin or eyes.

There are many chemicals in everyday household cleaners which pose potentially toxic effects to our bodies. Common everyday ammonia is considered a poison which can cause rashes, redness and chemical burns. The fumes from ammonia are very irritating to the lungs and can be especially harmful to anyone suffering from respiratory illnesses. Ammonia can also cause grave eye damage. Chlorine bleach which is sodium hypochlorite is an irritant and can cause skin, eye and respiratory tract irritation.

NEVER mix bleach with acids such as vinegar, ammonia, toilet bowl cleaners, drain cleaners or chlorinated scouring powder as it can produce deadly chloramines gas which may result in the burning of mucous membranes and chemical pneumonia. Disinfectants may contain one or more of the following hazardous substances: ammonia, cationic detergents, cresol, lye, and phenol and pine oil. Air fresheners have been found to contain formaldehyde which is highly toxic and a known carcinogen (cancer causing). Air fresheners may also contain phenol which upon contact with skin may cause swelling, burning, peeling and the breaking out in hives. Phenol can also cause cold sweats, convulsions, circulatory collapse, coma and even death.

Some mold and mildew cleaners contain sodium hypochlorite which is corrosive, may irritate or burn skin and eyes, and may cause fluid in the lungs which can lead to coma or death. Formaldehyde is another ingredient in mold and mildew cleaners which is a highly toxic carcinogen causing nausea, headaches, nosebleeds, dizziness, memory loss and shortness of breath. Did you know that manufacturers are not required by law to list the exact ingredients on a label but rather can use other names to describe ingredients which may appear less threatening to your health? Alarmingly, manufacturers are no longer required to place the skull and cross bone symbol on poisonous products. WHAT TO LOOK FOR- Become an avid reader of labels on the household cleaners you purchase and look for ingredients that appear caustic or toxic.HELPFUL AND HEALTHY TIPS TO AVOID FOOD CONTAMINATION:- Educate yourself to the characteristics of the various ingredients to ensure that you are not exposing your family to toxic chemicals - Stop using those products which contain toxic materials - Look for alternative products which are non-toxic, natural, and environmentally conscious and replace your toxic cleaners with these.Brought to you by http://www.SmartLivingNews.com.

I recommend using a max 60watt bulb with all of my shades.

Care
Lampshades are not the easiest things to clean and can attract dust. You can buy 'lampshade cleaners' which are basically a rubber sponge that brush the dust off. Otherwise a soft bristled paint brush should do the trick and some people even use the upholstery attachment of a vacuum cleaner, but having not tried this myself I would advise that you take care if using this method.

Don't forget to look at my range of striking lampshades at hunkydory home..

You may have a main product but you should have other products to sell, too. Offer them in conjunction with your primary product as a way to help increase your customer's enjoyment.

2. Become a Consultant. Consulting is nice because there is not a cost involved; just your time. Consulting puts you on the map as the expert in your business.

Your core customers will turn to you for consulting work and for your products and the value they perceive from both will be much higher.

3. Become a trainer. There are a number of ways you can do this: You can offer online seminars or webinars, offer classes at http://www.universalclass.com or teach in your area of expertise at a local community college or adult education class. Again, the perception of value will increase among your prospects when they learn that you teach others.

4. Sell information.

Selling information ? especially digital information ? is huge. There are all kinds of valuable e-books and software you can sell, available here http://www.NetProfitSecrets.com. If you don't already sell it, the cost per unit decreases with every sale, making it a low-cost/high-profit way to earn great money.

5. Sell a System. Check out a site like http://www.carpet-cleaning-equipment.net.

It just looks like any other vacuum cleaner company. But when you click on the "start your own business" link, you'll notice that they bundle their vacuum cleaners with some ideas to make money with the vacuum cleaner. That way, they're no longer selling a vacuum cleaner but a way to make money. It's not a franchise or MLM? they're just selling their vacuum cleaners and some information. But it seems like a business opportunity.

Can you do that in your business?

6. Ask for referrals. I don't know how I can put this any more clearly: always, always, always, always ask for referrals. Always. Create referral coupons that give people some kind of reward or "kickback".
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All of this debris, a bi-product of some sort of manufacturing or large-scale commercial operation, had to be dealt with by vacuum cleaner manufacturers. Often, the special requirements of a company were dealt with on a case-by-case basis at the same time as the new plant was being constructed.

Similarly, airborne debris, dust and microscopic particles of whatever was being produced in the shop had to be removed from the air, either to protect the workers or to gather and store the valuable materials to keep from losing them. Huge vacuum cleaners were mounted on rooftops, and behind the factories themselves, that resembled air-conditioning units more closely than vacuum cleaners. But they performed precisely the opposite function.

Where air-conditioners cool and then pump air into the factory to keep temperatures comfortable and controlled, these huge vacuum cleaners are sucking the air out of the factories, either from the ceiling levels or from beneath the floor, filtering out the debris and keeping it accessible during cleaning.

Factories that produce fine particulate debris as part of their manufacturing process need to maintain a safe breathing environment for their workers and those companies that are refining a valuable metal need to collect the particulates for later re-use. Both functions are amply served by today's industrial vacuum cleaners.
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With powerful suction as a uniform trait across all the Panasonic vacuum cleaner's models, you can be sure of a thorough clean whichever type you choose. Be warned, though, the choice is likely to be a difficult one ? with Panasonic upright vacuum cleaners offering the same close clean afforded by the flexible canister vacuum and the canister cleaners offering a clean as powerful as many upright brands, Panasonic vacuum cleaners will have you spoiled for choice.

Lightweight and excellent value, Panasonic vacuum cleaners are both well made and versatile. The consumer reviews of Panasonic vacuum cleaners do recommend, however, that these cleaners are more suitable for light to moderate cleaning, and suggest that Panasonic vacuum cleaner bags can be difficult to locate. The Internet, however, is a great way to locate vacuum cleaner parts, so don't let Panasonic vacuum cleaner bags become the only reason that you don't purchase one of these great cleaners.

In short, Panasonic vacuum cleaners are easy to use and provide powerful suction. With a range of technological vacuum treats to help your chores run more quickly and smoothly, it seems there are very few reasons not to choose Panasonic vacuum cleaners for your home.
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After about 6-8 months, you'll want to have your carpets professionally cleaned to keep your carpet's filtering ability in tip-top shape. In July 2003 Cleanfax magazine, Jeff Bishop, technical director of the Institute of Cleaning and Restoration Certification states, "I think there is a misperception about carpet because people find it harder to clean it themselves, although, when you think about it, carpet is far easier and less expensive to ?maintain' than hard surface when you factor in the consumer's time." Bishop supports the allergy benefits of carpets when properly maintained. But when carpet cleaning is neglected, the consumer has "created a nightmare." Bishop states that, "Rather than take responsibility for this situation themselves, they find it easier to blame the product." So, don't make the mistake and waste $10,000 for hardwood as the solution to relieve your allergies. Instead, clean your carpet to restore the natural filtering process of your carpet. Also invest in a HEPA filtered vacuum to remove trapped pollutants until your next maintenance carpet cleaning.A great HEPA vaccuum is available at http://www.cleanmyowncarpet.com, and let me know at laura@cleanmyowncarpet.com and I'll be happy to help you out.

And if you need help cleaning your own carpet the right way to properly remove pollutants and restore your filter, then the How To Clean Your Own Carpet No-Brainer System will be perfect for you at http://cleanmyowncarpet.com Sincerely,P.S. Don't waste $10,000+ on removing carpet and installing hardwood floors in hopes of relieving your allergies. Use your carpet's natural ability to trap and filter pollutants when you have your How To Clean Your Own Carpet No-Brainer System at http://cleanmyowncarpet.com.

However some upright cleaning systems come
packaged with an air-driven upholstery tool with a revolving
brush.
Utility: Any inexpensive name-brand shop vacuum will work
here. Just make sure the bags and filters are readily available.
2. Power Ratings: Fact or Fiction
Walk through a store's vacuum cleaner display and you'll soon
see each one proudly displaying its power ratings. They typically
show one or more ratings such as Watts or Amps.
Watts and Amps are a measure of power consumption; how much
electricity the appliance will use. Wattage and amperage only
give you part of the picture.

Imagine buying a water pump: You may be concerned with the
power consumption but will probably be more concerned with the
volume of water it moves, Gallons Per Minute (GPM).
A vacuum cleaner is essentially an "air pump" and the rating
you should be concerned with is the volume of air moved per
minute which is rated in CFM or Cubic Feet of air per Minute.
An upright vacuum with a rating of approximately 100 CFM or
greater is required if you want to remove the denser abrasive
sand from your carpet. Most household brands are grouped around
40 CFM with a small inch and a quarter fill tube and for obvious
reasons do not like to display their CFM rating. The brand we
like moves roughly 120 CFM, almost 3 times the average with a
price tag less than one sixth of the high-end name brand
household machines.

(email us at whichvacbrandwelike@a1vacandsew.com
if you want to find out which brand we like)
Cannister and upholstery vacuum cleaners will not move nearly
as much air as the better uprights will. Cannister vacs are
limited because the hose restricts the amount of air that can be
moved and should not be used for carpet. CFM is still important
in a cannister or hand vac but not as critical as it is in an
upright vacuum cleaner.
3. Serviceability
Make sure bags, belts, filters and parts will be readily
available for your machine.
It is not uncommon to see chain stores quit selling supplies
for appliances they no longer stock, and with models changing
yearly this can be a serious inconvenience.
4.

Maintainability
Look for a cleaning system that is easy to maintain. Some models
require a technician to do an otherwise simple belt change.
Avoid vacuum cleaners that draw debris through small hoses,
orifices or sharp bends. Objects are prone to lodge in these
areas restricting air flow. Many times this will require
disassembly of the machine and in many cases will cause your
motor to overheat.
5. Cost of Ownership
Always buy quality; the investment will pay you back with a lower
cost per year.

A good quality vacuum will extend the life of your
carpeting and maintain a fluffier more vibrant appearance.
Avoid the cheap machines if possible because they do not clean
very well, are predisposed to failure and parts are not readily
available.
Some models use extraordinarily high priced filters and bags.
Look for a system that uses inexpensive and readily available
supplies.
6. HEPA Filtration and Performance
Filtration is good so more filtration must be better, right?
Wrong!
Too much filtration reduces the air-flow of your vacuum
cleaner. If the wind doesn't blow, the dust will not fly.
Find a vacuum cleaner that allows you to purchase optional
"Premium" high filtration paper bags. You will never have to
worry about your expensive HEPA filters plugging up.

When you
toss the bag, you start fresh and maintain a good air-flow.
If allergies or dust control are not an issue, you may look
into the bagless models but most of these have expensive filters
that need to be replaced.
7. Bagless or Bust
Bagless vacuum cleaners leak lots of dust so avoid them if
anyone has allergy related problems. If health issues are not a
concern bagless vacuums can provice some extra convenience and
cost savings.
Most bagless vacuum cleaners have expensive filters that need
to be replaced periodically. On many models if these filters are
not changed regularly you may damage the motor.
Bagless vacuums usually have a higher initial cost so it may
take a while to realize any cost savings.
8. Warranty
Like anything else you purchase, look for a machine that offers a
parts and labor warranty for more than one year.

Our personal
pick is the blue line Sanitaire "System_Pro"
upright series which offer a five year factory parts and labor
warranty at no extra cost.
Many brands offer an extended warranty for an additional
charge but avoid these machines. If the manufacturer is confident
about their product they will include the warranty with the
original purchase price.
9. Mass Market Hype
Almost every household has at least one vacuum cleaner and the
mass market is taking advantage of this. You can expect the
lifespan of the typical chain store vacuum cleaner to be around 2
years or less.
The majority of these machines are underpowered, unable to
remove embedded dirt and have a short life span. Forgetting the
replacement cost every 2 years, consider the damage that embedded
dirt will do to your carpeting.

Sand is abrasive (think
sandpaper) and will cut the fibers of your carpet leaving wear
patterns in the high traffic areas of your home. If you do not
remove the sand from your carpeting, you will lose approximately
one half of the life of your carpet.
Purchasing a cheap chain store vacuum cleaner may be an
expensive mistake, especially if you are a home owner.
10. The Swiss Army Knife ? Add-ons You Need (or don't)
You have seen all of the cool gadgets that are added to some
vacuum cleaners. Everything from shampooers and paint sprayers to
turbo driven upholstery brushes and self-propelled power drive
units are available depending on manufacturer and model.
The truth is that most people never or rarely use most of the
optional accessories.

Do you picture yourself painting a fence
with a vacuum cleaner?
Now, there are some very useful add-on tools available for
purchase separately at modest prices. We recommend buying a basic
good quality vacuum and then purchasing tools separately that fit
very specific jobs such as a

ceiling fan brush,

vertical mini-blind brush,

air powered turbo driven upholstery brush, etc.
Summary
When shopping for a vacuum cleaner, match the tool to the job.
Buy the best quality you can afford because it will give the
greatest return on your investment and have a direct impact on
the appearance and life of your carpeting. Look for a decent
warranty and make sure that support and supplies will be
available in the future.
Happy Vacuuming!
?
Randy has over 30 years of experience in vacuum equipment
sales and service.
Randy can be found at
A-1 Vacuum and Sewing Center | Your source for household and
commercial vacuum cleaners
Copyright ? 2006 www.a1vacandsew.com.