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The Cold and Flu Season Is Upon Us

Cold Flu

Preventing cold and flu

With the weather changing and temperatures falling the flu and cold season begins. Many people are aware of the way cold and flu spreads, through coughing sneezing and other physical contact. However people might not be aware of germs surviving weeks on surfaces and on items we use on a daily basis.

Its important to sanitise phones, light switches, door handles and anything we touch many times a day without even thinking. These can be easily cleaned tho with a sanitiser spray or cleaning wipe. But going deeper still, what about fabrics and carpet?

Some reports suggest that bacteria and viruses can last for days even weeks on textiles. These include chairs, pillows, carpets, rugs, sofa’s and beds. We are all used to washing our bed linen, changing the sheets and pillows, but what about your carpet or sofa?

Getting your carpet and upholstery professionally cleaned can reduce transmission and keep the flu and cold virus at bay.

Using hot water extraction, sanitiser pre-spray and chemical cleaning agents combined, can kill 99.9% of bacteria and viruses that can make us ill. Plus this method also removes stains, spillages and brings back that like new appearance.

So lets all stay cold and flu free at home this year.

Spring Carpet Clean

spring, spring flower, garden

Spring is upon us and its time to give the home a thorough clean from top to bottom. Carpets can start to look a bit grubby this time of year due to the winter months. Your entrance, hallways and runners can begin to have that brown line up the middle caused by walking in from the wet outside.

Giving your carpets a good professional clean this time of year is a popular choice, now the sun is out a little bit and the ground is drying up it will get your carpets back to looking great again.

If you need a free quotation please send us a message and we can provide you with a price and how long it will take.

Removing Chewing Gum

Chewing Gum Stuck On Carpet

Removing Chewing Gum From Carpet

There’s nothing worse then coming home and noticing you have just walked chewing gum through. You look down and see a big white blob stuck to the carpet. But don’t panic, removing chewing gum from carpet is easy. If your lucky it may be loose enough for you to pick up with a tissue. However depending on your carpet type it may have already stuck to the fibres. The best thing to do at this point is leave it, walk away and come back later.

With fresh eyes you can now see the chewing gum has gone hard. With a spoon tap the gum to double check all of it has hardened and ready for removing. Now the trick is you need to freeze the gum, by doing this it will break up easily. Some say heat or hot water will remove it but all that does is turn it back to a soft sticky residue that will just become a mess. You want to remove the gum without ripping or damaging the carpet fibres.

There are two options for freezing chewing gum, first is buy some freezing spray that comes in a can. Most hardware stores or online shops sell this. You can then spray the gum and freeze it instantly. The second option which takes a little bit longer is using ice. Take some ice cubes, place in a small clear bag and place it onto the gum and leave it to freeze.

Once the gum is cold and frozen you can now begin to scrap the gum, it should break up into pieces and lift off. Using only a plastic scraper, guitar pick or something blunt. Take your time not to pull at the carpet or damage the fibres, be patient and work slowly. If you find it is starting to stick again re-apply the ice or freeing spray.

Once the gum is removed you can now rinse the area with a sponge and warm water. Dab the area not rub, and gently rinse the carpet to finish.

Viruses And Bacteria

Common Viruses Bacteria

What is a Virus?

A virus is different from bacteria as it is simply a collection of microbes made up of genetic material either DNA or RNA. In order for a virus to be a virus they need to latch on to a living cell in order to multiply and reproduce. You can think of a virus as tiny molecular machine with a size on the nanometre scale. Viruses are equipped to invade the cells of living organisms, they do this by wrapping themselves around a cell hijacking there energy. While the great majority are harmless to humans, some can make you sick and some can even be deadly.

What is Bacteria?

Basically bacteria are cells, free floating genetic material. So on a biological level, the main difference between bacteria and viruses is that bacteria are free-living cells that can live inside or outside a body. While viruses are a non-living collection of molecules that need a host to survive. Many bacteria help us tho living in our gut digesting our food. Similarly, not all viruses are bad. Some can kill undesirable bacteria and some can kill more dangerous viruses, so they can actually be good.

E.Coli (STEC) – Bacteria Mainly Found In Food

Our first example of a common bacteria is E.Coli which sits in the lower intestine of warm blooded organisms. Most strains are harmless, but can cause serious food poisoning. E. coli is sourced from the consumption of contaminated foods, such as raw and uncooked meats, raw milk and raw vegetables.  Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC) is destroyed through cooking foods 70 °C or higher. Symptoms include abdominal cramps and diarrhoea, fever and vomiting. The incubation period can be from 3 to 8 days with most recovering within 10 days. Cross contamination during food prep is another main source, keeping cooked and uncooked meats together.

Preventing E.Coli 

  • Wash hands
  • Separate raw and cooked meats
  • Cook thoroughly
  • Use safe water
  • Clean all food prep surfaces before and after use

MRSA – Virus Commonly Found In Hospitals

Our second example is a common viruses strain of Staphylococcus aureus. Common in hospitals, prisons and nursing homes where people with open wounds, invasive devices such as catheters and weakened immune systems. Shared surfaces and skin to skin contact is a cause of transmission. These include sharing personal items such as towels and touching an infected person. Symptoms include small red bumps that look like pimples, bites or boils. Within a few days they become larger and more painful. They eventually open into deep pus-filled boils. Treatment of MRSA infections is urgent and delays can be fatal. Antibiotics is effective against MRSA and can be given by IV, oral or both. Diagnoses is a lab test cultured usually form blood or urine.

Preventing MRSA

  • Maintain good hygiene
  • Keep cuts and wounds covered
  • Avoid sharing items such as towels and razors
  • Seek medical assistance as soon as possible

SEPSIS – Virus

Life threatening condition that arises when the body’s response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. Common signs include a fever, burning, cough, swelling and redness. Sepsis is triggered by an infection, fungal, viral or protozoan. Immediate treatment with intravenous fluids and antibiotics is a must. Every cut, scrape and break in the skin can allow bacteria to enter the body which is a common cause of Sepsis.Blisters – Do not pop or break them this is a natural protective barrier, breaking them introduces an opening in the skin which can cause further infection resulting in Sepsis.

Preventing Sepsis

  • Keep all wounds and cuts covered and clean
  • Wash hands
  • Look for early signs of Sepsis and seek medical assistants

FLU – Air Born Virus

Influenza commonly known as “the flu” is an infectious disease caused by an influenza virus. Symptoms can range from mild to sever. High fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle and joint pain, headache, coughing and feeling tired. Usually symptoms begin two days after exposure and last for 1-2 weeks. The virus is spread through the air from coughing to sneezing and touching contaminated surfaces. Influenza’s effects are much more severe and last longer than those of the common cold. New influenza viruses are constantly evolving by mutation and cause new variants. The most lethal outbreak was the 1918 flu pandemic called the “Spanish Flu” which lasted for 2 years and killed millions of people. So even tho it was called the Spanish Flu its believed that the first cases were recorded in the Untied States and France by army troops. News coverage at the time concluded Spain had the most cases hence the name Spanish Flu was created.

Preventing Flu

  • Wash hands
  • Keep away from infected persons
  • Avoid touching eyes. nose and mouth

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