With today�s rising fuel costs everything
just seems to get a little more expensive every day. When you own a
business you know that every penny saved can help. Janitorial supplies
and janitorial services can eat a big chunk out of your bottom line but
there are things you can do to save up to 50% on these types of
expenses. Having your facilities cleaned and having to stock your
bathrooms with toilet paper and soap are a necessity but there are ways
to save hundreds if not thousands of dollars each year on commercial
cleaning and janitorial supplies.



If you use a janitorial company and your facility is under the size of a
football field then you are wasting money. By paying a janitorial
company to come in every night and do simple tasks like vacuuming and
emptying trash you are essentially paying a company to make a profit off
of something you could be easily doing yourself in house. By developing
a simple plan for your existing employees and having them do some of
these tasks can have a huge impact on your janitorial budget. Simple
tasks like taking out the trash at the end of the day can be handed out
to your current employees. By creating a central location as a main
trash refugee can make it easy on employees by having them walk a
minimal distance to dump there own trash containers at the end of the
day. Many companies are looking to their current staff and advertising
janitorial positions for after business hours. In these financially
challenging times many employees would jump at the opportunity to work a
few extra hours at night to make a little more income. By being smart
and taking the time to look at what a janitorial company is actually
providing you can save a lot of money.



Another big area you can save money in is your restroom supplies. Every
facility has to have restrooms and those restrooms are filled with
products that you can save money on. Some examples of products you can
save money on are toilet paper, hand towels and soap. Toilet paper can
get expensive depending on what kind you use. The price of toilet paper
can range from as little as $40 dollars a case to $120 dollars a case.
By purchasing commercial toilet paper which is wound with more length to
a roll than regular toilet paper can save you hundreds of dollars over
just one year. Another great way to save money is on soap. If you
purchase soap that can comes in cartridges you may as well have a free
money dispenser in your restroom. Cartridge soaps can cost up to 4 times
what bulk gallon soaps cost and take the same amount of time to fill as
cartridge dispensers. Hand towels can easily be replaced by hand dryers.
With hand dryers there is no trash to take out and you can eliminate the
cost of replacing paper towel dispensers when they break down.



A great way to save money on janitorial expenses is to question your
janitorial bills. If you are currently having your janitorial company
provide your janitorial and sanitary maintenance supplies find out if
they are selling you the products at their cost or up charging you. Many
business owners have no clue about how much a case of toilet paper or a
case of trash can liners cost. Some janitorial companies mark up the
janitorial products they are selling you by as much as 300% and work it
into the bill. There is nothing wrong with asking your janitorial
company for a breakdown of there charges and comparing the prices your
being charged with the actual costs of what you can purchase the items
at.



As an expert in the janitorial field I talk to a lot of janitorial
company owners and see where they live and what they drive. Some owners
live in million dollar houses and drive very expensive cars all from
profits they are making from commercial janitorial. With this being true
that means they�re making a lot of money from up charging you for simple
services and products that any business owner can buy online or at a
local janitorial supply distributor. So if you�re a business owner and
want to save some of your hard earned dollars, take a good look at your
janitorial situation and start asking questions right away.

There are several ways to use vinegar for household cleaning if you want a natural, fresh scent without harsh chemicals.

Vinegar is a multi-purpose product. It can be used for literally thousands of tasks. You can use it for health purposes, for beauty (hair and bath), food and cooking, gardening, and house cleaning.


House cleaning is one important use for vinegar. Using vinegar instead of other products that contain harsh chemical can be a great choice for the health of your family. Why expose yourself and your family to harsh chemicals contained in cleaning products when you have a safer alternative that works just as well or better than other cleaners. There are several advantages to using vinegar instead of other cleaning products. One, it is a natural substance and is safer and healthier. Another advantage is that it is less expensive than commercial cleaners and it is readily available.


Here are five ways you can use vinegar in your household cleaning routine:


Window cleaning: Mix with water or use full strength to clean windows, glass and mirrors. Dry with crumpled newspaper to get a fresh streak free shine every time. It removes water spots and dirt for cleaning windows indoors and outside.


Floor cleaner: It is safe on your no wax vinyl, wood and tile floors. It removes dirt and build-up while leaving the floor looking clean and shiny. Add a ½ cup of vinegar to 1 gallon of water and mop up those dirty, messy floors with ease. You can also use it in the spray mops for quick clean-ups.


Dishes/dishwasher: Use vinegar in your dishwasher to remove build-up from the dishwashing detergent or use it as a rinse aid to leave your dishes streak-free. Run a cup of vinegar through a full dishwashing cycle once a month to clean and deodorize your dishwasher. Also you can use it in the sink in hot water with dish soap to remove soap build-up and water deposits from glassware.


Oven Cleaner: Use vinegar as a final rinse when you are cleaning your oven with the harsh alkali cleaners that stay in your oven and stink-up your kitchen when you use the newly cleaned oven after you scrub. Wipe the entire oven with vinegar to remove the chemical build-up and to freshen and polish the inside of the oven after a deep cleaning. It can also be used on self-cleaning ovens.


Washing Walls: Vinegar can remove harsh stains from walls with ease. It can remove nicotine stains if you have smokers or pen and crayon from little ones. Use vinegar just to wipe down your walls for normal washing; it absorbs odors and cleans the walls without striping the paint. Vinegar is a natural neutralizer, so it will freshen the air and leave your house smelling clean.


The cleaning tips I listed above are just a few of the household items and appliances that you can clean using vinegar. Vinegar can be used to safely clean just about anything in your home. Vinegar is one of the oldest cleaning products. It has been used for generations to keep things looking clean and smelling fresh. There are different kinds of vinegar you can purchase. The two that work best for house cleaning are distilled white vinegar and apple cider vinegar. If you can protect your family’s health, use a natural cleaner that actually works and keeps your house looking and smelling clean. Why not use it for all of your household cleaning needs?

Clean, De-Clutter, Organize Bathrooms by following four easy steps.

Making your bathroom a clean, clutter-free and well-organized space often looks like an insurmountable challenge on the surface. But you can make the job manageable -- even downright pleasurable -- if you follow these 4 simple guidelines.


1. Un-clutter first. Don't start by sorting and tossing. Just get everything out of your way.

2. Clean everything, top to bottom, left to right.

3. Use it, re-use it or lose it.

4. Simplify.


Have everything handy that you'll need to do the job. You'll need such cleaning items as:


* broom and dustpan

* dust mop and wet mop

* at least four boxes or clean pails

* at least one sturdy scrub brush

* a box of disposable gloves

* a gallon of bleach

* your favorite cleaning supplies

* long-handled brush to clean toilet

* commercial or herbal disinfectants

* bag of rags

* paper towels

* window and mirror cleaner, or white vinegar

* wood polish (for doors, moldings)


And I always keep a little jar of old toothbrushes handy to scrub those spots that bigger brushes can't reach.


1. Un-clutter: Everything and everybody ... OUT!


It's a fact that you can't clean properly with something or someone in your way, so remove all barriers to your progress in cleaning the bathroom. Send the kids to a movie or to the mall. Unless you're cleaning with herbal solutions, you'll be using some fairly hair-raising chemicals and you don't want youngsters around them.


Remember those four boxes or pails you gathered with your cleaning supplies? Put them to work. Label the first one "necessaries," the second one, "niceties," and the third one "need-accessible." The fourth one is “re-use.” Into these boxes go only the items you can see out around you, on counters, in the shower, on windowsills and on open shelves, so this should be a quick first-sort. Don't forget to take the tissue box and toilet paper off the rack.


Take your boxes out of the bathroom and as far down the hallway as you can put them for the time being. Next, take down window curtains, shower curtains and anything hanging on hooks, racks or on the floor, including rugs and tank sets. Out it all goes, into the hallway or adjoining room. You can toss the dry items into the hamper, or even into the laundry, if you promise to take just two minutes from the task at hand. And out go the scale, the hamper, the waste basket, the baby tub, the hanging shower shelves or racks, the loofahs and massagers.


2. Clean like a fiend


Do the big jobs first. Top to bottom, left to right, section by section. Start by running your dustmop across the ceiling before washing it with detergent and water. Take down and clean out the ceiling fixtures, wipe down ceiling fans and vents, and then start on that section's walls and appliances, such as the shower, tub, commode, vanity and large items such as towel racks and robe-warmers.


As you reach the bottom of your section, spray a little cleaner along the edge of the floor and give it a little scrub with your toothbrush. That's where grime tends to hide and build up. Loosening it now will make your floor-scrubbing later go a lot more quickly. You'll want to treat any mildew you find with a solution of one part bleach to two parts water. Consider using herbal rosemary disinfectant in the sinks, for a sweet and fresh scent that is sure to perk your hard-working spirit right up.


Continue left to right, section by section, until you've cleaned everything but the floor. When you're done with the walls, appliances and counters, wash the windows and mirrors. When all else is washed and clean, sweep and wash the floor, from the furthest inside corner out toward the door. When you're done with the floor, wash thoroughly all the items you removed from your bathroom that you plant to put back.


3. Use it, re-use or lose it


While the floor is drying, start working your way through the bottles, tubes and boxes of "stuff" you hauled off counters, trays and shelves before you cleaned. Make a vow to only touch each item once. Assuming your bathroom has a medicine chest, you'll want to keep your medicines, health supplies and deodorants inside it. There's no need to have your mouthwash and birth control pills out on the counter every day.


In your "necessaries" box you'll place those items that are used daily: shampoo, conditioner, soap, toothbrushes and toothpaste, brushes, combs, bathroom tissue and so on. You're the best judge of what's necessary -- things left "out" as opposed to stored or stashed -- in your own bathroom. In your "niceties" box will go perfumes, powders, make-up, hair accessories, and cosmetic aids.


In your "need-accessible" box are extras to replace the necessaries: bathroom tissue, Band Aids, baby wipes, extra tubes of toothpaste. You should also keep an extra light bulb in there, as well as a candle and candleholder, for those powerless emergencies. All along the sorting way, when you find something you can give away or throw away, do it. That's what the re-use box is for. That nice box of scented soaps would make a terrific gift for the domestic violence shelter. The homeless shelter could always use half-a-dozen travel-size tubes of toothpaste. Anything that's past its listed expiration date is a throw-away.


4. Simplify


In re-ordering a spotless bathroom, you should pledge to simplify choices to help avoid a major de-cluttering effort in the future. This element of the chore goes to the golden rule of housekeeping: A place for everything, and everything in its place. If you really believe more storage space or more shower caddies will do the trick, by all means invest in them. But more isn't always less. Here are some quick ways to simplify your bathroom clutter:


* Consolidate where possible. This is the one time you may violate your one-touch rule. It's not necessary to have four partially filled bottles of shampoo or conditioner. Combine them and toss the empties into the recycling bin.


* Basket-ize. Line a few baskets with pieces of fabric or left-over quilting squares, and group small items, tubes, cosmetics and pieces of jewelry into them.


* Buy in bulk. Get the large-sized liquid soaps, shampoos and gels, and transfer to a smaller bottle as needed. You'll find you have far, far fewer bottles this way.


In the end, you'll have a place for everything if you just have less stuff. When your chore is completed, and your bathroom is fit for royalty, and your towels and rugs are fresh, fluffy and warm from the dryer, treat yourself to a long, hot bubble bath, accompanied by some relaxing music, scented candles and your favorite book. Take an hour to luxuriate in a task well done.