Bring out the Shears for better blooms

- Flowers in your backyard garden are ephemeral - They vanish without a trace at the end of each season - Doesn't mean you shouldn't prune

Pruning can help make more flowers, make the plants bushier or increase the size of individual flow ers.
So grab your hand shears and sharpen your thumb nail for a stroll among the flowers.
Start with a pinch, for bushiness
Pinching out the tips of growing stems stops, at least temporarily, their growth, in so doing coaxing growth of side shoots. The result Bushier plants. Even though plants such as lavat-era, marigold and zinnia are naturally bushy, pinch ing out the tips of their stems makes them more so. Don't carry pinching to excess, though, because it does delay flowering; pinching is something you want to do mostly at the be ginning of the growing sea son. And plants with more side shoots will have more-— but smaller — flowers.

A pinch might make bigger Flowers
Just as pinching the tips of stems makes bushier plants with more but small er flowers, limiting the number of stems or flowers has the opposite effect. This is how you grow "football" mums and "dinnerplate" dahlias. Create a plant with fewer but larger flowers by pinching off side shoots, pinching off flower buds forming along a stem, or re ducing the number of stems sprouting from ground level


Deadhead for more flowers
— called deadheading — is yet another way pruning gets the best out of your flower plants. Deadheading does double duty, keeping plants tidy and preventing seed formation. Seed for mation can drain enough energy from a plant to slow or stop flowering.
Deadheading is especial ly effective at keeping an nuals energetic because all they live for is to flower enough to set some seeds. Then these plants slow down or die, all in one season.
Pruning flowers at the right time and in the right circumstances can mean either bigger blooms for bushier plants.



Cut the spent flowers
Cutting individual, spent flowers from mounded plants bear ing small flowers would be much too tedious. Deadhead alyssum, nasturtium, petunias and other such plants by shear ing the whole plant back with either grass or hedge shears after a flush of bloom. Give mound ed perennials like basket-of-gold, cottage pink, edging candytuft and spike speedwell similar treatment. All these plants will look ragged for a while, but soon cover shorn stems and leaves with new growth and flow ers.

Deadheading also keeps plants tidy by preventing unwanted self-seeding.

Hints and Tips On Cleaning
Helpful Hints
House cleaning is not at the top of most peoples list of fine things to do but if you let your mind wonder too much, you'll spend even more time cleaning.
Focus on what your doing, make every move counts, and you'll finish more quickly.
Household organizing and cleaning can be done quicker than you think.

Get help.
If there are others living and breathing in the house with you, who are most certainly contributing to the mess, get them to help. My favourite is to assign task to each child for a week at a time, and rotate tasks. Don't forget to throw in deep cleaning items, like the mess under the sink, or spraying dowm and wiping the trash compactor

Dust first, vacuum last. Start dusting from the top of the highest shelves, the tops of cabinets. These tend to be less dusty than lower shelves. Even if you dust quickly, you'll be moving the dust down to a lower level, usually the floor, where it is easily vacuumed away.

Use the right product for the job. Use natural cleaning products if possible. We don't use fancy cleaning product that but it's important to use good quality, heavy duty cleaning products that do a great job. This doesn't mean you have to spend a lot of money either. We use a solution of vinegar and water to damp mop linolium or vinyl floors. It works great.
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Helpful Tips

Stinky Sink?
The sink, for whatever reason, can stink.
After you make sure nothing too terrible is hidden in there (last night's dinner, perhaps?) you can use this trick to make it smell as fresh as can be:

1. Pour 1/2 box of baking soda down the drain
2. Add 1/2 cup of white vinegar
3. Cover drain tightly for 5 minutes
4. Run the cold water to clear out
5. Easy and effective, there you go
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For Business and Offices Heres some helpfull hints

Learn now to prevent one of the most common workplace accidents before you end up paying out in huge claims!

Make sure workers are wearing proper footwear for their work area. If necessary, provide them with the correct footwear.

Use mats and rugs where spills of liquids are likely. Make sure the edges are beveled to prevent tripping and the mat has slip resistant backing.

Make sure stairs are in good working order. Handrails are secure and step edges are easy to see. Avoid using colorful carpet patterns on indoor stairs. Outdoor stairs must be slip resistant and should have striping on each step.

Buy the right flooring for the right work situation. Different flooring has different slip resistance. Ask about slip resistance when buying.
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RESTROOM CLEANING TIP

The speed at which a restroom gets cleaned is so important because it is a big part of any routine cleaning. You don't want anyone spending any more time getting it done than they have to, yet you still want to do a very good job of it........


Toilet bowl ring removal
The earlier you attack this problem, the easier it will be to remove the ring. A thorough cleaning with a commercial acid-based bowl cleaner may do the trick. If the bowl cleaner doesn't work, try using a green, nylon-backed scrub sponge along with the acid. For an old ring, use a pumice stone. Wet the stone with the water in the bowl and rub it on the ringKeep the stone wet the entire time you're scrubbing. Pumice stones should only be used on vitreous china toilets - never on colored, enamel or plastic fixtures. Once you've gotten rid of a ring, weekly cleanings should keep it from coming back
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150 Tips and Tricks on Cleaning

Cleaning is the most time consuming job in house keeping. Worse of all, some stains are hard to clean out. Even if you are spending all your efforts or energy, you may not clean them probably. So how to combat with all those difficulties and save your time on these cleaning tasks? Do It Yourself.com has some (well over 150) tips, tricks and how-to on cleaning stains, items and rooms. Just love the site and those information – the best ones in my opinion maybe the Chewing Gum Removal Tips (I tried it and it works nicely), How to Clean Soy Stains, Lipstick Stain Removal, Kitchen Cleaning Tips etc…Keeping a clean home is a key part to having a happy home. Cleaning a home can be a painstaking and exhaustive process

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http://www.multiservices-janitorial.com

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Airborne Allergens Avoidance Tips

POLLEN AVOIDANCE MEASURES:
1. Close windows during pollen season; use air conditioning in car.
2. Remove shoes and clothing when coming indoors.
3. Do not dry clothes outside during the pollen season.
4. Avoid being outside in the morning if possible or on windy days.
5. Use antihistamine before exposure.
6. If very symptomatic when coming from outside take a shower and wash hair.
7. Rinse nose with salted water many times during the day if you are exposed to pollens.

DUST MITE ELIMINATION MEASURES:
1. Wash bedding in hot water once a week.
2. Get new pillow once a year or cover pillow with a dust mite proof cover.*
3. Get dust mite proof mattress cover.*
4. Get vinyl cover for box spring.
5. Keep humidity between 30-45% (get dehumidifier).
6. Keep only new washable teddies on the bed.
7. Keep no dust collectors in bedroom.
8. Use double bag or HEPA filter on vacuum or use central vacuum.
9. Remove carpets especially in patient's bedroom.
10. Get vinyl or leather covered furniture in house and car.
* can be ordered through www.quorumallergy.com or 1-800-501-5115. Look for "allergen barrier" listed on the packaging and a zipper all around the cover.

PET HAIR ELIMINATION MEASURES:
1. Keep pet outdoors.
2. If not possible to keep pet outdoors, keep pet confined to one room. At least keep pet out of patient's bedroom.
3. Wash pet once a week with Allerpet or with warm water on a cloth; a shower or going in the rain is also very good.
4. Cover pillow and mattress with impermeable dust mite covers.
5. Use HEPA filter in bedroom and family room, and on vacuum or use central vacuum system.
6. Wipe surfaces with damp cloth
7. Non-carpeted floors prevent accumulation of pet hair.

What is allergy?

What is allergy?
Allergies occur when the immune system becomes unusually sensitive and overreacts to common substances that are normally harmless, such as pollens, molds, dust or food. Genetic tendency plays a role since allergies tend to run in families. Allergy develops when exposure to certain substances leads to sensitivity. These substances that cause allergic reactions are called allergens.

The immune system produces various antibodies. The antibody that is involved in allergic reactions is called IgE. During an allergic reaction allergens come into contact with special cells called "mast cells" that are found in the lining of the nose, lungs, skin and intestinal tract. The IgE antibodies that are attached to these cells cause the release of many chemicals, including histamine, which results in inflammation and symptoms of allergy.

Depending on the individual and the particular allergen, allergy symptoms can occur in the upper and lower respiratory tracts, the skin, digestive system and other organs. Each individual is different. For example in the case of cat allergy, one person might have symptoms affecting the nose while another might have wheezing in the chest.

Some allergies develop after a long period of exposure while others often seem to develop after a relatively short exposure. Some are life-long while others may subside over time. Once sensitization occurs, avoidance of allergens is the best way to prevent symptoms.

Dust, Pet and Mold Allergies
Our multipage brochure about several common allergies.
Atopic Dermatitis - Eczema
by Dr. Liliane Gendreau-Reid, MD, FRCPC Pediatrics; FRCPC Clinical Immunology & Allergy; Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics UBC, Victoria, BC
Eosinophilic Esophagitis
by Dr. Harold Kim, Allergist, Kitchener, Ontario
Cosmetic Allergies — Is Soap Really Good for You?The first of a series of articles designed to help AAIA members better understand cosmetic allergies. [read more...]
Allergic Rhinitis
by Dr. Harold Kim, Kitchener, Ontario
Learn the link:
Managing your asthma and your seasonal allergies. [read more...]
Rhinitis: The Facts
by Liliane Gendreau-Reid, MD, Victoria, BC
Airborne Allergens Avoidance Tips
by Liliane Gendreau-Reid, MD, Victoria, BC
Hives (Urticaria)
Hives are a common occurrence, affecting up to 25% of the population at least once in their lives. They can be short term, lasting only a few days to six weeks, but they can be chronic and last for months or years. [read more...]
Allergy Season — It can affect your thinking !!!
by George Luciuk, MD, FRCPC
Does Allergy Protect Against Cancer?
by Dr. Susan Waserman, MD, FRCP, Hamilton, Ontario
Drug Allergy: How You Can Help Your Allergist Make the Diagnosis
by Amin S. Kanani, MDCM, FRCPC
The Positive Side of Being Allergic
by Robin Bayley, Victoria, British Columbia
Are you allergic to cats?
from an article by Thomas A E Platts-Mills, Asthma and Allergic Diseases Center, University VA Medical Center, Charlottesville, VA
Scents in the Workplace
Individuals who are affected by allergic rhinitis and asthma may find that strong scents trigger their symptoms. [read more...]
The Hygiene Hypothesis
At the CSACI Annual Scientific Meeting held in Ottawa in October 2004, there was an interesting debate on the Hygiene Hypothesis by two experts in the field of allergy. These are some of the main arguments. Reported by Mary Allen. [read more...]
Tips to reduce mold exposure
Ten things you can do. [read more...]

Benefits When You Hire a Professional Cleaning Service

Most people think that seeking and having professional cleaning service to handle the cleaning task for their house is a luxury and not worth spending for especially nowadays that the money is hard to earn. Yes, It may be costly but if you are going to compare the benefits when you employ a cleaning company, you will find out that benefits can outweigh the cost. This service will handle the entire cleaning job that you are tired of doing.

Although many people are still in doubt if a cleaning service is worth spending for, there are numerous advantages when a home owner hires a cleaning services provider.
Enhance Health and Sanitation
Normally, germs most likely breed in the place that is full of mess - dirty. Now, with the help of cleaning service, you don't have to worry about these matters. Cleaning your house will be handled by cleaning service providers. The cleaning task that you don't like to do will be done by cleaning service for you. If the sanitation and cleanliness inside of your house will be maintained, this, of course, will improve the health aspect of your family.

Make a Good Reflection
Since our home is a reflection of us, we want it to be clean and well-maintained. Although you may have hard time maintaining the cleanliness of your house, but you need to think about what people or your visitors would think about you if they happen to see a cluttered and messy house of yours. But that's not a problem anymore since professional cleaning service is there to help you ease those burdens. You can be assured anytime that a guest or a friend visits you as your house will reflect fine on you.

Protect your Home Investment
Our home can lose its value as investment if it is messy and untidy. Since our house serves as our investment, we have to protect it. With the help of professional cleaning company, we will be able to keep the value of our house by maintaining its tidiness.

Save your Precious Time
Hiring a cleaning service is beneficial for a busy person. Yes, you may be busy and no time cleaning the house because you have more other things to do. But you still want to maintain the cleanliness of your home without having your precious time to suffer. Hiring a cleaning company will be such a great help for you then. They will take care all the cleaning job for you therefore you can have more time to do what you want or need to do.

Professional cleaning company can be beneficial to any of us. If you are a person that has no time cleaning your house, you can have a cleaning maids come to your house at weekly schedule. They can also be helpful if you happen to move out or move in from one place to another. You don't have to spend your time cleaning your new place by yourself as professional cleaning service is always there for a help.
No time to clean your house because you are busy with your work, providing for your family, or studying for the coming exams

Improving your Memory

Tips and techniques to help you remember...

...you know, that thing... I forgot.
Having problems forgetting appointments, to-dos, errands, feeding your children and pets, picking up after yourself, getting out of bed... not to mention forgetting birthdays, and even anniversaries?
If you are like many people, you will often find yourself forgetting something. In an age of computers, PDA’s, and many other devices - this my be ok for some folks, unless you forget where you put those devices. Others may want to increase their ability to memorize things - luckily there are a few creative ways you can improve your long and short term memory.

Use your Senses & Be Aware
Practice creating vivid images/concepts in your head - using all of your senses. Analyze your surroundings by sound, sight, smell, taste, and touch. Being aware all of your senses will give your mind more ways to associate (and thus remember) when it is time to recall something.
This is like form of meditation -- which is good for your brain in a variety of ways. (see our article: Interesting Ways to Improve Your Brain for more info).
Practice this tip of simply being more aware of your surroundings everyday and you will find your general memory greatly improved.

Humor & Vulgarity
If you need to memorize something specific try using humor or vulgarity as a memory aid. Make a nasty or funny limerick about something that needs to be remembered and you'll have a hard time forgetting. (Great tip for students).

Don't worry, be Mindful
There has been a lot said about the power of positive thinking. Recently, a huge bandwagon of new-age positive thought = positive outcome theories have been on tips of everyone's tongue from Oprah to your local convenience store clerk. Just do a google search for "Law of Attraction" or "The Secret" if you aren't in the cult loop.
Negative thoughts fog our minds, but clearing out the negative and focusing on the positive also improves memory & concentration.
Stress is a big brain buster, so minimize stress and negative thoughts to keep your wits.
Apt Quote: “What to do if you find yourself stuck in a crack in the ground underneath a giant boulder you can't move, with no hope of rescue. Consider how lucky you are that life has been good to you so far. Alternatively, if life hasn't been good to you so far, which given your current circumstances seems more likely, consider how lucky you are that it won't be troubling you much longer.”

See the Future
Have trouble remembering to-dos, appointments, meetings, deadlines, birthdays and other future events?
Here is the secret: When you know you have an upcoming event you don't want to forget, picture yourself at the event. What are you doing, who is there, what does it smell like? Imagine the event...even better: imagine yourself taking the steps that lead to the event.
For example... let's say tommorrow you have to call the someone. Picture yourself in your home/office, picture yourself picking up the phone, imagine dialing the number and talking to the person of the other end.

Associate
Association is among one of the easiest and most used tools in learning. This is the process of taking the information you wish to memorize, and linking it mentally to something else that is natural to you. When learning something new, try to associate the new concept with one to which you are already familiar.
Couple association with being aware using all of your senses and you will have a higher rate of successful recall.

Chunky like your mom
Chunking information is a great mnemonic method to remember multiple items. Many people naturally use chunking to remember phone numbers: Instead of thinking "17342876642" we chunk it as 1-734-287-6642.
The concept of chunking comes from a famous 1956 paper by George A. Miller: The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two: Some Limits on our Capacity for Processing Information. If you are a sucker for classic works in the history of psychology (I know, who isn't?) you can read the whole original paper here.

Write it Down
We generally think of "writing things down" as a means to NOT have to remember something. The paper does the work for -- we just need to remember where we put that piece of paper...
But, writing things down has another effect: you clear your mind and take away the stress of "having to remember", and by doing so you actually have more room in your noggin for remembering stuff. I know that explanation wasn't scientific, but it works.
To-do lists are championed by business gurus and soccer moms alike. Try writing everything down for a week or two and see how much this improves your memory & focus. A great digital tool for "writing things down" is provided by a website called Nozbe.com -- I recommend it for clearing your head and also organizing your thoughts.


Memory and Concentration Games on Blifaloo.com:

Memory 3
Memorize color patterns to test your short term memory.

Music Memory
Test your memory while training your musical ear with this game.


Balls & Boxes Memory Game
Use your memory and put the balls back into their original boxes.


Classic Memory Game
Old-school card matching memory game.