Our Pets

According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, there are 81,721,000 cats in the US, making them the most popular pet in the U.S. Dogs run third (behind fish) with 72,114,000 in the US. About 60% of all households in the United States have a pet. The average cost of basic food, supplies, medical care and training for a dog or cat is $400 - $700 annually.

While most of us are conscientious about keeping our children away from household cleaners and pesticides, we sometimes forget that our pets can be just as vulnerable to these products. Here are some tips:

• Always read the label before you buy, store, or use household cleaners or pesticide products. Many products should be kept out of the reach of our children and our pets.
• Never store or spray pesticides near your pet’s food or water bowls.
• In the event of a product spill, be sure to keep your pets out of the area until the mess is completely cleaned.
• If you have household cleaners or pesticides, it is wise to have a chemical spill plan for your home or shop. ChemKlenz® is a great product to have handy for these types of situations. It immediately absorbs and neutralizes a wide-variety of chemical spills.

Our Laundry

According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, consumers pay an average of 3.8% of their annual income ($1,881) on clothing and related services. $2,000 a year is a nice investment. You can see why, then, it is important to follow the manufacturer’s care instructions and ensure the life of the garment. Some items, for example, will advise you to lay flat for drying or to keep separate from dark colors, or, more importantly, to hand wash or dry clean only. Any items that are expensive, wool, linen, silk, or shiny will likely have special care instructions. In addition to paying attention to the manufacturer’s care instructions, here are some other basic tips to laundry tips which will help extend the life of your wardrobe.

• Separate your clothes by color category: whites (not yellow or cream or gray), lights (these are the yellows, creams, and grays), and darks (jeans and bright colors).
• Load size matters: stuffing your washer too full will result in clothes not being washed properly and can possibly throw the machine off balance. Too many clothes in the dryer will require more time to dry because there is not enough room for air to properly circulate.
• Check your water temperature: hot for eliminating dust and germs (whites) and cold to help keep colors from bleeding (“colors” is a key word).
• Remove your clothes from the washing machine promptly. When left too long, they will develop an odor which does not go away with drying and may not go away with re-washing. If you do get distracted and forget about a load of clothes, add a measure of OdorKlenz® Laundry and re-run the rinse and spin cycles to remove the odors before drying. This will save on detergent as well as extra wear and tear on your clothes.

Our Travels

As we gear up for the coming spring break and summer vacations, we know that many Americans will be traveling by land – car, RV, van, bus, train – and we know that motion sickness effects nearly everyone at some point in their lives. Symptoms include nausea, light-headedness, disorientation, dizziness, and vomiting. To help minimize the risk of motion sickness as you travel this year, try these tips:

• Ride in the front seat of the car.
• Recline as far as possible or lie flat on your back.
• Look out at a spot 45 degrees above the horizon and don’t stare at moving objects.
• Try to sleep.
• Breathe fresh air by cracking a window.
• If someone in your vehicle does experience motion sickness, be sure to clean up any messes quickly, as odors from these messes may cause a chain reaction in the vehicle. Have a SpillKlenz™ Travel Kit handy to both absorb all liquids AND eliminate associated odors.