Short & Simple © 2016 Thinkshortcut Publishing, LLC Created by MarketingZoo.com If a house fire does happen, we hope your loves ones are perfectly safe and healthy. But odds are, your home and belongings will need professional attention. Call your fire and smoke damage professional right away. Fire Prevention Safety Tips While a water damage occurring in your home from a rain or windstorm, a broken pipe or perhaps an overflowing sink or toilet is a terrible event to experience, virtually nothing is as devastating as a fire. And while statistics indicate a downward trend in house fires, mainly because of better, modern safety protocols, it is still a huge issue that must be addressed. For example, in 2013 there were more than 1,200,000 home fires, nearly 3,500 deaths and 16,000 injuries reported by the National Fire Protection Association. More than half of home fires start in one of your favorite places: The kitchen. Cooking is an everyday occurrence and it is the number one cause of fires. Usually on the stove. Other causes include candles, Christmas trees, overburdened electrical cords/outlets, appliance malfunctions and cigarettes or cigars, to name just a few. What can you do to make things safe in your home and protect your family? Smoke alarms: Install modern devices on every level of your home, outside and insider bedrooms. Be sure to install one in your garage as well. Test all alarms each month and replace batteries annually. Fire extinguishers: Consult a professional and choose fire extinguishers appropriate for the area of the house, such as one made for kitchen fires. Ensure all family members know exactly where the extinguishers are located. Have them tested or replaced per manufacturer recommendation. Escape plan: You need one. All family members need to know what they should do in the event of a fire, such as leaving valuables behind as nothing is worth as much as a human life.

Short & Simple © 2016 Thinkshortcut Publishing, LLC Created by MarketingZoo.com Add product: Using a flip-top or trigger sprayer application, apply small amounts of a product manufactured specifically for carpet fibers. The best products for this can be obtained from your carpet and furniture cleaning company. Blot in between applications, and when the spot is gone, use a little warm water to help remove the cleaning residue, blotting as you do so. Then… Blot some more: When the job is complete, and you are happy with the results, blot until all moisture seems to be removed and then leave a white, absorbent towel on the spot with a weight on the towel, so any remaining moisture wicks up into the towel. Leave the towel in place for several hours. But when the occasion occurs (and it will) and the spot just won’t come out, stop your work to avoid damage to the color texture of the carpet and “setting” of the spot or stain. Quickly call your carpet and furniture cleaning specialist. Taking On Holiday Stains It’s that time of year when you start planning for family and friends to visit and, since you are hospitable, you start thinking of all the delicious meals, snacks and beverages you will serve. Despite the very best attempts of you and your guests to keep things on the plate, in the bowl, in the glass and on the spoon or fork, the inevitable happens: Food or drinks spill, and for some reason they always spill on the carpet. Usually white carpet. There is no need to panic, but there is a need to gather your thoughts, keep your cool and not overreact to the situation. That is difficult when you witness a full glass of merlot splashing onto your white, wool rug in the middle of the living room. Your first reaction might be to grab a random cleaning product from the collection underneath the kitchen sink. This can be a mistake. Some consumers have been known to use window cleaner, bathroom tile cleaners and other products on carpet. Instead, keep things simple. Use these three, easy-to-remember procedures: Scrape and Blot: If the spill is food related, scrape up as much as you can. Then, using white, disposable paper towels or white, washable cotton towels, start blotting up the spill. Keep at it until the area you are working on is fairly dry and you have removed as much of the spot as you can.