Thursday, June 10th, 2010
Cleaning and maintaining your swimming pool on a regular basis will allow you to enjoy a clean and healthy swimming pool for a long time. QwikBids has referred service providers for swimming pool maintenance and repair. If you live in “The Valley of the Sun” (Phoenix, Mesa, Scottsdale, Avondale, Tolleson, Chandler, Gilbert, Tempe, Glendale), get multiple quotes for your request at www.QwikBids.Com. Qwikbids is a FREE local service throughout the valley.
To help ensure your swimming pool is clean and clear for your family and friends to enjoy, focus on two areas:
- Maintaining or adjusting the chemical balance of the pool water.
- Removing debris and foreign particles from the swimming pool.
The chemical balance of swimming pool water cannot be maintained by adding pool chemicals only when we remember to. Pool water needs to be tested on a regular basis and adjusted in accordance to the results. The most common chemical used is chlorine. If used in large quantities, or if not maintained properly, chlorine may irritate the eyes and skin of swimmers. A swimming pool owner should also be aware of the proper maintenance instructions for the chemicals and follow the manufacturers’ instructions when applying chemicals to the pool.
To remove unwanted substances from your swimming pool, many rely on a water circulation and filtration system. Regular brushing and vacuuming of our swimming pools helps ensure a minimum of foreign material in the pool water. In addition, you also need to clean the filter itself and replace the filtration medium when necessary. A swimming pool filtration system uses the same basic principle of passing water through tiny channels. Particles larger than these channels are trapped and separated from the main body of the water. This process continues until all of the channels are blocked. At his time, the filter must then be cleaned and the cycle repeated.
Debris and suspended matter usually find their way to the bottom of a pool and may need to be removed by vacuuming. You may want to consider vacuuming as part of your regular maintenance. The swimming pool vacuum operates in a similar manner to the common household vacuum, except it draws water through the vacuum head instead of air. There are two ways this may be accomplished:
- One method employs a jet of water supplied by a garden hose to power the suction which draws the dirt into the head to be trapped in a cloth bag.
- The other method uses the suction power supplied by the filter which draws the debris and suspended matter from the pool floor for removal through the filter. When there is a considerable amount of debris to be removed, the filter valves should be adjusted so that the vacuumed water will bypass the filter and run to waste.
Don’t feel overwhelmed. Let QwikBids get you the service professionals who can take care of this or any other project you want done. QwikBids providers are already prescreened. In addition, you can remain anonymous until you choose a company with the best fit!
Tags: avondale, Chandler, chemical, chemicals, chlorine, Cleaning, filter, filtration, Free, Gilbert, Glendale, maintaining, maintenance, Mesa, Phoenix, pool, QwikBids, repair, Scottsdale, service, Swim, Swimming, Tempe, Tolleson, vacuum
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Friday, June 4th, 2010
In and around Phoenix, Scottsdale, Litchfield Park, Chandler, Mesa, Avondale, Gilbert, and Tolleson, many of the various types of palm trees are beginning to seed. It is that time of year; time to trim and prune your palm trees. When trimming your palm trees, or having this done by a professional, you want to wait until the pods seed to be sure you get all the seed pods in one trimming. Depending on the type of palm tree, this usually begins between the first and middle of June.
Only trim the brown drooping fronds on your palm. Do not trim off the ones that are still green; the tree needs them to collect sunlight to create chlorophyll for growth and best health. To prune palm trees the key care factor is that only the palm knows when a frond needs to be pruned off, and that is when it is dying (yellow or brown). As each new leaf opens, it will take the place of a dying leaf. The palm knows the exact amount of fronds needed for a healthy Palm Tree. When Palms reach their ultimate height, the fronds will decrease in size and the palm trees will decline and die. As a new frond emerges, the oldest frond dies. The age that a frond may attain will be determined by many factors including size of mature palm trees and number of fronds produced.
- Fertilizing established palms is an important way to keeping them vigorous.
- In Arizona, nitrogen is the most commonly deficient nutrient; when it’s missing, the older fronds turn yellow or pale green.
- Some palm trees show Magnesium deficiencies; causing a yellow band on older leaves, with central vein remaining green.
Remember, discolored leaves on your palm trees do not recover. Therefore, preventive fertilization is best. Your palm trees will look more attractive when they have adequate nutrients.
Discover the difference! Request multiple bids for the services you need – at no cost – and you may remain anonymous. Go to www.QwikBids.com today. Service providers compete for your business, and when the job is completed and you give feedback, QwikBids will donate $10 to the charity or non-profit of your choice.
Tags: avondale, Chandler, Gilbert, landscape, Litchfield Park, Mesa, palm trees, Phoenix, pod, pods, prune, Scottsdale, seed, Tolleson, trimming
Posted in Cathy's Clips | 3 Comments »
Friday, May 28th, 2010
Carpet cleaning is something that every household must consider. While, a carpet can be beautiful, it can also become distracting and take away from the beauty of your home because of stains, wear, and tear. Carpet cleaning and stain removal options are out there for everyone, and they allow you to eliminate odors, pollens, and lengthen the life of your carpet.
The carpet cleaning methods that are right for you will depend on the amount of traffic your carpet or rugs endure, whether or not children or pets live in the home, and whether anyone in the home has allergies. It is also very important for the life of your carpet to choose a carpet cleaning method that is compatible with the materials that your carpet or rug is made of.
Below lists some of the most popular carpet cleaning options:
- Dry Foam: A shampoo is applied to your carpet and allowed to dry. Once dry, it is vacuumed up, bringing the dirt with it.
- Dry Chemical: After a cleaning solution is applied to the carpet, a machine spins a large bonnet from side to side to absorb dirt in the carpet. After the bonnet is saturated with dirt, it is replaced with a new, clean bonnet and the process continues.
- Dry Compound: An absorbent mixture is spread over the carpet. A machine brushes the mixture into the carpet to absorb the dirt. When the mixture dries, it is vacuumed out, taking the dirt with it.
- Hot Water Extraction: This carpet-cleaning method is also known as steam cleaning. Hot water extraction forces a hot water based cleaning solution into the carpet under high pressure, and then extracts it back out of the carpet along with the dirt.
- Portable Extraction: The carpet is cleaned by a small machine using hot tap water and powered by the electricity source in the house.
- Truck Mounted Extraction: This uses a large cleaning machine mounted on a truck or van. The water is heated to a higher temperature and is shot into the carpet at a higher velocity than is possible in portable machines.
Carpet manufacturers rely on standards from the IICRC when providing cleaning instructions. In most cases the IICRC recommends you have your carpets cleaned at least two times per year. Below is a list of standards used by the IIRC to properly care for your carpet and provide your carpet with the longest life possible:
- Light Soil Carpet: Carpet owner should vacuum weekly and spot clean as needed. Hire a professional carpet cleaner every 12 to 18 months for the heavy-use areas. Restorative cleaning for your carpet is recommended every two years or per mfg. warranty.
- Normal Soil Carpet (families with children or elderly): Carpet owner should vacuum once or twice per week and spot clean as needed. Hire a professional carpet cleaner every 6 to 12 months for the heavy-use areas. Restorative cleaning for your carpet is recommended once per year.
- Heavy Soil Carpet (families with pets, smoking): Carpet owner should vacuum two to four times per week and spot clean as needed. Hire a professional carpet cleaner every 3 to 6 months for the heavy-use areas. Restorative cleaning for your carpet is recommended twice per year.
- Extreme Soil Carpet (large families, pets, smoking): Carpet owner should vacuum daily and spot clean as needed. Hire a professional carpet cleaner every 2 to 3 months for the heavy-use areas. Restorative cleaning for your carpet is recommended quarterly.
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One great feature of QwikBids is the notification options available to consumers and service providers. QBids.com or QwikBids.com works on most smart phones through the web browser.
Tags: carpet, carpet care, carpet cleaners, carpet cleaning, carpet cleaning methods, carpet cleaning phoenix, Chandler, Gilbert, qwikbids carpet cleaning, Scottsdale, Tolleson
Posted in Cathy's Clips | 2 Comments »