(NECN: Greg Wayland, Cambridge, Mass.) - A dash of  Bourbon Street, a pinch of chicory and the New England Local of the Services Employees International Union (SEIU) was rallying with a New Orleans flavor this year. They had a Mardi Gras band tooting and thumping and swaying on the lawn of Cambridge City Hall, where it all began under cloudy skies. 
     
This was a decidedly bi-lingual Bon Ton Roulet, since many of the roughly 200 in attendance were Spanish-speakers and so Spanish, and Spanish translations, were what spilled down from the microphone set-up on City Hall steps. 
        
Raising the minimum wage was a constant theme, and Cambridge Vice-Mayor Denise Simmons dismisses the idea that constant hikes in the minimum wage hurts small businesses.

"I'm a small business owner, and I've always used the living wage as the amount that I pay my employees," said Simmons. 

ABM Industries will release its quarterly report next Tuesday, and investors have been pretty optimistic about the company's prospects, bidding shares higher and approaching their all-time record levels set in late 2010 and early 2011. ABM earnings growth hasn't been spectacular, but it has been consistent, and that trait could reassure shareholders if the economy starts to falter in the face of new uncertainties.

ABM handles jobs that most people only notice if they're not done well. In addition to providing basic services like floor-cleaning and window-washing for office buildings, shopping malls, and other institutional facilities, ABM manages parking lots and also offers more technical services like mechanical engineering and security consulting services. 

More at source: Daily Finance

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Janitorial Certification Course - Here.

The City of Ventura’s Environmental Sustainability website asks the ominous question, “Do you know that many household cleaning products, even used as directed, could be hazardous to your health as well as the environment?”

The website follows with a series of recipes for “safe substitutes,” featuring items such as “mold killers” made from tea tree oil and vinegar, furniture polish made from olive oil and lemon juice, and deodorizer made from vinegar.

Practicing what it preaches, the city requires its housekeeping contractors to use only Green Seal certified cleaning products. Green Seal, begun in 1989, is a nonprofit organization evaluating and certifying the environmental claims of a variety of products.

Green Seal focused first on standards for paper, and by 1993 had developed standards for the environmental claims of household cleaning products. Green Seal describes itself as using “science-based programs to empower consumers, purchasers and companies to create a more sustainable world.”

“ Since we started this program (requiring Green Seal certified cleaners) in 2007,” said Joe Yahner, manager of the city’s Environmental Sustainability Office, “our contractor has eliminated the use of many harmful cleaning products, improving indoor air quality and reducing the manufacture of toxic chemicals.”

Similar to the city, the County of Ventura also uses only Green Seal-certified products. However, rather than using a contractor to do the job, the County of Ventura’s own General Services Agency provides cleaning services at county facilities.

More at source: Moorepark Acorn

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The State Department is spending nearly $30 million to have its buildings cleaned, it was announced Monday.

A $29.8 million contract for “Janitorial Services” was awarded to R and R Janitorial, Painting, and Building Services, Inc. for cleaning and maintenance of the main State building, the Harry S. Truman building, and the Blair House in Washington, D.C.

The agreement includes a base year and four option years, and covers a wide array of services for the buildings, including basic janitorial services, snow removal, carpet shampooing, and recycling.

1-File a DBA in your county "Doing Business As" assumed name

2-Use your DBA to open a business checking account, deposit the miinimum to start.

3-Design a business card , and contact a local printer, start of with either 250-500 business cards.

4-Call and tell everyone you know that you have started a cleaning service, and to please tell their friends and family also.

5-Keep your business cards with you at all times, wherever you go whoever you meet tell them about your services.

6-Develop a flyer, or simple brochure, and go from business to business or door to door telling potential customers about your services.

7- Join our Association The International Janitorial Cleaning Services Association. Members here can help you. 

More Information At This Link


7 1/2-Online list your cleaning service in as many free or paying directories as possible, yahoo local, google local info seek, etc you do not need a website to do this.

8-Accept jobs, take all the jobs you can possibly handle in the beggining, even if they are not the most high paying, you need to establish some references.

9-Buy only the equipment that you need on a "as needed basis", and rent equipment that you need in the beggining do not buy.

10-Follow up with your customer, ask them if they require any more cleaning from you, offer them a special.

11-Concentrate on promoting your business , call your local yellow pages and get prices for a moderate listing, in most cases from the time that you start your business it could be 6 months till the next yellow pages comes out, find out when the deadline for a listing is, even if you get the smallest listing, get a listing.

12-Keep promoting and improving your services, buy new business cards and flyers as needed.

13-Concentrate on your image- What are you reflecting to your customer. Do you have a logo? Are you in a t-shirt and jeans cleaning. What about estimates, do you have a logo prepared, what is your work vehicle like. Do the best you can to develop a universal package that represents you and your business. Uniforms, business cards, letterhead, website, equipment.. should all be clean and presentable.

14- Getting more customers on a low budget.

Join the Local Chamber of Commerce or a local business association.

-Mail some flyers out, daily stamp and stuff 10 envelopes with your flyers, information and cards.
or develop a mailer, a postcard that can be mailed to potential customers.

MCLENNAN COUNTY (August 28, 2013)--McLennan County commissioners will vote Friday on a proposal to cut spending for janitorial services that would require employees to clean their own work areas.

The county now spends $125,000 a year for cleaning services, but Pct. 4 Commissioner Ben Perry said many employees think the service is substandard and clean their own workspaces already.

More At Source: KWTX

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RICHFIELD, Minn., Aug. 27, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Attorneys for ZEROREZ®, Minnesota's leader in residential carpet cleaning services, filed a federal lawsuit against Distinctive Cleaning in the Minnesota District Court on Monday, August 26. The complaint, which cites trademark infringement, false advertising and deceptive practices, documents many instances in which Distinctive Cleaning has misled consumers through online advertising, digital coupons and deceptive claims made by employees.

ZEROREZ®, a franchise of Zerorez® Franchising Systems, Inc., uses patented Zerorez® cleaning technologies to clean carpets and upholstery without leaving dirt-attracting residue behind. ZEROREZ® is the only Minnesota carpet cleaner licensed to use the patented Zerorez® process and the registered trademark, "Zerorez."

As the complaint states, for more than a year Distinctive Cleaning has been purchasing Google AdWords advertising so the Distinctive Cleaning website link and phone number appear when a consumer searches Google for carpet cleaning services in the Twin Cities area. Distinctive Cleaning has also purchased advertising on the keywords "ZEROREZ," "Zerorez," and "Zero rez" so their information appears when someone searches for those specific terms. Some of Distinctive Cleaning's advertisements include the phrase "ZERO REZ Carpet Cleaning" and appear to provide a link to the ZEROREZ® website; others claim to offer "Zero res – same results, less money."  ZEROREZ® sent a cease and desist letter to Distinctive Cleaning on April 20, 2012 but did not receive a response; the advertisements were changed temporarily to remove "ZERO REZ," but soon the misleading advertisements...

More at source: sys-con.com

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BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Aug. 26, 2013 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- Inc. Magazine Selects Fastest Growing Cleaning Company in America

Two Maids & A Mop, a leading residential house cleaning company, has announced its 2013 ranking at 1154 on Inc. Magazine's 500|5000 Fastest Growing Companies list, representing America's most elite privately owned companies. 

"We've successfully leveraged new age marketing initiatives with an extremely unique selling proposition that is unmatched in our industry," said Ron Holt of Two Maids & A Mop. "Our formula utilizes offline and online word of mouth marketing campaigns that get people talking about our services. Once we earn a new customer, we work hard to prove that our service matches the positive word of mouth. It's a formula that demands customer satisfaction in order for its success."

The company is also proud to announce the following achievements as a result of the ranking:

• Named the fastest growing cleaning company in the nation!
• Named the 9th fastest growing company in the state of Alabama
• Named the 68th fastest growing consumer service or product company in the nation

Baby boomers undefined the generation known for sex, drugs and rock and roll undefined are the most likely Americans to develop hepatitis C, and too many of them aren’t tested until it’s too late to prevent liver damage, U.S. health officials report.

A survey of nearly 5,000 hepatitis C patients released earlier this month found that three-quarters were born between 1945 and 1965 undefined the post-war baby boom years undefined and almost half had not been screened until symptoms surfaced.

Hoarding is becoming a hotbed pop culture topic. Viewers across America tune in on a regular basis to television documentary series like A&E’s Hoarders to take a peek into the tortured world of a pack rat, clutter collector, or hoarder. While some episodes feature people living amongst stacks of papers, boxes, clothing, and collectibles, others delve into a more dangerous side of hoarding.

It is estimated that anywhere between 6 million and 16 million US citizens suffer from the hoarding condition. Of them, a large percentage are not simply dealing with piles of papers and boxes. Instead, some hoarders are living amongst dangerous doses of biohazards that can prove to be deadly for the hoarders, their families, and the communities in which they live.

More at source: PRWEB.com

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