allisonhester

Thanks for posting this Beth. While many industry members are aware of claims of a certain industry "leader" sending barrages of harrassing texts to people -- myself included -- until you're on the receiving end you don't understand the depth of the harassment. I let me my kids use my phone to watch YouTube (since our internet is limited but my phone is not). One day my son tried to watch a 5 minute video, but got interrupted SIXTEEN times by a batch of incoherent harassing texts accusing me of a bunch of lies --- all within 5 minutes. And I know from the DOZENS of people who've reached out to me, I'm not the only one who deals with this type of harassment. It's truly unprofessional, unethical, and now it sounds like it's also illegal. It truly saddens me that an elected industry leader who is supposed to be held to a written code of ethics is allowed to behave this way with zero consequences.

The next issue of eClean Magazine will focus on employees -- hiring, managing, motivating and even firing. To help me determine what topics are most important to you, I've created three short surveys and posted them on our site. The first is for companies who are looking to hire their first employee(s) this year The second survey is for those who already have employees The third survey is for those who work with family members. Can you take a moment -- 10 minutes or less -- and http://www.ecleanmag.com/employee-surveys-from-eclean-magazine-2014-02-04/'>complete the survey (or surveys) that apply to you? Answers are anonymous unless you want to provide your information. I will likely shut the surveys down on Saturday, so your prompt response is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

This past Friday, a carpet cleaner in Tennessee was found dead in a vacant home due to carbon monoxide poisoning. In light of this tragedy, I've put together a short blog about carbon monoxide poisoning, and particularly the symptoms that can be warning signs for this odorless killer. http://www.ecleanmag.com/4300-2014-01-27/

Very cool...all around!

This morning, NBC’s Today Show featured an investigative report on the risk of plastic gas can explosions. Considering that many of our readers use gas cans regularly, I felt it was important to pass along. The report has found that nearly a dozen deaths and 1,200 injuries due to plastic gas can explosions over the past 15 years. Specifically, the gas cans were more likely to explode when the temperatures were cold outside, there was a low volume of gas left in the can, and the can was tipped at a 42-degree angle. While the gas can industry has not yet confirmed these reports, it is believed by experts that the use of a flame arrestor can also help prevent these accidents from happening. http://www.ecleanmag.com/gas-can-explosion-investigation-on-nbc-today-show-2013-12-04/

Several restaurants and retail outlets have special offers for military personnel (active and retired) on Monday, Nov. 11, for Veterans Day. Our family took advantage of a couple of deals last year and got a free lunch AND dinner at restaurants we don't get to eat at all that often. I've put this year's list on our website. If you are active or retired military, take advantage of these! Or pass them along to your military friends and family. An important note: I would suggest contacting the establishment beforehand to find out if that location is participating in the promotion, and also to find out if there are any restrictions. Enjoy! http://www.ecleanmag.com/veterans-day-specials-from-restaurants-retail-outlets-and-more-2013-11-09/ P.S. Be sure to read the fabulous story of Veteran Jared Greene in the new eClean Magazine (www.eCleanMag.com, page 25)

Dan and Heather Galvin were kind enough to share their HUNDREDS of photos from the PWNA Convention. I have posted some on our site, and I will add more. (It's just taking awhile.) Please check them out: http://www.ecleanmag.com/2013-pwna-c...os-2013-11-07/

It's official! EClean magazine has had its best month yet. More traffic. More reads. More positive feedback than ever before....and we still have a day to go. Thanks to all our readers for your wonderful support.

Knowing that eggs can remove paint from siding and vehicles (I had it happen to my car years ago), I decided to do some research on how to safely remove the remnants from mischievous goblins and ghouls. I studied the topic on several of the industry forums, found some DIY articles (which I later found were primarily wrong), then stumbled across an article from Popular Mechanics that interviewed several food service professionals who have to remove eggs from surfaces on a daily basis. Hope it's helpful. http://www.ecleanmag.com/hire-a-professional-to-removing-halloween-eggings-from-siding-or-windows-2013-10-30/ Please feel free to let me know or comment on the article if there are things I should add.

However, it's also important to realize that just because you're doing something for the publicity does not mean you're going to get the publicity. Smart business owners and association representatives make friends with their local or industry media rather than enemies.

Ideally, people will just give back out of the goodness of their hearts. And if the press picks it up, all the better. But, I guess even if you're only doing the good thing for the free publicity, at least something good is being done for someone else -- which is better than nothing being done at all.

Mike (my husband) had to pack up his office this morning "until further notice." He is full time military, but is not active duty. It's paid from a different pot of money. So he's without pay until the government gets their act together. Some are joking saying they would like a paid vacation, but trust me, we'd much prefer the certainty of a paycheck -- especially after getting hit pretty hard this summer due to furloughs. Anyone else directly impacted?

In my research on ladder-related injuries today, I came across this infographic, which was published in September 2012 and is based on numbers in the U.K. (I haven't found anything this good for the U.S. yet.) Despite the fact that the numbers came from overseas, the point remains the same: customers who take on ladder-related cleaning jobs -- such as DIY gutter cleaning -- are putting themselves at risk. It seems to me like it could be a valuable tool to stick in your marketing materials or post on your website. It's free to copy and use. I've put it on our website with the embed code (go to http://www.ecleanmag.com/free-ladder-accident-infographic-2013-09-29/ for the embed code. It's at the bottom of the post below the graphic.) Turn it into a blog on your website if nothing else.

Both. People have suggested gutter cleaning methods, but also gutter whitenting...so i'll do both

My daughter, who is eight, has decided she's DYING to go hunting. I keep asking her if it's going to bother her to kill a deer or a rabbit or a squirrel. "No mom. It's just the circle of life." I don't mind going to the range and shooting, but hunting is a different story. I also had to be in charge of fishing on our vacation this summer because Mike had to return home early due to work. I got past the touching worm issues pretty quickly.