Computer Tips for Small Buisness - Shortcuts for Chrome Browser

 

What-   This Blog post will be about how to set up shortcuts to use within the Chrome Browser! (If you are a Chrome Browser user and especially if you use Google Docs and Apps you will love this tip!)

Why-   As much of what we do for Work, Business, Social Media, email etc has gone to online and Cloud Computing formats, we spend a large portion of our time with an Internet Browser.  One of the most used and downloaded browsers for Windows and Macs  is the Chrome Browser.  If you are a Chromebook user the integration is already there.  

    Navigating to websites that we use a lot has traditionally been done by bookmarking your pages, then trying to go find these book marks later by the navigation of the large list of bookmarks.  This can be cumbersome after a while. Also now in the age of Cloud Computing , if you use google Drive, One-drive, or Online Storage , all of our spreadsheets, word documents, presentations are s simply specific web links that point to that document.  A simpler way to open your most used web pages or online cloud documents is to use an often unknown feature in Chrome Browser which allows you to access the desired web page with one, or a few key  letters.    

 How-  

  • First, find the web page or online document that you want saved.  

  • Then simply; copy the URL or web address, go to the Chrome Browser settings, scroll down until you see the Button for “Manage Search Engines”.  

  • Click on this button and then the fields with two categories, Default and Other search settings  will appear for saving your hot keys and URL'S. You will use the “Other Search Settings” area.  

  • The 1st area coming from the left  will be the name you choose for your hot key.  This could be anything to describe the hot key like “My Chase Bank login”, “My Blog”, “My Budget Spreadsheet”, etc.  

  • The 2nd area coming from the left will be the hot keys you choose. They can be letters, numbers, a combination of both, or just one letter.   For Example, your bank login page can be just the letter “B”.  

  • The 3rd area is where you paste the Url you just copied from your Bank Login Page. Paste it in the cell and you are ready.

  • Go to new browser tab and type a “B” then hit enter.

  • Repeat the process for all of your frequently used online documents, web pages, etc.

Pet's and Carpets

What-What is the best way to Handle Fresh Pet Urine spots on the your Carpets.

Why-We all love our pets whether they be a new puppy in training or an old yeller who has been with us for years.  With the joys of having pets, come also the challenges of keeping your carpets in good condition, looking good, and also smelling good.  This Blog in particular will give tips on how to efficiently find and cleanup any pet urine before it can build up deep into the pad.

    Many Spray and wipe cleaners are advertised for this particular reason.  After cleaning hundreds of carpets with pet issues, we at Angels Carpet Cleaning  DO NOT recommend spray and wipe methods.  Methods we will recommend will be similar to what a Professional Carpet Cleaner would do if they came to your house. You can most likely mimic these methods with items you may have already in your house.  

    We will also give advice on one of the most important parts of this process, that is finding the piddles  We found this extremely important, as most pets during or after training instinctively know that urinating on your carpets is wrong. Many clients we work for will say “he only went in this area”  or “ he never goes over there.”  In reality , the truth is “ he only went in this area”  when you caught him doing it.  There will be many areas that you will overlook.  It's important to find these areas as soon as possible, to clean properly and also to be able to train your pet properly.  

How- So how do you find these area quickly and efficiently?  The best way is by purchasing a UV light.  In all 4 of our vans at Angel’s Carpet Cleaning, we carry UV lights for finding these areas. Some of the professional lights can cost up $450 dollars, but these are not needed if you do your inspection at night when you can dim the lights.  You can pick up a UV light for as little at $15 on Amazon. 

    After getting your light, simply turn off the lights, and shine it on the carpets.  Any pet Piddles will show up clear.  Mark these spots with a piece of painter's tape or something else you can use to show the spots after you turn the light on.   

    Now, after finding the fresh piddle spot, it's time to clean it properly. Not just spraying some name brand pet cleaner and wiping.  We at Angel’s Carpet Cleaning support a method of cleaning that flushes and lifts the urine of of the carpet fibers.  The tools that will be needed will be a small shop wet Vac.  ( if you have not bought one we recommend the rigid _______).  A 1 gallon spray bottle, (we really like the Chapmin 1 gallon sprayers,) they can easily be purchased at Bi Mart for around  $12.  Next, you can easily make an all natural cleaning solution using ½ gallon of water, ½ gallon of White vinegar, two tablespoons of baking soda, and a teaspoon of lemon juice for scent (optional).

    Now, simply pump up sprayer and spray the area while using the shop vac to immediately vacuum up the solution and the Pet urine that is now diluted and being flushed out with the cleaning rinse solution.  Repeat the process until you feel the area is completely cleaned and rinsed (see short Video).  This method combined with frequent UV light inspection, and most important as soon after the accident as possible, will keep your carpets in good shape.   It will also keep the urine from saturating the pad which later will require more specialized procedures by a Professional Carpet Cleaner. There is more we add to blog post but feel free to call us anytime for Free advice at 541-373-0350

Why we DO NOT use a lot of Deodorizers!

What-   Deodorizers

Why-   Why we don't use deodorizers often. When dealing with Carpets and and in some cases Upholstery, we all know that there are instances when even after cleaning , there can be lingering odors. These odors can be caused by many different reasons.  Some of these can be described as the the infamous wet dog smell, the musty smell, even worse is the Pet Urine smell.   Even after a Carpet has been Steam Cleaned in a proper way, sometimes these odors can persist after cleaning. There are several reasons why this could happen. Soils, dog dander, and other particulates can vibrate deep down into the backing area and even thru to settle between the pad and carpet backing, if vacuuming is not done often enough.  (see Pictures) (see article on “how often should I vacuum”) In other cases involving pets, young dogs in training and older dogs with loose bladders could be release their liquids into carpets.  

    Overtime, if not cleaned immediately and in a proper way, these deposit can go deep into the pad of the carpet.  After a steam cleaning, during the evaporation process, very small molecules that cause odor will be drawn to the surface of the carpet.

How-   Many Carpet Cleaning services advertise for add-on deodorization service for solving any issues for odor.  These deodorization services can help with odors but can mask still insisting issues with the carpet. We believe that if there is an odor, rather than just adding deodorizer, a 2nd or 3rd Stage of Cleaning needs to take place.  This may involve special Treatments for Pet Urine, or 2nd stage Low moisture cleaning after the initial steam Cleaning.  In some cases we like to use Natural of Oxygen by doing Ozone Shock Treatments.

    More could be written on the details of these different stages of Cleaning, but they all deal with permanently removing the molecules causing the odor, instead of temporarily masking them with deodorizer.