home-scents-for-officeComfort and coziness of an office does not begin with modern furniture and decor elements. A positive first impression, feeling of well-being and good mood are created by air freshness and delicate aroma.

You can ensure the freshness in the room by wet cleaning and open windows, but this is in case your office is not located in the city center, where the air is full of carbon monoxide. When the weather outside is oppressively hot, frosty or just bad, artificial air fresheners come to help. But, unfortunately, most of them have a synthetic basis, which does not have a beneficial effect on our health, and their use in the premise with small children in it is completely undesirable.

It is possible to replace industrial fresheners for the premises with natural air fresheners, which you can do with your own hands. This article presents various ways that will help you to give the office a pleasant aroma and freshness without any risk to health.

“Citrus” freshener

Take the peels of citrus fruits (orange, lemon, tangerine, etc.) and cover them with alcohol. Let the peels sit in alcohol for some time and then dilute with a little water and use a spray gun to spray the resulting liquid around the room. This freshener will remove an unpleasant smell, moisten the air, and essential oils of citrus fruits will give you energy and a good mood.

“On-the-spot” freshener

If your office is lucky to have a kitchen part in it, there is one more method which can be helpful for an urgent and quick elimination of unpleasant smell. Use coffee beans, cinnamon sticks and dry peels of orange or lemon. Put them on a hot (but not burning!) stove burner. Under the influence of heat, they will give off a pleasant aroma and absorb foreign odors.

“Aroma of petals”

Use the fallen petals of fragrant flowers, for example, roses, peony, lilac, jasmine and others, to create a flower air freshener. For this method, you will need an ordinary salt of medium-fine grinding, petals and 50 g of alcohol. Into a dry jar with a volume of approximately 0.5 liters, put the petals of flowers and salt. Fill the jar with alcohol up to about 2 fingers below the neck and tightly close the lid. Then you need to put the jar in a dark place for two weeks, periodically shaking it.
In two weeks, the home-made freshener will be ready. For an aesthetic look, place it in a beautiful vase or a glass and enjoy the aroma. To give some spicy notes, add a few twigs of smelling herbs, such as basil or mint.

“Gelatin” freshener

This freshener can become a part of the office decor, giving it a pleasant aroma. You will need 30 g of gelatin and 10-15 drops of essential oil to your taste. Dissolve gelatin in 1 glass of water and add oil. To avoid rapid drying, add 1 tsp. of glycerol. Adding food coloring or flower petals to gelatin, you will get a fragrant stylish decoration of the room.

Fragrant wooden cubes

Wooden blocks, impregnated with essential oil, will become the original decoration of the room. Take your favorite essential oil, pour it into a small container and apply it to the cubes with a brush. Next, place the cubes in a closed container and leave overnight. In the morning you can use them.

Aroma sticks

Pour essential oil into a jar and add some baby oil. Give the resulting mixture a day to sit in a dark place. Then put the bamboo sticks into it, turn them upside-down in an hour and enjoy the aroma.

organizing-working-tableWorkplace is a personal “control center”. Your personal efficiency depends on how rationally and well-minded it is organized. We’ll show you how to clean-up a mess on the working table and to become much more efficient.
Nowadays there is a profession called “professional organizer”. This person helps clients to clean up rooms and offices, papers and electronic files, as well as to create an individual planning system.

Studies show that in average a person loses at least an hour per day only because of disorganization. And people get terribly annoyed when they cannot find something. After all organizing and order establishment take much less time. That is why experts recommend organizing the workspace to maximize efficiency and productivity.

Recommendation 1. Arrange everything correctly

The placement of your monitor is important not only for your efficiency but for your health as well. It should be located at the level of your eyes, and the distance between the eyes and monitor should be approximately 18-22 inches.
Place the items you use more frequently (your telephone, stationery, etc.), at the side of your dominant hand. You’ll see how convenient it is: there will be make a long arm for them, knocking down everything around.

Recommendation 2. Rational use of stationery

You scarcely need every day the whole abundance of the stationery which can be found at hand on the table. Put on the table only those office supplies that you use every day. Others put in a box or a pencil case and keep it in a drawer, but rather somewhere away. Because getting up and walking from your table to get a pen, pencil or anything else, for some time you’re turning the brain off from the project you’re working on. This will allow you see it from a new perspective, when you come back. Some experts emphasize that it is more convenient when workers store office stationery supplies in a separate place (for example, in a common cabinet or on a rack), instead of placing them in their drawers.

Recommendation 3. Use the stickers for notes without fanaticism

Monitor pasted by numerous colored papers as a message board is neither useful nor productive. When there are too many such reminding prompts they become useless.
Be restrained – the reminders on stickers should be really important and preferably short-term.

Recommendation 4. Be reasonable with the personal items

It is significant to keep balance between professional working environment and personal life on the workplace. And it’s not easy.
Family photos, vacation souvenirs, and other pleasant trifles can warm your heart and cheer you up during the day. Nevertheless, the item which are too precious for you and may cause a whirl of memories, are too distracting. Because even if we do not notice and realize this, when our sight slides on the subjects, the brain works on the information. Specialists recommend keeping on the table not more than 3 personal things.

Recommendation 5. Regulate your “communication” with e-mail

Even nowadays email remains the most often used and convenient communication method in the Internet. But it can take a heavy toll on efficiency if you will constantly be diverted by emails.
Professional planners/organizers highly recommend checking the e-mail several times a day, at precise times. The remaining time should be devoted to working only. And don’t forget to turn off the e-mail notification on your desktop, so that it won’t destroy your “working mood”.

Recommendation 6. Leave some free space on the table for any paperwork needed

At times your working table is so overloaded that no place can be found to sign a paper or to create a hand-written document.
Try always to keep on your table an “island” free of items (the side where it will be located depends on your dominant hand). It shouldn’t necessarily be big, a space of 10 × 15 inches will be quite enough.

Recommendation 7. Arrange work processes

The documents which have nothing to do with your current work should not be kept ready at hand. If your table is heavily littered with various papers on the projects you’ve done in the past, you are doing now and with drafts of your coming projects, be sure chaos will set in. The recommendation of experts in this case is to sort the papers by folders:
-important and urgent;
-urgent and unimportant;
- important and not urgent;
- unimportant and not urgent.
Use special organizers for the folders and do not pile them, this will make the workflow easier.

Recommendation 8. Clean up as frequently as possible

The mess helped Alexander Fleming and Alan Turing to perpetuate their talent. But such illustrations are single. For the majority of people a mess has a negative effect, it decreases concentration and efficiency. You should regularly ask yourself a question: are all the items located in their place on your working table?
To clean up the table at the end of the working day takes 5-10 minutes, and the next day you’ll be able to start organized and without any distraction.

How to Take Care of Paintings

On December 11, 2015, in Cleaning advice, by admin
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91-taking-care-of-paintingsThe harmony of images and colors on the canvases awakes a storm of emotions in humans. Joy, peace, serenity, inspiration – this is far from a complete list of feelings that we are experiencing looking at a work of art. The desire to constantly experience these emotions makes a man already for many centuries to decorate his dwelling with various artworks.

If your house or office is decorated with pictures, remember that they require a special care. It seems what can be easier? Just hang a picture on the wall and admire it. In reality, in order for the picture not to deteriorate but to delight your eyes throughout many years, several very simple rules should be followed.

- Do not hang a picture in direct sunlight, in places with high humidity, near heaters and above air conditioners, because changes in temperature and humidity may have an extremely negative impact on it.

- Try to do everything so that drops of water and fat do not get on your picture, do not touch the drawing with the fingers.

- Pictures do not tolerate fumes and tobacco smoke, because they absorb the smell and get covered with unpretty coating.

Watercolor Paintings
Watercolors are insufficiently durable. Over time, especially under the influence of direct sunlight, they lose their brightness and fade. Furthermore, the paper on which the drawing is made also fades, gets easily contaminated and becomes brittle.
If dirt gets on a watercolor painting, under no circumstances should you use water or an eraser for cleaning. For gentle cleaning, you can use a rolled-up white bread crumb. Thus it is necessary to process not only the contaminated area, but the entire surface.

To protect the watercolor drawings, experts advise to put them in a frame under glass. Due to the fact that the contact with glass also harms the drawing, it is the most advantageous to use the passé partout.

If your painting is hidden behind the glass, taking care of it becomes absolutely not burdensome: periodically clean the dust with a soft cloth from the glass, from the frame and the backside of the painting. To clean the glass, do not spray on it a wiper; the glass is better to be cleaned with a soft cloth dampened with water and some glass cleaner.

Oil Paintings
Paintings in oil are created on canvas, cardboard or wood. Such pictures, as a rule, are not hidden behind the glass. A picture painted in oils dry several years, therefore you should hang them in a warm place which a good ventilation. After a layer of paint hardens experts advise to cover the picture with varnish. It gives the picture additional stability to sunlight, water and mechanical damage. Place the picture at an angle to the light. If there is no varnish on the surface, glare of light will be uneven.

Painting in oils must be dusted from time to time. From the front side the dust is removed in one direction with a dry flannel or velvet cloth. Do not use a brush, a duster or a vacuum cleaner. The backside of the painting should be dusted with the same cloth. The cleaning of the backside of a painting should be done at least once in half a year. The dust from the frame is cleaned with a soft cloth. Faded gilding of the frame will restore its gloss if you wipe it with a flannel cloth soaked in a mild alcohol solution.

Experts advise not to use water and detergents for cleaning the pictures if the paint layer is cracked, this can irrevocably ruin the picture.
If the picture is heavily contaminated or deteriorated, do not try to correct the damages yourself. Only a professional restorer will be able to do a good job in high quality restoration of the picture.

89-top-10-houseplantsHouseplants are perhaps the most often viewed as decorative elements. Nevertheless, different flowers can be used not only for interior decoration. They can reduce the concentration of contaminants in the room and even such detrimental compounds as, for example, benzene, formaldehyde, toluene and xylene. Plants are also able to reduce the amount of germs in the air and to increase the humidity.

Disengaging oxygen, houseplants ionize the air and increase the concentration of light ions, reducing the concentration of heavy ions. Light negative ions, which are so few in the polluted air, are necessary for our lives: they improve the activity of respiratory ferments and metabolism, acid-base balance of blood, strengthen the immune system, increase the muscle tone, and prevent the increase of blood pressure.

Besides, in most cases, the occurrence of such diseases as acute respiratory viral infection, influenza, etc. is associated with dry air in the room: in such environment the disease-inducing microorganisms and viruses easily reproduce and a person is more susceptible to diseases. This situation can be fixed simply by increasing the air humidity, and in particular, via houseplants. For this 1 plant for 10 meters of floor space will be enough.

The plants on the windowsill can easily cope not only with air pollution but can also help with headaches and overwrought nerves.

So what houseplants are best able to improve the indoor climate?

1. Schefflera (Schéfflera or umbrella plant) – the plant is literally created for rooms where people smoke. It perfectly “consumes” and neutralizes nicotine and tar contained in tobacco smoke.

2. Epipremnum aureum (or Pothos) clears the air of benzene. The large leaves of this plant absorb a large amount of harmful substances. It grows quickly, and does not need an often watering.

3. Dracaena neutralizes formaldehyde. This plant eliminates toxic vapors of formaldehyde, which at a minimum level, but still are spread by varnishes, adhesives and furniture made of chipboard.

4. Chlorophytum (or Spider Plant) captures very well the exhaust gases and neutralizes formaldehyde. Only a few plants in the office are enough to clear it of formaldehyde emitted by thermal insulation made of synthetic materials in the office. Scientists have found that Chlorophytum during a day completely purifies the premises, and if you put into the flower pots some activated carbon its purifying properties increase by several times, and it is scientifically proven.
Five-six plants are enough to purify the air in a room with the flooring space of approximately 20 square meters.

5. Chamaedorea elegans or parlour palm actively humidifies the air and filters out substances that plastic produces. It is particularly recommended for buildings located near the highways, since it neutralizes evaporation of harmful substances contained in exhaust gases – benzene, trichloroethylene.

6. Ivy (Hedera helix) is a record holder in air purification. It absorbs a lot of toxic substances, including formaldehyde, benzene and ammonia.

7. Ficus benjamina – in addition to the saturation of the air with oxygen, humidification and cleaning of toxins, it releases phytoncides, which suppress vital activity of microorganisms. The gloss of its leaves intercepts a lot of dust, and when washing or wiping the leaves it (the dust) can be easily removed. Since Ficus generates oxygen in the daytime, and absorbs – at night, it is not recommended to put a pot with this plant in a bedroom, and furthermore, in a nursery. The ideal habitat for it is a kitchen or a room with windows facing the industrial park or a highway.

8. Sansevieria is popularly called “mother-in-law’s tongue” or “snake plant” can rightfully be regarded as a generator of oxygen. Sansevieria helps the human body to adapt to changed conditions, increasing its immunity. Thus, it saves from cold, reduces the harmful effects of fluctuations of atmospheric pressure, temperature and humidity. It protects also from toxins produced by synthetics and linoleum.

9. Geranium, or pelargonium, performs the function of a “family doctor” at functional disorders of the nervous system. The scent of geranium relieves nervous tension, helps with insomnia, nervousness, stress, as well as oncology. The substance geraniol, generated by it, has antiviral and antibacterial effects, kills Staphylococcus and Streptococcus. And there is a belief that pelargonium “sucks” carbon monoxide and dampness, repels flies, refreshes the stale air. Therefore, it is well suited also for the kitchen.

10. Asparagus sprengeri is irreplaceable at presence of chronic diseases. With its presence it accelerate the healing of bone fractures and injuries of the skin, improves skin elasticity. It is useful at different lung diseases, as it strengthens the lungs. Asparagus is harmful to many disease-causing bacteria. In addition, it absorbs heavy metals from the air.

Secrets of keeping the office clean

On October 31, 2015, in Office area, by admin
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86-secrets-of-keeping-office-cleanScientists have calculated that people, on average, when working a forty-hour week, spend ten years of their life at the office. And, of course, it is very important that these ten years pass in favorable working environment.

Not only comfort, but to a large extent health and ability to work depend on cleanness at the office. Because a large concentration of people, office equipment and documentation, creates good conditions for accumulation of germs and dust.

Daily office cleaning is a mandatory requirement for the creation of not only a healthy team, but also a favorable image of the company. Do not forget that there are no little things in business. As a mosaic is made up of small pieces the same is the image of a company, which consists of separate impressions of the management, people and office. Because any visitor of your office, like it or not, will pay attention to glitter of the windows, comfort and cleanliness of the rooms, and tidiness of bathrooms.

Cleaning of office premises can be organized in two ways. If the company is small, it is worth to take a cleaner on the staff and entrust that person all the care about office cleanliness. If you have sufficiently large facilities, floor-to-ceiling windows, if there are rooms for meals, office bathrooms, you can not do without a cleaning company. Professional tools, equipment, specially trained staff – all these guarantee the high quality and efficient cleaning.

What to pay attention to when choosing a cleaning company?

- In order not to run into a fly-by-night company, check its website, look through its advertising campaign, and pay attention to special clothes in which its employees work. If the costs of these fields are large enough, then surely such a company came to cleaning market for a long time.

- Research on the reviews. It is good if such a company will be advised to you by a person you fully trust. If your inner circle do not have people possessing such an information, read the reviews about the company on the Internet, call other partners of this cleaning company, get their opinion on the work of its specialists.

- Pay close attention to the offered price list for the services. If the prices are too low, then most likely it is a fly-by-night company, and you are out of the way with it.

- At the conclusion of the contract think through all the questions that interest you and ask them to the company manager.

Together with the manager of a cleaning company assess the need of the particular works needed for your office and indicate the list of works in the appendix to the contract.

Daily office cleaning usually includes:

• Wet cleaning of furniture (desks, cabinets, enclosures);
• Do not forget about window sills, they accumulate a lot of dust, especially if the office is not far from the road;
• Cleaning the floor
- Carpet cleaning with a vacuum cleaner;
- Washing floors with special means for different types of floor covering;
- Wiping the skirt boards.
• Dusting the surface of office equipment with special antiseptic wipes, periodic disinfection of objects of general use (handsets, computer keyboards, etc.);
• Cleaning the wastebaskets;
• If necessary, cleaning various stains on the upholstered furniture;
• Wiping the dust from a variety of accessories and design objects;
• Taking care of mirrors;
• Cleaning the office kitchen;
• High-quality cleaning of bathrooms using disinfectants, timely replacement of toilet paper, soap, paper towels;
• Cleaning of corridors and staircases;
• Mandatory room airing before the beginning of the working day.

An office also requires a periodic deep cleaning, which includes some additional works:

• Double-sided window washing;
• Washing of balcony blocks;
• Cleaning of hard to reach places from cobweb and dust;
• Cleaning of lighting equipment;
• Cleaning of the internal parts of cabinet furniture;
• Thorough cleaning of upholstered furniture by using special means;
• Cleaning of household appliances in dining rooms;
• Brightening all glossy surfaces (furniture, decorative items, etc.);
• Cleaning carpet coatings and upholstered furniture with professional washing vacuum cleaners and other special equipment.

With proper care, your office will shine with cleanliness and will please your employees and visitors with comfort and pleasant atmosphere.

Organizing Your Office Environment

On February 7, 2014, in Organizing tips, by admin
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37-organizing-office-environmentIt goes without saying that your working area should be comfortable and convenient for you. That is why it is your business to organize it in the best possible way.

Here are some pieces of advice that will help you to feel comfy at your workplace.

1.      Make special boxes for your mail. There should be at least two boxes. One for the received mail and the second one for the mail that should be recycled. There can be one more box where you may put letters that should be sent today.

2.      Nowadays we live in a digital world, but still we have paper documents that should be also organized. Use special files and folders to keep your paper documents in order.

3.      Keep it as simple as possible. The organization system should be very comfortable and easy for you.

4.      Recycle. This is one of the main things nowadays, keep the environment clean – recycle. Go green!

5.      Make sure your cords are in order. Sometimes all these cords may distract you and make your work impossible. Use special clips to bring them in order.

6.      Use special dividers doe your office supplies, especially if you keep them in drawers.

7.      Special memo boards. At least these boards help you not to loose sticky notes. This desk is a great visual reminder for your work.

8.      Buy a planner or a calendar. Of course, if you are a digital person, choose a digital planner, but it is impossible to remember everything, especially if you have lots of meeting and appointments. Be sure to write all the important information in it.

 

How to Organize Photo Wall in the Office?

On December 18, 2013, in Organizing tips, by admin
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31-how-to-organize-photosUsually the walls in the office are dull and grey. How to make them bright? Experts recommend creating a special picture wall on it. Doesn’t matter what kinds of pictures you will choose, they surely will brighten your office.

First of all, you need to pick up the right wall. This wall should be big enough and empty without bookshelves and other pieces of furniture.

This wall should be well lit in order to see all the objects that will be hanging there. Pay attention to the color of the wall. Choose the color which will serve as a great background for your pictures.

Now is the time to choose pictures. Pay attention to the balance between colored pictures and those that are done in black and white. Choose pictures that will calm your customers. The best way is the pictures that depict nature. Such beautiful photos will add life to your wall.

The next important thing for the picture is a frame. Designers recommend sticking to one color (black, white or brown), the sizes of the frames as well as pictures may vary.

The next step is to lay all the pictures on the tale or on the floor. Choose the best combination for you, balance large and small frames and leave enough space between them.

When you will be satisfied with the layout be sure to repeat it on the wall. Take a pencil and mark the places for the pictures. Don’t forget that the pictures should hang straight, that’s why you will need to use a level.

When the preparation is done and the nails are hammered, it’s time to hang pictures. Once your frames with pictures are on the wall, check the layout. If you don’t like something, try to change places of the frames.

Add extra light to the wall, place a sofa or a set of arm-chairs on the opposite side in order to pay attention of the clients to the wall.

And do not stop, add new frames and pictures that will brighten the wall more and more.

 

If you’re a business owner, you definitely look for ways of making the way you run your company better. Unproductive employees can be one of the factors that might hold you back from achieving your goal. Productivity can be influenced by a lot of factors.

That is true that in an untidy and cluttered office environment is not conducive to work and productivity. Any business should strive to maintain an office area clean and tidy. The businesses owner should make sure that the office environment is indeed clean and boosts employees’ productivity. One of the best solutions would be to hire a commercial cleaning company. There are plenty of benefits of hiring a cleaning service. Of course, hiring a cleaning service may not solve all of the business’s problems, but it is a well-aimed start.

Although office cleaning services have gained a good reputation in the market, some business owners still feel sceptical about outsourcing cleaning services. People often doubt if it is worth the money. Statistics show that hiring commercial cleaning services can greatly help your business achieve its goal. With a commercial cleaning service hired to clean up your office or business establishment, your employees will be able to focus on their job. Subsequently the productivity of the employees will rise.

The cleaning company you hire will complete all the cleaning tasks, so you won’t spend your time on such things like cluttered or messy office environment. The office area will be sanitized and well organized. You can be confident that the personnel you hire from any commercial cleaning company are well trained and are experts at what they do.

Try out hiring a commercial cleaning company and you will see what are the benefits you can get out of a commercial cleaning company. Make sure your office area is clean.

Your office environment

On October 30, 2012, in Office area, Uncategorized, by admin
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It seems that nowadays everyone understands why a clean office is a successful office. Today business owners should remember that keeping the office clean is a major benefit. When prospective clients walk through the door and enter your business they will immediately judge your company based on what they see. Are the windows and floors clean? Is there a peculiar odor emanating? Keep your office clean and you will have clients which don’t doubt your company’s credibility.

Don’t get upset if you don’t have enough time to do it yourself. There is a plenty of commercial cleaning services available in most areas. So, it won’t be a trouble to find a cleaning company that will provide you with professional cleaning services matched to your needs.

If you are a business owner and you want your employees to stay motivated and focused, hire professional cleaning services. Entrust them your facility for a few hours and enjoy the clean and productive environment. Keep your office organized and clean to keep employees happy and focused.

It’s close to impossible to work in a messy office. The clutter everywhere will definitely prevent you from really concentrating on the matter at hand.

Keep your office in a tip top shape. The following areas should be clean and well organized if you want to maintain a productive and successful work place: lobby, foyer, reception areas, restrooms(bathroom), offices/desks, and lunch room. Waste baskets should be emptied daily and all areas should be vacuumed every other day if not daily.

Keep up on appearance if you treat your business as a successful one. If you are committed to the maintenance of a clean and well organized office, it is likely that this attitude will spread throughout your company.

A Clean Office is a Successful Office

On June 7, 2012, in Office area, by admin
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Clean office is a key to your business success. When potential clients enter your business they immediately judge your company based on what they can see around. The dirty office will prevent your clients or partners from concentrating on the matter at hand.

Keeping the office environment clean is a major benefit. Businesses should maintain a clean environment not only for their customers but for their employees as well. If you care about your employee morale keep you facility clean and organized. Statistics has shown that a clean working environment is a necessity for employees to show better productivity. If the employees know that the environment they work in is cleaned and looked after when they go home their productivity rises.

Keep your office clean and you’ll have happy clients and employees. Don’t have enough time to do it yourself? There are a lot of commercial cleaning services that provide professional and still affordable cleaning. They will help you keep your office in tip top shape. The professional stuff will make sure your windows are sparkling clean and your floor looks its best.