Housekeeping: Benefits of Being Paid Legally

The nanny and housekeeping profession provides higher salaries than any other segment of the childcare industry which includes daycare, in-home childcare, preschool and even sometimes teaching. Each of these forms of childcare is considered to be paid "on the books". Yet this seems to be regularly avoided until something serious causes an employer or employee to change their position. Breedlove & Associates is a tax and payroll service company for Household Employers. They are the leading company in the nation for this type of service. Here is what they have to say about the "the benefits of being paid legally".

1) The benefits of being paid legally are numerous, and you really can't afford to be without them. As a professional, you should expect nothing less. Once you take a look at the benefits, you'll agree that being paid legally is the way to go!

2) Employment History. Being paid legally creates an employment history that is critical to daily life. If your employment is not documented, it is as if you do not work. An employment history is required for a car loan, a mortgage, a student loan, a credit loan, a credit card application, a health insurance application, an auto insurance application and all future job applications.

3) Unemployment Insurance. When paid legally, you are entitled to receive approximately 50% of your salary up to six months if you lose your job due to no fault of your own. This benefit is free to you as your employer pays the cost of the program.

4. Social Security/Medicare Benefits. For many, taking advantage of these benefits is years away, but consider these tax withholdings as a good investment.

5. Disability Benefits. In many states, you pay State Disability Insurance as a part of the taxes withheld from your pay. If you must take the time away from work due to nonoccupational illness or maternity leave, you are entitled to benefits while you are away from work.

6. Negotiating Salary. Negotiating salary "on the books" can have a positive result, if you are prepared. Your employers are professionals and are used to negotiating before tax salaries, not take home salaries. Talking in gross terms is important as you look at the entire benefit package.

Being legal is not only the law, it also provides great benefits, which you as the professional richly deserve.

Setting a Table - Step 3 to Planning a Dinner Party

Setting a table is the most fun for me because I enjoy the creative process of choosing and combining china, place mats, napkins and glassware. The party I was planning was for my husband's birthday. Since the focus was his birthday, I decided to choose colors that I knew he would like (gray, black with an exciting plum accent). Here are some tips that I use when setting a table:

1. Set the table either the night before or several hours prior to grocery shopping and cooking. You do not want to be rushed when being creative.

2. Choose the colors that work well with your theme. If there is no particular theme, but maybe just a special occasion, then choose colors that you think would be appealing for the guests. In this case, it was my husband's birthday, and I wanted colors that would be pleasing to him. With his gorgeous head of white hair, I thought of gray and wanted something that had those shades. I chose gray, black and plum as an accent.

3. Begin with the place mat (or table cloth). Choose a color that works well with the china. If your china is complicated, it may be best to choose a place mat that isn't as busy. My plates were simple, so I chose a mat with more design.

4. Pick out a charger that matches the china you are using. With gold rimmed plates, choose a gold, brown or black charger. The charger serves as a liner to the dinner plate, and the salad plate as a liner to the soup bowl.

5. Pick a napkin with color to accent the plates and mat. Napkin rings are fun and make the napkin look great. Open up the napkin and pull the napkin through the ring from the center of the napkin.

6. Take your silverware and set the cutlery from outside in depending on the course you are serving first. Example: the salad fork is on the outside of the dinner fork because it is used before the dinner fork.

7. Glasses come next - consider how many glasses of wine you are serving for each course and place them to the right of the dinner plate. Put each wine glass on the right side of the water glass. The order of glasses would be from left to right: water, white wine, red wine.

8. Choose flowers that pick up the colors of the table, but always include accent colors to give the table a punch. Keep your flowers low so that your guests can see each other. Add fruit or stones in your vases to make it interesting.

9. Lay votive candles all around the table surrounding the flower arrangements. I found these great crystal holders that made the candles look beautiful.

10. Final step is to go around the table and be sure that everything is evenly positioned. Place mats straightened, dishes in the center of each other, cutlery straight, napkins pulled through the napkin rings evenly and fluffed, votives and flowers evenly positioned throughout the table.

http://www.martaperrone.com

Are Tech Savvy consumers ready for a laundry room upgrade?

We all think about relieving the tedium of everyday chores, just the other day I wrote about the new automated floor cleaning system Mint.

Now news just out from Whirlpool that their new top loading Vantage line ($4000 for a washer/dryer pair) has 33 settings for clothes, blankets and even shower curtains all on a very cool iPod like touch screen.

Bosch, Sears Kenmore brand and LG are among an array of manufacturers coming out with new machines making the laundry room the next battleground for your already stretched credit/debit cards.

My 5-year-old Kenmore’s have 23 settings (I counted) so you can see how the ante is rising. I have at times even gone adventurous with my machines, washing items that claim Dry Clean Only, only to find them cleaned perfectly minus the $10+ cost per item at my local Dry Cleaner.

My laundry room is not the first place I bring guests when they come over, but if you have a need for blackberry or lemongrass shaded appliances I have an avocado side by side fridge just waiting for my Mrs. Paul’s fish sticks to thaw out.

Drunk with Kids in the Car

When a Nanny or Housekeeper wants to work with a family, it is imperative that she/he provides the family with a driving record. Can you imagine putting your child in a car with a Nanny who has a DUI or speeding tickets, accidents and other violations? Recently in Phoenix, the worst nightmare happened to a couple who had their nanny pick their children and take them to a pool party where she proceeded to drink large amounts of alcohol. She then struck a car and instead of stopping, she fled the scene of the incident. When the police finally caught up to the car, the nanny resisted arrest. The Nanny's blood alcohol level was .201 - triple the legal state limit. The Nanny now faces 3 felony counts of aggravated and extreme DUI. The due diligence you do on every candidate is extremely important. A Nanny may be wonderful, experienced and well-referenced; however, you must still do the driving check, criminal check, and complete background investigation before signing an employment agreement.

http://www.martaperrone.com

Los Angeles County Didn't Report Child Deaths

The violations involve "potentially dozens" of child fatalities. Interestingly, the investigation was conducted behind closed doors (a violation to the state's open meetings law). The county's inquiry into allegations of abuse or neglect had been open for close to 2 months and exceeded the state's 30 day deadline. Since then, the number of children whose cases have run past the deadline has grown by 1,000. More than 13,000 children are the subjects of abuse investigations that have been open beyond the deadline to close inquiries. Officials have pledged to address the issue of holding children in makeshift areas (temporary quarters) while the inquiries are investigated. The fact that anyone would consider abusing a child is inexcusable. Yet to think that the number of abuses has increased, and that deaths as a result of this have been under-reported due to the County's lack of funding, diligence and failure indicates we have a serious problem on our hands with a child's life at stake.

School Cafeteria Workers Get Culinary Boot Camp

In the past, cafeteria helpers were mostly trained in "cooking safety" but not necessarily in "cooking". In light of how people are protesting child obesity and unhealthy foods available in schools, now school cafeterias are training their personnel in a "culinary boot camp" learning to cook pork roasts, chicken, vegetables and casseroles. "Cook for America" founder, Kate Adamick also discusses child psychology, nutrition and marketing. They teach time management, culinary math , knife skills and menu planning. The boot camp is one of the several efforts to get more produce and whole grains and more freshly cooked foods onto school lunch trays. Santa Barbara County schools are on the bandwagon due to the Orfalea Fund, a local foundation, who supports the boot camps and follow-up training once the staff returns to school as well as grants for equipment.

Sri Lanka Housekeeper Abused by Employer

A Sri Lankan housekeeper returned from her job in Saudi Arabia with 24 nails inside her body -- the result of torture by the family who employed her, a doctor and government official said Wednesday.

L.G. Ariyawathi's body is riddled with needles and nails, which are scheduled to be removed Friday, a doctor confirmed Wednesday.

Ariyawathi, 49, returned to Sri Lanka on Saturday from Saudi Arabia and was hospitalized the next day with severe pain at a facility where she told a local newspaper that her employers tortured her with the nails as punishment.

''They (employer and his family) did not allow me even to rest. The woman at the house had heated the nails and then the man inserted them into my body,''

She told the paper that she went to Saudi Arabia in March and was paid only two months' salary, with her employer withholding three months' salary to buy an air ticket to send her home.

The 24 nails are ''inside the body due to torture meted out by her Saudi employer,'' Lakshman Yapa Abeywardena, deputy minister of economic development, said in a statement on a government website.

Abeywardena said the government would ''report about this matter to the Saudi Government and provide her adequate compensation.''

Kalyana Priya Ramanayake, a spokesman for Sri Lanka's Foreign Employment Bureau, said that Ariyawathi had been too afraid to complain about the abuse to Saudi authorities, fearing that her employers might not let her return home. She also did not report the abuse to Sri Lankan officials, until she was hospitalized.

The bureau is a government agency that oversees the welfare of expatriate workers.

Working as housekeepers or drivers, Sri Lankan workers can earn higher salaries overseas. About 1.5 million Sri Lankans work abroad, nearly 400,000 of them in Saudi Arabia alone.

How to Get your Child to Say "Yes, I Can, and I Will"

A great new book on raising a child: "How to Get Your Child to Say, Yes! I Can! & I Will!" by Lesa Day.

In just 10 days create a nurturing structure in your home that will guide your child to become a responsible, respectful individual.

Have you ever thought to yourself:
Do I know the top values I want to teach my child?
Is my communication proactive or reactive?
What legacy am I leaving behind?
What character traits do I want my child to have?

Lesa shows you how to put a system together in 10 days or less to nurture your child. She describes specific techniques you can use daily with the 5 1/2 C's and you're on your way to giving guidance to you child to succeed in their daily growth.

For links to her website regarding the book go to http://www.yesIcanandIwill.com

Wages: Nannies, Housekeepers, Babysitters

With the flood of unemployed workers, many nannies, housekeepers and babysitters are losing their jobs and finding it difficult to stay afloat. There was a time when they were adamant about making certain wages, but now ready to negotiate. So how how much should you offer your Nanny and Housekeeper? Nannies in Los Angeles are getting anywhere from $12-$25/hr. Wages vary depending on factors such as: driving, communication skills, child development education, years of experience on the job, quality of reference checks, availability for travel in/outside of US, number of children they are watching and ages. Infant care is more specialized and pays more. Housekeepers on the other hand are paid $15-$25/hr depending on size and quality of house, if laundry/ironing is required, and whether they are full charge (needing driving and cooking) or whether they are day cleaners. Most day cleaners charge $15/hr. Wages beginning at $15/hr are usually net of taxes whereas anything higher may be considered a gross wage. It is always important to check with EDD "Employment Development Department" to see whether you qualify for payroll taxes depending on how much an household employer is paying per calendar quarter. Payroll taxes are suggested when required as it protects both the employer and employee. Always be sure to have worker's compensation insurance or some form of protective insurance in the event of injury on the job. http://www.martaperrone.com

No Yelling, No Crying, No Walking off the Job

A full charge nanny and housekeeper called late Friday night in tears. Her boss had come home in a mad rush eager to get ready for dinner guests that evening. As she drove into the garage, she ran over a toy that was left inadvertently by her child and not picked up by the housekeeper. The employer was naturally upset. She didn't want to have to deal with this when she was already under pressure to get ready for the evening plans. She reacted emotionally and raised her voice; at which point, the employee also responded emotionally, began to cry and walked out 30 minutes prior to her scheduled departure from work. All of this was inappropriate on everyone's part. The toys should not be left in the middle of the garage. First of all, children should be trained to put their toys back. In this case, the child was old enough to know better. The nanny should have been vigilant in checking that the child had followed through. If the child hadn't, then the nanny's role is to ask the child to put the toys to one side, explaining that when mommy gets home and pulls her car in the garage, if the toys are not put away, she might run over them.

Here is more about how everyone was at fault: the mother yelled because she was frustrated, maybe had a bad day, maybe just because she was under pressure about the evening and getting ready for it. Raising your voice at anyone, especially employees wears thin. No one likes it, and eventually, no one will tolerate it. Everything between employees and employers must be handled in a civil manner - it becomes a "conversation". Secondly, the employee was completely unprofessional in turning to tears and leaving the job 30 minutes early. This is an employee/employer relationship, not one that you have with a boyfriend or husband. Tears are inappropriate. If an employee is not happy about her employer's conduct, then this is a "conversation" and should not be an emotional one. When you bring emotion into the equation, you risk elevating the problem and losing sight of how to solve it.

Problems can be solved only by a "conversation" where both parties are understanding of everyone's position and needs and seek to find a solution.

Good Housekeeping: Spot on Advice for Removing Summer Stains

Summertime means many stains that come with fun like barbecues, picnics and sunning at the beach. Here is some advice provided by Good Housekeeping for the following stains:

Grass stains: take a little of liquid laundry detergent with enzymes and rub into the stain, let it sit 5 minutes, then launder using the bleach (chlorine or oxygen) and very hot water.

Mustard/Ketchup: for Mustard,dip paper towel in cold water and BLOT (don't rub) the stain, use a dab of glycerin and work it into the stain. For Ketchup, flush the stain from the back side of the fabric with cold water. Next, for both apply liquid detergent to the front of the stain and use a toothbrush. Add more detergent as needed and then machine wash.

Fresh Berry stains: immediately sponge the spot with cool water and then later stretch the stained cloth over a bowel or pot in the sink. Hold a kettle of boiling water above the fabric and pour it over the stain (12 inches above). If it doesn't come out, use rubbing alcohol before tossing into the machine.

Sunscreen streaks: apply aerosol-spray stain remover like Shout or Afta.

Think about bringing an on-the-go stain remover pen (Max Force Gel Stick - new from OxiClean)or wipe in case a food stain should occur. Never let a stain linger on the garment in a hamper for days. Treat it as soon as possible and toss into machine.

http://www.martaperrone.com

Will the New Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights be Enforced?

The first state to recognize the workplace rights of nannies is New York. They will get temporary nanny disability benefits, nanny unemployment insurance, one day off per week and the biggest thing is "overtime". It is quite an achievement for the nannies since they usually get the bum rap. It will be very important that the message gets out to the domestic workers that these new rights exist. They will also need to educate the employers to uphold these rights so that they are enforced. Often, even with laws in place, domestic employees are faced with domestic employers who refuse to abide, leaving employees the choice of taking the job, or not. It is up to both parties to uphold the law that protects us all.

http://www.martaperrone.com

Nap Nanny Recliners Recalled

Nap Nanny, a portable baby recliners has been recalled voluntarily by its company, Baby Matters due to an infant death. The 4-month old girl from Royal Oak, Michigan died in Nap Nanny that was put into the crib because she was caught between the recliner and the crib bumper. In addition to the death, the infant was trapped between the recliner and the side of the crib. How is it possible that these products get produced and pass inspection? This recliner was marketed to improve sleep, comfort and for medical conditions, including flu.Looking at this Nap Recliner, it seems obvious that this could pose a dangerous problem. If parents happen to own one of these, Nannies, Babysitters and Housekeepers should also recognize what may be hazardous and make the necessary recommendations.

http://www.martaperrone.com

Nanny & Housekeepers: Tips to Find Work

In this economy, you cannot rely on one resource to find work and must be proactive. You must be able to use all the ways possible. But first, you must have a portfolio ready. Here are some tips:
1) Get a resume together with your most recent job history first and make sure it is updated within the last 6 months.
2) Gather all your letters of reference and call your reference numbers to be sure they are still reachable. Find email addresses for them as well, so that your prospective employer can communicate quickly with your former employer.
3) If you are caring for children, be sure to have your TB and Hepatitis testing completed.
4) Get a criminal check on yourself in the city or cities where you have lived in the past 7 years and have it available in case you are offered a position.
5) Be sure to be CPR certified and have it renewed if expired.
6) Gather any course completion certificates or certifications in child care, or The Professional Housekeeper course.
7) Put together a nice cover letter explaining your work objectives to indicate to an employer the kind of work you seek and your intentions and goals.
8) Have the "perfect" interviewing outfit ready, clean and pressed in your closet so that you can put it on at a moment's notice for any last minute interview calls.
9) Make a list of agencies, job listing services, newspapers, neighbors, former employers and reach out to all of them. Send out resumes to agencies. Subscribe to job listing services and respond to posted jobs and post your resume. Respond to newspaper ads seeking help. Call friends, neighbors and former employers asking their help in getting you work.
10) Be positive, proactive and persistent!!!

http://www.theprofessionalhousekeeper.com
http://www.martaperrone.com

Health Insurance

Health insurance is an important benefit that every household employee would like to have as a part of their compensation package. There are tax breaks for both the employer and the employee to make this more affordable than you might think. Like all employers, the government encourages household employers to contribute to their employee's health insurance premiums. You can do this by making a portion of the compensation tax free to the employer. Similarly, the employee is not taxed on that portion of the compensation. You have two options: the household employer can choose to be the billing party for the policy, paying the premiums directly to the health insurance company, or the household employer can provide the dollars for premiums to the employee. Either way, the employee savings will be about 20% of the amount of the health insurance contributions and the employer savings will be about 10% of the amount of the health insurance contributions. The tax breaks associated with health insurance create a powerful financial tool enabling nannies and housekeepers to get critical coverage without destroying employer's budgets.

http://www.martaperrone.com

Cell Phone Nunbers go Public in July

REMEMBER: Cell Phone Numbers Go Public this month.
REMINDER..... all cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sales calls.

.... YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLS

To prevent this, call the following number from your cell phone: 888-382-1222.
It is the National DO NOT CALL list It will only take a minute of your time.. It blocks your number for five (5) years. You must call from the cell phone number you want to have blocked. You cannot call from a different phone number.

HELP OTHERS BY PASSING THIS ON .. It takes about 20 seconds.


http://www.MartaPerrone.com

Patio Furniture Test

Michael Finny, the Consumer Watchdog for ABC solves problems for viewers. The latest question is what kind of "Patio Furniture" is most durable in the sun, rain and wind. Mother Nature is tough on every thing outside and definitely accelerates the wear and tear on outdoor furniture. Steel furniture is durable, but also very heavy to move. Rachel Rothman of Good Housekeeping says that aluminum is much lighter and more durable, but also more expensive. "Wicker is very light weight but not always weather resistant." The conclusion: When buying patio furniture, think of 3 things: weight, most weather resistant and expense. You want to be able to move it around easily, keep it as long as possible looking in good condition and not pay too much!!! Plastic just might be the answer!! But if you want it to look good too, then spring for the higher-end "Wicker".

http://www.theprofessionalhousekeeper.com

The New Teacher: Robot

Children are fascinated with toys that move, so it is no surprise that researchers developing robots who can teach various activities are seeing the possibilities. The innovation is such that the machines are able to learn as they teach which makes them also effective in repetitive therapies that are used to treat developmental problems like autism. In other countries, they are using the robot to serve as an assistant in the classroom and experimenting with having them teach language. They are finding that in many cases, testing the youngsters' knowledge is showing an error reduction of more than 25%. Research in social robotics (a computer science devoted to enhancing communication between humans and machines) find that grade school students are increasing their accuracy when taught by a robot. In San Diego, researchers are working on a robot named RUBI to have 2 main components: mechanical and psychological. RUBI actually can cry when a child tries to harm it (like attempting to take its arms off). With the reaction, the children are backing off at the sound. Apparently it is the machine's behavior that matters in making the child and machine in sync.

As usual, technology advancement brings about an ethical social debate.
Do we really want our children being taught by robots? Would removing the human element to teaching be a problem if you achieve a greater effect to learning?

http://www.martaperrone.com

Housekeepers Alert: Be Good to those Furry Critters!

Gail Posner who died at the age of 67 in March of this year was an heiress, and quite extravagant during her years alive and certainly thereafter. She has left 8 million pounds of her assets in the name of her dearly loved pet canines. Upon dying, she arranged that her Chihuahua, "CONCHITA" (who happens to have a Cartier necklace worth 10,000 pounds) and two other dogs be left a trust fund of 2 million along with a 6 million beach-front manor in Miami. The will also states that her "defenders" and "HOUSEKEEPERS" will receive a massive 17 million pounds and the right to reside without rent in Gail Posner's property while they nurture the animals. Of course, her son is initiating a lawsuit to invalidate his mother's wishes.

Yes, it is important that Housekeepers love those furry critters and know how to care for them because a "pet" can be far more important than a relative.

DAY CARE CENTERS PACKED

Sue Shellenbarger of the WSJ writes about the "Day Care Waiting List" dilemma. Parents are begging for admission and putting their unborn children on the waiting list. This essentially means that children are on a day-care waiting list for approximately 2 years. Women, more than ever are in the work force and 11,000 day care centers nationally are full to capacity. It is on a come-first basis, but infants usually have the longest wait lists. As always, siblings of children already enrolled typically get first dibs on openings. The best advice she offers is to 1) register for child care at least one year before you need it, 2) visit several centers and get your name on more than one wait list, 3) enroll all your children at the same place to get sibling priority, 4) call the center monthly to make sure your status is current, 5) leave contact information anytime you leave travel, 6) plan to enroll in summer when more slots are open, 7) be flexible and take any slot that comes available, and 8) stay on your first choice center even if you are enrolled elsewhere.

REMEMBER THE BABY IN THE BACK OF THE CAR!

It seems astounding that this could be true; the National Safety Council reports that there are about 30 children per year that die of Hyperthermia when left inside vehicles, even when the temperatures are not especially hot. Many of these incidents are as a result of forgetfulness and not just neglect that happen when parents and caretakers inadvertently leave their children in the car. There is an increased sense of awareness around this issue. Jannette Fannell of KidsandCars.org is trying to make a difference by working with Auto Makers to make a reminding device to warn drivers that a child is left behind. However, her efforts to get child-left-behind legislation was unsuccessful. As a result, Kids and Cars is proposing other safety belt latching reminders. The proposed regulation would also mandate child-left-behind warning which could share electronics with the belt reminder. http://www.theprofessionalhousekeeper.com

HOW TO GET ORGANIZED

Getting organized can be a constant chore if everything in the house is in a disarray. Start with the simple stuff and see how these efforts can make a huge difference:

*Put keys in a bowl at the entry way near door that you exit daily.
*Keep shoes you use often on a wooden or metal rack near door.
*Keep umbrellas stored standing up for air circulation so that they dry effectively
*Buy section boxes for your drawers so that you can keep specific things in them
*Keep your desktop free and clear so that you have room to write, open mail and review files comfortably
*Designate a recycling area that includes containers for newspapers, bottles, etc.
*Keep a list of emergency numbers, take-out menus, notepads, pens near the telephone
*Make sure your nightstand is large enough to hold a book, light, alarm clock, but also have a drawer to conceal items such as television remotes, medicines. A shelf underneath is useful for magazines and books to be read.
*Group your undergarments by type and color in row using a divider or box. Plastic compartments can also be snapped together to customize your drawer.
*Keep our cotton, q-tips, make-up and creams in decorative containers, trays or in a box.
*Keep your utensils on a lazy Susan with compartments for cooking oil, and basic condiments.
*Making meals is easier when organizing canned good by type and maintaining visibility. It makes shopping and replenishing easier.
*Put all spices in a tiered wire or wood spice platform that lets you store them with the labels out.
*Store pots and pans in nesting fashion: smaller one in larger to reduce amount of space.
*Keep tub toys in separate bin near bathtub
*Organize floss, toothpaste and mouthwash in one area of the medicine cabinet
*Use hampers, baskets and separate mesh garment bags for sorting dirty laundry according to what goes to the cleaners, colored and white, hand washing, etc.
*Keep laundry and cleaning supplies separated according to type

Start getting organized!!

OSHA - Injuries in the Housekeeping Industry

Housekeepers are prone to repetitive stress injuries from such continual work as changing sheets, washing bathroom floors and vacuuming according to several researchers who studied three years of government-related injuries at 5 union-represented hotels. It was surprising that the Hispanic housekeepers had a proportionally higher rate of injuries than the non-Hispanic cleaners, according to the study. But there was no explanation for this. The union - UNITE HERE which represents Hospitality employees funded this research. It has now captured the attention of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Injuries come from lifting patients in nursing homes; lifting mattresses leading to musculoskeletal disorders. In many of these cases, people are not supported with additional staff members to do such lifting or provided with the proper tools and equipment to do the work.

If you have any household employees, it is important that you carry homeowners insurance for injuries in your home and/or worker's compensation for any employees on payroll.

http://www.martaperrone.com

Dangerous Caregiver Database

If you are wondering if the caregiver you have just hired for your mother is on the "dangerous list", a database for this is now available to hospitals. This database allows hospitals to check for any disciplinary action taken anywhere in the country against nurses, pharmacists, psychologists and any other licensed health official. However, this list may not protect your loved one completely. You should always do a national criminal background check on everyone you hire and check your information against state board licensing websites. Unfortunately, the database may give one "false security" in that not every disciplinary action is reported to the Federal government which makes it incomplete.

Laundry Soap Overdose

The Wall Street Journal reports that overdose of laundry detergent is causing problems such as dingy clothes and worn washing machines. "Over-pouring makes a foamy tide inside the machine lifting soil and lint above the water level so it isn't rinsed away." Apparently, this is what leaves a residue on the clothes that gives them a faded look. Companies, like Proctor and Gamble are coming out with ways to design caps for detergent bottles that make it easier to be more specific about measuring soap. It is recommended to clean washers monthly using an empty hot-water cycle and either bleach. Also, if it is hard to see the interior line of a cap, then put a marker line on the outside of the cap. http://www.martaperrone.com http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703808904575025021214910714.html

No More Dish Detergents?

Polymer is a plastic coating that is currently being developed making dinnerware and bathroom mirrors clean with water alone. Something favorable for environmentalists who worry about the effects that soap has on our water system as it washes down the drain. How it works? It is a coating that keeps the grease from penetrating the material underneath. Soap "degreases"- it allows oil on soiled surfaces to disperse into water as an emulsion causing dishwater to cloud up. With polymer, the oil is displaced without soap. Similar coatings may be used on glasses, car windshields and bathroom mirrors to resist fogging and making it easier to clean.

http://www.martaperrone.com

Classes Begin in February

Classes will resume in February at Domestic Connections Agency for Nannies and Housekeepers to receive training in all areas of the household: cleaning, cooking, laundry, basic childcare, table setting and more. We will also cover career development tools. www.martaperrone.com to register.