There are many products on the market to help treat ingrown toenail. The most common reason for ingrown toenail is cutting or trimming the nail improperly so there are a variety of special clippers that are sold to help ensure proper trimming. Improper trimming results in curving of the nail into the nail fold. This curvature can cause the toenail to injure the soft surface of the nail.

While an ingrown toenail itself is not a disease, it can certainly lead to a nail infection. Onychomyscosis is the most common type of nail infection and it accounts for about half of all nail disorders. The infections are particularly prominent in nails that are exposed to warm, moist environments like sweaty shoes or shower floors.

The eloi ingrown nail clipper is a popular product for people who suffer from ingrown toenails. These clippers are designed to help prevent the formation of ingrown toenail. The seki ingrown tail clipper has a slanted edge that makes the toenail easier to trim.

There are specially designed ingrown toenail files that make it easy to trim and shape the toenail. These are thin files that can be used to cover the edges and the painful areas of the ingrown toenail.

It is extremely important to sterilize clippers and nail files with alcohol before using them in order to prevent the possibility of a nail fungus infection. If you have an ingrown toenail and you go for a professional pedicure, you should take your own pedicure instruments with you so that you can be certain that they are sterile. Many nail fungus infections are acquired during professional pedicures.

There are several products on the market that can help ease the pain that is caused by ingrown toenails. Some are topical and some are taken by mouth. Some doctors prescribe an anti-fungal lacquer, such as Penlac, which can be painted on the nail and surrounding skin. This protects the skin from further injury and helps promote healing. After a few days the polish is removed and a new coat is applied. This may be done as often as needed to provide relief.
If your ingrown toenail becomes infected you should talk to your doctor about products that are best for you.

You can also find more information at tissue ingrown toenail and cell membranes. TreatNailFungus.org is a comprehensive resource to inform individuals suffering from toenail fungus about prevention, symptoms and treatment options.

Did you know that if you have well water, you have to get it tested on a regular basis? There are so many people who end up getting sick because of water contamination and they don’t even know it. In fact, 26% of all well waters can cause people to become sick. Although your well is not a public system, most states will have laws on the books about wells. Before you purchase a home with a well or drill a well, you should see what your state laws are. It is completely up to you to make your water safe, so take that in consideration as well.

You should have your water tested in the springtime. This way you can see what the winter has placed in your well system. Not only should you test in the spring, but also you need to test your water at least once every two years for changes in chemicals or mineral compounds. You should always test your water if there are any disturbances, like mining near you, or if you are in a flooded area. You will not only need to test your water, but repair or re-drill a well to fix the problem.

You can get your water tested at any of you local environmental laboratories. You may be surprised, but anything can cause a change in your well water, including the animals that inhibit your local area. You will not only need to get a water filtering system, but you should also keep in mind about your septic system.

You will not want your well next to your septic system or anywhere near it. You may want to have them at opposite sides of the house so that you have no worries about a leak getting into your water. Some of the things that you will end up testing for to make your drinking water taste better, as well as, be healthier for you are Coliform, E. Coli, Nitrate, VOC (Volatile Organic Compounds), and pH.

If you think that your water has a weird or different smell or taste, you should get your water tested as soon as possible. Not only will testing the water save you from illness, but it will also taste better. Once you have pinpointed what is in your water, you can remove or reduce the amount of containments and then you can improve your water’s drinking quality and characteristics.

You can also find more information at extensive water treatment and water filter cartridge. eWaterTreatmentSystems.com is a comprehensive resource for water treatment with information on reviews, reverse osmosis and how it works.

Secured loans have come into being to satisfy the financial needs of a borrower in an easy and affordable way. This loan offers you a good amount of money whenever you ask for financial assistance. This is again available at a good and low rate of interest and in the financial market termed as low cost secured loan.

To access low cost secured loan what you have to do is to place a security of your own. This security could be your home, jewellery, any valuable paper, car etc. Now once this security is placed, lender offer you a good amount of money which ranges from 5,000-1,00,000 pounds.

With this loaned amount, a borrower can meet any of his personal requirements such as:

Improvement of home
Buying a car
Holidaying in a beautiful tourist spot
Education of child
Except these, he can also access this loan to consolidate all his unpaid debts.

Now you can ask how secured loan is accessed at a good and low rate of interest. Answer is the security you place for the loaned amount. Here the lender feels free and in the occasion of payment default, he can even repossess your property. And because of this, he goes on offering attractive rate of interest which is indeed beneficial for a borrower.

Low cost secured loan is open for all types of credit holders. Persons having good credit score can utilize this loan to cater their needs. And at the same time, bad credit holders can also get a chance to get financial assistance here. Moreover he can also improve his credit score by repaying the loaned amount within proper time frame.

World Wide Web is the best place from where you can access low cost secured loan easily. Here you get a chance to meet unlimited lenders of your choice who are reputed for offering such loan at attractive loan terms. You can also get free loan quotes here. And by comparing their loan offers you can take your pick satisfactorily.

Andrew Baker has done his masters in finance from CPIT. He is engaged in providing free, professional, and independent advice to the residents of the UK. He works for the UK Finance world. for any type of
Low cost secured loan, Secured Home Improvement Loans, Secured Holiday Loans, Secured Car Loans, Secured Business Loans visit http://www.ukfinanceworld.co.uk

Swimming pools are a great outlet through which one can accomplish many fun things. Having your own pool when you come home from your daily routine will helps you put a smile on your face. Pools are a wonderful source for you to put your feet up, relax and lounge after a tiring days work. Secondly if you are suffering from any health condition or are just in need of solid exercise you should consider doing water workouts in your above ground swimming pool. In today’s increasingly busy and competitive world everybody is so busy in their own daily “grind” whether that is at work, or with family people tend to neglect their health and allow ample time for relaxation. By purchasing an above ground pool you can multi task. You can spend time your above ground swimming pool relaxing with your friends and family as well as using it as a platform for exercise. You must realize that the swimming in your own pool a few times a week you will achieve positive mental and physical healthy

Getting a good swimming pool installed at your house can be a really tough job if you do not work with a good swimming pool dealer. Blue world pools are one of the most renowned swimming pool dealers operating in United States. Getting your swimming pool or hot tub installed and fitted through this dealer you can safely assume that you will get the best. There are several options in the market and understandably it becomes very difficult to choose the one dealer that you can trust blindly. Here you must be cautious and make sure that you get the swimming pool installed only through reputed dealers like Blue World Pools.

There have been many instances where customers have reported to have been duped or they have been subject to fraud by unscrupulous swimming pool dealers. With blue world pool fraud is one aspect you will never have to worry about. All the work that is done by blue world pools is above board so there is absolutely no chance of encountering with any kind of fraud or some other scam. Purchasing a pool is an important financial decision for any family and making sure that you choose the right pool from the right dealer is of vital importance. You are investing money in putting up a pool which will benefit you and your family in the long run, so you will naturally want to deal with genuine dealers like Blue world pools. Choosing your vendor properly will enable you to enjoy your pool and be hassle free so you can relax in your pool. Choose blue world pools for your pool purchase and get ready to start your enjoyment.

If you have little kids at home you can install a swimming pool which is specially made for kids. In this swimming pool which you can get installed from blue world pools you can teach your child to swim from an early age onwards. Children love to play with water and if you provide them with the source to fulfill their wishes of playing in water. If a child develops the habit of doing physical exercises in swimming pool during childhood chances are very high that the child will lead a healthy lifestyle.

Loss of sleep is something which is reported by many people these days. Do you know that hot tubs and spas can in fact aid in process of inducing sleep in a person. Swimming pools and hot tubs installed by Blue World Pools can server many uses for you at once.

Eric Wills works for Blue World Pools, a company that helps in installing and setting up swimming pools.For any information on Blue world Pools,Above ground pool dealer,Swimming pools financing and Blue world pool fraud visit http://www.blueworldhottubs.com

Most people just starting out in real estate investing focus on buzz phrases like, “property analysis” and “due-diligence”. The relationship between these two is important to any real estate investor, both experienced and inexperienced alike. The other aspect that is equally important, if not more important is self-analysis.

Now I don’t mean psychological self-analysis either. Self-analysis is about taking a good look at your own financial situation, knowledge of investments, resources, strengths and weaknesses, and personal preferences. When we first began our real estate investment company, we agreed that personal guarantees for loans for any project for the company was not in our best interest. This is an example of a personal preference. This obviously has an impact on how we conduct our business.

Many real estate investors face the reality of having to borrow money in order to begin purchasing real estate. A great place to start analysing is your own wallet. Then match that to your personal preferences. For instance, if you were to consider buying a “fixer upper” and you had $5000 in your bank account. You would have to consider your options based not only on the amount of money in your bank account, but also the implications of borrowing money. This includes your credit, your personal assets, your family situation and the risks involved.

Bullets are always nice, so here are some to help you focus on what should be considering before “going for broke” (which is what you want to avoid):

Money in bank

Access to more money if needed

Credit

Possible risks to credit

What do these risks mean to you (how much do you care about them)?

Family - how will this effect your family?

Current assets

Current debts

Take these bullets and then match them to the following:

What are the potential problems that may arise?

How well prepared are you to handle these challenges?

How well do you handle pressure?

What experience do you have?

What are some resources you can use that can help you?

What money sources can you access if needed?

Who do you know that can help you?

How can you meet people that can possibly help you?

Do you want to do what it takes to actually start meeting people in the business?

What if you lose all your money?

What if your credit is destroyed?

What if you lose everything you have?

On a scale of 1 - 10 (1 = Absolutely No Risk and 10 = Extremely High Risk), how risky is the investment strategy?

Those “what if” questions are probably the most scary out of the bunch and they are also the root of what keeps many people from taking the first step toward making that first real estate investment or starting their own business. Regardless of these questions, if you want to start investing in real estate or start your own business, these questions have to be asked honestly.

But look at the entire list also! Part of the power of the “what if” questions are that they overshadow all the other options. The self-analysis you do is an absolute must. Any person who is considering real estate investing as a viable option for wealth building has to answer these questions on their own. No one can answer them but you.

Self-analysis is important because knowing yourself is the first building block to success. You’ve got to understand yourself and be honest. If you sugarcoat it, you will ultimately fail. There are so many different ways to begin a career or business in real estate, it’s almost unbelievable. But no matter what path you choose, you’ve got to sit down and look at yourself seriously. Where there are strengths, grow them and where there are weaknesses, work on them. Real estate investment success or business success in general, does not happen overnight, neither does self-analysis. Sit down, figure it out. Then go out and make money!

©2007 noobdogs.com

Noobdogs.com offers a place for fellow new investors in real estate to ask questions and get good, sound information they can understand.
Noobdogs.com is owned and operated by AmeriCountry Realty Group LLC. Founded in 2006 by Tom McGiveron, a Behavior Specialist and entrepreneur, noobdogs.com is becoming the premier site for new investors to achieve success in personal development and real estate investment.

Are you and your team searching for that “magic formula” to increase Case Acceptance? Many orthodontic and dental practices are searching for ways to improve patient enrollment. Actually, winning patients over and improving your conversion rate is much easier than you may think. Consistently practicing to a higher standard and becoming a “patient-centered” practice should not be magic but is not widespread in dentistry or medicine. The results you will attain by doing what it takes to “Wow” your new patients will yield magical results, however. How do you “wow” your new patients and what are you doing to become “patient-centered?”

Remember if we know what to do and do not do it, we are depriving others of our very best. It’s not always what you do for your patients, in as much as what you don’t do. Your focus should be on providing the best in patient care, making starting treatment in your office easy and a unique experience.

Below are two of the seven key ingredients a “patient-centered” orthodontic or dental practices have in common.

#1 — Patient/Parent Aggravations Are Non-Existent Think about the last time you called or went to a doctor’s appointment. Were you aggravated by something in particular? Is there something you would change about the experience?

· Voicemail or a recording when you really would have preferred to speak with someone.

· A more convenient appointment time.

· Left knowing what my treatment would actually cost.

· After arriving on time, seeing the doctor when scheduled without having to wait and completing my visit within the time stated.

A patient-centered practice will anticipate the needs of their patients and eliminate aggravations.

Solution: Schedule a team meeting and list issues you have heard from your patients/parents or those they have experienced in your office. Come up with solutions for each issue. Role-play with your team members and practice, practice, practice. Make sure every team member knows how to handle each situation with a friendly smile. Uniformity is key!

#2 — Empty Promises Are Never Made Do not make promises to anyone you are unable to keep. Your patient’s expectations are managed by what is said to them on the phone, in your literature and in the information found on your website. What promises are being made? Are they being kept 100% of the time? If not, you are not meeting and exceeding the expectations of a patient-centered practice. In your practice, establish any broken promise as an unacceptable act. It is simply best not to say, verbally or in print, what you will not deliver.

Promise The appointment coordinator tells the patient/parent a new patient packet will be mailed to them along with instructions on what is needed before the visit.

Unacceptable Act! The packet never arrives or it shows up after the scheduled appointment.

Promise The patient/parent is told the General Dentist office will be called for a panoramic x-ray prior to the visit. The patient/parent offered to make the call but was assured your office would take care of it.

Unacceptable Act! The patient arrives for the consultation and the appointment coordinator or treatment coordinator forgot to call the dentist’s office for the x-ray.

Promise The appointment coordinator or treatment coordinator knows beforehand the consultation will be for a transfer case. The pertinent information is received on the previous orthodontist so that a request of the patient’s records can be made. You assure the patient/parent the records will be in your office the day of the consult.

Unacceptable Act! The request for transfer records was never made or it was made too late and the records aren’t available to the doctor on the day of the patient’s consultation.

Promise You offer 2 free movie tickets if the patient is kept waiting more than 20 minutes into their appointment time. Or, all of your printed material states “how valuable the patient/parent’s time is” so you “strive to be on time for every appointment.”

Unacceptable Act! Your team will rush to get the patient in any chair to avoid giving away movie tickets. Or you keep the patient waiting after they arrive on time.

Solution: Don’t make promises you have no intentions of keeping. This includes verbal or written promises. Be a practice of integrity and keep your word. Hold yourself and your team accountable. Lead by example. If you’re breaking promises to them, they’ll break promises to your patients.

Key ingredients 3, 4 and 5 will be published in the very near future. If you are unable to wait, send an email request and I will be happy to share the remaining ingredients with you, in advance. Begin “wowing” your new patients straightaway! And please, do not limit this exhilarating feeling to your new patients! Once they are enrolled in treatment, it takes the same care to keep them. They will increase your new patient flow with more referrals if they are made to feel special. A patient-centered practice creates Practice Ambassadors!

Copyright © 2007 Avis Ward of AWard Consulting, LLC

Avis Ward is a Dental Marketing Consult specializing in Orthodontics. More information about Avis can be found here: http://aviswardconsulting.com/ Avis invites you to view her blog.

A great sales letter has the capacity to convert many leads from just being “curious on-lookers” to excellent down-lines in your company. However, many a times most of us over-sell our opportunities and “scare” away the would-be down-lines.

There are many factors that can affect our sales letters but the most common mistake made is the use of forward-looking statements in our sales letters.The statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements.

Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements include;

- the amount of investment required in terms of money or time

- the level of commitment required from the leads

- the amount and level of training or coaching required

- if any or no level of prior experience required

- the level of performance required

- changes in state or federal legislation or regulations

- general economic conditions and inflation

For great success, a great sales letter should be “honest” and the truth should be depicted.The use of statistics should be limited to only the “necessary” statistics required to reinforce the point being made in the the sales letter. I recommend the use of testimonials that are only credible and relevant to the sales speech made.The testimonials should be just sufficient to drive the point home and not too many testimonials should be used.

Remember,a good sales letter should have great language skills such as correct grammar,spellings,tenses.punctuations,etc.

The use of graphics should be avoided or else may scare the leads.However,if graphics are used,they must be perfect ,minimal and professional.Too many bells and whistles in any sales letter may damage its reputation very easily before the eyes of the readers.

Sales letters have become common and are increasingly being used in net-work marketing to attract leads or in advertising to promote products and services.These sales letters may be send in a form of email or press release, or a blog, and/or an article.

How do we identify forward-looking statements?

Forward-looking statements in our sales letters can be identified through the use of words such as ‘may”,”would”,”intend”,”should”,”estimate”,”believe”,”possible”,”project”,”plan”,”expect”,”anticipate”,”could’,and “will”.

To create a good sales letter that converts try to avoid the use of some of the words mentioned above and watch the great success your sales letter brings to your company.

The author is a home-based business expert :
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To find the best home based business ideas and
opportunities so you can work at home visit:
http://www.buybestsale.com
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If your diamond was purchased in 1970, and it was a D color, and flawless, and weighed 1.00 carat, you probably paid around $3500.00 for it. If you purchased that same diamond in 1980, you would have paid $63,000.00 for it. The same diamond, if purchased today (2007) would be around $23,000.00. These prices are based on the purchase being made in a retail jewelry store and not from the internet.

Looking at the above prices, you can see that there has been a steady increase in prices since 1970 with the exception of 1980. From $3500.00 to $23,000.00 is about a 650% increase. This is about the same increase as gas prices for the same period in the US.

If we look at 1970 to 1980 we see a jump of around 1800%. What happened? From 1979 to 1981 diamonds were being sold as investments. Consumers were being told that top quality diamonds were in short supply and would continue to rise in price. This was not true. However, consumers continued to purchase them at a record pace and a record price. In 1981 the bottom fell out and the market collapsed. Over the next few years there was an up and down cycle and finally the market settled back to where it would have been had there been no so called investment craze.

Millions of dollars were lost during this crash and many were left holding diamonds that they would never recover their money from. I still do appraisals today on diamonds from that period, and many hope they can recover their $63,000.00 on a stone that is now worth around $23,000.00. And some of them still want to shoot the messenger. (Appraiser)

During this period most of the diamonds were sold with Diamond Grading Reports, or what became known as “Certs”. The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) issued most of these. However, other laboratories started to spring up around the world. The top labs issuing grading reports today are GIA, AGS, EGL, and IGI. In my opinion the two that set the world standard today are the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and the American Gem Society (AGS).

When you purchase a diamond in today’s market, whether it is from a retail jeweler, or an internet seller, it should have one of these Grading Reports. Buying on the internet has its advantages. Let’s take the $23,000.00 diamond that we discussed above. This diamond can be found on the internet for around $18,000.00. That’s quite a savings. All you need to do is find the stone that you want, place your order, and in about 2 to 3 days it will be delivered to your front door. If you don’t like it, or it is not what you wanted, most companies have a 30 day return policy.

When buying from a retail jeweler you usually have several choices of stores in your local area which allow you to visit them, and talk to a salesperson face to face. The salesperson should be able to show you several diamonds that meet your criteria and thoroughly explain them to you.

I asked at the beginning if diamonds were a good value in today’s market. My answer is “yes” as long as you’re buying the stone for all the right reasons. The right reasons will be different things to different people. It might be for you to wear yourself, or give as a gift, or the most special of all… to give to that special person as an engagement ring. Just keep in mind that a diamond is bought as an investment in beauty and not as a financial investment.

James Greene is a Graduate Gemologist and Master Gemologist Appraiser currently doing appraisals in Southeastern Pennsylvania. He has over 25 years in the jewelry and appraisal business. http://www.diamondmarketwatch.com

Although we do not completely understand how hair loss and baldness is passed down through our genetics, what we do know is that some individuals have hair follicles that are super sensitive to the “DHT” that runs through their blood.

DHT is a hormone with the initials standing for “dihydrotestosterone”.

DHT is an androgen, created from testosterone, and is considered a male hormone. Surprisingly, even though this is a male hormone, women also have a small amount that runs through their blood, some higher than others. When a female inherits hair follicles that are super sensitive to DHT, they will start to lose hair just as men do.

When a person inherits the genes for hair loss, their hair follicles are also sensitive to DHT in other ways. Not only does a person’s hair fall out, but they will have also inherited hair follicles that, when regenerated through the three growth cycles, grow strands of hair that come back thinner and with less pigmentation.

This phenomenon also clears up the mystery behind why some people have thinning hair that seems to change color as the person ages.

In other words, it is perfectly normal for everybody’s hair to grow and then shed, and then regrow back again. This allows the hair to reenter the anagen phase, then the catagen phase, and finally the telogen phase, which results in a new strand of hair. But now, since a person’s hair follicles are sensitive to the DHT in the blood supply, it prevents the hair from regenerating to its normal size after each repetitive growth cycle. They come back smaller and smaller. In time, a person’s scalp will contain hair so small that it resembles fuzz, which can barely be seen, hence becoming “bald”.

Don’t Be Too Discouraged To Find Out You Are Loosing Your Hair

Although being genetically predisposed to hair follicles that are sensitive to DHT may seem like a no-win situation, there is still hope! For starters, anybody who is experiencing hair loss can improve their look by carefully styling their hair in a way that does not emphasize this loss of hair.

There are also many hair care products on the market that can help give the appearance of extra hair. And if you really wanted to make an improvement, there are many high-quality wigs and hairpieces that look as real as a natural head of hair.

Also, medications exist that are widely available that are designed to help protect sensitive hair follicles that are affected by DHT. Some medications can even help by reducing the amount of DHT in a person’s bloodstream, which will help slow down the process of hair loss.

Although there is no “magic bullet” for everyone in terms of medication for hair loss, there have been some truly amazing results with treatment and medication where patients have experienced a total reversal of their hair loss!

Author Antony Wilton is sure that hair loss can be beaten.

Join him in the battle at his Authority Hair loss Site Hair loss Remedies, Products and Reviews

Hotel and lodging executives continue to ignore over one-half the U.S. population.The hospitality industry has become an amenity-driven business like no other time in recent decades. Year after year, guest survey polls indicate that cleanliness continues to be the #1 concern of travelers. Yet, executives of upscale hotels and lodgings mistakenly continue to believe that their guests’ #1 concern is the cost of guest rooms. As the cost of guest rooms rise, and rightfully so as the cost of doing business also rises, hospitality executives validate the rising cost by including more and more amenities. Free HBO and free continental breakfast no longer entice the traveler. To capture customer loyalty and to decrease customer “churn” rate, hospitality businesses now include amenities such as free Internet connection, in-house business centers, gyms, spas, fitness centers, jogging trails, plasma TV’s, pillow top mattress pads, extra pillows, and a totally encompassed, “non-smoking” facility. Overlooked by lodging executives is the fact that hospitality housekeeping practices remain for the most part, unchanged.

Fact: Allergies Plague More Than Half the U.S. Population

Recently, researchers from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), both of which are associated with the National Institutes of Health (NIH), found that 54.3% of the U.S. population have tested “positive” to one or more allergens. Just as the prevalence of asthma (and asthma deaths) have increased year after year since 1980 and considered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to be at an epidemic proportion, so has the number of persons suffering from allergies. What the hospitality industry has not yet realized is that travelers’, oftentimes already under duress from the rigors of traveling, are now even more susceptible to suffering from allergy triggers, allergic reactions, and asthma attacks. Very little more can ruin a business trip, or a vacation, like having to endure an asthma attack or allergic reactions such as; flu-like symptoms, a raspy or hoarse voice, sore throat, nagging cough, red watery eyes, sinus congestion, headaches, or a mind-disturbing irritable itch, during ones “away from home” stay.

Fact: Indoor Air is Much Less Healthier than Outdoor Air

Poor indoor air quality (replacing outdoor air quality) is now the latest #1 concern of the EPA. The EPA is taking proactive steps to educate the U.S. public through their new website and by creating public service announcements (PSA’s) available to the broadcasting media. View the EPA’s website at: http://www.noattacks.org All hotel guests and especially those suffering from asthma, rhinitis (hay fever), and eczema, are unnecessarily exposed to a minimum of ten common allergens within any given hotel room or lodging. A very limited list of the most prominent allergens that hotel guests are exposed to are; potent and harmful allergens produced by dust mites (DMA’s), pollen transported indoors, such as those produced by grass(es), ragweed, as well as molds, mildew, and pest allergens, produced by mice and cockroaches. Chemical cleansers also produce an ill-health effect on many guests.

Fact: Source Control and Ventilation are needed to Improve Indoor Air Quality

Source control and increased ventilation, providing fresh outdoor air, are the only two cost-effective means of improving indoor air quality. Unfortunately, most windows in hotel rooms and lodgings are “fixed” or in other words, cannot be opened by a guest to increase ventilation. So that leaves source control as the only remaining method of improving indoor air quality and creating a healthy environment. The use of air purifiers, air filters, or more frequent dusting are meager “static” measures of source control resulting in minimal results. To bring relief to all guests and particularly those suffering from allergies and asthma, a proactive or “dynamic” method of source control is required. Hoteliers need to utilize technology and relentlessly attack, reduce and remove the sources of indoor allergens, for the healthy benefit of all guests.

Fact: An Improvement in Hospitality Housekeeping is Long Overdue

It would be quite erroneous to state that housekeeping has been completely ignored or neglected by hospitality executives, yet housekeeping could certainly be improved. Well known and often reported are the horror stories of blood-sucking bed bugs and unknown “mystery” stains on bedspreads and carpets, visible only when exposed to UVB light rays (”backlights”). A recent (March, 21st, 2007), televised segment on ABC’s “Good Morning America” featured two university professors and the President of the American Hotel and Lodging Association, commenting on the cleanliness of hotel rooms.

The video link is here: http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=2969223

The primary source of poor indoor air quality is dust mite allergens (DMA’s) which compose 80% to 90% of all the allergenic substances found within “house dust” or dust. Personal hygiene products from previous guests and harsh chemical cleaners also leave trace residues that can cause allergic reactions. Additionally, other allergens such as cat hair, pet dander, pollen, spores, molds, mildew, bacteria and viruses, are readily transported into guests’ rooms from previous visitors. It’s time for asthma and allergy sufferers to request, or rather demand, “hypo-allergenic” guest rooms.

Fact: Hospitality Industry Executives Do Listen

Less than a decade ago, every guest was asked “smoking or non-smoking” when checking into guest lodgings and two ashtrays were always present in every guest room. Non-smokers demanded non-smoking rooms even if at a higher day rate cost. Nowadays, tobacco smokers are being banned, not from just smoking in their rooms, but banned from smoking anywhere within the facilities. By integrating professionally trained indoor allergen control technicians, “green” environmentally friendly cleaning products, current housekeeping practices and staff, the hospitality industry can profit from unrecognized rewards. Guests must vocalize their request today, so that tomorrow the reception desk asks “would you prefer a non-smoking suite or a hypo-allergenic suite.”

Tom Hefter, Founder/Owner, SterilMattress
http://www.sterilmattress.com

Due to past personal family experiences, the business enterprise “SterilMattress” was formed to assist the millions of American’s (1 in 5) who suffer adverse health effects due to poor indoor air quality. Working in partnerships with health organizations, SterilMattress is compelled to help educate the U.S. public concerning this increasingly problematic issue. Additionally, SterilMattress offers the necessary specialized equipment available, at the lowest possible cost, and the technical advice needed to assist entrepreneurs with establishing their own successful and environmentally “green” Home Indoor Allergen Control business.