news
News

Archive for November, 2009

Looking after your Poinsettias & Christmas Tree

Monday, November 30th, 2009

This time of year we like to dress our homes with festive plants and of course the traditional Christmas Tree, the question is, after spending money on these, how do we prolong their life over the Christmas period?

Here are our tips for success:

Poinsettias

Watering – Examine the soil daily and when the surface is dry to the touch water the soil until it runs freely out the drainage holes in the container.  If a saucer is used, discard the water that collects in it.  Do not leave the plant standing in water.  

Lighting – If you obtain a Poinsettia for your home place it near a sunny window where it will have the most available sunlight. Do not let any part of the plant touch the cold windowpane because this may injure it.

Temperature – To keep the plant in bloom, maintain it at a temperature at 10-20 degrees celsius during the daylight hours and if possible, move to a cooler place at night. Avoid exposing the plant to hot or cold drafts, as this may cause premature leaf drop.

Christmas Trees

1.  Ensure you buy a fresh tree.

2.  Once home, if you are not going to take the tree into your home immediately, place the tree in a cool, dry place out of the wind.  If possible place the tree in a bucket of water, so that the tree can drink water.

3.  Just before you take the Christmas Tree in the house, saw off the bottom 1 inch (3cm) of trunk. This creates a fresh cut and opens up the pores in the bark.

4.  Try not to expose your tree to sudden changes in temperature.

5.  Once inside the house, try to keep your Christmas Tree away from any heat sources such as radiators.  Heat will dry out your tree faster.

6.  Place your tree in plain water, not soil or sand which would block the pores in the bark.

7.  Keep the Christmas Tree stand topped up with water.  your Christmas Tree may drink 2-3 pints (1-2 litres) of water per day, depending on its size and your central heating settings.

Don’t forget if you work in an office, Shipshape can organise office plants and even Christmas Trees to brighten up your offices.  These will be visited monthly for maintenance to keep them in tip-top condition.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in General, News

Tea towels in your Office…

Monday, November 23rd, 2009

With these winter bugs escalating at the moment, hygiene in the office is even more important.

In kitchen areas, both at home and work, damp cloths are a perfect place for bacteria to breed .  It is important to wash all kitchen cloths, not just tea towels, regularly and leave them to thoroughly dry before using them.

It is important to keep different cloths for different jobs.  In kitchen areas at work, all staff need to know what cloths to use for what job.

A cloth should be available wiping down the kitchen worktop, a different cloth/sponge should be used to wipe clean the crockery and a tea towel should be used for drying items.

Tea towels should not be used for wiping hands or surfaces, but for use after dishwashing.  This helps to stop bacteria spreading and cross contamination.

Tea towels are fine in the kitchen and workplace, providing:

  • They are used only for drying up
  • They are changed daily
  • They are washed regularly, ideally on a 60 degrees wash……

As a cleaning company we have sites with tea towels, but clean ones are put out daily and we provide enough tea towels at the start of a contract, to wash and replace on a regular cycle.  This is a service we can price for in any of our sites, who wish to have regular tea towel laundry service.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in General, News

Shipshape Offering Even More Services to Clients

Monday, November 16th, 2009

At Shipshape we are very customer focused.

We strive to not just get the cleaning right for our clients but aim to be flexible, helpful and knowledgeable in all areas of facilities management.  In the current economic market we want to make organising your additional services as easy and cost effective as possible and just receiving one invoice.

We are delighted to announce a couple of new services we can now offer.

PAT Testing and Fixed Wiring Testing

PAT Testing has to be done at least annually to comply with the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989.  This is to protect employees, pupils and the business. Failure to test appliances can result in heavy fines, increased insurance premiums and even business closure.

Fixed Wiring Testing this has to be conducted every 3 years in industrial premises and every 5 years in offices.  Again, to comply with the Electricity at Work Regulations 1989.  We will ensure that all the fixed wiring in an electrical installation is safe to use. All installations are examined for compliance with the latest British Safety Standards to insure you are and can demonstrate compliance with the Electricity at Work Regulations.

With Shipshape, you can be certain to get an unbiased professional report providing peace of mind at an affordable rate.

Tags: , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in News, Services

Slipping in the Wet Weather….

Monday, November 9th, 2009

Well, we are well into Autumn now with the darker evenings and what seems like constant rain showers.

One of the hazards we encounter this time of year in the rain, ice and snow is slipping on hard floor surfaces.

I encountered this very problem at the weekend, mearly walking from outside in a shopping centre into their main indoor shops.  The floor was wet outside and the flooring in the arcade was shiny marble tiles.   Now the floor looks lovely, shiny and expensive but, with wet shoes on, these hard floors literally turn into an ice-rink!

Luckily, I am quite firm on my feet but pensioners, the disabled or young children might not be so lucky and in courts these days damages may run into tens of thousands for broken bones.

I will of course be contacting the Shopping Centre Management to discuss my concerns with their floor.  As they only opened in May this year, they haven’t had a Autumn/Winter Season to test the floors. 

However, these expensive claims from the unlucky victims of falls and slips can be completely eliminated just by applying non-slip floor solutions to slippery when wet floors.

Our range of anti-slip floor solutions can treat any hard floor service including marble, concrete, vinyl, wood etc. making it slip resistant whilst not compromising on the beauty of the floor.  Together with the initial floor treatment,  an ongoing maintenance programme with the cleaners or ourselves will prolong the effectiveness of the anti-slip floor treatment.

Take a look at our products at http://shipshapecleaning.co.uk/anti-slip-treatments/

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in News, Products

All Natural Cleaning Products

Monday, November 2nd, 2009

It is important these days that we are more aware of what we put down our toilets and sinks to reduce the harm to the environment.

One of the ranges we can provide to clients is the Method range of cleaning products. 

We have tested Method products in the Shipshape office and we were impressed at the results.  Method products not only are great cleaning products but when using them, you can be assured that your conscience is clear.

Method products are:

People Friendly – Non-toxic, fresh and natural smelling , with scents like Pink Grapefruit, Lavender and Mint.  No harsh ammonia chemical smell and you can breathe easy

Bottle Friendly – Products are 100% recycled and 100% recyclable

Animal Friendly – Never tested on animals

In the office we particularly love:

Method Best in Glass

Method All Purpose Cleaner

Method Wood for Good

Method Steel for Real

On our sites, we only use microfibre cloths for our cleaning and these are colour coded, washed and replaced regularly.  We find using microfibre cloths with these products gives the best results. 

Be kind to our environment and look in your cleaners cupboard…..

Tags: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Products