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Archive for the ‘Important Issues to Shipshape Cleaning’ Category

Environmentally Friendly Cleaning Products

Monday, July 26th, 2010

On the radio last week, it was suggested there is now a link between your increased risk of breast cancer and the cleaning products you use at home.  When you hear claims like these, it does make you start to think about what cleaning chemicals you use around the house.  These products don’t just have an effect on your health and your families health, but also the environment.

Before all these synthetic and toxic chemicals were developed, we purely relied on natural products for their cleaning and disinfectant properties.

Now, most of us, have an array of nasty and toxic cleaning chemicals under our sinks.  When you read the label they are a concoction of chemicals and very often have a hazard symbol on the back with the hazard written underneath. These harsh chemicals very often have specific instructions for use.  Many cannot be breathed in and require a ventilated area, and nearly all warn of not mixing with any other chemicals and advise which surfaces to avoid using them on.  Then, when we finish using them and take off our rubber gloves, we tip them all down our sinks into the water system….

We don’t have to though.  We CAN choose to use natural based cleaning products again and get the job done.

We are looking at alternatives to our cleaning products, not just for our homes, but for the offices we clean in.  We understand that companies are becoming subject to environmental audits and we want to work in partnership with our clients.

We have recently trialed two brands in our office for our cleaning and in our homes.  They are Method & bio-D. We have found them not only to be natural in their ingredients but they really do work!

We actively promote these ranges to our clients and use them in our homes.  

Everytime we pour something down the drain, we want our conscience to be clear…

Save the Meerkats website is up and running….

Monday, April 12th, 2010

I last blogged about the Meerkats in December as it was bought to our attention that the new craze was to have a Meerkat as a pet and this was causing concern.

Following the Compare the Market/Meerkat campaign, some thought it a good idea to have a meerkat as a domestic pet.

Meerkats are wild animals that should not be reared or breed at home and should remain in the South African deserts which is their natural habitat.  They are group animals and get very distressed when they are not in their natural habitat or in a social group.

The Captive Animals’ Protection Society has set up a new website to help protect Meerkats and other ‘exotic’ animals from the pet trade.

Take a look at : savethemeerkat.com

You can pledge your support on their website and make a donation

Save the Meerkats!

Monday, December 7th, 2009

On visiting the Christmas Without Cruelty Fayre at Kensington Town Hall hosted by Animal Aid on Sunday, one of the causes that particularly horrified us was the Meerkat ‘must have’  pet craze.

Due to the recent popularity of the comparethemarket.com TV commercials, Meerkats are fast becoming the new pet to have in the UK.

(CAPS) The Captive Animals’ Protection Society campaigns against the trade in exotic animals as pets and is leading this campaign to stop meerkats being breed and sold as pets in the UK.

About Meerkats

They are small mammals found only in South African deserts

A highly sociable animal, living in colonies of up to 30 in the wild

They reach maturity at around 1 year of age, and usually remain in their colony into adulthood

Average life span of 12-14 years

CAPS have investigated breeders and dealers in the UK and found very poor conditions, some in small enclosures in petshops and in cages in hallways at private houses.  Babies are normally removed early to ensure the female will breed again quickly and at just 5 1/2 weeks old are being sold for £600 each.  None of the dealers visited by CAPS were concerned about the purchasers lack of experience in keeping Meerkats and didn’t ask much about how they would be kept.  The dealers visited were offering to sell these highly sociable, colony based animals individually.

Many people in zoos and exotic pet trades have spoken out against keeping Meerkats, with reasons such as:

  • They are burrowing animals that will rip up your house, urinating to scent mark and destroying anything they can!
  • Must not be kept alone.  Solo Meerkats tend to go insane from anxiety and many self-harm, chewing their own paws off!
  • They have large teeth and sharp nails and it is not uncommon for people to be bitten or scratched badly
  • Meerkats can easily be killed through lack of knowledge - they can die if they are fed grapes or raisins
  • Meerkat young kept as pets have a low survival rate and females often eat their own babies through stress

Meerkats and other exotic animals should not be kept as pets.

Go to www.savethemeerkat.com to sign the pledge…..