Acing Home Cleanliness to Ensure Back-to-School Success

Chem-Dry Carpet Drapery & Upholstery Cleaning
Published: August 22nd, 2014

Chem-Dry Shares Germ-Busting Techniques for a Healthy and Successful Academic Year

August 22, 2014 // Franchising.com // Nashville, TN – For many families, the start of a new school year means buying shiny new school supplies and getting back into a routine. Unfortunately, it also means it's time to face what is commonly referred to as the "back-to-school plague". As the new year kicks off, schools quickly become infested with germs from "hot spots" like drinking fountains, cafeterias, door knobs and more. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, American children miss approximately 22 million days of school every year from colds alone, and 20 million miss due to the flu. Plus, the average elementary school student gets eight to 12 colds or cases of the flu every year.

Many students and parents are unaware that by simply keeping the house spic and span, they can create a healthy, happy environment that encourages students to work more efficiently and excel in their studies. In order to repel illness-causing germs and bacteria, parents can help their children return home to an environment that will counteract contagious germs so they can have a successful start to the year. This will also help eliminate, or at least limit, the amount of germs that are carried to school and spread to others.

"Unfortunately, kids bring a lot more home from school than just homework," said Dan Tarantin, CEO of Chem-Dry. "With hundreds of students together for hours at a time, schools have become a common place to spread germs and catch illnesses. Our goal is to educate students and parents on the most effective cleaning methods so they can start the new academic year the healthiest way possible. By raising awareness of the importance of a clean home for optimal health, we aim to make every home a cleaner, safer, healthier and happier place to live."

To help ensure a productive, germ-free, healthy transition, Chem-Dry – the world's largest carpet and upholstery cleaning service – encourages parents to maintain a clean, organized home amidst the following common back-to-school activities.

• Inviting friends over after school. Entertaining is less stressful when children are not exposed to the germs in your carpets, wood floors, couches and other furniture, cabinets and other surfaces. Having after-school carpools or classmates come over is very common so your home life should help to combat the germs that kids may carry with them from school.
• Being active in the home. The CDC recommends that kids engage in at least 40 minutes of physical activity every day to stay physically fit and better defend against germs and viruses. Most of the time, kids enjoy rolling around on the ground or bringing their toys, electronics, and other forms of enjoyment to the floor with them. By getting your floors cleaned and organized, kids will be more prepared to dodge the back-to-school plague.
• Tackling homework. Clean floors create a popular homework space that can be very productive for learning. Studies have found that many students are most focused on their work when it is spread out in front of them, which is easy to accomplish on the floor. When carpets and floors are dirty, kids can easily lie down or sit in all of the germs that could infect them and cause them to miss school.
• Exploring the kitchen pantry for after school snacks. When students return home after a long day of learning, many tend to take their shoes off and head straight to the kitchen. When walking around on the kitchen floors, often barefoot, they can easily collect germ-infested dust, dirt, pet hair and other allergens on their feet or even step in something that hasn't been cleaned up. One helpful safety tip that relates to after-school snacks and is also a healthy practice is to always have kids wash their hands as soon as they get home from school, particularly before eating anything.
• Getting a good night's sleep. The average bed holds up to 10,000 dust mites, which can quickly spark allergies in children or make them sick. The reason children should go to bed earlier on school nights is so they will wake up feeling energized and ready to learn. One simple way to prevent catching an illness is to avoid sleep deprivation which lowers the immune system's ability to fight off infection. If children's lungs are infested with dust mites, they'll find it very difficult to fall asleep, which means they'll be grouchy and unfocused at school. Chem-Dry recommends mattresses be vacuumed thoroughly every six months to reduce the number of dust mites and the risks that can accompany them.

To learn more about how to ace home cleanliness to ensure back-to-school success and a healthy school year, visit www.chemdry.com

About Chem-Dry

Founded in 1977, Chem-Dry is the world's leading carpet and upholstery cleaning service, with a network of over 3,500 units in 45 countries serving over 10,000 homes a day worldwide. Its green-certified solution and proprietary hot carbonating extraction cleaning process provide a deeper clean, allow surfaces to dry faster, and leave homes healthier. Chem-Dry has been ranked the number one carpet cleaning franchise by Entrepreneur magazine for 26 consecutive years and has also been featured in the magazine's Top Home-Based Franchises list among the top 10 concepts for 19 consecutive years. For more information on franchise opportunities, visitwww.chemdryfranchise.com, or to schedule a cleaning, visit www.chemdry.com. Chem-Dry is owned by Harris Research, Inc., which is also the founder and owner of the fast-growing N-Hance Wood Renewal franchise.

SOURCE Chem-Dry

Media Contact:

Lauren Barbian
Fishman PR
847-945-1300 ext. 270
lbarbian@fishmanpr.com