COVID-19 Cleaning Tips form the Expert

Well! Spring cleaning has a whole new meaning for us this year, doesn't it? The virus that is exploding all around is scary. We have very little control over day to day events, but to some degree we can control what is happening inside our homes. We think controlling what we can will help us all feel more hopeful and positive through the next few weeks.

 

Here are some guidelines and recommendations on the cleaning and disinfection of homes, aimed at limiting the spread and survival of the virus.

                                                 

NOTE: Cleaning refers to the removal of germs and dirt from surfaces. Cleaning does not kill germs, but by removing them, it lowers their numbers and the risk of spreading infection. Disinfecting refers to using chemicals to kill germs on surfaces. This process does not necessarily clean dirty surfaces or remove germs, but by killing germs on a surface after cleaning, it can further lower the risk of spreading infection.

 

We should practice routine cleaning and disinfecting of frequently touched surfaces throughout the day (for example: tables, doorknobs, light switches, handles, desks, toilets, faucets, sinks, remotes, hard-backed chairs) with household cleaners and disinfectants that are appropriate for the surface, following label instructions. Be sure to follow instructions for safe and effective use of the cleaning product including precautions you should take when applying the product, such as wearing gloves and making sure you have good ventilation during use of the product.

  

Wear disposable gloves when cleaning and disinfecting surfaces and discard after each cleaning. If you prefer reusable gloves, those gloves should be dedicated for cleaning and disinfection of surfaces for COVID-19 and should not be used for other purposes. Clean hands immediately after gloves are removed.

 

If surfaces are dirty, they should be cleaned using a detergent or soap and water prior to disinfection.

  

For disinfection, diluted household bleach solutions, alcohol solutions with at least 70% alcohol, and most common EPA-registered household disinfectants should be effective.                               

 

With cleaning products being difficult if not impossible to find, you can make a diluted household bleach solution to use if appropriate for the surface. Check to ensure the product is not past its expiration date.  Unexpired household bleach will be effective against coronaviruses when properly diluted. 

Prepare a bleach solution by mixing:

5 tablespoons (1/3rd cup) bleach per gallon of water or

4 teaspoons bleach per quart of water

 

NEVER mix household bleach with ammonia or any other cleanser.

  

For soft (porous) surfaces such as carpeting, rugs, and drapes, remove visible contamination if present and clean with appropriate cleaners indicated for use on these surfaces. If you are using a disinfectant spray, check to make sure it will not permanently damage and/or discolor the fibers.  For example.  diluted bleach will alter/remove the color from most fabrics.

  

When doing laundry, use the warmest appropriate water setting for the items and dry items completely. Wear disposable gloves when handling dirty laundry, especially for family members who are ill.

 

ALWAYS be sure to wash your hands after handling dirty laundry. ALWAYS.

                                     

If possible, do not shake dirty laundry. This will minimize the possibility of dispersing virus through the air. Dirty laundry from an ill person can be washed with other people's items. Be sure to clean and disinfect clothes hampers. If possible, consider placing a bag liner that is either disposable (can be thrown away) or can be laundered.

 

All household members should clean hands often, including immediately after removing gloves and after contact with an ill person, by washing hands with soap and water for 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available and hands are not visibly dirty, an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol may be used. However, if hands are visibly dirty, always wash hands with soap and water.

 

Everyone should practice good, no GREAT, hand hygiene and avoid touching eyes, nose, or mouth at all times.

                  

Key times to clean hands include:

~~After blowing one's nose, coughing, or sneezing

~~After using the restroom

~~Before eating or preparing food

~~After contact with animals or pets (NOTE:  it has not been proven that you can get coronavirus from your pets.  It is possible the virus from an infected person could be on an animal's fur.)

~~Before and after providing routine care for another person who needs assistance (e.g. a child)

  

Stay in touch with others by phone or email. If you have a chronic medical condition and live alone, ask family, friends, and health care providers to check on you during an outbreak. Stay in touch with family and friends, especially those at increased risk of developing severe illness, such as older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions.

 

A few days ago a gentleman on the news said "... I'm glad you used the word social distancing, because I read a blog about it two weeks ago and I said I understand the use of the word, but I think it's the wrong word. What we're looking for really is physical distancing, but we want social connection. We need to get closer to people as we pull away more from them physically". So, do not distance yourself and your family socially--do what you can to stay socially involved.

 

Keep up with family members, who may not live in town, through the telephone to find out how are they doing. And if possible, stay in contact with members of your community, especially the older folks, who are feeling especially vulnerable. What are their needs? How can we meet their needs? What can we do? What are the things that you need to be taking care of, whether it's the food shopping, if there's a medical issue - anything, just to help them feel less isolated.                         

 

Here at Enhance, we so enjoy our customers, and our contact with them. Sadly, as we have been mandated to shelter in place, the Design Center will be closed for the next couple of weeks. We will be available by phone and email, however, and continuing to work on projects. We can assist you with product education and selection and can schedule virtual showroom visits using Facetime, Messenger, Zoom, or Skype.  Also, many of our vendors will graciously mail complementary samples to your home. Most of our projects will require an in-home visit to finalize pricing, but with your assistance in measuring we can provide you with fairly accurate ballpark pricing before coming out.

 

Hopefully, a few weeks of distancing will help us all to stay well. We hope to see you all-- in person-- when this is just a memory. Stay safe, see you soon!

A New Way to Shop for Floors

 

We are making a few changes to adhere to the CDC recommendations to help prevent the spread of the COVID-19 virus.  Our Design Center is being minimally staffed and will assist clients on an appointment only basis until further notice.

We will be reducing our Monday - Friday hours to 9:00 am until 5:00 pm. Saturday will remain 10:00 til 5:00 and Sunday 12:00 until 5:00. Again, please make an appointment before coming in.

We will assist you with product education and selection via phone, email, our website (enhancefloors.com) and virtual showroom visits using FaceTime, Messenger, and/or Skype. Please be patient with us as we learn to utilize this technology. Also, many of our vendors will graciously mail samples to your home.

Most of our projects will require an in-home visit to finalize pricing, but with your assistance in measuring we can provide you with fairly accurate ballpark pricing before coming out.

If you choose to come into the Design Center, social distancing is easily accomplished. The showroom is large and we are limiting the number of people in the store at any given time We have disinfecting wipes available for your use, and our staff is wiping down and/or spraying the door handles, samples, and hard surfaces throughout the day and practicing frequent hand washing. Our staff is aware to stay home if they are sick; we respectfully ask the same of our vendor reps and clients. No handshakes or fist bumps, please.

Our Installers are still working and are following the same protocols as we are in the Design Center, sanitizing, hand washing, etc.

As we all know, this is an extremely fluid situation and our policies and procedures can change at any given moment based upon the needs of our community. We will keep you informed via email, Facebook, and announcements on our website.

We are all in this together. No storm lasts forever! Our prayers are with you and your family, the world, our country, and our staff and their families.

Don and Elisabeth Stubbs
Owners
Enhance Floors and More

We Have Questions

Questions, Questions, Questions

Why do we ask so many questions when you come in to shop with us? Some customers look at us askance when we start asking questions. But wouldn't it be silly for us to sell you something that is really not appropriate?

We want to be able to ascertain, and for you to understand, WHAT the best product is for your needs, and WHY. With a few specific questions, we can usually narrow down what we are showing you. We usually get a puzzled look when we start asking about how many people in the house, pets, and how long you plan to live in the home, but these are all factors in getting the best product to meet your needs. Then we can move on to what you LIKE, your tastes and dislikes. 

When we ask about your budget, there are good reasons for that. Many people assume we ask so that we can wrangle every spendable bit of it, but this is not our goal. We need to work within your budget, or we have wasted your time. By asking your budget, we will accomplish two things. We will work to find the very best value for the amount you want to spend, and we also will not show you things that simply will not work within your budget. 

There are some things that probably have never occurred to you, that we must take into consideration, as your flooring project becomes more reality than theoretical.  Working with Enhance means we have asked it, planned for it, and will do what needs to be done to make your flooring plans successful. Where will the seams fall?  What is a pattern repeat, and how does it influence your square footage measurement? What will happen where one type of flooring meets another? Will doors need to be cut?  More questions that we know the answers to!

Occasionally we will arrive at an estimate appointment to find a teenager, relative, or housekeeper the only one home. We really prefer to have someone there who can answer-- you've got it-- Questions! Because we're going to ask more questions when we are there, seeing the job site.  Questions involving history, preferences, and reasons. So, please try to be present when you've made an estimate appointment with us.

Alternatively, there are some questions YOU should ask! 

First, read our reviews online. Most are stellar, but we aren't perfect. Bear in mind that most stores and installers will have one or two complaints.  That is normal, and it's not a reason to eliminate a contractor. (In fact, having one or two bad reviews shows that the collection of reviews is legitimate).  The key is to see how we responded and addressed the complaints. Were the complaints valid? Did we solve (or try to solve) the issue? Did we respond professionally?  Was a follow up posted?

We write contracts carefully - so customers know what's included, what isn't. But we also include that it does not include unforeseen issues in the subfloor. That's because we can't see what is underneath until we have removed your current flooring. Many times when we remove the existing floor we find the subfloor is damaged and needs to be replaced or needs to be leveled, or sometimes there's mold or a different floor under your floor........there's no way we could have known or predicted that. Also, recognize that is possible that the previous installer didn't always do things properly. We work primarily in older homes with imperfections.  We have almost certainly seen whatever the problem is in the past and know how to handle and correct it.

You should ask us about our availability to start, especially if you have a deadline or only a window of time in which we must do the work.  We try hard to make your timing work, but sometimes that is just not realistic.  Be sure to understand thelead times (e.g. for product to be ordered/manufactured/ delivered and sometimes acclimated).  Also make sure you understand how the project will progress - will the installers be there each day, or will there be a gap or two?  Some days may be needed for drying time.  Not only will this help you understand the downtime for your home, but it's likely to elicit some of those things that could happen as well as preparations you may need to make on your end.

 

At Enhance, we believe in having a healthy, open, and informed relationship with our customers. A large percentage of our business is repeat. We also do a lot of work for customers referred by other customers. We love having an ongoing relationship with customers! We get to know them, how our products are working for them, and follow up on maintenance or find out if a product is not meeting expectations. As a result, we are able to give feedback to our vendors as well.

 

Our goal from asking you all of these questions is to get to know you and your needs to enable us to offer you suggestions, ideas, and alternatives.  Our friendly, professional sales staff is thoroughly trained in all aspects of floor covering.  We want you to be our customer for life. You will find that we genuinely care about you and your home. We want you to select the right product, have a wonderful installation experience, and love your new floor.  And that's why we ask so many questions. 

On A Sad Note

Our incredible friend and coworker Wanda Hembree lost her long battle with breast cancer last week. Many of you

will remember her, she was an Enhance Floors Design Consultant for over ten years.  Wanda fought so very hard and was optimistic and positive until the end. Wanda has been

a true inspiration to always believe in miracles; she was able to see her son married and happy and to spend a year with her grandchild. Our thoughts are with her family. We know they are heartbroken, but we also know she is making her presence known in heaven.  She will be greatly missed.

 

If You Are Worried

As a precautionary step, we are providing hand sanitizers in the store, and wiping down hard surfaces at the beginning and end of each day. Like all of you, we want to stay well, and be at work every single day without disruption. We hope you are all staying healthy and being careful. If you are out and about, though, come in to say hello, and give us an elbow bump!

Design Tip

Open floor plans are popular everywhere, in new homes and in remodels. No matter if you are using one flooring type throughout or multiple flooring types in your open floor plan, you should definitely consider using area rugs. Area rugs will break up the space a little bit and provide some eye-catching variety. They are also an excellent way to give each "room" its own personality, so to speak, and even its own color scheme. You can also use different thicknesses, sizes, and shapes
of area rugs to give your open floor plan more diversity. Area rugs also serve a practical purpose if you are going with hard surface flooring in your open floor plan. Area rugs are perfect for adding softness and warmth.

I Was FLOORED By Enhance

Meg in Sandy Springs writes:

"This is a great store with great people to help you. I bought an older home and I needed to update everything. I did not know where to start. I went to the store and got excellent help in picking out carpet, wood and tile for my house. I did the work in several stages, and the master decorating plan (colors, etc.) we came up with at the beginning turned out exactly like I dreamed it would. It looks awesome, like a brand new home! Don and the installers were wonderful. I am so glad I found Enhance and I would not go anywhere else for new floors!"

Thank you, Meg, for these kind words.  You were so much fun to work with. Enjoy your new floors and come see us with your little dog Alvie when you are in the area.