Recently PurLite had the opportunity to talk to Laurie Taylor on her Podcast The Produce Moms. With over 100 podcasts under their belt, the website and podcast is aimed at mothers with a mission in encouraging the use of fresh produce. On the episode PurLite co-founders Kurt and Tim spoke in depth about the history of the company, accomplishments and future goals. 

“We think of ourselves as a light company,” Kurt said. The GM went into further detail explaining the validity of the product. PurLite is sunshine in a box. Using premium grade uv-c light bulbs, sanitization is guaranteed. There are all sorts of different ultraviolet boxes or wands out in the market now due to Covid-19. They all claim to have  gold-standard products that are effective in killing the coronavirus. However, most of these businesses only started in the beginning of this year attempting to capitalize off of the crisis. The PurLite team has been working the past few years to bring you a product that is efficient and reliable, eliminating germs with ease and sanitizes your home. 

“I can tell you as a consumer that it is best in its class, I mean I have confidence in it,” Laurie said on the podcast while discussing the product. Laurie herself has a PurLite in her home and talked at length on the podcast about all the things she sanitizes in her unit. 

When talking about the cleaning process it is important to note that cleaning alone does not kill all germs. Cleaning is designed to remove all visible dirt, soil, chemical residues and allergens from equipment, utensils and work surfaces. Whereas sanitizing is designed to reduce the number of microorganisms to a safer level. Sanitizing is usually performed after cleaning. Unclean surfaces will reduce the effectiveness of sanitizing. You can clean every day, but you should always sanitize to keep your home or workplace safe. While we are currently social distancing and self-quarantining across the country, that doesn't mean we don't need to sanitize. Many of us still leave our homes to run errands or go to work. Always remember to sanitize your hands when you return before you start touching objects in your home

“We want to make it accessible to everyone,” Tim said while talking about the movement of uv-c light from the medical field into the home. Be aware of sanitizing products you choose. Many of them contain harmful chemicals that can actually pose a health threat to your family and your pets. PurLite is different. Using our unique UV-C light bulb, PurLite sanitizes 99.9% of germs in only 30 seconds. Make no mistake, using ultraviolet light is by no means new. Ultraviolet light has been a friend to the disinfection world for over a century. UV-C light carries the most energy capable of destroying the chemical bonds that hold together the DNA and RNA of viruses and bacteria, stopping them from working. After countless hours of lab testing with some of the foremost uv-c scientists in the U.S. 

If you would like to listen to the podcast at home, check out The Produce Moms for more information. 

Here we are yet again with another blog centered around cleaning. Children love to make a mess, but cleaning? Yea it isn’t their strong suit. It can be a challenge to keep things clean, neat, and orderly when you've got young children at home, but it's not impossible. Start teaching your kids how to clean when they're young and you won’t end up cleaning their room for them when they're 17! 

The Basics 

When teaching your little ones about the world of cleaning you have to start small. Our bodies are amazing!  Day after day, they work hard to digest food, pump blood and oxygen, sending signals from our brains, and much more. However, there are tiny invaders that tend to make our bodies sick. We call them germs. Germs are found all over the world, in all kinds of places!  The four main types of germs being bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa. They invade plants, animals, and people, and sometimes they can even make us sick. Once germs are inside of us, they stay there. They eat our nutrients and can produce toxins that can be harmful to us. So how do we protect ourselves from germs? Cleaning! Remember the words that germs fear soap, water, and disinfectants. Now that you know the facts about germs, let’s learn some ways to make your kids part of the solution, rather than the problem. 

Expectations 

 Little kids may not have the coordination or dexterity to neatly make their beds every morning, so a good first effort may be to have them pull the comforter up to the top of the bed! It is important to be proud of the little things and not to expect perfection on the first try. Give kids a timeframe to focus their attention and get the task done. 

Chores can be fun! 

Make housework fun by incorporating games into various chores. If your kids feel like 30 seconds is a lifetime when washing their hands, pick a catchy song to dance and sing to whilst they’re doing it as a distraction to make the time fly by. If your kids are a bit too old to believe the idea of “tiny monsters” that live inside your body, why not turn arts and crafts into a valuable learning opportunity. This will give an accurate enough representation of what germs look like underneath a microscope

Chore Chart 

Chore charts are great as they encourage kids to go above and beyond expectations in keeping the house neat and organized as well as being recognized and celebrated for kind, generous, or helpful behavior! Add a smiley face for every time they washed or brushed teeth or made bed and offer a fun reward at the end. 

No Redo’s 

The last thing you want is to send your child a message that their work wasn’t good enough. They can grow discouraged and defeated by the task leaving them less likely to attempt the same task in the future Try to be as supportive and encouraging as possible when teaching your kids how to clean. Even if the job isn't done precisely, you should thank them for their effort rather than insincerely praising them for a less-than-successful execution. Then practice the task again together and offer helpful hints that will result in more success! 

Welcome back to the second part of our housekeeping series of blog posts. We hope that you were able to utilize some of the tips from our first post. We have even more information to help keep your household neat and clean. Keep in mind, we are not professionals, but love to clean and have picked up tips over the years that we want to share with you. 

Declutter

Before you start cleaning, put away anything that isn't where it belongs. This will save you time before you clean instead of trying to do both things at once.

Tidy Up 

Heaps of garbage, dirt and grime would be overwhelming for anyone. It is helpful to pick things up as you go. Pick up after yourself and encourage other members of your household to pitch in and help. Start with shared spaces, clear counters, put food away, use a feather duster and take a vacuum to the floor. Don’t forget the dishes in the sink. Little things at a time help manage mega loads and eliminate stress. 

Deep Cleaning

One of the most wonderful times of the year. All jokes aside this isn’t something you’ll need to do every single day. Usually you’ll need to deep clean your household once or twice a year. This is the time to really roll up your sleeves and tie your hair back. This type of cleaning is the most thorough and may take a few days, so divide your home into sections and conquer one area at a time. Clean carpets, dust elevated surfaces and wash windows and window frames. It is also the perfect time to check for mold and mildew in damp places to avoid getting sick. Don’t forget to sort through clothes in closets and giveaway clothes that no longer fit or you no longer need. Last but not least, clean those baseboards and walls. They get dirty too!

“New House” Smell

There’s nothing quite like the smell of a new house. Too bad it doesn’t stay that way for long, or can it? If you use all-natural cleaning products, your place shouldn’t smell like chemicals, post-cleaning. Making your own cleaning agents at home can help with this too. Using cleaning agents like vinegar, baking soda and adding some essential oils will get rid of grime while keeping your home smelling fresh and new. 

The Proper Tools 

You can’t clean a house with a toothbrush. Having the proper cleaning supplies will make your home drastically cleaner. You don’t need to have fancy supplies either.  All you really need to keep your home spotless are; quality microfiber cleaning cloths, sponges, a scrub brush, a plastic scraper, a vacuum that can clean hard floors and carpets, a microfiber feather duster and mop. 

Pet Odors

We love furry friends, but their fur and dander doesn’t necessarily love us. Use a lint roll to remove excess hair from surfaces. To remove pet odours from carpets, use a spray bottle with white vinegar and spray the carpet. Cover the vinegar-soaked area with baking soda and let it dry. Sweep and vacuum up the excess soda. The mixture actually pulls the odour out, leaving your home fresh. 

Don’t you hate it when you think you’re done cleaning, only to find a mess on the floor? It’s frustrating and disheartening to see a never ending mess of clutter. Just when you think you're done cleaning, get down on eye level and examine your home. By getting a new angle, you can see if you still have any crumbs or dust that needs to be cleaned up

Hopefully some of these tips will help you and your household keep your space clean.