Winter preparedness

• Cleanup your garage to park your vehicles this winter.  Organize and put away your gardening supplies, bring out snow shovels for when needed.
• Be prepared by purchasing a few bags of ice melt.
• It is a great time to donate some of the junk you have collected that is cluttering your garage so you can park inside.
• Clean gutters and downspouts of debris and leaves.  Be careful when using a ladder and water to hose down the gutters.  Keeping clean gutters will keep snow and ice dams from forming and causing water damage to the interior of the home.
• Drain garden hoses and disconnect from outside spigots.  This prevents the spigots from freezing.  Install insulation covers over them which are easily available from a local hardware store.
• Wash and clean exterior windows and screens.
• Clean and store patio furniture, umbrellas, and children’s summer toys.  Discard broken or damaged items that you know you will not use the following spring or summer.
• Check chimney and have them cleaned professionally if necessary. A clean and properly maintained chimney will prevent possible smoke damage to your home. 
• Firewood purchased by the cord instead of the occasional trip to the store.
• Check your attic; make sure you have at least 6” – 8” of insulation.  Lack of insulation causes heat loss as it gets colder and possible frozen pipes in an extreme winter.

IICRC Board Votes to Return to Original name
Keeps cleantrust as the consumer-facing service mark

VANCOUVER, WA (February 17, 2012) - The Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification (IICRC) announced today that the Board of Directors has voted to return the formal name of the organization to the IICRC, keeping cleantrust as the service mark of the organization. The full details surrounding the transition will be announced at the Certification Council on April 22, 2012.

“We’ve heard the feedback from registrants over the past few months and considered many options,” said IICRC Chairman Darrell Paulson. “Ultimately, the board has decided to use the IICRC as the main brand and use the cleantrust as a service mark. This allows us to honor the 40-year history of our organization, while also working to gain more awareness with end-users. We are still working through all of the details and we thank the inspection, cleaning and restoration community for their patience during this process.”

The IICRC will retain the use of the updated logo, which represents the strength and breadth of the organization. The shape reflects a globe, symbolizing the IICRC’s international status. And like the organization, the logo is made up of many different parts that are working together in a unified pattern, depicting an organization that is deep in knowledge.

“Together, this powerful brand combination of IICRC and the cleantrust, will enable us to constantly work towards our mission of identifying and promoting an international standard of care that establishes and maintains the health, safety and welfare of the built environment,” said Paulson.

Updated materials with the new IICRC logo and an updated design will gradually rollout in the coming months, including ID cards, brochures, introductory video and a new website.
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About ServiceMaster by Best

ServiceMaster by Best is a cleaning and restoration firm based in Wichita, KS.  ServiceMaster by Best has trained and certified staff by the cleantrust (formerly IICRC) to meet your regular cleaning to specialty cleaning needs.  Since 2003 Best Corporation has acquired various ServiceMaster licenses to bring innovative products and services to the south Central Kansas and surrounding markets.  ServiceMaster by Best is the only entity in the region as a GS-42 GreenSeal Certified green cleaning services.  ServiceMaster by Best provides among other specialty cleaning services, Air-Duct, Carpet, Rug & Upholstery; Fire, Water, Flood, Smoke & MoldCleanup along with commercial and janitorial services.

ServiceMaster by Best is a licensed franchisee of ServiceMaster Clean division of the ServiceMaster Family of Brands.  ServiceMaster currently serves residential and commercial customers through a network of over 4,500 company-owned locations and franchised licenses.  The Company’s brands include TruGreen^®, TruGreen LandCare^®, Terminix^®, American Home Shield^®, ServiceMaster Clean^®, Merry Maids^®, Furniture Medic^®, and AmeriSpec^®. The core services of the Company include lawn care and landscape maintenance, termite and pest control, home warranties, disaster response and reconstruction, cleaning and disaster restoration, house cleaning, furniture repair, and home inspection.