How nice would it be to select a cleaning service that actually takes pride in its work and overdelivers when it comes to results? A cleaning service that specializes in deep cleaning and removal of all the chemicals and dirt is worth more, in the long run.

If you’re a budget-conscious business or homeowner, don’t be penny-wise and pound-foolish. Do a bit of research and find out which methods of cleaning fabrics and carpeting are recommended by the manufacturer of these furnishings. After all, they have a vested interest in making sure you are a satisfied owner of their furniture and carpeting. That’s how word-of-mouth advertising works in their favor.

The key is deep cleaning, with a minimum of chemicals like shampoos (which can leave behind a sticky residue). Carpet and carpet fiber manufacturers recommend “Warm Water Extraction”, “Hot Water Extraction” or “Steam Cleaning”. These methods are the only cleaning method that can be termed deep cleaning. All the rest are just surface cleaning, which sometimes add chemicals to make the carpet look “brighter”. These optical brighteners end up creating a yellowish “cast” to the carpet over time.

You can save yourself time and effort locating the best Carpet and Upholstery Cleaning Service in Scranton. Just go to http://vincerunza.com/scranton/carpet-cleaning/.

Take heart! There is a possible remedy to your foreclosure: the short sale. In essence, you do your homework regarding the market value of your property, the amount of your mortgage and then negotiate with the lender to accept less than the amount of the mortgage.

Obviously, there’s more to this than the simple “what to do” outlined above. You’ll need competent advice from a professional regarding all the implications of a short sale. Further, you may need the help of someone skilled at negotiating with banks and lenders.

The details of your particular situation will determine if you even qualify for a short sale. In some cases, the lender may decide that a foreclosure is in their own best interest. In other cases, if there is no serious hardship on your part, the lender may not be inclined to consider such a deal.

Your best bet is to contact someone in the Scranton area that is practiced in the execution of preforeclosure short sales. Talk with someone who will listen with compassion and give you straight answers regarding your particular situation.

Keep in mind: the worst thing you can do is to simply let your home go into foreclosure without taking any action at all. Empower yourself: find out if a short sale preforeclosure in Scranton is the right step for you to take.

Scranton homeowners, commercial building owners, schools, hospitals, churches and the like all face the same potential problem: mold growth caused by water or high humidity. Mold can show up as:

• a persistent “mildewy” smell in a damp basement
• visible growth of mold on walls, ceilings or floors
• infestation of a central air conditioning system

Many other signs and symptoms of mold growth can plague building owners. The real threat is when mold, mold spores and toxins produced by mold cause illness.

The first thing you should know is – there’s no such thing as “toxic mold”. That term was coined by the media, perhaps by shortening the term “toxigenic”. Toxigenic mold, however, is a real problem that can infest a building, causing health problems for living things.

The question of who deals with mold removal has been reduced to a simple formula: a little bit you can do yourself, a lot means you need a professional.

Mold Removal and Remediation

Even a little bit of mold can become a lot, depending on whether there is sufficient food and moisture to support mold growth. Using the wrong chemical or method can make things worse. For example, chlorine bleach is not recommended for mold removal. It’s mostly water (which started the problem) and can be ineffective on mold.

Make sure, if you decide to deal with a mold infestation, that you take the right steps in the right order. Remove the source of water (either as a liquid or excessive humidity) and take precautions for your health before trying to clean up visible mold.

Even better, check out Scranton Mold Removal and Remediation for more information and the best resource in the Scranton area for your mold problem: http://vincerunza.com/scranton/mold-removal-remediation

Natalie started the business because of her love for fashion. Despite being a full-time physician’s assistant, she decided that she just had to do what she loved, too. Naturally, she has help from family and an employee to keep things running when she can’t be there physically.

Natalie has a keen eye for fashion trends and stocks what’s hot. Business is good, despite the current economic climate, because she has built her business out of passion, not just catering to a rich clientele.

This young entrepreneur is looking to expand her business online, with an e-commerce store in the near future. She’ll still keep serving her local market at the Scranton store, but wants to extend her reach beyond the confines of NEPA.

Store hours are from 10 AM to 5:30 PM Monday through Saturday, with extended shopping hours on Thursday ’til 7 PM.

Runway Luxury Footware — the place to indulge your shoe fetish! Call 343-3334 for directions to 410 Spruce St. in Scranton.

Wade Whitney does business the old-fashioned way: personalized, personable and looking towards the future. He builds relationships, not just his bottom line. Sure, he’s in business to make a profit, but not at the expense of his reputation.

Band equipment isn’t the only thing you’ll find here. Wade’s World is a place where you can hang out, try out the gear and speak out about what’s happening in music, the area and whatever else is on your mind. Musical instruments are the focus, but aren’t the only thing that merits attention.

I go there for the guitars, accessories and the like. That’s because I’m a guitar player (duh). However, on any given day, you’ll find folks looking at drums, pa equipment, bass guitars, amps — even cowbells! Okay, there aren’t a lot of cowbell types dropping by…

Now that Wade has opened up an area in the back of the store for trying out gear, it’s actually possible to have a coherent conversation in the front while some guy wales on a guitar he’s thinking of buying. That, in itself, is a major improvement!

Those of you looking to rent band equipment, whether it’s for a gig or the school band, Wade can accomodate you. Drop by the store at 1509 North Main Avenue and check out the selection. You just might find the cowbell of your dreams!

This savvy entrepreneur decided to open her own hair salon about three years ago, after six years of work for another salon which became, well, tiresome. She kept detailed records of her clientele, ended up managing the promotion and advertising for her former employer and had the desire (and guts) to strike out on her own. With the help of an accountant, she fashioned a business plan, got business loans, bought the building that houses her salon and renovated the space in a way that speaks volumes about her sense of style.

Now, she’s not desperate for business, by any means. In fact, she can’t always accommodate walk-in trade. That’s why, if you’re interested in sampling her services, you’d be well advised to call ahead for an appointment. She’s a one-woman shop, specializing in hair exclusively (at this point). While she may expand into makeup, nails, etc., for now, she’s just “bangin’ hair”.

If you’re in North Scranton, take a look at Salon Brigine at 1837 North Main Avenue in Scranton. Better yet, call for an appointment — 344-4410. Chances are, you won’t be able to just wander in and get immediate hair color happiness. She’s in demand…

That’s a shame, really. I patronize QQ Chinese Restaurant for two very good reasons:

1. I’ve tried delivery from their competition, and it didn’t measure up
2. They’re right down the street from me

The food has always been consistently good and the preparation time is as fast as any other Chinese restaurant I’ve tried. The one time I got something that was not up to par (some shrimp toast that was a bit rancid), they took care of the problem immediately and there’s never been a repeat of the problem since. They also do Japanese sushi and sashimi. I’m partial to the sashimi, myself, and the preparation and presentation is as good as most Japanese-run sushi places!

Finally, there’s Amy. She’s the youngest member of the family-run business and the front woman you’ll most likely speak to when you call in an order. She is unfailingly polite and kind. She took the trouble to learn my name and uses it whenever I drop by and she’s handling the cash register. All other things being equal, Amy is the reason you should patronize QQ Chinese Restaurant.

Their hours are:

• Mon – Thu 10:30 AM to 10:30 PM
• Fri -Sat 10 :30 AM to 11:30 PM
• Sun 12 noon to 10:00 PM

Call them at (570) 341-8111. Order your usual Chinese food and either have it delivered (if you’re in the area) or pick it up yourself. Even better, dine in. With a bit of luck, Amy will wait on your table…

P.S. They’ll even accept your credit card over the phone!

Then came ’60′s cultural icon Janis Joplin. Her wristlet and rose tattoos reached out to the one group of people who had the kind of influence that changes culture: women. Once young women realized that this kind of body art was a way to make a statement about their liberation, the floodgates opened.

No longer the exclusive province of the salty and suspicious, tattoos and body art became mainstream — somewhat. Now, housewives, judges, celebrities and just plain folks are opting to have their bodies decorated, in either a public or private way.

The explosive growth in the industry has also lead to improvements in the visual aspects of tattoos. Artists now have technical and fine arts backgrounds. The pigments used in today’s body art represent a quantum leap in the fine detail and shading that can be achieved. Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) plastic is a current favorite among tattoo artists.

Tattoos are also a way of permanently creating cosmetic effects. From filling in missing eyebrows to giving a woman the perfect shade of lip color that NEVER rubs off, tats can be “invisible” as tattoos. Want a birthmark that nature never delivered? See your tattoo artist!

While some may feel that tattoos are tacky, low-class, and a sure ticket to Hell, others do not. The decision to get your body adorned is one you will have to make yourself. Me, I’m sticking with the original design.

Formerly friendly and flexible mortgage brokers are now taking a hard look at the credit and income of those who want a first or second mortgage (or who want to refinance an existing home loan). They’ve become wary of being perceived as too careless by those institutions that provide the money for mortgages — the mortgage lenders.

“Creative lending” is also taking a beating. Owners who formerly would have been willing to take a part of their equity as a loan now may not be willing to offer a first or second mortgage themselves. They want money, not just “mortgage money” that could be a future headache for themselves.

Your own credit score and income now matter more than ever. A good credit rating and sound, reliable income are the two most important considerations in today’s mortgage market. If you want something other than a fixed rate loan, it’ll be more difficult than it was just a few short years ago to get an ARM (adustable rate mortgage) or “interest only” mortgage.

Naturally, a healthy down payment will also affect your ability to get the kind of home financing you desire. The more money up front you pay, the more likely it will be that a lender will offer (or accept) a non-traditional loan package.

Check out Scranton Mortgages and discover the best way to get the mortgage you want at http://vincerunza.com/scranton/mortgages/.

Unlike newer areas in the US, the construction here in Scranton runs the gamut from post-Revolutionary to pre-fab homes that date to this year. That means that there’s a variety of plumbing needs, both for residences, buildings and industrial plants. Add to that the effects of mine subsidence, legacy sewer systems and old municipal cold water pipes and you have a ripe market for the full spectrum of plumbing services.

There may not be any lead pipes left that deliver water — but I wouldn’t bet on it! In fact, some of the older homes and buildings in the area have been neglected for decades. This means that there may still be the potential for a buyer to discover that tearing out the old pipes and replacing them with copper piping will be a necessary cost to include in the purchase.

Refurbishing kitchens, bathrooms, bathtubs, sinks and showers is also a vibrant business. Those homes that date back to the Roaring ’20′s now have leaky pipes and faucets, inefficient shower heads, toilets that consume more gallons of water than needed and the need for a host of other plumbing repairs.

Fortunately, there are skilled plumbing contractors ready to assist the homeowner or building owner with whatever needs to be done. Just take a look at Scranton Plumbers in The Scranton Front Door Pages for the best plumbers in Scranton here: http://vincerunza.com/scranton/plumbers.