CMR Alliance

This spring 2011

CMR Alliance — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 20:14:41 +0000

Earlier this month and in the spirit of earth day, CMR Alliance joined the Capital IFMA Chapter and participated in the Potomac Rive Clean-up.

Potomac River Clean up-IFMA group photo

A great event for a great cause! Volunteer

: Potomac River Cleanup-IFMA group photo

groups and individuals came together along the banks of the Potomac to collect trash, recyclables and remove invasive plants.

Sustainability

CMR Alliance — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 15:05:21 +0000

CMR Alliance, LLC’s (CMR) primary focus is on establishing “greener and cleaner” business practices. CMR is continually working on offering more products and services that support ecological initiatives and sustainability. We are working towards “going green” by implementing work strategies that reduce health and environmental impacts.

What is your view of a sustainable facility? Define Green sustainability. What is Green? What is not Green? About an hour and a half later, the group had some answers, but more importantly, had raised many new questions.

Since Green can mean many things to many people, the responses to these questions were varied. Currently, the red hot tag line of the business community is “Going Green.” These words have commonly accepted definitions and using them brings clarity to the challenging discussion about how to improve environmental sustainability. Green is a common term which describes the many ways of reducing waste and respecting the environment. One of the most cited definitions of sustainability was published by the Brundtland Commission in 1987, led by former Norwegian Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland. ”Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

The consensus from the round table discussion was that improving your company’s environmental performance was the right thing to do. The by-product is just good for business. Greening your company’s operations makes them more efficient. Waste indicates inefficiency: the more waste your business produces, the less efficient it is. In addition, acting responsibly toward the environment promotes good will among customers, shareholders, and employees.

The shareholders of some companies are requiring consideration of sustainability and the environmental impact on their business operations. On a much grander scale, many companies who are seeking to hire new talent are finding it necessary to demonstrate that they have become increasingly “green minded” and how their company is making a commitment to lessen the environmental impact on our environment. This ability to convey that message may be a determining factor in attracting the most qualified new talent and translates into creating a work environment that clearly recognizes what it takes to enhance its environmental performance. By producing less waste, consuming less paper and energy, and using resources more efficiently, your business can cut costs while enhancing the sustainability of its operations.

Business and the environment go hand in hand. Although some businesses have a more obvious impact on the environment than others, all businesses have some. This impact could result from the products they manufacture or purchase, the energy and water they use, or the transportation associated with employee commutes. By improving the environmental performance of your business, you help to ensure a clean and healthy environment for future generations, as well as a healthy and more efficient economy.

Many of the ownership groups are hesitant to move forward in making there existing buildings ‘Greener’ due to the expense involved in upgrades. They are asking, “what is the payback period and will there be any substantial Return on your Investment or ROI?” Publix Super Markets asked the question and the results are apparent. Lighting has been a major focus in Publix’ efforts to reduce energy chain-wide. Skylights have been installed in certain store locations, which translates into less energy needed to light the store. The store has an energy management system that monitors the amount of light from the skylights and controls the amount of light put out by the fluorescent luminaries.

For any company “Going Green,” the process will not be completed overnight. Finding ecologically preferable products and services that meet your company’s operational standards in a cost-competitive way requires a long-term commitment. We at CMR Alliance have made this commitment.

Marble

CMR Alliance — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 23:25:47 +0000

Your company, your professionalism, your buildings, commercial properties / residence(s), your building entry and occupants are most enhanced when displayed with high end marble, granite and other natural stone materials. This type of high end floor requires specialized floor cleaners and restoration experts to clean, preserve, protect and maintain it at a highly enhanced state.

Carpet Cleaning

CMR Alliance — Tue, 23 Mar 2010 15:00:38 +0000

Major manufacturers of high end carpeting and flooring agree that quality commercial carpeting should last approximately 8 – 10 years with proper maintenance, extending its life to a level consistent with your investment.

We are often asked to build a proposal implementing a Scheduled Maintenance Program for the carpeted areas within a facility. One of our goals is to educate our clients on the importance of preventative maintenance. Another goal of ours is to set realistic expectations. We often say “If we provide information ahead of time, it’s education. If we provide it afterward, it’s just an excuse”. This is why we provide a complimentary floor care evaluation before we even start a project. We point out to our clients some of the challenges which are inherent when dealing with this type of floor covering

Common Carpet Challenges

Permanent Stains: We can and will remove most of the spots we encounter on your carpet. However, keep in mind that some spots turn to “stains”. In these cases, the spots have changed the original color of the carpet. These stains, unfortunately permanent, are caused by pet urine/vomit, Koolaid, grape juice, various medications and cleaning agents. Options in cases like this would be carpet dyeing or having an installer cut out the stained piece and patch it with a new piece of carpet.

Carpet Wear: Over time carpet fibers become worn or distorted to the degree that they no longer retain their original texture and shape. This is a physical change in the carpet. While our grooming and deep cleaning will improve a worn carpet to some degree, restoring it to a new appearance is not possible.

Carpet Shading/Pooling: When carpeting is installed, the carpet nap is laid in the same direction. Normally found in high traffic areas, shading is the result of multi-directional abrasion foot traffic which forces the nap to lie in opposite directions. When viewing the carpet in these areas, it can look either lighter or darker depending on where you are standing. This condition is not reversible. One way to slow shading is to vacuum your carpet regularly and only in one direction or use a carpet rake.

Buckling/Carpet Ripples: You may notice waves or small ripples appearing in your carpet immediately following cleaning. The reasons for buckling are:

1. The secondary backing is detached from the primary backing.

2. The age of the carpet: As the carpet ages, the secondary and primary backing deteriorates due to the foot traffic.

3. The absorption of moisture/humidity will cause the carpet latex to expand resulting in buckling. This may resolve itself as humidity in the room returns to normal and/or the carpet dries.

4. If an installer does not power stretch your carpet or fails properly to do so.

5. Dragging heavy furniture across wall-to wall carpeting may pull the carpet off the tackless strips causing waves.

Wicking: The mysterious reappearance of spots. In carpet cleaning, wicking occurs when wet will dry from the base of the fiber forcing the moisture to the top of the fiber. Here is a scenario: A liquid is spilled in a concentrated amount onto the carpet and not removed immediately, causing the liquid to penetrate and dry in the fiber and the carpet backing. Eventually, the customer has the carpets cleaned. The customer is pleased with the results as the spot were removed during the cleaning and spot removal process. Then several days after the successful carpet cleaning, a spot(s) mysteriously reappears. The reason this sometimes occurs is that as the dried liquid spill on the backing gets wet during the cleaning process, it slowly wicks up and dries at the base of the fiber. This was not visible after the carpet had been cleaned. Then due to the humidity the spot at the base of the fiber is re-activated as it collects moisture and moves slowly up the carpet fiber then dries. This process continues until eventually the spot reappears at the top of the fiber. Thus the spot has reappeared. Implementing a scheduled maintenance program can help minimize this problem.

Pet Odors: While our “state of the art” cleaning and odor removal methods will eliminate most odor problems, some odors (pet) thoroughly invade the carpet, pad and in a few instances, the sub-flooring. These cases would involve considerable restoration, which includes removal and treatment of both sides of the carpet, pad replacement, sub-floor cleaning and sealing and re-installation of the carpet.

Soil Filtration Lines: These are dark areas that develop gradually over time. They are most commonly found along the perimeter of the room, along walls, under floor-length draperies and under doors. The lines are caused by air currents passing through the carpet in these areas. The air carries microscopic particles of dirt and soot. As they pass over the carpet, the soil particles settle and become embedded in the fiber yarns. The carpet, in essence, acts like a filter causing the soils to solidify. While we can make vast improvements, complete removal is difficult or impossible. Ask about our new filter out treatment that has been proven to improve the condition.

Bleach Spots: When a bleached spot appears, it is the process of the bleaching agent taking the color out of the fiber. Carpet cleaning will not restore the color to the fiber. When various household chemicals and bleaches are dripped onto the carpet and not immediately removed, some may lie dormant, not appearing until “activated” by the carpet cleaning. Some of these chemical agents are Bleach, household cleaning agents containing bleach, ammonia and acne medications. Please notify the cleaning technician if you are aware of any spills of this nature.