The bacteria, C. difficile, is typically found in hospitals, but a study out Wednesday reports a substantial number of people contracted the bug who hadn't been in a hospital, but had recently visited the doctor or dentist.

The bacteria can cause deadly diarrhea, according to the CDC, with infections on the rise. The new report shows nearly half a million Americans infected in various locations in one year, with 15,000 deaths directly attributed to C. diff.

In a 2013 study, researchers found C. diff present in six out of seven outpatient clinics tested in Ohio, including on patients' chairs and examining tables.

The CDC is so concerned that they're starting a new study to try to assess nationally whether people are getting C. diff in doctors' offices.

Investigators blame a carpet-cleaning product for the deaths of two pets in Lakewood after a man reported a suspicious odor coming from his home Saturday.

He told firefighters just before 11 a.m. that he returned to his house in the 8600 block of Moreland Avenue Southwest and found his cat and bird dead. He also said he smelled a strange odor, according to a West Pierce Fire & Rescue news release.

After initial tests were unable to pinpoint the cause, Pierce County and Joint Base Lewis-McChord hazardous material teams were brought in along with a support team from Camp Murray and the state Department of Ecology.

More at source: News Tribune

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If you're like some people (ahem) who put up window treatments and never give them a second thought, even as dust accumulates, this might just be the season to pay them a little respect.

No need to stress out about adding another task to your spring-cleaning to-do list: You don't have to clean curtains, shades and the windows themselves THAT often. And many times, it's not that difficult.

"In our experience, the windows and window treatments are something that people avoid cleaning because they're not entirely sure the best way to do it," says Betsy Goldberg, home director of Real Simple magazine.

"It's not hard," she adds. "It just takes a little bit of time."

If simply removing dirt isn't reason enough to clean, consider that dust can dull the fabric of curtains and shades. Household odors can linger. And washing helps preserve the fabric, especially for window treatments that get a daily dose of sunshine, says Tammy Kupernik of retailer Country Curtains.

"If you don't wash them, the sun will break down the threads," she says.

More at source: ABC

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An Indianapolis police officer took a sip of McDonald's iced tea over the weekend and wound up in the hospital because the drink apparently was contaminated with cleaning chemicals, his wife told ABC News.

Reserve Officer Paul Watkins went to the McDonald's at around 10 p.m. Saturday night for a self-serve tea before his shift, his wife Jerilyn Watkins said, adding that she wasn't with him at the time and his lawyer advised him not to speak to the media.

He filled his cup halfway with unsweetened tea and went to fill the rest with sweetened tea when he noticed it looked dark, she said. He took the lid off the dispenser to take a look and determined it was OK.

Video and more at source: ABC NEWS

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Hunterdon County will continue using a janitorial service to clean county buildings, a service it outsourced in 2011 instead of using county employees to do the work.

The Freeholders at their meeting Tuesday night voted to hire Maverick Building Services of Rutherford. It submitted the low bid of $516,384 to do the work for two years. A total of seven firms put in proposals.

Also the Freeholders OK'd the purchase of snow plows for dump trucks they'd bought earlier for the Road Department.

A Mercer County company, All Clean Building Services, has provided the janitors for the past four years. The Freeholders twice voted to extend the initial two-year contract; it now runs through until Feb. 28. It is being paid $269,934 for its final year.

When the county initially hired All Clean in February 2011, it eliminated the jobs of 15 people who had cleaned the various buildings. The Freeholders said then that the annual cost was about a third of the $791,000 the county was spending in wages and benefits to have its custodians do the work each year.

Freeholder Rob Walton remarked on the savings of at least $400,000 a year. While union leaders and a few other county employees have periodically complained that the buildings are not being cleaned as well as when their colleagues did the work, no objections have been voiced at recent Freeholder meetings.

The board approved a $188,888 contract for 10 Gledhill plows and six Gledhill patrol wings, with Henderson Products, Inc. The wings go on the right side of the truck, allowing snow on road-side banks to be pushed back.

More at source: NJ.com

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1. Extend your cleaning reach. With today’s homes and soaring ceilings, reaching those tall places without a ladder may seem impossible. But the Extendable Pole Cleaning System has attachments for all your high household jobs. $49.95-$179.95, williams-sonoma.com.

2. Ditch the dryer sheets. If you’re tired of finding dryer sheets stuck to your clothes, go with a natural alternative made of lamb’s wool. Woolzies Drying Balls come in a set of three and agitate your laundry while providing the natural softening power of wool. $19.95, crateandbarrel.com.

3. Choose your own cleaning solutions. Sometimes, you like the scent of your favorite cleaner. Other times, you just want to use your own cleaner on your floors. The Rubbermaid Reveal Microfiber Spray Mop has a wide, microfiber mop head and a refillable bottle so you can squirt the cleaner of your choice as you go. $19, homedepot.com.

4. Organize your cleaning tools. If your brooms and mops are slumped in the corner of your laundry room, tidy up with the Evriholder, a five-position wall organizer. $17, walmart.com.

More at source: Charlotte Observer

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Imagine you could replace every bottle of cleaning product cluttering up the space under your sink with only three things. 

It may seem too good to be true, but cleaning expert Jan M. Dougherty has done just that — and she's sharing her secrets with TODAY.

Alexander Raths / Shutterstock

“I’ve run my business for 10 years, cleaning 100 houses a week with my crew,” says Dougherty, author of "The Lost Art of Housecleaning."  "And I only use three products in my business and in my home." 

Those three products are:

• Krud Kutter, a biodegradable, non-toxic cleaner/degreaser
  
• Undiluted white vinegar
  
• Old English Lemon Oil

When it comes to cleaning products, I'm kind of a delicate flower. Strong chemical smells make me gag, and the fumes give me a headache long after the rest of my family has stopped noticing them.

To avoid harsh chemicals, I find myself spending a ridiculous amount of money on natural cleaning products at stores like Whole Foods. I wanted to try making homemade cleaning products, so I turned to local sustainable living consultant and author Linda Mason Hunter for guidance.

I decided to clean our house's bathrooms with recipes from Hunter's book "Green Clean: The Environmentally Sound Guide to Cleaning Your Home." The recipes were easy to make and featured simple ingredients, most of which I already had in my cupboard — baking soda, distilled white vinegar, Castile soap, essential oil and tea tree oil.

Mirror, countertop, and shower stall: I added ½ cup distilled white vinegar to two cups water in a spray bottle and cleaned as I would with any spray cleaner. Hunter said this will keep for months.

More at source: Desmoines Register

Find a green cleaning service here.