New
Whirlpool Distribution Centre at Aylesford
Whirlpool
has announced its successful move into a new distribution centre at Aylesford,
Kent.
After the distribution centre located at Paddock Wood Kent was destroyed
by a colossal fire last summer, Whirlpool was keen to find a site in the
same area and retain the company’s local workforce.
Only a year after the fire and after being spread between local temporary
premises, staff were able to start moving in to the new centre. All the
stock has now been transferred and business is booming.
Paolo
Conte, Whirlpool UK's Market Director said: 'After such a potentially
devastating event in 2005, I am truly delighted to see our distribution
staff in such a superb new centre. This new facility will enable us to
provide a great service to all our trade partners, who I would also like
to thank for their patience and understanding last year'.
Jamie Siggers, Logistics Operations Manager at Aylesford expressed the
feelings of all the staff saying: 'Most of our Paddock Wood employees
have been with Whirlpool for a long time, and live locally, so the fire
last year was a huge shock to the whole community. I can't tell you how
fantastic it feels to not only be able to stay in the area, but also to
have such a wonderfully spacious, new facility'
The 250,000 sq ft high bay facility includes a huge yard and well equipped
offices and is well connected to motorway networks and ports with good
rail links.
Web: http://www.whirlpoolcorp.com
Aqualux
Takes on the Competitive Edge
Aqualux, the UK manufacturer of bath screens and shower enclosures, is
leading the fight against anti-competitive business.
20 members of the Aqualux team are to participate in an online training
course run by the Bathroom Manufacturers Association, which has been designed
in response to the industry's uncertainty on how the Competition Act affects
it.
Staff from departments across the West Midlands-based company have taken
the 40 minute web-based course which teaches the do's and don'ts of competition
law. In particular the course focuses on the pitfalls of discussing business
and the penalties companies face if found to be price fixing and market
sharing.
Sandra Hyde, marketing manager, commented: ‘The competition law can
be very confusing and this on-line course has proved invaluable for simplifying
it. We're always keen to support anything that improves the bathroom market
and we'll continue to take our duty of care extremely seriously.’
The
influx of copy sanitaryware being imported into the UK from Asia over
the last 12 months, has left Laufen Bathrooms AG from Switzerland together
with its subsidiary Laufen Ltd with no option but to take robust steps
to protect the designs in the famous Il Bagno Alessi range of sanitaryware
of which it is the exclusive licensee.
Laufen, relying on UK unregistered design right law, has successfully
persuaded four companies to stop selling products which closely reproduced
aspects of the Il Bagno Alessi designs. In addition to agreeing that they
will not sell the same products in the future, the offenders have also
agreed to deliver up or destroy their stocks of the copy products and
have identified their suppliers. All the copy products in question so
far have originated in China and Laufen is now investigating these suppliers.
Getting this far has involved Laufen in a considerable investment in terms
of both management time and legal fees. However the journey has been worth
it as the incidence of copying of the Il Bagno Alessi range on the UK
market is now significantly reduced. So far, Laufen has not yet had to
resort to commencing legal action against any of the targets selling the
copy products as they have all been prepared to co-operate. However, Laufen
is vigilant and continues to monitor the UK market and Laufen's commitment
to the designs in respect of which it holds licences is such that if litigation
is necessary, Laufen will not hesitate to resort to it.
Jacuzzi
Brands Responds to Shareholder Suits Regarding Proposed Merger
Jacuzzi
Brands, Inc. announced on October 18th that the Company and each of its
directors have been named as defendants in two purported stockholder class
action lawsuits filed on October 13th, 2006 in the Chancery Court of the
State of Delaware. The lawsuits generally allege that the directors have
breached their fiduciary duties in connection with their actions in agreeing
to the Company's proposed merger with a wholly owned subsidiary of Apollo
Management L.P. The complaints seek injunctive relief as well as damages.
The Company has reviewed the allegations contained in the complaints and
believes that the lawsuits are without merit. The Company intends to vigorously
defend itself against the claims.
Baumatic
on 'The Box'
Italian appliance manufacturer Baumatic has unveiled its first national
television campaign in the UK, with ads running throughout October during
prime time slots on UK Style, Living and ITV2.
Designed
to build on the company's success in 2006, the new television advertisement
features a young, attractive man preparing a meal for his girlfriend in
his kitchen which is replete with Baumatic appliances. The man retires
to shower and get ready leaving the dinner cooking in the kitchen.
As the girlfriend arrives dressed to kill there is a frisson of excitement
in the air, but sadly it is not for the evening ahead with her partner,
but instead because she is so impressed with the Baumatic appliances.
The advert concludes with a simple strapline and the Baumatic logo.
Baumatic UK's Managing Director, Paul Thompson, comments:
‘The advertisement is designed to promote Baumatic as a desirable,
aspirational and sexy brand. The young couple epitomise a typical Baumatic
customer and the set was designed to perfectly show off Baumatic's full
range of appliances to best advantage.
'While Baumatic has never before invested in a UK television campaign,
I am confident that these advertisements will succeed in raising Baumatic's
profile to generate even more sales.’
Tel: 0118 933 6900
Web: http://www.baumatic.com
BBC
Good Food Show Chooses Whirlpool for its Celebrity Cooking Theatres
Whirlpool has been chosen to supply products for use in the demonstration
theatres at the NEC Birmingham and London Olympia BBC Good Food Shows
in November.
The BBC Good Food Show has been running at the NEC in Birmingham for the
last 17 years and in London for 4 years. The shows have been extremely
successful and combine high quality exhibitors from the food and drink
industry with the allure of demonstrations and advice from celebrity chefs
in a variety of specially designed theatres.
The attraction to the consumer is the buzz and entertainment value of
being around celebrities and TV personalities and the array of products
and produce aimed at food lovers. The successful formula last year saw
134,516 visitors flocking to the Birmingham show and 31,000 visitors to
the London show.
The show attracts a high percentage of ABC1 visitors with real money to
spend. Last year £8.5 million was spent at the Birmingham show alone.
Nathan Garnett, Event Presenter of the BBC Good Food Show commented:
‘We are delighted that Whirlpool has agreed to supply products for
the BBC Good Food Shows this year. Each year the quality and appearance
of the demonstration areas improves and this year will be no exception.
It is important to get the demonstration areas right as our celebrity
chefs, who will this year include Jamie Oliver, Anthony Worral-Thompson,
Gary Rhodes and Jean Christophe Novelli, demand both high quality and
reliability. This year there is the added excitement that for the first
time the Birmingham show will be hosting the live final of the Gordan
Ramsey scholar award.
Finalists will be using our demonstration theatre to produce their finest
dishes which will then be judged by Gordon Ramsey, Marcus Wareing, Angela
Hartnett and Mark Sargeant’
Ray Isted, Brand Marketing Manager for Whirlpool UK comments:
‘Whirlpool is delighted to continue our support of the BBC Good Food
Shows. Both shows expose the Whirlpool brand to thousands of consumers
and is bound to increase the demand for Whirlpool products. It's a great
opportunity to see Whirlpool product in action with top celebrity chefs
and clearly demonstrates the high quality of the range that we are offering’.
The BBC Good Food Shows are at the NEC Birmingham 22-26 November and at
Olympia London 10-12th November.
UK
Student in Final Global Electrolux Design Competition - Design Lab 2006
Selects its Nine Finalists
Electrolux,
the household appliance specialist, has announced that it has selected
nine finalists for this year's Design Lab competition. Amongst the selection
is Royal College of Art student Kleber Puchaski who has designed the Electrolux
Hydrosphere which allows food to be freshly grown in the home. The Electrolux
Hydrosphere was selected as a finalist entry by leading designers and
product specialists within the Electrolux Group.
Kleber
is in his 3rd year at the Royal College of Art studying towards his PhD
in Industrial Design. He said ‘I graduated as a product designer
at the PUC (Pontifical Catholic University). My final project was a Concept
car called MOYA which received two design awards in Brazil. Just after
that, I worked at Racco Cosmetics as a graphic designer. In 1997, I joined
HSBC Bank with the responsibility for all the design issues from concept
to execution and roll out. One of the most significant achievements was
the HSBC re-brand project which was a 5 year project. HSBC bank in Brazil
has more than 1500 branches around the country.
‘More recently, I have been dedicating myself to academic research,
which is also balanced with practice in areas such as branding and design.
In 2003/2004, I took my Masters course at Brunel University in Design
and Branding Strategies and currently I am engaged in a PhD research at
the Royal College of Art's vehicle design department. My research is focused
on Branding Strategies and Product Innovation through design in the Automotive
Industry. I've also been looking at how influential both subjects are
on people's perceptions.’
In this fourth annual final of the Electrolux Global Design Lab competition,
design students are being challenged to seek food preservation and preparation
solutions that promote healthy eating habits for the 2016 consumer.
A jury of internationally renowned members of the design community will
judge the final selections based on their design and innovation, while
taking functional, aesthetical and emotional aspects into account.
Jury members in this competition include leading designers Humberto Campana
and Fernando Campana, world renowned chef Tetsuya Wakuda, NASA Space Architect,
Constance Adams and the head of Electrolux Design, Henrik Otto. The finalists
have all been invited to the final judging event and award ceremony in
Barcelona in November where the winner of Design Lab 2006 will be announced.
Finalists of the Design Lab 2006 competition are:
* Eduardo Altaminaro (Universidad La Salle, Mexico)
* Jonathan Assaraf ( Savannah College of Art and Design, USA)
* Clayton Tolomiotti Resende (School Positivo University Centre, Brazil)
* Teeravit Hanharutaivan (King Monkut Institute of Technology, Ladkrabang,
Thailand)
* Christian Jung (HFG Pforzheim, Germany)
* Metin Kaplan (Istanbul Technical University, Turkey)
* Brian Chuan Chai Law (National University of Singapore, Singapore)
* Kleber Puchaski (Royal College of Art, London, United Kingdom)
* Yirong Yang (Southern Yangtze University School of Design, China)
In 2005, the Design Lab Award went to Airwash (Singapore), a waterless
washing unit that uses negative ions, compressed air and deodorants to
clean clothes, while featuring an intuitive, ecological and sleek design.
More details on the current as well as past finalists of Design Lab can
be found on the competition's recently revamped and dedicated website:
http://www.electrolux.com/designlab.
Niagara
Promotion at Broughtons
Broughtons,
the national distributor of bathroom sanitary ware and furniture, recently
launched the Niagara® bathroom brand, part of Jacuzzi UK, one of the
largest bathroom manufacturers in the country, as a new brand offering
for the company's retail partners.
The all-embracing range encompasses semi-frameless and framed shower enclosures,
baths, over bath screens, bathroom suites, furniture and brassware.
To promote the entry into the market, and just in time for Christmas,
Broughtons has launched a promotion from the Niagara bathroom brand, which
runs until 31st December 2006. Retailers have the opportunity to claim
rewards following the purchase of Niagara bathroom products from Broughtons.
The promotion includes semi-frameless and framed enclosures, baths, whirlpool/spa
bath systems and frameless and framed overbath screens. The retailer can
claim a variety of rewards including up to £400 in high street vouchers
or a 20" flat screen TV, dependent on the value of the purchases.
'We hope that this promotion will provide a welcome incentive for our
retailers in the run up to Christmas. The reward choices are excellent,
with a huge selection from PSPs, satellite navigation systems, iPods or
TVs to shopping vouchers. We hope the flexibility will appeal to everyone
and bring a profitable and happy Christmas for us all,' remarks Allan
Nutter, Commercial Director, Broughtons.
For more information on the Niagara promotion at Broughtons call your
Area Sales Manager or telephone the company on 0870 60 60 601.
Miele
sweeps the board in the latest Which? test report on vacuum cleaners,
with Miele models out performing all other brands tested to secure the
top five places in the performance testing tables.
The current Which? report is the fifth in succession in which Miele has
come out as the top vacuum cleaner brand.
Which? magazine notes, ‘Its rivals seem to have no answer to Miele's
quiet, easy-to-use vacs and their brilliant cleaning power on carpet,
laminate and floorboards.’
For the report, Which? tested 22 vacuum cleaner models ranging in price
from £69 to £360. The machine that performed best overall,
achieving the number one ranking, was the Miele S 4510, with Miele's Cat
& Dog TT 5000, S 4210, S 380 and S5210 models securing the next four
highest scores.
Stefan Pichetta, Vacuum Cleaner Product Manager at Miele, comments, ‘Miele
cleaners consistently outperform others on the market in independent tests,
affirming Miele's reputation as a clear leader in floorcare technology.
Miele is renowned for its high-quality, high-performance appliances, and
superb test results like these provide the consumer with additional confidence
in the product.’
Prestigious
New Showrooms for Premier - Top William Ball Retailer Moves to High-profile
Location
Peterborough-based
Premier Kitchens & Bedrooms has relocated to the city's prestigious
Hampton area, with new 15,000 sq ft premises that encompass showroom,
office and warehousing facilities all under one roof.
Highlight of the new showroom is undoubtedly William Ball's Nero display,
featuring dramatic high gloss black cabinetry, with new furniture from
the Helena open-plan living range, sitting alongside more classically
traditional displays such as Firefly and Merlin. There are 24 new kitchen
ranges in total, as well as 10 bedroom displays - all manufactured exclusively
by William Ball - giving Peterborough residents plenty of choice.
Shane
Forsythe with his mother, Alison Forsythe, and father, Iain Forsythe,
who jointly own Premier Kitchens & Bedrooms admire the new signage
with Mayor Michael Burton; Pep the chef serves Bob Simms from Peterborough
United Football Club, Premier md Iain Forsythe and Barry Fry from Peterborough
United FC.
To
celebrate the move, Premier recently held an open day lunch event, with
a cooking demonstration by chefs from popular local restaurant Fratellis.
Attended by the area's most prominent businesspeople, including Mayor
Michael Burton of Peterborough City Council and Barry Fry from Peterborough
United Football Club, the event was a massive hit and has helped promote
the company's new high-profile location.
Premier's MD, Iain Forsythe, also used the open day to help raise support
for the Great Eastern Run, which, despite suffering a knee injury two
months ago, he is planning to compete. The Great Eastern Run is an event
that's close to Iain's heart as he played a major role in bringing it
back to the area and is proud to be able to participate in aid of the
Sue Ryder Care charity.
Contact: William Ball 01375 375151 http://www.wball.co.uk
Premier Kitchens and Bathrooms 08000 92 94 93 http://www.premier-kitchens.co.uk
Aqualux
Scoops a Double in Business Awards Shortlist
Aqualux,
the UK manufacturer of bath screen and shower enclosures, is celebrating
after reaching the shortlist in two categories at the Best of the Black
Country 2006 Business Awards.
Aqualux is a finalist in the Business of the Year category, the event's
top award, having demonstrated vision, determination and achievement in
all aspects of its business. The company has also been short listed in
the category for Business Growth and Innovation, beating strong competition
from across the region.
The judges for the Business of the Year were searching for companies that
had made a significant impact on the region, whilst sustaining and growing
profits, as well as encouraging innovation and expansion into new markets.
Investment in staff training and development, customer care, long-term
commitment to the region, plus examples of community involvement and environmental
awareness were also major factors.
The prestigious awards are organised by the UK's biggest regional newspaper,
the Express & Star and supported by Central TV. The glittering, black-tie
ceremony will be held at Dunstall Park racecourse in Wolverhampton on
Thursday, November 16th. This year, the Governor of the Bank of England,
Mervyn King, will open the proceedings with a keynote address.
Managing Director for Aqualux, James Cadman, said: ‘It is a fantastic
achievement for Aqualux to be short listed in two categories at these
highly competitive awards. The Black Country has always been a hub of
manufacturing and industry in the UK, so the standards in these awards
are exceptionally high. This is a tremendous recognition of the skills,
enthusiasm and dedication of all our staff and the continuing success
of our business.’
PJH
Group Honoured in Times Top Track 250 League - Britain's Biggest Mid-market
Companies
Kitchen
and bathroom distributor, the PJH GROUP, has achieved a place on the prestigious
Sunday Times HSBC Top Track 250 League Table, as revealed in last weekend's
Sunday Times, making it one of the biggest mid-market private companies
in Britain.
Regarded as the authority on Britain's top-performing private firms and
the entrepreneurs who own and run them, the Sunday Times HSBC Top Track
250 for 2006 has also recognised household names such as Chelsea FC, Dyson
and Warburtons.
Ranked by its latest sales figures of £143.7m (year ending December
2005), the PJH Group is the UK's largest kitchen and bathroom distributor,
supplying independent retailers, merchants and housebuilders in the business.
Founded in 1972, the company employs 712 personnel throughout its head
office in Greater Manchester as well as seven regional UK depots, and
reported a £10.7m profit for year ending 2005.
Andrew Yates, chief executive for the PJH Group said: ‘This ranking
is a great achievement and benchmark of our performance not only on a
regional but a national level. The result is testament to the continued
hard work and dedication of all our people and the systems implemented,
and we are thrilled to have received this coveted recognition’.
Stuart Grant, UK head of corporate & structured banking at HSBC, the
title sponsors of the league table, praised the region's mid-market stars:
‘Private mid-market businesses represent a major cornerstone within
our economy. Increasingly lead by tough, hardened professional teams,
HSBC is firmly committed to this vibrant and exciting sector.’
For further information on the PJH Group Ltd, see http://www.pjhgroup.com
or call 01204 707070.
Wolseley
plc Acquisitions Update
Wolseley
plc, the world's largest specialist trade distributor of plumbing and
heating products to professional contractors and a leading supplier of
building materials, announced on 9th October four further bolt on acquisitions
for an aggregate consideration of £111 million. In a full year,
these bolt on acquisitions are expected to add approximately £148
million in additional revenue.
Since the beginning of the financial year on 1st August 2006, a total
of ten bolt on acquisitions in Europe and North America have been completed
for an aggregate consideration of approximately £160 million. These
ten acquisitions are expected to add approximately £238 million
to Group revenue in a full year. Goodwill and intangible assets related
to these acquisitions is estimated to be around £109 million. In
addition, on 25th September 2006, Wolseley plc completed the acquisition
of DT Group (formerly known as Danske Traelast) for £1,353 million
which brings aggregate acquisition spend for the year to £1,513
million.
North America
On 2nd October 2006, the assets of Lawrence Plumbing Supply, Co and the
shares of Castle Supply Company, Inc and Castle North Corporation ('Castle
Group') were acquired from Joseph Lawrence, Joseph White, Robert Stern,
Robert Caldwell and John Thomas in the USA. Castle Group is a premier
distributor of plumbing products with 27 locations in Florida. This acquisition
will complement Wolseley's established presence in Florida's commercial
plumbing market. In the year ended 31st December 2005, Castle Group had
revenue of $165.3 million (£87.9 million) and gross assets of $28.4
million (£15.1 million) at that date.
On 2nd October 2006, Ferguson acquired Northern Water Works Supply, Inc
('NWWS') from David B. McNair, David B. McNair Grantor Retained Annuity
Trust, Janet B. McNair, Ron J. Vasko and J. Jeffrey Mogush. NWWS is the
largest independent wholesaler of waterworks products in the states of
Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, Western Wisconsin and Northern
Illinois. In the year ended 31st December 2005, NWWS had revenue of $91.2
million (£48.5 million) and gross assets of $20.1 million (£10.7
million) at that date.
Europe
On 2nd October 2006, Wolseley UK acquired Murdock ECD Limited and Murdock
Haworth Limited ('Murdock') from Murdock Group Limited. Murdock consists
of three builders merchant branches located in the north west of England.
In the year ended 31st December 2005, Murdock had revenue of £7.1
million and gross assets of £0.7 million at that date.
On 5th October 2006, DT Group acquired Helatukku Finland Oy ('Helatukku')
from Wedeco and Hannu Rantanen. Helatukku, based in Western Finland, imports,
markets and distributes items mainly for the kitchen cabinet manufacturing
industry. In the year ended 31st December 2005, Helatukku had revenue
of Euro6.3 million (£4.2 million) and gross assets of Euro3.0 million
(£2.0 million) at that date.
Chip Hornsby, Group Chief Executive of Wolseley said:
'We are delighted to announce these four bolt on acquisitions which complement
our existing business in Europe and North America. Making bolt on acquisitions
is an important part of delivering double digit growth and the pipeline
for the year remains strong. The acquisitions announced today include
our first bolt on in Finland, which following the recent purchase of DT
Group, will help strengthen our platform for growth in the region.'
ALNO
Unveils 2007 Range at Hausmesse Combining Glamour with Practicality
Germany's
largest kitchen manufacturer, ALNO opened its doors to dealers and partners
from all over the world at its Hausmesse this week. Over 40 of ALNO's
premier dealers from the UK and Ireland attended the Open House event
hosted by managing director, John Kinder.
The annual Hausmesse is ALNO's opportunity to present its new products
and innovations for the coming year. There was much interest as ALNO unveiled
new doors, worktops and storage solutions with new colours for a number
of its best selling ranges.
Jerry
Craven, proprietor of Hampshire Kitchens, an ALNO premier dealer said,
‘I am just in the process of completely refurbishing my studio and
this visit to ALNO's spectacular showroom has been a real inspiration.
The problem is, there are so many options, I can't decide what to choose!’
Key trends for the 2007 include citrus colours, clean lines with handleless
designs, dark woods, high gloss and innovative lighting to create glamorous
yet practical kitchens. Other innovations include integrated Televisions
within doors featuring a mirror/glass finish, new internal drawer options
such as chrome finish, glass panels, white lacquered sides, Z-dividers
and felt liners.
Electronically powered 'push-push' drawers will be exclusive to ALNO until
the end of the year enabling drawers to be opened by touch technology.
For more information contact ALNO using mail@alno.co.uk
Victoria
& Albert Launches in Australia
Freestanding
bath manufacturer Victoria & Albert has announced the launch of Victoria
& Albert Pty in Australia. This wholly owned company based in Sydney
New South Wales will be run along the same lines as V&A's two other
highly successful satellite sales and distribution operations based in
South Africa and the USA.
Providing the continuity of product distribution previously offered by
agents, The Bath Addiction Company, Victoria & Alberts' new Antipodean
hub serves all states of Australia and is fully stocked with the full
range of Victoria & Albert classic and contemporary baths. John Dickinson,
Sales Director, is responsible for developing the territory and reports
to Group Chief Executive Officer Edward Davies.
Edward Davies, Victoria & Albert Group CEO says: ‘Bath water
going down the plug hole in a different direction doesn't stop Australian
consumers recognising great design when they see it. Our specialist freestanding
baths clearly have a niche in Australia and we're delighted to have experienced
strong interest from dealers throughout the region looking for distinctive
products to add value to their showroom displays and portfolios.’
He concludes, ‘The Victoria & Albert brand is going from strength
to strength, and this can only increase as we continue to roll out our
new series of contemporary models.’
Victoria & Albert has requested that potential distributors contact
the company through the website http://www.vandabaths.com
or telephone 02 9836 5707.
Top
Tips from Electrolux Floorcare’s Expert Elizabeth Farmer on Keeping
the Cleaning Under Control October 2006
Electrolux
has a wide range of cleaners - robot cleaners, bagless models which clean
their own filters, uprights that are powerful and easy to use – like
the Loopie – models for homes with pets, homes with stairs, those
who want huge dustbag capacity, and those who want neat, effective secondary
cleaners, handheld vacs or stylish looking rechargeables.
Need a new vacuum cleaner? Check out top tips from Electrolux on what
to look out for:
• Make sure it is easy to use –on cylinders look for telescopic
tubes so you can adjust the height, manoeuvrable wheels, handy controls
and long cleaning reach. On uprights, check how light or how easy it is
to push, access to tools, cord storage and how flat it goes for under
furniture cleaning. Small details like – how long is the cord –
can make the difference between having to change sockets every 5 minutes
or not. One of the longest cords on the market at 9 metres is on the new
Electrolux Loopie.
• On bagless cleaners check how easy and hygienic dust disposal is
– also how easy it is to clean the filters, as this is something
that needs to be done on a regular basis. Electrolux has a great solution
for anyone who wants to avoid cleaning filters manually – with the
first cleaner with self-clean filters – Electrolux Twin Clean. If
you hate the hassle of having to empty the container frequently try the
Electrolux Cyclone XL with the biggest dust capacity at 4 litres –
this can cover up to 1300m2 in one go – that’s 3 times more
than average.
• Allergy sufferers look for models with HEPA filters and self-seal
dustbags.
• If you have pets – ask about ‘pet hair’ cleaners,
or accessories for coping with pet hair and smells (ask about carbon odour
elimination filters). The Electrolux Loopie Pet Lover is an ideal choice
– with its grooming turbo brush, powerful performance and Loop handle
which makes it very easy and comfortable to use.
• For homes with stairs: if you pick an upright, make sure it has
a stretchy ‘stairhose’ with a 3-4m reach. The Electrolux Loopie
Stairmaster has two 3 to 1 stretch hoses – which means it can easily
clean a full flight of stairs.
• Don’t forget to check the tools for above-floor cleaning –
make sure they are ‘on board’ and you have at least a crevice
nozzle and furniture brush.
• For homes with carpets – if you pick a cylinder make sure
it has a turbo brush – you need the rotating brushes for grooming
and cleaning.
Vacuum the home thoroughly once a week. Make sure you have a cleaner with
good dust pick up and filtration - and if you have long pile carpet make
sure your cleaner has a rotating brush roll to groom and pick up embedded
dirt etc that suction only cleaners can miss.
Treat yourself to a handy, smaller secondary cleaner for the odd jobs
that crop up during the week, like crumbs on the carpet or dirt or gravel
brought into the hall or kitchen. There are plenty of lightweight affordable
compacts around and the Electrolux Ergorapido (£89.99) which is
a rechargeable upright cum handheld is good looking and versatile. It
also comes in five fashion colours.
Start at the top and work your way down. Most cleaners have tools which
you can use to suck up the cobwebs in the corners of ceilings and dust
round lamp shades, and furniture brushes are ideal for cleaning stair
balusters and handrails, as well as tables and chairs. Dust bookshelves
and other dust-traps regularly.
Electrolux Floorcare: For brochures & stockist information,
call 08706 055 055 or visit the website: http://www.electrolux.co.uk