Brooms are one of the most basic cleaning tools available to cleaners but even with the simple broom there are rules to follow to get the best results.

Always try to use a broom that's the right size. When held upright the tip of a push broom handle should reach to the janitor's nose. If you're right handed, push the broom with your right hand and guide it with your left. At the end of your outward stroke lightly tap the broom to dislodge dirt clinging to the bristles.

If you need to use sweeping compound to pick up dust only apply it to a small area. When sweeping coumpound sits too long on a floor it will create oily spots.

When using a broom outdoors, sweep in the same direction that the wind is blowing in. Never rest a broom, or a brush for that matter, on its bristles -- over time this will wreck them. If the block of the push broom has a hole on each side change the handle from one hole to the other on a regular basis. This prevents uneven wear of the bristles.

Unless you are a natural born salesman, making cold calls will be difficult for you, especially those first nerve-wracking few. Luckily there is a way to reduce the stress and strain of making cold calls and increase their effectiveness.

You can do this by limiting the goal you set for your calls. Instead of trying to make a sale on your first contact with a company, which is extremely difficult, your goal should be much more modest. It should be to learn the name and job title of the person you need to contact.

Usually, the first person you will talk when you make a cold call will be the receptionist. Part of her job is to protect management from people making unsolicited sales calls; you in other words.

This is not as bad as it sounds. While receptionists will generally stop a cold call; they are usually happy to give you the name and job title of the correct individual for you to contact by mail.

Once you have their name and job title, politely thank the receptionist and hang up. You have just made a successful cold call. Now you can mail them sales literature and make a follow up call, beginning the sales process. Also, in future, just knowing this person's name is usually enough to get you past the receptionist without any problems.

The quick little quiz below is not to be taken too seriously. The more questions you can answer yes to the better. However, one or two no's, or even more, don't necessarily disqualify you. There is no score for this test but it might help you discover what your strengths and weaknesses are as a business owner.

One of the first things to remember when planning what non-janitorial tools to take with you is that you run a cleaning business. This means you aren't a mechanic, plumber, electrician or anything else that you aren't paid to be. So keep things to a minimum, you're not there to do repairs to a client's house or office. You only need a few tools to do minor repairs, mainly to your own equipment.

Carry a medium pair of pliers, one medium and one small regular screwdriver, one medium and one small Phillips screwdriver. Along with that bring a supply of belts and bags for your vacuum(s).

I also recommend you keep a can of WD40 in your vehicle. In case you're not familiar with WD40, it's a light oil in an aerosol spray can. I use it mainly to lubricate sticky locks.

It also doesn't hurt to carry a pocket-sized note book and a mechanical pencil to make the occasional note to yourself or to leave a note to your client. Mechanical pencils are best because unlike pens they never leak and unlike regular pencils they never need to be sharpened.

The most important concept you need to know when dealing with cleaning chemistry is pH. (You pronounce it by saying the two letters P & H with no pause between them.) pH is a number which tells you whether a cleaning product is an acid, neutral or a base (a base is also refered to as being alkaline).

A cleaning chemical, or any other kind of chemical, with a pH of 7 is neutral. It's neither an acid or a base. If it has a lower pH, it's an acid and if its pH is over 7 it's a base. pH values can range from 0 to over 13 with the strongest acids having values towards 0 and the strongest bases having values of 13 or more.

A chemical doesn't have to have a value of exactly 7 to be neutral, 6.8 would be a very weak acid and 7.3 would be a very weak base. For most day-to-day cleaning jobs you want to use a cleaning product in this neutral area around 7. These are generally the safest type of cleaning products to use.

However, occasionally you will need to use the stronger acid or alkaline cleaning products to deal with harder cleaning problems. Acids chemically attack and neutralize alkalines and alkalines do the same to acids. As a result, you use acid cleaning products to clean dirt or residue that is alkaline and you use alkaline products to clean up debris or dirt that is acid.

Acid based toilet bowel cleaners are an example of a strong acid cleaner. White vinegar is a much more mild acid. Ammonia is an alkaline so are most floor strippers. Grease is an acid so alkaline cleaners are natural degreasers. You want to avoid cleaning waxed floors with alkaline cleaners because they tend to dull them. On the other hand, many household carpet spills are acidic, catsup and alcoholic beverages for instance. A well diluted alkaline degreaser will work well on these types of stains.