NYC WINDOW A/C INSTALLATION TIPS FROM NYC BUILDINGS DEPT

Please note that the new law that is in effect NOW requires you to put a support brace NY State approved, in any window that will support any A/C above the first Story


WINDOW AIR CONDITIONER INSTALLATION TIPS
Before Purchase/Installation
􀀹 Calculate the size of room to be cooled, so that you buy an a/c with enough capacity.
􀀹 Obtain authorization for installation from building management.
􀀹 Make sure that electrical service is adequate.
􀀹 Make sure that the window and window frame are in good condition.
INSTALLATION GUIDELINES
􀀹 Follow the manufacturer’s instructions included with the unit.
􀀹 Make sure the unit is installed securely. Support the A/C unit from underneath or firmly fasten it from inside with angles. Metal brackets, mounting rails, etc. may be used for a safe installation.
􀀹 Supporting metal brackets, interior angles, etc. should be structurally fastened to the building envelope and are to be strong enough for the size and weight of the A/C unit.
􀀹 Objects utilized to adjust the position (for example, shims) of the A/C unit must have an independent source of fastening or attachment.
􀀹 Secure leveling objects in order to prevent movement and shifting due to vibration from the A/C unit and wind and weather conditions.
􀀹 Install the A/C so that it remains in place when the window is opened and or affix it so that the window cannot be opened accidentally.
􀀹 Tilt the unit slightly to provide water drainage; however, do not over tilt.
PERMITS
A work permit or equipment use permit is generally not required for the installation of a common window A/C unit, unless the unit exceeds three tons/36,000 BTU/hr. See section 27-184 (a) of the Building Code (found online under the Reference Materials link at www.NYC.gov/buildings) for more details.
AVOID
∅ DO NOT USE loose objects, such as wood blocking, to support the leveling of an A/C unit.
∅ DO NOT USE bricks, telephone books, gypsum board or cans for leveling under the A/C unit.
∅ DO NOT BLOCK fire escape windows or any other exit with an A/C unit.
∅ DO NOT PLACE anything (TV antennae, satellite dishes, plants, etc.) on top of an A/C unit.
Maintenance
It’s important to periodically check on the position of the A/C and the condition of the window

frame to make sure that the A/C remains supported and secure.



If you prefer to let the professionals handle it visit ez Furniture Assembly & Interior Innovations at www.ezfurnitureassembly.com

Why You Should Hire A Professional Company to Assemble Your IKEA & Other Knockdown Furniture

by Leon A. Frechette

My home office could use a little organization. Perhaps a bookshelf or two will pull the books off the floor so I can stop tripping over them. My stereo equipment would look better housed in a cabinet than balanced on a wobbly TV tray, and I could sure use a CD tower to store the blues I keep jamming in the background while I'm key-stroking in another how-to article.

I'm in no hurry to invest in expensive office furniture, so like many others, I went the least expensive route: knockdown (KD) furniture. You know what I'm talking about—those heavy cardboard boxes that contain a zillion pieces and so-called assembly instructions.

I made the decision to purchase KD products fully aware that I would dread this project from start to finish.

Why? Because I need to physically visit practically every store on the planet to find pieces that fit the office layout in matching wood finishes at an affordable price. Do you know how many different shapes, sizes, surface finishes, and wood colors are available? The quality levels and prices are all over the map.

Your average mega-store does not specialize in KD furniture, so the majority of the units are still in their boxes. Since the pieces are unassembled, I can't be sure what the units really look like or how big they are.

Quite often, the display models look like they are either ready to fall apart or they don't match the pictures on the boxes.

Many display models are set so high on the store shelves that you'd need a power lift to reach them. Perhaps if I used binoculars I could get a good look at them.

Once you find what you are looking for, the store is quite likely to NOT have the two units you need, or the two units they do have don't match.

Also, there's no one around to help get the units to the cash register and then to your vehicle. The boxes are heavy and awkwardly large so you need a forklift just to get them off the ground.

After wasting time going from store to store, I went to a company that specializes in KD products. Their displays looked great and they carried the Scandinavian designs with hardwood finishes that are not offered by US companies. However—or perhaps I should say, as expected—they didn't have anything in stock; it was "show and tell" time, and I had to order what I wanted. To their credit, once the products arrived, they had willing and eager helpers to lift the boxes into my vehicle.

Getting these bulky and heavy units off my car and into my home is another story. In my prime that wouldn't have been a problem, but lifting and carrying heavy items is getting harder as I get older. Luckily my oldest lives next door and he knows when the phone rings that the old man needs help—again.

With the boxes inside the home, the real fun begins. I know from experience that this is when disaster will strike: pieces and hardware will be missing, damaged, or defective and the instructions are not worth the paper they're printed on.

This time around was no exception. It amazed me to see just how many pieces were in the box and how well organized it was. Unfortunately, I discovered "Made in Denmark" stickers on just about every piece. As if it isn't bad enough, the manufacturer has created even more work: sticker removal.

Beginning with the simplest unit, the double CD tower, I laid out all the pieces and compared them to the instructions. The instructions had great illustrations, so I assumed it would be a breeze to put together—but there were no written directions. I know a picture is worth a thousand words, but this is not the time to skip the words.

With no other options, I plowed through the instructions, illustration by illustration. With the unit completed and upright, I began to install (what seemed like) a million shelving pins into what I soon discovered were undersized pre-drilled holes. Unfortunately, if I tried to re-drill the holes I might damage the unit or completely drill through a side panel. I have a drill stop, but I still didn't want to take the risk.

Wearing leather gloves, I rocked each pin back and forth until it was properly seated. After I installed a couple of shelves, I saw that the shelves weren't level because the pins were an inch out of alignment. I checked the instructions only to realize that there is a correct way to install the center support. I had to put on my glasses to see what this speck of ink showed and even then I had a hard time seeing the print. This was a pretty important item that really needed to be highlighted, so why didn't they? Nothing is more irritating than to disassemble a unit that already has its back nailed in place, especially when the nails have a ring shank.

Over the course of eight hours, I built two full-length (floor-to-ceiling) bookcases, one two-door cabinet, and one double full-length CD tower. There's no way this should have taken eight hours.

I had to pull apart the CD tower to correct an issue that should have more visible in the illustration. I had to pull apart the two-door unit several times because the drawings didn't match the pieces. I later learned from the retailer that that the company was phasing out some of the component pieces and the instructions hadn't been updated. Really?

A side panel for one bookcase was missing the pre-drilled holes for the cam pins and dowels. Naturally I discovered this flaw after the store closed for the day. I ended up drilling the holes just to stay on schedule. The second bookcase assembled smoothly except for a missing cam and one that snapped off as I tightened around the cam pin.

Since the instructions contain no phone number, I was at the mercy of the retailer to assist with the missing and broken parts. At least KD products made in the US include a customer hotline to call for missing or damaged items, and I know from experience that they are extremely fast at getting the parts to you.

While my home office has taken on a new look with its knockout Scandinavian design cherry hardwood finish, the assembly of the pieces was a real knockdown. I believe that manufacturers need to do a better job on quality control, and the best way for them to learn what is wrong is to assemble their own products following their own instructions. Only then will they discover what customers learn every time they put a KD unit together: they're just not user friendly.

Visit EZ Furniture Assembly & Interior Innovations

WWW.EZFURNITUREASSEMBLY.COM

IKEA Posted The Largest Sales Growth in The Retail Furniture Market!

Hello Everyone!

To nobody's surprise, well at least mine IKEA has posted the largest sales growth Nationally in 2007. IKEA Has not only taken a step back and corrected issues with their current furniture but made some serious changes for the future which are not linited to but include the use of organic ingredients in their food section. As the President of a Professional Furniture Assembly & Installation service I have seen the changes in their materials as well as the steps taken to correct issues that made assembly 10 times harder with the possibility of damaging the piece. When I first started this company I actually hated Ikea, but over the years have begun to love them compared to other small competitors you find in department stores that are for the most part JUNK!! It has came to the point with those department store bought furniture that unless it is a unique piece we tell the customer nicely we do not assemble these products. It actually boils down to basic math. Our industry n ormally charges 33.3% for assembly so if someone buys say a computer desk from ABC store and it cost $200.00 our charge would be about $66.00, but because the piece is so poorly made it takes the technician 4 hours to correct the mistakes, adjust the doors, drawers, and so forth so it is correct. So the technicians do not or will not do these jobs and the company doesn't make any money when and if they do. However, we rarelly see these issues with IKEA and that makes a big difference when we quote a price because we can look back on previous jobs to see how long it took John Doe to assemble this piece. There are better companies that sell RTA or Flatpack Furniture but 80% of our customers are IKEA customers. Here is a brief overview about the company that some of you might find intresteing,

How Swede it is. One of the world's top furniture retailers, IKEA International sells Scandinavian-style home furnishings and other housewares in about 270 stores in 35 countries. To cut transportation costs, IKEA uses flat packaging; customers assemble the products at home. The company designs its own furniture, which is made by about 1,300 suppliers in more than 50 countries. IKEA's stores feature playrooms for children and Swedish cuisine restaurants. It also sells by mail order and online. An acronym for founder Ingvar Kamprad and his boyhood home, Elmtaryd, Agunnaryd, IKEA began operating in Sweden in 1943. It is owned by Kamprad's Netherlands-based charitable foundation, Stichting Ingka.

REMEMBER: If you need professional furniture assembly or installation please contact EZ Furniture Assembly & Interior Innovation, LLC and one of our customer service representatives will help you with everything from choosing the right furniture to turning a few carboard boxes into your bedroom.



Please contact us with any questions, feedback, or ideas you have for our blog!!

Small New York City Furniture Assembly Company is Taking Business From The Industry Leaders like Impact Resources!

Small New York City Furniture Assembly Company is Taking Business From The Industry Leaders like Impact Resources!

EZ Furniture Assembly & Interior Innovations, LLC was founded a little over two years ago by Christopher Purnell, a New York City entrepreneur who had spent most of his working career in marketing and sales and needed a change. It didn’t take long for him to see the opportunity that was in the RTA (Ready To Assemble) furniture industry. He started by answering Craigslist postings for someone requiring furniture assembly and from there with little more than a few tools and a passion to succeed he opened EZ Furniture Assembly which mostly consisted of assembling and installing Ikea, Crate & Barrel, & Pottery Barn Furniture. Today His Company has added Interior Innovations because his company of over a dozen trained technicians provides more than just furniture assembly. Purnell Says, “Our Company has grown so much by taking the time to listen to our customers and by sticking to our word. Now we assemble everything from exercise machines, playground equipment in which we became certified to do, as well as do kitchen cabinet assembly and installations at half what our competitors charge.” We have found from Mr. Purnell and speaking to other people in the industry that the major player is a company called “Impact Resources” which services retailers nationally. However, Mr. Purnell began to show us some of his accounts that were once theirs because of what he calls “corporate greed”. From what we have learned from one unsatisfied Impact customer is “that Impact hires its employees over the phone, which can’t be good, and that the customers we spoke to say that they will flat out lie and say they will have someone there at this date and time and nobody will show up, and if they do most of their work is horrible and forget about having them come back out to correct it” Mr. Purnell also took us on a tour of a few retailers that Impact services and started to show us how poorly they assembled the store’s display models. We saw pieces missing, door on upside down, backs falling off, drawers that were falling apart. We honestly felt sorry for the retailer because it was clear that nobody would buy this furniture after seeing it in this condition. However, Mr. Purnell went on to say that this allows him to compete with these national companies like Impact. “They provide poor service to not only the retailers that provide them with the work, but the customers they serve which can be a month or more after they buy the furniture from the store. I walk into stores and point out all these issues to the manager, take pictures and most likely get the name of a district manager and explain our practices vs. theirs. We explain how we hire our technicians on a face to face basis rather than over the phone along with a background check and a 2 week training course with our Project Manager no matter their level of experience because we want them to things our way. We also guarantee them that we will schedule an appointment for their customers within 72 hours from the time of purchase, as well as fully guarantee all our workmanship.” Explains Purnell. It clear to see how this entrepreneur became successful after listening to just a few phone calls from possible customers and prior ones. He took as much time as it took to explain everything to them and even scheduled one appointment at night because the customer didn’t get out of work until six o’clock. He explained that he was grateful for his team who is willing to go that extra mile for the company. Nevertheless, they are paid quite well compared to companies like Impact, Actually almost 3 times as much! The one call with a previous client is what amazed me, it was an elderly man who had a desk assembled three months prior and it seemed one of the door hinges became loose over time. I expected Mr. Purnell to tell him that wasn’t his fault, or explain to him to get a screwdriver and tighten it himself, but he asked if he would be home around three that afternoon, the man said yes and Mr. Purnell said he would be over to fix the problem then. Purnell went on to say, “about 80% of our business is word of mouth and call backs, and being in this type of business is about doing the next right thing. Some weeks I eat steak and some I starve but I know that in time our company will outlive the national greed monsters because they are like one hit wonders because they will only screw a customer once where we do whatever we can for them and they continue to call us. I intent to expand into other cities and states, but it will be in franchises where I will decide who will represent our company best. I am still amazed at how far we have grown in such a short time with such a limited budget, but it is just doing business like it was done 40 years ago when you did what you said and took pride in your work” Well, there is no doubt in my mind that Mr. Purnell and his company along with the franchisees will be successful and an asset to whichever community they serve. I guess this is just another lesson that being the biggest doesn’t always mean being the best. For more information about Mr. Purnell and EZ Furniture Assembly & Interior Innovations you can visit them online at www.ezfurnitureassembly.com. There are also many horror stories online about “Impact Resources”, one is located on “Rip-Off Reports”.

Written by: Jessica Farmington

The truth be told tribune

Ways To Protect Yourself From Bed Bugs!!!

Do You Have Bed Bugs????

The more aware you are of bed bugs and what to look for the less likely you are to expose yourself to an infestation. It is important to remember that in order for a new infestation to become established, bed bugs must first be introduced into the previously un-infested environment. As a result, your risk of encountering and potentially introducing bed bugs increases when you travel, when children return from camps, boarding schools or college, when you have overnight guests, if you purchase used or second hand items, or have items such as furniture or bedding delivered etc.
Early detection is among the most important ways that you can protect yourself from having an introduction of bed bugs turn into a nightmare that is difficult and costly to eliminate. The use of mattress and box spring encasements is one of the most economical and useful tools that can aid in the early detection of bed bugs. It is very important that the encasements have been specifically designed for bed bugs and have been scientifically tested to demonstrate their effectiveness. The most effective encasement that we have examined is the Bug Lock® encasement. By encasing mattresses, any bed bugs that may be introduced, are restricted to the exterior of the encasements where they can be readily detected through a good visual inspection. In addition, mattress and box spring encasements can also prevent the infestation of the mattress and box spring should bed bugs be introduced.

Mattress encasments can be used proactively to prevent the mattress & box springfrom becoming infested if bed bugs are introduced as well as aid in the early detection of bed bugsby restricting their activity to the exterior of the encasment where they can be readily detected and dealt with.

It is also very important to become familiar with the signs the bed bugs leave behind so that you know what to look for when conducting an inspection. In addition to being familiar with what the bugs look like you should also know how to recognize other key indicators that may be present. First it is important to realize that rarely will you see red blood stains unless a bed bug is smashed while it still has an undigested blood meal in its body (similar to squashing a mosquito while it is still full of blood). Instead of red blood spots being left behind, the bed bugs feed on their victim, digest the blood and leave behind fecal material that is dark, almost black in color and appears as small spots. Evidence of black spots or stains that are slightly raised and have a rough texture is characteristic evidence of bed bug activity. You also want to be familiar with the shed skins that bed bugs leave behind as they go from one immature stage to the next (similar to how a snake sheds its skin).

Bed bug engorged with blood.	Blood smears/spotting are rarely red stains like this. This only happens if an engorged bug is crushed.	Evidence fo bed bug "spotting" is much more commonly seen as dark/black stains or smears from the digested blood that is exreted as a dark liquid.	Shed skins (exoskeletons) of immature bugs as they develope from one stage to the next is another.

It is wise to be on the look out for bite symptoms and to conduct inspections in the weeks and months following an event that may have exposed you to bed bugs. For example, for several months upon returning from an overnight trip it is a good idea to periodically inspect (at least once every few weeks) your bed and upholstered furniture. As mentioned above, bed bugs often go undetected for several months until their populations become larger and they eventually emerge in areas where they are more easily detected.

Travel and the purchase of used or second hand furniture and/or bedding are still among the most likely ways to introduce bed bugs. It is far easier to avoid purchasing used items than it is to eliminate travel. However there are many steps that can be taken during travel to minimize the likelihood of staying in a bed bug infested environment or bringing bed bugs home with you. (Also see section titled - Protect Yourself When Traveling )

If at any time you have reason to believe that you are experiencing a problem with bed bugs it is very important that you act swiftly and contact a pest management professional to conduct a thorough inspection and evaluate the situation. Bed bugs are extremely difficult to control especially if they are not caught during the early stages of the infestation.

info provided by: Bed Bug Central



If you do have bed bugs, or at least think you do please feel free to contact us. We can discuss your options, our suggestions, and possibly arrange an extermination. We use all Environmentally safe Chemicals that won't harm your family, children, pets, or great mother earth. We will continue on this topic because this has become almost an epidemic here in New York City and New York City Handyman wants to help people by providing information, affordable extermination, killing bed bugs without using chemicals that are dangerous to people, animals, and our Eco system.

What are Bed Bugs:

Bed bugs the vampires of the night. They are small, brownish, flattened insects that feed solely on the blood of animals. The common bed bug, Cimex lectularius, is the species most adapted to living with humans. It has done so since ancient times. Bed bugs are mentioned, for example, in medieval European texts and in classical Greek writings back to the time of Aristotle. Other bed bug species prefer to feed on wild hosts, especially bats and birds.

Adult bed bugs are about 1/4-inch long and reddish-brown, with oval, flattened bodies. They are sometimes mistaken for ticks or cockroaches. The immatures (nymphs) resemble the adults, but are smaller and somewhat lighter in color. Bed bugs do not fly, but can move quickly over floors, walls, ceilings and other surfaces. Female bed bugs lay their eggs in secluded areas, depositing up to five a day and 500 during a lifetime. The eggs are tiny, whitish, and hard to see without magnification (individual eggs are about the size of a dust spec). When first laid, the eggs are sticky, causing them to adhere to substrates. Newly hatched nymphs are no bigger than a pinhead. As they grow, they molt (shed their skin) five times before reaching maturity. A blood meal is needed between each successive molt. Under favorable conditions (70 - 90° F), the bugs can complete development in as little as a month, producing three or more generations per year. Cool temperatures or limited access to a blood meal extends the development time. Bed bugs are very resilient. Nymphs can survive months without feeding and the adults for more than a year. Infestations therefore are unlikely to diminish by leaving premises unoccupied. Although C. lectularius prefers feeding on humans, it will also bite other warm-blooded animals, including pets.

Bed bugs are active mainly at night. During the daytime, they prefer to hide close to where people sleep. Their flattened bodies enable them to fit into tiny crevices - especially those associated with mattresses, box springs, bed frames, and headboards. Bed bugs do not have nests like ants or bees, but do tend to congregate in habitual hiding places. Characteristically these areas are marked by dark spotting and staining, which is the dried excrement of the bugs. Also present will be eggs and eggshells, molted skins of maturing nymphs, and the bugs themselves. Another likely sign of bed bugs is rusty or reddish spots of blood on bed sheets, mattresses or walls. Heavy infestations may have a "buggy" or sweetish smell, but the odor is seldom apparent and should not be relied upon for detection.

Bed bugs prefer to hide close to where they feed. However if necessary, they will crawl several feet to obtain a blood meal. Initial infestations tend to be around beds, but the bugs eventually may become scattered throughout a room, occupying any crevice or protected location.They also can spread to adjacent rooms or apartments.

BED BUGS ARE COMING BACK TO NEW YORK CITY

NYC HANDYMAN has recently decided to add BED BUG removal services after the recent outrage of reports from city dwellers of bed bugs. I am sure that a major culprit are these used mattress sellers. However I am sure there are tons of several other ways as well. No matter what the way they came they are here and we are here to help. visit us at www.nychandyman.biz

~ Bed Bugs ~ Cimex lectularius (Cimicidae) Biology and Management Bed bugs are increasingly becoming a problem within residences of all kinds, including homes, apartments, hotels, cruise ships, dormitories and shelters. We have drafted this document to provide basic information about the biology and health significance of these pests, and to offer guidance on how to safely and effectively manage an infested residence. What are bed bugs? Do bed bugs cause harm or spread pathogens (disease-causing germs)? Where do bed bugs occur? How do bed bugs invade a home? How can you tell if the residence is infested? What should you do if you find bed bugs? What can you do to manage bed bugs? What are your rights and obligations? What shouldn’t you do? How can you have specimens examined? What should you know about insecticides and other methods for treating bed bugs? What might you do when returning from a visit to an infested residence? What are bed bugs? Bed bugs are small wingless insects that feed solely upon the blood of warm-blooded animals. Bed bugs and their relatives have evolved as nest parasites. Certain kinds inhabit bird nests and bat roosts and await the return of their hosts; others have adapted well to living in the ‘nests’ (homes) of people. Hatchling bed bugs are about the size of a poppy seed, and adults are about 1/4 of an inch in length. From above they are oval in shape, but are flattened from top to bottom. Their color ranges from nearly white (just after molting) or a light tan to a deep brown or burnt orange. The host’s blood may appear as a dark red or black mass within the bug’s body. Because they never develop wings, bed bugs cannot fly. When disturbed, bed bugs actively seek shelter in dark cracks and crevices. Cast skins of bed bugs are sometimes discovered. Although such a finding confirms that bed bugs had been present previously, it does not confirm that any continue to infest the residence. Thus, inspect carefully for live crawling bed bugs. Because many other kinds of small brown bugs may be discovered, it is critical to ensure that the bugs are correctly identified (more about this below). Do bed bugs cause harm or spread pathogens (disease-causing germs)? Bed bugs seek out people and animals, generally at night while these hosts are asleep, and painlessly sip a few drops of blood. While feeding, they inject a tiny amount of their saliva into the skin. Repeated exposures to bed bug bites during a period of several weeks or more causes people to become sensitized to the saliva of these bugs; additional bites may then result in mild to intense allergic responses. The skin lesion produced by the bite of a bed bug resembles those caused by many other kinds of blood feeding insects, such as mosquitoes and fleas. The offending insect, therefore, can rarely be identified by the appearance of the bites. A physician should be consulted to rule out other causes for the lesions and to offer treatment, as needed. The affected person should resist the urge to scratch the bites, as this may intensify the irritation and itching, and may lead to secondary infection. Physicians often treat patients with antihistamines and corticosteroids to reduce allergic reactions and inflammation. Despite what you may have heard or read elsewhere, bed bugs are not known to transmit any infectious agents. Where do bed bugs occur? Bed bugs and their relatives occur nearly worldwide. Bed bugs became relatively scarce during the latter part of the 20th century, but their populations have resurged in recent years, particularly throughout parts of North America, Europe, and Australia. They are most abundant in rooms where people sleep, and they generally hide nearest the bed or other furniture used for sleeping. Bed bugs are most active in the middle of the night, but when hungry, they will venture out during the day to seek a host. Their flattened bodies allow them to conceal themselves in cracks and crevices around the room and within furniture. Favored hiding sites include the bed frame, mattress and box spring. Clutter around the room offers additional sites for these bugs to hide, and increases the difficulty in eliminating bed bugs once they have become established. How do bed bugs invade a home? Because bed bugs readily hide in small crevices, they may accompany (as stowaways) luggage, furniture, clothing, pillows, boxes, and other such objects when these are moved between apartments, homes and hotels. Used furniture, particularly bed frames and mattresses, are of greatest risk of harboring bed bugs and their eggs. Thus, one should carefully scrutinize and consider the history of any used furniture, particularly ‘street’ items so plentiful at the beginning and end of each academic year. Because they readily survive for many months without feeding, bed bugs may already be present in apparently ‘vacant’ and ‘clean’ apartments. Bed bugs can wander between adjoining apartments through voids in walls and holes though which wires and pipes pass. In a few cases, bats and/or birds may introduce and maintain bed bugs and their close relatives (bat bugs and bird bugs). Pest control personnel should be mindful of the presence of blood feeding insects and mites that may be left behind after removing nests or roosts of birds and bats in and on the home. How can you tell if the residence is infested? Bed bugs infest only a small proportion of residences, but they should be suspected if residents complain of bites that occurred while sleeping. The bedroom and other sleeping areas should be carefully examined for bed bugs and signs of bed bug activity. Folds and creases in the bed linens, and seams and tufts of mattresses and box springs, in particular, may harbor bed bugs or their eggs. They may also be found within pleats of curtains, beneath loose areas of wallpaper near the bed, in corners of desks and dressers, within spaces of wicker furniture, behind cove molding, and in laundry or other items on the floor or around the room. Sometimes, characteristic dark brown or reddish fecal spots of bed bugs are apparent on the bed linens, mattress or walls near the bed. A peculiar coriander-like odor may be detected in some heavily infested residences. Adhesive-based traps used for sampling insects or rodents are not particularly effective for trapping bed bugs. What should you do if you find bed bugs? Because several different kinds of insects resemble bed bugs, specimens should be carefully compared with good reference images (such as those in this document) to confirm their identity. If any questions remain regarding the identity of your samples, then submit them to a competent entomologist for evaluation (see information below). Once their identity is confirmed, a careful plan should be devised to eliminate the bed bugs in a manner that promotes success while limiting unnecessary costs and exposure to insecticides. Don’t discard furniture and don’t treat until and unless you have a plan. What can you do to manage bed bugs? Refer to the management scheme (flow chart) for more guidance. http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/bedbugs/management.html Before considering treatment, collect specimens and confirm their identity (http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/bedbugs/specimen.pdf). Managing bed bugs requires a multi-faceted approach that generally includes cleaning, room modifications, and insecticidal treatments to the residence. Search for signs of bed bugs. Carefully inspect the bed frame, mattress, and other furniture for signs of bed bugs and their eggs. Although dead bed bugs, cast bug skins and blood spots may indicate an infestation occurred previously; they do not confirm that an infestation is still active. Search for live (crawling) bugs and ensure they are bed bugs before considering treating. To confirm the identity of the specimens, refer to our evaluation form http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/bedbugs/specimen.pdf. Reduce clutter to limit hiding places for bed bugs. Thoroughly clean the infested rooms as well as others in the residence. Scrub infested surfaces with a stiff brush to dislodge eggs, and use a powerful vacuum to remove bed bugs from cracks and crevices. Dismantling bed frames will expose additional bug hiding sites. Remove drawers from desks and dressers and turn furniture over, if possible, to inspect and clean all hiding spots. Mattresses and box springs can be permanently encased within special mattress bags. Once they are installed, inspect the bags to ensure they are undamaged; if any holes or tears are found, seal these completely with permanent tape. Any bugs trapped within these sealed bags will eventually die. To prevent bed bugs from crawling onto a bed, pull the bed frame away from the wall, tuck sheets and blankets so they won’t contact the floor, and place the frame legs into dishes or cups of mineral oil. Caulk and seal all holes where pipes and wires penetrate walls and floor, and fill cracks around baseboards and cove moldings to further reduce harborages. If you own your residence, we suggest you contact a licensed pest control operator who is knowledgeable and experienced in managing bed bug infestations. Ask the pest control company for references, and ask at least a few of their customers about their experiences before you agree to any contract. If you are a tenant, contact your property manager or landlord to discuss your respective obligations, and to agree on a plan to manage the infestation. Generally, landlords are legally required to contract with a licensed pest control operator. Request a written integrated pest management (IPM) plan from the pest control operator. This plan should detail the methods and insecticides to be used by the pest control operator, and describe the efforts expected by the building manager as well as by the tenants. Because bed bugs and other pests may spread through cracks and holes in the walls, ceilings and floors, it is wise to inspect adjoining apartments on the same floor as well as those directly above and below. What are your rights and obligations? Landlords and property owners have specific legal obligations to provide safe and habitable accommodations for tenants. Certain infestations, including bed bugs, may constitute an unacceptable condition. Tenants have an obligation to cooperate with owners and landlords. This includes preparing the apartment so that the pest control operator can easily inspect the rooms and treat if necessary. Contact your state or municipal health agency or housing authority for more guidance on these issues. What shouldn’t you do? Don’t panic. Although bed bugs can be annoying, they can be battled safely and successfully if you adopt a well-considered strategy. Do not apply pesticides unless you fully understand what you are applying and the risks involved. You are legally liable if you misapply a pesticide, or apply it without a license to the property of another (including common spaces in apartment buildings). Generally, landlords, owners and building managers cannot legally apply pesticides. They should, instead, hire a licensed pest control operator to confirm the infestation and to develop an integrated pest management plan. Do not dispose of furniture that is useful. Infested furniture can be cleaned and treated. Placing infested furniture (particularly mattresses) into common areas or on the street may simply help spread bed bugs to the homes of other people. Infested furniture intended for disposal should be defaced to make it less attractive to other people. Officials in some municipalities affix to potentially infested furniture a label to warn of bed bugs. To reduce opportunities of infested furniture re-entering their building, building managers should ensure that any disposed furniture is locked within a dumpster or immediately carted away to a landfill or waste facility. How can you have specimens examined? Specimens suspected of being bed bugs should be collected into small break-resistant containers (such as a plastic pill bottle or a zipper-lock plastic bag. They may also be secured to a sheet of white paper using clear packaging tape. These containers should be packaged carefully to prevent damage/crushing of the sample, and be sent to a knowledgeable expert for positive identification. We provide a form that may be downloaded and printed for this purpose: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/bedbugs/specimen.pdf What should you know about insecticides and other methods for treating bed bugs? Property owners may purchase and apply certain pesticides to their own property, and tenants may do so (with certain exceptions) to their own apartments. Generally, owners and tenants may not, however, apply these products to common use areas or to the property of another person. A licensed pest control operator may perform these tasks more effectively, safely and legally. If one apartment or room is found infested, adjoining rooms and those immediately upstairs and downstairs should be inspected and managed, as appropriate. Carefully read the label before applying any pesticide. Apply the product only if you fully understand the instructions, and if you have the appropriate training/certification and equipment. Do NOT apply any insecticide or pesticide to mattresses or to surfaces that would be in direct contact with a person, unless the label instructions specifically state that the product can be applied in that manner. Some products can be harmful to people and pets. READ and UNDERSTAND the label. Insecticide formulations used to treat bed bug infestations consist mainly of the following: -Insecticidal dusts abrade the insect’s outer waxy coat and cause the bugs to dry out quickly. Some consist of a finely ground glass or silica powder. These dry dusts may be applied in cracks and crevices, as well as within the hollow interior of a tubular bed frame. Some dust formulations include another kind of insecticide. -Contact insecticides are those that kill the bugs shortly after they come into direct contact with the product or its residue. These mainly consist of one or more kinds of pyrethoids (synthetic analogs of the extract of chrysanthemum flowers). These products tend to rapidly ‘knock down’ bugs that wander over or otherwise contact the insecticide. Because pyrethroids can be irritating and repellent to many insects, bed bugs may avoid treated surfaces. A different kind of contact insecticide, chlorfenapyr, is now available in a product available to pest control operators. This product is non-repellent and effective for a longer period. -Insect Growth Regulators (IGR) affect the development and reproduction of insects. Although these products can be quite effective in reducing the population of the pests, they do not kill bugs quickly. Thus, pest control operators often use these products as a supplement to other kinds of insecticides. A pest control operator may consider and propose a variety of other methods to manage bed bugs. An infestation that affects most or all units in a building may be best managed by treating the entire building with insecticides. This requires close cooperation by managers and tenants, and may require the tenants to leave the building for a few hours or even several days. Only licensed and knowledgeable pest control operators should attempt such treatments. Be aware that you may spread bed bugs from your own infested residence if you move to another apartment, home or hotel. Generally, it is best to leave your possessions in your home or apartment when it is treated. All food and eating utensils should be protected from insecticidal products. Some building managers have allowed infested apartments to remain vacant of tenants for extended intervals in attempts to ‘out wait’ or ‘starve’ the bed bugs. This strategy would rarely make good sense, as bed bugs are well adapted to patiently wait for the return of their hosts. Each bed bug needs only one full blood meal to develop to the next developmental stage, and they can readily wait months between feeding opportunities. Under ideal conditions, adult bed bugs can survive for more than one year between meals. Thus, infested residences should be aggressively managed to eliminate bed bugs. What might you do when returning from a visit to an infested residence? Travelers increasingly encounter bed bugs during their stays away from home. If signs of bed bugs were observed or suspected, consider the possibility that you may have unwittingly transported bed bugs or their eggs in your luggage and other personal effects. Clothing should be laundered in a manner to kill bugs and their eggs before or as soon as these items are brought back into the home. Suitcases should be carefully inspected, scrubbed with a stiff brush, and thoroughly vacuumed. Leaving such luggage for several hours in a closed vehicle in full summer sun may render the items bug free. We hope this information will help you to more effectively identify and safely manage a suspected bed bug infestation. This document has been assembled to assist homeowners, property managers and tenants with information relevant to the identification and management of bed bugs. Brand names have not been mentioned, nor do we endorse any particular commercial product. This web site is intended for informational purposes and is not meant to substitute for the advice provided by a medical professional. Always consult a physician if you have personal health concerns. Costs associated with assembling this information and responding to inquiries are borne by our general laboratory funds. Please feel free to contact us if you found this information useful and are inclined to assist with support of our work. We encourage inquiries regarding the support of further research and educational efforts. For information about the biology and management of head lice, visit our site at: http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/headlice.html For information on identifying other kinds of pests, visit our site at: http://www.massinsects.com/default.htm Prepared by Richard Pollack, Ph.D. Laboratory of Public Health Entomology Harvard School of Public Health 617-432-1587 rpollack@hsph.harvard.edu Gary Alpert, Ph.D. Environmental Health & Safety Harvard University 617-495-1983 gary_alpert@harvard.edu http://www.uos.harvard.edu/ehs/pes_bedbug.shtml To contact the Harvard School of Public Health with suggestions, comments, or questions, please use our feedback form at: www.hsph.harvard.edu/email.html. Copyright 2005 President and Fellows of Harvard College You are visitor number: 1247163 since March 24, 2005.

More Rip Off Stories about Impact Resources Furniture Assembly!!

What I am reading is truly sickening because this is my life and it is hard work and to have a big company like this screw its workers and employees is just terrible! I am expanding EZ Furniture Assembly & Interior Innovations, LLC very soon all across the United States but plan to sell franchises to people who really want to be successful and this will allow the customer and the employees to have a more down home customer service rather than a 800 number with 50 choices and no real relief.

ARE YOU A VICTIM OF IMPACT RESOURCES EITHER AS A TECHNICIAN OR CUSTOMER??? IF SO, PLEASE SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH US.

Impact Resource Group

Phone: 972-3739484
Fax: 972-3739200

2201 Royal Ln Ste#230
Irving, Texas, 75063
U.S.A.

Submitted: 10/13/2006 10:17:59 PM

Modified: 10/13/2006 10:18:00 PM

Brian

Huntsville, Alabama

I have been with Impact for 10 months now as a District Trainer and never have I been treated the way I have been getting treated with this company until this year.

I normally make good money with Impact which my hire in was $17.50/hr and was changed to $13.50 in July. My drive time and mileage reimbursements went from 60 miles and 60 minutes to 90 and 90 after July and I haven't been paid mileage in 4 months now. I have lost 20 great technicians due to Impacts new GM and payroll department changes in early July '06.

All my ex-employees are willing to file a class action lawsuit against the company for fraudulant charges such as not paying there employees for their drive time and mileage for weeks even months at a time. When they do finally pay you it's always much later when you lose everything you owned like myself. I lost my apartment, I can't work obviously because when you put $400 in gas every week to get to work and are only paid a commission? Instead of my $17.50 or $13.50/hr,then it's hard to pay bills if you only make a $200-$350 check for the work when the company is making about $30/hour or more off you.The company quit paying me my overtime pay back in July '06.

I have been watching my company since I started in as a technician(11-14-2003) and was rushed into a trainer position within 6 months due to my hard work ethic and dedication to produce mass quantities of assembled products for them and then another 6 months passed and I moved up again to Area Trainer and then a year and 2 months passed and I am in a District position but have no say so over anything within the company. In the past 4 years my company has been changing their names left and right to avoid being tracked by the government for employee unemployment fraud. They keep employees on their payroll to keep them from being able to draw unemployment and to make it look like they still have a huge roster of technicians so their retailers get deceived by thinking they are going to get great service from my company from 20 or more techs. when there is only 6 working techs. statewide in Alabama.

The names my company have went under in the past almost 4 years are as follows: Huffy Service First,(the name changed in 2 months to)Retail Service Pro,(the name changed in Feb.2004 to)Nasco Services,(changed in 2 months to)NVS{national vendor services},(then it changed again in 2 months to)NPS{national product services},(then it became)IRG{Impact Resource Group}, (now they call it IMPACT or We're Ready To Assemble).

They are affiliated with assembling products in over 15 major retailers and over thousands of different customers homes nationwide. They assemble for Lowe's, Home Depot, Office Max, Office Depot, Staples, Wal-Mart, Target, K-Mart, Sears, Best Buy, Academy, AAFES, Meyers, Toys R Us, Kay B Toys, Circuit City, and they do all the In Home or In Office assemblies for the major furniture companies listed in the above too. The company has been known to go by other names such as Creative Retail Services and NASCO.

If you decide to go to work for this company then please give this a good overlook because I have lost everything doing this job but when I first started out doing it in 2003 the company was a great company until July of 2006 when a new GM took over along with a new payroll division. I went from making $1000 a week to $250 or as low as $60. The company still owes me back pay for mileage and they haven't paid me going on my third week now. I have all the information to file a class action lawsuit on the company if a lawyer is interested in picking up this case. I can count a total of 10 technicians offhand that I could get to back me up on the matter and another 5-10 I'm sure that I can recall from my documents.

I have been living in my car with my wife of 7 years marriage and daughter of 6 years. I lost my apartment due to Impact and I have had nothing but heartache and hardship ever since the transition from July 2006. My car that they refuse to reimburse you ons mileage and drive time like they promise has been ran ragged due to all the travel. I have no one to turn to but you Rip-Off Report and I hope you can truly help me shed a lawsuit on this very deceitful company. If they treat their District Trainers like they don't care and the District Manager is in control of how you get paid because he enters the information for you to the corporate office but yet his checks are never messed up then what makes you think they care about their customers or employees seeing how my postion is equivalent to the DM of the company because I go around dealing with all the store retailers we service while he sits behind a desk and grins a grinchy grin knowing he never has to leave his desk to get his money but you have to travel around and get mis used and abused to only be taken advantage of in the long run.

Brian
Huntsville, Alabama
U.S.A.