“A mother’s arms are more comforting than anyone else’s.” -Princess Diana
It’s an exciting time of year! It’s time to celebrate moms, take advantage of the added daylight and clean our some of the summer dirt and grime in your carpets. Find out more about Mother’s Day, May fun facts, carpet and health tips and lots more in the latest edition of Jensen’s Healthy Home News. Click here for the downloadable issue of the newsletter, which includes the ever-popular Mega Trivia Question—the first six people who call with the correct answer will win a $15 gift certificate to Josephine’s Pizza and Pastaria. Here are some highlights:
Mother’s Day is May 14
Different countries celebrate Mother’s Day on various days of the year because the day has a number of different origins.
One school of thought claims this day emerged from a custom of mother worship in ancient Greece, which kept a festival to Cybele, a great mother of Greek gods. This festival was held around the Vernal Equinox around Asia Minor and eventually in Rome itself from the Ides of March (15 March) to 18 March.
The ancient Romans also had another holiday, Matronalia, which was dedicated to Juno, though mothers were usually given gifts on this day. In some countries Mother’s Day began not as a celebration for individual mothers but rather for Christians.
In most countries, Mother’s Day is a new concept copied from western civilization. In many African countries, the idea of one Mother’s Day has its origins in copying the British concept, but many festivals and events celebrating mothers on the African continent have been there centuries before the colonials arrived. In most of East Asia, Mother’s Day is a heavily marketed and commercialized concept copied straight from Mother’s Day in the USA.
In the United States, Mother’s Day was first suggested in 1872 by Julia Ward Howe (famous for writing the words to the “Battle Hymn of the Republic”). But it was a woman who was never a mother herself who led the campaign for national recognition of Mother’s Day.
Anna Jarvis held a ceremony in 1907 in Grafton, West Virginia, to honor her mother, who had died two years earlier. Jarvis’ mother had tried to establish Mother’s Friendship Days as a way of dealing with the aftermath of the Civil War. Anna Jarvis began a campaign to create a national holiday honoring mothers. She and her supporters wrote to ministers, businessmen and politicians, and they were successful in their efforts.
In 1910, West Virginia became the first state to recognize the new holiday, and the nation followed in 1914 when President Wilson declared the second Sunday in May to be Mother’s Day. Jarvis used white carnations as a symbol for mothers, because carnations represented sweetness, purity and the endurance of mother love. (Today, white carnations represent a mother who has died, while red carnations represent a living mother.)
Four reasons to shed some winter “weight” in the month of May
Hello friends and clients. Isn’t this an exciting time of the year? When we shed the “weight” of winter and make way for those long, lazy summer days… And we’re not talking about literal “winter weight” that we may have picked up from one to many Christmas cookies or too many nights on the couch with a good movie and a pan of brownies.
No. The winter “weight” we’re referring to is lurking inside your carpet. Did you know that there can actually be up to 8 lbs of dirt and grime that gets pulled out of your carpets when they are professionally cleaned? Yuck! And if that isn’t enough of a reason to call us then here are four more…
Reason 1: Your carpet warranty requires it. You know, your “warranty,” that little thing that holds the manufacturer responsible for the quality of your carpet. Well, it can actually become “void” if you don’t hold up your end of the bargain and maintain your carpet properly. The majority of carpet warranties state very simply: “Have your carpets professionally cleaned every 12 months.”
Reason 2: Your carpet requires it. That’s right. Simply put, your carpet will wear out and look terrible very fast if it is not properly cleaned at least one time per year. Even if you vacuum your carpets daily, you cannot remove all of the dry soils and oils that build up in your carpet from daily living. The dry soils actually cut at the carpet fibers and can create permanent “traffic lanes.” And oils, even from our skin, get on the carpet fibers and attract dirt that breaks down carpet fibers. Only professional cleaning can remove this dirt and oil buildup and restore or prevent your carpet from looking worn before its time.
Reason 3: Your health requires it. Even if your carpets do not look dirty, they are. Once they appear dirty you have let them go too long. Can you imagine if you never cleaned your bedding because it didn’t look dirty? Gross! The same can be said about your carpets. Cleaning them professionally maintains the overall cleanliness of your indoor living environment, sanitizes the carpet, reduces allergens and improves indoor air quality.
Reason 4: Your pocketbook requires it. Yes, if you don’t call us this month not only are you putting one of your home’s most expensive investments (your carpet) at risk, but you will also be passing up a great opportunity to grab one of our best “Spring Specials”. May is one of our busiest months and we expect to be very busy this spring. Call us at 920-393-4062 today and grab YOUR spot before it’s gone.
Click on the “MONTHLY SPECIAL” button for our May offer:
- $20 OFF carpet cleaning*
- 33% OFF Carpet Protection!**
*Some restrictions may apply. Minimum charge always applies. Not valid with other offers. ** Must be in combination with carpet cleaning.
Did you know?
- 25 Years Ago (5/14/1998): Last episode of Seinfeld on NBC.
- 70 Years Ago (5/4/1953): Pulitzer Prize awarded to Ernest Hemingway (“The Old Man and the Sea”).
- 95 Years Ago (5/15/1928): Mickey Mouse made his first appearance.
- 100 Years Ago (5/4/1923): New York State revokes Prohibition law.
- 115 Years Ago (5/10/1908): First Mother’s Day observed (Philadelphia).
- 140 Years Ago (5/1/1883): “Buffalo Bill” Cody put on his first Wild West Show.
- 190 Years Ago (5/5/1833): John Deere makes first steel plow.