Scranton Rug Cleaning | Oriental and Antique Rug Cleaning in Scranton

Owners of antique and oriental rugs here in Scranton know that cleaning them is not like dealing with wall-to-wall carpet. The kind and type of deep cleaning and care they require is a specialized art.

An antique rug (or contemporary Oriental rug) is an investment in quality and commitment to "love" of the artisanship that created these works. Maintaining these works of art means more than running a carpet sweeper over them every once in a while.

Some rugs have been neglected for a very long time. They may appear to be "lost causes", but that may not be true.

Practitioners of that art can literally bring a rug back to life:


It's not just the surface dirt that spoils a rug. There can be pounds of soil, bacteria, dust mites, chemicals and pollutants that have been trapped in the scales of woolen fibers. Regular vacuuming helps to control this, but proper cleaning in a rug cleaning plant will remove all the particulate matter before washing the rug.

The actual process of cleaning varies according to the cleaning plant's practices. Some rug cleaners use an automated process to achieve their results. Others specialize in hand washing and repairing these rugs. This is more labor intensive, but the results are superior.

If you have a Hereke silk rug, an uneven tribal work from Afghanistan or any other type of Antique or Oriental rug, you know you have to do everything necessary to keep it in top condition. That means a proper cleaning every six months, if the rug receives moderate traffic.

For the best Oriental and antique rug cleaning service, go to http://vincerunza.com/scranton/rug-cleaning/ and discover the most reliable resource in Scranton for your precious rugs.

Cosmetic Dentistry in Scranton | Scranton Cosmetic Dentistry

Cosmetic dentistry in Scranton is as advanced as just about anywhere else in the world. While it used to be that you'd have to go to Hollywood or New York City to find a dental “magician” that could give you a movie-star smile, advances in technology and dental education mean that you won't have to travel far to get the best results.

Along with the new composite fillings that look and feel like natural tooth enamel, composites can completely remake your smile. Cured outside the mouth, these newer composite veneers can fill gaps, create new crowns and even totally reshape the look and color of natural teeth.

Porcelain veneers have been getting a lot of attention lately. These specially formulated porcelain mixtures are so strong and hard that a very thin veneer can be bonded to your teeth without having to (painfully) grind down the existing tooth material. They are long-lasting, match the appearance of natural teeth and are considered superior to older porcelain crowns.

Replacing lost or damaged teeth can now be done below the gum line. Dental implants that are anchored into the jawbone can be indistinguishable from natural teeth (except when they are X-rayed). While these implants require the patient to commit to careful and continuous oral health maintenance, they can be worth the extra effort for those who wish a better solution than regular dentures.

In-office teeth whitening or bleaching by the dentist outperforms at-home methods of removing stains and discoloration from teeth. The Zoom™ teeth whitening system uses a light activated gel that penetrates the tooth enamel and bleaches away stains better than just about any other method.

The newest method of straightening teeth, called Invisalign™, replaces old metal braces with nearly invisible forms that fit over the teeth. The cost for this particular method is comparable to regular metal braces.

Go immediately to Scranton Cosmetic Dentists and find out just how your smile can be improved at http://vincerunza.com/scranton/dentists/cosmetic/

Plumbing in Scranton | Scranton Plumbers

Plumbers in Scranton have it easy. Make no mistake; they're hard-working, industrious and know their business. It's easy for them because of the number of older homes in the area.

Plumbing that dates back nearly a century inevitably means leaky pipes. Some of those pipes are actually made of lead, which is toxic to living things who drink water from lead pipes. Repair and replacement of old pipes is just one thriving plumbing application.

Ground water and wet basements means sump pumps -- which need maintenance, repairs and replacements. While the annual rainfall here is less than that of the Pacific North-West (which is classified as a temperate rain forest), there's still plenty of rain and groundwater to get into the foundations of houses.

Hot water heaters have a limited life span. When they go, they need replacement. Local plumbers can upgrade the quality of the replacement to be more energy efficient (including the new solar hot water solution).

Then there are the inevitable clogs, leaky faucets, sewer problems and the like. Bathtubs and sinks eventually wear out and need to be fixed or replaced. All the normal plumbing chores that need attention just add to the ease with which Scranton plumbers get more and more work.

The trick for Scrantonians is to find the right plumber for the particular job that needs doing. A pipe-fitter or steam-fitter is not a plumber. Neither is a “helpful” neighbor with a smattering of plumbing knowledge (who recently screwed up the installation of a float in a toilet). Check out Scranton Plumbers for a reliable, hard-working plumber at http://vincerunza.com/scranton/plumbers/.

Scranton Mortgages | Mortgage Brokers in Scranton

The word "mortgage" literally means "dead hand". Figuratively, it means a pledge unto death. Old-fashioned mortgages were never paid off. They didn't amortize, or liquidate the debt itself. Instead, they gave the right to build and use the property for life, with the understanding that the ownership of the property remained with one who originally owned it.

Old English property laws were intended to protect the holdings of the elite. Mortgages were a way to "monetize" their land without surrendering control of it. Nowadays, the idea that someone could "mortgage" land without eventually surrendering it to the one paying the mortgage is unthinkable.

There are still forms of this archaic method of long-term leasing:

• Ground rent
• 99 year leases of property

There is also a type of non-amortizing loan called a "balloon loan" or interest-only loan. Typically, the loan payments are as if one had a 25 or 30 year amortizing loan, but no payments are credited to paying off the principal. Instead, in only 5 to 7 years, the principal becomes due and payable as a lump sum.

Today's mortgage market has seen a troublesome use of so-called ARM (Adjustable Rate Mortgage) loans. While these loans are not in and of themselves bad, giving them to those who will not be able to make the payments when the loan "adjusts" upward has created a crisis in the Real Estate market and the world economy as a whole!

Rather than dissect this problem here, consider well which type of loan you choose for your own home purchase or Real Estate investment property. It is up to you to do your own due diligence when it comes to borrowing a substantial amount of money. It is imperative that you do so when that money represents your life savings and your future net worth.

In Scranton, there are plenty of mortgage brokers to choose from. The key is to find one that will take into account your total financial plan and fiscal "fitness". Do your research and find the Mortgage Brokers in Scranton that will best serve your needs and select the best of the best.

A Scranton Masonry Contractor: D.P. "Don" Shiffer

I watched a local masonry contractor put up some very large blocks as a retaining wall. Stone masons, bricklayers and others who build structures out of the stuff of the Earth used to be part of a secret guild. The way this particular contractor did it looked like magic to me.

One day, there was a stack of these impressive, ornate blocks ready to be fashioned into something useful. The next day, they were! It wasn't a particularly large job, but even a dozen of these blocks that were used reminded one somewhat of building the Pyramids in Egypt.

I stopped and introduced myself to Don Shiffer, the owner, telling him of my admiration of his work. "I've been a bricklayer since 1978," he said. There was a quiet pride in his eyes, something he'd earned from decades of skilled labor and a well-deserved reputation.

He doesn't have a fancy display ad in the Yellow Pages. A simple classified listing of his Clarks Summit location and phone number is enough. He gets referrals from other satisfied customers.

His son, Mark, has been thinking about getting a Web page or something for the business. Looking at the future of local business promotion, that's at least a better choice for this business than some others are.

Given the nature of how the Internet works these days, having a Web presence via a Front Door page could be the best solution for a Scranton Masonry Contractor. There's an example here: http://www.vincerunza.com/scranton/contractors/mason/ for Mark Shiffer to consider. It's new construction, will build to suit and no long-term lease!