White vinegar can be used to wipe any stains off of plantation shutters. Fill a small bowl with white vinegar only. The precise amount you need depends on the size of your shutters and how much cleaning they need. For easiest cleaning, you will wipe down your shutters with a sock or cotton gloves. Find a clean, fresh sock or glove and dip it in the white vinegar. Wring the sock or glove out until it's just barely damp. Place your sock or glove over your hand. Run the sock or glove over each blind slowly. The white vinegar should remove dirt, debris, and any stains. For very dirty shutters, have another sock or glove on hand if the one you use gets dirty. Wipe down each blind as many times as you need for the sock or glove to run clean. The final time you wipe, there should be no new dirt or debris on your sock or glove. The shutters should be looking much cleaner when you're done. Remember to switch which sock or glove you're using if your sock or glove becomes very dirty. It's important not to simply rub dirt around on the shutters.

Summary: Fill a bowl with white vinegar. Wet a sock or cotton glove. Wipe down the shutters. Keep wiping until your socks or gloves run clean.


This can be for the year, the month or the quarter, but all data should be gathered over the same period of time to achieve accurate figures. This is your receipts from all sales in the period. This may include production costs, if you make the products in-house. It may be the purchase price of the goods sold, if you buy them from a supplier.  Do not factor in taxes, interest or general business expenses. These are not accounted for in gross profit margin, but they are later used to figure out net income derived from the business as a whole. If you want to figure out the profitability of several products, you can separate the total revenue and the total cost of goods sold for each product and find individual gross profit margins.

Summary: Gather the data from a period of business operation. Find the total revenue for the period of time in question. Calculate the cost of goods sold.


Locate all the files on your hard drive containing sensitive data. Right click and send them to the trash. Empty your trash. If there is no risk that someone will use more advanced techniques to retrieve your data, this is an acceptable and simple method. However, it is fairly easy to recover “deleted” files, as there are a number of file recovery programs on the market.  Do not use this method if there is a risk others will make an effort to recover the sensitive information. Do not use this method if the sensitive information could be used to cause you harm or distress. All the information on your hard drive is represented in binary numbers: 1’s and 0’s. This is the computer’s language. Overwriting programs – available online – go through and replace all the information on your hard drive with random strings of 1’s and 0’s. If you decide to choose this method, be advised it is semi-permanent and it may be impossible to recover the data in question.  Most overwriting programs do multiple “passes” of your data. Three passes are considered standard by U.S. government.  Back up any information you wish to preserve on an external hard drive. There are also programs like Eraser that allow you to manually overwrite specific files. Degaussing refers to exposing magnet-based technology (e.g. hard drives) to a powerful magnetic field that destroys the data. Ideally it will entirely get rid of the device’s magnetic charge and make it impossible to use. Purchasing your own degausser can cost up to $4000. However it is possible to rent one or pay for the professional services of IT companies like Securis.  Although overwriting can potentially be reversed, the degaussing process causes permanent damage, and none of the data can be recovered. Be sure to back up anything you want to preserve onto an external hard drive or cloud storage. Do not operate a degausser if you have a pace maker, as it can cause damage to this important medical equipment. The most complete method available is physical destruction. Hammering, high heat, and drilling are all acceptable methods. Whatever method you choose, first remove the hard drive from any outer framework. If hammering, apply extreme force directly on top of the hard drive. If drilling, ensure that you punch several holes directly through the drive. If using heat (e.g. blow torch), completely melt through the hard drive.  When using a blowtorch, wear heat resistant gloves, as well as a protective face shield. It is safest to work over dirt or sand to prevent fires or explosions. While working with a hammer or drill, wear protective gloves and a face shield to protect yourself from flying debris. It is also possible to shoot holes through the hard drive with a gun. Do not operate a firearm unless you are licensed to do so. Select all the emails containing sensitive information and then select “delete” or “trash” depending on the program. Many online mail services – such as Gmail – will hold onto “deleted” files for 30 days before rendering them unrecoverable to users. Once you’ve deleted the emails, go directly to the “Deleted Messages” and “Trash” sections to see if there are any recoverable versions of your email. If so, delete these too. your browser history. It’s possible you want to prevent others from knowing what websites you’ve been visiting. Many browsers like Chrome, Firefox, and Internet Explorer have this option. Go through the “menu” option to locate your history and delete any incriminating history.

Summary: Delete the documents. Overwrite the hard drive. Degauss the hard drive. Physically destroy the hard drive. Permanently delete emails. Clear


Prune one-fourth of the plants top growth, include old flower blooms. Take care not to prune on the main stem. The next bloom will appear in 15 to 20 days. This practice will produce more blooms and wider plants. Cut a stem just below the node, or thickened place on a stem. Plant them in soil and keep them moist and shaded until they take root. Keep them in a container with as much sun as possible until you are ready to plant them in your beds. They will die with exposure to frost. Don’t overtrim them or they may not remain hardy.
Summary: Deadhead verbena plants after the first full bloom. Prune two to three times per season. Consider using cuttings to multiply your verbena stock, if you want to grow them again. Trim back the plant slightly in the fall if you live in a warmer locale and want to treat them as perennials.