Advertising Disclosure

What Are Affiliate Relationships?

An affiliate relationship exists when we receive compensation for referring customers to another business or recommending specific products or services. This compensation may take the form of commissions, fees, or other financial arrangements.

Our Current Affiliate Partnerships

We may maintain affiliate relationships with:

• Cleaning Product Suppliers: When we recommend specific cleaning products, equipment, or supplies, we may earn a commission if you purchase through our referral links.
• Professional Services: We may receive compensation for referring clients to related services such as facility assessment, heritage preservation consulting, or security vetting services.
• Equipment Vendors: Links to specialized cleaning equipment or facility maintenance tools may include affiliate tracking.
• Industry Resources: Recommendations for training programs, industry publications, or certification services may include affiliate arrangements.

How Affiliate Links Work

When you click an affiliate link and make a purchase, the vendor pays us a small commission at no additional cost to you. The price you pay remains the same whether you use our link or go directly to the vendor. This commission helps support our website operations and content creation.

Our Recommendation Standards

We maintain strict standards for affiliate recommendations:

• We only recommend products or services we have personally used or thoroughly evaluated
• Our recommendations are based on quality, reliability, and value - not just commission rates
• We clearly identify affiliate relationships when they exist
• We provide honest assessments, including limitations or drawbacks where relevant
• We do not allow affiliate arrangements to compromise our professional judgment

Identifying Affiliate Content

When content includes affiliate links or recommendations, we identify this relationship through clear disclosure statements near the relevant content, such as "This link includes an affiliate arrangement" or similar language.

What Is Sponsored Content?

Sponsored content refers to material created in partnership with or paid for by third-party brands, organizations, or service providers. This content promotes specific products, services, or viewpoints in exchange for compensation.

Our Approach to Sponsorships

If we publish sponsored content, we adhere to these principles:

• All sponsored content is clearly labeled as "Sponsored," "Paid Partnership," or with similar disclosure language
• We only accept sponsorships from companies whose products or services align with our values and could benefit our audience
• Sponsored content maintains our editorial standards for accuracy and usefulness
• We retain final approval over all sponsored material to ensure quality and relevance
• We distinguish between our genuine recommendations and sponsored promotions

Types of Sponsored Content

Sponsored content may include:

• Articles or blog posts about partner products or services
• Product reviews conducted in exchange for compensation
• Case studies featuring sponsor solutions
• Video content or demonstrations
• Social media posts or promotional campaigns

Editorial Independence

While we accept compensation for sponsored content, we maintain editorial control and ensure all information is accurate and valuable to our audience. Sponsorship does not influence our genuine service recommendations or professional opinions expressed elsewhere on our site.

Display Advertising

We may use third-party advertising networks to display advertisements on our website. These networks serve ads based on your browsing behavior across multiple websites, not just ours. Common advertising partners may include Google AdSense, other display networks, or retargeting platforms.

How Behavioral Advertising Works

Behavioral or interest-based advertising uses information about your web browsing to show you relevant ads. This process typically involves:

• Cookies and tracking pixels that record which sites you visit
• Analysis of your browsing patterns to infer interests
• Serving ads related to those inferred interests
• Tracking whether you click on or interact with ads

Cookie Usage for Advertising

Advertising networks use cookies to track your visits and serve targeted ads. These cookies may collect information such as:

• Pages you visit on our website and others
• How long you spend on various pages
• Which ads you view or click
• General demographic information inferred from browsing behavior

For more information about our cookie usage and how to manage your preferences, please see our Cookie Policy.

Ad Personalization

Some advertising networks use your browsing data to personalize the ads you see. Personalized ads are more relevant to your interests but require more extensive data collection and tracking. You can control whether you receive personalized ads through cookie settings and opt-out mechanisms described below.

Managing Ad Preferences

You have several options for controlling the advertisements you see:

• Cookie Settings: Adjust your cookie preferences on our Cookie Policy page to disable advertising cookies.
• Browser Settings: Configure your browser to block third-party cookies or all cookies entirely.
• Ad Network Opt-Outs: Visit advertising network opt-out pages (such as Google Ad Settings or the Digital Advertising Alliance opt-out tool) to control personalized advertising.
• Browser Extensions: Use privacy-focused browser extensions or ad blockers to limit tracking and advertising.

Opting Out of Behavioral Advertising

To opt out of interest-based advertising from participating companies:

• Visit the Digital Advertising Alliance opt-out page
• Use Google's Ad Settings to control personalized ads from Google
• Check individual advertising network sites for their opt-out mechanisms
• Enable "Do Not Track" signals in your browser (though not all advertisers respect this)

Note that opting out means you'll still see ads, but they won't be tailored to your interests based on browsing behavior.

Data Collection for Advertising

When you interact with advertisements on our site, advertising networks may collect:

• IP address and general location information
• Device type, browser, and operating system
• Pages visited and time spent on site
• Ad impressions, clicks, and interactions
• Referral source and exit pages

This data is typically used for ad targeting, frequency capping, reporting, and fraud prevention. Refer to our Privacy Policy for more information about data collection practices.

Your Privacy Rights

Under applicable data protection laws, you have rights regarding personal information collected for advertising purposes:

• Right to know what data is being collected
• Right to opt out of data collection and personalized ads
• Right to request deletion of collected data
• Right to access your data held by advertising networks

To exercise these rights, contact us or the relevant advertising network directly.