Amazing Cleaning Tips You’ll Wish You Knew Sooner
Eliminate upholstery stains with shaving cream.
There’s no need to hire an expensive professional to get those stains out of your upholstery. Instead, rub a little bit of shaving cream (anything but the gel kind) into the stain, let it sit for 30 minutes or overnight, and then blot it dry. Just make sure that you test this method out on a hidden area of your couch before actually putting it to use, as there is always the small chance of damaging the fabric.
Sweep your baseboards with a dryer sheet.
Getting on your hands and knees to clean your baseboards is anything but enjoyable. The good news? You can keep them clean and keep your house smelling fresh with one clever trick. Just attach a dryer sheet to your Swiffer in place of a microfiber cloth and you’ll pick up all that unwanted dust while simultaneously lending a sweet scent to your home.
And use dryer sheets to clean your pans, as well.
That grime stuck to your cookie sheets and frying pans is no match for your dryer sheets. Simply put your dirty pan or sheet in the sink with a little dish soap, warm water, and a dryer sheet, and let the combo sit for an hour or two. When you’re ready to pour out the water, the mess will easily wipe away.
Scrub the bathtub clean with grapefruit and salt.
The next time you’re at the supermarket, make sure to throw an extra grapefruit into your cart—not for eating, but for cleaning. According to the money-saving DIY experts at The Krazy Coupon Lady, this citrus fruit is the perfect solution for a dirty tub. Just cut the fruit open and cover it in salt. “The salt creates an abrasive texture while the citric acid in the grapefruit will help break down stains,” they explain.
Get a mop you can throw in the laundry.
You might have heard that cleaning with a wet mop is akin to washing your floors with dirty water. And it turns out, it kind of is. Research suggests that when stored wet, mops support so much bacterial growth that they can’t even be cleaned through chemical disinfection.
However, when laundered and dried, mops are perfectly sanitary. That’s why you’ll want to ditch your traditional mop in favor of a mop that is machine washable.
Why Regular House Cleaning Is Essential
House cleaning is one of the tasks that no one wants to compromise on. Regular house cleaning is essential to keep your house clean and tidy. It will not only make your home a pleasant and better place to live but also will do a lot to keep you healthy. In a well-cleaned house, bacteria will not find any place to live, which will, in turn, help you and your family stay free from frequent illnesses or ailments. A well cleaned and properly organized house will bring you admiration from your friends, neighbors, and relatives.
That said, keeping the house clean and tidy is not easily done because most people do not get the time to do the house cleaning. You would need at least a few hours to clean inside and outside of your house properly. You have to keep the things in order and then do a thorough sweeping followed by moping. The time and tools you require for house cleaning depending on the area of your house. Well, if the thought of house cleaning makes you worried, here are some useful housecleaning ideas for you.
Santa Clara County – House Cleaning
Most people don’t know where to begin when it comes to locating a house cleaning company that meets their needs. After all, one wants to know that their home is safe from health risks and that your cleaning needs have been met by high customer satisfaction and quality.
After you’ve spent your energy and time at the office, running errands, or shuttling children, there’s nothing quite like coming home to a house that is freshly cleaned from top to bottom. Your counter tops are shiny, your floors are sparking, your shelves are free from dust and grime, and you can breathe a sigh of relief. You could accomplish other things on your list rather than cleaning your home for three or four hours. Or you can truly kick up your feet and relax in the comfort of your own comfortably clean home.
So how do you choose the house cleaning company that’s right for you and your home? There are many house cleaning companies to choose from in Santa Clara County that serve the major cities such as San Jose, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Mountain View, Milpitas, Palo Alto, Cupertino, Gilroy, Campbell, and Morgan Hill. Research and good information are the keys to success. Making an informed decision will save you time, worry and hassle. So how do you begin your search?
Look for Certified, Professional House Cleaning Companies in Santa Clara County
Diamond Certified companies have already been thoroughly vetted for you, including certification verification. But if you’re unable to choose a Diamond Certified house cleaning company in your area of Santa Clara County, you’ll have to do the research yourself.
Obviously, not all house cleaning services are the same. They have different methods, various experience and differing personal philosophies about house cleaning. In any case, it’s your right to choose a qualified, honest house cleaning company in Santa Clara County that will clean your home as you want it cleaned the first time and continue providing quality service over the long-term.
Finding House Cleaning Companies that Offer the Services You Need in The Major Santa Clara County Cities of San Jose, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, Mountain View, Milpitas, Palo Alto, Cupertino, Gilroy, Campbell, and Morgan Hill or in Your Area
Before you begin the search for a house cleaning company, it’s important to do some research. Cleaning can be overwhelming and time consuming. Families and careers demand a great amount of attention these days, and that doesn’t leave a lot of time for house chores. The benefits of hiring a professional cleaning service are numerous: more time for your spouse, more time for your kids, more time to spend on your career, or more time to simply enjoy your life. So as you begin your research, consider the following tips.
Many persons or “private parties” can certainly clean your home well. However, if you hire an individual rather than a professional cleaning company, you pay them a certain amount in a year. This means that you are their employer. The end result of this means that if they fail to pay proper taxes, you could end up being liable. Also, if someone comes into your home to work for you and is hurt or injured, you could be liable. You avoid all of these risks by hiring a professional cleaning service. Furthermore, a professional cleaning company will offer training for their employees. All of the risk and liability is no longer your responsibility as the customer.
Make sure the house cleaning service is insured and bonded. This will protect you from theft and accidents which might occur. Because cleaning often involves wet floors, maids may slip. If the company you hire is not insured, this can be your liability.
Cheapest does not always mean best. As the saying goes, you get what you pay for. If the estimates you are receiving are significantly cheaper than the average quote from reputable home cleaning companies, chances are you shouldn’t hire them. Several factors could be worth considering. The cheaper company may use less than standard equipment and chemical products; they may not be bonded or insured; or it could be a really small company that simply lacks experience and knowledge. Ultimately, lack of experience and certain equipment or products may be damaging to your home. For example, the wrong chemicals may damage wood floors, marble and granite surfaces, or even be hazardous to your pet and children. Your loved ones are not worth the risk.
Consider the house cleaning company’s customer service. Can you always contact someone during working hours? Are your phone calls or emails promptly returned?
Preferably, make sure the house cleaning company uses individuals rather than teams. If an individual cleans your house, there is no pointing the finger when it comes to why an area wasn’t properly cleaned or why an item is missing from your home. A team increases the possibility of items being stolen or misplaced. Also, if a team of several maids cleans your home while you are present, this can seem overwhelming.
Try to locate a professional house cleaning service in Santa Clara County that charges a flat rate rather than by the hour. It is always nice to know what you are agreeing to upfront rather than having an unexpected surprise.
The cleaning products that are used should be environmentally friendly and harmless to your children, pets and home. A large number of cleaning products sold in stores today contain toxic chemicals that are dangerous for children and pets. Look for products labeled “eco-friendly”, “green cleaning”, “environmentally friendly”, “green certified”, etc.
Make sure the house cleaning company offers a satisfaction guarantee. This does not necessarily mean a refund of your money. This does mean that any problems you may have will be addressed in a timely manner. You should have assurance that if the maid has a bad day, the company will make it right.
Make sure that you are able to communicate clearly with the house cleaning company. Usually, bad performances are due to misunderstandings or lack of communication. In order to avoid this, be sure that both of you are able to clearly understand each other.
Verify that the house cleaning service provides their own equipment and supplies. It is important to find a cleaning service that is equipped in all areas. This is one less thing for you to worry about.
Cleaning Tips and Tricks to Make Your Home Shine
Clean the Exhaust Fan
If the grille on your bathroom exhaust fan is clogged with dust, try a trick that’s faster and more effective than vacuuming. Here’s how to clean a bathroom fan: Turn on the fan and blast out the dust with “canned air.” The fan will blow the dust outside. This works on the return air grilles of your central heating/cooling system too. Run the system so that the return airflow will carry the dust to the filter. You’ll find canned air at home centers and hardware stores, usually in the electrical supplies aisle. Caution: The cans contain chemical propellants, not just air. Don’t let children play with them.
Beat and Shake Area Rugs
Vacuum large area rugs at least once a week. But also take them outside three or four times a year for a more thorough cleaning and forhow to clean dust. Drape them over a fence or clothesline and beat them with a broom or tennis racket. A good beating removes much more dust than vacuuming. Take smaller rugs outside to for a vigorous shaking every week.
Ditch Your Carpeting
In most homes, carpet is by far the biggest dust reservoir. It’s a huge source of fibers and absorbs dust like a giant sponge. Even the padding underneath holds dust, which goes airborne with each footstep. Although ripping out your wall-to-wall carpet may sound radical, it’s the best thing you can do if you suffer from serious allergies. For how to remove dust from air the best thing you can do is to replace carpeting with hard floorings like laminate, wood or tile, and wet mop it regularly (with a microfiber cloth) instead of sweeping. Sweeping is more likely to stir up dust than to remove it. Keeping it? Here are some carpet cleaning tips for long-lasting carpet.
Dust with Your Dryer
Blankets, pillows, slipcovers, drapes and other textiles not only trap household dust, but they create it as they shed and disintegrate. Curtains and drapes, in particular, get dusty because they absorb moisture and dirt from the outside and act as a landing pad for dust from ceiling fans and air vents. The best idea for how to clean dust is to buy machine-washable items and launder them twice a year (OK, at least once). For non-machine-washable textiles, throw them in the dryer on the air-fluff setting (no heat) for 20 minutes with a damp towel. The damp towel will attract pet hair, and the tumbling movement and airflow will remove the smaller particles for you. Keep towels out of the way with a space-saving towel rack on a cabinet door.
Rotate Bedding Weekly
Your cozy bed is a major dust distributor. The bedding collects skin flakes, sheds its own fibers and sends out a puff of dust every time you roll over. To minimize the fallout, wash sheets and pillowcases weekly. Items that aren’t machine washable don’t need weekly trips to the dry cleaners—just take blankets and bedspreads outside and shake them. You can spank some of the dust out of pillows, but for a thorough cleaning, wash or dry-clean them. When you change bedding, don’t whip up a dust storm. Gently roll up the old sheets and spread out the new ones; even clean bedding sheds fibers. Washing your bedding weekly can help you identify any pests like bed bugs, too.
Here’s How to Clean Your House More Efficiently
A few years ago, I found out that I’ve been cleaning my home all wrong. I was in a hotel room, when a maid came in and sprayed a solution on every surface…and then left. Right when I thought she’d forgotten, she returned. She wiped for less than two minutes with a thin dry cloth, and the whole place sparkled. It had, frankly, never occurred to me to let one solution do all the work, so I asked her what she’d used. It was something called Butcher’s Bath Mate—an industry standby.
Pro cleaners have brilliant tricks to get the job done. We asked three pros to school us on how to clean every room of the house much more efficiently. Plus, get their can’t-live-without-it cleaning supplies and top dos and don’ts.
The Best Way to Clean Your House
The biggest mistake people make is cleaning room by room (this is called “zone cleaning”). It’s much too slow! “You can either clean your kitchen in four hours, or clean your entire house top to bottom in four hours,” says Lisa Romero, owner of Just Like New Cleaning in Fort Collins, Colorado. “A lot of people get caught focusing on one area—say, doing a super job cleaning the counters—and never get to the stove, let alone the next room. In reality, just wiping things down and moving on is quick and efficient.”
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