Categories
Mold

Professional Cleaning for Household Mold

household mold removal

Mold is a fast-growing type of fungus which enters homes in the form of tiny spores. It loves kitchens, pantries, bathrooms, and any other damp nooks around your home. Mold can invade where you might not have thought: rugs, soaps, walls, as well as stored clothes.  It can ruin many household items, but more importantly, can aggravate allergies, make you sick, and even be toxic.

Fortunately, locating those places where mold spores like to grow is fairly straightforward. Keep an eye on areas where water is likely to be used, drip, leak, or accumulate. This will include under sinks, near showers and toilets, inside and around your fridge and laundry appliances.

The time to act is the moment you notice mold growth in your home. While there are many effective techniques and products you can use to keep mold at bay, hiring a professional cleaning service is your best bet for permanent mold relief.

 

Mold Prevention and Removal

There are many quality products for removing mold from surfaces. While these household products can make short work of visible growths, you’ll need backup if you suspect the problem runs deeper. Ideally, we want to avoid mold growth in the first place. As they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of the cure.

If you live in a warm, humid climate, cleaning experts advise starting with regular use of dehumidifiers. These small appliances help keep home interiors dry, making your home less hospital for molds. Additionally, ensure plumbing fittings and fixtures aren’t leaking anywhere. While you’re at it, reconsider that fuzzy toilet seat cover. Anything that can absorb moisture from a steamy shower is going to be a magnet for mold.

If you end up needing to tear out linoleum, carpet, or whole panels of drywall, it is imperative that you allow the affected area to dry completely. Rent a couple big industrial blowers if you can. To kill underlying mold spores and prevent new growth, consult the guidance of a home cleaning professional. They have the knowledge and experience to guide you to the right products and their usage.

Categories
Tips

9 Time-Saving Tips from Professional House Cleaners in OKC

House Cleaners in OKC

Keeping your home squeaky clean can be as complex as it is tedious. The time and dedication is takes often doesn’t work for busy Oklahoma City homeowners. Here are 9 tips from professional house cleaning services to help you save time keeping a clean home!

Glycerin

Glycerin isn’t just a good base for gentle soaps. Oklahoma homeowners use glycerin soaps to clean their houses as well. Glycerin can be used to spot clean stains on carpet, furniture and hard surfaces. It is a great solvent for both greasy and water-based stains. Diluted with water, glycerin can be used to maintain the shiny finish without the damaging effects or residue of harsher cleaners.

House Cleaners in OKCDedicate Time for Cleaning

One of the most common reasons that cleaning takes so long is the tendency to get distracted. Yes, cleaning is tough business, and yes, there are many things we’d rather be doing. But if you set aside a distraction free-hour a couple times a week to clean, you’ll end up saving a lot of time getting the work done.

OKC House Cleaners

Start with Low-Hanging Fruit

When it comes to cleaning, start with the most obvious things. Maybe it’s loading the dishwasher, doing a load of laundry, or picking up clutter. When you get the easier stuff out of the way you not only make it easier to vacuum, mop, scrub, and so on; but you also get a sense of accomplishment seeing a cleaner home that can motivate you to keep going!

Push Boundaries with Your Dishwasher

Dishwashers are fantastic time-savers, but their usefulness doesn’t end with dishes. The combination of heat, water, and detergent is a great way to deep clean children’s (and dogs’) toys, waterproof shoes and sandals, hair ties, makeup brushes, refrigerator shelves, and garden tools!

The Art of the Squeegee

You may know the squeegee from gas station buckets, but its usefulness goes well beyond car windows. Mineral stains on your shower glass or tile with an appropriate cleaning product don’t stand a chance against the dual action scrubbing and wiping features of the squeegee. Target tough stains on electric stovetops, countertops, and windows as well.

Steam the Microwave

Food particles in a microwave seem to stick like stalactites in a cave. Here’s an easy solution to make cleaning your microwave less onerous. Before cleaning the microwave, heat about a cup of water in a mug or Pyrex bowl in the microwave for a few minutes. As the water heats, the steam will loosen those stubborn stains.

Prioritize Dusting

Dust your shelves, books, curtains, and whatever else before vacuuming the floor clean. This will spare you the task of vacuuming twice, as well as help clean the air by filtering it through the vacuum cleaner.

Keep your Vacuum Tuned

It’s easy to forget that our vacuum cleaners need maintenance too. With Oklahoma’s infamous dust, fresh filters and clean mechanisms become all the more important for an effective vacuum cleaning.

Skip the Rarely Used Rooms

For daily or weekly cleaning, focus on high traffic areas like hallway bathrooms, the kitchen, living room and entry ways. Leave guest rooms or other less-seen rooms for a monthly cleaning. To keep your whole house in tip-top shape, consider hiring a professional cleaning service for a good weekly cleaning of your Oklahoma City home.

Categories
General

Five Reasons to Clean your Air Ducts This Fall

As we notice the temperatures begin to drop and the heat of the sun dissipates more with each passing day, many of us are more than ready to get out our sweaters and fire up the fireplace to enjoy with a cup of hot cocoa. Cleaning the air ducts probably hasn’t crossed your mind, but there are five good reasons the staff here at Home Maid Better believes you should consider cleaning yours this fall.

  1. Reduce Safety Hazards

It’s best to ensure your heating system is running properly long before freezing temperatures threaten you and your family. It’s critical that your duct system is free of dirt and debris. Not only does this reduce hazards in your home, but it also cuts down on dirt that’s continually circulated.

  1. Reduce Pollen and Other Allergens

Oklahoma summers are hot, and your air conditioning unit is about to take a much-deserved break. However, there are more than likely allergens and pollen still present within your air ducts, causing you to suffer far past allergy season. Cleaning yours will eliminate their presence and create a more comfortable environment to enjoy.

  1. Keep Air Safe for the Kids

If you have kids or pets in your home, you must remember they have smaller lungs than you, and they typically require more breaths per minute than adults. Any pollutants lingering in your air ducts are transferred into their respiratory systems. Cleaning the air ducts helps keep these pollutants low and your kids happier and healthier.

  1. Reduce Illness

Kids aren’t the only ones susceptible to the dangers that are likely lingering in your air duct system. While it can be difficult to avoid illness completely during the fall and winter months, you can reduce occurrences when you ensure the air quality of your own home through a thorough cleaning of your air ducts. Furthermore, even if you do fall ill, you can expect a speedier recovery when dust and allergens are removed.

  1. Keep Bills Low and Furnace in Proper Working Order

You want to get the best return-on-investment out of your furnace. It’s a machine that, much like your car, requires maintenance to get the most efficient use out of it. The last thing you want is for yours to quit working in the dead of winter.

Even a small millimeter of dirt in your air ducts decreases the efficiency of the unit as a whole. By taking the time to clean your air ducts, you can lengthen your furnace’s lifespan and keep your energy bills low.

Enjoy Your Home to the Fullest This Fall

As you prepare to face the cold season, we strongly encourage you to set aside a weekend to properly examine your air ducts and ensure they’re clean and free of allergens, pollen, and pollutants. The staff here at Home Maid Better has access to the tools and knowledge to guide you in the right direction. We can also help you get some other important fall cleaning tasks complete. Call today to see the many ways we can help.

– This post sponsored by Montpellier Cleaning Services.

Categories
General

Purge Your Home and Cut Regular Cleaning in Half

We’ve all been there. You spend a whole day out of your weekend to get the house looking great. However, after just a day or two, it seems things are right back where they started. While it’s impossible to completely avoid messes, you can cut down on house cleaning okc by a significant amount when you take the time to purge your home of unnecessary clutter. Let’s go through a step-by-step process that, when followed, can help you keep your home looking great with little time spent cleaning.

Books and Clothes

Books and clothes are a great category in which to start your purge. Have everyone in the home get together and spend as much time as necessary to honestly examine every article of clothing and all books in the home. Most books can be eliminated. If you’ve been telling yourself you’ll read it someday or have already finished it, it has served its purpose in your life. You can always find it at your local library if you want to revisit.

Files

This can get a little tricky, but much of the paperwork you have filed away doesn’t really serve much of a purpose. Take time to go through all your files. If you find you’re keeping paperwork that could be stored on your computer, take the time to reach out for a digital file or scan and save the information on your computer. If you ever need a hard copy, all you need to do is print.

Memorabilia

If you’re like me, you probably have a trunk, bag, or other types of a stockpile of memorabilia you’ve kept through the years. Although you tell yourself you’ll revisit this stuff in some future nostalgic moment, someday rarely comes. Your loved ones are then left to sort through it all when your time comes.

When it comes to large photo albums, consider scanning all the pictures and putting them on a digital picture frame. This way, you’ll have all of your pictures backed up on your computer, and you’ll get to see much more of your precious memories as they roll continuously on your picture frame.

Tip: You may want to have a trusted friend or family member help you go through memorabilia to help you take an honest inventory of the importance of these items. Brought to you by Utah Maid Service.

The Beauty of Having a Spot for Everything

When you’re done following these steps, something magical happens. Everything has a place where it belongs. Things that never really fit in or just don’t get used are eliminated, thus eliminating the need to keep them put up. I implemented this process in my own life, and I now have more space and peace-of-mind in my home after removing an astounding 21 trash bags of unnecessary items from my home. It can be difficult to part with things from the past, but, when they are no longer in sight, you’ll be surprised at how little you really miss them.

Some clutter buildup is larger than others. If you have quite a mess on your hands and aren’t quite sure how to get started on your purge, reach out and take advantage of our professional house cleaning okc services. Our staff can help you get started on getting the home clean so you can more effectively eliminate what’s not needed. You can also enjoy helpful tips to make the most of your clutter purge.

Categories
Kids

Back to School Cleaning Tips

It’s back to school time once again, a time many busy parents use to catch up on some much-needed cleaning that can be hard to accomplish in a full house. As a preferred maid service OKC, we have pinpointed some of the most common areas in which parents can get behind. Keep reading our back to school cleaning tips to see how you can get your home back in order after a long summer.

Go Through Outgrown Clothes

You’ve probably already gone school clothes shopping. Now, their closets and drawers contain both the new and the old. Sit down with the kids and examine every article of clothing they own. If it’s something they have outgrown or never wear, throw it out. It’s likely you could also cut back in your own closet. You’ll cut back on laundry and save storage space for clothes that actually get used regularly.

Establish a Shoe Station

As the season progresses, Oklahoma City residents can count on rain, ice, snow, and more. It’s inevitable that dirt, mud, and other residues will cling to the shoes of everyone in the home. Take 30 minutes to establish a shoe station on the front and/or back porch where shoes are to be removed. You can even get creative and place a sign at your shoe station(s). Mine says… “Lose the Shoes.”

Helpful Tip: If you have hardwood floors, lay a rug in your shoe station to catch dirt before it makes contact with the wood floor. Brought to you by 604 Maids.

Designate Chore-Time and Make It Fun

You’d be surprised at how willing the kids will be to join in at chore time when you make it fun. First, designate a time during which everyone will participate. This establishes a routine and gives everyone a better sense of overall organization and structure. Try making a list of everything that needs to be done. Write each chore on a piece of paper, slip it in a hat, and have participants draw chores. It’s always more fun when you play upbeat music in the background.

Soak After Dinner

Nobody wants to waste their time scraping dried cheese, sauce, and other residues as they clean up after dinner. You’re full, and you’re probably ready to sit down and relax! Before dinner is served, fill up the sink with hot, soapy water. Have everyone rinse their plate and put it in the sink to soak when they’re done eating. It’s a small step that only takes a minute or two that can save even more time and energy later.

Small Steps Go a Long Way

Most of the tips listed here don’t require much of your time or effort. However, they all make life easier and are simple to get the whole family involved in. With everyone working as one, you can enjoy a school year with a home that’s easy to keep in proper working order.

Schedules are busy though, and most of us could always use an occasional boost in keeping their home presentable. Using our maid service OKC, you can count on our skilled staff to take care of any loose ends throughout the week. Call us today to see the various service plans available.

Categories
General

3 Rules to Achieve Better Cleaning Results

When it comes to household cleaning, we all want one thing. To be rewarded with great cleaning results after the amount of time and energy we’ve invested in the job. Unfortunately, that seems to be the case rarely.

Achieving efficient cleaning results boils down to many things. Some include technique, product and some amount of knowledge on the job at hand.

Although, there are three important rules that every homeowner must know. Read on to find out what these are.

  1. Move with the Times

In households across the globe, people still choose to use old clothes as dust cloths. Outdated cleaning appliances double the amount of time and effort needed to use them. It all gives poor cleaning results.

This may be all right for those who don’t care about anything more than average cleaning results. But you need to understand the importance of upgrading your cleaning appliances, tools, and products.

Why you’ve been struggling to achieve professional cleaning results? Blame it on your stubbornness in moving with times (as far as your cleaning ‘aids’ are concerned). Do some research. Take a look at what’s on the market. Update your cleaning supplies cabinet for more efficient cleaning results henceforth.

  1. Don’t Clean in Haste

You should understand that the result of rushed efforts almost always ends badly. No matter how much cleaning shortcuts you can use to speed up cleaning tasks.

Like most things, cleaning requires a decent amount of invested time and effort. In fact, some cleaning tasks take longer than others. That’s because the cleaning product needs sitting time to work best. See? Even cleaning products know how to be patient.

Many homeowners choose to skip the ‘sitting’ time because they want to get the job over with. But you don’t have to waste your time doing anything while a cleaner sits. Instead, go ahead and finish up other cleaning tasks in the meantime.

Allowing a cleaning product to sit on a surface reduces the amount of time and effort you need in scrubbing. The dirt and stains break down and loosen up. And all you have to do is wait.

  1. Make a Cleaning Schedule

Let’s be honest. Without a cleaning schedule, you’ll make every excuse not to clean. A plan helps you fit cleaning into your day-to-day routine. It also ensures that cleaning tasks/chores are carried out regularly.

Daily or regular cleaning means maintaining the cleanliness of your home. The hardest time to clean efficiently is when you’ve allowed certain areas of your home to reach a state of absolute filth.

So sticking to a cleaning schedule will ensure that you only need little time and effort to do daily cleaning tasks with our friends at Gleem in Bristol.

Categories
Tips

Get Rid of Clutter with These Daily DeCluttering Tips

clutter

If you walk into every room of your home, you’re likely to find some amount of clutter in it. From clothes lying around and personal belongings left out of place, to unorganized cabinets and unwanted items cluttering up spaces; every home has clutter! The truth is we allow clutter to form when we neglect to keep things in order. It also adds when we hold on to things we no longer need. What’s worse, a cluttered home is not just unsightly, but also has a negative impact on the household members by causing stress and discomfort. So to put it simply, clutter is the enemy!

Now, if you’re wondering how to get rid of clutters in your home (and keep it out), these tips are surely going to come in handy! Read on for the best decluttering tips for all homes.

 

How to Avoid Clutter in Your Home

  1. Get Organized

It’s not that hard, really! Being organized merely takes a little effort, yet makes a lasting impact. For example, if you kept your closet organized, you’d be less likely to leave clothes lying around. That’s because a messy cupboard makes it hard to find certain items and hence, you choose to leave your favorite clothes outside. Similarly, drawers, cabinets, shelves, and tabletops all need some order to avoid risking a clutter take over! So, make it a point to bring order into every aspect and room of your home and you’ll instantly see a huge, positive change in the household!

 

  1. Say Goodbye to Useless Items

There were probably a bunch of things that came to mind when you read that; homeowners tend to hold on the items that are broken or not being used for sentimental reasons. Well, it’s time to break away from the sentiment and start thinking logically. If it’s no longer of value to you, it’s best you got rid of it because these items are simply cluttering up your home for no good reason. What’s more, many of these items can be donated to welfare homes where they will actually be of use. This includes old clothes, shoes, outdated gadgets, unwanted furniture, etc.

 

  1. Purchase Wisely

Here’s another common reason for clutter in the home; we purchase or bring in things that we don’t end up using. For example, you may buy some gym equipment; stop using it after the first week; and then the next thing you know is, it’s been lying there for months and serving as an ugly addition to your furniture! Hence, it’s important to purchase wisely and not to get caught up in the moment. Don’t bring anything into your home unless you’re certain that it is going to add value and be useful.

 

  1. Routine Clutter Checks

Make it a habit to scout out clutter on a regular basis to ensure that order is in, and clutter is out! Consider doing one room a day, especially if you have multiple household members who are likely to bring more items in and leave things lying around. At this point in time, it would be fitting to advise you to encourage the rest of the family to pick up these clutter-free tips for a clutter-free home!

Categories
General

How to Keep Your Bathroom Sparkling Clean?

bathroom cleaning

How amazing would it be if our bathrooms remained squeaky clean every day?! You’d never have to face the horror of surprise visitors asking to use a dirty bathroom ever again! What’s more, you can experience the daily joys of showering (and doing other stuff) in a clean, sanitary bathroom.

Initially, you may wonder how to make this dream a reality. Well, when you think about bathroom cleaning, three major components need daily attention; the floor, sink and toilet bowl. The rest of your bathroom can be cleaned twice a week or as and when needed. Now, without wasting any more time, we’re going to share three excellent cleaning tips that will help you maintain a sparkling clean bathroom on a daily basis!

 

Easy Steps to Do Bathroom Tips

1. Stain-Free Tiles!

Keeping your tiles clean can be rather difficult because people walk in and out of the bathroom several times during the day; however, you should know that the main reason behind marked and stained tiles is caused by water left on the surface. While keeping your bathroom floors dry at all times is not possible, there are a couple of things you can do to keep them dry for the most part. For example, after a shower, rinse off the floor and squeegee the water into the drain. It also helps to increase ventilation by keeping the window and door open so that the floor dries up faster. Apart from this, spot cleaning marks on the floor are much better than wetting the entire surface. Just spritz a stain or mark with a small amount of floor cleaner and brush or mop it away.

 

2. Toilet Bowl Cleaning

While your toilet bowl needs regular deep cleaning, practicing some daily cleaning habits would mean spending much less time and effort when it’s time for a deep cleanse. The trick here is to use self-cleaning products so that you don’t have much to do where scrubbing is concerned. Choose an acidic cleaner to pour into the bowl and leave it overnight. You’ll be surprised at how much cleaner it will be in the morning. The acid content eats into stains while the leftover marks can be brushed away in the morning using minimal effort. By doing this nightly, your bowl will remain stainless on a daily basis!

 

3. Quick Sink Scrub Down

The bathroom sink is prone to soap scum, toothpaste stains, water marks and grime and dirt; hence, daily cleaning is a must. This, however, does not have to be time-consuming or involve a lot of effort. Here’s what we do; using a mixture of water and white vinegar (or a regular store-bought cleaner), pour some of it onto a slightly abrasive sponge and give the sink a quick wipe down. Rinse it off with a mug of water and voila! Your sink is clean and sanitary! Vinegar acts as a germ-killer while adding a little lemon juice into your homemade solution can provide a refreshing fragrance. Use this cleaning method every morning after you brush your teeth and your sink will remain spotless for the rest of the day!

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Cleaning Tips General

Why Settle for Average When You Can Vacuum Like a Pro?

vacuum cleaner

Vacuuming is such an important part of home cleaning. This is because your floors tend to get dirty before any other area in your house does. But have you noticed a world of difference between floors cleaned professionally and the ones in your home after you’ve just vacuumed? Those subpar results are probably owed to common vacuuming techniques and lack of knowledge where attachments heads are concerned. Yes, there is a lot more to it than just maneuvering the vacuum cleaner over your floors aimlessly!

Your home is an exceptional place which needs to be maintained and respected; therefore, average cleaning just won’t cut it! It’s time you step up and start cleaning like a pro! Don’t worry; we’re not going to send you out into the wilderness without your camp gear. In other words, we’re going to tell you all you need to know so you can start cleaning like vacuum professionals do. Read on!

 

  1. Don’t Be Hasty!

The first rule of cleaning like a pro is not to rush things. If you’re expecting practical results, you’ve got to put in the time. This applies in particular with vacuuming because it takes more than merely pushing your vacuum cleaner for a couple of minutes to pick up dust and dirt thoroughly. So, we suggest you set aside an appropriate amount of time solely devoted to vacuuming.

 

  1. Clean Your Vacuum!

If you’re trying to vacuum with a full bag or clogged canister, forget about it. Your vacuum cleaner will be ten times less efficient than it could be if you emptied out the bag or dust container. So, before you begin vacuuming, check if your vacuum cleaner is clean and ready to go!

 

  1. Back and Forth Rule

This means going over an area multiple times using a back and forth motion while changing the direction each time. Did you know that 99% of the time dirt and dust remain over an area if only vacuumed once? This is where we’d like to remind you that vacuuming like a pro takes time and effort if you want to get those unmatched cleaning results!

 

  1. Make Use of Attachments!

If the attachments that came with your vacuum cleaner are still sealed and untouched, it’s time you brought out the manual and learned everything there is to know about these magical cleaning aids! These attachments indeed make cleaning easier and much more efficient when used correctly. In fact, there are tons of new vacuum head accessories on the market for different cleaning purposes, so we suggest you do a little research and purchase a couple of them for better cleaning.

 

  1. Move Furniture

When you try to vacuum around the legs of furniture, you easily miss out on dirty spots. What’s worse, if you don’t move furniture aside to vacuum, they leave rings of dust that are harder to get rid of over time. Hence, we suggest moving furniture around at least 3-4 times a week when vacuuming your floors.

To recap, vacuuming like a pro requires the assistance of your good vacuum head attachments, coupled with patience and a little more effort than usual!

Categories
Kids

Yukon, OK Spring Cleaning Tips to Involve the Whole Family

Yukon, OK
Yukon, OK

March 20th marks the official end of winter, and this is a time for renewal. When it comes to your home, this can be a great time to give yours a makeover by getting some spring cleaning underway. If you’re ready to give your Yukon, OK home a thorough cleaning, employ the help of the whole family with these helpful tips!

  1. Involving Young Kids

It can be easy to overlook your youngsters as you assign housecleaning duties. However, according to Harvard University, there are sensitive periods in young children’s neural development that allows them to more easily acquire new skills. When you get them involved in cleaning, you can teach them how to effectively keep their living space tidy, a life skill that can follow them for life. Just a few ideas of tasks you can have kids as young as four-years-old take on include:

  • Beating rugs
  • Scrubbing the sink
  • Taking out the trash
  • Assisting you as you remove expired food from the cabinets

It can prove helpful when you work together with your child so they can learn through watching you. This positive interaction with their parents at a young age can give children a positive outlook on cleaning for years to come. Not only can they offer a helping hand, but they will be learning skills everyone can benefit from later.

  1. Involving Older Kids

While part of the struggle with involving younger kids in spring cleaning is ensuring they are able to successfully execute the job, older kids come with their own set of challenges. Most notably is the fact that, by their teen years, kids often tend to tune out when they hear adult voices. Communication is key, and just a few tips you can employ to ensure everyone is on board include:

  • Listen to their suggestions
  • Pay close attention to the use of negative words and tones
  • Present challenges with positive reinforcement for proper execution
  1. Involving the Couch Potato

Most families have a couch potato or two, and it can be difficult to convince them to get involved in spring cleaning activities. However, there are a few things you can do to get them more motivated to get in on the action. For starters, determine that computers, cell phones, and televisions will be turned off during “cleaning time.” However, allow for upbeat music to be played, and allow everyone a chance to stream their own playlist. You should also offer motivation for a job well done. Rewards such as dinner and a movie after a hard day’s work can put everyone in the mood to get the job done as well as bring the family closer together.

A Great Start for the New Season

As the trees bud and flowers bloom, now is a great time to employ the right housecleaning tips by https://cleanlymaids.com to make the task easier in Yukon, OK. Everybody in the home contributes to clutter and mess, and it only makes sense that everyone should get involved in getting the home back into proper order. However, if you feel yours could still look a little better, we’re here to help. Our staff is equipped with the tools and experience to make your home shine, and we can help you apply the finishing touches.