No one wants to choose between their pet and a clean home, but no one wants the smell of urine or animal hair all over the place either. We’re here to share a few cleaning tips so that you can have the best of both worlds.
Urine Cleaner Recipes
Hopefully potty training your pet was easier than your toddler, but if not, we’ve got you covered. We know that accidents are the rule, not the exception when it comes to animals in the house. Here are a few DIY cleaner recipes you can try next time you find an unwanted wet spot.
- Homestead Survival recommends 1/4 cup Hydrogen Peroxide, 1 teaspoon baking soda, and a tiny squirt of Castile liquid soap.
- Hills Pets has a similar solution, but suggests applying the cleaning agents on one-by-one rather than mixing them all together in a spray.
- While these cleaners can help alleviate the smells, Catcentric.org claims that these cleaners can’t actually get rid of the enzymes that cause the odor and that spraying is not enough. They suggest an enzyme cleaner and “dousing, pouring, and soaking” any area that is effected by animal urine.
Managing Pet Hair
- Diet–>Did you know that what your pet eats can dramatically effect the amount he or she sheds? Experts at PetMD advise to make sure your pet is getting all the necessary nutrients to grow a healthy coat of fur.
- Grooming–>Use appropriate tools to brush daily, and schedule regular professional grooming to keep your pet’s hair under control.
- Cleaning–> You can do what you can to minimize shedding, but ultimately, having a pet means you will have pet hair in your home. Dogtime.com did a survey of pet owners and respondents helped to compose a list of various cleaning methods. Using rubber clubs or a slightly damp sponge to help ball up fur topped the list.
Eliminating Pet Odor
- Erin at Clean and Scentsible shares a great Carpet and Upholstery Refresher as well as several tips for eliminating odor:
- Clean the litter box regularly
- Add a few drops of lavender essential oils when bathing animals
- Dry bathe animals with a baking soda
- Wash animal bedding and toys on a regular basis (weekly). To make this task a little easier, make sure to buy beds that have removable covers and can be tossed in the washing machine.
- Wikihow has several great suggestions on eliminating odor. You can use an air purifier or you can use deodorizers like baking soda or vinegar to help reduce odor.
We know you love your pet, but you also love a clean home. Don’t choose between the two. Use some of these helpful tips to keep your home clean and your pets happy.
Let’s face it. We don’t always have the time to clean our houses from top to bottom. We’re here to help you relax a little bit by knocking some items off your to-do list. Here are some things that can wait if you’re in a hurry.
Mopping
You don’t have to mop every single time you clean. Sweep on a regular basis, and spot clean messes as needed. Leave mopping as a monthly chore.
Dusting
If you take precautionary steps to prevent dust from forming, you won’t have to dust as often. Fabrics shed and create a lot of dust, and your bed can be one of the worst culprits of dust creation. Click here for a list of ways to prevent dust from forming in your house.
Windows
Unless your windows are cloudy or visually unpleasant, this is a chore you can put off for months at a time. We offer seasonal window cleaning if this is a chore you’d like to avoid altogether.
Pipes
Over-cleaning your pipes in the kitchen or bathroom can lead to unwanted erosion. Put this on a seasonal cleaning schedule instead of your regular to-do list.
Making The Bed
There are differing opinions on this chore. Making the bed is really just a cosmetic preference. If you need to save time, this is one activity you can skip.
Microwave
Unless you’ve got stuck on messes, you can skip scrubbing the microwave. You can prevent those messes by making sure everything is covered when heated. So, covering your dish=less work for you.
Hand Drying
Our friends at Apartment Therapy just made life a little easier…
If you’re a fervent hand washer (or a reluctant one—maybe the hand-wash life chose you due to the distinct lack of dishwasher in your apartment), you should know that you don’t have to hand-dry your dishes at all. In fact, letting your clean dishes air dry is probably better and more sanitary than towel-drying, unless you’re using a fresh clean towel for each dish. Invest a little (we’re talking $10) in a dish-drying rack and skip this chore until… forever.
Call Us!
Now that you have official permission to mark some things on your never-ending list of chores, you can take some time to relax. Or, if you’d like to completely hand your list over to us, we’d be happy to take care of it. Call us today at 541.601.6236 to get some chores off your hands.
Historically, spring has been the best time to sell your home. However, recent polls show that May through July are becoming peak times across the country to close quickly. We have researched the top tips to help sell your home fast for the highest price possible. Check them out below:
- Know when to list. Zillow, a leader in real estate data, has a detailed breakdown of the best time to list your home. The article is helpful in both general information about locations and listings as well as details like you can find in this Homelight article. Here they chart statistics on the best time to sell your home depending on your location.
You can see the data broken down by time zone, weather, and even have a list of 100 US cities and detailed information about when to list a home in that area. Peak selling seasons vary widely from coast to coast, so knowing more specific information about your area is key to selling your home.
- Stage your home. Whether you use your own furniture or pay to have a staging company come to decorate, it is imperative. According to a recent survey, 81% of real estate agents polled believe that staging helps clients visualize the property as a future home. The clearing of clutter and de-personalization involved in the staging process allows buyers to picture themselves living in the home.
It costs a seller roughly $2000 to stage a home, but the survey indicates that buyers are willing to pay 1%-5% more for a staged home because of perceived value. Not to mention your home has the potential to sell faster. Some have suggested that having something similar to garage floor epoxy in their garage supports this effect while staging a home. This Forbes article states that 95% of staged homes sell in 11 days or less.
- Keep it Clean. Deep cleaning a home can be considered a part of the staging process. However, if you don’t have any money to invest toward rented furniture and decor, one of the most cost effective ways to help your house sell is to make sure it is spotless when buyers are visiting.
Giving your home a deep cleaning can make it seem brand new. Our professional cleaners specialize in preparing homes for sale. Call us today at 541-601-6236 to get a quote.
Let us help you prepare your home for sale now so that you don’t miss out on the peak selling time in your area. Then, before you know it, you’ll be ready to hand over the keys and start on your own new journey.
They did a great job cleaning the house to prepare to sell the house!
I had all my windows cleaned perfectly, even the ones I had tried to do myself. I was given a lesson on how to do an acceptable job. I am grateful as my mood greatly improved. I have a gorgeous view. Now I can see it.
It was like a brand new house when they were done. Absolutely spotless!!
Our company used The Cleaning Crew when we bought some new investment property. They did a fine job of cleaning the units thoroughly, including the gutters and windows. They were on time, with a crew adequate for the size of the jobs. We will call them again.
They did a wonderful job. Called with a last minute job and they did everything to accommodate me. They arrived early and and were done in a flash. Job is very clean. I would hire them again.
The Cleaning Crew Team did a great job cleaning up my elderly mother’s home prior to putting it on the market for sale. It would have taken us a month to do the job they did. Thanks for great team work.
They did a good job. They were efficient, thorough and well-managed. I would recommend them. I especially appreciated that they were willing to come all the way out to my house which is outside of town.
Check out our mission and see if we are the right company for you! Then, call us to get a stress-free quote!
We all get into a cleaning routine, and sometimes we can find ourselves taking shortcuts or completely forgetting to clean certain parts of our home. Here is a list of the top 8 places that people forget to clean so you can avoid making the same mistakes:
Ceiling Fan
Not many of us spend much time staring at the ceiling. Probably the only time you think about it is when you lay down at night, and well, that’s just not the time you feel like getting up and doing it. The Krazy Coupon Lady lets us in on a fun secret: Clean fan blades with a pillow case.
Washing Machine & Dishwasher
To avoid smelly laundry or dishes, it’s important to clean your washers every now and then. Once a month or so, run it on a hot cycle with a cup of vinegar. It should eliminate any germs and odor that are trapped in the machine and stop any hard water stains.
Light bulbs/Lamps
It’s actually hazardous to let dust build up on lamps or light bulbs, so make sure you clean these items regularly. Wipe down cool bulbs with a damp cloth, and use a lint roller on the shade. Make sure to clean the switch or pull string, too.
House Plants
Whether you use a hair dryer, toothbrush, or damp rag, house plants need regular dusting. If they are live plants, dusting is necessary for their survival. If they are just for show, it will help keep allergens to a minimum and your plants looking nice.
Trash can
Think of all the gross things that go into a trash can. Even if you use a liner, drips are inevitable. Rinse and scrub your trash can regularly to keep from a gross build up.
Refrigerator
We all often wipe down the insides and the door handles, but how often do you clean underneath or on top of your fridge? Maybe it is time to move it out of it’s place and do a deep clean, all those tall people in your life will appreciate if you take the time to get up on a stool and wipe down the top.
Light Switches, Door knobs, and Handles
This is the top way to combat the spread of germs in our houses. These are things that are constantly being touched. Make sure they are clean. It only takes a few minutes with a cleaning rag to make the rounds and get it all wiped clean.
Cleaning Supplies
As silly as it sounds, we need to make sure to clean our cleaning supplies. Toilet brushes, dusters, cleaning rags, sponges, and all of your other cleaning supplies can be home to an alarming amount of dirt and germs. If you continually reuse them without sanitizing, all you are doing is spreading nastiness around your home. Clean or replace these items frequently.
Now that we’ve brought all of these forgotten places to your mind, let us know your forgotten spot in the comments! Where do you forget or hate to clean the most?
At some point or another, this question has probably crossed your mind.
Whether it was a hectic schedule or disability that prevented you from having time to clean on your own or a move or renovation project that left you with an overwhelming mess, almost everyone has encountered a situation where hiring a professional cleaning service like Santa Barbara House Cleaning sounded like a pretty good option.
Hiring a regular professional cleaning service is not for everyone, but we do sincerely believe that our job is to help lighten your load so that you can take care of the most important things in life–namely your sanity. Whether you’re in need of house cleaning or commercial cleaning, we can provide services to suit you. If you’re looking for commercial cleaning in your area you could have a look at Commercial Cleaning Newcastle to get your commercial spaces looking spotless. But we are here to do the hard work for you and we are more than happy to offer out are various cleaning services to those who need it. So, here are several things we know we can help with. If any of these apply to you, maybe it is time to give us a call or get a quote!
Traditional House Cleaning
The foundation of our business is traditional, regularly scheduled home cleaning. If you find yourself too busy to keep up with a daily cleaning regimen, it might be helpful for us to take that off your to do list. On the other hand, maybe you know someone who just can’t quite physically handle cleaning the house like they used to. That’s the perfect time for us to step in. We can schedule weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly cleanings to keep your house spic and span. If you think this option may meet your needs, you can check out more details here.
Office Cleaning
Do you own a business? Are you looking for a reliable cleaning service to keep your office presentable and welcoming? You can take some stress off our your employees by hiring our professional commercial cleaning specialists. We offer a variety of cleaning options, you can see our full list on our website.
Real Estate Cleaning
We have a crew of professional cleaners that can help you prepare a home for sale or clean rental properties. Whether you own rental property or are trying to get the best value for your home that is on the market, don’t hesitate to contact us to discuss a specific cleaning plan that best fits your needs. We try to travel to all sorts of locations to do our best job at keeping your house clean. However, if you are outside our areas of service be sure to visit this cleaning company auckland instead.
Additional Services
You can also check out our services page to see the variety of additional and seasonal services we offer including window washing, gutter cleaning, new construction dust removal, organization, and pressure washing.
Maybe you don’t have a major need for a cleaning service. Maybe it just sounds like a convenience that would improve your quality of life. Either way, we would love to talk to you today about a plan that can make your life easier. Call us now at 541-601-6236 to get a hassle free quote!
With the holidays upon us, let’s revisit a popular theme for this time of year. Focus areas for cleaning during the holidays. Believe it or not, you can accomplish your house cleaning and organizing needs for a holiday-ready home without much effort.
If you break it down into manageable parts, your holiday cleaning doesn’t have to be overwhelming. House cleaning this way can help keep you focused and calm, allowing you to enjoy a stress-free time with your family and guests this holiday season. If you have already done a thorough job of household cleaning and organizing each quarter (like we highly recommend), you will have less housekeeping to do for the holiday season.
If your whole house is due for a house cleaning overhaul this holiday season, decide which rooms are the most important to have cleaned and start there. If you are not expecting overnight guests, the spare bedroom is probably not a priority. This will leave you with the option to simply shut the spare bedroom doors.
Common Areas
As always, the main priority is high traffic areas. Guests are likely to be in your kitchen, living room, and bathroom or sitting at your dining room table. Begin your housecleaning routine in the main common areas of your home. If you have extra time, you can focus on organizing the bedrooms or cleaning the office.
Start household cleaning with a top to bottom dusting of walls and ceilings. This cuts down on the dust level in the house throughout the coming year and is a helpful all natural house cleaning method to keeping your home dust free. Dust off and clean your tables, counters, bookshelves, entertainment centers and other surfaces before thoroughly cleaning the hidden areas and nooks. Wipe over all woodwork, doors, windowsills and baseboards. Pull out furniture that has not been cleaned behind recently and clean the surface by hand wiping or vacuuming. Clean the floors in the high traffic areas of your home last, as you want to keep this step as close to the arrival time of your guests as possible. Clean floors make a big impact.
Restrooms
Clean restrooms are a must in order to be ready for visitors. Begin by wiping down the counters and giving a good scrubbing to the toilet and shower. Place out an extra roll of toilet paper so guests won’t have to go hunting for it, refill the hand soap, and putting out fresh hand towels.
Passageways
Organize the hallways and staircases, areas that tend to gather clutter as family members drop and disperse their belongings from one room to the next. Sweep or vacuum up any debris in this area before company comes. If there are any side rooms or closets that you don’t have time to clean, walk through your clean home just prior to your guests arrival and make sure the doors to these areas are closed.
Kitchen
Enjoy your clean home and start the holidays with a clean kitchen. Guests are likely to enter your kitchen, whether to gather and help you prepare the meal or to help set the table. Clean the counters and appliances by wiping them down, then mop and clean the floors before guests arrive. Make sure you have an empty dishwasher on the day of the event so you can quickly and easily place dirty dishes away, keeping them out of sight as soon as they accumulate. With any extra time, hose down your trash can and use a pleasant scented garbage bag so the trash won’t add any unwelcome odors to the day’s festivities.
We know you can manage cleaning your home this holiday season, but if you would rather let us do it for you, call us today at 541-601-6236 for a quote or a gift certificate.
As we all know, Texas is in the middle of a natural disaster of historic proportions. After the storms calm and the flood waters recede, there will be a lot of restoration ahead for the residents of Southeast Texas. The aftermath of a flood is a breeding ground for bacteria and mold. It is important to begin clean up as soon as possible.
FEMA has a detailed page with instructions on how to begin clean up after a flood. Not all of us will face a natural disaster, but it is highly likely that sometime during our lives we will encounter water damage. The most important step in recovering things after they have been damaged by water is moving quickly. The longer the water sits, the more damage it can do.
First, it is important to document the damage for insurance purposes. Take plenty of pictures from all angles before and after clean up.
Then, it is necessary to be prepared. If the water can possibly be contaminated, make sure to wear protective gear. Turn off all electricity to the house to avoid electrical shock. Open doors and windows to help begin drying out and for ventilation, and make sure to check for dangerous damage such as cracks in the flooring or foundation.
After you have prepared, the first step is to remove the water. This can be done with a wet vac or manually by sweeping the water out of the home. According to FEMA, “Basements should be pumped out slowly, about one-third of the water each day. Water soaked grounds can cause a collapse of basement walls.” After you have removed the water, it is vital to remove mud or dirt before it dries. Then, cut out all sheet rock four inches above the highest water marks.
Once the water has been cleaned up, remove all effected items and either destroy them or dry and sanitize them. You can refer to FEMA’s instructions for more specific instructions on what is safe to keep and what should be dumped. Those with porous surfaces such as wood, sheet rock, and upholstered items cannot be properly sanitized and should be disposed of properly.
Our hope is that you never have to face a flood or water damage of any type, but if you do we hope you feel more prepared to quickly and effectively begin clean up to salvage as much of your personal property as possible.
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They Do It Better
Let’s face it. We’re not all professional cleaners. The awesome thing about hiring a professional service is exactly that—they are professionals. They are trained and experienced in cleaning. They know the quickest and easiest ways to keep a clean and tidy house.
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You Deserve It
Even if it’s just a treat every now and then, hiring a professional cleaning service is a treat that you deserve. You work hard to maintain your home day-in and day-out. Kick back, relax, and enjoy your home after it has already been cleaned by someone else.
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You Enjoy Entertaining
We know you: “The Hostess with the Mostest”…The next time you are planning for a house full of guests, would your time be best spent scrubbing the toilets or setting the table? Let The Cleaning Crew, LLC handle all the dirty details while you prepare the finishing touches.
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It Saves Money
In the long run, hiring a professional cleaning service saves money. First of all, you don’t have to continually purchase costly cleaning supplies. With a professional cleaning service, you are paying for the service, not the supplies. More importantly, the maintenance and upkeep of your home depends on keeping things clean and in working order. The better the surfaces of your home are cleaned, the longer they will last and the more equity that will build in your home.
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It Saves Time
Your time is valuable. Spend it doing things that have a lasting impact. Cleaning is definitely not one of those things. Let us take care of the mundane tasks around the house while you go out and change the world!
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Freedom
After all of your responsibilities are taken care of, there is rarely time left for you. Hiring a professional cleaning service will allow you to take some guilt-free “me” time without worrying about those never-ending chores. It allows for personal freedom from constant responsibility and time to do the things you love to do.
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You’ve Got too Much to Do
Wouldn’t it be great to come home from a busy day to find that all of your chores have magically completed themselves? Instead, most of us have to continue working for hours after we get home in order to check-everything off of our extensive to-do list. Let The Cleaning Crew, LLC help you solve that problem.
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You Can’t Do It All
Maybe your plate is too full, or it’s possible that you just physically can’t do everything that you used to be able to do. Maybe your aging parents need help with the upkeep of their home. No matter what the reason, it’s okay to lighten your load. We’re waiting to answer your call for help.
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Healthier Home
One of the most important reasons to hire a professional cleaning service is to ensure that your home is safe and sanitary. Dust, pet dander, allergens, and other messes all pose a health risk for you and your family. No matter how hard you try to keep up, sometimes it is all just too much. A professional service means a regularly scheduled cleaning for your home that results in a safe and healthy place for those who are most important to you.
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Peace of Mind
More than anything, hiring a professional cleaning service like The Cleaning Crew, LLC provides peace of mind. You know your home is a clean and safe place for your loved ones that is being well taken care of which allows you the freedom to spend your time doing what is important to you.
Life has always been busy. But, now-a-days, when we have plenty of advancements in technology to help us save time, many of have less time than ever. Let’s face it, keeping a clean house is on the top of most of our priority lists, but it can be hard to manage with a crazy busy schedule. So, here at The Cleaning Crew, LLC, we want to help you.
We’ve come up with a few easy scheduling tips to keep your house in order by helping you organize necessary duties. The first thing we recommend is separating your tasks into three lists: everyday, weekly, and monthly. These free printables even go as far as organizing by room. After you’ve made your list, prioritize the items accordingly. Below, you’ll see our recommended schedule and links to other helpful resources that you can use to handcraft a housekeeping schedule that fits your needs.
Everyday
If you do a little bit of work every day, it will take less time than if you let it pile up throughout the week. Our recommendation is to start the morning by making the bed, unloading the dishwasher and putting a load in the washing machine. Toward the end of the day, reload and run the dishwasher. Then, dry and fold the load you started that morning.
We also suggest sorting through mail every day instead of piling it up for later. Shred things that need to be shredded. Throw away the trash. Clip the coupons. It only takes a few minutes and will save you quite a bit of time (and a big messy pile) in the long run.
Other quick daily tasks include:
- taking out the trash
- sweeping or vacuuming rooms as needed
- spraying the shower down with a daily cleaner or vinegar/water mixture
- wiping all counters and toilet seats with wet cloth
Weekly
There are several cleaning tasks that can wait a few days without becoming overwhelming. Assign a day of the week to take care of all of these tasks at once, or create a weekly schedule to complete one task each day. However you do it, staying on top of these chores will keep your house fresh and clean without too much stress.
A few things you might want to add to your weekly cleaning list are:
- Washing and changing the sheets
- Vacuuming furniture and/or window treatments
- Cleaning out refrigerator
- Dusting
- Washing rugs
- Mopping
- Scrubbing bathtubs and toilets
- Disinfecting countertops
Monthly
Monthly tasks are not urgent, but they are important to the overall maintenance and organization of your home. There are several homeowner maintenance schedules out there. We like this one from My Home Ideas. It organizes tasks into monthly and seasonal tasks.
Some important monthly tasks include:
- Organizing garage and other storage areas
- Getting rid of unused or broken items
- Changing air filters
- Cleaning garbage disposal/washer/dryer
Once you get into the habit of doing these things, none of them take much time. This nifty schedule even estimates how much time each task takes. Incorporating a 10-minute pick-up at the end of every day can be very helpful. It’s impressive how much can be accomplished in 10 minutes!
>>>These schedules will help your housecleaning be more organized and efficient. But, you know what’s even easier? Calling us at 541-601-6236 for a free, no hassle cleaning quote. We will do all the cleaning for you which can help to give you more control of your crazy busy schedule in 2017!<<<
