One of the most difficult things about cleaning is staying focused long enough to get it done (and done well). Some of you may find yourselves hopping from chore to chore and never quite completing any one task. Others might get lost in a magazine or old box of random items. We’re here to share with you some of the easiest tips from professional cleaners that can keep you focused and on task until the job is done.
Task by Task
Most professional cleaners, including Lisa Romero who was featured in this Women’s Day article, recommend working on a task by task basis. Cleaning by “zone” can be much more time consuming because it is easy to get lost in the little things that need to be done in each area.
For example, instead of trying to tackle everything in the bedroom, start by stripping all the linens in the house and putting the load in the washer so it can wash while you’re doing other parts of your job.
Top to Bottom
Professionals also recommend cleaning top to bottom, upstairs to downstairs, and top of the room to the floor. This is the first tip that you will find on almost any search for cleaning advice. This saves you a lot of extra work and wasted time. Who wants to wipe dirt and dust off the counter onto a freshly vacuumed floor?
Work Until Completion
Hopping from one task to another can leave you feeling unaccomplished and your house in even worse shape than when you started. Whether you chose to work room by room or task by task (like this Wiki How article recommends), completing one thing before beginning another is imperative to getting the job done well.
Stick to a Schedule
One of the most common sense tips we have found is to stick to a schedule. Pencil in cleaning time on your calendar, or you will never have enough time to do it. If you want to have a well cleaned house, it can’t be an afterthought. This is probably one of the most convincing reasons to hire a professional cleaner that will come in on a regular basis. If that is something you’d like to do, you can call us today at 541-601-6236 to get a free quote!
Easy and Effective
There is a plethora of cleaning advice out there, but here is a final list of some of our top tried and true, easy and effective tips:
- Wearing comfortable shoes and clothes that you can move in
- Listen to music or a book on tape to keep you entertained while you work
- Have your supplies stocked and ready without having to refill or replenish
- Finish everything in one spot before you move
- Spray with one hand, scrub with the other
- Let your cleaning products do the work–spray and let them soak
- Don’t clean with dirty supplies. Clean or replace brushes, sponges, and rags as needed.
Cleaning a little bit every day helps to keep the cleaning job from getting too overwhelming. If you dedicate ten to fifteen minutes every day to do a quick pick-up, then your house should be prepped for an effective and efficient deep clean whenever you have time to schedule it in.
Summertime is great for relaxation and adventure. High electricity bills can eat up extra cash that could be used for travel or other fun. Since we can’t all go out today and install solar panels and a windmill, here are some great alternatives to help cut down on electricity use and increase the fun this summer!
Eliminate Electronic Heat
A major part of reducing energy use in the summer is trying to eliminate use of an air conditioner. So, eliminating or reducing heat producing elements of your home is essential. Screens and machines put off a lot of heat. Make sure to turn off computers, appliances, lights, and TVs when they are not in use. According to Money Minded Mom, it is best to use LED light bulbs in all light light fixtures because they produce 95% light and only 5% heat. You also don’t have to use as many bulbs because they put out a more direct light.
Lessen the Laundry Load
When you are trying to use less energy, one of the easiest ways is to lessen your laundry. If you run all cycles on cold water, there is no need to separate darks and lights. This allows you to run larger loads, using the machine less. In addition, air-drying clothes instead of using a drying can eliminate quite a bit of heat. Read more ideas about going green from the Retro Housewife here.
Save for Sundown
If you must use the heat-producing elements of your home, wait until after the sun goes down. Green Shield Organic reasons that, “your air conditioner will not have to compensate for the added heat during the day” if wait until nighttime to do things like run the dryer or use the oven.
Automate Appliances
If possible, put all of your electronics on an automated system. Most air conditioners now are programmable and you can change the temperature with the touch of your phone. The Binder Ladies recommend always keeping your air conditioner running, but to adjust the temperature up and down as necessary. Moving the dial can save a surprising amount of energy.
In addition, use power strips on all electronics and appliances. Then, you can ensure that electricity is cut off with the flip of just one switch instead of unplugging them all.
Frequently Use Fans
According to the San Francisco Gate, a standard residential air-conditioning system costs over $125 more dollars a month than a fan. Even if you are just using a window unit, you can still save close to $50 each month by running a fan instead. For the summer, make sure all of your ceiling fans are set counter-clockwise. If you use floor fans, you can put ice behind them and they will blow cooler air. Check out this and more Survival Life hacks on their list of 17 Ways to Keep Your House Cool and Save Money This Summer.
Ceiling fans to high or difficult to clean? Let us help! Call us today at 541-601-6236 to get a free estimate.
Watch the Windows
One of the major ways cool air escapes your home and hot air comes in is through cracks in windows or door seals. If you can, spend the money to install energy efficient windows. If not, the people at Prepper Lists suggest to make sure to properly seal all cracks or leaks. Then, put a tinted film on your windows or splurge on energy efficient curtains to reduce the amount of heat that comes in.
Also, keep your windows closed for as long you can in the morning to keep the cool, night air inside. Then, once it starts to get warm, open windows at each end of your home to create a cross-breeze to cool things down.
Summer Savings
Reducing the need for air conditioning is the number one way to save on energy costs in the summer. If you use these tips to help eliminate heat in your home, you should be successful in having an energy-saving season.
Every January is the same. It is a time for list after list of resolutions and tips on how to be and have the newest and the best during this new year. Creating change be a challenge if you find yourself in the same old surroundings. Most of us probably didn’t move over the holidays, so many of us find ourselves in the exact same place we ended 2016. Doesn’t seem like much of a new beginning, does it?
Because we want you to have a successful start on your resolutions, we thought we’d compile some tips to help you create an environment conducive to a fresh start. Even if you’ve lived where you are for a while, here are three easy ways to create newness in your well loved, not-so-new home.
Rearrange Furniture or Redecorate
Start the new year off by changing your home design. This will give your house a new feel even if you’ve lived there for decades. Move the furniture around to create more space or a different feel. Purchase new draperies or change out some of the décor. These small changes will make a huge visual impact.
Plus, moving the furniture can allow for a thorough floor cleaning and the ability to reach areas that may have gone ignored for months. Even if you don’t change out the drapes, now is a great time to wash all of those things that get neglected throughout the year. Launder area rugs and shower curtains along with your window treatments and any other specialty fabrics.
Reorganize
We’ve talked about decluttering in previous blogs. During the new year it is nice to take some time to get rid of things and reorganize the things you have accumulated throughout the year.
If necessary, purchase an organizational system of some sort and put it to use. In this article, Abby at Just a Girl and Her Blog walks you through the step-by-step process of totally reorganizing a room. Her first suggestion is to remove everything from the space. That’s a great time to call us in for a top-to-bottom scrub before you start putting things back into place.
Deep Clean
If you haven’t already guessed it, the biggest part of having a fresh new start for the new year is the word FRESH. While you’re rearranging and reorganizing, it is the perfect time to clean out all of those nooks and crannies that haven’t seen a scrub brush in a while and give them a good cleaning.
From vaulted ceilings to baseboards, we can help your house look it’s best–maybe even brand new–for the New Year! When your home is spick and span, it is a clean slate for you to begin whatever adventures await you this coming year.
Let us know in the comments ways you create a fresh start every New Year.
Start 2017 off well. We’d love to help you tackle your New Year to-do list and start conquering those resolutions!
Call us today: 541-601-6236. Or, shoot us an email: info@thecleaningcrewonline.com
