It’s that beautiful time of year again! The leaves are changing, the weather is colder, and the hot beverages taste better than normal. Enjoying the fall season is far more than warm coffee and orange leaves. These things would not mean half as much without an organized and clean house to enjoy them on.
The Cleaning Crew Fall Cleaning Chore Checklist will help you prepare your home for the upcoming holiday season and potential house guests.
Kitchen
- Re-Organize and Clean Out Pantry – Throw away expired goods, re-arrange as needed, write out a pantry inventory, and make a grocery list of the things you will need to stock up on. Keep in mind the fact that community food pantries are in dire need of donations during this time of year.
- Clean Oven – Prep your oven for holiday cooking and baking. If you don’t have a self-cleaning oven, The Cleaning Crew can offer some quick and easy oven-cleaning solutions.
- Wipe Down Kitchen Cupboards – Wipe down your kitchen cupboards. You can even wipe the insides and the tops if you feel ambitious!
- Deep Clean the Refrigerator & Freezer – Throw away all expired foods, remove and scrub shelves, drawers, and other small pieces in order to deep clean, and replace the filter on ice-maker or water dispenser.
Windows
- Wash Windows, Inside and Out – This may be your last chance to clean the exterior windows before bad weather sets in. Call The Cleaning Crew for professional cleaning of the insides, outsides, tracks and screens!
- Wash Curtains – Pull down any curtains that can be washed and clean them. If you can’t wash them, take them outside to shake the dust off.
- Wipe Blinds – Wipe down the blinds of the interior windows. This is best done with a dusting glove.
Bedrooms
- Bring Out Winter Things for Closets – Take this opportunity to reorganize. Clean out the closets and make several organized piles. One for donating, one for keeping, one for trash, and one for seasonal clothes.
- Prepare For Holiday Guests – Guest rooms should be not only clean, but also inviting. Try setting out flowers or other special touches to make guests feel especially welcome.
- Clean all Bedding and Bring Out Winter Comforters – Bring out heavier bedding and winter comforters for the cold days ahead.
Other General Cleaning
- Dust or Wash Light Fixtures – Most light fixtures are removable and unscrew so you can dust or wash them. Make sure to turn the switch off and allow bulbs to cool before you do this!
- Vacuum Furniture – Vacuum your upholstered furniture and/or dust & wipe down any wooden furniture.
- Vacuum and Shampoo Carpets – Be sure your carpets are clean before all the winter mud and snow! Make sure you have a great carpet cleaner that gets up all the dirt, dust and grime the carpet has been collecting, rather than pushing it deeper into the carpet. You can find reviews of carpet cleaners on Appliance Hunter if your carpet cleaner isn’t up to scratch! It’s a great investment and you’ll never have stained carpets again.
- Dust the House from Top to Bottom – This means everything from the cobwebs in the corners of the ceiling to the baseboards. Go from room to room and dust everything! Dusting top to bottom is the most efficient way to clean.
- Test Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Detectors – Don’t skip this step, especially if you have any kind of wood fired heat. Just a simple push of a button is all it takes.
Brisk and breezy days are best for overcoming the deep-cleaning chores necessary for a clean, comfortable winter home and a wonderful autumn season. Happy Fall!
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.
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. This is a really great tip for people who have a rental property, however, it’s not just cleaning that you need to focus on. Make sure to check out this site here (at Roofstock) for more information on your rental property, e.g. how to sell the rental property. Once you know all that, then you can focus on getting your rental property cleaned. 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!
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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.
We get a lot of calls from people who are hiring house cleaners for the first time. We would like to share the frequently asked questions!
Hiring a House Cleaner FAQs
What is the benefit of hiring a house cleaning company instead of an independent cleaner?
House cleaners who work for a company are professionally trained to provide a first-rate, consistent cleaning experience for clients. A professional cleaning company is licensed, bonded, and insured and the house cleaners are protected with workers’ compensation.
Do I need to be home during the house cleaning?
Your house cleaner can provide cleaning services when you are at home or away – it depends on what you are more comfortable with.
How does the house cleaner know what I want if I’m not home to tell them?
Having a professional house cleaner means that the house cleaner knows what is needed to make your home shine, however, if you have any special requests please share them with your house cleaner.
How do I make a special request of my house cleaner?
If you have new or special requests, leaving a note on the kitchen counter is a helpful way to communicate information. If you have instructions you want followed every visit, it’s best to have a standard checklist for regular cleaning. With The Cleaning Crew, you can call our office and we’ll update your file so that your cleaner(s) know what you like each time.
How does the house cleaner get into the house?
For your convenience, you can provide your cleaner with a copy of your house key. Another option is to schedule the cleaner to arrive when you are home and have them lock the door when they leave.
How does the house cleaner access my home if I have a security alarm?
We recommend assigning a unique security code to your cleaner.
Do I need to do anything before a house cleaner arrives?
It is best to tidy up all dishes, toys, clothes, and personal items before a house cleaner arrives. If you do not have a chance to do so, the house cleaner will always try to do this for you, however, this may take away from the deep cleaning that can be done in the allotted time frame. If you would like your house cleaner to tidy up for you, please notify them in advance.
Do I need to do the dishes before the house cleaner arrives?
Most house cleaners ask that you do dishes before the house cleaner arrives. Some house cleaners will include dishes in their cleaning, just be sure to ask so that they can estimate time accordingly.
What if I don’t want to tidy up before the house cleaner arrives?
Depending on the cleaning company, you can make a special request for the house cleaner to clean up toys, clothes, dirty dishes, etc.
What is the best way to pay for cleaning services? 
Most customers find it convenient to simply leave a check on the kitchen counter or to pay ahead of time with a credit card.
Should I tip?
Cleaners don’t expect regular tips, but tips are a nice way to show appreciation and can be anywhere from $10 to $20 or you can use the service industry standard of 15-20% of the cost of service.
When is the appropriate time to tip?
You can tip with each cleaning, once a month, or once a year, such as during the holidays.
What if my cleaner goes on vacation?
If your house cleaning is through a cleaning company, you can expect your cleanings to go as planned. The cleaning company should send a back-up cleaner for all of your regularly scheduled. If you work with an independent house cleaner, you may need to find someone else while they are on vacation.
How often should a house cleaner clean?
Depending on your lifestyle and budget, you might like your house to be cleaned, weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly. If you have kids and pets, then you might want more frequent cleaning. Two adults without any children in the household will often be fine having a house cleaner clean every two weeks. A person who has no children and no pets and maintains the house throughout the month might only want someone to do a monthly deep clean of the bathrooms and Kitchen.
Let us know if there are any others questions you’d like to see answered! As well as cleaners, its important to research local tradesmen in case of emergencies, for example visit absolutedp.com to see how they can also help you to look after your home.
