It has been a long, cold winter, but spring is officially upon us. Now that the weather is warming up, the sun is shining, and we all make our way out of winter hibernation, you’ll want to straighten up inside so you can enjoy a guilt-free spring and summer in the great outdoors.
Here are three easy steps to ensure a great Spring Clean!
Clean Out
Start by purging anything you don’t need. All that extra clutter can make your home feel dirtier than it is. Create space in your home for the things that you actually use by getting rid of the things that you don’t.
We’ve written about this before. There is a very simple way to purge: Piles!
Pile 1: Trash
The trash pile consists of things that are broken or damaged that cannot be reused or sold. Think about those things that you’ve thought about getting repaired or reusing, but haven´t–it´s time to part with them.
Pile 2: Sell/Donate
This pile is for things that are in good shape, but you do not want or use anymore. These can be sold in a yard sale or donated to a local organization for a tax write off. Most of us have more than we could ever need. Have some good will and donate those things to someone who could benefit from them.
Pile 2: Keep
This pile is only for those things that you cannot live without. Things in this pile make you happy and are meaningful or useful to you. It should not go in this pile if you have not used it in the last six months.
Clean Up
After you have made your piles, get rid of the trash, have a yard sale, or donate the other items. Then, you’re only left with one stack.
Make sure that everything in the ¨Keep” stack has a place. De-cluttering your home before you clean is essential to increase cleaning efficiency. If you are constantly picking up and organizing as you are trying to clean, the cleaning job will take much longer than necessary and can seem discouraging.
If necessary, invest in organizational storage to help create more usable space in your home. Under the bed storage, closet organization, or new shelving could make a huge difference in how clean and organized your home feels.
Clean Deep
After you have de-cluttered, it´s time to deep clean. We’re talking move the furniture and scrub the baseboards kind of clean. A deep spring clean will involve the regular nook and cranny cleaning, but also includes things like window washing, ceiling fans, air vents, wiping down walls and ceilings, as well as cleaning rugs and upholstery.
If that isn’t something that sounds fun to you, we can definitely help. Call today to get your hassle free quote from our professional cleaning staff.
The time change doesn’t just mean that you lost an hour of sleep. It also signifies something else very important: Spring is almost upon us with that some people are looking to go to Green Facilities or somewhere similar to help with their spring cleaning. It’s time for that annual spring cleaning–inside and out. Check out our website for our top three most popular services for readying your home for spring.
Window Cleaning
What you can expect from our service:
- Window cleaning by a professional window cleaner
- Provision of all supplies and equipment needed to do the job
- Detailed cleaning of all window, tracks, and screen surfaces
Do you need your windows professionally cleaned? We clean windows inside and outside, leaving them sparkling clean! Our window cleaning service also includes hand wiping out the tracks and cleaning the screens.
The Cleaning Crew, LLC knows how to handle your glass surfaces with great care and can tailor your window-cleaning needs to fit each situation.
We provide a complimentary evaluation of your home to determine:
- Your window cleaning needs
- Date, time and cost of the cleaning
- We offer one-time, bi-yearly or yearly window cleaning. We also offer monthly or quarterly price packages
If this service is what you need, please contact us today for a free estimate! We can either provide the bid information over the phone or schedule an onsite bid.
What you can expect from our service:
- Gutter cleaning by a professional gutter cleaning specialist
- We supply the equipment needed to complete the job
- Quality cleaning of all gutters and downspouts
Are your gutters and down spouts filled with leaves and debris? Would you like a friendly and experienced cleaning specialist to take care of your gutter needs? If so, call The Cleaning Crew, LLC today! If you need gutter installation, then you may want to contact melvinbelkroofing.com – once they’re installed, you can be sure we’ll clean them!
We are happy to provide a complimentary evaluation of your home to determine:
- Your gutter cleaning needs
- Date, time, and cost of the gutter cleaning
If this service is what you need, please contact us today for an free estimate! We can either provide the bid information over the phone or schedule an onsite bid.
What you can expect from our service:
- Completed by a professional power washing specialist
- We supply the equipment needed to complete the job utilising companies such as AirCompressorsUSA.com
- Detailed cleaning of your exterior surfaces
Are the exterior surfaces of your home dirty? Are there cobwebs under your eves? Do your porches, decks and sidewalks need a cleaning to remove the yearly buildup of sediment and moss? We power wash your exterior surfaces with great care and are mindful of your plant beds and flowers.
In addition to power washing the exterior surfaces of your home and office, we also power wash commercial buildings and storefront walkways.
We provide a complimentary evaluation of your home or office to determine:
- Your power washing needs
- Date, time and cost of the cleaning
- We can tailor your power washing needs to fit each situation
When you contact us for a free estimate, we can either provide the bid information over the phone or schedule an onsite bid.
Enjoy your time outside this spring, and let us take care of the hard work. We’d love to come over for a no-obligation, free estimate. To schedule a visit, call us at 541-601-6236.
Follow these simple steps to help you purge and rearrange your garage, turning a frustrating space into a functional space so you can lay out garage floor mats and make your garage feel welcoming!
Empty The Entire Garage
It may sound painful, but trust us, it’s the only way to go! Check the weather first, but clear that garage out! It’ll be much simpler to assess your storage needs if you can get a good look at what you’re working with.
Organize your belongings into designated areas in your driveway or lawn: 1.things to keep, 2. things to donate or sell and 3. things to throw out or recycle. With everything cleared out of your workspace, you’ll now be able to scrub down all the flat surfaces and install/rearrange shelving, hooks and other organizational materials without your stuff in the way.
Clean The Garage Floors
Remove the dirt and grime in your now-empty garage. You need to do this with portable garages too. Use a shop-vac or an indoor/outdoor vacuum cleaner to suck up any loose dust, dirt and cobwebs. Next, depending on your desired level of clean, pressure wash your floors for a deep clean, or hose down your garage floor, or you may also choose to sweep then mop by hand.
If you’ve been considering painting your garage floor so it looks like this, now’s a great time to tackle that project.
Tackle Your Garage Organization
If you don’t already have shelving, hooks, racks and other organizational aids in place, now is the time to do it. Think about where you want things to be stored in the long run. This means considering how often you use certain items, who uses them, and during which seasons.
7 Tips to Clean & Organize Your Garage
1. Store sports balls using bungee cords. This genius storage solution allows you to easily access your ball collection, and it’s a cinch to put together.
2. Separate your garage into zones. Keep sports equipment, gardening accessories, power tools and kids’ toys each in their own area of the garage to keep things organized.
3. Install slatwall panels. This allows you to easily hang and rearrange hooks and baskets.
4. Get things off the ground. Use a storage system or build shelves to clear floor space. Becareful with how you configure this though, we have had reports of people damaging their garage door because of the way they have organized their garage. Requiring the services similar to Garage Doors Denver to get their garage door back in working order.
5. Keep your garden and yard work tools organized. Use wall hooks and bins, Build a tool rack. These DIY hooks are cheap and simple to build on your own. All you need are nails and a board to keep your garden tools beautifully or
organized.
6. Screw organization. Literally – keep your screws organized with this clever storage idea that uses dead space underneath a cabinet or shelf.
7. Bike rack. Bikes can be a storage nightmare, especially when they go in and out of the garage every day. Here are 5 simple solutions.
Helpful Storage Products We Use & Recommend
Wire shelving is the perfect place to start when it comes to garage organization. It’s clean and modern looking, can sit on the floor, be mounted to the wall, or sit on casters for mobility. They can be customized to virtually any shelf configuration for your specific needs. If you’ve got stuff to store, this shelving will keep it neat and tidy. These are available at most big box stores.
- Wall-Mount Rack With Bins For garages
with lots of small items like nuts and bolts, a great solution are these amazing wall-mounted storage bins.! You can label each bin and they are even easy to install! Woot!
Plastic Storage Box Plastic storage bins like these can be used for just about anything: boating gear, fishing gear, car wash supplies, bike helmets, or tools. We like bins with the attached interlocking lid rather than a separate lid as they don’t ever get lost! They’re stackable the contents are viewable!
- Tool Caddy Paint brushes, spray paint, electrical cords,
gardening tools, cleaning supplies… this Tote Caddy holds it all! It’s rugged, sturdy and the easy handle makes it portable, so you can move quickly and efficiently from project-to-project.
Utility Cart This is a mobile workstation that can hold a lot of weight, It has multiple bin configurations for even more organization, and has a space to place your morning cup of coffee! Boom. We’re sold! This 1-drawer utility cart is a garage necessity!
Detailed garage organization depends mostly on what items are in it, but these general principles should definitely get you started.
What garage organization ideas have worked for you? Leave your suggestions and comments below!.
~ The Cleaning Crew
Deferred maintenance. No one likes it. Everyone does it – especially through the winter months. Spring cleaning is our chance to take care all those often neglected, out of sight, and out of mind areas. Which is it is as good as time as any to consider checking out Vacuum cleaners in India. They have a great range of vacuum cleaners for any type of cleaner. It’s important to reduce allergens, minimize clutter, and to make your home a haven once more. Here’s how:
1. Wash Walls, Cabinets, Baseboards, and Woodwork
- Walls – First, swipe away dust and cobwebs
from walls and ceilings with a cloth covered broom or a duster attachment on an extension pole. Don’t forget to dust the tops of door frames and trim. If you have an unusually large amount of spider webs, it may be time to call a pest elimination specialist. Give us a call for an all natural recommendation. - Floors and Baseboards – Wipe down baseboards and any hard flooring surfaces to remove any built-up mopping residue. Use a white eraser sponge to remove stubborn scuff marks on white painted baseboards. For everything else use Biokleen.
- Cabinets and Woodwork – Kitchen cabinets are prone to all sorts of grease, grime and gunk simply from being in the kitchen. A dash of BioKleen on a wet cloth works well to remove any deeply hidden dirt and marks. Want step-by-step instructions? Check out How to Clean Cupboards by Clean Mama.
2. Finish your Floors – Hand-mopping is the best way to be sure that your floor is completely clean. Prepare a small bucket with warm water and cap full of Biokleen. Use a microfiber cloth, wring almost dry, fold and you’re ready to start. Buff the floor with a dry cloth immediately after washing. What’s your favorite method and cleaner for your floors? Do you use Mrs. Meyer’s or Ecover? Here are ten awesome floor cleaning products worth checking out!
3. Clean Carpets and Upholstery – We recommend choosing a non toxic approach when it comes to getting your carpets and upholstery cleaned. It’s safer for your home environment and for the planet. NewAge is a local natural and organic carpet and upholstery cleaning service. They do an absolutely fantastic job keeping it green and clean! Check them out if you live in the Rogue Valley! Tell them we sent you!
4. Oven Cleaning Magic – Who likes cleaning the oven? No one! Try this method to make it a little more pleasant. Cleaning the oven after months of roasting and baking is a delight with theses quick and easy cleaning steps.
Self-Cleaning Oven
- Remove the oven racks. Place them in a sink full of warm soapy water.
- Turn on the oven’s self-cleaning mode – The oven will clean itself for 2 to 6 hours, during which the grease and burnt food will turn into a light gray ash. Let the oven cool for at least 2 hours following the cleaning cycle.
- Open the oven door – Sweep out the ashes with a small brush and dustpan or vacuum. Spray with an all purpose cleaner and wipe the oven clean with a wet rag.
- Use a scraper or pumice stone soaked in water along with Bon Ami to remove any leftover carbon.
- Glass Door clean with Soft Scrub and Bon Ami on a damp rag. This will work away any build up in the oven.
- Clean the oven racks – Scrub the oven racks with scouring pad in the soapy water. Rinse, dry, then replace them in the oven. If your sink is to small use an all purpose cleaner and an SOS pad.
Non-Self-Cleaning Ovens
- Remove the oven racks. Place them in a sink full of warm water mixed with a few drops of dish-washing liquid to soak. Scrub the oven racks in the soapy water. Rinse them off and dry them. If your sink is too small use an all purpose cleaner and an SOS pad.
- Make a cleaning solution. Load a 1-liter spray bottle with 4 tablespoons (56.7 g) of baking soda and fill the rest with water. Shake the spray bottle to dissolve the baking soda.
- Spray down the oven. Spray the interior of a cold oven, focusing on the charred and stained areas until the carbon is completely saturated. Allow it to sit for an hour.
- Remove the loosened carbon Use Bon Ami with a wet SOS pad. Keep scraping until the carbon is gone.
- Cleaning Oven Glass Soft Scrub and little Bon Ami on a damp cloth will de-grease and clean up your window to a sparkling shine.
- Wipe down the oven once more with a solution of half vinegar, half water. At this point the interior of your oven should be clean. Return racks to your oven and it’s ready to enjoy!
5. Cleaning Your Refrigerator and keeping it clean isn’t a herculean task if you follow these tips:
- Remove all food from the refrigerator – this will allow you to clean all the corners and crevices.
- Remove any fridge drawers or shelves and soak in warm water mixed with dish washing soap.
- Use a mixture of warm water and dish washing liquid to wipe the interior.
- Sprinkle some baking soda on stubborn stains, and scrub to remove.
- Use a non-abrasive sponge to remove sticky, caked-on spills, and an old toothbrush for getting into crevices.
6. Shower – The place where we get clean can get dirty and dingy in a hurry. Removing minerals & soap buildup is fast and easy with a DIY soft scrub and Bon Ami. These two ingredients are packed full of stain-fighting and whitening power!
- Wet down your shower surfaces. Apply your soft scrub onto a wet cloth, working from top to bottom. Begin gently scrubbing the tub or shower walls, working your way to the bottom.
- Grab your scrub brush and and start to add in Bon Ami powder, working back over all surfaces. Rinse to find areas that still need attention and continue until the scum is gone.
7. Toilet – Let’s face it this is not anyone’s favorite job, but removing mineral buildup will not only help with bathroom aesthetics, it will also help to keep your bathroom smelling fresh for longer with a lot less maintenance.
- Pour Soft Scrub into the toilet, rub around the bowl and let it sit for 30 min. Next, take a pumice stone soaked in warm water and rubber gloves! Once the gloves are on start scrubbing any buildup. It’s very important make sure the surface and pumice are always wet to avoid scratching the porcelain.
- Next, once you see the stain is gone, flush the toilet and your throne should be sparkling clean and fit for a king or queen!
8. Cleaning Hard-To-Reach Spaces – You may think your home is pristine, with the dishes washed and the counters wiped down, but think about the last time you cleaned these hard to reach areas. It’s time to confront those dark, out-of-sight places and shine some light behind the furniture where dirt and grime love to hide. Seriously deep clean your home with these simple tips!
- Pulling out furniture – When was the last time you moved your couch to clean the space beneath? Unless you have some help, don’t do it alone. What you can do in the meantime is take the handle of a broom and pull out any items that may have found their way there. Kids and pets hide lots of treasure under furniture. You never know what you might find! Then vacuum or sweep up any dust.
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Tackle the Wires – The wires between your computer, phones and your entertainment center are a magnet for dust build up. First, unplug all cords before cleaning, then use a damp cloth to remove dust from cables and under your devices. You’ll feel better, and your devices will too.
- Bathroom Fan – these get super dusty. They run for a long time and suck up tons of dust. The next time you’re cleaning, use your vacuum with brush attachment to suck up the dust. Wipe down with a damp cloth and you’re ready for some fresher air!
One thing I will point out, is that a tool I’ve mentioned an awful lot is a vacuum cleaner. Mine is a complete godsend, so if you don’t have you you need to take a look at reviews on sites like All Great Vacuums. Once you’ve had a look around and found one that suits you, get it. It will make your life a whole lot easier!
What other spring cleaning tips do you use to keep your home fresh? Reply in the comments section with suggestions or questions. We’re here to help!
Now, let’s get out there and clean the heck out of Spring!
Happy Cleaning!
~ The Cleaning Crew
Kick start spring cleaning with these six easy cleaning tips. Your home will feel instantly fresh and clean, and YOU will be a Spring Cleaning Super Hero!
1. Cleaning Drapes and Blinds
Your drapes and blinds may look clean, but they can collect a surprising amount of dust, oil, pollution, smoke, pollen and bacteria. Yuck! Cleaning your window treatments regularly will help to remove grime and keep unwanted allergens at bay. Here’s how
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Blinds – Use a cloth with BioKleen for an easy dust fighting solution.
Mix one to two capfuls of BioKleen with one gallon of water, and moisten your cloth with the solution. Clean blinds by wiping the cloth along both sides of the window slats to remove dust and buildup. Repeat the process on every slat until the dust is gone.
* This cleaning trick is safe for wood, plastic and metal surfaces
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Drapes – Weekly care: gently shake drapes once a day and vacuum once a month to keep dirt and dust from lodging in the fabric.
Machine wash drapes using the short, gentle cycle. Use cool water and mild detergent and line dry or tumble dry on a delicate or air setting. Once draperies are dry, touch them up with your iron if necessary by pressing on the reverse side of the drapes.
* Have a professional cleaner dry-clean your drapes that are not washable. Check product labeling for directions for your drapes
2. Easy Pet hair removal
We all love our pets! Hey, they’re family right?! But they can leave truckloads of pet hair everywhere! Here’s a surprisingly quick and easy solution to remove pet hair from your furniture.
- Rubber gloves or latex gloves are great pet hair removers. Simply dampen the rubber glove and run your hand over the cloth surface to attract the pet hair and rinse gloves off as needed. If you don’t have rubber gloves handy, try a slightly wet rag instead. The glove will give you more control than a strip of tape and is far more effective, as gloves include Zinc Carbonate BPC, which is used as a layer to protect the rubber and give it its transparency. If you’re worried about moisture damaging your furniture, test this method on a small area before going at the whole couch! Be inspired with this how to video from Clean My Space
3. Cleaning refrigerator coils & pan pull out
Once a year, this maintenance chore will do more than any other to extend the life of your refrigerator and keep it operating efficiently all year.
- Unplug the refrigerator, and then move the unit away from the wall.
- Pull the drip pan out from under the refrigerator and empty it. Soak it in warm, sudsy water in the sink while you tend to the rest of the job.
- To clean the coils, remove the cover panel and gently vacuum the coils with a long-narrow vacuum attachment.
- Return the clean drip pan and cover back onto the refrigerator.
- Before you push the unit back into place, clean the wall behind the refrigerator and vacuum the floor where the dirt has fallen.
- Plug the refrigerator in and return it to its usual spot. Turn on the refrigerator and freezer. It should be cold within about 15 minutes.
If you have a fridge with a water dispenser built in, part of your regular maintenance should be checking the filter as they do need replacing from time to time. To help in the purchasing of a new one, use this review of some good options.
4. Cleaning the dishwasher
Learn how to clean your dishwasher with vinegar and baking soda to keep it running efficiently and smelling fresh! Check out Tidy Mom’s helpful step-by-step instructions.
5. Easy drain cleaner tip
Try a Natural enzyme drain cleaner! You can simply use a store bought or homemade disinfectant spray. Its powerful, enzyme-based formula will break down drain-clogging elements. This also helps prevent further clogs by removing years of buildup in your kitchen disposal and washing machine. Also try lemon peels in your garbage disposal, it will keep it running fresh and clean . . . naturally! If your drains are too clogged to manage by yourself then you can get a Tucson plumbing company in to help unblock them.
6. Give your garbage a shower
Cleaning the kitchen trash can is a household to-do that’s easily overlooked. Follow these quick and easy steps to better smelling garbage.
- Rinse Take your empty trash can outside and spray it with a hose. Right now, you’re just trying to remove big pieces of food and debris.
- Disinfect – If your trash can has only a slight odor, try spritzing vinegar onto the can, which will absorb the smell. For a trash cans with a stronger odor, use an enzyme-based cleaner. Whichever one you choose, be sure to spray the entire trash can, including the bottom and inside.
- Scrub and rinse. Scrub all areas of your trashcan using an all-natural cleanser such as Biokleen and then rinse thoroughly. Pat dry with a towel or if possible air-dry your trashcan outside in the sunlight to eradicate any remaining bacteria or mold.
There you go! Six super quick spring cleaning tips that are easy to do and will help to keep your home sparkling clean.
What are a few of your favorite spring cleaning tips?
Happy Cleaning!
Washing the porch and patio
After a Southern Oregon winter, your porch and patio could use a quick clearing of debris, by attaching a sprayer to your garden hose. Be sure to rinse the buildup of foliage in the hard to reach corners when cleaning. For a deeper clean, have the porch, eaves, walkways, and side of the house power washed.
- Door frame – With a damp cloth wipe clean around the door frame and handle.
- Window tracks – Use a vacuum cleaner to remove the grit and dirt that collects in the window tracks and wipe with a damp cloth.
- Screens – If you have a screened in porch, vacuum the screens to remove dirt and allergens. Fill a bucket with soapy water and wipe down the screens using a rag.
- Glass – Spray glass cleaner on both sides, then using a microfiber cloth or rag, polish to a streak free shine!
- All outdoor light fixtures can be cleaned using a soapy rag.
Patio umbrellas, awnings, and other outdoor furniture- Umbrellas – Use a gentle cleanser like Biokleen to avoid wearing away the exterior coating. Mix Biokleen with warm water and use a scrub brush to remove dirt and mildew. For tough stains, repeat the process with a mixture of bleach and warm water, (always do a patch test on an unseen swatch of fabric first to ensure the color won’t be affected).
- Awnings – Biokleen and warm water is perfect for awnings. Rinse, extend it and scrub in the mixture. Rinse again and allow the outdoor awnings to air dry. As awnings tend to collect dust and wind blown debris, repeat this process several times throughout the season and always before storing. To prevent mildew, extend awnings and allow them to dry completely after each rain.
- Upholstery – For removable pillow cases and cushion covers, wash them in cold water and allow them to air dry. For pieces that require hand washing, use a mild soap and water mixture, rinse, and air dry. To combat stubborn mildew stains, dilute two tablespoons of bleach in a gallon of water and scrub in with a soft brush.
1. Using a wire brush to clean the grate, brush out the ashes and cooked on foods.
2. Scrape the bottom of the grill to remove the caked on debris.
3. Fill a bucket with warm soapy water and give it a good scrub down.
Now it’s time to relax and unwind in your freshly clean outdoor space!
~ The Cleaning Crew
Summer is nearly in full swing once more in Southern Oregon, and while some folks have already completed the yearly ritual of clearing out the closets and deep cleaning the house, others are still contemplating the task ahead. It can be hard to keep a clean home for your family especially if it gets messy again not long after! But there are professionals out there that can help change that, by doing a thorough and good clean job for you so that the bits in-between are easier on you and your family to complete.
We are always happy to take on the bulk of spring cleaning for our clients, and we are just a phone call away. However, if you are tackling the job yourself, or would like to brush up on organizing tips and ideas before cracking open the overstuffed closets and drawers and shaking out the dust of winter, we have searched the web for articles to help motivate and inspire.
1) Housekeeping.org – a great blog with plenty of links to useful articles, some of which include information on homemade housecleaning products, right out of the pantry. Good stuff.
2) Motherearthliving.com – Another great blog, focused on using common, inexpensive, and safe ingredients for house cleaning, such as lemon, salt, and vinegar.
3) Oprah.com – And last, but not least, a step by step breakdown of completing the entire house in 8 hours or less, though this of course will depend on the size of your house, and the level of grime and clutter. I am a bit suspicious of the 8 hour promise in this article, but included it anyway, as dusting walls and ceilings and airing mattresses are mentioned; very important for reducing the presence of dust and allergens in the home.
If you are short on time and energy for spring cleaning, don’t hesitate to give us a call, we are happy to help!
As always, we tailor our housecleaning services to each situation, and specialize in accommodating the particular needs of our clients.
We wish you the best in your spring cleaning endeavors!
