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There are two shows I can turn on any time and I will start cleaning my house without even realizing I'm doing it. It may begin with wiping down a counter, but if it turns out to be a marathon, my whole kitchen will be spotless by the third episode.

Do I need this sort of motivation? Need is a strong word, so, probably not. 
Do I want it? Yes, please.

I have rarely been self-motivated in the cleaning department (my best friend of the last decade would tell you this is an eye-roll worthy understatement) and I love anything that's free or a great deal. It's a dangerous combination, I'll take all the help I can get. Luckily, both of my motivators are readily available for instant viewing on Netflix, whenever I need that extra push.

Bring on the reality tv!

Hoarders: Buried Alive
This one is pretty obvious. Watching people be buried under their own things makes it easy to throw out my things. I have a tendency to collect and, as I recently mentioned, I am not a type A housekeeper. The threat of being avalanched in my own home can feel very real sometimes, even when it's just a pile of clothes I've been meaning to drop off at the local charity thrift for any number of weeks. After about three minutes of watching, those clothes are already dropped off and I have added all the jean skirts and spaghetti strap tank tops I've been harboring due to the delusion that I will somehow magically be 19 all over again some day.

There is now a family joke. Just today, my six year old son has said, "Is this all you're going to watch now? Messy rooms?' When there is clutter leering at me, yes, because I know throwing on Hoarders will get that job done, and usually many more too. That junk drawer will be a well organized, accessible, dream. Those old wine bottles I was going to turn into a chandelier three years ago, and never did, are now properly recycled, and the over flowing box of corks is gone now too. Adios, junk!


read the rest at http://www.huffingtonpost.com/angela-jamene/two-reality-shows-that-pr_b_4258450.html




 
Carpet stains can be extremely difficult to clean.  There are many ways to clean even the worst stains.  Here's a few tips:

Stains from Glue -  Pour rubbing alcohol on it and press a cotton ball on the affected area.  When the glue stain is thoroughly softened, wipe it off with a cloth.  This process may have to be repeated

Wax and Gum Stains -  Ice works miracles for wax or gum stains. Use the ice to make the wax or gum solid. Then use a blunt instrument such as a dull knife to break the hard wax or gum from the carpet.  Vacuum the carpet before the wax or gum begin to soften, then blot the carpet with a white towel. 

For more helpful tips please visit AmericanHouseCleaning.com, a Palo Alto maid service's blog.

http://americanhousecleaning.com/?module=bbmodule&action=view_category&id=17&more=1&subtheme=_none&src=52a61a64b7a8a

 
 
Read this cleaning schedule below to help you create your own: 

To recap, here are my 7 Steps to keeping a clean home…

Step 1 – Kitchen

Step 2 – Floors

Step 3 – Bedrooms

Step 4 – Bathrooms

Step 5 – Laundry

Step 6 – 10 Minute Pick ups

Step 7 – Time Management – Your Schedule

 
Many people don't realize that cleaning granite countertops regularly is crucial to their beautiful appearance.  Day to Day maintenance includes cleaning up spills or anything that gets on the surface.  For tough stains use baking soda.  Every once and a while you should use a sealant to seal your countertops.  This prevents unwanted damage to the pourus surface.

Read the rest of this blog post on this house cleaning service in Redwood City's website.



http://americanhousecleaning.com/?module=bbmodule&action=view_category&id=16&more=1&subtheme=_none&src=528aa84c3a1db
 
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I don’t mind washing floors, it’s instant gratification in the cleaning department and the biggest annoyance about it is moving furniture and the not walking on it until it’s dry part.  But…I’ve been struggling with my hardwoods (I know, not important in the scheme of things, but humor me).  When I say struggling, I mean that I feel I’ve tried just about every natural (and sort of natural) cleaning technique and tool known to hardwoods and while my floors look clean, I have never been completely happy with the finished results.  But…I’m a busy mom, and I like to clean in a hurry and get it over with and get on with my life, so I just washed them the best I could in the shortest amount of time and moved on.  I just felt like I always had some type of residue or something remaining on the floor – I chocked it up to juice, cereal, play-doh, dog slobber…





But the curiousity got the better of me and I tried washing my hardwoods the ‘really old-fashioned way’.  On my hands and knees and with hot water and vinegar.  First of all, I will tell you that I hate the smell of vinegar and smelling like a pickle, so that is why it has taken me so long to get to the point of actually trying to clean my floors this way.   But I gutted it out and guess what?  My floors have never looked cleaner and they stay cleaner for longer.  I had to change the bucket three times as I was washing my floors.  I know that they weren’t that dirty (because I wash them once a week), but I think that there was residue built up from the cleaners that was attracting dirt.  Now when I wash them, I don’t need to rinse the bucket more than once or twice.
I would rather not wash my floors on my hands and knees, but the results were so great that it’s hard not to.  I used a microfiber cloth, wrung almost dry, a little bucket with warm water and white vinegar (you don’t need to use ‘cleaning’ vinegar, this is just what I grabbed at the store).  The correct ratio of water to white vinegar is 1/2 cup white vinegar to 1 gallon of warm/hot water.  You could use a mop and bucket or a microfiber mopping pad.  I’ll be experimenting with the vinegar and water mixture in my refillable mop with microfiber pad, but for now I really enjoyed washing my hardwoods the old-fashioned way.
Tell me – have you been washing your hardwood floors with vinegar all along?  What’s your favorite method and cleaner for your floors?
 
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After being cooped up in a stuffy house all winter long, it’s finally time to fling open the windows, shoo away the cobwebs, and take on your annual spring cleaning. But often, the chemicals found in conventional cleaning products can be more dangerous than the dirt they’re intended to clean. And the way we clean (with lots of disposable paper towels) isn’t exactly earth-friendly. Thankfully, there are many alternatives available that can help you make your home squeaky clean—and green.

Green cleaning products
The last thing you want to do is dump toxic chemicals into the environment in the name of cleaning, right? These days, you don’t have to make a special trip to the natural foods store to seek out environmentally-sensitive cleaning products. Seventh Generation, Method and Biokleen are three companies that make full lines of household cleaners, and you can find them in just about every store. These products work just as well as their conventional counterparts. Or you can stock your natural cleaning kit with homemade cleaners—making them yourself is super easy.

The basic supplies you’ll need to make your own green cleaners include:
  • Distilled white vinegar (sold in the cooking section of most supermarkets)
  • Baking soda
  • Olive oil
  • Borax (sold in a box in the laundry aisle)
  • Liquid castile soap (like Dr. Bronner's brand, found in most natural foods stores)
  • Essential oils (super concentrated natural plant oils found in natural foods stores, usually in the cosmetics section)
  • Microfiber cleaning cloths
  • Newspaper
Here are a few basic “recipes” and techniques to get you started:
  • Glass: Mix 1/4 cup vinegar with 1 quart of water in a spray bottle. Spray on glass and wipe clean with old newspaper or a lint-free cloth.
  • Countertops and bathroom tile: Mix 2 parts vinegar and 1 part baking soda with 4 parts water. Apply with a sponge, scour, and wipe away.
  • Floors: Mix 4 cups of white distilled vinegar with about a gallon of hot water. If desired, add a few drops of pure peppermint or lemon oil for a pleasant scent. After damp mopping the floors, the smell of vinegar will dissipate quickly, leaving behind only the scent of the oil.
  • Wood furniture: Mix equal parts of lemon juice and olive and oil. Apply a small amount to a cloth, and rub onto the furniture in long, even strokes.
  • Toilet bowl cleaner: Sprinkle a toilet brush with baking soda and scrub away! Occasionally disinfect your toilet by scrubbing with borax instead. Wipe the outside of the toilet clean with straight vinegar.
  • Disinfectant: Mix 2 teaspoons borax, 4 tablespoons vinegar, 3 cups hot water, and 1/4 teaspoon liquid castile soap. Wipe on with dampened cloth or use a spray bottle. Wipe clean.
  • Mold and mildew: Wipe with straight vinegar.
  • Air freshener: Sprinkle essential oil on a cotton ball, and stash it in a corner of the room. If you have kids, make sure it is out of their reach as essential oils are very strong and could irritate their skin. Lavender is a relaxing scent that is great for bedrooms, and cinnamon, clove, and citrus oils are great for the rest of the house. You can stash a few in the car too—try peppermint, which may help you to stay alert.
http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/wellness_articles.asp?id=1073
 
The answer is yes.  Many clients worry about this at first, but eventually understand that their is no need to worry.  AmericanHouseCleaning.com uses eco friendly cleaning products that will not harm your household, those who live in it, and animals who live in it.  Eco friendly cleaning products not only smell better, but don't harm our respiratory systems. 

Learn more on this San Francisco cleaning services website. 

http://americanhousecleaning.com/?module=bbmodule&action=view_category&id=14&more=1&subtheme=_none&src=527822abe0b7f
 
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A domestic cleaner is someone who will keep your apartment, condo or home clean. A reliable domestic cleaner is very hard to come by these days. A good and reliable domestic is even harder to find and keep.


How do you go about getting a domestic cleaner? There are a lot of agencies that supply cleaning services for your home or apartment. You can call one of these services and tell them what you need as a cleaning service. When you do this you should have an idea of how many rooms you will need cleaned, how often you want the cleaner to come and what you want the cleaner to do in each room.

Not everyone requires a cleaning service to come on a weekly basis. If you want a cleaner on a daily basis you might consider a live in cleaner or domestic help at least during the week. This person would have to have time off, and perhaps you would have to provide meals also. It would be an arrangement you would have to work out with the agency who supplied the cleaner and the cleaner them self. This domestic helper might also take care of any pets and children on a daily basis.

You want a weekly cleaner to come in if you have a larger home especially if you have several children and pets. A smaller home or apartment might get along with a cleaner that comes on a bi-weekly basis. This would depend on your cleaning requirements. Some homes get dirtier than others.

Even having a cleaning come in once a month is workable in most homes. This person or persons could come in once a month. They could do the heavy cleaning like moving furniture to dust and vacuum. They could wash the windows on an evolving basis. This would be a set or a wall of windows each visit. They could probably handle both the inside and outside of one side of the house each visit.

If you do choose a monthly visit by a cleaner you will have to carefully assess what you need cleaned on each visit. Overloading the cleaner will result in a lot of started tasks but none completed. This will cause both the home owner and the cleaner to be unhappy with the situation. And it may also result in losing your house cleaner. And it certainly will not end up in you having a cleaner home.

Whether you have a cleaner on a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly visit you do need a list or schedule of tasks that need to be completed for each visit. Your requirements may change between visits so you may have to update your list on an ongoing basis. Having a task list makes it easier for the cleaner to schedule his or her time so all the tasks are completed at the end of the visit.

If you work with your cleaner, your cleaner will be willing to work with you.



Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/4790427
 
Read this article about why realtors need a cleaning company on hand:

For realtors, home staging is essentially just merchandising their product for sale. Buying a home is an emotional decision and effective staging can help to evoke the required emotions in the buyer.   It’s all about making the house feel like a home and yet making it aspirational in a sense ie. it’s a step above the home they currently live in.  People generally move to trade up not to to move sideways. Good staging will increase the likelihood that potential buyers will feel an emotional connection to the home.

Does house cleaning play a role in effective staging? Sure it does! Many realtors rank house cleaning at the top of their must-do list when preparing for potential clients.

It is a good idea to use a maid service for a really good deep cleaning which will get to everything — light fixtures, cabinet doors, baseboards, countertops, grout, and appliances. People do look at these and even if they don’t specifically look at the baseboards, if they’re clean they play their part in creating the overall impression of a well-maintained and cared for home. If the house does not sell immediately it is a good idea to keep cleaning wipes, a duster and swiffer handy for quick pick ups. If the house takes quite a while to sell it may become necessary to bring in a maid service for another standard cleaning.

Another very important aspect is to reduce clutter as much as possible. In a home that is on the market but is still being lived in by the family, this can be a challenge. Children must play and life goes on but having designated spaces to pack away toys where they are out of sight and making it easy for the family to keep the home neat will help with staging. To create space in easy to reach cupboards and storage areas, encourage the family to start packing early and prune those items they no longer need and store those they don’t use daily in boxes in the garage. Reducing the clutter gives the home a feeling of spaciousness which contributes to that emotional feeling you want your buyer to get.

Together with good house cleaning, neat and spacious rooms, a few little decor touches can add the flair and ambiance which will complete the staging of the home.

For realtors and property managers wanting to schedule house cleaning services including maid service, window cleaning and carpet cleaning, Bidmycleaning.com is offering  $30 off on your first house cleaning service just enter coupon code BMCRE01 at checkout.

http://blog.bidmycleaning.com/?p=249