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When it comes to home maintenance, the cost of restoring often exceeds preventative care and that’s because what may be only a small problem now could become a big one later. Neglecting to clear a leaf-choked gutter could result in wood rot and spread mildew. A poorly maintained heating system may eventually spew toxic fumes or stop working entirely on a cold day. And cracks in walls and windows (besides creating nasty drafts) are an open invitation to pests and water.
Annual fall maintenance is more than convenience; it’s also a smart investment strategy. Many homeowners are getting their homes professionally inspected in the fall and keeping a running record. Everyone needs a history of their home, and when you go to sell, having one could make or break the deal. It helps prospective buyers see evidence of the repairs you’ve made over the years. Every time you make repairs or renovations, it’s a good idea to take a video or photo of the results and save the details in your computer.
Although you should call a specialist for certain jobs, here are jobs you can do yourself.

Clean gutters and drainage spouts.

Protect yourself first by always wearing gloves—animals or insects can hide in gutters. A gutter scoop is a convenient tool for removing leaves and other debris. Then place the garden hose in the downspout to flush it out.

Inspect your roof.

Look for signs of deterioration (loose shingles, rotting wood, cracks, etc.). Carefully trim heavy branches that are hanging over your roof. (A falling branch could hurt someone, cause a blackout or damage your roof. If you’re using your chimney, flying sparks could possibly ignite overhanging branches.) If the branches are near power lines, call a professional tree-trimming company to do the trimming; they may need to ask your power company to temporarily disconnect your power before they start working.

Check all windows and doors.

Remove summer screens and install storm windows and doors. Inspect and repair any loose or damaged windows or door frames. Install weather stripping or caulking around windows and doors to reduce drafts too. If you discover signs of deterioration such as moisture on surrounding walls or dry-rot damage, call a certified home inspector or restoration specialist immediately.

Clean your heating system.

Replace the filters in your furnace.  Check for air leakage around the joints. And consider having an air-conditioning and heating specialist check your entire system before winter sets in. If you don’t already have one, install a carbon-monoxide detector near all appliances that burn fossil fuel, but be sure you install it in an area where you’ll hear the alarm if it’s triggered.

Check the smoke detector.

Some people wait until they reset their clocks during Daylight Savings Time to inspect their smoke detectors, but if you missed it in the spring, don’t wait another month—check them now. Press the button to make sure it beeps and replace batteries if necessary. Most smoke detectors signal with an automatic beep when the battery gets low, but it’s always good to check on an annual basis. Smoke detectors should be replaced every 10 years; batteries should be replaced every six months.

Secure the cracks.

From skunks to insects to other critters, your home can fall prey to unwanted invaders. Before they start seeking shelter from the cold, inspect the perimeter of your house for cracks or holes where they could enter and then seal well. Clean and lubricate the garage-door hinges, rollers and tracks to make sure the door closes securely. If you detect evidence of animal activity, such as urine odors, unexplained gnaw marks, feces or footprints, consult an exterminator.

Am I the only one who noticed that lately everyone seems to be having babies?!?! Talk about a baby boom! Being a parent is certainly a full time hands on and even sometimes challenging job. We here at Minch Professional Cleaning Service want to find ways to help make things easier on everyone. Here are a few things we recommend to help keep the germs away from your baby.

Toxic Chemicals: Always remember that the toxic effects of chemicals hit a baby or young child harder than they do adults because they are so small. Keeping a baby safe from the effects of toxic cleaners yet their room clean requires a bit of diligence and know how.

Disinfect: Babies put things in their mouths. Please make certain your baby’s pacifiers, sippy cups, teething rings etc are not made in China as many of these products contain lead. Never disinfect baby items with bleach or standard disinfectants. Disinfectants other than food grade distilled white vinegar and hydrogen peroxide are laden with toxic chemicals that cause far more serious ailments than the germs they supposedly kill.

Make sure your vinegar is food grade otherwise it is made from petroleum. Vinegar has been proven to kill more germs than bleach. To sanitize your baby’s pacifiers, teething rings and sippy cup lids, soak them in a 50/50 solution of water to vinegar. Then wipe them down with hydrogen peroxide and rinse with water. Don’t even think of outsmarting my system and mix the vinegar and peroxide together. The two mixed together neutralize the germ killing ability of the other.

Disinfect: Vinegar and peroxide are the best way to clean and disinfect baby’s room and things like diaper pails. Wipe down surfaces with the vinegar solution followed by the peroxide. Always date your peroxide when you purchase it. Any peroxide more than six months old has deteriorated past its prime. Use old peroxide to remove spit up off baby’s clothes or instead of bleach in your washer.

Essential Oil: When cleaning baby’s room with the vinegar solution add a drop of Pine or Rosemary essential oil. They are excellent cleaners as well as deodorizers, disinfectants and antiseptics. When you purchase essential oils buy only organic, Therapeutic, cold-pressed oils. Make certain they don’t contain filler oils and store the remaining bottle in the refrigerator in a closed container.

When washing baby’s cloths and blankets, do not use fabric softeners or dryer sheets as the chemicals soak into their skin and cause irritations. Instead pour 2/3 of a cup of food grade distilled white vinegar into the cup dispenser for fabric softener. It’s cheaper, works better and won’t soak into the skin where it can build up and cause health issues later in life.

Of course we recommend our maintenance cleans to help keep your entire house clean. We offer services where all green products are used for your child’s safety. Have a great week!

Are you wondering what to get your sweetheart this Valentine’s Day? Having a hard time coming up with something he/she will really love? No need to worry any further! We can help you with that! Did you know that Minch Professional Cleaning Services, LLC offers gift cards? Let’s be honest, who wouldn’t want the gift of a nice clean home to sit back and relax in? Our gift cards are offered in any denomination you prefer. Not sure how much to get your gift card for? No need to worry about that either. We have trained professionals available at the office who can help with that too. See how easy we can make this for you! Just pick up the phone and call today because Valentine’s Day is just around the corner 🙂

Minch Professional Cleaning Service, LLC is starting a new rewards program for it’s customers. It is a simple way for our customers to earn back money as they spend it. For every $25 a customer spends on a service, they earn $1 in Minch Money. Once customers have earned $25 in Minch Money, they can use that money on any of our services. One important thing to remember is that you can only use one $25 Minch Money at a time. In addition it can not be combined with any other offer.

Minch Professional Cleaning Service, LLC offers many different services. We do residential cleaning, commercial cleaning and construction cleanup. In addition, we also handle maintenance on all types of flooring including stripping, buffing, and waxing. Our staff is fully trained in all areas to ensure our services provided are the very best we can provide. Residential cleaning can be done on a weekly, bi-weekly and monthly maintenance cleaning schedule. Commercial cleaning is done on an as-needed basis which is typically set by the customer, and it can vary anywhere from multiple times a week to once a month. We schedule around the needs of our customers.

When the team at Minch Professional Cleaning Service, LLC decided to develop a rewards program, it was done with the intention of showing appreciation to their customers. Many of the current customers have been with the company for a long time, so it was important to find a way to show how much we appreciate them and their dedication to us. We all know times are a little tougher right now and the economy has it’s struggles, so this was a way to say that we understood that and that we value every single customer no matter how long or short they have been with us.

We have all said it at least once in our lives. “This year I resolve to get my house organized and clean.” It sounds really good when we say it too. Problem is actually following through with the statement. We know that we really do have great intentions but typically they start out strong only to fizzle as time goes on. Maybe it’s because we don’t actually set a plan up to use and follow up with. Well we want to help with that. We have put together a plan of action for you to follow so you can keep up with it. We know life gets crazy at times, but we simplified this plan as best as we could to help keep your home clean and organized.

This plan that we developed will help you distinguish between daily, weekly and monthly cleaning necessities as well as set organization goals. And the best part is if you happen to veer off course, its pretty simple to hop back on track. We recommend writing it out, maybe on a dry erase board. Truth is your less likely to forget about it, if it’s placed in a highly visible location. Here is a list of how we broke it down for you:

Daily:
There are a few things that should really be done on a daily basis. These things are simple and can be done throughout the day. They are: make the bed, put all dirty clothes into the hamper, wipe down sinks and counters in bathroom, open mail then toss/organize as needed, wipe down sinks and counters in kitchen, wash all dirty dishes, spot vacuum or sweep high traffic areas (if needed), and pick up any toys/clutter around the house.

Weekly:
Typically weekly chores have an assigned day to complete them. Assigning them to a certain day helps create a routine and in turn your more likely to keep up with them. Things to complete weekly are: laundry, changing bed linens, scrub stove top, clean kitchen appliances, disinfect counter tops, doorknobs and handles in kitchen and bathrooms, wipe down all mirrors throughout house, wash/clean any throw rugs, deep clean shower walls and tub in the bathroom, scrub toilets in bathrooms, dust all furniture throughout the house, vacuum all carpeting, sweep and mop all floors, sort through any paperwork that has accumulated during the week (file what needs to be and trash the rest).

Monthly:
Monthly cleaning is when you really have to get down and dirty. No it’s not fun but at least it’s only once a month. The things that need cleaning monthly are: clean the refrigerator inside and out, clean all ceiling fans, wash all floorboards, vacuum all furniture, wipe down walls as needed, dust all air vents, clean windows throughout the house, clean office areas (keyboards, monitors, etc), organize any family rooms or kids toys, and organize your paperwork that you have filed already (keep whats needed, trash what is not).

Organization Goals:
If you have an area or more that you want to get really cleaned up and organized, set up a realistic goal to achieve with it. Pick a day of the week and a time limit to work on it. For example maybe every Thursday for 2 hours you clean up the attic. Keeping it realistic is important. Life happens but it will happen much smoother if you are clean and organized.

We here at Minch Professional Cleaning Services, LLC would like to wish you and all of your families a Happy Healthy New Year! We hope 2013 is good to everyone!

We here at Minch Professional Cleaning Services, LLC would like to send our deepest condolences to the families and the community that were affected by the tragedy in Newtown, CT. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you during these very difficult and trying times.

Many of us find that as we grow older, the roles change with our parents. Suddenly we become the caretakers (like a parent) and they need us more and more everyday. And if you are the caretaker, your well aware that it is quite a task. You will find old books/magazines, musty linens and clothes all while navigating through their clutter. And that’s just a start. You can only imagine what you will find in the refrigerator. The reason why it is so important to go through everything for them and de-clutter their home is because living in a chaotic environment provides major risks for aging adults. So when you are ready to tackle cleaning their home, here is a checklist of a few things you wont want to forget:

~ throw away any and all expired food in the freezer/refrigerator.
~ clear objects off of all stairways and walkways.
~ dispose of any outdated medications and expired cleaners/beauty products.
~ make sure all handrails are securely anchored to the walls, that all carpets are secured to the ground, and all the rugs lay flat on the floor.
~ wash or replace soiled bedding, mattress pads, and pillow covers.
~ clean any mold/mildew in bathroom.
~ Look for water damage and mold throughout the house.
~ wash or replace musty curtains, blinds and draperies.
~ check for dusty/moldy walls, ceilings and corners of rooms especially because they can cause respiratory problems along with dusty ventilation and ceiling fans.

Keep in mind that when you are doing this for your loved one, it is very important to include them in the process. As overwhelming as it is for you, its the same way for your loved one. The key to it all is to not put it off! Just about everyone who has been through this ordeal have all said the same thing, wished they would have started sooner!

The battle of donating/selling/tossing items versus keeping them will be tough. For your loved ones, it is more about the memories then the physical items. A good tip for this situation is to take a picture of them. It may be easier for them to donate once they realize the memory has been captured. You could even create a fun photo album for them with some old and new photos for memory’s sake. And for the pile of knick knacks that your loved ones swear will be worth millions in 20 years, try some elegant boxing/packing. Get sturdy boxes, carefully label the contents and relocate the prized items to a basement or storage unit. Nine times out of ten, they will never ask about or to see those items again, but they will feel reassured they are in a safe place. And as the saying goes, when mamma’s happy, everyone is happy!

We have all been there.  Your sitting around either watching TV or playing on the computer, and then a phone call comes saying “We’re in the neighborhood, and are going to stop by”.  Wait.  What?!  You realize your home is no where near ready for company!  So the panic sets in!  Then you start running things through your head “I have to straighten up the bathroom, but I have dishes in the sink, oh and the living room needs to be vacuumed”.   Yep we are pretty sure everyone has experienced this some point. And with the holidays being here, it is definitely more likely to happen now then ever.   So we wanted to give everyone a quick guide to helping you get through that crazy stress.  And who knows maybe you will only need 1 glass of wine by the time they actually arrive instead of 3.

1. All hands on deck!  Anyone who is home has to help out.  Consider having everyone meet in one area, like the kitchen, then delegate the chores as necessary.  Some areas to focus on are the main bathroom, the entry way, and the main living area.  Try to get rid of any clutter in those areas as well.  Don’t forget to make sure all your toiletries are stocked as well as clean hand towels in the bathroom.
2. Always have either cinnamon rolls or slice and bake chocolate chip cookies in your refrigerator.  You can easily bake them in a minute’s notice.
3. Get yourself dressed!   We usually get so caught up with prepping our home then we forget we are still in our pajamas and maybe haven’t even brushed our hair yet.  Have no fear,   jeans, a sweatshirt and a baseball hat will do just fine!
4. Why not have some music playing to set the tone!  Dock you iPod or turn on your radio and set it to a low/medium volume.  Holiday music is always a great choice this time of year or try to go with something a little milder then your child’s choice of Gangnam Style.

    

We know its much easier to read this list and think to use it next time then to actually use it.  But we wanted to find a way to help or at least try too.   Just remember no one is perfect and neither is their home.   A messy home is a home that is filled with love and loved ones.  And sometimes its better to have a lived in home, then an empty home.