During house cleaning in Bucks County, homeowners may be surprised to know they are focusing on the wrong areas. Many people may believe the bathroom is the dirtiest room in the house for obvious reasons, but believe it or not the kitchen surpasses the bathroom with flying colors. Sinks, stoves, counters, and coffee makers all surpass toilets and showers as the grossest spots you can find in a modern house or apartment.
The reason is food preparation spreads a tremendous number of germs, especially if you’re a meat-eater. The kitchen is a high traffic area and germs spread even from purses and grocery bags touching the counter. Make sure to wash counters every day and after all food preparation with hot, soapy water and then rinse.
Kitchen sinks are notoriously germ-filled, even more so than bathroom sinks. You may not realize it, but the kitchen sink gets more use than the bathroom sink, and between the runoff from hand washing, dirty dishes, and residue from raw food particles, they can contain more bacteria than public toilets, which are regularly cleaned and disinfected. Though this may horrify you to no end, the simple solution is to just take some time to scrub the entire surface of the sink once or twice a week. Use hot water and soap and be sure to remove all traces of coffee grinds, egg residue, and other food particles.
Make no mistake, bathrooms need plenty of cleaning, but don’t be fooled into thinking the kitchen is pristine because the sink don’t stink. With our house cleaning service in Princeton and Bucks County, PA, Minch Professional Cleaning LLC can help you keep the whole house clean and comfortable.
Keeping bathrooms clean is important and should be done often, but you may be uncomfortable with constantly spraying potentially harmful chemicals in such a frequently used room. A 50/50 vinegar and water mix is perfectly safe and effective in cleaning many different surfaces.
To clean mirrors with this solution, you can fashion a rag from old t-shirts or newspapers, but the ideal method is to wipe with microfiber cloths – one wet and one dry. You’ll be surprised at the results you’ll get without the use of any chemicals.
The vinegar and water mix is also effective for cleaning counters, tiles, and even soap scum in showers and tubs. For very tough stains and grime stuck to showers, try a baking soda and water paste, or baking soda and vinegar for an even stronger solution. Scrub tile grout with hydrogen peroxide and a soft toothbrush to loosen set-in dirt and grime.
Princeton, coat the inside of the bowl with baking soda and pour a cup of white vinegar into the water. Scrub with a toilet brush, and the chemical reaction should remove most stains and odors.
The smell of the delicious pineapple glazed ham fills the house. Don’t forget to grab the biscuits out of the oven before they burn. The table is covered with warm delightful dishes of food you have been preparing all day. The table is set with your very best dishware and china. Everything is ready. Then you walk back into the kitchen and it hits you. Oh look at this mess! As wonderful as everything looks and smells, you realize it will not be as wonderful cleaning up the mess. Ideally a cleaning service would come in and take care of that for you, but in case that is not an option we want to give you a few tips to help you out.
Here are a few steps to help keep things in order as you go:
– Keep the refrigerator cleaned out as you go
– Keep the sink filled with warm soapy water
– Clean up each station as you go
– Try to cook cleanly
– Keep a dish towel on you at all times
– Use any wait/down time to clean up anything you haven’t got to yet
– Clear out the clutter
– Run the dishwasher as often as needed
No one wants to spend their holiday evening cleaning up. Try to keep up with the mess as you cook. Then you will be able to sit down and enjoy the yummy baked apple pie with your loved ones!
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 🙂
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!
There are many things to consider when choosing a cleaning service for your home or place of business. It is very important to be thorough and ask lots of questions especially since after all, your placing a lot of trust in the company. Some of the questions we recommend are:
How long has the company been in business?
Is it a privately owned company or a franchise?
Does the company have proper insurance and liability coverage?
How many cleaners per team and do they same cleaners come back to your home each time?
Do they complete background checks, drug testing, and reference checks on the staff?
Can they provide with a list of what is completed each clean?
What types of things are considered extra services? Are oven, refrigerators, and windows included? If not what are the costs of those things
Does they cleaning service provide the tools needed for the clean or does the customer provide them?
What forms of payment are accepted?
How is the schedule done? Do they give exact times? Do they do reminder/confirmation calls?
Always remember to never be afraid to ask any question. Check with the Better Business Bureau. Get the company’s references. Ask them to provide a proof of insurance, liability and bonding. This is your home/business and it is very important that you feel 100% comfortable with the company. Trust and communication are the keys to a successful relationship of any kind.
Most of the time, a marble floor needs very little maintenance. However, neglecting it will tarnish the way it looks even though neglecting it does not usually affect how long it lasts. Therefore, if you take care of your marble floor and perform habitual maintenance, any other type of flooring you may buy in the future will not compare to the radiance and timeless beauty of your well-maintained marble floor.
1—You should perform standard maintenance with a natural detergent in water
When it comes time to gathering your cleaning equipment it should include a mop or a floor polishing/scrubbing machine. If you want to use a machine, the pads should be of the synthetic type and never metal fibers, as splinters may disconnect and cause rust marks to show up on the surface of the marble floor.
2—A good approach to preserving marble floors is to make the use of a program similar to that of taking care of regular tile floors
When it comes to stripping, a conventional stripper is ideal. Any pads you use for stripping should be placid scrubbing pads. The black pad generally utilized for stripping may scratch marble surfaces.
Although not required, a sealer may be applied to protect the grout. The surface may then be finished with an acrylic polymer metal-linked polish. If your cleaning equipment includes a team of easily-applied products, you will save time, and when the floor finish is buffed/burnished, the maximum beauty of the marble floor will be there to enjoy.
3—For daily maintenance, a neutral type of cleaner should be used on the finish or the marble itself.
A polished marble floor can be gorgeous and long lasting, but only with suitable care and maintenance procedures.
Due to its level of acidity, white distilled vinegar can be used as a household cleanser. Also, white distilled vinegar is effective in killing most mold, bacteria, and germs because of its acidity.
Cleaning with white distilled vinegar can be considered an ingenious way to stay away from using harsh chemicals that could cause damage to your home amenities and your health. White distilled vinegar is also environmentally friendly and very economical.
Following are some tips and suggestions on how you can use white distilled vinegar as a cleaning agent within you home:
Make Your Own Window Cleaning Solution
Combine 1/2 cup non-sudsy ammonia, 1 cup white distilled vinegar, and 2 tablespoons cornstarch in a gallon of water.
Make Your Own Scouring Cleanser
Combine 1/4 cup baking soda with 1 tablespoon liquid detergent. Add “just enough” white distilled vinegar to give it a thick but creamy consistency.
To Make An Economical And Environmentally-friendly Floor Cleaner
Blend together a solution of 3 drops dishwashing liquid to 1/3 part white distilled vinegar, 1/3 part alcohol, and 1/3 part water. Spray it in moderation and mop for a fast clean-up.
Clean and Deodorize A Drain
Pour in 1 cup baking soda, then one cup hot white distilled vinegar. Let the concoction rest for about five minutes and then pour hot water down the drain.
Deodorize the Toilet Bowl
Let 3 cups of hite distilled vinegar rest in your toilet bowl for about a half hour before you flush it.
Remove Some Carpet Stains
With a paste of 2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar and 1/4 cup salt or baking soda. Rub into the carpet stain and let it dry. Twenty-four hours later, vacuum up the residue the next day—this should help in removing the stain. (Make sure to always test on a hidden part of the carpet first)
Not only is dusting essential for you to have a clean home, but eradicating the dust produced from pet dander, pollen, and other substances can actually help to reduce the possibilities that you or a member of your family will have allergies. So, as you dust, remember this tip—left to right—top to bottom—no backtracking!
Dusting Tips
You can make the use of used fabric softener sheets for dusting as opposed to using the more expensive cloths. Remember to look up at the ceiling, in the corners and overhead light fixtures, and skylights for those irritating cobwebs that may sporadically come falling down when you have guests over! Also, don’t forget to dust you ceiling fans—lots of dust regularly accumulates on them!
On Fighting Hidden Dirt…
When it comes to dusting baseboards, you can put on old socks, spray a bit of cleaning fluid on them, and then slide your feet along the baseboard (sticking your toes into corners to get the hard-to-reach dust!) Besides cleaning, this method is also good for getting some exercise!
Pleated Shades, Miniblinds, and Louvered Doors…
To eradicate dust, wipe a new paintbrush over the slats vertically, then horizontally. After you are done, clean your brush.
Skylights…
Realistically, most of the time you cannot get your vacuum to reach these areas, so you can use a mop, broom handle, or a fishing pole and cover it with an old shirt to clean them.
Air vents…
Fuzzy dust and cobwebs stick to heating and air conditioning vents. Make sure that you vacuum carefully to suck up any dust.
Dishwasher…
Yup, the inside of your dishwasher gathers dirt, dust, and gook! To remedy this you can pour a cup (more or less) of household vinegar into the bottom and run the cycle to clean.
Finally, make sure to remember this vital tip before you start!
–Work left to right—top to bottom—no backtracking!-
Hiring a cleaning service that you can depend on does not have to be a daunting process.
In fact, here are some tips to take into consideration as you begin your search for a cleaning service:
1. Ask some of your friends and neighbors for recommendations. You can also look through the Yellow Pages for a list of cleaning companies. When you begin to call, ask each one for a list of their references and estimates. Also, do not forget to call the references!
2. Determine exactly which tasks you need the professional cleaning service to perform, and communicate those needs. You will save yourself a considerable amount of time and money by making your preferences known.
3. Ask the companies to come to your home for an on-premise interview because this will allow the service provider to determine the magnitude of the job and their price to clean your home in regards to your needs. You may also want to make a list of the chores you need performed in your home and ask the service representative to review the list to make sure there are no chores they can’t do for you.
4. Inquire about how long the cleaning service has been in business. In addition, figure out how often you’ll need the company’s services. Finally, obtain (in writing) the specific chores the service will perform, the schedule for their visits, and the price for each visit.
5. Speak with the company about what kinds of supplies they’ll need to clean your home because you may need to purchase some cleaning supplies yourself.
6. Before you hire a company to clean your home, ask for proof of liability insurance, the dollar amount of the company’s insurance, and the expiration date of their coverage.
7. Make sure the company is bonded and insured. This protects you against damaged, stolen, or broken items. Also, ask the company if they have a procedure in place to investigate a lost item.
As the client, always treat individuals who come into your home with respect and dignity as this will make you more likely to get the best services your desire!
