Monthly Archives: June 2016

7 Tips for Summer Cleaning and Home Maintenance

7 Tips for Summer Cleaning and Home Maintenance

As that warm weather (in most places) rolls around this year, cleaning and managing your home for upcoming family gatherings and guests can be a little hectic when first kicking off the season.

Summer cleaning doesn’t have to be an undesirable task, in fact, you should take pride in your home, so check out the following 7 pieces of advice and tips for maximizing your summer cleaning efforts!

1. Get the little ones involved! Don’t be afraid to assign (age appropriate) cleaning tasks to your little ones or spouse – so that you can collaborate on cleaning your home post-winter together as a team. The more the merrier, and this will also help cut back on total time required to clean your home and prepare for the hot, summer season to come.

2. Dust down places high and low, and consider changing air filters on any types of devices, air-conditioner equipment, and ventilation shafts throughout your home that likely built up bacteria or debris from the previous season.

3. Before storing all of those pillows, comforters, and sheets from the previous season make sure you wash them thoroughly, and hang dry them outside to maximize removal of harmful bacterial, dirt built up, and any possible critters that might have accumulated on them over time unknown to you and your family.

4. Take your family shopping to the local department store and pick out fun, family-styled mats to put on the interior and exterior of each of your doorways. Thanks to hotter climate, bacteria, bugs, and dirt really become common throughout this season, so make this an integral part of your summer cleaning efforts!

5. Wipe down, dry, and clean all of your windows interior and exteriors throughout your home. Make sure you use a microfiber or gentle cloth to prevent smudging, and get off all that icky’ bacteria and dirt build-up from previous seasons.

6. Vacuum and ‘suck up’ any and all dirt left behind on your rugs, mats, floors, and wipe down behind your beds and other hard-to-reach places because you can bet dust and dirt is likely to have built up over time. Don’t forget to dust the corners and ceilings if possible! If not, borrow a tall neighbor, spouse, or friend to get the job done right! Just be careful if you’re going to do it yourself, use a steady (preferably) ladder, or chair but try to make sure someone is spotting you for safety-sake.

7. Lastly, clean up and close up your fireplace if you have one, sweep the chimney with the necessary treating log or agent, and put away all related materials, wood, and tools to clear the path and make your home more “roomy”.

Summer cleaning doesn’t have to be a headache, and with the right game plan (and hopefully team players) it can be done the right way. If possible, try to go through this routine every month or two to maximize a clean, happy home environment.

Image credit: amveldman

Posted in Home Cleaning, House Cleaning, Summer cleaning | Leave a comment

Cleaning Outdoor and Indoor Windows the Right Way

Cleaning Outdoor and Indoor Windows the Right Way

Cleaning windows, whether outside or in, doesn’t have to be a daunting task. With the right knowledge, product, and ingredients cleaning your windows can be a simpler, faster process.

For indoor windows, you can create and use a one part white vinegar solution for swift, effective cleaning of debris, dust, and dirt.

One of the biggest mistakes homeowners – and car owners – make when cleaning windows is using soap chemicals without wiping down the window first. It’s important to focus wiping off the heavier dirt build up, debris, and insect guts that have accumulated over time. A more thoroughly cleaning guarantees a cleaner window for a longer period of time.

Using a microfiber, paper towel, or black and white newspaper are all effective materials to use to get the most out cleaning your windows. It is worth noting however that sometimes multiple applications are necessary for cleaning windows, and sometimes letting the soap, or water and vinegar “sit” on the window, as this helps to break-down dirt build-up is necessary.

In preparation for cleaning your windows it’s helpful to already have a bucket for rinsing, and one for mixing the soap or chemicals if possible. Whether it’s inside or outdoor windows, be sure to use Z-like wiping motions to really get all the dirt off and improve dirt-removal. Using this technique also helps to prevent smudges, smearing, and missing spots!

Cleaning windows outside although they appear tough, can actually be an easier process. If possible, use a hose to water down your window first – but make sure you check for cracks and that your windows are closed and secure!

With cleaning windows outside, you can use either a spray-bottle or mop, since you don’t have to worry about the water and chemicals spilling on the ground or working its way down.

Make a point to also wipe down and clean your screen. Even with a clean window, getting sunlight in or seeing beyond your window can be tough with dirty screens! Screens are metal, so you don’t have to worry about being ‘too tough’ or abrasive with the cleaning agents and materials.

Sometimes on both windows and screens mineral deposits and mucky water build overtime, or from using ‘hard water’ – typically caused by iron or copper in water.

Calcium, lime, and rust build-up are common troubles both with windows and window screens. This is where applying cleaning agents and letting it sit comes into play the most.

CLR is a perfect example of a tough, reliable cleaning agent that helps to build up some of the strongest, most stubborn sticky build-ups and other dirty and nasty muck or grime.

Believe it or not, even in light of both indoor and outdoor cleaning, using white vinegar diluted with water can be the strongest, most effective solution thanks to it’s natural, organic ingredients. Vinegar in it’s various forms is a natural acid, so removing bug-guts, mold, dirt build-up and grime is a cinch!

Cool water is found to typically be most effective on outdoor windows – barring it’s not winter. While warm-water on the other hand is usually optimal for indoor window-cleaning, as the heat helps to break away at dirt and debris build-up.

Image credit: Andriy Popov

Posted in Cleaning Products, Cleaning Service, Cleaning Tips, Windows Cleaning | Leave a comment

The Best In Cleaning Services In St. Petersburg, FL

EM-logoNo other cleaning company in the region takes as much pride in their work as our company that features top flight European Maids.

Our staff have years of professional experience and our company is over 15 years old having serviced everything from homes, offices, hotels, motels, and more. We just don’t go in and vacuum and dust, no, we go in and do a full thorough job of analyzing your cleaning needs, what best materials to use, and know all the fabrics and textiles your home or office is made of. This allows us to use the right cleaning solutions to bring out the luster and color of your structure and furnishings without causing damage to any.

 

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Posted in Cleaning Service, Press Release, St. Petersburg | Leave a comment