A Few Simple Home Cleaning Tips

We all hate home cleaning. There is no way around it. Unless we want to live in a pigpen, we need to pick up around the house every now and then. If you can't keep up with de-cluttering your home, you can always hire a home cleaning service instead.

There are ways to tackle chores. Have a pail or something with a handle that has your entire supplies handy so you don't have to run around the house looking for the glass cleaner or the dust rags. Things to carry in your home cleaning supplies bucket include dust rags, furniture polish, glass cleaner, bathroom cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, etc.

You should start to clean from top to bottom. When you begin dusting, start upwards and work your way down. By starting from the top, the dust will fall in a downward spiral.

Take away anything that you believe will distract you. If you have to, unplug the telephone and turn the TV off. If you are in the middle of cleaning and your mom calls, you will sit and talk with her for an hour or so. That is distracting because you could have been done in that hour; plus you will not want to finish what you started after getting all comfy during your phone conversation.

Take an empty laundry basket with you as you go from room to room. This way, you can pick up things that do not belong in that room. When you are completely done with your chores, you can put everything from the basket in its correct place around the house. You should also bring a large trash bag with you so that you don't have to keep going back and forth to the trashcan.

To have a fresh smelling home, a great tip is to sprinkle baking soda on your carpeting the night before you intend to clean. Leave it to set overnight and then vacuum it the next day. This will assist in getting rid of nasty odors.

If you are planning on cleaning windows, you want to do them on a cloudy day instead of a sunny one, but you don't want it to be raining out. If you have windows that are extremely grimy, add about three tablespoons of vinegar to each gallon of water. For drying windows, use newspaper instead of paper towels. This way you can prevent streaking and save money on using a great amount of overpriced paper towels. When using newspaper, wear rubber gloves so you do not get the ink from the newspaper all over your hands.

If you want to be eco-friendly, try creating your own solutions to clean. Using pine oil that is 100% pure is perfect for getting rid of odors from garbage cans as well as cleaning your entire kitchen and the flooring in your bathroom.

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Getting Professionals for Your Window Cleaning

Any business or office space with large windows should consider hiring professionals to give them a regular and thorough cleaning. Often a business owner or manager doesn't take the time to consider the effect of unclean windows has on business. In an office, dirty windows can subtly contribute to low morale. In retail it is essential store front windows are sparkling so displays look their best and the store looks inviting.

Hiring professionals for window cleaning can be as simple as phoning a few firms and taking the lowest price. This isn't always prudent as the lowest price isn't always the best deal. Here are some simple steps to take to be sure you get it right.

Get referrals. A recommendation from someone you trust is always the preferred method of finding a service firm. If you can't manage a referral, head to the internet or phone directory to find local firms.

Research firms- A few things to look for: first, the firm should be fully insured. Check to see how long they have been in business. One can also perform a search of most firms and in many cases get reviews or determine if they have any major complaints lodged against them. In some cases, the firm may be a very small proprietorship, so it may make sense to search the owner's name to see what comes up.

Price quotations- Try and get estimates from at least three firms. The firm will need to visit the location in order to generate an accurate estimate and be sure whilst they are there you relay any specific needs or instructions you'd like carried out. You should also inquire about how they go about their cleaning and typical intervals. Some companies use power washers for outside and others traditional brush and squeegee. Also, if you are a retailer and use storefront windows for signage (either signs and posters or applied directly to the window) make sure this is discussed and acknowledged in the estimate.

Ask for references. As part of the estimate review process, ask for relevant customer referrals and follow-up. When speaking to the person with whom the firm referred you to, ask specific questions. Are they completely satisfied with the service they receive? Have they ever had any issues with the service? Does the firm keep appointments and show up regularly? Another great question is to ask if there is anything the firm could do to improve their service. This often leads to revealing comments.

Review contract. When you've determined the favored firm you'll likely be asked to sign a contract for a specific term. It is important to insist on a trial period or some way to cancel the obligation if the service is not up to your standard. Another approach is to simply go on a monthly term.

Closely monitor service during trial term. Of course a new firm will want to put its best foot forward during the initial period, but nonetheless inspect the work closely and be sure to provide feedback. This is good advice for the long term. If something is not being completed according to the contract, contact the firm immediately to rectify the problem. One should not put up with poor or substandard service. If service becomes a regular issue, it may be time to find a new firm!

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Inexpensive Ways to Clean Your Toilet

Baking Soda:

To clean your toilet bowl naturally, dump in half a box of baking soda and let it stand in the bowl overnight. In the morning, flush the toilet several times to remove all the dirt and grime. Run a brush around the ring to loosen any part of the ring that remains. Flush again and that's it!

With this toilet cleaning method, you can be the Queen of Green by using the baking soda that you've had open in the fridge to soak up musty odors and moisture. Just open a new box of baking soda and place it in the back of the refrigerator. Take the old box and put 1/2 box in your toilet bowl. If your home has two toilets, you can clean both of them at the same time, using 1/2 box in one toilet and 1/2 box in the other.

Baking Soda and Vinegar:

Pour one cup of white vinegar into your toilet and let it soak for half an hour. Now dip your toilet brush in the toilet bowl and sprinkle it with baking soda. Scrub the inside of the toilet bowl. Re-sprinkle the brush with baking soda a couple more times. Flush twice, and your toilet will glisten.

Note that vinegar is an excellent fungus and mold killer. If you have black mold in your toilet, especially under the rim, be sure to dip your brush in the vinegar and run the brush under the rim. Wait 30 minutes and scrub with baking soda and brush.

Borax:

If you were a child in the '50s or '60s, you may remember 20-Mule-Team Borax. This stuff will blast through lime deposits and black mold. Make a paste of Borax and lemon juice or white vinegar and rub under the toilet bowl rim and on ring. Let it sit on porcelain for awhile, scrub and rinse.

Tea Tree Oil:

Tea Tree Oil is a natural disinfectant and cleanser. Add one tablespoon to a gallon of warm water. Pour in the bowl for a few minutes. Scrub and swish. It smells good, too. You can put some of the liquid into a spray bottle and use it on the outside of the toilet, too. Since tea tree oil is an essential oil, you can buy it anywhere that natural cleaning products, essential oils and supplements are sold. A little tea tree oil goes a long way.

What About the Ring?

Bleach, Vinegar and Borax Power will obliterate a toilet bowl ring. So will scrubbing a toilet bowl ring with a pumuce stone.

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How to Keep Your New Carpet Looking Beautiful

When you buy a home, you want to decorate it with carpeting to match your personal style. Over time, carpet can get dirty and dingy from being walked on constantly. Luckily, there are measures you can take to ensure your carpet will last as long as possible. Here are some tips to care for your home's carpet to keep it looking nice and new.

Vacuum Regularly

Be sure to vacuum your carpet often; one to two times a week is best. Vacuuming will help to remove any soil that can ruin the fibers of your carpet. It is important that you continue to vacuum since much of the dirt that can slice your carpet fibers is not visible to the naked eye.

Check Your Carpet Warranty

When you first, make sure read the manufacturer's warranty. The warranty should spell out any specific instructions on what you need to do to keep your warranty valid. If the carpet manufacturer has any recommendations, try your best to follow it.

Spot Clean When Your Carpet Gets Soiled

It is inevitable; eventually something will get spilt or dragged onto your new carpet. New carpet typically comes with an anti-stain barrier to help protect your carpet from such events. Some anti-stain technology is better than others, and your first spill is the perfect time to test yours out. Your manufacturer warranty should list what types of stains are covered under warranty, and also what their recommended method for spot cleaning is.

Protect Your Carpet

Carpet is made to be walked on. The more people you have living in your home the more wear and tear your carpet will endure. Carpet tends to wear down first in high-traffic areas, such as those in front of the front door or in a hallway. To protect your carpet from such wear and tear, use runners or mats in those high-traffic areas. Runners can be placed down your hallway to protect rug burn, the wearing down of your carpet. You can also use a sticky-backed plastic on your stairs to help protect the carpet from constant use. Rearranging your furniture every now and then can also help by changing the pattern of heavy traffic in your home.

Get Professional Cleaning

In general, it is best to have your carpet clean by a professional carpet cleaning company once a year. If you have areas that are subjected to really heavy traffic and a lot of dirt, you may want to have it cleaned more often than. Professional cleaning does not leave any residue, and completely and thoroughly gets the dirt and stains out of your carpet. Many anti-stain carpet manufacturers state in their warranties that you should have your carpet professionally cleaned every other year. Cleaning by a professional can remove the dirt and soil that vacuuming may leave behind.

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The First Steps of End of Lease Cleaning - Part 1

Remember, the landlord and agent will be inspecting property in detail so cleaning every room thoroughly should be high on your 'to-do' list.

You have a couple of options when you get to this point. One is to call a professional end of lease cleaning company to tackle the task ahead or two; do the cleaning yourself. Now you may want to think this through because if you're not the cleaning type, most estate agents would recommend contacting a professional cleaning service to take on the job.

For one, end of lease cleaning companies know what's involved and do it on a daily basis. Here are a few basic questions you can ask yourself in order to help make the decision a little easier:
Have you ever de-greased an oven?Have you ever cleaned the range hood filters?Have you ever steam cleaned carpets?

When can the landlord legally charge for carpet cleaning?

When you damage or abuse the carpet beyond normal wear and tear. For example, the carpet requires treatments to remove severe stains or repair damage caused by you, your guests, or your pets. ("Tenant Resource Centre")

What's at stake?

Well for one thing, a percentage of your bond money. How much you ask? It depends on a few things. If your real estate agent turns nasty after the final inspection (as they're not satisfied with the overall clean) they can try and take you to the cleaners (no pun intended). They may withhold the bond money to cover the costs for an end of lease cleaning company.

If the agent or owner find that any part of the property is not up to their standard when it comes to cleanliness and the overall condition they may ask you to re-attend the property to do a re-clean or they might propose to deduct money from the bond to cover the costs of hiring professional cleaning services. Keep in mind if this happens, it's your right that they supply cleaning quotes in writing from various cleaning companies.

Don't trust the agent!

Also, be careful that they (the agent/owner) aren't going straight to their so called 'in house' cleaning company as they may have worked out a side deal in which they receive a cut of the cleaning bill. This is becoming more frequent in the real estate industry.

Most agents make extra money by referring their clients to various people who will give them referral fees. Mortgage brokers, contractors, tradesmen, home stagers, lawyers - you name it and your agent can probably give you a name. (Mike)

The Bond Money

Primarily the bond is put in place to act as security against the lease contract. It can be claimed if there is any money owed by the tenant at the end of the lease agreement - e.g. cleaning costs, rent arrears. ("sa.gov.au")

If the weekly rent is:
$250 or less you may be up for four weeks' rent as a bond$251 or more you may be up for six weeks' rent as a bond.

The agent must supply you with a receipt within 48 hours of receiving your bond deposit. ("sa.gov.au")

References:

. "Bond, rent and other charges." The Government of South Australia. The Government of South Australia, 2011. Web. 4 May 2012. .

. "Carpet Cleaning." Tenant Resource Centre. Tenant Resource Centre, 2011. Web. 4 May 2012. .

Mike, Holman. "Even more reasons not to trust your real estate agent." Money Smarts. Money Smarts, 2012. Web. 4 May 2012. .

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The Benefits of Hiring Professional Carpet Cleaners for Your Business or Home

Everyone is afraid of added bills that may prove difficult to pay off. If you have a carpet at your workplace, then it is necessary to add the cost of 'professional cleaning sessions' to your annual financial expenses. However, when it comes to carpets, bills should be the list of your worries because, a dirty carpet can cause more harm than would an unpaid bill. The importance of having a clean and fresh working environment cannot be over-emphasized. You are bound to stay motivated as well as keep your workers feeling happy and good. The services of professional cleaners tend to be more expensive because they make use of their own cleaning tools and technical know-how.

The job of professional carpet cleaners takes just a few hours of hard labor to complete but the results last for an amazingly long time. The process of restoring and/or cleaning a carpet in high use is no walk in the park. It takes several hours of hard labor, patience, commitment, time and energy. The cost of hiring a professional cleaning company will vary from one institution to the other. Cleaners are paid according to the number of hours they use to clean the carpet thoroughly; it does not matter if it is a home carpet or an office carpet. As such, there is a record of the number of hours spent on the project. It is important for you to take notes about the services provided by a particular company. If you do not like what you got for the money spent, simply switch to another carpet cleaning enterprise.

It is true that carpet cleaning seems like an easy thing to do. However, carpet cleaning professionals, deep-soak carpets in steaming water and re-absorb it for the carpet to get back in good shape. The working conditions are quite stuffy and not easy to work in. Indeed, some companies sometimes add cost according to the working conditions. A good company will give you great satisfaction and there will never again be a day when you will do your carpet cleaning by yourself.

Who does not want a neat and beautiful looking home or office? There is a good feeling that oozes from a well-kept carpet, be it at home or at work. If you want a fresh looking carpet and a welcoming environment, then consider using the services of professional carpet cleaners at least two times a year.

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Slate Sealer for Tiles

The right slate sealer is not hard to find. The search should start in determining the characteristics of slate as a construction material. Slate has been used for billiard tables and electric motor parts because of its fire resistance and excellent insulation properties and was later introduced as a material for making tiles. It was also used in the olden times as roofing materials called roof shingles and has been continuously used as a fine stone material for building purposes in today's modern construction industry. Its use as slate tiles for flooring has become popular and it is for this use that the right sealer for slate tiles is sought by contractors.

Slate tiles retain the porous characteristics of the natural occurring slate rocks which are actually sedimentary shale formed by geological forces for millions of years. Although such rocky materials are hard and sturdy, they are easily penetrated by water-borne substances and organisms that can ruin its aesthetic qualities. Using a sealer is the best way to preserve slate materials that are made into kitchen floors, outside pathway floors leading to pools and external patio floors. To protect slate from molds and other similar organic matter that attack the tile surfaces, the sealer must be applied properly and made to penetrate the interior of the stone tiles with substances that can preserve their aesthetic qualities.

Aside from proper application, the kind of sealer must also be taken into consideration. Many prefer water based penetrating and impregnating sealants because they are more efficient in providing protection for the surfaces of slate tiles. Without protection, the tiles will lose its natural color and the surface becomes spotty and unsightly to behold. A good water-based sealer must be able to penetrate the surface of the tiles and impregnate them with the right chemical shields that will prevent discoloration and tarnishing of the tile surfaces.

A good water-based sealer provides the transparent coating that allows the natural color of the slate tiles to stand out due to the almost invisible film that protects the outer surface of the tiles. Because the sealer penetrates deep into the pores of the stone tiles, the surfaces applied with the sealer become resistant to oil, water and stain, pushing out any harmful chemical substances or organic matters that threaten to invade the surfaces. It is important therefore that when the slate tiles are installed, they should be immediately treated with a water-based sealer for slate tiles to make sure that they will be stay intact for a long time.

The protective action of a water-based sealer is actually designed to penetrate the pores of the slate and impregnate those pores with the emulsified substance that it holds and delivers through its water carrier. When the water evaporates, what remain in the pores are the protective chemicals that repel oil, water and staining substances that attack the slate tiles. In order to make maintenance that more easier in the future, sealing slate is absolutely essential.

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