Don’t forget your garage when house cleaning in Phoenix
Living in Phoenix, Arizona you’re outside a lot and items begin to pile up in your garage day after day at the park with kids or a trip to the pool. Pretty soon your neat, clean garage has been turned upside down and you don’t know where to turn. This is normal. Your garage is where everything from Christmas decoration to scooters are stored. However, there is a way to utilize the space you do have to the full potential and this is how.
First, plan a time to dedicate to cleaning out your garage and stick to it. A weekend would be best, but any day will do. Get the whole family involved! Everyone can have a role! Spread it out over a couple days so you are not overwhelmed.
Second, it is time to separate. You will now place items in four categories: 1) Items to keep 2) Items to throw away 3) Items to give away and 4) Other Items such as those you need to return, repair or replace. This is time consuming but once it’s done you will be so grateful and the rest is all downhill!
Third, look at the items in your keep pile to determine what you need to buy. If you have a lot of tools or sports items, you may want to purchase shelving or racks or possibly a tool wall for easy access. Here in Phoenix most people have some outdoor toys such as bikes, scooters or strollers. If this is the case, a hanging bike rack would be useful. If you have a lot of holiday decorations or small items you may consider buying bins and labeling them. Once you make a decision on what you need, get rid of your trash pile right away. Then makes sure to take a drive a return items that aren’t yours.
Fourth, go shopping! Purchase the items you need and make sure everything has a place. Label your bins and stick to that. This would also be a great time to sell your items to give away pile online. Etsy and ebay are popular sites to sell used items. You could also use local Facebook pages.
Fifth, Be sure to be safe! Do not store propane in the garage. When handling chemicals make sure to use gloves. Think carefully before placing a large heavy item, such as a ladder. It would be smart to put a ladder horizontal and close to the ground to insure falling would not be an issue. Surprisingly messy garages can lead to hazards and accidents. Keeping a clean and tidy storage space will prevent items falling and spilling and will keep you and your family safe.
Sixth, once you have put everything in its pace, it is time to tackle the floor. Use a broom to sweep the floor and use a vacuum to clean up the extra dust, spider webs and debri. Make sure to also wipe down all of the walls and corners to get rid of any bugs or webs. Be careful and watch for cockroaches! This would also be a great time to clean up any spills, paint or oil, and even refinish your garage floor.
You’re job is now done! Enjoy your clean garage and maybe the warm Arizona weather outside!
6 Things You Might Not Be Cleaning Often Enough
If you are like most people when it comes to house cleaning, the kitchen counters and the bathroom sinks get a lot of attention, but you are probably overlooking a few areas that could use a little more cleaning love.
To make sure all areas of your home are getting the attention they deserve, make sure to mix things up the next time you put the cleaning gloves on and give these six areas a good scrub
down:
1. Fridge
How Often: Clean it monthly!
The first step is to get rid of everything that is gross or questionable. If possible, keep everything else in a cool place while you scrub away, cleaning the inside of your fridge.
Remove the shelves and place them somewhere where they can warm up slowly. If you wash them too soon, while they are still very cold, hot water might crack them. While you are waiting for the shelves, start wiping down and scrubbing the inside walls.
Once the shelves are at a decent temperature, place them in warm water and scrub away. Dry the shelves thoroughly and then place them back in the fridge.
Now that your fridge is clean (and empty at the moment) this would be a good time to use your organizational skills when placing your food back in the fridge.
2. Door Knobs
How Often: Clean them weekly!
The door knobs in your home can be one of the dirtiest and most germ infested areas in your home. In addition to that, they are one of the most touched surfaces in your home, which increase the likelihood that any germs will be easily spread. Take an all-purpose disinfectant and spray the entire knob. Use the cloth to wipe away and remove the spray, dirt, and germs.
3. Ceilings
How Often: Clean them every 3 months!
Wait, what? Clean the ceiling? Yep! If you haven’t looked up at your ceiling in a while, take a few minutes to do so. If you see only a few cobwebs, take an extended duster and wipe them down. Don’t have a duster that extends? Take a broom and wrap it with an old t-shirt to get those webs.
If you have more than just a few cobwebs, you have to put a little more effort into you cleaning. Find a good all-purpose cleaner and a sponge. Test a spot on your ceiling to make sure the paint does not discolor with the cleaner you have selected. If you cannot get areas on your ceiling to come clean, it might be time to freshen it up with a coat of paint.
4. Shower Curtains
How Often: Clean them monthly!
Have you ever accidentally brushed up against your shower curtain while taking a shower? Did it feel slimy? That’s because your shower curtain is always working hard on building up a layer of soap scum.
If you have a cloth curtain, you can wash it in your regular laundry cleaning process. If you have a vinyl curtain, you might be able to still use your washing machine, but you likely need to put it in the wash by itself. Add one cup of white vinegar to the load and start the cycle on hot.
If your curtain is still gross after washing it, then toss it and get a new one.
5. Toothbrush Holders
How Often: Weekly
Oh boy, this can be one of the dirtiest places that rarely gets cleaned. You take care to make sure your toothbrush is clean, but what about the tooth brush holder? That area does a great job at catching all of the bacteria and sludge that come from your toothbrush. You can quickly and easily clean your holder by running it through the dishwasher or by hand scrubbing it with hot water and soap.
6. Pillows
How Often: At least every 6 months
Ah, pillows are great. But did you ever stop to think about how dirty they can get? If they are not cleaned occasionally, they become a paradise for bacteria to flourish. First, you need to check the label on your pillow to make sure you can run it through the washing machine. Also, be sure to toss two pillows in at a time, that way your machine will stay balanced during the cleaning cycle. Run your pillows through the rinse cycle at least two times, so that it get rid of any detergent residue.
Toss them into the dryer until they are dry.
Have a home in Scottsdale that could use a good cleaning? We can help with that. You can call us or schedule online to book your background check house cleaning team in the Scottsdale area and through the Phoenix Valley.
Is it time to clean your room? Can’t get your head in the game? We’ve created this article to give you a few easy cleaning steps to get your head in the game and get your room cleaned. Here you go! The game plan we recommend includes three steps: (1) pick up, (2) wipe down, (3) vacuum out.
Game Plan for Cleaning Bedrooms
Step 1 – Pickup
This step involves picking up garbage and recycling materials and putting them there they belong. This step also includes quick organization of objects in your room and taking other objects out of your room (ones that don’t belong there). As you go around your room, look from top to bottom and scan left to right for any items that need to be moved or trashed. Any items you don’t need in that room can be placed in a bag or empty laundry basket as an easy way to clear the junk. Just make sure you put those object in their right correct places after you finish with your room. Next you should pick up clothes, sort the the dirty clothes from the clean ones and fold the clean clothes. Check your sheets and remove them if they are dirty and replace them with fresh sheets.
Step 2 – Clean
This step is all about the cleaning. To clean your room effectively, start by dusting up high and working your way down towards the floors. When you reach other surfaces, you can wash or wipe them with with a microfiber towel and an appropriate cleaner.
Step 3 – Finishing Touches
This step puts the final touch on cleaning your room. After you have organized, dusted, and cleaned the surfaces in your room, make sure to sweep and vacuum your floor (mopping if necessary).
North Texas-Dallas -DWF-Celina Providers
In search of the best house cleaning in Phoenix? Look no further. Our cleaning service pros are top of the line and to back them up, we offer 200 percent guaranteed they will deliver a house cleaning like no other. We understand how important convenience is to you, which is why we have an option for you to book your house cleaning service online.
Online booking is simple and easy. First, you give us all of the pertinent details about your home and what type of house cleaning you require. We provide several different custom cleaning options for you to choose from. Then, it’s time to enter your zip code and take a look at our handy online calendar to find a date and time that work best for your schedule.
From there, all you need to do is confirm your booking with our house cleaning service and you are ready to experience our quality cleaning service providers for yourself. Just sit back, put your feet up and they will take care of your house cleaning needs. Everyone could use some extra free time to take care of other important aspects of their life and we pride ourselves on providing it for you.
Our customer service is second to none. Every cleaner that we work with goes thorough a background check and the cleanings are insured. When it comes to house cleaning in Phoenix, we are always among the highest rated and our pricing structure is simple and easy to understand. We believe in providing flat rate pricing to all of our valued customers.
In the event that you are not totally satisfied with the cleaners we send and their ability to have your house looking its best, we are more than happy to send out a second cleaner to get the job done right, at no additional charge. Our services are available to a variety of Arizona residents. The service area we cater to not only includes Phoenix, but Scottsdale, Mesa, Gilbert, Chandler and Paradise Valley.
The house cleaning services that we have available are all inclusive. A patron is able to get exactly what they are paying for, with our easy to understand flat rates. Our business is accredited by the Better Business Bureau, received an award from Angie’s List for superior service and is widely considered to be one of Arizona’s finest local businesses.
Essentials Cleaner delivers an unparalleled house cleaning experience, allowing you to relax and let the professionals take care of all of your house cleaning needs. There is no better house cleaning in Phoenix when it comes to easy booking and trustworthy cleaners. We hold our customer service representatives to a high standard of excellence. Your satisfaction is 200 percent guaranteed and we will do everything in our power to ensure your happiness.
Cleaning Your Home Makes You Healthier
When trying to avoid sickness cleanliness is basic. There is of course factors outside our homes that will inevitably lead to sickness a couple times a year, if not more. The fact of life is that you will get sick, and if you do not take the appropriate measures the rest of your family will get sick too. Getting sick may be inevitable, but you can always prevent disease from spreading by disinfecting surfaces and following healthy habits.
You probably already know that hand-washing is the single most efficient way to prevent the spreading of illnesses like the common cold. What you might be forgetting is that in most homes people use the same towels to dry everyone’s hands. Hand towels should be replaced as often as possible during this time to avoid spreading bugs around. Consider paper using paper towels as well; this is not a very ecologically friendly approach, but it is an option to be considered.
Our second recommendation would be to maintain a clean bathroom. After all that is where most of us will be washing our hands. Keep your sink handles and toilets clean to avoid more cross contamination. Another good idea would be to limit yourself to use one bathroom and avoid maintain this habit until everybody is feeling better.
If you have little ones that have fallen ill, a good thing to do would be to clean and disinfect toys and play areas. You may do this on a regular basis already, but it is especially important to maintain toys and common areas disinfected. Along with the idea of cleaning toys, make sure the “toys” of the older children are also clean. Of course we are talking electronics: Keyboards, TV remote, and video game controllers are great things to keep in mind.
If you are sick enough to miss work, you will probably spend a good time of your “time-off” stuck in bed. You need to make sure your sheets and pillow are clean and disinfected after your get better. You want eliminate the source of the illness altogether; you probably don’t want to sleep on dirty sheets anyways. While you’re at it you might also want to flip your mattress.
Another benefit of maintaining a clean home is the comfortable feeling you get walking into a tidy place. If you are already feeling down, the last thing you need is to feel even sick in the space that you are in. Nobody wants to clean while under the weather, but the feeling afterwards is totally worth it.
Cleaning your home is not a bulletproof way to stay healthy, there are external factors that will eventually get you sick. Cleaning will make sure that you are not spreading the bug around your family and hopefully will shorten the time you spend under the weather.
How to use your vacuum correctly.
A lot of us will think of do not think that there is much to vacuuming, how hard can it really be? I mean, the vacuum is already doing all of the work, I just have to push it back and forward right? While that is not wrong there is a lot more to vacuuming your floors than just running the cleaner around your home. With the right knowledge you can not only keep your floors and surfaces clean, but you can also make sure your vacuum cleaner will last for years.
The First thing to consider is what type of vacuum cleaner you need. Yes, there is many different types of vacuum cleaner and they all have their advantages and disadvantages. There is going to be vacuums that outperform others in certain tasks, the key is figuring what capabilities you are in need of. But we won’t get too into the different types of vacuums; you can always look at reviews of these on the internet.
For a normal house cleaning vacuuming should be pretty straight forward. You choose a room or area to clean, you find a power outlet, you clean. The truth is that we often forget to do the little things that really make the difference. Whenever you are cleaning hard floors (tile or hardwood) make sure to get those corners with the crevice attachment on your vacuum.
If your home is like most Arizona homes, a portion of your home’s floor is carpet. Very comfortable and soft but also great at attracting and hiding dirt within its fibers. To make sure that you get all of that dirt off your floors you have to make sure that your vacuum really gets in between the carpets fibers. You have to start by the corner that is the farthest from the door. Start by vacuuming parallel to the door, once you get to the door go ahead start all-over again only that this time you’ll do it on a perpendicular motion. This will really moves those fibers around and gets that dirt off your floor.
Now that you’re making sure that your carpets and floors will stay clean and will last long; now it is time to make sure your vacuum will too. A brand new vacuum can run anywhere from a couple hundred dollars to almost $1000, so it is in everyone’s best interest that these piece of equipment last for more than a couple months.
First make sure to unplug the vacuum, this is probably a good time to check the power cord for any wear and tear, if there is make sure to cover it up with some electrical tape. Check your vacuum’s bin or bag for any debris, the cleaner the inside of your machine, the better suction it will provide. If your vacuum has any filter make sure to inspect and clean those as these also have an effect on the vacuum’s ability to pick up dust and dirt.
Clean the brush roll, that spinning part that sweeps the extra dirt in. It will most likely be covered with hair and gunk. Make sure to clear the brush of any hair as this can reduce its cleaning effectivity.Probably the last to do would be to make sure that nothing is obstructing the way from the brush to the bin or bag. Making sure that the hose isn’t block will make sure that you does a good job cleaning without causing any extra strain on the motor.
If you follow these simple tips you can be sure that your home cleaning goes great and a vacuum that will last for years.
Make Your Home a Dust Free Zone
Arizona is known for a couple of different things: Scenic views, great weather, but a lot of people forget about or unlimited amounts of DUST! When it comes to house cleaning jobs, it is almost always best to attack them at the source; with dust this is nearly impossible. Household dust is mostly comprised of dirt, skin flakes and textiles fibers; add to that living in the desert and you have a perfect storm. Unless you plan on getting rid of all your clothes, we suggest talking this issue in a more socially acceptable and efficient way.
First thing is to pick you tools: You’ve probably seen a feather duster before, yes they look fancy and are probably a lot of fun to play with, but they only move dust around instead of capturing it. Instead, get yourself a damp soft cloth or a microfiber duster, these will capture the dust and keep it from going everywhere. A vacuum would be another thing to have handy, a lot of surfaces are better of vacuumed than to dusted.
Now that you have your tools up and ready it is time to get to cleaning your house. It is better to go in with a plan, don’t just dust anywhere, follow a path through your home and stick to it. it might as obvious, but it is always better to go from top to bottom. Another good practice is to move through the room clockwise or counterclockwise, this way you make sure you do not miss any spots. Do not forget to get to those hard to reach places as dust likes to accumulate especially in those hard to reach spots.
The truth is that no matter how much time you spend doing house cleaning, dust will keep coming back week after week. There is no practical way to keep 100% of the dust reappearing later next week, but there is a number of different things you can look for that can keep your home dust-free for a longer time.
Your A/C not only maintains your home at a comfortable temperature but it also maintains the airflow in your home, make sure that your air filter is well maintained. A clean air filter will reduce the amount of dust that makes it back to you living spaces.
As I mentioned before, dust is made in a large percentage of skin flakes and fabric, what better place to find these than your bed. Your bed sheet need to be changed and cleaned on a regular basis, this will keep the amount of dust coming from you bed in check.
A lot of the dust coming into our homes comes from outside, a mat in your front door or just inside of your home will keep a lot of the dirt in your shoes from coming into your home. Of course make sure to clean this mat every once in a while.
Of course you can always the professionals from Essentials Cleaner help you out and handle your dust for you. Either way follow these simple tips and be sure that your home will look and feel more clean.
10 ways you can use lemons in house cleaning!
Lemons aren’t just for Lemonade.
1. Freshen up your Garbage Disposal! Cut a lemon into quarters and drop them down the disposal, along with a teaspoon of baking soda. You won’t be disappointed!
2. Make those household cleaners smell natural! Add a few teaspoons of lemon juice to any of your cleaners for a new smell you won’t get sick of.
3. Get rid of those tablecloth stains! Simply rub half of a lemon on the stain and then set the tablecloth out in the sun for a few hours. Then simply wash as usual.
4. Let your sink look new again! Mix baking soda and lemon juice for a nice paste. Scrub the sink and be amazed by the shiny look and fresh smell!
5. Having trouble with ants? Put a few drops of lemon juice in any place you have noticed ants (window seals, cracks, counters). Ants will be forced to get out.
6. Give your glass a streak free look! Mix three ,tablespoons of lemon juice with rubbing alcohol. Pour into a spray bottle and add 24 oz of water! Now let the lemon do its thing!
7. Get cleaner and fresher clothes for your money. Mix a few teaspoons of lemon juice into your laundry detergent for a result that will shock you.
8. Give you dishwasher a wash! Fill a dishwasher safe container with one cup of lemon juice and place it on the bottom rack. Run the dishwasher on the rinse cycle. You will love your clean dishwasher like it’s new!
9. Clean your grater! No one wants to clean this utensil, until now! Use half of a lemon and scrub away any sticky residue or rough food. Then wash with warm water and soap.
10. Easy way to clean your toilet. Use Borax and lemon juice to do the trick. Sprinkle Borax in the toilet and then squeeze lemon juice directly on top. Scrub and wipe clean! Then all you need is a good flush!
The best part about using this house cleaner is that it is safe for your kids and pets!
