We are always happy to collaborate with other industries in the house cleaning, business cleaning, or business management fields. This time, we heard Wood Flooring Ireland was inviting other experts to pitch in with tips for cleaning wood floors with natural cleaning agents.
As you know, wood floors are sensitive because they’re organic materials. If you live in Dallas, you’ve seen by now they look dry and dull sometimes, so they need some care regularly.
Here’s our piece of advice below:
A gallon of water and two cups of vinegar solution is the all-purpose solution for most types of floors, especially ceramic tile and vinyl floors. Vinegar is pretty much safe and harmless for many different floors, and it’s nice for cleaning and removing dirt from surfaces. For hardwood floors, I would recommend using the same solution, but this time using 10 – 15 drops of lemon and/or tea tree essential oil (combined would be ideal), and one tablespoon of coconut oil. These ingredients have disinfecting and moisturizing properties, which are key for wooden floors.”
Please check Wood Flooring Ireland’s entire article to hear from other cleaning experts if you want more tips! We’re all for natural cleaners and wood floors are not exception. They included many other tips in their article.
Thank you so much to Wood Flooring Ireland for inviting us! We cannot wait to collaborate with them again in the future. If you’re a fellow cleaning company or blog from the cleaning industry, you can always contact us! We believe in helping each other, and our visitors, with cleaning tips and tricks.
Hi! Welcome back to Dallas Maids’ of Frisco blog! Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a maid, a housekeeper and a cleaning lady? This question is much more common than you think, especially online!
It’s probably because potential customers do not want to be rude or use a term that is not accurate.
Or, it could be because they want to know the exact description that matches the type of cleaning service they need.
Do you want to learn the difference between each occupation? Keep reading our article!
Before we start, remember to check our main page. Dallas Maids of Frisco offers top-notch cleaning service in Frisco and Dallas. We’d be happy to help you take care of your home!
What is a Maid? Is it Worth Hiring a Maid in Frisco, TX?
Maid is a general term that describes house cleaners. In the past, a maid was often a person that works solely for a single household. Nowadays this is extremely uncommon, except in very wealthy families.
Maids are typically employed by hospitality services such as hotels and inns. They are in charge of every day cleaning and tidying, which usually involves vacuuming and mopping floors, dusting, making beds and sanitizing the bathroom, the kitchen and other common areas.
Some people see maid as an old-fashioned term that resembles “the help” or “helper” which we know is derogatory. However, we cannot deny the fact that the term “maid” is still used frequently and it’s clear there is no negative intentions from their users.
Nowadays, the term is used frequently as a synonym for a housekeeper or house cleaner, or even cleaning lady. As a cleaning company, we often use all terms related to cleaning as frequently as possible (e.g., House Cleaning, Maid, Cleaning Lady, Housekeeper, Cleaning Service…), because we understand that people use many different terms for the same purpose (in our case, finding a professional cleaning service in Frisco).
What is a Housekeeper? Is It Worth Hiring a Housekeeper in Frisco, TX?
A housekeeper is in charge of tidying up a home, which can be much more than just cleaning. They are usually more involved in the daily routine of a household. And their tasks can include some of the following:
Overall cleaning, wiping and sanitizing surfaces.
Vacuuming and mopping floors.
Doing the dishes (washing, drying and putting away).
Doing laundry (washing, drying, folding and storing back into place).
Throwing out the garbage.
Restocking toiletries and other personal care products.
Making beds and changing bed linens.
Organizing, decluttering and picking up items off the floor.
Replacing light bulbs and other light maintenance tasks.
As you can see, housekeepers are so much more than cleaners. They are prepared to help you with everyday tasks and some of them are live-in housekeepers, which can help with even more duties and arrangements. Some of them include caring for children, cooking and running errands.
You’ve probably noticed by now that live-in housekeepers sound similar to the original definition of a “maid”. This is why it’s hard to point out significant differences, as they perform many similar cleaning tasks.
Many people use the term ‘housekeeper’ as an employee that works on a more permanent basis inside a household or business. They are often involved with management and logistics (running errands, grocery shopping, taking kids to school and back, even managing budgets and accepting packages).
If the house is especially large, they might even have staff, which are often called ‘maids’ to differentiate their occupation from housekeepers. Again, this is not a common job description, except for large houses and/or wealthy families.
If you have a big family and you need someone to help you run your house with tasks that are beyond cleaning, you might want to consider a live-in housekeeper.
What is a Cleaning Lady? Is It Worth Hiring a Cleaning Lady in Frisco, TX?
Out of the three terms, this one is one of the hardest to define.
The term ‘cleaning lady’ is used often to describe someone that arrives, cleans the house, and leaves. They do not stay in your home or visit recurringly, but more in a sporadic way. A more neutral term would be “cleaner”.
Most cleaning ladies are independent housekeepers, they work on their own terms, and schedules and they often give you a bill to be paid promptly.
Funny enough, many people think of this term the opposite way around: a permanent household or business staff with recurring cleaning tasks, often receiving instructions from someone in a management position (housekeeper).
Others will agree that a cleaning lady often specializes in cleaning services such as deep-cleaning carpets or windows.
As you can see, this term is broad and could involve many different schedules and cleaning tasks. Hiring a cleaning lady in Frisco, TX is certainly worth it! Just make sure to check their services or contact them first to ensure they are able to deliver whatever you need for your household.
What Is the Difference Between a Maid, a Housekeeper and a Cleaning Lady?
Now that we’ve talked about the differences between each occupation, you will realize they share a lot in common. Cleaning services are versatile and adapt to your needs as long as they have the knowledge and equipment to do so.
Most people use these three terms loosely, but others do prefer to stick to the original definitions based on the small differences that we commented on above.
If you want to stay “true” to the nature of each term, you can use “maid” for permanent cleaning roles in a single household or business, “housekeeper” for everyday cleaning tasks and “cleaning lady” for specialized cleaning tasks. As you can see, some of the descriptions are in fact, conflicting.
Keep in mind that the term that you have in mind will not necessarily match the term used by a cleaning service, so pay attention closely to their cleaning services to see if they are the right match for you.
For example, they might name themselves a ‘housekeeper’ but perform duties that are more aligned with what you would call a ‘cleaning lady’.
In any case, it’s always a good idea to contact them first or read their FAQ if they have any.
Advice for House Cleaners: Call Yourself What Others Call You
There are many exceptional cleaning services in Frisco. If you are a house cleaner, you need to make sure you are going to reach as many people as possible!
A common mistake from professional cleaners is to use confusing or “sophisticated” titles such as cleaning specialist or domestic services technician. While this is a nice detail to differentiate yourself and your brand, titles can be confusing.
If you use these very specific job titles, people won’t hire you because they won’t even know what you do. Therefore, you need to make sure people know that your job is to clean houses.
Whether you use a website, a phone number, a business card, social media, or even by word of mouth, make sure to call yourself the way other people are calling you.
Nowadays, there are strategies to detect the most common keywords people use to find a concept, a product or a service. If you have noticed the most frequent search term for your job is, for example, “house cleaning service in Frisco” then you need to match that description to gain more customers. You can use Google Trends, Ahrefs and Moz among many others.
If you see that 8 out of 10 people will describe your work as a house cleaner, then use that as your title. The same goes for being called a housekeeper, a maid or a cleaning lady.
As we discussed earlier, you do have small differences between each term. But, in reality, you know that most people will use it interchangeably.
We hope this article helped you learn some of the differences between these terms! If you are still uncertain about which term you should use, keep in mind that either housekeeper or house cleaner are the most neutral and generic terms.
Here’s a final tip: there’s nothing more personal than calling someone by their name! If you hire the same house cleaner on a consistent basis, it is highly likely that, while still remaining professional, you will build a friendly bond with them.
Last but not least, all of the terms we mentioned (house cleaner, housekeeper, maid, cleaning lady) are not inherently disrespectful. There is no need to worry about feeling out of line, as all those terms are respectful as long as you use them in a respectful context and tone. And, when in doubt, always ask first!
We all know tipping is a great way to show support and appreciation! Which brings us to the question: How much do you tip for a house cleaning service?
There’s no right or wrong answer to this question. The amount you should tip for a house cleaning service can vary, depending on a few factors.
Following our previous article, where we discussed how much should you pay (or get paid) for a cleaning service, this time we wanted to talk about tipping house cleaners and housekeepers.
We all know the average tip for other services (e.g., bartenders and servers) is anywhere between 15% and 20% of the total cost. But does that apply to cleaning services as well?
Let’s find out!
How Much Do You Tip for a Standard House Cleaning Service?
We frequently hear comments and questions from both our cleaning artists and our customers related to tips. In general, they all want to know a fair number or range to get/receive a tip, available payment methods, and the circumstances where they should give or receive a tip.
If you want to know the short, quick answer, a tip is usually between 15% and 20% of the total cost of the cleaning service. If your cleaning service costs $150, then $22 to $30 is appropriate.
That’s a fairly easy and straightforward way of calculating a fair tip. Some people do more, some people do less. Some people do not tip. Remember: tips are completely voluntary and our cleaners are getting paid for their work. Dallas Maids’ professional cleaners should (and will!) always deliver exceptional work, no matter if you give them a tip or not.
However, tips have a positive impact on any worker’s morale and confidence. Plus, it could become an extra cash flow after having 2 – 3 customers tipping each day.
If you are still unsure, here’s a trick that can help you: turn the situation around. If you were the cleaner (or any service employee), how much would you expect to receive from a tip? What would you think is a fair tip for the service you just delivered?
This exercise might give you some perspective and help you decide on a fair tip for your housekeeper without burning a hole in your pocket.
How Much Do You Tip for Other House Cleaning Services? (E.g., Deep Cleaning, Move-In or Move-Out Cleaning, One-Time Cleaning)
For any other cleaning service that is not a standard, recurring house cleaning service, you might take into consideration other factors.
Usually, these services are a bit more expensive. This is because they usually take more time and energy from housekeepers. If you follow the percentage rule, it means the tip should also be higher as well.
However, this amount might go up (or down) depending on the performance and the specific cleaning tasks they had to perform.
Did you notice they had an area or task where they had to work extra hard? Maybe they had to deep clean your carpet floors or your kitchen appliances after months of delaying this task.
Maybe they had to come to work on a Saturday or in a bit of a time rush? Or perhaps this is a one-time cleaning related to a holiday or special event and you want to be a bit more generous with your tips.
In any of these cases, or if you just feel extra generous, you can increase the tip to 25% or 30%, for example.
Take all these factors into consideration and, in any case, you can always stick to the 15% – 20% range.
How Frequently Do I Have to Tip for a Recurring House Cleaning Service?
The frequency of a cleaning service is another important factor. This is because, for many customers, tipping a one-time cleaning service that you hire once every quarter is not the same as tipping someone 3 or 4 times a month.
In this case, you have different options. The first one would be tipping them each time they come to your house. If you want to, you can stick to the shorter side of the tip range, so it would be around 15% of the total cost. Keep in mind that a recurring service is usually cheaper than a one-time service, so you are already saving money in a way.
The next option is to tip them at the end of the month. If housekeepers come to your home 3 to 4 times a week, you can use the final week of the month as a reminder to tip them for their hard work.
What Is the Tipping Etiquette? How Do I Approach a House Cleaner to Tip Them?
This question is quite common among homeowners, as they don’t want to feel out of place when tipping someone. We sometimes make a situation more awkward than it needs to be!
As we mentioned earlier, tips are not mandatory, so do not feel pressured at all to tip them, even if you were happy with your service.
Suffice it to say, if you were less than impressed with the results of your service or if there were issues with the cleaning, don’t forget to contact us! We will come back to your home and fix it as soon as possible.
If you do decide to tip, remember to give the tip directly to the cleaner, or leave it in a clearly marked envelope. A “Thank You!” would be the perfect touch next to the cash.
If you are not sure about the tipping etiquette for a cleaning service in particular, or if this is the first time you are hiring/tipping a housekeeper, you can always ask your cleaning company directly.
Alternative Ways to Tip for a House Cleaning Service
Even though monetary tips are the norm, there are many ways to express gratitude and appreciation. And they don’t always have to come in the form of cash!
It’s ok to think of alternative presents or gifts if that is what you feel comfortable with.
For example, you can give them a present based on special events or holidays that are coming up this month. This article from The Spruce has all the holidays coming in March. Believe it or not, there is one for each day of the month!
For example, March is Women’s History Month and a big part of our staff are women. You could come up with a gift based on this event, to show appreciation for their hard work and contribution to society.
Some people celebrate St. Patrick’s Day this month as well! This is a big nationwide celebration, including Dallas, of course. Some St. Patrick’s Day cookies will be the perfect gesture near that date.
Plus, you also get to know your housekeepers with a recurring cleaning service. You could ask them about their interests and hobbies to think of gift ideas. Maybe you’ve found there’s a scarf they’ve been dying to get. Or you know their birthday is coming soon.
These are the perfect occasions to think of a sentimental item that you can give them instead of the typical cash tip. You can make someone’s day with the smallest gesture!
Conclusion
We hope these tips help you decide on a fair tip to give as part of a house cleaning service.
Remember: the usual range is 15% to 20%, but this could change depending on the quality of the service and any personal factors.
Because tips are completely voluntary, it is up to you to set your own ‘scale’ of what factors to consider.
Perhaps your main deciding factor will be how fast and efficient housekeepers are.
Or maybe the attention to detail and care they show for your furniture and your home.
Even just how attentive and friendly they are to you could be the dealbreaker.
One last tip: some cleaning services already include a gratuity fee in the total cost. Make sure you check that first with your cleaning service because, in that scenario, tipping will not be necessary.
However, if you consider their performance was exceptional, you can always add an additional tip. If you contact the cleaning company, you can ask what the average tip looks like, to give you a better understanding and help you decide a fair amount.
As always, remember to visit Dallas Maids’ main page to find out about our cleaning services. No matter if you tip them or not, our cleaning artist will always deliver great service and they will be happy to return next time to your home and make your life easier and happier.
Hello! We’re back after some time with more cleaning tips! This time, we wanted to discuss a question we get from fellow cleaners all the time: How much should someone pay you to clean their house?
If you look it the other way around, this is also a common question from our customers. They wonder how much should they pay someone to clean their homes. The right price for a service is often debatable, and that’s ok!
In this article, we will discuss how you can figure out a fair price for a cleaning service, and all the factors to consider. This will be useful to both houseowners and professional cleaners, because it is important that everyone makes informed decisions when it’s time to charge and/or pay for a cleaning service.
How Much Should Someone Pay You to Clean Their House?
The central question we get is related to the cost or value of a cleaning service. As a housekeeper, the first question you think of is how much is your service worth.
For cleaning companies and independent house cleaners, time and effort are the main components that help you determine how much should someone pay you to clean their house. You can count time, but effort is not easy to measure.
A good starting point is to do research on the current market rates first. Many cleaning companies have automatic calculators or you can contact them to find out their rates.
However, make no mistake: it’s not enough to simply offer a cheaper service. Because of its nature, with a house cleaning service someone is letting you into their homes, and therefore reliability and quality of service are highly valued by house owners, not just an attractive price.
There are many other factors included in the total cost of a service.
Appointment frequency is one of them. House cleaning services often charge less for a recurring cleaning service, because it is granting them a steady source of money.
Using specialized cleaning products is another factor. Products formulated for specific materials or items (e.g., granite cleaners, oven cleaners) or with certain ingredients (e.g., eco-friendly or fragrance-free) tend to be more expensive than multi-purpose cleaners.
Large distances to the cleaning company or the housekeepers’ area can become an additional cost as well.
Should People Pay a House Cleaning Service By the Hour?
Every house is different, and cleaning a home can take you anywhere between one hour and four hours (or longer!).
Paying a service based on hourly rates can turn sometimes complicated. You don’t exactly know what you are going to find once you have an appointment, and it could take you way longer than you expected.
This can create large price inconsistencies between customers with the same number of rooms, for example.
Furthermore, as a house owner, you might be wary of housekeepers charging you extra hours. And if these are independent housekeepers or if they come from a company you don’t know or trust, you will never know with certainty if those additional hours are fair.
If you are a house cleaner, charging per room is the best route. This makes it easier to calculate the time and energy you are going to spend in each house.
If you are a house owner and your housekeeper wants you to pay them by the hour, make sure you ask them to give you an estimate of hours to clean your home. Don’t forget to mention number of bedrooms and bathrooms, and any specific cleaning instructions or extras (e.g., doing the dishes or deep cleaning your kitchen cabinets).
You can use this as a guide and compare different cleaning services that charge by room or by service.
How Much to Pay a House Cleaning Company vs. An Independent Housekeeper
If you are trying to find a house service in Dallas (or anywhere else) you might notice that a cleaning company has different rates from an independent housekeeper. There are many factors causing this and, as a house owner, you might want to consider them beforehand.
First, a cleaning company has insurance for both the house owner and the housekeeper. This means that the housekeeper is protected against accidents, and the owners are protected against damages to their property and possible theft as well.
Without insurance, independent housekeepers might charge less, but its always best to avoid unpleasant surprises. Even cleaning professionals can have accidents, for example. And we know accidents are always expensive!
Cleaning companies also need to invest on customer service, uniforms and management. This may increase costs but also increase efficiency and satisfaction guarantee, for example.
How Much Should Someone Pay You for House Cleaning Supplies?
Charging for cleaning supplies is often a source of debate as well. Many house owners prefer housekeepers to bring their own cleaning supplies, while others prefer to choose and bring their own cleaning agents.
As a house cleaner, keep in mind you can buy products by bulk and this will decrease the overall costs. You can use this to your advantage and offer a more affordable service, because the cleaning products will already be included. This can be a point in your favor or one of your “features” as a housekeeper.
On the other hand, you can let this up to house owners but this has a bit of a risk: by the time you arrive, they may not have bought the products you need, or the specific brands that you know that work.
However, some house owners prefer you to use their cleaning products because they are eco-friendly, or they are free of certain ingredients, fragrances or other chemicals they might be allergic to.
Sometimes you will be able to use generic, all-purpose cleaners. But certain materials or areas do require specialized cleaning products which are more expensive.
How Much Should Someone Pay You for Additional House Cleaning Tasks?
Many house owners are unaware of exactly what’s included in a cleaning service. They might ask you for additional cleaning tasks or rooms that are not included in the original cleaning list.
What you can do is think of an estimate of the additional time and effort it takes you for each task. For example, deep cleaning the kitchen cabinets might take around 20% additional cleaning time and effort, meaning you should charge 20% more.
Take into consideration additional cleaning supplies as well. For example, if you need to deep clean the oven, you are going to need extra sponges and oven cleaner.
Create a list with the most common “extra” tasks or rooms that you get asked and assign them a standard price to have at hand when a client asks you to.
The level of messiness is also an important factor. You can use pictures from your previous work as a reference for what you accept as standard “messiness”.
In any case, make sure you are clear about the list of tasks and rooms that you will clean for each type of house cleaning service you offer.
After thinking of all the factors that decide how much should someone pay you to clean their house, many homeowners think if this is worth the money in the first place.
The truth is, cleaning is a chore that takes time, energy, and knowledge.
First of all, time and energy are two important factors. Depending on your job, you can end up tired once you go back home or just with not enough time to clean afterward. Even if you have time, we all know no one likes to spend their weekend mopping floors or cleaning kitchen countertops. By hiring a house cleaning service, you are getting more time and energy to spend on more fulfilling duties.
Knowledge is also important. There are many techniques to help you clean faster and more effectively. Plus, you might damage surfaces by using the wrong cleaning product or cleaning technique.
Furthermore, it can also be dangerous because some cleaning products can be harmful if you use them incorrectly. It’s important to use the right tools and use your time and energy wisely as well. As a homeowner, ultimately it is up to you to decide if it is worth hiring a house cleaning service to do the job, or to do it yourself.
It’s not easy to decide how much should someone pay you to clean their house. We hope these tips will help you consider everything that forms part of the process to decide the cost of a service.
If you are a housekeeper, do some research on the cost from other companies in the area. Evaluate costs of transport, cleaning supplies and, of course, time and energy. Keep in mind that offering a cheaper service won’t make you keep clients in a long term.
If you are a house owner, we understand that budget is important, but even more so is quality and trust. After all, you are letting someone into your house, and you need to be assured.
Ultimately, cleaning companies and housekeepers are free to set their own price for their services, just as much as clients are free to compare between options and choose the best one.
We’ll be back soon! In the meantime, enjoy other tips from our house cleaning blog!
Hello everyone! This is our first blog post of the year! We’re so excited to share with you our January Cleaning Checklist.
What better month to deep clean your home than January? It’s so much more than a new month, it’s a new year!
The holidays ended just 3 weeks ago. You probably still have some holiday decorations here and there. And this month is the perfect time to test and carry out a monthly cleaning checklist that works for you and your family.
By creating a checklist, you will reduce mental stress and it will be easier to keep your home nice and clean. Different rooms and cleaning tasks need to be performed at different times. It’s much easier to create a guide to help you remember when you are supposed to wipe your kitchen cupboards or declutter your closet.
As always, we invite you to check our cleaning service in the Frisco area. We know January is one of the busiest months of the year for many families. Having a recurring cleaning service to take care of your home seems like the perfect way to start your year off.
Less cleaning means more time and energy to invest in personal projects or spend quality time with your family. Maybe you want to take the chance to visit the Frisco Commons Park or the National Videogame Museum with your kids.
However, we do know that many people find it fun and even therapeutic to clean and declutter, especially at this time of the year. If that is your case, let’s start!
First On Your January Cleaning Checklist: Declutter and Donate
If you haven’t done so, decluttering is the very first step in our January Cleaning Checklist. There’s a very simple reason to start with decluttering: by the end of it, you will (hopefully) get rid of stuff you won’t even need to clean!
This will allow your home to look and feel different, and encourage you to organize and clean your remaining items.
There are many ways you can declutter. There is the 20/10 method, for example. This is especially helpful if decluttering makes you feel frustrated or overwhelmed quickly.
Now, where to start decluttering?
You can declutter by room (e.g., kitchen, bathroom, living room) or by category (e.g., clothes, books, documents).
If you find it hard to toss out items, set a goal first. Maybe it’s going to be 10% of each room or category. Or, it could be (at least) 20 items in total.
Fix, toss and store any holiday ornaments and decorations.
It might be easier to decide which items you are going to donate first. Set a donation box and fill it out with (at least) 15 items. Thinking and deciding fast can be beneficial if you have a hard time “ripping off the band-aid”.
After you’ve decluttered all your rooms/categories, you can finally organize and deep clean all your areas and surfaces!
Vacuum Your Home Inside Out
After decluttering and organizing your items, it’s time for vacuuming. We often stick to vacuuming our floors quickly, but this is not a regular cleaning!
After the holidays, you are going to find thousands of pine needles and food crumbs. Make sure you reach every corner, including under the cabinets and furniture.
Baseboards, ceilings, and room corners are often forgotten. Pay attention to your entryway too. Especially during winter in Frisco, your entryway gets filled with dust and dirt from the outside.
Leave your floors for last, as Here is a tip to ensure 100% of your floors get cleaned: start in one corner (the furthest from the door) and push your vacuum forward. Then, move backward but this time, moving slowly to the side as well (left or right) until you’ve covered the entire width of your vacuum (around 12 – 18 inches to the side).
Then, move forward again and repeat the process. This way, you will have vacuumed the surface twice, removing pretty much any crumbs and dirt on the way.
Many people like to start their January cleaning checklist with the kitchen. And it makes sense, as people forget to clean appliances, fridges, containers and drawers.
And now that you are just getting started with this year, it’s time to reorganize and make sure your fridge and pantry are spotless and cleared out.
First of all, it’s time to ensure all your canned goods and ingredients are not expired or rotten. For both the fridge and the pantry the process is very similar: start by removing your shelves and racks.
If this is your fridge, you can mix baking soda and dish soap until you form a paste. Baking soda acts as a deodorizer and soap will remove grease and food scraps.
If you want more tips about your fridge, don’t forget to check our Refrigerator Renew article.
In your pantry, you may find spices that are not spicy anymore or herbs that are no longer fresh. This is the perfect time to replace them. Then, you need to deep clean your pantry by scrubbing with soapy water.
If you have laminate or wooden shelves, stick to using very little water and always dry with a clean cloth afterward. To soften up grease, you can create a baking soda and dish soap mix. Apply and scrub with a soft sponge.
Once you place your items back, label and date containers and organize items by type and expiry date.
Wash Couch Pillows, Curtains and Blankets
These are items that often gather dust and sweat throughout the year, but they often go unnoticed. It is only after you’ve cleaned them that you realize how dirty they were.
Pillows, curtains and blankets can be cleaned using the same process depending on the type of fabric and the care tag instructions. Silk and velvet items usually need dry cleaning fluid, while cotton can be cleaned with water and soap.
Let’s start with your couch pillows. If they are washing-machine safe, use warm water (if they don’t have any stains) and delicate cycle.
If they are not, fill a bathtub or sink with warm water and mild detergent. Soak your pillows and press softly. Then, rinse your pillows until the water runs clear. Make sure you dry them properly afterward so they won’t lose their original shape.
To fluff the pillows, use a dryer on the no-heat or low-heat mode and throw a few dryer balls or tennis balls. This way, your couch pillows will come out nice and fluffy.
Next, we have curtains and blankets.
Some curtains, depending on the material, can be washed and rehung when they are still damp without needing to iron them. In any case, it’s best to dry them for as long as possible before rehanging them.
Blankets follow a cleaning process similar to couch pillows.
If you wash them using a washing machine, it is extremely important that you use a delicate cycle and, in this case, cold water. Blankets usually end up getting loose and stretched out if they come in contact with warm water. If you wash them by hand, make sure you don’t wring them too strong either.
Spot Clean Couches & Carpets
January is the perfect opportunity to spot-clean your couches, rugs and carpet floors. After the holidays, the occasional wine or food spills start to become noticeable.
Couches, rugs and carpets have different care instructions depending on the material. For example, some fibers are organic and more sensitive to water or certain chemicals.
If you are not able to find the care tag or the material your item is made of, a good rule of thumb is to blot the stain and never scrub. This way you won’t spread the stain even further.
Clean the stains as soon as you see them, and don’t use hot water as it will set the stains instead of removing them.
You can use a stain remover or a Oxigen-based bleach is much safer to remove stains than chlorine-based bleach.
If you want more tips for cleaning your couch depending on the type of fabric, check the guide from our fellas at Emily’s Maids.
Sanitize Surfaces
Last but not least, we know January is a cold month this year. Take your time and sanitize all surfaces that you use frequently and items that you grab or touch with your hands.
For example, electronics such as TV remotes and keyboards. They gather an enormous number of bacteria, especially if you share them with multiple household members.
They could be very sensitive to cleaning agents or liquids in general, so if you are using any (water or rubbing alcohol) do not apply to the surface directly. Instead, apply to a lint-free cloth. For TV, computer or smartphone screens, make sure to follow manufacturer’s instructions.
Door handles are also a strong source of bacteria. Always keep rubbing alcohol at hand and sanitize them once a day.
Conclusion
We hope this January Cleaning Checklist motivates you to start your month -and your year- off on the right foot!
This list will help you get through all those areas you probably do not include in your regular house cleaning.
Remember to check our booking page if you want to learn more about our house cleaning service in Dallas.
Don’t forget to check our blog for more of our cleaning tricks and secrets. This year we hope to bring even more articles and tips on our social media.
2023 is just two days from today. It’s easy to forget. Christmas eve, Christmas day. The busyness. The shopping, parties, cozy nights, and moments of spiritual wonder.
And one week later the world passes a landmark. My friend’s kids celebrate it at school as a “sun celebration.” A day they commemorate the earth completing a journey. A path untraveled before and never to be traveled again in the same way. No sun celebration is the same.
Our ancestors, the ancients of every civilization, viewed new years as a gift. Throughout the near and far east, the cradle of human life, a theme emerged. Our ancestors, regardless of race, creed, religion, or geography, marveled at the “music of the spheres.” The orbit of the planets and the universe itself creates a song. An unending, inaudible praise to some greater power. Something beyond ourselves, our sight, and our best thoughts.
I hope you’ll forgive my musings. Within them is buried what I want to express. Life is beautiful. If we’ve learned anything in the last three years, I hope it’s to love and cherish life. As 2020 bled into 2021, I and many others hoped for significant renewal. It didn’t happen. Then came 2022, and the same hopes were met with the same results – mediocre and muddled.
After two go’s on this merry-go-round, I’ve learned my lesson. It’s not about a simple orbit around the sun marking some expansive change. It’s about noticing the simple beauty in life – the “music of the spheres.”
As we close out 2022 and begin 2023, that’s my hope. I don’t have outrageous goals. I won’t be president in 2023 or summit Everest. My life will remain relatively simple, quiet, and private. And that is marvelous, it is a gift. A chance to marvel at the simple joys of my marriage, my children, my work, a chance to laugh at a silly joke, a chance to be humbled by a compliment, a chance to brighten the day of a downtrodden stranger, coworker, or friend, a chance to set aside distractions and be fully, wholly present.
So in 2023, my goal isn’t to do something extravagant. My goal is to do simple things well. To show love, compassion, and generosity when it’s not expected, to speak kindly, to offer grace when anger is understandable. In 2023, I want to get back to basics and focus on the simple things that matter. That is, people and serving others.
That’s easy to say. Maybe you read this with some skepticism, I get that. 2022 has been hard for many of us, but some more than others, what I can say is that I’m not alone. My friend in Florida and I recently spoke. This year his marriage ended and he lost his job due to market downturn, his world collapsed. Our worlds are so different. But I asked him about his thoughts with Christmas and a New Year approaching.
To be honest, he told me about the “music of the spheres.” He expressed a desire to get back to basics. His year, his “sun celebration,” was excruciating. But we arrived at the same thing, our paths were different, yet here we stand together in friendship. Life is precious, fragile, and marvelous. Despite our different experiences, good and bad, we see the same thing: life is what matters. Money, prestige, the trappings of a “successful” life. These are nice but not necessary. In 2023, we both want to experience life – it’s highs and lows – without fear.
If you’ll humor me just one more moment. My same friend quoted a song that’s been on his heart. I think its lyrics are worth remembering as a new year begins.
“I saw something they can’t take away…
There were pages turned,
With the bridges burned.
Everything you lose is a step you take.
So make the friendship bracelets,
Take a moment and taste it.
You got no reason to be afraid,
You can face this.”
Regardless of where we are right now, we can appreciate that poetic truth. Life is painful, but it’s breathtaking and deserves our whole selves. I want that in 2023. For me and for you.
As we round out 2022, I hope you’ll join me in looking forward to 2023. I don’t know the specifics of your exact situation. Maybe this year sucked. Maybe it was phenomenal. However, I know we can pause together and say this life is marvelous, painful, and worth our full attention. I can’t wait to see what that means with you in 2023. Either way, my hope and wishes for us all is to lose sight of the things that distract us so easily and focus on what matters: each other, our world, and our journeys together.
Wishing you a Merry Christmas and simple, full New Year,
Hello! Can you believe we have Christmas right around the corner? Of course we had to bring some cleaning tips before Christmas!
This is the most beautiful time around the year. You get to spend the holidays with your family celebrating Christmas (and New Year’s Eve very soon!) you have only this week to get your home ready!
As we always mention, make sure to check our professional cleaning service in Dallas if you wish to remove stress and spent this week getting your home ready for Christmas!
But if you find some free hours during this week you can try cleaning and tidying up your home during this week, or even during Saturday morning, before you get to enjoy your Christmas dinner.
Let’s find some quick cleaning tips to make your home spark before Christmas!
First Step: Take a Look Around the House
When you have a lot going on, it might not be easy to quickly spot the areas in your home that need some care.
We are in a very special moment which is Christmas time, so you have to take extra effort into thinking about all those hidden areas and corners where you might need to vacuum, clean and tidy.
A nice, easy trick is to enter each room and quickly scan for 30 seconds until you find the most “out of place” item. Fix it and then return again to fix the next item in the line.
Flat, large surfaces usually create the biggest impact when you clean a room. This includes floors, countertops and tables, for example.
Tidying up and wiping those surfaces can create a big impact, especially if you don’t have a lot of time.
You may have a lot of rooms and not enough time. In this case, focus on the kitchen and the living room, and the guest bathroom. Those are the three essential areas that you and your guests will likely spend time at.
Of course, if you have any particular plans or activities, include those areas as well (e.g., your backyard or a guest bedroom).
Set Up a Christmas Cleaning Day with Your Family
Cleaning becomes much easier when you have extra help, and it can even become something that you can enjoy as family time!
Dedicating an entire day (or even just the morning) and treating it as a “cleaning day” can help you save a lot of time. In a way, it is easier to make quick decisions and carry out your cleaning tasks.
Besides, as we all know, Christmas is the perfect time for decorating and spending quality time as a family.
You only have a few days left so make sure everyone is available that day for some deep cleaning!
There are many schedules and ideas to sort out your cleaning tasks in a way that is effective and fair to all members of your household, including kids!
As we were mentioning earlier, flat surfaces are usually the ones creating the biggest difference between a messy home and a clean, fresh one.
Each type of floor has different cleaning instructions. Between carpet, ceramic and hardwood floors, you have completely different steps to clean and sanitize, for example.
The most important steps for cleaning your floors are: using the right vacuum cleaner (e.g., avoid the beater bar brush attachment in parquet, laminate, tile and vinyl floors to avoid scratching).
Also, make sure you don’t use excessive water, as you don’t want humidity to soak into the floors. Pay special attention to excessive humidity as certain areas of North Dallas can become extremely humid during this time of the year.
Whenever you are mopping try using as little water as possible, and also rinse and wipe several times. Open up your windows to let some sunlight and airflow into the room.
Remember to check our blog with all our tips for different types of floors, such as Carpet Floors, and Hardwood Floors.
Clean Your Windows Before Christmas Time
Windows are often left behind in the cleaning calendar. If you can squeeze in this cleaning task within your schedule, it would be great for your household!
Depending on where you live, this may or may not be a great time for cleaning windows, because of the weather. Contrary to popular belief, you can clean your windows in a rainy day.
In fact, if you do it on a sunny day, you run the risk of having the sun dry your cleaner too quickly and leave streaks. Just make sure it is not as windy to avoid a lot of dust floating around and sticking to your shiny windows.
To clean windows, you can use hot, soapy water to start with. Use a microfiber cloth to spread your cleaning solution in a circular motion.
Don’t forget to place an old towel under your windows to absorb any excessive water.
To achieve that streak-free look, you can use a one-part vinegar, two parts water mix for general cleaning.
Wipe again with a microfiber, lint-free towel several times until it is completely clean. You might need to apply the vinegar/water mix again until the soapy water is completely rinsed off.
Organize Your Cabinets and Drawers Before Christmas
Now that you are getting closer to Christmas time, this is a great opportunity to organize your kitchen and your pantry.
Sometimes we save too many ingredients, canned goods, herbs and spices that we don’t use at all or that are already expired before we notice.
Besides, in order to prepare your favorite Christmas dishes, it would be helpful to clear out your kitchen before you start with your cooking.
You can try different organization system to help you out with your pantry: lazy susans, baskets, glass jars or containers are all effective and simple solutions. It will look cleaner, more organized and easier to spot the exact ingredient you are looking for.
Of course, the same goes for cabinets and drawers. Nowadays you have drawer dividers, trays or even plastic boxes to help you keep everything under control.
Deep Clean Your Fridge
Speaking of organizing your kitchen, this could be the perfect opportunity to clean and sanitize your fridge and make some space for your favorite Christmas dishes (and the leftovers!)
Always start by unplugging your fridge and removing all your food items, as well as drawers and shelves.
To clean your drawers and shelves use soapy water and a large sponge. If you haven’t cleaned your fridge in a while, you can add white vinegar or baking soda to further clean and deodorize your fridge.
Place a large old towel at the bottom to absorb excessive water.
Don’t forget to wipe the inside of your fridge as well, using a microfiber cloth damp with hot, soapy water.
If it has liquid stains such as tomato sauce or meat juice, you can use a steam cleaner if you have one, or a concentrated dish soap and hot water mix to quickly remove any stains or residues.
Remember to leave plenty of room for your Christmas meals and you can also leave half a lemon on a small plate to absorb odors as much as possible. You can also try mixing one teaspoon of baking soda and a few drops of lemon juice or lemon essential oil.
Bonus Tips: Add Some Décor After Cleaning
What is Christmas without some beautiful decoration? After all the important surfaces in your home have been cleaned, vacuumed, and sanitized, it’s time to add a few Christmas items.
It’s likely that you have small knick-knacks that have collected dust and you’re afraid of damaging them. In this case, it might be easier to soak all of them in hot soapy water. Make sure they are safe to wash (e.g., porcelain or plastic items without any electric wiring).
To make things easier, you can choose different tools: a steamer, a pressure washer or even a small toothbrush can help you remove dust and dirt from with delicate items.
Choose your décor items very carefully, as you don’t want to overwhelm your rooms. Items that are easy to clean and store back afterward should have simple shapes and be resistant.
A great trick is to add a nice fragrance with a Christmas touch. Cinnamon, vanilla and pine are popular choices this time of the year. You can choose floor deodorizers or candles with these scents, for example. That will give your home a fresh and clean touch, even if it wasn’t deep cleaned in the first place.
Conclusion
Christmas time is coming very soon. We hope these tips helped you tidy and clean your home in a very small time frame.
Because time is scarce, remember to take at least 10 – 15 minutes to come up with a plan for each task/room. Then, try to add as many family members and friends as possible to finish in a heartbeat!
If you’re like me, that phrase sends chills up your spine. My immediate response is “what’s wrong?” or “what did I do?”
Don’t worry, no one’s in trouble. I have good news.
With the nostalgia of the holidays fresh on my mind, I’ve been reflecting on the last two years. I was talking to my friend from Florida the other day and she made a funny comment. She said, “We’ve all been through so much. The last three years have been a class on collective grief and loss. Ask someone what’s happened since the pandemic started and they’ll get a glossy look on their eyes.”
Funny right? We all survived. We made it through. But it’s all a haze. This experience we went through which we’ve collectively kind of muted from our memory. We know it happened. That cannot be forgotten. But the specifics feel hazy, nebulous, fuzzy. It’s a weird experience that unites us. We know it happened. It was recent, but the memory is hard to pin down.
Unless we work to dust if off. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been reminded of so much I can be grateful for in my life. My wife, my kids. My business, my staff. You.
Candidly, we’re here because of our hard work AND your support. Covid hit and we were thrown against the ropes. So many of you paid for services that you didn’t receive. So many of you helped us stay afloat.
With things calming down, we’ve been able to move forward. We haven’t just stayed in business; we’ve grown. Your support in promoting us, in sharing with your neighbors, friends, and coworkers, has helped us not just survive but thrive.
With that in mind, this Thanksgiving, I want to say thank you and offer a small gift of appreciation. We are not raising prices anytime soon.
I belong to a group of business owners that meets regularly. In one of our recent gatherings, one owner remarked that raising prices now was kind of expected. Inflation, social unrest, general societal uncertainty. Everyone expects to pay more right now.
But we aren’t doing that. Why? First and foremost because it’s the right thing to do. We run an efficient business and your loyalty deserves a reprieve from all the higher prices these days. Above all other factors, it’s the right thing to do to hold our prices where they are. A recent congressional testimony revealed that 54% of higher prices is driven by corporate greed. Businesses just want to make more money. Well, some do. We could raise prices, but we aren’t going to. Why? Because that’s not right. That’s not who we are. And you don’t deserve to pay more just “because.”
Secondly, I want to encourage gratitude in our community. Did you know that positive online reviews lead to bonuses and extra accolades for our team? If you leave a positive Google review for your cleaning associate or team, it means something. We reward quality work. It’s not just “nice.” It means recognition here. We pay for performance. We acknowledge hard, quality work. And you can let us know when that happens.
I could go on and on. But I won’t. With Thanksgiving just days away, I want to extend a heartfelt Thank You. We’ve all been through a lot. You. Your family. Our community. And yet here we are, still moving forward. It hasn’t been easy or neat or clean or tidy. Life is messy. But here we are, plowing forward together. And while life is messy, we are grateful you let us make your home a little less so. From myself and the entire team, we wish you a very bright and happy Thanksgiving.
