Archive for 'Cleaning'
Alternatives To Buying A Commercial Carpet Cleaner
Posted on 21. Jun, 2009 by Mark Coleman.
In order to get clean, good-smelling, healthy carpets, do you need to buy a commercial carpet cleaner or hire a professional carpet cleaning service? Either way can cost you hundreds of dollars. If you have a large home and little time, then perhaps buying a commercial carpet cleaner or hiring a service is what you should do. But if you only have a few rooms with carpeting or if you rent an apartment, buying a commercial carpet cleaner is not a viable option. Here are other things you can do.
Rent A Machine
If you don’t have the money or the storage space for a commercial carpet cleaner, the odds are you can rent one for a day, instead. There are many kinds of stores that will rent commercial carpet cleaner machines. Some will look like round canisters and a hose attachment and some will look a lot like big upright vacuum cleaners.
This is especially recommended when you are moving out of your apartment and hope to get your housing deposit back. When the landlord sees a clean carpet that doesn’t need replacing, they usually give the deposit back. This is, of course, provided you haven’t damaged anything else in the apartment.
Spot Cleaning
You might only need parts of your carpet cleaned instead of the whole thing. In this case, buying a commercial carpet cleaner would be overkill. You only need to do spot cleaning. This does require time, elbow grease and buying carpet and upholstery cleaning products from the grocery or department store. You should do a test spot first with this carpet cleaner to see that it doesn’t stain or discolor your carpet. Otherwise, you’ll need a service with their commercial carpet cleaner to fix your mess!
In spot cleaning your carpet, you need to wipe up what you can with a clean color-fast cloth or paper towel. Dampen the area to be cleaned with a wet paper towel. Just use water. Then apply the cleaning fluid or foam. Wait as the directions indicate, then mop it all up with more clean cloths or a paper towel. You often need to scrub at it with the cloths or even a carpet brush. This can take quite a while, depending on how much carpet you need cleaned.
Worse to comes to worse, you can always get rid of the carpet (if you own the place where you live). This way you will defiantly never need to buy a commercial carpet cleaner.
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Carpet And Upholstery Cleaning When You Live With A Smoker
Posted on 14. Jun, 2009 by Mark Coleman.
Carpet And Upholstery Cleaning When You Live With A Smoker
When you live with a smoker, you get really used to the smell of tobacco smoke, even if you are lucky enough to live with someone who only smokes outside. However, many smokers smoke in their cars and their homes, partially because they aren’t allowed to smoke anywhere else. It’s not until you try to do carpet and upholstery cleaning do you realize the damage tobacco smoke does.
Not Much Hope
There’s very little effective carpet and upholstery cleaning you can do to entirely remove the tobacco smell and stains. The best carpet cleaning technique usually is to buy another carpet. All the rest is damage control, where you the best carpet and upholstery cleaning hope you can have is to slow down the eventual rate of decay. When living with a smoker, you never want to get any carpeting or furniture in white. It will turn tan or grey very rapidly.
When Selling Home Or Car
You can loose a lot of money in the value of your home just because a smoker lived in it. Non-smokers can get detect tobacco smoke even when the smoker has been kicked out of the house or car for a few months. Regular carpet and upholstery cleaning products you can buy at the store will not work for long-term tobacco smoke damage. Your best bet is to hire a professional service to do your carpet and upholstery cleaning.
If you want to trade in your car or other vehicle and a smoker has regularly used the vehicle, consider that you will loose at least $500 in your trade in because it will take a lot of professional carpet and upholstery cleaning for the dealer to finally get eh car looking and smelling decently again. You might get more money just giving the car away to charity and getting the tax refund from that.
Better Than Nothing
Even if you can’t get professional carpet and upholstery cleaning and can’t get your housemate to stop smoking, doing whatever you can for cleaning is better than nothing. You want to keep your home as well-ventilated as possible. Houseplants can often absorb some tobacco smoke and put out oxygen, but not always. Striking a match and letting it burn can often neutralize the smell of tobacco smoke very quickly.
Just the act of cleaning can raise your self-esteem, even if you can’t get all of the stains out. You can at least get rid of dirt, dust mites, pollen and mold spores in regular carpet and upholstery cleaning.
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Many Varieties Of Carpet Cleaning Techniques
Posted on 06. Jun, 2009 by Mark Coleman.
There are about as many carpet cleaning techniques are there are people who use those techniques. How much money you make does not seem to factor into carpet or home cleaning. Just think of eccentric American billionaire Howard Hughes. He was a germophobic slob. His carpet cleaning technique was to move to either buy another house or move to a hotel. And yet, there are homeless people who keep themselves and what little they have as clean and tidy as possible.
The College Student
We are probably all familiar with the carpet cleaning techniques of the college student, whether male or female. The best way of dealing with a dirty carpet is to completely cover the carpet up so that you don’t have to look at it. This can be done by placing any and all objects within reach all over the offending carpet. They may even buy carpet scraps from Home Depot and lay them over the original carpet.
The Week Before Thanksgiving Panic
This is perhaps the most stressful carpet cleaning technique and not the most effective but probably the only way a lot of American carpets get cleaned. About a week before Thanksgiving, when you know a lot of judgmental guests are coming, you suddenly have your eyes opened and realize that your carpets are pig sties. You then frantically flip through the phone book and hire the first residential home cleaning service that returns your call.
The Obsessive-Compulsive
This is a very thorough carpet cleaning technique, but can wind up being as rough on carpets because they are scrubbed so often. This is when every week or every day the entire carpet is cleaned, usually by hand with a scrub brush and bucket and maybe a wet-dry vacuum. It’s also not good for the cleaning person to breathe all of those harsh chemicals.
The Usual
But the most common carpet cleaning technique is actually the best, even though it might sound unhygienic at first. You vacuum once a week or so and sweep up any crunchy bits on the floor. Any carpet cleaning is done with frantic vigor with any bottle of cleaning fluid at hand for any stains. The only time a steam machine is used is when you’re going to move. Unless your doctor advises that you use more through carpet cleaning techniques, this can give a happy balance of your time, how your looks and smells and your nerves.
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Office Cleaning Service : An Ideal Business in a Busy
Posted on 01. Jun, 2009 by Mark Coleman.
Office Cleaning Service : An Ideal Business in a Busy City
Companies want to have clean offices, but because it is expensive to hire people to clean for them regularly some opt not have resulting dirty offices and messy tables. They rely on employees alone to do the cleaning but they forgot the other picture that employees won’t do it regularly because they are not paid to do so. Now, there are sprouting offices cleaning service providers. Not far from a description of apartment or domestic cleaning service providers, they do what they do best cleaning!
Benefits of Office Cleaning Service Business
First of is the unlimited income potential it can bring. Many offices are located in different areas, as long as you can reach it preferably by land; you can bring service to it. Because of the rise of different offices may it be big or small, the more the demand of office cleaning service providers at the end of the day the more income you will get as long as you are credible and of course reliable.
Office cleaning service as a business gives you the privilege to be your own boss. You can have it by only having at least three employees and still be the boss; the good thing about office cleaning service is that you can improve it anytime because the materials involved are not so expensive.
Another benefit of office cleaning service as a business is that it offers you good network connections as long as you provide credible services. It is given fact that offices will of course recommend you if you provide quality service to them, giving you more avenues for income.
In office cleaning service business, you can also set your own hours. You can go from 9am to 5 pm to 9 am to 9pm, as long as you can compensate your employees enough and as long as you can satisfy the needs of your clients then there will be no problems.
With this kind of business, you are being paid almost every day. As soon as you start working smoothly, clients would go to you, and of course will set different schedule, making you earn every day. It is definitely better than earning nothing or minimum wage.
At the end of the day, office cleaning service is a big help to offices, and if you make this as your own business, it is definitely a sure hit, not just for your pocket but as well as the pockets of your employees.
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Apartment Cleaning Service: To The Company & To The Client
Posted on 27. May, 2009 by Mark Coleman.
Apartment Cleaning Service: To The Company & To The Client
Cleaning your apartment is not a hassle anymore. There are many apartments cleaning service sprouting due to its high demands especially from people who lives in busy cities. And if you are an owner of an apartment building and a previous tenant left his place messy, no need to look for time for you to clean the place so it would be rentable again apartment cleaning service is there to help you. To know more about the services they do offer, read below.
Services Offered By Apartment Cleaning Service
Apartment cleaning service providers basically dust ceiling fans, chair rails, and blinds as well. They as well clean the rugs through vacuum and return it in its roper place as long as the floor is dry. When it comes to your kitchen needs, apartment cleaning service providers offer to clean the inside and out of your microwave, refrigerator, and stove.
With regards again to kitchen, they also clean your counters and as well as your kitchen cabinets. Cleaning your bathroom and sanitizing your sink are also parts of apartment cleaning service. Your living rooms are also taken care of apartment cleaning service providers from dusting off your furniture, to the floor and to as well wiping your appliances.
Worrying about your bedroom, you just have to do some background check to the employees of the company you are about to hire, and it is sure that all your locked cabinets will still be lock when you come back; plus the fact that your bed sheets are changed and your floor is shining. They not just clean apartments but as well they offer office cleaning service.
Apartment Cleaning Service: A Good Investment
If you live in places like New York, it is sure to be so busy. Apartment cleaning service is a business will always be a sure fire in places like these where people cannot make time for cleaning because of too much work. But even your outside New York, apartments nowadays are rising in number, making your customer number grow. What you need to invest on is not just the materials you are about to use, but as well as the credibility of your employees. Your employees should be honest, trustworthy and a street smart. This adds to the sales of the company, making a small investment soon big.
Of course promotions are a deal in this kind of business, make your flyers colourful and attractive to get many customers, and soon you will see how you will gain your capital and have more profits.
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Cheap House Cleaning Rate, Not an Advantage
Posted on 20. May, 2009 by Mark Coleman.
House cleaning rates varies from what service you want. It also varies on the credibility the company has established as well as the company’s equipments. House cleaning rates also affects the materials used by service providers; of course cheaper rates would lead to the use of cheap chemicals and cheap materials. One should consider if their cold cash is equivalent to the service they are about to get.
Reasons Why Not Go For Cheap House Cleaning Service:
All mentioned above are reasons why not to, but here we will elaborate more why cheap services are not equivalent to good services.
Training is part of the process; a company should invest on it so that they would offer quality workers. What do we mean by this? No company would charge small, if they have invested so much in their employees. Aside from the material things they use, the quality of employees is also a factor in charging. No house cleaning service would give cheap house cleaning rate if they spent much.
With regards again with the cleaners affecting the house cleaning rate, their personality and credibility as well matters. If these cleaners have established their image of being trustworthy, honest and reliable, then the company has the right to charge higher than others that has proven anything in the cleaning industry. Usually, high cleaning rates is equivalent to trustworthy, sincere, and good quality cleaners.
Now with the materials they use, it is part of their computation of their house cleaning rate, it is obvious that if they would charge you cheap, then the materials would be as well cheap and might affect the quality of your furniture and appliances. For example, would be your wood furniture being damaged or brittle because of improper chemicals used instead of saving because of cheap house cleaning rate, now you have to buy new furniture, which is by the way more expensive.
No need to worry too much, because you can ask your house or apartment cleaning service provider on what materials they will be using, from then you can make your own judgement if their house cleaning rate is fair enough. Also, you can ask other people regarding the house cleaning company you are eyeing for, opinions matter specially when talking about where your money will go.
Always remember that cheap house cleaning rate is cheap just because the owners are good-willed; there is a reason behind it, and that reason might be a liability to you. Go for quality over thriftiness then regret afterwards, your home is your sanctuary, clean it well and protect it.
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House Cleaning Service: A Help To All Families
Posted on 14. May, 2009 by Mark Coleman.
If you plan to have your place cleaned and you don’t have the luxury of time to do so, try house cleaning service. House cleaning service is a way to save time specially when you belong to a busy city. There are different house cleaning services out there available for you to choose from. But you have to be wise in choosing the people whom you’ll get services from.
Guidelines in Choosing Your House Cleaning Service Provider:
Do not go for a house cleaning service just because it’s cheap. It won’t be cheap if it uses high quality products; it won’t be as well cheap if it has undergone background checks and if it has insurance. Be aware that some company offer low price on ads and phone calls, but you are subjected to other payments upon their arrival at your doorstep do not be a victim of deception, rather ask them beforehand of an estimate of how much will you be paying for their whole services.
There are two types of cleaners: one is a house cleaning service in which there are individual cleaners working for an agency and a house cleaning service that has their own employees. What is the difference between the two? When it is an individual cleaner you handle all the liabilities, while on the other option, the whole liability is on the house cleaning service provider. I don’t need to explicitly tell which is more beneficial and comfortable choose wisely.
It’s free to ask. Do not bother asking other people who avail house cleaning service as well. This would help you in deciding to which company you would go. Always remember that advertisements will not give you reality, but firsthand experiences would. You should gain as many opinions as you can, then decide from there.
Do not rely only on phone-quotations. House cleaning service companies offer that they would go to your place for a direct quotation and will give you their house cleaning rate. This would eliminate expectations on how much you will be paying, because now, they see it for themselves and would give you an almost exact quotation of what you will be paying.
Get quotations from different house cleaning service providers, quotations are commonly free, take advantage of it. It is better that you see offers from different companies it gives you idea on what are the advantages of one company from another as well as their disadvantages.
House cleaning service at the end of the day should not be a liability to you. It should offer you comfort and an easier life - that could only happen if you choose intelligently.
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Tips on House Cleaning
Posted on 07. May, 2009 by Mark Coleman.
Being clean is not an option but it is a requirement for a healthy life. Having a house that is not cleaned regularly would make your house a breeding ground for bacteria making you more prone to various diseases. House cleaning is a must for every home, it is an investment and as well as a prevention for your home’s deterioration. Upon house cleaning, you can also determine which parts of the house need repair and improvement. In general, house cleaning is a way to which one can make his house open to people and not a house to be ashamed of.
House Cleaning Tips:
Plan on which area will you clean first, it is important so you can get ready with all the materials you need. It is best that you work in group so that it would be faster. For families, you can make house cleaning as a family activity, it is as well a way of teaching kids on how to have fun while doing their responsibilities.
Now, know what furniture or aspect of the house can be cleaned with water, wax or whatever material you got to prevent damages. Another tip would be, instead of using regular feather dusters in cleaning narrow areas, use paint brushes for dusting it is more effective because it can reach tighter areas.
House cleaning does not involve cleaning alone; organization of things in your house is also a part of it. Tip for really scattered and disorganized room is to have 2 boxes with them when cleaning: the first box is for the keeps and the other one is for the things that are already for disposal. For clothes as part of your organization, try to fix it by color so that you can easily pick clothes and mix & match them easily.
Now to houses with garden, it is part again of house cleaning. Mow your lawn regularly, do it not too short and not too long. Having too long lawn would lead to a breeding ground for insects and too short lawn would also be dangerous because the more the kids will be exposed to the soil, which by the way is dirty.
If you do not have the time to do cleaning, because of your schedule, house cleaning service is available anywhere to be of help. By the way, when you hire someone to do house cleaning, it is expected that they would clean better than you do, so no money will be wasted and the time that you would allot for cleaning can be allotted for extra work extra work, extra money.
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Window Washing Pains
Posted on 01. May, 2009 by Mark Coleman.
It’s a fact! Most home owners do not wash their own windows. This is not because they are unable to see the need of this it is mostly because the lifestyle of the average home owner is very demanding. Not every can find the time to do this on their own or at all.
Window washing is always quiet the hassle to fit in between a nine to five and climbing up and down a ladder is no joke. Window washing services saw a window opportunity and have given homeowners a chance to have clean windows at a price.
These window services sure will put the sparkle back in your home. They offer proper cleaning to all kinds of windows including storm windows and the newer designed dual pained windows and their different cleaning requirements.
Using the service saves one time and at the same time gives your home a cleaner look. The window washing technicians specialize in cleaning quick and effetely. They may do a better job than what you would probably be able to do in terms of window washing. They help you maintain the one part of your home that you wish you could do but don’t often have the time or energy. Window washing professionals often do a good job removing all kinds of dirt from your windows because they have the write products to do their job.
Window Washing, Get Yours Serviced?
They start by removing and marking all screens and hand wash both sides of your screens with a soft bristle brush using a 100% safe, biodegradable liquid soap and set the screens aside to dry. Then begin cleaning the outside of your windows first, using a soft strip washer and a very concentrated window washing solution that is safe and biodegradable the solution used will not only make your windows sparkle it will protect the glass from the harsh elements.
Then a special porcupine scrubber is used to get off paint overspray, bug marks, sap, etc. After wetting the window again with the strip washer and solution, the water is dried off and towel dried around the edges where water collects. After the outside windows are done, they move inside and repeat the window washing process. When inside, the window tracks and window sills are cleaned. The clean screens back in place.
To finish up, they will walk around your home to double check the windows and put all of your furniture back where it was. The technicians leave when you are happy with your happy. The service is to your convenience and the type of cleaning is professional.
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Ways To Clean A Floor
Posted on 25. Apr, 2009 by Mark Coleman.
House cleaning covers a whole multitude of jobs and one of those is cleaning floor. How cleaning floor in any room is tackled will depend upon what material is on the floor. For example a linoleum floor will require a different method of cleaning floor than a stone floor.
To know that you have done a good house cleaning job will mean having done a good cleaning floor job. Clean floors are a requirement for any room to look neat and clean.
Every home should own a broom. And the broom needs to be a good fit with your type of floor, for instance a smooth floor will get away with synthetic brooms whereas a rougher floor would clean better with a natural fiber broom. Brooms are great for a quick wipe round or a more intense cleaning floor project.
Cleaning floors is an art and each floor type carries its own little secrets of how to get it clean.
Should you be cleaning a ceramic tile floor never use a mop with a sponge head as all this will do is pull the dirt back into the grout tracks therefore making the floor really difficult to clean. A better option to cleaning a ceramic tile floor would be to use a micro-fiber mop.
A floor that is covered in linoleum needs to be cleaned with a solvent that is not chemical based. Avoid alkaline products as these can turn the linoleum yellow and never use an aggressive scrubbing with a scrubbing pad.
Hardwood floors can be cleaned using an oil soap. Before using an oil soap make sure that the floors have been swept and are dirt and dust free. Apply the solution to the floor with a most sponge or mop making sure that the floor does not get overly wet.
An unglazed tile floor can be vacuumed and then mopped over with a mild detergent and water.
Rubber tiled floors should be cleaned regularly with water and detergent and concrete floors require regular sweeping and then washed with a degreaser or detergent based cleaner.
Before using any cleaner on a floor surface be sure to try it out on a small piece first.
Cleaning floor is not everybody’s favorite way of passing time but a clean floor will make all the difference to the appearance of a room. And knowing how to clean your type of floor cleaning properly will make for easier cleaning and less cleaning.