We've already determined that, for the most part, the feather duster is not going to be an overly effective tool for end-to-end dusting. We've also taken a look at how the microfiber dusting towel is great to have if you are keeping up on your dusting. In the last article, I discussed the role the vacuum cleaner can play in dusting for those who have not kept up on it. As I said in that article, not all vacuums come with brush attachments to aid in your dusting. So, what do you do if you have fallen behind on dusting and don't have a vacuum to help? The answer is that you are going to need a wet cloth…and lots of extra time.
Wet wiping is probably the least attractive, most labor intensive form of dusting. It is going to require a great amount of attention to detail and could leave you frustrated beyond belief. In order to do it properly, you need to wet-clean the dust off of things like baseboards and trim and then go back and dry the area after cleaning.
Wet cleaning is an effective tool where there is a lot of moisture or grease. For example, wet cleaning in a kitchen or bathroom is usually a very good idea. The moisture and grease in these rooms tends to offset the effectiveness of other forms of dusting because the moisture just makes the dust stick to all of the surfaces and resist dry-dusting techniques.
My advice for those who have fallen behind and who don't have a brush attachment/vacuum available is to break the task of wet dusting down into sections and take your time. The whole process will take significant time; breaking it up into manageable segments will make the tast that much easier to accomplish.
In the event you have let the dusting go and are in need of a true spring cleaning, the other solution, of course, is to call Total Cleaning Plus to do it for you. I know it’s a shameless plug, but we are here to save you time and professionally handle your cleaning needs. I'm pretty sure you'd rather have your weekends free to spend time doing the things you love rather than spending them on hands and knees with a wet cloth in hand!
If you have any questions, click below to ask the pros at Total Cleaning Plus.
Photo Credie; flickr Kaptain Kobolo
If I asked the question “who knows what the vacuum is used for?”, most people would look at me like it was a silly question, and then answer correctly by saying “for vacuuming floors.” However, if I told you that the vacuum actually has many more uses, you might not know what all of those are. The one that I'm focusing on today is that the vacuum is, without question, one of the best and most effective tools for dusting.
If you have maintain your dust levels and don't let them get too far, a feather duster and microfiber dusting towel are fine to use. Unfortunately, if you are like most people, you’ve likely let the dusting get away for various reasons. In this case, the vacuum (with a good brush attachment) will become your best friend. The type of vacuum you are using will dictate what is available for brush attachments, including where you can purchase them and how much they'll cost.
One of the reasons that a vacuum is a great piece of equipment for dusting is because all of the dust that you are collecting goes right into the vacuum, as opposed to it just flying through the air and landing back on the items you just dusted off. Additionally,vacuums are effective because of their suction. As I said, if you haven’t kept up on dusting, you are going to need a stronger solution to make up for lost time. Using the suction of the vacuum will take an otherwise overwhelming project and simplify it for you.
The drawback to using the vacuum for dusting is that it is going to take more time than just using a feather duster or microfiber dusting cloth. Unfortunately, this is the price you pay for not keeping up on the work of dusting. On the flip side, when you are done using the vacuum, you'll have full confidence that all the dust is gone. Areas that were once problems will be easy to maintain. You'll have no more worries about baseboards or hard-to-reach ceiling fans that are covered with dust.
If the dust in your home is overwhelming and you don't have a vacuum that can be used with a brush attachment, you can’t afford to miss my next post, where I’ll share a technique that can answer your dusting needs. I'll be honest though; it is going to be the technique that will require the most effort, most detail and most amount of time.
Have a question for Total Cleaning Plus? Click below to ask.
Photo Credit: flickr; nist6ss
As I said in my last article, the feather duster has been replaced with more effective modern technology in the house cleaning industry. One of the tools to take its place is the microfiber dusting cloth/towel. Simply put, if you are looking to get the job of dusting done right, then microfiber is the way to go.
I'm sure you must be thinking “what makes microfiber so great?” According to Stacie H. Rosenzweig at www.cleanlink.com, “microfiber is considered superior to standard fibers for many cleaning applications because it has more surface area and the smaller fibers can get into cracks and crevices too small for other materials. Also, the split fibers add cleaning power.”
Also in the article, she interviewed Tom Peglowski, the marketing communications manager at Norton Abrasives. He said “The spaces between the splits collect dirt and dust rather than just pushing it around. The microfiber cloths can then be rinsed or washed to remove the embedded particles and reused hundreds of times.”
The value of microfiber is clear from these statements.. You can use these cloths when dusting to trap the dust particles in the cloth itself, therefore not allowing them to be released back into the air. By trapping the dust particles, you won't end up having to re-dust areas that you've already done. While it might take a bit longer to get your dusting done the first time, you'll save time in the long run by not having to go back to redo it.
If you are looking for a great way to maintain the dust levels in your home from week to week, a microfiber dusting towel is your best bet. Not only is it effective, but you'll be able to use it over and over again!
Check back soon to find out how the vacuum can be the answer to your dusting needs. If you have any questions about the microfiber dusting towels/cloths, click below to get your answers.
With warmer weather already here and spring just around the corner, many people are going to start opening up their windows and letting in the fresh spring air. Hopefully, you have been good all winter and kept up on your dusting! In the event that you have not, opening up the windows is going to leave you with less than “fresh” air. Over the next few posts I’m going to discuss five dusting techniques that will help make this dreaded task more bearable and more effective. If you apply these five techniques prior to opening up your windows, you’ll truly be able to enjoy all of that “fresh” spring air.
One of the most common dusting tools used is a feather duster. If you go through almost any hardware or grocery store, you’ll see variety of feather dusters, supposedly having a different purpose. Honestly, purchasing all of these different dusters for different tasks is simply a waste of money. All you need is a simple feather duster to get portion of the job done. At Total Cleaning Plus, we use feather dusters with ostrich feathers. These normally retail for around $15/duster. You want to use the feather duster to get the high corners where spiders love to make their homes, as well as underneath low furniture that you can’t get to with a vacuum. Using feather dusters for anything other than those two things is really counterproductive.
The problem with a feather duster is most people are not using them properly and, if they are, they are rushing. When using a feather duster, it is important to work from the top of the room to the bottom. Using it from the top to the bottom will allow you to bring the dust from the top of the room all the way down to the floor for it to be vacuumed. If you are dusting randomly, you are completely wasting your time. You’ll return to the area you just dusted only to find dust everywhere, making double the work in the process.
Due to the lack to time people have, they very often rush through the job of dusting. The problem with rushing while dusting and using a feather duster is that it leads to the scenario mentioned above. Short on time? Here’s a hint – do it right the first time!
One little trick you can use to help reach some of those hard-to–get, higher areas is to place the duster in the end of your vacuum pole. This will extend the height you can reach to dust. Obviously, this can only be done if you have a canister style vacuum that comes with a vacuum pole. For those who have an upright vacuum, you can certainly try a step stool or an extender duster (pictured here). If those two options don’t work, then surely you can call a professional!
The feather duster used to be the tool everyone counted on most when it came to their dusting needs. With time and technology, that has clearly changed. Please check back tomorrow when I’ll be going over the second way to dust your home. If you have any questions click below.
Photo Credit: flickr; chickenscarwl, wayne's eye view
About six months ago I purchased a Shark Professional Steam Mop. I had one of the entry level ($79 -$99) Shark steam mops and was very disappointed. The reason for my disappointment was because after just a few months of use, the product broke. The problem with that mop was that steam is created by pumping the handle which is connected to the base. I’m not sure if it was the handle that broke or something inside that produces the steam. The point is, it stopped producing steam. What good is a steam mop that doesn’t produce steam?
With that in my mind, I was a little bit nervous about buying another Shark product, but after using the Shark Professional Steam Mop at a client location and reading several reviews I decided to give it a try for my house cleaning needs. After six months of use, I am glad I have given Shark a second chance.
The Shark Professional Steam Mop comes with everything you need to ensure you’ll have extra- clean floors without the use of chemicals. I’ve put this to the test in many different situations. My two kids (7 and 5 years old) give me plenty of opportunities to test floor-cleaning products out, and the Shark Professional Steam Mop has never let me down. If there is some sort of food caked to the floor, a scuff mark left behind or even a crayon mark on the floor, the Shark Professional Steam Mop will take care of it.
The mop retails for $109-$149, depending on where you purchase it. The increase from the entry level mop is well worth the extra investment. The feel, build and performance of this mop vs. the entry level one is vastly different. The other nice thing with this mop is you don’t have to pump the handle to create the steam. As a result, there is one less thing you need to worry about breaking.
The mop comes with the following;
- Two square microfiber mop pads and one triangular microfiber mop pad that can be used on both sides. All you have to do is flip the head of the mop over to use the other side. This is a really great feature!
- It also comes with a carpet glider, which you use over the microfiber mop pads. This allows you to do a cleaning of area rugs that may have a few small spots on them. They also leave a rug looking fresh.
After using the Shark Professional Steam mop for over six months now, I have nothing but good things to say about it. I really feel like it was money well spent and I’d highly recommend the Professional model to anyone that asked.
Let me know what you use to clean your floors by commenting below. If you have any other questions, product reviews or supply questions, either comment below or click on the Ask The Pros button below.
On the surface, this seems like a pretty silly question to ask. However, throughout history it has been stated repeatedly, that “men can’t clean.” When thinking about this age-old idea, I decided to do some research on the Internet to see where it came from. I figured there must be tons of information on the origin of the statement, as well as overwhelming evidence to support the idea that “men can’t clean.”
Much to my surprise, I was unable to find any historical data to support the idea. I was, however, able to find a good deal of discussion on the issue. What I was able to determine was the answer to this question depends on who you ask.
After sifting through several chats and discussions on the issue, I had quite a laugh and figured I’d share some of the more entertaining information I found.
The responses to the question “can men clean?” were wide in nature, ranging from serious to comical and everything in between. Here we go with some of the best comments:
- “Okay, I don't think that all men can't clean properly. I know there are a select few that can. But why, oh why is it that men will sweep a pile and leave it, soak dishes but not wash them, stuff everything in a pile in the corner and then think they have cleaned the house? “
- “I'm not a man but I do have an idea. I think it's because subconsciously as moms we (and this is a general we, not a specific we) raise our sons to not be responsible for the same chores as we make our daughters.”
- “Men, CAN’T clean properly because we just don't have the attention span for cleaning. Cleaning takes lots of attention.”
- “because they’re men :)”
- “because they do not need too”
- “We are just too lazy and we can live with our surroundings being like that.”
One funny quote I saw was written by humorist Dave Barry. He says “The obvious and fair solution to the housework problem is to let men do the housework for, say, the next six thousand years, to even things up. The trouble is that men, over the years, have developed an inflated notion of the importance of everything they do, so that before long they would turn housework into just as much of a charade as business is now. They would hire secretaries and buy computers and fly off to housework conferences in Bermuda, but they'd never clean anything. “
All kidding aside, I will be the first to tell you that the answer to the question “can men clean?” is an overwhelming YES! Whether or not someone can clean, or do anything for that matter, simply depends on their willingness to do it. At Total Cleaning Plus, some of our best employees over the years have been men. Don’t believe the idea that men can’t clean, because they can!
Please leave comments below letting me know your thoughts on the topic. If you have any other questions, please feel free to click below to ask!
Today is dedicated to lucky number 13 on the list of “13 Things Your Housecleaner Won't Tell You.” I want to take this opportunity for thanking Reader's Digest and Good Morning America for giving me such a great list of items to blog about! Out last topic of conversation from the list is “If you don't have a lot of cash, ask me to come for just one hour. I can do just the bathrooms and the kitchen or only the areas the guests will see.”
This is absolutely correct! It is very important in any economy, but especially a down economy like today's, to offer a package that is perfect for those clients who need to stay on a budget. Just because someone has a lower budget than someone else, does not mean they should not be able to enjoy the benefits of having a professional house cleaner.
If staying on a budget is what is most important, don't be afraid to let the company you're thinking of working with know that up front. It is possible there are certain tasks that might be included during a “standard” cleaning, but some of those might not be of interest to you. You might only want a few specific things done, so you can keep the price lower by tweaking your service request just a little bit.
One thing to remember is that not every company will have a package that will work within your budget, but they should try to accommodate your needs. Depending on the size of the company and their overhead, they have a price point which is the absolute minimum they could come in to do cleaning for. Don't be afraid to ask what the minimum cost is that they can provide their service for. The worst case is that, you find out before you get an estimate, that they will still be too expensive for your budget, no matter what service you request. You won't know unless you ask.
At Total Cleaning Plus, we have a good handful of clients who will not have their entire house cleaned each visit in order to keep the price down. We have clients who will rotate different rooms in and out in order to keep the price down. We also have clients who don't want dusting and we just go out and vacuum. We have clients who only have us do their kitchen and bathrooms. Whatever your needs are, a good company should have many different options that can be worked into most budgets. The more you ask, the more you'll find out about the possibilities that exist.
This concludes our series of posts covering all of the “13 Things Your Housecleaner Won't Tell You.” Hopefully you enjoyed the articles and learned a little about the world of professional house cleaning.
Of course, there is plenty more for us to cover in future blog posts, and I'm always happy to answer any questions you may have. Get in touch through blog comments or give our office a call with your questions!
Photo Credit: Flickr Wiccked
It's Saturday and we're almost to the end of Reader's Digest's “13 Things Your Housecleaner Won't Tell You.” Have I mentioned before that this all was featured on Good Morning America? Just checking! Let's talk about number 12; “Recommend us to your friends. We may give you $25 to $50 off a cleaning for each referral if you ask.”
There is no “may? about it! At Total Cleaning Plus, we have a very good referral program. Each client that refers us to a friend, family member or co-worker gets savings off their cleaning service. The cleaning credit we award our clients depends on the type of client we receive.
A onetime cleaning referral will earn you a $20 cleaning credit at the completion of the cleaning. Any referral for a recurring (weekly, bi-weekly, monthly) service earns credit based on the following scale:
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First referral is a $25 service credit at the completion of the second month of cleaning.
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Second referral is a $50 service credit at the completion of the second month of cleaning.
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Third referral is a free month of cleaning at the completion of the second month of cleaning.
I would absolutely suggest that you call our office to remind us of a cleaning referral credit. Sometimes the people you refer may not mention you when they call us. If they don't tell us that you referred them, we won't be able to credit your account. I want to make sure you are given credit where credit is due. There is nothing better than word of mouth business. It means we have done a great job!
Honestly, I can't imagine a company not giving a cleaning credit to a customer who has referred a friend, family member or co-worker. It's important to take the time to recognize those people who are helping you grow your business, and nobody is more important than your loyal customers!
That's it for number 12. Tomorrow I'll go over the final item on Reader's Digest's list: “If you don't have a lot of cash, ask me to come for just one hour. I can do just the bathrooms and the kitchen or only the areas the guests will see.”
I want to know what you think about this tip and all of the posts on the site so far. Leave a comment below. I'm willing to answer any cleaning related questions you have, and I'm always looking for more great blog post ideas.
Photo Credit: Flickr Angelocesare
Today’s topics number 11 on Reader’s Digest’s list of “13 Things Your Housecleaner Won't Tell You” I’m sure this one will get some attention! So, let’s talk about “If you leave your personal life out for us to see, we most definitely will talk about you. We may even send pictures to our friends and relatives.”
This is a very tricky subject and it really depends on the individual housecleaner. I can say from the business owner’s perspective that we never share anything about any client to anyone outside of our company. What we see in your house is your personal life and it is nobody’s business but yours. Realistically, from the housecleaner’s perspective, it depends on the integrity of each individual person.
We take every step to prepare that they may see a wide variety of things when entering a client’s home. We let them know that if they do see things or hold personal conversations with you, they can come back to our office and let us know (especially if something makes them uncomfortable), but they are never to share anything with anyone outside of our company. Client confidentiality is something we do not take lightly. We have had situations in the past where employees were disciplined where we were able to verify they had shared personal information about our clients with outside individuals.
My advice to clients or potential clients is to be aware of what you are leaving out for housecleaners to see. Our employees are expected to be very detailed in their work; they will be lifting, moving and cleaning many things in your house. With that said, it is important to note that things inside of jewelry boxes, medicine cabinets, dresser drawers, closets or any other cabinets are not things you should be worried about someone seeing. We do not clean inside those areas during regular cleanings. Also, be aware of what you are sharing with your housecleaner. Confidential conversations should be treated with the same care as private property.
To be safe, all you have to do is ask yourself if you are ok with someone seeing what you have left out. You have to be aware that the possibility does exist for someone to share what they see in your home or speak about you with others. As a company, we can do background screens and educate our employees on the ramifications of violating the client-confidentiality policy, but it does not completely eliminate the possibility private information being shared.
Please check back tomorrow when I'll be going over item number 12 of 13 on Reader’s Digest’s list: “Recommend us to your friends. We may give you $25 to $50 off a cleaning for each referral—if you ask.”
As always, if you have any cleaning-related questions or great blog ideas, comment below and let us know!
Today I'm going to be looking at number 10 on the list of “13 Things Your Housecleaner Won't Tell You,” part of a segment put together by Reader’s Digest and featured on Good Morning America. Number 10 on the list suggests that you should "Pick your clothes up off the floor, get your dishes out of the sink, and clean up your kids' toys. Your house will end up a lot cleaner."
I think this particular suggestion makes a lot of sense. The easier it is for the housecleaner to get the job done, the better the job you can expect. Don't mistake this to mean that you need to have an easy house to clean or the job won't get done. This advice simply means that, if you take a few minutes to pick up the house before we arrive, it will allow us to provide the additional level of detail that you are expecting and deserve!
I often chuckle to myself with the number of calls we take in our office where a client will need to reschedule a cleaning because they have not had a chance to pick up the house prior to our arrival. With that said, it does show you that most of our clients get the idea that a more organized home will result in a higher level of service when we visit.
You don't have to clean the house prior to our arrival after all, that's our job! Taking the time to do the dishes will allow us to clean the sink completely. Spending the time picking up the kids' toys will allow us to get more detailed with our dusting or vacuuming the entire carpet. Even something as simple as doing minor cleaning between visits will help us be more efficient when doing the work. More efficient means less time to do the job. Less time means a savings for you on the cost of cleaning.
I wrote in a previous blog about how the price is determined for house cleaning. In that post I discussed how one of the factors used to determine the price is “how much stuff is there to work around?” So, number 10 on the list is true. Do a few things to make the house easier to clean and it will only benefit you in the long run.
Please check back tomorrow when I'll discuss the topic "If you leave your personal life out for us to see, we most definitely will talk about you. We may even send pictures to our friends and relatives." This Just happens to be number 11 on the list of “13 Things Your Housecleaner Won't Tell You.”
In the meantime, if you have any cleaning related questions, or a great blog post idea, click below to get in touch through a comment.