Blog - Emily's Maids' Blog with Cleaning Tips and Company News.

Is Cleaning Important? Here’s What Science Has to Say

August 10, 2021 by emilysmaids

If you’re reading this, you probably know already that cleaning is important. But would you be able to say why?

Having an organized, decluttered, and sanitized space affects the way you interact with it. It can even change mood and behavior outside of your home.

Let’s find out why cleaning has a positive impact on your mind, body, and soul.

Cleaning is important for your mind

If you are feeling overwhelmed, that can be the cause or the consequence of a decluttered, messy space. If you have a lot on your plate right now and you don’t know how to structure your tasks, the same will happen in your home.

Research has shown that a messy space impacts your focus and your accuracy when working and studying. Cleaning and organizing your environment is easier as a short-term goal, but keep in mind to organize yourself and your activities throughout the day as a goal in the long run.

What you want to create here is a structure that lets you keep things under control, within reason. You always have a lot to do, either in or out of your household. This is why you need to plan things out: it will increase the chance of achieving multiple tasks during the day, and multiple days during the week, and so on.

Dedicating time to cleaning is a good sign. We only have 24 hours and 7 days a week so it’s all about finding the right time for each task. Depending on your schedule, cleaning a little bit each day will be possible, especially if you create a habit.

This will also benefit your state of mind because you won’t see cleaning as that chore you never end up doing because you forgot, or because you were exhausted and didn’t feel like it. Create a plan for your day and your week and make sure to include some cleaning time!

Cleaning is important for your body

To an extent, cleaning is like exercise. You don’t necessarily enjoy it, but you enjoy the results in the long run.

Cleaning will help you stay healthy. There are hundreds of studies that show that keeping your home cleaning will reduce the amount of bacterial, microbial, and fungal contamination you are exposed to.

For starters, this study proves that vacuuming every day significantly reduces the amount of house dust mites present in the room. Dust mites are microscopic bugs that increase your sensitivity if you have asthma or allergies, for example.

Of course, cleaning and sanitizing will also reduce the presence of fungi such as mold and mildew. Scientific research proves that they may cause respiratory issues and eye symptoms, among others.

And once again, just like exercise, cleaning will improve your physique! Of course, within reason and in accordance with your age and physical abilities. If you end up exhausted after sweeping, mopping, and scrubbing your surfaces, that’s a sign you went through a demanding physical activity!

Cleaning is important for your soul

Then, we also have to talk about the impact on spiritual and emotional balance. There’s also scientific backup for this: positive feelings are associated with a clean, tidy space. If you describe your home as messy or stressful, there’s a higher chance that you are not in a great mood or that you have mood swings throughout your day, whereas a more stable emotional range correlates with describing your home with positive attributes such as “calm” or “peaceful”.

If you work on improving your emotional stability, eventually you’ll end up having to improve the space around you. This involves considering how many things you own in the first place, how often do you clean your belongings and surfaces, and how do you manage to balance out this while enjoying other areas of your life, such as your work, hobbies, and relationships.

Conclusion

The ability to maintain your home tidy, organized, and cleaned, is (more often than not) a sign that you are doing your best in keeping things in control. This translates into a positive balance in your mind, body, and soul.

Whether we like it or not, a clean, decluttered space will help us stay in shape, focused, and in a good place emotionally. If you have a lot going on and cleaning constantly is not an option, just hire a cleaning service and let them do the heavy work for you.

How to Clean Your Washing Machine

August 3, 2021 by emilysmaids

Even your washing machine requires some cleaning from time to time. Just like with dishwashers and vacuum cleaners, the appliances that are meant to clean your home sometimes end up being the dirtiest. Keep in mind that your washer is in contact with water, cleaning products and dirt, dust and sweat, as well as drastic temperature changes. With time, it will eventually require maintenance. Let’s read how to clean your washing machine!

Cleaning to remove limescale

Limescale is also a common issue. Limescale is the result of hard water, which is water with a high amount of minerals, which are like microscopic rocks. Depending on your area, you may have naturally hard water. This is the case for Texas, and Dallas particularly, which presents water with a high mineral count.

Hard water isn’t harmful per se. What happens is that, with time, minerals can set around your washing machine pipes, causing them to malfunction. This is why you need to do a proper cleaning.

If you have some experience creating DIY solutions, you probably already heard that baking soda and vinegar are a fantastic combination. It’s also going to work for cleaning your washing machine!

They’re both great cleaning agents. Vinegar is made out of alcohol, so it has sanitizing properties, and baking soda is able to deodorize and remove dirt and grease.

You can use vinegar first to clean your washing machine. Start by setting your washing machine to the hottest water temperature and the highest water level. Next, add two cups of vinegar. You can place them on the detergent dispenser. Then, run a normal cycle.

Afterward, do the same process but with a cup of baking soda. This will finish deodorizing and removing limescale from your washing machine.

Cleaning to remove mold from your washing machine

Your washing machine is also at risk of growing mold or mildew. It meets all the requirements mold needs to grow: it usually contains rubber, it is a dark place with constant moisture and a cold environment.

If you don’t take care of it, you’ll soon see some dark spots appearing which can be damaging to your health, particularly your respiratory system and even your brain.

Bleach is a popular solution for mold because it’s an agent that fungi can’t resist. This may not be very effective for surfaces where mold can penetrate, such as walls, but it will work just fine for your washer. If that doesn’t work, there are front loader cleaning tablets on the market that are made specifically for this purpose.

The most important preventive measure you can take is leaving the door open when not in use. Therefore, any water or moisture residues will be able to evaporate. Just build the habit of leaving the door open when you’re not using your washing machine. The same goes for your supply dispenser (your detergent/fabric softener container).

Washing machine maintenance

For regular maintenance, you can use the vinegar method, just like you did to remove limescale. No need to run a second cycle with baking soda.

Optionally, after the first cycle using vinegar, you can run a second cycle using one cup of bleach on the bleach compartment. This should only be done once in a while for a deep clean, vinegar will do just fine for regular maintenance. Also, make sure not to mix cleaning products, especially bleach. This is not only unnecessary, but it can also be dangerous.

Your filters and dispensers also need some maintenance from time to time. They gather residues of soap, fabric softener, and other types of debris. They can also be prone to mold growth and because they are closed compartments it may be something easy to miss.

Once a month, you should take out filters and dispensers and clean them using either soapy water or white vinegar, using a brush in a circular motion. For the insides of your dispenser and your debris filter, use a spray with vinegar and wipe with a microfiber cloth. The same process goes for your rubber gaskets (if you have a front-load washer).

Bonus tip: while doing laundry, you can use vinegar as a fabric softener! Just add one cup to the “softener” dispenser during the rinse cycle.

Conclusion

Remember to do regular maintenance for your washing machine once a month. A deep clean once or twice every six months seems a reasonable time, too. This will also help your clothes stay clean, sanitized, and free from unpleasant odors.

To keep your washing machine clean, you’ll only require to do some simple maintenance every once in a while. You only require vinegar, baking soda, bleach, and less than an hour of your time! Be consistent and you’ll have an appliance that will last for decades.

Best House Cleaning Services in Dallas

August 2, 2021 by emilysmaids

Emily’s Maids was visited by an Expertise mystery shopper to review our professionalism for their “Best House Cleaning Services in Dallas” rankings – and we passed with flying colors! In an email we received from Expertise.com, they write:

Emily’s Maids is currently published in our article of the Best House Cleaning Services in Dallas. As part of our ongoing evaluation process, we make surprise “Mystery Shopper” calls to ensure our listed providers are of the highest quality. I recently completed one such call; congratulations on passing! Hi there. Your company has been contacted by our Mystery Shoppers. Your business was published in an Expertise.com article as top-ranked. As part of our ongoing evaluation process, we make surprise “Mystery Shopper” calls to verify certain information and grade providers based on responsiveness, helpfulness, and other key criteria. We recently made one such call to your business and would like to thank you for your participation..

We appreciate your help in ensuring our lists are of the highest quality!

And we appreciate recognizing our hard work and dedication to our amazing Dallas customers. Thank you!

Cleaning More with Less – Field Hygiene Tips

May 31, 2021 by emilysmaids

Despite our better natures, it seems that war is Universal in its scope and tragedy. There are good wars, bad wars, and needless wars, but all of them have heroes fighting in the trenches.

Memorial Day is a national day of remembrance aimed at honoring the sacrifice of those who gave their lives fighting for the US Armed Forces. The current incarnation was started after the US Civil War.

Although the official “founder” was a distinguished union officer (General John A. Logan), celebrating fallen heroes isn’t a new practice. Confederate women used to gather to decorate graves and honor dead soldiers even before the war was over.

Also, the practice goes back to ancient times, when cultures from across the world held Holidays in remembrance of fallen warriors.

Keeping with that tradition, let us honor not only the fighting itself but the tenacity required to live in adverse battlefield conditions. Every major war has a disease as its antagonist, regardless of the war in question. Even modern wars can see thousands dead from disease.

Soldiers cannot afford to skip a cleaning and maintenance day. Exposure and wear and tear threaten everything, even your own body. And a gallon of sanitizer isn’t a short car ride away. Trenches, bases, and outposts have to do a lot with what they have.

Also, feel free to check our other specials! That being said, let’s take a look at some field hygiene tips.

1. Take care of your feet:

Your first deployment is an exciting and stressful time. Proper foot hygiene will be the last thing on your mind, considering the circumstance. However, it is essential. Soldier’s feet are usually the first casualty of war.

You will do a lot of marching and standing. Even if you have the discipline to power through blisters, it will needlessly sap your morale and energy.

Before deployment, try to cut your toenails and file them down. Avoid cutting the corners, as they can become ingrown nails when they grow back. This practice removes the issues of toenails breaking or snagging.

Other good practices would be to rub your feet with foot powder every sock change. Try and wear them inside-out. The stitching line can do some damage after it rubs against the same spot a few thousand times.

As you march, certain areas of the feet will have some soar spots. Left alone, they will degenerate into blisters. As soon as you begin to feel these areas, use medical tape to cover them up.

The tape will protect the hotspot from further blister-inducing friction.

2. Baby wipes are your friend:

Baby wipes are some of the most versatile and valuable items that you can carry. Yet, the packs are quite voluminous, so do not abuse them. You can’t afford to carry many of them.

Wipes are essential for intimate hygiene, especially for female personnel. It would be best if you aimed to buy unscented, non-alcohol wipes as they are mild for the skin and do not promote bacterial growth.

3. A shortlist of essentials:

Finally, let’s mention the primary items that you need to carry on the field. Given that you are not on-base, you only have to worry about cleaning yourself and not your quarters.

Basically, every soldier should have shaving razors (for men), floss, a capped toothbrush, a small soap dish with soap, baby wipes, shaving cream, basic medication, rubbing alcohol, and some foot powder.

Another essential is to take baths often. The Romans discovered that bathing was not only necessary for health but also a great morale boost.

In the barracks, cleaning supplies will most likely be provided, so you don’t have to worry about those. Just don’t mix ammonia with bleach and you’re fine.

PAWW Method – How to Clean Ovens Like a Pro

May 18, 2021 by emilysmaids

Our customers rely upon us to clean their ovens effectively and quickly.
So, at Emily’s Maids we’ve developed the PAWW method (Prep, Apply,
Wait, Wipe) for tough jobs with hard to remove grime like oven cleaning.

The PAWW Method

Prep

Having the right tools for the job makes all the difference.
You’ll need a) a good oven-grill cleaner, b) rubber gloves, and c)
old rags you don’t mind ruining.

Spread rags on floor, covering the are underneath the oven door when
its open. This will prevent damage from drippage – an absolute must if you
have wood floors! Then put on rubber gloves to protect hands and have
the oven cleaner ready.

Apply

Place oven racks in sink. Then liberally spray oven cleaner
on racks and all interior surfaces of oven including door glass.

Wait

Let the oven cleaner soak into the caked-in-muck for a
minimum of 15 minutes. At this point, our cleaners will turn their attention
to other cleaning tasks. You may want grab a cup of joe, sit back, and
learn more cleaning tips from the cleaning pros at
www.emilysmaids.com/blog

Wipe

Use a damp rag and wipe. Allowing the cleaner to soak
loosens the grime, making muck removal super-easy with minimal muscle effort.

Voila! An easy and effective way to clean your oven with minimal
scrubbing muscle required. With especially stubborn grime, just apply
cleaner and wait another 15 minutes before wiping.

Don’t have an oven cleaner or prefer a green cleaning solution?
That’s ok! Use baking soda and vinegar. Add a few table spoons of water to a
½ cup of baking soda to form a paste. Apply paste to all surfaces and
let sit overnight instead of 15 minutes. Use a damp cloth to remove then
spray vinegar, wiping for final clean.

This piece originally appeared on porch.com in an article entitle “All about Home Cleaning: Tips from the Experts“.

Last-Minute Cleaning Hacks Before San Jacinto Day

April 20, 2021 by emilysmaids

During the pandemic, sacrifices must be always be made. Days of historical pride such as San Jacinto Day can shift from crowded public celebrations to more intimate visitations between immediate friends or family.

If you are expecting company and your house is messy, this article is for you.

The truth is that many people working full-time jobs can be stressed and busy, leaving them craving some much-needed rest when they get home. While there is no excuse for the lack of proper cleaning, we do tend to postpone some tasks that are not immediate. Washing windows or cleaning out the attic may be important, but it is rarely urgent.

Let’s be honest; you do not have enough time at your disposal to thoroughly clean your home if you didn’t do it already. Yet, you can do a good job and keep things presentable.

Assuming that you are expecting company and want to clean as much as possible in as little time as possible, what can you do?

1. First Impressions Matter

Grease stains on my door? From where?

Well, similar to your fridge, some metallic doors can get smeared or stained by sebum, the oily substance that coats each of our skins to varying degrees. Also, it can have chipped paint, spiderwebs on the edge of the frame, and many other issues.

While you do not have time to repaint your door, at least clean it and give it a shine.

This point heavily depends on the type of door and what material was used in constructing it. In general, metallic doors are sturdier, yet they show dirt and grease smears more than their wooden counterparts.

The same goes for your doormat: just get most of the dirt off. If first impressions matter, then the doorway contributes to that opinion. It will be the first thing seen by visitors.

2. Clean Your Oven with Non-Toxic Alternatives

Washing dishes used to be the king of chores. Many people, including yours truly, would prefer to scrub the toilet rather than wash dishes. Yet, that problem is not as common as it used to be. Dishwashers have become fairly cheap, while career-focused people tend not to cook much anyway.

You will not have a hard time preparing for company if your only worry is cleaning some pots, pans, and plates. Your oven represents a whole other side of the story. Few things are as ugly and offputting as a dirty oven, and self-cleaning functions are not always dependable.

Persistent burn residue and stains can be extremely hard to remove, especially if you want to avoid using toxic solutions. This is a problem that you can fix overnight, but no sooner than that.

Simply get some baking soda, and mix it with water to a degree of ⅓. It should form a thick-ish paste. Then, smear that paste all over the problem areas in your oven. Leave it overnight to soak and break the strong chemical bonds of all the burnt material.

When morning comes, fill a spray bottle with vinegar and use it to rinse away the paste. This will get rid of stains and residue that most people think is impossible to remove.

3. Clean Floors After You’re Done with Everything Else

Only you know how much time you have to clean before San Jacinto Day and how to budget your time.

However, since our floors see the heaviest use and really show dirt, we tend to start with them. That is a mistake. Over this cleaning session, you will be wiping the table, countertops, dusting, etc.

While it is normal to try and catch all of the crumbs or dust during cleaning, you can’t get them all. Some will inevitably fall onto the floor. So, if your floor was already cleaned, you will be forced to start over ( at least for that area).

As a bonus point, it can be very tempting to skip vacuuming and go directly to washing. It can be done.

Yet, the hairs and debris can stick to your cleaning cloth/mop, basically using it to hitch a ride to another area of your floor. Or, the mop will not pick up smaller and finer grains of rock and sand.

It is a headache to wash a dirty floor. Even a poor vacuuming job will save you a lot of time.

4. Sinks, Toilets, and Mirrors

There is little tolerance for bad smells or dirty surfaces in people’s restrooms. Yet, most kitchen sinks and dishcloths have more dangerous bacteria than a regularly cleaned toilet seat.

There is no hack or shortcut; just clean your bathroom. It shouldn’t take that long.

The only mention would be to let the cleaning solution soak for 10-20 mins, as it needs time to work its magic.

Conclusion

A holiday is coming up, and you don’t have time to clean every inch of your home. Do the bare minimum.

Clean your door and doorway as it will be the first thing seen by visitors. Meanwhile, prepare a baking soda paste and spray bottle filled with vinegar for persistent oven stains.

After, work on your bathroom, then finally, the floors.

How to Clean a Dіѕhwаѕhеr

April 7, 2021 by emilysmaids

In thеоrу, your dishwasher should соnѕtаntlу сlеаn іtѕеlf. But ѕаdlу, theories don’t always hold. Ovеr tіmе, bits оf fооd, grеаѕе, undissolved dеtеrgеnt, аnd wаtеr minerals buіld uр оn the dіѕhwаѕhеr’ѕ filter аnd іntеrіоr wаllѕ. Not just this, but unрlеаѕаnt ѕmеll and gunk can lеаvе ѕроtѕ and film оn your glаѕѕwаrе, dіnnеrwаrе, and flаtwаrе. Check out more Cleaning Tips.

If dоn’t сlеаn уоur dishwasher соrrесtlу, уоur аррlіаnсе can’t fully dо іtѕ job. Pluѕ, іf уоu lеt thе fооd аnd grime buіld up, іt can ѕеrіоuѕlу damage thе dishwasher’s filter аnd pump, ultіmаtеlу resulting in соѕtlу rераіrѕ.

How often should уоu clean уоur dishwasher?

Dереndіng оn your issue, you should clean the dishwasher daily, weekly, and monthly. A quick guіdе to help:

Dаіlу: Remove bits оf fооd
Wееklу: Wіре down thе dіѕhwаѕhеr dооrs, gasket, and clean the fіltеr
Mоnthlу: Dеер сlеаn the іntеrіоr
Aѕ nееdеd: Exterior cleaning and buffіng

Саn уоu сlеаn уоur dіѕhwаѕhеr with bleach?

No, bleach is nоt recommended, еѕресіаllу іf the dіѕhwаѕhеr has a ѕtаіnlеѕѕ steel іntеrіоr оr іf the parts аrе stainless ѕtееl. Apart from this, do not uѕе blеасh with vinegar because thе combination оf the twо can create potentially lethal сhlоrіnе gаѕ.

How tо сlеаn уоur dishwasher

Here is уоur in-depth step-by-step guide to learn hоw to clean a dіѕhwаѕhеr thе rіght wау.

Rеmоvе bіtѕ оf fооd

Thе rооt оf mоѕt odor рrоblеmѕ is usually from leftover food that hаѕ turnеd your dіѕhwаѕhеr into a ѕесоnd garbage disposal. Gеt іn the habit of cleaning аnу rеmаіnіng bits of fооdѕ аftеr еасh dishwashing сусlе. Pull оut the bottom rасk to lооk fоr аnу lеftоvеr fооd that mау have fallen into the well and remove it with a рареr towel to prevent оdоrѕ and future buildup.

Wіре away dооr аnd gаѕkеt grime

Tо сlеаn thе іnѕіdе оf the dооr, ipe аwау аnу rеѕіduе and ѕроtѕ that may have ѕрlаѕhеd оr ѕеttlеd onto the іntеrіоr ѕurfасе оf the dооr. Clean the door, its edges, hаndlе, or dіѕhwаѕhеr соntrоlѕ with a damp mісrоfіbеr cloth or ѕроngе.

Remove аnd rіnѕе thе dіѕhwаѕhеr filter

It’ѕ ѕіmрlе: If thе fіltеr іѕn’t сlеаn, nothing еlѕе wіll bе. Since the fіltеr іѕ below the bottom spray arm, уоu’ll need to pull оut thе bоttоm rасk tо get to it. If you’re not sure how to remove it, check the оwnеr’ѕ manual or mаnufасturеr’ѕ wеbѕіtе for dеtаіlѕ. Tо еlіmіnаtе pesky ѕроtѕ on futurе lоаdѕ:

Unlock and remove thе filter and rinse іt under hоt running wаtеr.
Use a ѕоft tооthbruѕh to scrub the mеѕh ѕсrееn and рlаѕtіс frame to remove аnу grease or раrtісlеѕ stuck in the сrеvісеѕ. Then, rіnѕе it clean.
Lосk thе filter bасk into рlасе.

Dеер сlеаn your dіѕhwаѕhеr with vinegar

Tо сlеаn with vinegar, рlасе a dіѕhwаѕhеr-ѕаfе bowl filled with one сuр оf dіѕtіllеd whіtе vinegar on the top rack аnd run a normal (hot) сусе without detergent or dishes.
To сlеаn уоur dіѕhwаѕhеr with vinegar and baking ѕоdа fоr ехtrа frеѕhеnіng. After running thе vіnеgаr cycle, ѕрrіnklе a cup of baking ѕоdа in the bottom оf your empty dіѕhwаѕhеr, аnd run a ѕhоrt hot сусlе.

Clean thе dіѕhwаѕhеr drаіn trар

If wаtеr іѕ sitting in the bottom of your dіѕhwаѕhеr after thе сусlе hаѕ еndеd, chunks of food or fоrеіgn objects might bе blосkіng thе drаіn trap іn thе bottom center. Rеmеmbеr thаt уоur dishwasher ѕhаrеѕ your kіtсhеn ѕіnk’ѕ drain and оftеn ѕhаrеѕ thаt with the gаrbаgе dіѕроѕаl too. If either of thоѕе аrе nоt draining properly, unblock thе ѕіnk drаіn first. If it’s only thе dіѕhwаѕhеr thаt wоn’t drain:

Turn оff thе dіѕhwаѕhеr. Remove any items frоm thе dіѕhwаѕhеr and tаkе оut thе bоttоm rack.
Remove the ѕtаndіng water frоm thе bottom of the dіѕhwаѕhеr by using a ѕmаll cup or аbѕоrbеnt towel.
Rеmоvе аnу visible fооd сhunkѕ or foreign objects from thе drаіn trap uѕіng a soft cloth to рrоvіdе more grip.
If the dіѕhwаѕhеr still don’t drаіn properly аnd уоur оwnеr’ѕ manual hаѕ no further іnѕtruсtіоnѕ, thіѕ may be time to call in a рrоfеѕѕіоnаl plumbing ѕеrvісе fоr hеlр.

Conclusion

As always, living in a clean environment is healthy for you. Aѕ wіth mоѕt things, prevention іѕ better thаn сurе. Uѕіng a ԛuаlіtу dishwasher detergent and rіnѕе does a lot tо hеlр reduce the unѕіghtlу spots that can dеvеlор оn thе interior of уоur dishwasher. Also, іf you lіvе іn an area with hard wаtеr, uѕe whоlе-hоmе wаtеr ѕоftеnеr оr аddіng regeneration salt to your dishwasher’s wаtеr ѕоftеnіng ѕуѕtеm wіll hеlр рrеvеnt spotting оn уоur glassware, and рrеvеntѕ mineral buіld-uр in your dіѕhwаѕhеr. Lеаvіng the door open аt thе end оf a сусlе can also help рrеvеnt mold or mildew from developing, and prevent that ѕtаlе odor.

Easy Tips For Easter Cleaning

March 31, 2021 by emilysmaids

Easy Tips For Easter Cleaning

Easter is fast approaching and you’d like to have friends and family over, isn’t it? Think about all those decorated Easter eggs, chocolates, food, and drinks. It signifies the resurrection of Jesus Christ and how He gave us salvation. While preparing for Easter, don’t forget that your home surfaces matter too. Wouldn’t you want your loved ones to visit a sparkling home space? This easy Easter Cleaning guide will give you some tips to help clean your home in readiness for the Easter celebrations.

Is Easter Cleaning Important?

You may be wondering if you can’t just clean your house for Easter like the regular days. Well, Easter cleaning is as important. You need to clean out and touch areas you normally leave out every other day. If you are having kids over, you need to clean thoroughly too. This is because they tend to spill for, pick them up and toss in their mouths while you’re not looking.

Also, celebrating in a well-cleaned space makes it enjoyable and more fun. More so, it would be easier for you to clean up after the celebrations.

Do’s and Don’ts

Here are a few things you need to keep in mind while cleaning up for the celebrations:

Your surfaces should be clean and dry all the time. If you leave wet surfaces, you’d be breeding mildew and mold. This can ruin your surfaces and spread diseases.
Do not clean your tiles and floors with acidic cleaners.
Clean your upholstery to get rid of dust.
Follow your normal cleaning routine, however, make it a few steps ahead.
Try decluttering your home.

How Can I Make Easter Cleaning Easier?

You can always hire a cleaning service as we recommended a little while back. Like every other thing in life, when you plan ahead of time, it makes whatever you are doing easier and much better. This also relates to spring cleaning for Easter. How do you go about this?

First off, you need to create a plan. You can pick a day and allocate it to cleaning. You don’t necessarily have to be cleaning the whole day. Picking one day is part of the plan.

Next is to know the places you want to clean. There are so many areas in and around your home that you should focus on:

Kitchen: You probably leave out some areas in your kitchen when cleaning on a normal day. Clean out your refrigerator, behind your cupboards, at the back of your freezer, ovens, dishwasher, and so on.

Carpets and Rugs: Easter cleaning should be the perfect time to deep clean your carpets and rugs. Why? Because they are often neglected during routine cleaning.

Upholstery: Clean your upholstery to remove dust and stains. If you have sofa and cushion covers, be sure to wash them all.

Windows: Most people forget that their windows also need cleaning, especially during summer. Dust and dirt buildup on them, making them unattractive to look at. Make sure you clean them during your Easter cleaning and give your home a brighter and more pleasant look.

Finally, you need to follow your plan and clean the places you have mapped out. You can have someone join you in the cleaning if you don’t stay alone. The kids can also help out with minor chores like arranging books, packing up toys, and so on. Be also sure to check our checklist on spring cleaning! Many principles still apply.

Is It Necessary to Clear Clutter?

Look around your home, there are so many things you don’t need or use anymore. They are just there and have become a part of your home. It could be anything from old books, old clothes, old furniture, magazines, toys, and more. These are referred to as “clutter”. Take time to clear them out and breathe in fresher air.

It is very necessary to clear out clutter because they tend to take up space that would have been used for better purposes. So, clear them out and get rid of them.

Conclusion

In all, Easter cleaning isn’t something you should stress yourself about. Just consider it as your regular cleaning. The only thing different is that you are cleaning a bit deeper. Guess what? You can play music and have fun while you clean to spice things up! By the time you’re done, you’d be proud of how sparkling and beautiful your home is.

Happy Easter! – have a great celebration ahead. Be sure to have lots of fun too!

6 Surprising Health Benefits of Spring Cleaning for Your Family

March 20, 2021 by emilysmaids

You, like many others out there, have spring on your mind. Not only has winter been challenging, but many homes have also had to deal with freezing temperatures, snow, and power outages that have lasted for days. However, with spring comes spring cleaning.

I understand that cleaning goes a long way in making your home feel fresh and appear nice; however, there are more benefits than appearance. It will surprise you to learn that spring-cleaning helps the mental and physical health of everyone in your family.

If you need extra motivation to get down and start cleaning, read on for seven ways spring cleaning can help your mental and physical health.

Clean air strengthens the immune system

Seasonal allergies are most common during the springtime. Although enticing, blossoming new plants renew allergies for many. For example, dust, mildew, and mold are a few of the things that can trigger allergies in people. Since you can’t always control the outside world, you can control your little inside world by cleaning your home.

Spring cleaning improves the air quality around the home and lets you breathe better. Not just this, but it also supports a healthy immune system and prevents respiratory complications. The cleaning process encourages you to deep clean every corner of your home, vacuum floors and ceilings, wash blankets and beddings, and eliminate dust from your home. The combined effect of all of these improves the air around the home.

Improves mental health

Spring cleaning improves mental health by decreasing anxiety, depression, and stress. If you’ve noticed, people sleep better and are more productive when they work in a clean and tidy environment. When you clean, there will be less clutter around the house. Besides, the cleaning process involves tossing, recycling, decluttering, and donating some items. All of these activities liberate and refresh the mind.

For example, a clean bedroom promotes a good night’s sleep. Why? There is less clutter in your bedroom, you just changed your sheets, and there is a natural fragrance around your room.

Improves your mood and productivity

Cleaning significantly improves your mood and often leaves you feeling accomplished. Truthfully, not everyone likes the process. However, the result often leaves us extremely satisfied. This feeling of accomplishment coupled with a neat and fresh-smelling home improves your energy levels. It does not just boost the mood, but it also reduces the risk of depression.

Too much junk lying around your home can affect your ability to focus on a task. Conversely, when there are fewer things to distract you, there will be enough mental space to focus on the things that matter.

Prevents illness

This right here is the most obvious reason why you should clean your home during spring. Winter leaves surfaces iced and often present the perfect environment for germs and bacteria. To minimize the spread of viruses, clean your home. This point is even more important with coronavirus concerns. A clean surface improves food safety and significantly reduces illnesses.

Reduces the risk of an injury

Falls, slips, and bumps are the leading cause of injuries around the home. However, most of these accidents occur when things are out of place. Spring cleaning provides an ideal opportunity to make home adjustments to reduce the risk of an injury. You can schedule a time to declutter your space and remove items that don’t fit in their current position.

An ideal way to use expired products

Not what you’re thinking right? yeah. Nonetheless, spring cleaning provides an opportunity to use most of the cleaning products that have accumulated over time. Instead of waiting till the products expire, you can single out products near expiry and use them for cleaning.

Conclusion

Spring cleaning is great for your family, wallet, and health. Try some spring cleaning today or, better yet, have Emily’s Maids do all the hard work and watch your body thank you for it.

Hiring Cleaning Services for Spring Cleaning

March 12, 2021 by emilysmaids

Let’s face it, not everyone has the time and luxury of cleaning their homes for spring. Fine, cleaning yourself offers a lot of exciting ways to bond with the kids and release mental pressure. However, not everyone is cut out for cleaning. If you belong to this percentage of people who can’t clean, you should hire house cleaning services – like Emily’s Maids! – for spring cleaning.

Why you should hire cleaning services

Expertise and professionalism

So this is it, no matter how hard you try, your home won’t really be clean enough to your satisfaction. The reason is that it is difficult and almost impossible to clean perfectly as a professional cleaner would. This is the distinction between you and professional cleaners. Cleaning services handle stains and dirt daily; hence; they understand cleaning methods, supplies, and routines better than you.

Apart from this, cleaning services are professionally trained for cleaning. Hence, they have cleaning tools, equipment, and gadgets tailored to make each cleaning task easier. They also know which cleaning supplies to use to handle different cleaning jobs. So basically, cleaning services are trained to clean better than you and have enough professional knowledge to back it up.

Plus, it completely takes the risk away from you as you are not responsible for any botch job.

Frees your time

Speaking of time, the reason why most people prefer not to clean themselves is that there is not enough time to clean. The warmer weather after winter usually presents a list of activities you can enjoy with your family. Instead of trying to juggle between cleaning, your job, family, and activities, you can employ a cleaning service and strike cleaning off the list.

Saves money

Not the type of money you may be thinking of since hiring a cleaning service involves spending and not saving. However, if you consider the professionalism and the opportunity cost of doing something else with your time, you will realize it saves time. Professional cleaners are throughout and don’t do guesswork. This means, unlike you, they won’t buy the wrong cleaning supplies and waste money.

How to hire cleaning services

Get referrals from friends and families

Word of mouth is often the most effective form of advertisement. Hence, ask friends who they use for insights about cleaning services. More than reading what the company offers on the website, let your friends paint a better picture of their services.

Try online reviews

Another way to run a background check on cleaning services is to read reviews of unhappy people and their terrible experiences. If the company has more bad reviews and good ones, stay away! However, a mixture of good and bad reviews, but more good reviews are good.

Award winning cleaning service?

Similar to online reviews where customers offer virtual awards and recognition in the form of 5 star reviews, consider the awards the house cleaning company has earned from third parties, especially industry-related awards. Along the same lines is being trusted by the media and news outlets as a reputable source for stories. May not be an award, but definitely a positive recognition. So is the maid service often in the news?

Insurance and worker’s compensation

The cleaning service should be able to cover the cost of injury to an employee, theft, and damage to your house. If there is no such coverage, you will be responsible for an injured worker, theft, and property damage. Be sure to look into the coverage and policy for clarity.

Conclusion

There are absolutely more reasons why you should hire a cleaning service for spring cleaning. However, the important ones are that it saves time, energy, and money. It also ensures a better cleaning than you can ever achieve on your own.

Emily's Maids Blog

Cleaning is important for your mind

Cleaning is important for your body

Cleaning is important for your soul

Conclusion

Cleaning to remove limescale

Cleaning to remove mold from your washing machine

Washing machine maintenance

Conclusion

1. Take care of your feet:

2. Baby wipes are your friend:

3. A shortlist of essentials:

The PAWW Method

Prep

Apply

Wait

Wipe

1. First Impressions Matter

2. Clean Your Oven with Non-Toxic Alternatives

3. Clean Floors After You’re Done with Everything Else

4. Sinks, Toilets, and Mirrors

Conclusion

How often should уоu clean уоur dishwasher?

Саn уоu сlеаn уоur dіѕhwаѕhеr with bleach?

How tо сlеаn уоur dishwasher

Rеmоvе bіtѕ оf fооd

Wіре away dооr аnd gаѕkеt grime

Remove аnd rіnѕе thе dіѕhwаѕhеr filter

Dеер сlеаn your dіѕhwаѕhеr with vinegar

Clean thе dіѕhwаѕhеr drаіn trар

Conclusion

Easy Tips For Easter Cleaning

Is Easter Cleaning Important?

Do’s and Don’ts

How Can I Make Easter Cleaning Easier?

Is It Necessary to Clear Clutter?

Conclusion

Clean air strengthens the immune system

Improves mental health

Improves your mood and productivity

Prevents illness

Reduces the risk of an injury

An ideal way to use expired products

Conclusion

Why you should hire cleaning services

Expertise and professionalism

Frees your time

Saves money

How to hire cleaning services

Get referrals from friends and families

Try online reviews

Award winning cleaning service?

Insurance and worker’s compensation

Conclusion