Laundry Rules

Laundry is a must in most households, a mixed-together frenzy for fashion or health reasons both. Everyone in your family counts on a clean supply of clothes, bedding and towels each week. Here are some little laundry room rules to live by.

How Much Water:  The amount of water you need is directly related to the size of the load. Don’t crowd the washer completely because the water has to be able to flow freely in order to clean stains and rinse away suds.

Hard or Soft:  Water comes in two types; hard and soft. Hard water has more mineral deposits than soft water which affects your laundry because it may take just a little more detergent to wash in hard water. You can convert hard water into soft water with the help of a machine called a water softener or by purchasing a softening powder.

Hot or Cold: Water temperature is another big factor. Remember, Hot water removes the stains from the most heavily soiled items and helps kill germs, however it may fade coloured clothes and wrinkle some fabrics. Warm is safe for most colours but can only handle a lighter stain. Cold water needs a cold water detergent to get the clothes properly clean.

Light or Dark:  Separate and colour test your clothes before washing. If you wash whites with your colours, the colours may fade and run. Always keep white clothes together to maintain their brightness.

Soap or Detergent:  One of the main differences between soap and detergent is that soap doesn’t rinse well in hard water and may leave behind a greyish film.  You can choose to use detergent in liquid or powder form. Measure carefully; too many suds will not rinse clean and too few won’t get the job done. Keep in mind that delicate fabrics may require a gentler soap.

A Clean Workplace = Happy Employees

The health of your company depends largely on the productivity and happiness of your employees. So how do you make sure that everyone is putting their best foot forward in representation of your business? Providing them a well taken care of and consistently clean workplace is a great start. When you hire a professional to aid in the maintenance of your office building, you will know you are getting the best for your money when the following areas have been covered.

RESTROOM: Toilets will be wiped down including the top of the seat, under the rim, around the bowl and the back of the tank. Seats will be left up after cleaning. Mirrors, faucets and stainless steal soap dispensers should be wiped down, usually with a microfiber cloth and glass cleaner. There should be no visible spots or streaks.

TRASH: You should find no trash in or around trash cans or under the desks. Receptacles should be returned to their proper places with new liners in them and all chairs will be pushed up to the desks. Keep in mind that unless you have specifically marked something as trash it will be untouched.

MOPPING: All areas should be well mopped. This is usually done by starting with the edges of the room first and then using a figure-eight pattern to fill in the rest of the open area. Wet Floor signs should be placed appropriately.

VACCUMING:  All carpets should be vacuumed starting from the furthest corner of the room and working toward the door. Wet floor signs may be placed if there was any spot cleaner used on the carpet. All cloth furniture will have been given a once-over with the vacuum’s hand tool, special attention being paid to the corners.

EXTRAS: All furniture should have been dusted using furniture polish and a special cloth. As well you can expect that all door handles, light switches and telephone handsets have been disinfected.

Get a Green Clean

Concern about climate change and its effect on the environment has everyone wondering how they can do their part. Though it may seem like a worldwide issue, too widespread to take on alone, the fact is that every little contribution is going in the right direction. Consider a common cleaning routine:  a few tweaks, and you will find yourself reducing, reusing and recycling for a better future.

REDUCE: The best thing you could ever do for Mother Nature is make it a priority to reduce or even eliminate the amount of chemicals and waste you generate by tidying up. Not only are the chemicals in your cleaning products harmful for the environment, they could be harmful for your friends and family as well. There are over 17,000 chemical cleaners available for home use, however it’s surprisingly easy and cost effective to mix up your own home made cleaning supplies that really work without any consequences to your health! Ingredients like white vinegar, baking soda, rubbing alcohol and Coca Cola can do anything from disinfecting to unclogging.

REUSE: When doing the daily clean- up it can sometimes feel like you’re making more trash than you’re throwing away. Simple tips like using washable cloths, switching to reusable air fresheners, going back to the broom or even employing old toothbrushes to scrub grout are great eco friendly solutions.

RECYCLE: A good recycling program should be the backbone of any household, business or community; this is because with some organization and a little imagination, almost anything you have can be recycled for the good of the environment. Sure you already collect your old cans and newspaper, but there’s even more you can do including composting your food for use in a future garden,  recycling your electronics via a collection program, and disposing of toxic cleaning products the right way.

Cleaning Loopholes

Loopholes are one of life’s little gifts; finding a loophole means an opportunity to make something faster, easier or more enjoyable. When completing a cleaning task, any loophole that leads to spotlessness or at least the illusion of it is a welcome sight.

CLUTTER: Clutter is the nemesis of an organized space, luckily there are some tricks for dealing with it easily. Try having a box handy, somewhere to put all the knick knacks lying around. Keep clothes off the floor, hang your towels up neatly and have a place for garbage in each room.

WIPE: Even if you don’t have time to do the dishes or scrub down the bathroom, give a cleaned-up appearance by wiping all kitchen and bathroom surfaces to add some shine. Disposable disinfectant wipes allow for a result that is both fast and thorough.

FLOORS: If you keep fresh tracks in your carpets, it will give any room that fresh-vacuumed feeling. Also the use of a hand held dust buster allows you to tackle and control floor debris without having to lug around a vacuum cleaner or take time to sweep.

Allergy Free is the Way To Be

Asthma accounts for 5,000 emergency room visits a day, allergies cause millions of missed work days and many of the most common causes and culprits come from the home and work environments you spend the most time in. Mold, dust mites, pet dander, and pollen from outdoors are some of the triggers for symptoms like itchy watery eyes, stuffed nose, sneezing and wheezing experienced by 1 in 4 people.

Mold consists of millions of tiny spores that cause an allergic reaction when inhaled. Prolonged exposure to mould has been known to cause fungal and immune disease along with severe allergies.

Dust consists of skin cells and dead dust mites. It can cause many respiratory issues like asthma if left uncontrolled.  Dust mites are actually insects of which there are 15 different varieties; they can survive in any climate even at high altitudes.

Animal allergies are most often caused by dogs, cats or rodents. Allergens are found in their dander, hair, saliva and urine.

Pollen allergies are seasonal, caused by many different types of flowers, weeds trees and grasses. The lightweight pollen which is released into the air by these plants is often spread around randomly by the wind and may enter your home from outdoors.

 In order to infiltrate on the allergens that have found their way into your environment, you must find your way into theirs.  Every different type of allergen prefers a different type of environment, and if you provide one that serves their needs, they will thrive. Cool dark places are perfect breeding grounds for mold. Simple tips like monitoring your basement and other prone areas, allowing damp shoes and sports equipment to fully dry and storing your firewood outside will help. Remember to scrub an affected area with a chlorine bleach mixture and that sealing up cracks, installing proper ventilation and tending to flood issues is the responsible way to prevent a moldy mess.

Wipe up surfaces and clear away your clutter to allow less space for dust to collect. Mites like to hide places that are soft like in furniture and carpets, so make sure to have them cleaned often. You may also consider souping up your vacuuming regimen as well by using a vacuume cleaner with a HEPA or Micro filter.

To limit the effects of pet allergies in your home it is suggested that you bathe and brush your pet weekly (including cats.) Get the animals accustomed to time outdoors and have your carpets and other plush areas cleaned often.  You may also find use for an air filtration system.

Plan around pollen by making sure your garden is populated by large colourful flowers; the kind that bees pollinate, this way the allergens will not get spread around so much. Consider using air conditioning and keeping the windows closed.  Remember that pollen counts are more intense in the morning and late afternoon and never hang your clothes out to dry.

Strategies of a Productive Cleaner

You will be able to prove it to yourself again and again; because it’s a fact that a living or working space that is kept organized and orderly usually belongs to someone who is productive and in control. In fact, living or working in a tidy environment is known to decrease irritability, lift depression and save time. Some even describe a sense of accomplishment or relief. Everyone knows that cleaning is anything but a spectator sport, bust out a broom or be buried.  So how do you work up that perfect combination of motivation to start the job and persistence to see it through?

Break it down: Like many other things in life a mess is about perception. It’s only as big as you decide so it’s a great idea to break a room into smaller sections and tackle them one at a time. That way you will have multiple chances to feel a rush of relief.

Space it out: If time is no object, it may work for you to space out your tasks. This method works well on a reward system; tell yourself that after every few jobs you deserve a half an hour of fun.

Time it: Set your alarm to go off in 10 minutes and then clean up as much as you can. The key to this is staying focused, tell yourself you will do it without stopping unless absolutely necessary. It may help to turn up some of your favourite dance music and clean to a beat.

List it: If you make a list and then cross items off you will be able to see all your tasks on paper and keep track of them. Also try making a list of tasks as you complete them to track your progress.

Stains: Your Most Undignified houseguest

Stains are your most undignified houseguest. They come uninvited and wear out their welcome before even being there five minutes.  These time-consuming obstacles could stand to frustrate you and ruin many of your favourite things, making them look dated and dingy. You are about to receive a crash-course in stain super-heroism. Armed with the right tools and tips, you too can have the power to banish the toughest stains as if they’d never been there at all.

GREASE STAINS: A grease stain caused by materials like butter, cooking oils or machine grease should be lightly sponged with a stain removal product starting in the centre and working outward. Use a reliable stain removal product to do this and make sure the area dries completely before each application. Remember, before using any product to read the care label on the item. Another method involves the use of absorbents; cornstarch, cornmeal or fuller’s earth which is dusted over the stain to soak up the grease. Doing this is safe and will not cause any damage.

NON GREASE STAINS: Tea, coffee, juice, food colouring and ink are some of the common products that cause non-greasy stains. If you get one, make sure to put the area in contact with cool water with the help of an eye-dropper or a mister. This is an important suggestion because the stain will spread if you don’t control the amount of water. If you find your efforts still need a little boost, rub in some liquid detergent followed by a mixture of 1 part rubbing alchol to 2 parts water to remove residue and speed up drying time.

COMBINATION STAINS: Some stains are even more challenging because they have elements of both greasy and non-greasy types. Apply the above methods to stains like salad dressing or lipstick. A combination stain often requires repeat treatments. Like any and all stains they should be tended to immediately for best results.