How to Clean the House Quickly – and Thoroughly

So, you have been looking forward to hosting this dinner party for two weeks, but two hours before it’s due to start you look up and realise the house is an absolute state. Every time, right? If you’re in need of finding out the quickest way to clean your house, you’ve come to the right place: these house cleaning tips will help you address that mess in no time

Go top to bottom

Want to know how to clean your house fast? The first thing to remember is that, like everything else in life, the laws of gravity apply to dust and grime. This downward settling of dust has everything to do with your speedy cleaning strategy. Firstly, it means that if your house has multiple floors, you need to start on the top floor. Otherwise, the dust from upstairs will settle on the lower floors and you might find you have to start again.

Make a house-cleaning checklist

This might seem like strange advice when you’re in a rush, but it really is worth taking five minutes to jot down a house-cleaning checklist. Why? Well, some of the things you do when you have longer to clean might be unnecessary when you’re working out how to clean the house quickly.

Work smart

Once you have your house cleaning checklist, figure out the quickest way to clean your house. What order does it make sense to clean the rooms in? Where should you start in each room? What’s the last thing you should do in there, and what might you not have thought of? The moments you spend doing this will save you a lot of time and frustration once you get to work.

Remember the essentials

When you’re thinking about how to clean your house fast, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the bigger tasks and forget about the little things. Here are a few you might not have thought of:

Make sure you have clean towels out

Change bed linen if your guests are staying overnight

Vacuum your sofa

Air any stuffy rooms by opening the windows an hour or so before they arrive

 

Guide To A Thorough House Cleaning

Regular deep cleaning is ideal for your home – but not everyone has the time to do it. More often than not, you’ll have to wait until the end of a busy season before finding some time for a major clean-up. Although daily weekly dusting and vacuuming may be sufficient for maintenance, it’s still necessary to dive into the nooks and crannies and clean every neglected area of your house at least once a year. That’s why we’ve come up with a guide on how to tackle a thorough cleaning for every room in your home.

Tips Before You Start

Depending on where you live, you may need to consider a mold inspection. Mold is harmful to health and, if left unchecked, could damage your home and, at the same time, cause illness to you or any of your family members. Also, removing clutter and getting rid of junk makes cleaning a lot easier. If you have a lot of garbage piled up over the years, you can hire a junk removal service to take care of the hauling and disposal. Lastly, plan how you want to approach the cleaning process. You may also want to take stock of your cleaning supplies and tools to ensure that you have everything you need before you start.

Bathroom

There is nothing more frustrating than a grimy and unkempt bathroom. After scrubbing all the essential fixtures like the tub, toilet, and shower, you need to focus your attention on the hard to reach areas. Start with light fixtures, mirrors, and windows. Make sure that you wipe down all corners and edges to get rid of dust and grime. If there is exposed grout, you can use a specialty grout cleaner or make one using some baking soda and white vinegar. Don’t forget to clean out drawers and disinfect all surfaces, especially doors and handles.

Bedroom

The first thing you need to do is remove all drapes, beddings, and rugs. Wash them in warm water to disinfect and kill dust mites. If your mattress has a lot of stains, you can consider having it steam cleaned. Carefully vacuum all surfaces, especially behind and underneath furniture. Clean and wipe down closets, drawers, and cabinets.

Kitchen

Cleaning the kitchen could take time; that’s why it’s best to break down your task into manageable steps. Start with hard to reach areas like cabinets and cupboards. Clean the top, corners, and inside using a damp cloth. While cleaning surfaces, you can start defrosting your refrigerator. The oven is harder to clean, so you might need to soak the stains in a mixture of baking soda and vinegar. The same applies to your microwave. Most importantly, throw away old sponges and replace dish towels. Also, don’t forget to disinfect all surfaces after cleaning.

 

Insane But True House Cleaning Facts!

Cleaning Burns Calories

Cleaning for two hours burns 200 calories. Who needs to get on the elliptical when you can just mop the floors?

Blenders Clean Themselves

Did you know blenders clean themselves?

You read correctly! Just fill your blender with water and add a few drops of soap. Turn the blender on for a few seconds and rinse after. Ta-da!

The Kitchen Sink Has More Germ Than The Toilet

The kitchen sink contains more germs than your toilet. Yes, you actually need to clean your kitchen sink, not just rinse it out.

You Can Clean Your Shower Curtain In The Washing Machine

Did you know you can clean a shower curtain in the washing machine?

No more scrubbing for half an hour trying to get muck off your shower curtains. Just pop them in your washing machine’s gentle cycle with a pint of vinegar and press “start.” Aren’t washing machines one of the best inventions ever? If you feel like getting even more done, you can try cleaning your washing machine too.

Dust Is Mostly Made Up Of Dead Skin Cells

You know all those dust particles lying around? Well, roughly 70-80% of them are made up of dead skin cells. And you thought your pet shed a lot!

Mold Can Grow In Your Trash Can

Did you know mold can grow at the bottom of the trash can?

Mold loves moisture so add 1/2 cup of borax to the bottom of the trash can to absorb mold-causing dampness.

Mattresses Carry Dust Mites

An average mattress contains anywhere from 100,000 to 10 million dust mites. That’s it. We’re sleeping on the floor from now on.

You Can Cook A Sponge

Did you know you can cook a sponge?

Not to eat, to clean! Pop a wet sponge in the microwave for two minutes to kill germs and prolong the life of your sponge. Make sure the sponge is very wet; a dry sponge could start a fire!

Mouthwash Can Clean Floors, And The Crazy But True Story Of

Listerine

Mouthwash can clean floors. If you run out of cleaner, add a capful of mouthwash for every gallon of water and you’ll be good to go. It’s a long story, but to sum it up, Listerine was originally developed to be a surgical antiseptic. However, they realized that surgical antiseptics were only marketable to a small group of professionals. In the hopes of increasing sales, the company began to market Listerine as a floor cleaner – as well as a cure for Gonorrhea! So where does mouthwash come in?

 

This interactive cleaning guide will make your life so much easier

How to clean upholstery, from couches to car interiors

Does your upholstered furniture look dingy and tired? Is your couch in desperate need of a clean? What about your car? Upholstery, like carpet, needs regular attention

If you’re going to hire a professional: Bisaillon recommends having upholstery cleaned by a certified cleaning technician every 12 to 24 months — or more frequently in households with small children or pets. To assure that you’re getting a qualified cleaner, look for certification by International Cleaning and Restoration Association or International Institute of Cleaning and Restoration. Before booking an in-home cleaning, request the name of the technician and his/her ICRA or IICR registration number.

Vacuum: Use upholstery and crevice attachments (they make a huge difference!) to pick up crumbs and dust on a weekly basis.

Clean spills immediately: Blot them up ASAP. If the spill leaves a spot, follow instructions on the fabric care label. If it’s safe to use water, blot the area alternately with a damp towel and a dry towel to remove it.

Treat the stain: As always, follow cleaning instructions on the fabric care label. For stains on silk and antique fabrics, consult a professional. Otherwise, if the stain is from an organic source, like mustard, coffee or other foods, Bisaillon suggests lightly misting it with 3 percent hydrogen peroxide.

 

How to clean a TV screen, computer screen and more

Is your phone screen covered with greasy smudges? Is your tablet dotted with doughnut debris? And what about your TV screen? Let’s be honest, it’s definitely covered in dust. It’s time to clean them all and see the e-world as it was meant to be. There’s no need to put this chore off — it’s so easy you’ll wonder why you hadn’t done it sooner. Before getting started, consult the owner’s manual for specific instructions, and be sure to unplug all devices.

Dust it

To remove dust, use a microfiber cloth and lightly wipe the screen, moving in one direction and working from top to bottom. hat’s all it usually takes to remove dust, grease, oil, dirt and 99 percent of bacteria that’s on the screen.

Use the right cloth

Not all microfiber is the same. recommends cleaning screens using only cloths specially made for electronics, like E-Cloth or MagicFiber, because they have shorter, finer fibers. And more fibers means faster results.

For stubborn smudges…

Slightly dampen a corner of the microfiber cloth and wipe the area lightly. (Too much pressure will damage the screen.) Dry with an unused portion of the cloth. You’ll know it’s time to move to a new part of the cloth (or wash it) when it starts leaving dust behind.

What NOT to use

Don’t apply too much pressure. Use a light hand to prevent damage to the screen or the anti-reflective coating. Never use abrasive cleansing cloths or pads since they’ll scratch the screen. And avoid any products that aren’t recommended in the owner’s manual, including window cleaner, ammonia, vinegar, ethyl alcohol, powdered cleanser, benzene or paint thinner.

A Smarter Way to Clean Your Home

Every home — big, small, apartment or vacation home — gets dirty. And while there’s not just one way to clean your living space, there is a smarter way to get the job done. Take this guided tour of your home — from the kitchen and bathroom to the bedroom and living areas — to learn the basic rules of cleaning as well as some tips and short cuts that will help you clean thoroughly and efficiently, starting now.

How to Clean the Kitchen

In the kitchen, wiping surfaces, keeping tabs on the fridge and washing dishes every day will prevent big time-consuming messes down the line.

Keep Dishes Clean

If you’re a person who tends to let dishes pile up in the sink to avoid washing them, try this simple trick to put the effort involved into perspective: For a few days, as you think of it, set a timer before you begin washing the dishes, and make note of how long it took to clean up. If you know the task will take just minutes to complete, it will be less difficult to convince yourself to take care of those dishes now.

How to Clean a Burned Pot: To clean a badly scorched pot without scrubbing, cover the burned area with a liberal amount of baking soda and pour in enough boiling water to fill the pot a third to halfway up. When the water is cool enough to touch, head in with your sponge and use the baking soda solution to scrub away the scorch. Dump the solution and wash the pot with hot, soapy water.

The Dishwasher Debate: While there isn’t an absolutely correct way to load a dishwasher (and what would couples bicker over if such a directive were carved in stone?), there is one universal rule: It is much easier to load from back to front.

 

Deep Clean Like You Mean It: Your Exhaustive House Cleaning Checklist

Aless-than-clean home can cost you thousands off the sale price or completely turn away potential buyers. A messy house is a red flag for many buyers, who’ll suspect repair problems lurking beneath the dirt. A spotless home sends the unspoken signal that yours is a well-maintained property.

It’s not as simple as tidying up for a dinner party either. . Buyers are coming in to kick your home’s proverbial tires. As they decide if your house will meet their needs, they’ll open closets, explore out-of-sight corners and may even shift furniture. A good deep cleaning at the beginning will make it easier to keep your place tidy for showings the entire time your home is on the market.

Hiring in a cleaning crew is one option to get the job done, but it comes with a price. Depending on the square-footage and cleanliness of your house, you could be looking at a full day job for a multi-person team.

If you take on the job yourself you not only save money, you get a jumpstart on tackling the biggest distraction to buyers: clutter. Roll up your sleeves, get the cleaning supplies out, and follow along. We’ve put together this easy-to-follow guide for deep cleaning a house while it’s on the market.

Conquering Clutter

Take a stroll through your home and appraise the place as if you were a guest instead of a resident. Fresh eyes will find those untidy paper stacks on your desk, the mantel overflowing with photos, the basket of laundry waiting to be folded.

 

The Ultimate Room-by-Room Spring Cleaning Checklist

Breathe new life into your home after a long winter. Our complete spring cleaning checklist guides you through a deep-cleaning that will leave your house shining from the inside out.

As the snow melts into spring showers, it’s time to refresh your home. This comprehensive spring cleaning checklist offers an opportunity to get the whole family involved in tidying up. Running short on time? Try tackling one room per week

Entryway

Sweep floors

Mop floors

Wipe walls

Wipe baseboards

Clean door

Clean doormat

Organize shoes

Hang jackets

Kitchen

Clean stovetop

Clean oven

Clean microwave

Clean dishwasher

Clean refrigerator

Wipe drawers and shelves in refrigerator and freezer

Defrost freezer

Discard old or expired food in pantry, fridge and freezer

Clear countertops

Degrease cabinet doors and backsplash

Remove items from cabinets and thoroughly clean inside

Clean fridge/freezer seal

Dust top of high surfaces including fridge, microwave/range hood, cabinets

Deodorize and degrease the kitchen drain

Wash dish rags and clean sponges

Wipe walls

Wipe baseboards

Mop floors

Shake out dust or dirt from floor mats

Dining Room

Dust china in china cabinet

Launder and press table linens

Polish silver

Dust and polish furniture

Vacuum or spot clean chair cushions

Wipe walls

Wipe baseboards

Clean light fixture

Dust blinds

Dust curtain rods

Clean window sills

Wash windows

Clean or vacuum curtains

Mop or vacuum floor

Shampoo rugs or carpet

 

Guide to Deep Cleaning your Car

Interior

Use vinegar or specific cleaner for the insides of the windows.

Wipe clean any dust or stains from the dashboard or steering wheel.

Use reputable upholstery cleaners and wipes.

Consider using newspapers to keep the windows streak-free.

Vacuuming

Make sure your vacuum is lightweight, and has a variety of attachments.

Shake the floor mats out.

If your car smells, sprinkle a little baking soda then vacuum it up.

Get under the seats and pedals.

Do not forget to vacuum the boot.

Washing

Park in the shade.

Wet the car, then use a soft sponge or cloth to gently scrub the entire roof in a circular motion. The car should stay wet the entire time.

Move on to the windshield and bonnet, repeating the steps from the roof.

Lift the wipers to ensure that you reach all necessary cleaning points.

Dry the car, starting from the roof, using a microfibre cloth or chamois.

Use a brush to scrub the tyres, rims and wheel wells.

Once the car is dry, use a non-acid based tyre cleaner to make them look new.

Waxing

Use a wax stripper to clear off any old wax so you can start with a clean, even surface.

Apply the wax in a thin layer, and buff it until it is slightly cloudy. Let it sit for 15-20 minutes.

Buff the first coat until shiny, then apply the second coat more liberally. Let it cure for 20 minutes, then buff it until it is clear.

Make sure you have quality, long-lasting wax (either liquid or paste), depending on your preference.

Mask off any plastic, chrome or other materials to protect them in case you accidentally put wax on them.

 

Ultimate Coronavirus Deep Cleaning Guide

In this cleaning guide you will learn:

What is Coronavirus (COVID-19)

How to protect your home and family

What cleaning products kill coronavirus?

How to deep clean your home like a pro

What is Coronavirus?

According to The World Health Organisation Coronavirus is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus. Most people infected with the COVID-19 virus will experience mild to moderate respiratory illness and recover without requiring special treatment.  Older people, and those with underlying medical problems like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic respiratory disease, and cancer are more likely to develop serious illness.

How to protect your family

Always follow government advice and stay at home until told otherwise. You can take extra precautions when going out for essential items. Be sure to wear a face mask and gloves at all times. When you have left the shop or supermarket where you have been, throw the gloves in the nearest bin. You don’t want to contaminate your car after wearing them in the supermarket.

You should also:

wash your hands with soap and water often – for at least 20 seconds

wash your hands as soon as you get home

cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze

put used tissues in the bin immediately and wash your hands

not touch your face if your hands are not clean

What cleaning products kill coronavirus?

We recommend keeping your home clean and disinfected to prevent the spread of coronavirus. If no one in your household is showing symptoms or has been diagnosed, then the chances of the virus living on a surface in your home are less likely.

Construction Cleanup Best Practices

Sooner or later, every building needs renovations. On-site construction requires cleanup during and after the project. The first step is removing large objects and debris, then, due to drywall dust, every surface needs a thorough cleaning. This process includes cleaning hard to reach window frames, light fixtures, walls, and floors. Let’s consider some best practices for construction cleanup.

Communication

There needs to be clear communication between the general contractor and the cleaning crew. Chances are the project won’t commence exactly as scheduled, so the builder needs to let the cleanup crew know when post-construction cleanup can start. Also, the general contractor can instruct the cleaning staff on specific care requirements. For example, grout leaves a haze during construction and requires an acidic cleaner. Furthermore, the building’s janitorial crew will need details about the construction materials. Products like luxury vinyl tile, hardwood, and ceramic tile all have different care requirements.

Safety and Training

The cleaning crew needs specific training on construction site safety. Before doing any potentially hazardous job, workers must have appropriate safety training. Staff members must be able to identify and safely handle potential hazards at the construction site. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) provides standards and training.

Company culture also plays a role in employee health. Set safety as a top priority. Supervisors can lead by example by always following safety regulations. It’s also essential to develop a system for reporting and to address any potential work site hazards.

Personal Protective Equipment

Construction cleaning poses unique factors for crew safety.  Cleaning crews should be equipped and trained with the correct personal protective equipment (PPE). The goal of PPE is to protect your workers from head to toe.

 

Post Construction Cleaning

Locks and Keys

As soon as you’ve been handed the house keys you should change all the locks and keys of your new home. Remember, past owners could have extra copies of the key so changing everything will guarantee that you won’t walk into your house to find the past owners there. Apart from this new locks and keys definitely signify a fresh start.

DIY Time

Is there anything in your new house that you’d like to change? The moment you buy your property is most definitely the right time to do it. Painting walls and undertaking D.I.Y project can be quite messy and time consuming, so make sure you have family or friends who are willing to help out to make the hard work easier and moving in quicker. Don’t forget to factor in the post construction cleaning should you have any large DIY tasks to do whether it is a room or the whole house.

Nice and Clean

Speaking of fresh start, nothing says fresh more than a deep clean. Cleaning every nook and cranny will never be easy once you’re settled in so getting it done before you get comfortable is a great way to ensure your home is clean. This is especially true if you’ve just bought a home in a new building which up until recently was still a building site. If you need some extra help the Briiz post construction cleaning team are always ready to clean your home.

Call Pest Control

Even if you haven’t seen any pests and your realtor has assured you that your home is pest free, it’s best not to take any risks. Before you bring furniture into the place make sure you get a pest controller to eliminate any nasty bags or other pests which could also be calling your house home.

 

Simple Steps To Finding A Great House Cleaning Service

Finding a house cleaning service can be a difficult and frustrating task. If you are like the average homeowner, dealing with work, family, and other priorities can make cleaning your home yourself a challenge and one that you’d sooner avoid. There are hundreds of cleaning services that serve the Atlanta area, specifically the Johns Creek Georgia area and surrounding suburbs. They are ready and willing to do the work for you. Because there are so many companies available, knowing how to choose and hire a house cleaning service can seem like an overwhelming task, but if you follow the 8 Step Guide that I have prepared for you, you can pick the best option.

Decide What Needs To Be Cleaned

Decide what areas of your home need to be cleaned before choosing a cleaning service. For example, are there rooms that are off-limits or specific areas that are more important for the service to focus on? Do you want them to do windows and laundry too or only standard cleaning, such as dusting and mopping? Once you know what you need, you can build a list of requirements to narrow down candidates, as some companies don’t offer a full range of services

Gather A List Of Cleaning Companies

Ask family, friends, or neighbors for referrals. Many customers may be happy to share a positive experience with you, and they may even be eligible for a bonus through the cleaning company if you choose its service. Check out the Internet and do searches for cleaning companies that service your area. For instance, you might Google the term and look at the websites of the first couple or three pages of listings

You should use several criteria to do this:

Eliminate any companies that are not bonded and insured. Should any accidents happen during cleaning or any theft occur while the service is there, a bonded and insured service will take responsibility. If you choose a service that doesn’t have these, the responsibility will be yours as the homeowner.

Eliminate companies that don’t have a website, or whose website doesn’t look good, work properly and provide complete information about their services and have customer feedback and testimonials. If the company doesn’t have the resources to produce a good website and do a great job on their own website, then they may disappoint you with the quality of work they do in your home.

 

How To Deep Clean Your Home Like an Expert

Keeping your house spotless is more than just a matter of aesthetics. A clean and germ-free home is crucial for both your mental and physical wellbeing, and during these scary times it’s your best defense against COVID-19.

Unfortunately, there are many areas in your home that a weekly cleaning and disinfection simply can’t deal with properly. These difficult-to-reach surfaces and deeply ingrained stains are not only more likely to contain allergens and germs, they may also attract insects and other pests.

How often should you clean everything in your house?

Under normal circumstances, a regular home only really needs to be deep cleaned a few times a year, usually at the start of spring or at the end of summer. However, the COVID-19 epidemic has increased the need for frequent cleanings.

If you haven’t already given your place a deep cleaning since the coronavirus outbreak began, we urge you to do so as soon as possible. Depending on how many people live in your household, and how often they go outside during the pandemic, you should consider spring cleaning your place at least on a monthly or bi-monthly basis.

How do I deep clean my home like a pro?

A spring cleaning is much more thorough than a standard cleaning, so it’s best to do it over the weekend or even overnight. Since a deep cleaning usually includes moving furniture, you’re likely going to need help from a family member or a friend.

 

How To Perform A Walkthrough and Create Post Construction Clean Up Bids

In the world of commercial cleaning, some of the most important bids you will make will be in places that haven’t even seen foot traffic yet. What we are referring to is post construction cleaning – a necessary service in the final phase of any large-scale construction project.

As a post construction cleaning service, your job is to tidy up any loose ends on the construction site and get the location ready for the big reveal to the owner. This is an incredibly important job, and when done well, will set you apart from your competition by many standards of excellence

Getting Started

When performing a post construction cleaning walkthrough, you need to be precise, efficient, and thorough. If you can remember these three things with the acronym PET, you can mentally check your work as you go. Let’s break down each of these qualities further to show how they are important to your post construction cleaning process.

Precision

Being precise in your work as a commercial janitorial cleaner is paramount to maintaining your reputation. This means recording as much detail as you can on your initial walkthrough with the prospect. Much like a standard commercial cleaning bid, you will meet with your client ahead of time and tour the location to capture details about the scope of the work.

This is where tools like Route’s Walkthrough Builder can be extremely helpful. Route’s digitized workflow allows you to take notes about the location while also utilizing real-world performance data to help you come up with a highly accurate post construction cleaning bid of the time and money it will take you to do the job. Using an app for post construction cleaning walkthroughs is a great way to be more precise in your services by giving you more data and information than you can capture by hand.

Vacation Rental 101: Housekeeping

The number one cause of vacation rental guest complaints is cleanliness. When guests pay hundreds or thousands of dollars to stay in your home, they expect it to be immaculate. If it hasn’t been cleaned before their arrival, they’re understandably going to be upset. Fortunately, it’s an easy problem to avoid. You just need a quality housekeeping service that understands why cleaning to vacation rental standards is different than what’s required for a typical house cleaning.

WHAT MAKES A VACATION RENTAL CLEANING DIFFERENT

A vacation rental cleaning goes above and beyond what you’d expect from a typical house cleaning. Your housekeeper needs to be ready to provide a higher level of service, and handle tasks like

IF YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT DOING IT YOURSELF

The first decision you need to make about cleaning your vacation rental is whether you’re going to do the work yourself or hire a service to handle it for you. Doing your own cleaning is an easy way to cut down on management costs and increase your income. But it only makes sense if you live locally and can afford to treat your vacation rental as a full-time job

Even if doing it yourself seems like an attractive option, ask yourself an honest question: Can I commit to deep-cleaning the entire property more than once a week?

In high season, you might have “quick turns” where a guest checks out at 10 a.m. and the next guest checks in at 4 p.m. In that window, you’ll need to provide a thorough cleaning. If you can’t guarantee you’ll be ready and willing to do that, you need to hire someone who can.

IF YOU’RE THINKING ABOUT HIRING A CLEANING SERVICE

Working with a cleaning service is a great alternative. If you don’t want to handle the cleaning yourself or you don’t live near your rental property, it’s helpful to have a trusted housekeeper who will visit your home on a regular basis to keep things in great shape for guests

 

VACATION RENTAL CLEANING:THINGS TO BEAR IN MIND

When starting your vacation rental business, you’ll likely be thinking about what furniture and decoration you’ll include to make it truly dazzle on your website or any other advertising channel you plan to use. There are other tasks, however, which while maybe not as fun, they’re just as (or even more) important than others: vacation rental cleaning and maintenance.

PRIORITIZE

What should you clean most frequently? Easy: everything that’s on display. Even if you’re not going to have guests in the next few days, you need to assure that whatever people can see from the outside is absolutely spotless. This includes the garden, windows and anything else of this nature. Once inside, you need to go over all the basics such as floors and other surfaces that guests will notice upon entering your property.

MAKE A LIST FOR GUESTS PRE CHECK-OUT

Don’t be afraid to ask guests to perform a few simple vacation rental cleaning tasks before they lock the door and leave your property after their stay. But be careful not to overwhelm them with too many tasks that will make them feel like they are working – or worse – doing your job for you.

CHARGE A DEPOSIT WHICH INCLUDES A CLEANING FEE

It’s always recommended to charge a security deposit to cover any possible damages to your property. So, why not add an additional cleaning fee? This amount will be charged to your guests in case they don’t leave your home in the good, hygienic conditions you lay out in your house rules.

TURN TO THE GREEN SIDE

Why not help the environment at your rental, too? Planet earth will thank you, and you’ll earn brownie points from your guests for worrying about the environment and actively doing something to protect it!

 

CLEANING APPS FOR VACATION RENTAL BUSINESSES

Despite the increasing number of travelers who are choosing vacation rentals as a more homely alternative to hotels, their expectations don’t differ when it comes to cleanliness.

Some of the most common negative reviews of vacation rentals and other alternative accommodation derive from the guest’s dissatisfaction of cleanliness standards. In other words, as a host, you need to start considering the value of professional cleaning services for your vacation rental because what you might consider sparkling clean in your own house simply won’t cut it with guests.

CLEANING SERVICES FOR VACATION RENTALS

In order to suit different owners’ needs, there is a huge variety of cleaning services that you can request for your vacation rental. These can range from simple, ordinary tasks like making the beds, changing towels and cleaning toilets to more specific and tricky ones like cleaning mirrors and fixtures or removing carpet stains.

TURNOVERBNB

TurnoverBnB allows owners to create automated cleaning schedules and enjoy completely hands-free management. In fact, thanks to its integration with major booking platforms like Airbnb, Booking.com and HomeAway, owners can automatically schedule turnovers based on bookings and available time between one guest checking out and the following checking in. Owners can easily manage and communicate with existing cleaners or use the marketplace feature to find professional vacation rental cleaners in their area. The platform also provides automated payments and record tracking of completed jobs

PROPERLY

Two key strengths of the Properly app are visual interaction and real-time management. Owners can create visual instructions with a photo-based cleaning checklist to be as clear as possible and ensure the final result matches their expectations

 

Vacation Rental Cleaning & Maintenance Tips

What does it take to get a 5-star review? It might be a lot easier than you realize!

Did you know that most negative reviews are written by guests dissatisfied with a messy, poorly cleaned vacation rental? Surprised? Hopefully not, a well-cared-for vacation home goes a long way to ensure guest satisfaction, rave reviews, and loyal direct bookers. Doable, right? Absolutely. As long as you understand that maintaining a vacation rental is much more demanding than the upkeep of your own home.

How it’s Done in Park City

Park City-based homeowner, Rina Slade knows what it takes to keep her vacation homes spick and span no matter how tight the turnaround or how untidy the guest. While she herself owns only one vacation rental, she helps manage the vacation homes of a few friends – with the help of her crew, a local couple, Susie and Luis

Maintenance & Cleaning Tahoe Style

We also spoke with Lake Tahoe Accommodations’ Lisa Calderon, who manages over 100 vacation rentals in Tahoe. Lisa’s head of housekeeping, Blanca has a team of 14 house cleaners who do their best to maintain tight check in/check out cleanings. While not everyone has over 100 properties to manage and may not necessarily need 14 house cleaners, Lisa and her crew have a few tricks up their sleeves when it comes to staying on top of a hectic schedule and still managing to come out of checkout with rave reviews (and everyone’s sanity!).

Keep Backups of Everything

Lisa sets her crew up for success by keeping backups of everything. This includes sheets, glasses, toiletries, silverware and anything else you can think of. This keeps the team prepared for anything that may come their way…broken glasses to stained sheets…you name it.

Consider Value Adds to Sweeten the Deal

Rina suggests sending the guest a pleasant welcome letter that includes restaurant and activity recommendations plus all of your contact information should the guest need to reach you. Lisa swears by welcoming guests with a tote bag and a bottle of complimentary wine. She is known by guests for going above and beyond for those who book her rentals and her rave reviews certainly reflect tha

 

Vacation Rental Cleaning Guide with Checklist: Everything You Need to Know

Getting bookings to your vacation rental is often the easy part, but if you want to maintain your success or grow it, you will need to do more than publish a listing and leave a key under the mat. Your properties need to shine!

Put your best foot forward right from the start by establishing and following a detailed clean routine, striving to make every open door a “wow” moment. A fine-tuned cleaning routine with attention to detail is a sure-fire path to achieving the standard that will keep the masses praising, and confidently booking, your properties all year long

But there’s a lot more that goes into vacation rental cleaning than an outsider might think. First, you have to find and hire a team of housekeepers and onboard them to ensure they will achieve your standards. The next task is more challenging: replicating that signature quality again and again while managing your entire property operations. On top of it all, you need to have a strategy around charging cleaning fees on channels and how best to collect them

Recruiting Your Cleaning Crew & Local Team

Depending on the size of your inventory, you may need one cleaner or a whole crew. Determine your needs based on the number of homes you manage, your average occupancy rate, and the timeframes of your check-in/check-out policies. When looking to hire, there are a number of online services to help you find the ideal candidate. Some are free to advertise on, while others charge a fee for listing

Establishing standards for cleaning

Good, bad, or otherwise – guests know exactly what to expect when booking with brands on both ends of the spectrum, from Hilton and Hyatt, to Motel 6 and TravelLodge. You are a brand as well, whether you manage one home or 1,000, and that brand should carry a standard, too! What can your guests always expect, without fail, when they book a stay with you?

When Is the Right Time for Kitchen Deep Cleaning?

The Best Time to Clean Every Part of Your Kitchen

Raise your hand if you feel like, despite your very best intentions, your kitchen is messier than you’d like it to be. I’m right there with you. And it makes sense! The kitchen is the very center of your house. No matter how comfy your living room is, chances are people are always hanging out in the kitchen — or helping themselves to food from the fridge — which leads to major messes.

There are, however, a few little things you can do throughout the day to stay on top of things. Follow this plan to keep the space a little cleaner than usual.

Morning

Take advantage of being well-rested and do a little bit of tidying first thing in the morning. You can even do these tasks while you wait for the coffee to finish brewing.

• Unload the dishwasher or dish rack. If the dishwasher is empty, people will be able to put their dishes right in instead of letting them accumulate in the sink. And an empty dish rack means the dishes have a place to go once they’re cleaned later in the day.
• Refill any empty canisters that hold your coffee grounds, beans, pasta, or sugar.
• If you packed lunch for yourself or any other family members, make sure the ingredients are put away, the utensils are in the sink or dishwasher, and the crumbs have been wiped up.
• Have a few extra seconds? Go through and toss any suspicious-looking leftovers in the fridge or check your fruit bowl and get rid of anything that’s a little too ripe.

Before Dinner

If you happen to work from home, you can do these things at lunchtime. If you work in an office, make sure you do these little chores before you start making dinner.

• Move breakfast dishes to the dishwasher. Again, you want to have a place for new dishes to go as you dirty them.
• Clean your coffee or tea tools. Chances are, you had a few cups and then headed out the door in the morning rush. Clean out the used grounds, wash out the pot, and consider setting things up for coffee the next morning.
• Dampen your sponge and microwave it to kill bacteria and microbes. Just be sure to keep an eye on it.

After Dinner

Welcome to the heaviest kitchen cleaning you’ll do all day. You gotta eat, so once dinner is done, it’s time to clean up. While it might sound pretty miserable to clean on top of cooking dinner, do not leave it for the morning. “Morning You” will not like that!

• Load the dishwasher and don’t forget to run it! Not running it will throw off this whole cycle.
• Wipe down the stove and counters. Fresh spills are always easier to clean. Include the cabinet fronts in this task. Sometimes spills get sneaky and make their way onto cabinet facings.
• Wipe down the front and handle of the fridge. These spaces can get disgusting real fast.
• Clean the sink and the hardware on your sink. Clear the drain, too. The more your stay on top of this, the less of a deep cleaning you have to do later on.
• Take out the garbage and recycling, so it doesn’t accumulate and so you don’t have to do it in the morning.
• Sweep or vacuum crumbs off the kitchen floor. You don’t want to step on them in your slippers in the morning.

 

Clean & Organize Storage Cupboards

• Remove all items from remaining storage cupboards or shelves and place on countertop or kitchen table.
• As you remove items, toss or donate any items that are broken, unwanted, unnecessary, or that you haven’t used in over a year.
• Set aside any seasonal items that only get used once or twice a year to be placed with other seasonal items in storage.
• Wipe down all shelves with soapy water or kitchen cleaner.
• Determine whether you can rearrange any of your storage areas to make your kitchen more efficient.
• Group like items together and place back in cupboards.
• Put seasonal items in storage and bring donation items to local drop-off as soon as possible.

 

Cleaning out The Refrigerator

One of the biggest projects to tackle during your kitchen . As a home to perishable foods, it’s often prone to spills, leaks, and rings left behind from containers. For a serious clean, we recommend removing everything inside and giving the bins a good soak with baking soda and water. For a stainless-steel exterior, mix one-parts vinegar to two-parts water and wipe down with a microfiber cloth

 

Cleaning Pantry

• Pull out all items
• Trash any expired, old, stale or inedible food
• Donate any unopened food you don’t want
• Transfer open items to jars or containers
• Combine like half-used containers
• Wipe down pantry shelves
• Replace any tattered shelf liners
• Clean any organizers
• Place items back into pantry neatly
• Wipe down pantry door and knob

 

How to Clean Kitchen Cabinets

Every once in a while, all kitchen cabinets need a good deep clean to keep them in tip-top shape. These step-by-step instructions for cleaning your kitchen cabinets make it easy to tackle this project.

1. Empty your cabinets inside and outside.
2. Make a cleaning solution by mixing equal parts white vinegar and warm water in a spray bottle. If your cabinets are particularly grimy, add a few drops of liquid dishwashing detergent. If you have stone or granite cabinet knobs, swap the white vinegar with rubbing alcohol.
3. Spray the outside of the cabinet doors with the cleaning solution, letting it sit for a minute or two.
4. Using a microfiber cloth, wipe the cabinet doors clean. If dirty spots remain, repeat the process a second time.
5. Open the cabinet doors and spray the inside of the doors and the shelves with the cleaning solution.
6. After letting it sit for a minute or two, wipe the cleaner off with a microfiber cloth.
7. Get out a clean cloth, wet it with clean water and wipe all the surfaces you cleaned.
8. Use a clean towel to dry all surfaces thoroughly.

Reasons Upholstery Cleaning is Important

What Is Upholstery?

Upholstery is the fabric and padding that covers your furniture—sofas, love seats, arm chairs, ottomans, stools, and more are all covered with upholstery fabric.

What Is Upholstery Cleaning? How Does It Work?

Upholstery cleaning (as you might expect) is the process of cleaning the fabric that upholsters your furniture. But the process is more difficult than it might sound at first.

For one thing, upholstery is often made up of relatively delicate natural fabrics like cotton. For another, most furniture doesn’t let you just remove the upholstery to run it through the washing machine. Upholstery cleaning requires special equipment and know-how.

First, upholstery is inspected to make note of any tears or other damage. Then, the fabric is vacuumed, conditioned, rinsed, and vacuum dried. Another method is with hot-water extraction, also known as “steam cleaning.”

 

 

What Are All The Things You Need Before Cleaning the Furniture?

• A vacuum cleaner including upholstery attachment
• Chemical free detergent liquid
• Vinegar
• Absorbent towel

Cleaning codes

• W- Water (you can clean the furniture using ware or water-soluble cleaning products)
• S- Solvent (can use only solvent-based or water-based cleaning products)
• X- Vacuum (should not clean by using any type of cleaning products only vacuuming is advisable)

  

Here are the reasons it’s important to have regular upholstery cleaning:

1. Health

Did you know that the allergens, dust mites, fleas, mold, and bacteria can get into the fibers of your upholstery, and left too long, they all could cause a wide range of allergies and illness? Also, if you have anyone with sensitivities to dust or mold, this will only impact them more. Keeping up on regular upholstery cleaning drastically reduces the presence of these irritants, and in turn, helps to keep your home and family healthy.

2. Odors

The family couch or sectional is where a lot of life happens. You’ve engaged in countless movie nights, eaten dozens of TV dinners, fought off illnesses, and watched hundreds of TV shows and cartoons. If you have a baby or toddler, the couch has been a changing table and feeding station. For most families, the living room furniture becomes the favorite spot for homework or running an at-home business, and you can bet it is your pet’s favorite spot to wait for you to come home.

Clearly, a lot happens on your furniture, and sometimes it’s all too obvious because of the odor. Plus, cooking odors from the kitchen have a way of staying on your upholstery, which also contributes to an unpleasant smell. Upholstery cleaning helps remove those odors by removing the source.

3. A Longer Life for Your Furniture

Your furniture is an investment, and oftentimes an expensive one. Whether it’s just regular wear and tear, or spilled milk, body oil and grease, cleaning your furniture regularly can extend the life of your investment.

4. Appearance

You know those stains couches collect that you’ve tried covering up with a blanket or pillow, and when company comes over you feel embarrassed? Of course, we all do!

Whether they’re from kids and animals, or just being old and experiencing normal wear and tear, we use our furniture on a daily basis. And no matter how clean your house and carpets might be, if the upholstery on your furniture looks dirty and grimy, the rest of the house isn’t going to feel clean.

The easy solution is to have your carpet cleaning professional add in upholstery cleaning while also cleaning your carpets.

5. Your House Experienced Water or Smoke Damage

Accidents happen and are sometimes out of our control. A roof leak or a minor stove fire can cause water or smoke damage. Part of that damage is done to the upholstery of your furniture. While you might be inclined to just throw out the furniture and start over, you would be surprised what a good upholstery cleaning can do.

6. Durability

You know that faded, thinning look your furniture upholstery can get? That’s caused by dust and dirt, which act like bits of sandpaper rubbing on the fabric. Regular upholstery cleaning removes this dust and improves the durability of the upholstery, making sure your furniture lasts a long time.

 

Health Benefits of Furniture Upholstery Cleaning

Here are some of the major health advantages to having your upholstery cleaned:

• Removes bacteria
• Reduces allergies
• Eliminates odor
• Creates more sanitary conditions
• Improves air quality

 

Important Dos’ and Don’ts of Upholstery Cleaning

• If possible, upholstery should be shielded from receiving the direct rays of the sun since it could cause fading and discoloration, thus spoiling the entire look.
• While using candles, you must make it a point to keep them away from your upholstery so as to prevent wax from dripping on to the fabric.
• Spraying your upholstery with a protector would enable you to maintain a clean and fresh look not to mention shield your upholstery from stains.
• It is advisable not to use too much water while cleaning upholstery since it would cause the fabric to remain wet for a prolonged duration and render it susceptible to growth of microbes, mould and mildew.
• After cleaning upholstery, it is important to ventilate the room well by switching on fans and opening windows so that the drying up process is short and efficient.