Let Daisy Maids Help you Move

Melissa, a close friend, is getting ready to move out of state. Life is challenging already for this family of seven without the stress of getting a house ready to put on the real estate market!

As she was telling us about trying to deep clean, paint, and organize her home while chasing her youngest sons – ages two and three – and staying on top of her older school aged-children, we thought of the ways Daisy Maids could help. Did you know that in addition to our residential clients, we also help busy moms like Melissa who are getting ready for a major life change? By charging by the job, not the hour, we could help her in some of the big – and little ways – she needs in getting her house in prime condition for a lucky buyer.

What is the dirtiest place in the home?

You do not have to be a house cleaning service to know the dirtiest, grimiest, germiest place in the house. But most people over look it. What is it? The door knob! Even if it doesn't look it.

Some other problem areas would be drawer and cabinet handles, fridge handles, and faucet handles. Chair backs can get dirty from hands pulling them in and out too. And don't forget your cleaning supplies. Broom handles, bucket and basket handles, and even the spray bottle itself.

how to get gum out of carpet.

because we are a home cleaning service we have come to "hate" chewing gum in general because of the cleaning nightmares it can cause. but we also know a few tricks of the trade to make cleaning it up easier. if you can harden the gum by freezing it, you can crack it up or shatter it. then quickly vacuum up the pieces before they soften again. there are several ways to harden or freeze the gum. you can use regular ice cubes, or dry ice. with the ice cubes, place several in a zip lock bag and let them sit on the gum stain for 10 to 15 minutes. this should harden the gum so you can chip it off. dry ice may work a little better because if will harden the gum even more, but with the dry ice wrap it in a paper bowl instead of a zip lock bag. or perhaps best of all, try a product called "gum freeze" available at janitorial supply stores. canned air, used to clean key boards, will also freeze the gum.

top 2 tips for keeping you home clean...easily!

as a home cleaning service we have learned a lot about keeping things clean. here are our top 2 tips for making your house keeping a little easier.

1. declutter-most of us simply have too much stuff. the old adage, "use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without" should not turn into an excuse for never throwing anything away. it is hard to clean the floor when you can't find it. more than half of our cleaning time is usually spent putting away clutter. if we an learn to put things away in the proper place immediatly and throw away things we don't need or want we save ourselves all kinds of time.

spring cleaning your jewelry!

So now that it is time for spring cleaning, we here at daisymaids want to remind you: don't forget your jewelry. Cleaning jewelry is one of those jobs that is fun to do. Not only do you get to handle valuable items, but you get the pleasure of remembering the personal history behind each piece. They may be gifts, or something worn for a special occasion, or an heirloom passed down thorough the generations.

Stone jewelry especially benefits from a good cleaning. The chemicals in perfumes, hand washing soaps, and lotions can really cause them to lose their lustre.

For the hardest of stones, diamonds, sapphires, (like Princess Di's famous ring) and cubic zircons, immerse in hot soapy water and scrub with an old soft toothbrush. Rinse and air dry. It is important to use a very soft brush because even thought the stones them selves are among the hardest elements on earth, the gold, silver of platinum they are set in is not. Ultrasonic cleaning, available at most jewelers will avoid the problem of scratching the setting. Soaking rings in alcohol, a cleaning solvent and marvelous grease cutter, will also have them sparkling in just a few minutes.

here is a great tutorial on cleaning your washing machine!

we at daisy maids love to share other people's good ideas. check out this tutorial on cleaning your washing machine!

http://www.askannamoseley.com/2011/02/reader-question-cleaning-your-washing.html

part of keeping a clean house is knowing when to throw things out!

at daisy maids we have learned that one of the most important secrets to keeping a clean house is knowing when to let go and throw things away! sure something might be useful, but if you don't have a use for it any time soon then keeping it around just becomes a burden. that is why we love this graphic chart by Sweep Tight that shows how long to keep different foods in different storage situations. sorry we can't find a chart to help you make the tough calls about when you are going to use these things, but hey, at least it is a start!