Hardwood floors are much easier to clean compared to carpet. Spills and stains do not sink into the floors and therefore make these floors straightforward to clean. Since their maintenance is simple it makes them an attractive investment for individuals buying or renovating a home. Hardwood floors increase the resale value of your home and decreases dust allergens.
Hardwood floors offer different shades and colours so your home does not have one colour of flooring. This can help when it comes to furnishing or decorating your home as the items do not have to match one specific colour. If for some reason you do become tired of your hardwood floors you can sand and refinish them!
Depending on the colour of your hardwood floor dirt and dust will show easily on darker floors. To keep your hardwood floors clean ensure you are taking your shoes off when you enter your home. Same goes for guests! When you walk on your hardwood floors with shoes you can leave dirt and dust behind. Small rocks and particles can damage your floors. Keep a shoe rack and entry mat so you can remove your shoes as soon as you walk in the door.
Prior to giving your hardwood floors a deep clean you will need to sweep the floors to get rid of any dust and dirt. For your cleaning solution you can simply mix one cup of vinegar with one gallon of water. Use a clean mop and wring it out until it’s damp. Mop the floor in the same direction of the boards. Let your floors air dry and enjoy a clean living space!
Freshening up Your Basement
In order to de-clutter your basement, arrange three bins. Label the bins with “keep, donate, and trash.” This way you can easily go through the items your children may have outgrown, get rid of old clothes, and donate furniture that is no longer being used. Take the “donate” and “trash” bins upstairs. Load your donate bin in the car so you can drop it off next time you head out.
Next you will need to organize your basement into areas. For instance, all the seasonal decor and clothing should be together, books and toys should be combined, and sporting goods in another area. Label all bins so you can easily find an item when you or a family member are looking for it. A shelving unit can be beneficial so you are able to stack bins. Ensure your child’s items are lower to the ground so they can reach them safely.
Once your items are organized accordingly you can clean! If you have carpet floors you can vacuum, if you have hardwood floors you can mop. Dust any shelves, window sills, and other furniture that may be in the basement. Once all of the above is completed you can enjoy a clean and organized basement!
Bedroom Cleaning
Your bedroom should be a peaceful and calm room where you can relax and unwind. With mounds of laundry, clothes on the floor, and carpet cleaning that needs to be done, you may find that your bedroom causes more stress than relaxation.
To start you will need to clean up all the clutter in your bedroom and en-suite. This means figuring out what clothes are dirty, what clothes are clean, and either transferring them into the closet or laundry room. Clear the bathroom counter top of all make up, tooth paste, tooth brush holders, soap, and whatever else has accumulated. You need clean and clear spaces in order to do an effective cleaning job.
Once you’ve created your clean surfaces it’s time to do a deep clean. Starting with your en-suite if you have one, you want to sweep up any duster dirt prior to mopping. Next, using warm water, mop the tiles in the bathroom floor.
While your floors are drying in the bathroom you can make your bed and vacuum the floors. Tidy your room and ensure clutter is either disposed of, donated, or returned to it’s original place.
Once your floors in the bedroom are vacuumed you can return to the bathroom to clean the counter tops, toilet, and shower. For a quick clean you can use lysol wipes on the counter. Use a glass cleaner for the mirror and a bathroom cleaner to give the shower and tub a good scrub. Finally, use the bathroom cleaner to clean the toilet as well.
If you find your carpets have stains that you are struggling to remove it may be time to call in the professionals. Steamatic offers professional carpet cleaning for your home. We use hot water with an emulsifying solution to break down dirt and other contaminants. Steamatic carpet cleaning will leave your carpets looking brand new again!
Cleaning Tips for Dog Owners
Pet hair seems to make it’s way onto everything. Pet hair can cover your carpets, rugs, pillows, clothes, mats, couch, and more! It’s basically impossible to keep up with your shedding pet. A solution for this? Although pricey, many pet owners have invested in a robotic vacuum. You are able to schedule this nifty cleaner to have the floors clean before you get home from work. Just hope Fido doesn’t choose this robot to be his newest chew toy.
An affordable option for pet hair removal is lint rollers. You can use these on your clothes, furniture, pillows, and more. They also come in different sized depending on what you’ll be using it for.
If you are a puppy owner and in the midst of training, accidents are bound to happen. If your pet has an accident clean it right away. Blot dry the stain and apply a cleaning solution (water, vinegar, and a few drops of dish soap will do the trick). Continue to dab to bring the stain out and let it dry.
Finally, as your pets like you to know where they’ve been, paw prints can be a problem. If you have a fenced in backyard that your dog run freely in try to have a door mat on the inside. If you can teach your dog to wipe their paws that’s impressive, but just having it there will help remove dirt and water prior to them running and jumping onto your white couch.
Cleaning Your Kitchen Appliances
Items can become buried in a full fridge. This is also where spills and sticky messes tend to occur. Vinegar and water are your best friend when it comes to cleaning the fridge.
Empty out all of the items from your fridge so you can clean it from top to bottom at once. Mix three parts warm water and one part vinegar in a spray bottle and spray onto a wash cloth.
Clean all of the shelves and drawers in your fridge. You may need to use a little extra elbow grease to get rid of those annoying sticky messes. If you have a very stubborn spill, spray the vinegar and water mix directly on it and allow it to sit for a few minutes before wiping it off. Go through your food before you place it back in the fridge. Get rid of any empty salad dressing bottles, expired foods, and forgotten left overs!
Next is the microwave, where things tend to get overheated and cause a problem. To clean your microwave you will need vinegar and water, which you should already have out from cleaning the fridge.
Here’s the easy way to get the inside of your microwave sparkling clean again. Microwave 1 cup of water and 1 cup of vinegar in a microwave safe container for 10 minutes. This forms a steam and you can easily wipe away the dirt and grime upon completion.
The stove is the last appliance you’ll need to tackle. Remove the racks from inside the oven so you have an uncluttered space to clean.
To clean your stove you will need four drops of dawn dish soap, four teaspoons of baking soda, five teaspoons of vinegar, and lemon juice (whole lemon). Mix these ingredients together and spread the paste all over the oven, including the window. Let it sit for a few hours. Use a sponge to scrub off the stubborn messes and use a washcloth to wipe the paste off of your oven.
These easy practices will leave your appliances sparkling clean using ingredients you probably have in the house!
Cleaning Your Child’s Toys
Your child’s toys can become covered with germs and bacteria that are not visible to the naked eye. Unless your child stains a toy you may not even consider washing it on a regular basis.
Toddlers and Kindergarten aged children are surrounded by other kids all day at pre-school and elementary school. They share toys, put them in their mouths, and are in constant contact with one another. This is why it is so important for schools and you at home to disinfect your child’s toys!
Another spot where your kids toys are that you may forget to clean is the bath tub! The inside of your kid’s bath toys become wet and are left moist which is a breeding ground for mould. Since they are constantly surrounded by water and soap you would presume that these toys are clean, however that isn’t always the case. Allow these toys to air out after your child’s bath time or replace them on a regular basis.
There are numerous ways you can clean your child’s toys including the following:
You can put your child’s small toys in a mesh bag and throw them in your dishwasher. Do not put barbie dolls or action figures with hair in the dishwasher as the hair can melt and cause a mess. Instead of putting dish washing detergent in the dish washer you can use vinegar to eliminate all dirt and germs!
Stuffed animals can be placed in a mesh bag and put into the washing machine on delicates. Once the cycle is done they can be placed in the dryer on delicate as well with low heat to avoid melting of eyes or plastic noses on bears.
For barbie dolls or other toys with hair that cannot go in the dish washer use water and vinegar mixed and spray on a paper towel to wipe them down. Another option is using a lysol wipe to remove any germs and bacteria from your child’s toys. Just ensure you rinse the toy with water and dry it prior to handing it back to your child to play with.
Mold and Mildew in the Bathroom
Mold and mildew live and thrive in dark, damp places that are high in humidity and have low ventilation – it is the nemesis of every bathroom cleaner. They grow in many areas, the tub, shower, tiles, floors and walls. When in standing water, they grow very quickly but in ideal conditions mould and mildew can even grow on your shower curtains or walls.
Here is how to clean mold and mildew and prevent it from coming back.
Vinegar is like a jack of all trades when it comes to cleaning, it cleans almost everything – including mold and mildew. They do not grow in an acidic environment and as white vinegar is a mild acid it kills mould and mildew while making the environment less hospitable for growth.
Use a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water in a spray bottle. Use this to spray all the surfaces in the shower and leave it for a few minutes. Use a damp sponge to wipe it up after.
If you are dealing with a more serious mold and mildew problem, use undiluted vinegar. Use a spray bottle, spray on affected surfaces and leave for a few minutes. Grab a pot scrubber with plastic bristles or an old toothbrush to clean it up before rinsing off the mixture and wiping it down.
Bleach is an alternative to the vinegar method. For each 4 litres of water use 1/4 or 1/2 cup of bleach. Spray on tiles and brush. Rinse thoroughly because bleach makes surfaces slippery.
To further prevent mold you can change the environmental conditions in the bathroom.
Beating Mold After a Flood
If a flood has happened in your home, you should know that you’re in a race against mold and bacteria. These pathogens thrive in damp environments and grow very quickly. Mold is dangerous for people who may have breathing problems associated with allergies or asthma. Symptoms of exposure to mold include wheezing, sore throat, shortness of breath and fatigue. Bacteria can also be a problem if your house was soaked by sewage. It can cause gastrointestinal and skin infections.
Mold isn’t the only threat from flooding. Bacteria may also be a problem if your house was soaked by sewage. Bacteria can cause dangerous gastrointestinal and skin infections.
This is why it is important to stop these pathogens before they cause irreversible damage to your home. If your home was flooded with sewage, you should call a professional to clean up as they are trained for these types of hazardous events.
Tips to begin clean up after a flood;
Items that should be disposed of if they have been underwater, or look/smell moldy; carpets, rugs, computers, microwaves, papers, books, canned food items.
Items that can be salvaged include; jewellery, china, dishes, porcelain, wood furniture, photographs and books with small levels of mold, and artwork or clothes with no physical damage.
If the power has been out for a few days and the mold has already got the upper hand, you should bring in professionals. Steamatic is trained in identifying mold as well as eliminating it.
Fire Safety & Seniors
Age related changes affect the senses as well as mobility. Cognitive changes can be more hazardous than physical and some individuals may not realize when they are in danger or engage in risky behaviour.
Seniors need assistance from family to put the correct safety measures into place, and can reinforce he precautions to help their loved ones prevent as well as know how to respond to a fire. Here are some areas to focus on to help protect family members against a house fire.
Smoke Alarms
Escape Plans
Smoking
Cooking
Heating
Stainless Steel Cleaning
Stainless steel appliances used to be for commercial and industrial kitchens, but have been gaining popularity in the home over the recent years. They look modern and sleek, but if you own anything that is stainless steel, you probably noticed it is rarely ever stain-less.
You’ve probably noticed that you are constantly wiping down the surfaces from fingerprints that seem to never disappear, and it can at times become frustrating as it never looks as clean as it originally did. Fighting the stainless steel fight however, does not need to be a losing battle.
For general cleaning;
Use a lint-free cloth with warm water. Wring it out, and wipe down the appliances. Dry with a dry lint-free cloth. Another option is using vinegar instead of water, but do not dampen the cloth, just apply vinegar as needed.
Cleaning fingerprints;
You can use the vinegar method as mentioned above. You can also use a liquid detergent such as Dawn. Mix a few drops with warm water in a bowl, wet your cloth, wring it out and wipe away the fingerprints. Clean with water and wipe dry. Using a natural glass and surface cleaner is another option to clean the fingerprints off your appliances.
* When cleaning stainless steel, wipe in the direction of the grain and don’t use anything abrasive as it
can scratch the appliance.
Once you have cleaned your stainless steel, and you want that nice shine back, polish it. Use mineral oil on a lint-free cloth and buff the steel. Remember that it is oil, and spreads easily. You only need a thin layer to make the steel shine.
There are also stainless steel wipes you can use that clean and polish the surface, ready to use and are great for little touch ups as well as spot cleaning.
