Author: admin

When a friend stops by or an out-of-town visitor comes to stay, you want them to feel comfortable and at home. This can be a challenge if the things guests notice most in your home give a less-than-clean impression. Clean Up Club is here to help! Here are the top 7 things guests will always notice in your home so you can take care of any discomforting conditions.

1. Odor – The nose knows when something doesn’t smell right. Odors in the home can be caused by a number of factors, including pets, cooking smells or trash waiting to be taken out. If possible, open windows to create airflow to clear out odors, run an essential oil diffuser or even just boil a pan of water on the stove with orange and lemon peels in it.

2. Entryway mess – Tripping over piles of shoes or walking through a dirty mess right at the front door is not very welcoming. Put shoes away, shake loose dirt out of doormats outside, frequently sweep up debris from floors and create a clear space for visitors to put their coats, bags and shoes when they come in.

3. Clutter – Clutter is always a comfort-killer. Stow toys in handy large baskets to keep floors clear, move baskets of laundry waiting to be folded to a bedroom out of sight and have a designated tray or space for mail, papers and other common clutter items.

4. Pet hair – We all love our furry family, however, as we go about our normal routine, we can overlook things that even other pet owners would notice. For example, have you ever glanced into a corner of the room to see a collection of pet hair you didn’t notice building up? If you have carpeted rooms, the attachment for your vacuum cleaner can quickly clean hair from where the carpet meets the baseboards. Fur on the furniture? A pair of dry rubber dish gloves helps you sweep static-y clingy fur into an easily removable pile.

5. Grime on light switches and door handles – We rarely think about it but the oils from our skin build up on light switches, door handles, the fridge handle and drawer pulls. Then dust and dirt sticks to those oils until a grimey film of ick builds up. Just take a look at the light switch your family touches most or the refrigerator door handle. Yuck-o. Disinfecting wipes make quick work of cleaning those often-touched surfaces.

6. Sticky residue – This one is very common for those who have kids. Sticky hands pulling out kitchen chairs and sticky hands at the table leave sticky behind on those surfaces. Imagine going to pull a chair out to sit with a friend at her kitchen table and coming away with some unknown sticky substance on your hand. Your guests will notice that at your house too.

7. Bathroom grime – One of the biggest guest gross-outs everyone should be aware of is a dirty, scummy bathroom. Of course, clean down the vanity, sink and mirror, but the biggest ick factor is a filthy toilet. When you clean the toilet, make sure to also clean underneath the seat, around the base of the toilet, disinfect the handle and clean down the floor behind the toilet as well. While you’re looking at the floor, check out corners and along baseboards for dirt hiding in plain sight. Finish by putting out a freshly washed hand towel.

The best way to find grime that will gross out your guests is to think like a guest and look around the way a guest would. Sit in the places a guest would sit in your home and look around from their point of view to find every day dirt you might not have noticed before. When you’re ready for a deep clean or anytime you need some help sprucing up before guests arrive, the Clean Up Club can help you get your home prepped for even the most eagle-eyed guest.

As the warmer weather rolls in, the local flora prepare for spring by building up and releasing pollen, most notably the sticky yellow pollen of the plentiful pine trees along the Grand Strand. Pollen season doesn’t just make life miserable for the allergy sufferers in your home, but it also adds more dirt and grime to your cleaning chores. Now is the time to prep your cleaning routine for pollen season and get pollen-blocking habits in place before the yellow cloud of pollen dust hits.

• Adjust your regular cleaning schedule and stick to it throughout pollen season.
• Keep windows and doors closed to keep pollen blocked out, especially in the early morning and early evening hours.
• Vacuum several times per week (depending on traffic in and out from kids and pets) with a vacuum featuring a HEPA filter to trap pollen particles and other allergy-inducing grime. You can also invest in an automatic robotic vacuum equipped with a HEPA filter to make this chore faster and easier.
• For wood or laminate flooring, keep a dry sweeper handy for daily cleaning so you can save the deep clean for once per week.
• Curtains can be a magnet for pollen and other allergens. Switch to easily washable curtains for the season and wash weekly. A great alternative is switching over to blinds that can be easily wiped down a few times per week or as often as needed.
• Create a “shoes off zone” where shoes come off at the door to avoid tracking pollen and other grime through the house.
• Create a “pet wipe-down zone” stocked with pet-friendly fur and foot wipes (or use a warm, damp cloth) to wipe down paws, tails and fur when pets come in from playing outside. This keeps the puppers from transporting pollen through the house on their feet and coat.
• Don’t hang linens or clothes out to dry outdoors. Not only will your items pick up a yellow coating, you’ll be bringing a pollen bomb right into your home.
• Remember that pollen is just as likely to collect on your clothes and hair as your kids and pets. If you spend much time outdoors, change clothes first thing when you return to the house to avoid spreading pollen that has collected on your clothing. And be sure to wash your hair after being outside to avoid depositing pollen all over your sheets and pillow cases.
• Invest in an air purifier. Even with the best pollen control measures, those yellow grains can still slip into your home. An air purifier helps capture any pollen or other allergens that slip past your pollen season cleaning routine.

Preparing or switching over to your pollen season cleaning routine now helps you get ahead of the curve. Just in case someone in your home leaves a window open or you find yourself with a big yellow mess on your hands despite your best efforts, The Clean Up Club is just a phone call away! We can help you clean up any sticky (yellow pollen) situation and get your family back to breathing easy.

No need to wait for spring to develop some new cleaning habits that make your life easier and keep your home cleaner. Whether you have official cleaning resolutions in mind for this year or just a general goal, such as keeping the dishes caught up, we’ve got a list of cleaning resolutions you will actually keep in 2018. Here’s to a cleaner new year!

1. Choose a specific day each week to sort through the refrigerator. Toss those leftovers that got shoved into the back and forgotten, move items that have migrated from their normal space back where they belong, toss any condiments that have expired or appear spoiled and finish with a quick wipe-down of the fridge – including door handles (it is flu season, after all).

2. Use drawer organizers in kitchen and bathroom drawers. If finding what you need in your drawers is a bit too much like a treasure hunt, drawer organizers help you create a designated space for everything. Finding what you need will be faster and easier – with no digging or hunting needed.

3. Simplify and declutter closets. A good, ruthless closet purge to clear out and donate anything you haven’t worn for a year or more (yes, shoes included) creates space for you to organize the things you do wear and make getting ready faster and easier. You can organize by type of item or for an even faster morning routine, organize into sets of outfits you wear frequently and easily grab your entire ensemble without sorting for each piece of clothing.

4. Invest in an air purifier. Air purifiers remove dust, bacteria, pet dander, allergens and dirt particles from the air in your home. Not only does an air purifier help you breathe cleaner but also cuts down on the dust and grime that settles on surfaces in your home, keeping it cleaner for longer.

5. Invest in a vacuum with a HEPA filter. Similar to an air purifier, a vacuum with a HEPA filter catches dirt, dust, pollen, dander, mites and other grime when you vacuum. This keeps your carpets and rugs cleaner but also prevents normal activities like walking through a room from stirring up grime that can resettle on surfaces.

6. Properly equip each floor and room for being clean. Make sure every room has a waste basket to avoid build-up of trash throughout the house. Also, if your home has more than one floor, have a complete set of cleaning supplies and tools on each floor (don’t forget the basement). Having a set of cleaning supplies handy on each floor eliminates the hassle (and procrastination) of lugging a bucket of cleaning supplies up and down flights of stairs.

7. Institute a nightly walk-through. Every evening, walk through the home to take care of quick cleaning and organizing tasks that would otherwise build up. Get the kids involved to help them build good cleaning habits too. Pop dirty dishes into the dishwasher, toss newspapers and junk mail in the recycling bin, hang up coats and towels, set up back-packs for morning and compile trash from the wastebaskets in each room into one bag. A nightly walk-through not only takes care of the day’s messes but waking up to an organized home makes morning routines far less stressful.

Life is busy! Our handy list of cleaning resolutions are so simple and practical, they’re easy to stick to and will help you make 2018 your cleanest and most organized year yet. And if your cleaning tasks do build up or you notice it’s time for a good deep cleaning, The Clean Up Club is here to help!

Hosting family and out-of-town guests for the holidays can be the best part of the whole season. However, when the holidays are over and guests have all gone home, you want to get your home back into every day shape quick and easy. Here are some quick tips to make quick work of post-holiday organizing and clean-up.

1. Clean and polish away smears, smudges and fingerprints from all stainless-steel surfaces in your home in one big round. Start in the kitchen with appliances and faucets, then move through each room of the house wiping down any stainless steel or metal surface as you go, including lamps, switch plates, door handles, bathroom hardware and drawer pulls.

2. Remove smudges and spills while conditioning to repair scrapes and scratches on all wooden furniture. Start in the dining room or eat-in kitchen area and move from room to room polishing down side tables, end tables, coffee tables and night stands.

3. Wash bedsheets and blankets from guest bedrooms, guest towels, tablecloths and other linens, keeping them clean and fresh for next use.

4. Store holiday light strands and garland by wrapping around an old hanger and securing the plug end to the hook with a twist tie to keep everything tangle-free and ready to go for next year.

5. Save gift bows, gift bags, and un-damaged pieces of gift wrap to reuse next year to save money and avoid sending usable gift decorations to the landfill. Flatten pieces of gift wrap and stack neatly into small piles of similar sizes and wrap around an empty wrapping paper cardboard tube for easy storage. Set aside the largest gift bag, refold smaller gift bags (remove and fold any savable tissue paper from inside) and then place folded gift bags, bows, and folded sheets of tissue into the largest gift bag and store away.

6. Create room for new gifts and avoid clutter by purging closets, toy bins and cabinets of rarely used items and donating them to a local charity. You’ll be passing along useable goods to families in need while creating space for the awesome new gifts you just received.

Our quick organizing tips for post-holiday cleaning will have your home back in tip-top shape fast. As a bonus, you’ll also be prepped and ready for next year’s holidays by organizing now for less hassle later.

The holidays are almost here – and so are holiday visitors! Cleaning for company is not like your everyday ordinary cleaning as less often areas of your home, like guest rooms and guest bathrooms, need to be fresh and sparkling to welcome your holiday guests. We’ve put together a handy checklist to help you clean for holiday company.

Overall Cleaning – Entire House

• Declutter each room by putting shoes, coats, bags, old piles of mail and other accumulated items in their proper places – or the recycling.
• Clean windows to make sure your holiday guests have a stunning view of the winter wonderland outside (or the beachy wonderland).
• Dust all surfaces, including less frequently dusted items such as ceiling fans and the tops of cabinets. Dusting isn’t just for the sake of appearances but also so any guests with allergies or asthma can breathe easy in your home.
• Clean all floors. Don’t forget to spot clean carpets and rugs to remove stains or refresh high traffic areas.
• Fluff throw pillows throughout the home for a welcoming touch.
• Disinfect all doorknobs, switches and handles throughout the home to avoid spreading winter-time germs with visitors.

Guest Bedrooms and Bathrooms

• Prep the day before guests arrive by putting freshly cleaned linens and blankets on guest beds.
• Fluff and plump bed pillows.
• Remember to clean window blinds, air vents, lampshades and other sneaky places dust can collect in spare rooms.
• Aside from traditional bathroom cleaning duties, such as toilet, tub or shower, counters, floors and mirrors, check drains for good water flow and remedy any blockages.
• Provide a generous stack of just-laundered towels and wash cloths, and put out any special soaps or toiletries you’d like your guests to enjoy.

Kitchen

• Empty all expired food, old leftovers and other items past their prime from the fridge and clean the inside.
• Wipe down all appliances (don’t forget the top of the fridge and the vent hood) and countertops.
• Dust cabinet doors, if needed.
• Run the cleaning cycle on your oven and remove debris when cool so it is ready to cook your holiday feast.
• The day before guests arrive, wash the good dinnerware, glassware, stemware and polish the heirloom silverware.

This handy cleaning for company checklist will help you ensure your home is ready for holiday guests. If you need a hand, The Clean Up Club is on stand-by to help with your holiday cleaning needs. Our cleaning professionals are trained to tackle any home cleaning needs you may have – even prepping for holiday visitors.  And, if you want to give the gift of clean, we have gift certificates available, too!

The dirtiest or germiest areas in your home aren’t always the most noticeable or the ones you might think of first. Here is a quick list of the top 6 germiest, dirtiest things in your home.

1. Doorknobs – Especially during cold and flu season, our hands pick up bacteria and viruses that can make us seriously sick. We touch doorknobs in our home multiple times per day and the knob to the outside door as well. Hot soapy water or disinfecting wipes can keep doorknob germs at bay most of the time. If someone in your household is sick, clean doorknobs more frequently until everyone is completely recovered.

2. Sink Drain – Even if you have a disposal unit for your sink, food debris can still cause a foul smell in your sink drains. To de-funk your sink, run the disposal first with cold water to clear as much food waste as possible. Next, pour a cup of baking soda into the drain, followed by a cup of white vinegar. Let the baking soda and vinegar work for a few minutes, and finish up by pouring a tea kettle full of boiling water slowly down the drain to wash away the grime and the stink. Doing this once per week keeps your kitchen sink smelling fresh.

3. Toilet – While this entry on our list may seem obvious, there are parts of the toilet where people rarely clean – and where dirt and germs build up. Most people are good at cleaning the inside of the toilet bowl, rim of the bowl, and both under and on top of the seat. The sides of the bowl and base of the bowl often go unattended to. Especially if you have children (or men – sorry guys) in the household, accidents can happen. Those accident-prone areas are often the sides, front, and base of the toilet. Make sure to clean and disinfect the outside of the bowl as well.

4. Bathroom Walls – The walls in your bathroom are surprisingly dirty and germy. Partly for the same reason the outside of the toilet bowl gets gunky, but also from flushing the toilet with the lid open. The force of the water when a toilet is flushed (low-flow toilets included) causes droplets of water from the toilet bowl contaminated with germs to become airborne and resettle on surrounding surfaces – known as a toilet plume. The wall areas closest to the toilet are common landing places for these germy water droplets. Clean down walls with the same disinfecting cleaner you use for the toilet (hot vinegary water can be used on most wall surfaces for cleaning also). And teach everyone in the home to close the lid before flushing to keep the germs in the bowl.

5. Floors – While the floors in your bathroom are likely on your mind from the points above, and you’d be correct that they’re quite germy, the floors near the front door and common walkways can also be dirtier than you might expect. The bottom of shoes pick up dirt, dust, pollen, and other particles that create grime – but shoes also pick up various forms of bacteria that contaminate your floors with things like salmonella and E. coli. Combat floor dirt and germs by requiring shoes to be removed at the door. Some floor surfaces can be damaged by certain types of cleaners, however, hot vinegary water disinfects and cleans most floor types and finishes without harm.

6. Cleaning Tools – Sponges, mop heads, cleaning brushes and dish scrubbers that you use to clean surfaces and dishes are some of the dirtiest and germiest items in your entire house. Replace sponges and dish scrubbers frequently and between new ones, sponges can be microwaved for several minutes to kill germs or placed in the dishwasher in the racks on the top shelf, along with nylon cleaning brushes and dish scrubbers to clean and sanitize. Mop heads that are washable can be tossed right in the washing machine for a hot water cycle, particularly after mopping up a germy mess or drips/spills of liquids from handling raw meat.

Were you surprised by any of the dirty things on our list? Keeping these areas and items clean doesn’t have to keep you up at night. The experts at The Clean Up Club know all the places dirt and germs hide and how to clean them up properly, giving you a sparkling clean home and peace of mind.

Dust is more than just a chore on your cleaning list. Dust can aggravate allergies and asthma or even trigger attacks, as can dust mites. The particles that make up household dust come from dead skin cells, plant pollen, pet dander, fibers from clothes and dirt from outside that travels indoors on our shoes or clothes–yuck!  Here are 5 ways for preventing dust so less builds up in your home.

#1 – Skip the carpeting – There are a few reasons for the trend of hardwood, tile, and laminate floors–a big one is dust and dust mites. Carpeting is a magnet for dust particles and dust mites as well. Even vacuuming every day of the week doesn’t reduce the dust attraction of carpeted floors.

#2 – Ditch the duster – Feather dusters don’t remove dust. Dusters stir up dust–making it temporarily airborne where you can end up breathing it in before it resettles on other surfaces. A better option is a damp cloth or wipe designed to attract and trap dust instead of just redistributing it.

#3 – Start from the top – Dust items from highest height and work down to floor level. The top-down approach allows you to capture any dust that has sifted down to a lower surface.

#4 – Clear out the clutter – Clutter is a dust hide-away. Piles of magazines, books, toys and other items provide creases and cracks for dust to hide in, no matter what you clean along the edges with.

#5 – Clean up your air – Investing in an air purifier, actually one per room is ideal, can be a big help in capturing dust and other allergy and asthma-triggering particles. Just make sure to clean the filters frequently and remember that dust mites are not airborne and can still build up on furniture, rugs, and bedding.

While it might be impossible to have a completely dust-free home, there are ways have a dust “less” one. The key is to more efficiently remove dust and avoid redistributing it so you can dust less frequently.  Of course, dust is not 100% preventable, and The Clean Up Club is always here to shimmer and shine your house divine!

Simplify Your Life Week was the first week of August. Don’t worry if you missed it! Simplicity is always a good goal and you can simplify your life all year long–no need to wait for a particular week. Many people take advantage of August to clear out clutter that built up over the summer and prepare for the coming school year. It’s also a chance to de-stress your life with new solutions and options that give you more time to focus on what is most important in life. One solution to help simplify your life is hiring a professional cleaning service. How can we help you?

The Busy-Schedule Family
Is your family always on the go? Running from school to activities and practices, then racing home for a quick dinner and homework before heading to bed to get up the next day and do it all again… doesn’t leave much room for cleaning chores around the house. When your family isn’t running on all cylinders and you have a rare bit of downtime, cleaning the house is likely the last thing you want to do. Hiring a cleaning service not only helps simplify your busy schedule, but it also preserves the downtime you do have to take care of yourself and for quality time with those you love most.

The Over-Stressed Professional
Being a business owner often comes with a big helping of stress. The never-ending paperwork, managing employees and keeping customers happy takes a toll. Simplify your business life by hiring professional cleaning services for your business location. A clean workplace keeps employees working productively and focused on the tasks you need them to perform. Clients also notice when your business is well-maintained. Knowing a professional cleaning service is maintaining your workplace gives you peace of mind and one less stress item on your to-do list.

The Mover
Moving always comes with complications and stress, whether you’re moving down the street or across the country. Did you know professional cleaning services can simplify your move too? Move-out cleaning services take the stress out of the home you’re leaving behind by performing a top-to-bottom clean that gets you as much of your deposit back as possible while you focus on settling into your new home.

You don’t have to wait for a particular week to work on simplifying your life. The Clean Up Club can help you simplify your life all year long. We take care of the mundane cleaning tasks and free up your time for the simple joys of life.

When a new client walks into your business, a clean office is the best first impression you can make. And studies show that employees work more productively in clean spaces – as long as cleaning isn’t part of their workload. Hiring a professional cleaning company is just good business sense and gives you peace of mind. Here the top 5 reasons to hire a professional cleaning company to care for your office.

1. Cleaning professionals are trained to be thorough. There are lots of overlooked spots where dirt and grime collect that many people would overlook – unless they’re trained cleaning professionals. Having a professional service handle your office cleaning means a thorough deep clean that catches the little details.

2. Build-up of dust and grime is a health hazard. When dust and dirt accumulates in an office space, it can create health issues for the employees by aggravating allergies and triggering respiratory issues. This can result in more employee sick days across your entire office staff.

3. Cleaning companies can provide stock-up services. Professional office cleaning companies typically offer re-stocking services for bathrooms and breakroom clean-up spaces. Paper towels, toilet paper, hand soap and sanitizer are just a few of the supplies your office cleaning pros can keep stocked and ready for your employees and clients.

4. Professional cleaning can reduce spread of germs. Hiring a pro cleaning service keeps your office healthier. Trained cleaners know how to properly sanitize surfaces to kill germs and reduce the spread of illness – all year round and not just during flu season. Proper sanitizing of germy door knobs and light switches, among other surfaces, means fewer employee sick days – something everyone can appreciate!

5. Cleaning pros ensure a great first impression. When clients come to your office, they notice everything! The last thing you want them to notice is dirt! Hiring a professional cleaning company for your office helps ensure your clients always come into an immaculate, clean space that best represents your business.

A clean office is a happy and healthy office. Choosing to hire a top-notch professional office cleaning company like Clean Up Club is the best choice you can make to maintain a healthy workplace for employees and a welcoming environment for clients and visitors.

The first thing to understand about vacation rental cleaning is that it is very different from a standard home cleaning. Cleaning for vacation rentals is more akin to hospitality cleaning than house cleaning services. Hiring a cleaning company that understands the unique requirements for cleaning vacation rentals is key to turning over your property quickly between guests and giving you peace of mind that no detail is overlooked.

Visitors who choose vacation rentals expect the same level of cleaning and preparation for each new guest as a hotel would provide. They expect freshly laundered linens, fully stocked supplies, pristine dishes and special touches that feel fresh and welcoming.

Here are just a few of the extra cleaning and turn-over tasks that vacation rentals require over and above standard home cleaning services:

– Laundry: All bed linens, blankets, towels, washcloths, kitchen towels, curtains and window treatments (when necessary) will all need to be laundered between rentals. Depending on the length of the guests’ stay, it may be necessary to maintain laundry during rental periods that span several weeks.

– Dishes: Ensure that all dishes are clean, dried and organized intuitively – even dishes that the previous guest may have washed and put away. In some areas, the health department may have codes and standards that must be met for certain items to be considered properly cleaned. A cleaning company experienced with vacation rentals knows and will ensure your unit meets these codes.

– Trash and Forgotten Items: Guests of vacation rentals often leave behind unused food in the kitchen, leave behind trash or recycling, forget items in bedrooms or bathrooms and leave dishes or other items on tables and nightstands. Your vacation rental cleaning company will remove forgotten items, all food, personal items, trash and recycling to reset your property back to top condition.

– Hair: Perhaps one of the top complaints on any review site (aside from bugs) is finding hair from previous guests. Common places hair collects in vacation rentals includes drains, inside drawers, on linens and curtains, on floors and in corners, shelves, pillows and headboards.

Your vacation rental cleaning service will also be able to alert you to anything that has been broken or damaged by previous guests, signs of bugs, wear and tear to furnishings and other upkeep issues essential to keeping your property in rental mode. Cleaning services for vacation rentals should also restock supplies between guests and set out a fresh welcome packet with extra keys so your property is prepped and ready for the next guest.  Having a background in vacation rentals and real estate, The Clean Up Club owner, Carina Furr, is uniquely qualified to understand your vacation rental cleaning needs from Surfside Beach to Pawleys Island.