Category: blog

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.

Moving is a stressful experience, even in the most exciting circumstances. Move-out cleaning is perhaps the least favorite of all moving tasks. Most people want to get on with setting up their new place, but failing to properly clean your previous apartment or home can take a big chunk out of your deposit return! Hiring a cleaning company can save you time and stress, while ensuring your deposit doesn’t take a hit over dirt!

Cleaning companies have a systematic way of checking off every cleaning task on the list while completing the work quickly and efficiently. When you look at the long list of cleaning tasks compared to the time you would need to complete that list on your own, it is easy to see how hiring a company to handle this for you is worth the investment. You might be wondering how long this cleaning list can really be if all of your items are removed. Let’s take a look:

General/All Rooms/Entire Home

Dust Everything – Dust using a “top down” approach. Start with ceilings, cobwebs in corners. vents, fan covers, ceiling fans, ledges and light fixtures. After dusting the highest areas, move to door frames, window blinds. window sills, window frames. nooks and built-in bookshelves.

Windows – Clean windows to remove dirt, smudges and animal nose prints. In high-humidity regions, it is also important to look for and clean any mold that has formed on or around windows. Window condensation can be an overlooked source of mold growth.

Doors and Walls – Scrub down baseboards, wipe down doors and door knobs, wipe down areas of walls that have collected grime, remove all picture hangers/nails and fill holes with spackle.

Flooring – The very last item for each room should be thoroughly cleaning down floors, whether vacuuming, steam cleaning, or sweeping and mopping.

Bathrooms
Tub, Toilet and Sink – Scrub down bathtub, shower surround (tile or fiberglass, etc) and scrub all sinks. Use a firm toothbrush dipped in heavy duty cleaner to tackle mildew or stains on grout or caulking. Thoroughly clean down toilet inside and out, and scrub the floor around the base of the toilet as well.

Counters and Cabinets – Clean down counters and shelf surfaces. Clean inside of drawers and cabinets, making sure to remove any hair that may have collected there. Wipe down inside and outside of cabinets and drawers with cleaner appropriate for the cabinet material. Clean mirrors to a streak-free shine as your final step before flooring.

Kitchen
Cabinets, Drawers and Counters – Disinfect counters, scrub inside and outside all cabinets and drawers (pay attention to areas where food debris or cooking oils tend to collect). Keep an eye out for food splatters on back splashes and walls along the edge of counters and appliances.

Appliances – Clean all appliances inside and out, including refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher and stove/oven range. Pull out refrigerator and stove to clean under and behind them (if required).

Exhausted yet? Save your energy and your time for your new place and consider hiring a cleaning company to do your move out cleaning… Less stress for you and a deep clean on your previous home that gets you the best return of your deposit!  Call The Clean Up Club for your move-out or move-in cleaning!

The Clean Up Club recently had the opportunity to do a big commercial clean at the Coastal Carolina Association of Realtors in Myrtle Beach!  This job was for BEC Construction with an ongoing remodeling job at the CCAR.   The building we were in was The Charles Brindel Building,  part of phase 1 of a full building remodel.  The Clean Up tackled the cleaning of two large classrooms, a break room, and small office area.  The client was very happy with the cleaning work, and we look forward to going back as the construction process continues.

We love working with BEC Construction, because they do numerous large construction projects along the Grand Strand.  Construction cleaning is just one of the cleaning services that we offer at The Clean Up Club, and it certainly keep us busy, as there is so much new construction happening right now.  As part of a routine construction clean, we will usually be required to remove construction dust from surfaces, appliances, floors, walls, and more.  Sweeping, vacuuming, dusting, polishing, and debris removal are all part of a residential or commercial construction cleaning job.  We work with many builders and project managers to ensure that newly constructed spaces are move-in ready.  For your next construction clean, large or small, call The Clean Up Club at (843) 593-2158.