Category: blog

Life gets busy. We get it! But your cleaning schedule need not suffer. Here’s how you can create a cleaning schedule you can stick to!

1. Start out small – Pick two or three tasks to focus on and avoid the 40 item checklist. While checklists are great, they can cause a sense of overwhelm and when people feel overwhelmed, they tend to avoid the task altogether. Even just 15 minutes per day or every other day can help you make a dent in your cleaning tasks.

2. Get the family involved – The more people helping out with the cleaning, the better. Assign each family member a task or two that they are solely responsible for and how often the tasks need to be done. This spreads out the cleaning duties and avoids causing burnout for any one person. It helps to build in a reward like a family movie night for keeping up with the tasks and schedule.

3. Schedule out your cleaning time – Put your cleaning time into your calendar or schedule. If you set aside time for it, you’re more likely to stick to it. Whether the tasks are daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly, having them scheduled on your calendar can help you stick with it.

4. Set up a two-day rule – Life happens. Things come up, people get sick (especially this time of year) and the cleaning schedule goes out the window. Try setting up a two-day rule where you don’t let a cleaning task get more than two days behind schedule. This will help you catch up when you get behind.

5. Toss things as you go – As you set about each cleaning task, clear out clutter as you go. Throw out items that are not needed by anyone, like junk mail. For items you no longer use but could be reused or repurposed, put into a box to donate to a local charity.

6. Try an app – There are a few apps out such as Tday, OurHome, Spotless and Homey that help you schedule household tasks and check them off as you complete them. This is great for giving you a sense of satisfaction as you complete each task and help you feel like you’re making progress.

Keeping up with a cleaning schedule is the best way to keep your house from getting overrun with clutter, dirt and grime. If your life is just too hectic and busy to keep up with a cleaning schedule or you can use some extra help, call The Clean Up Club and we’ll help clean it up!

It’s fall and that means that pests like mice are looking for warm places to spend the winter. Did you know that the way you clean your home (or don’t) can have a big impact on whether mice are attracted to your home? Let’s check out the top cleaning tips to avoid attracting mice!

1. Keep up with the laundry – Laundry can be attractive to mice because they can chew away fabric to create a nest. Whether your clothes are clean or dirty, it’s best to keep up with the laundry. Hang up or put away clean clothes immediately and don’t let dirty clothes build up. Also avoid letting clothes collect in piles on your floor or furniture.

2. Clean up food debris immediately – When you have crumbs or food spill on the floor, stove or countertop, clean it up immediately. Leaving food crumbs behind gives mice the food source they’re looking for.

3. Wash dishes right away – Avoid piling up dishes in the sink or soaking them in the sink overnight. Mice can be attracted to the food debris on dirty dishes. Rinse and pop dishes into the dishwasher right away. If you have to soak a dish, an hour or so is usually more than enough time to loosen stuck-on food.

4. Mouse-proof your pantry – Food crumbs, boxed food and bagged food are all going to attract mice to your pantry. Store food in air-tight containers to keep mice away and clean up any food crumbs that have shifted loose from boxes or bags. Pay special attention to food in plastic bags as they are no match for a hungry mouse.

5. Take out that stinky trash – Take your trash out frequently or every day, if possible. Food scraps in the trash will attract mice. Just like in your pantry, plastic bags do not keep mice away from a potential food source.

6. Organize with plastic bins – If you have stored items in your attic, garage or basement, make sure you store them in plastic bins. Cardboard boxes are attractive to mice. Keep your stored items organized in sealed plastic bins to keep the mice away.

7. Clean your floors – Clean your floors often to ensure you aren’t leaving food debris laying around to attract mice. Clean your floors thoroughly at least once per week and clean up any food crumbs or debris immediately.

8. Pick up Fido and Fluffy’s food – As part of the “don’t leave food laying around” adage, don’t leave your dog or cat’s food out overnight either. It can attract mice, ants and other pests into your home. And never ever leave pet food outside or you’ll be leaving out a welcome mat for mice.

This is the time of year when mice look for homes to spend the winter in. Don’t let your home be one of their choices! Mouse-proof your home with these top cleaning tips to avoid attracting mice! If you do end up with an infestation of mice or any other pest, call our partners at The Pest Force to help rid your home of unwanted critters. And don’t forget, if you need help keeping your home clean, call The Clean Up Club and we’ll clean it up!

Fall is an important time to do a good deep clean. It’s the time when most people are transitioning to spending more time indoors instead of outdoors. It’s also great to prepare your home for guests that will be coming for the holidays. Doing a deep clean now gets your home in tip-top shape and you’ll only have to spot clean and touch up to keep everything looking sparkling clean.

All Rooms

• Wash windows, window sills and grooves in and around windows
• Clean washer and dryer inside and out
• Clean door fronts, door knobs and light switches
• Dust tops of doors and door frames
• Check and replace smoke detector and CO2 detector batteries
• Clean baseboards
• Condition leather furniture
• Vacuum upholstered furniture, underneath it and underneath furniture cushions
• Change your HVAC air filter
• Dust pictures, artwork and tops of picture frames
• Wash curtains or have dry cleaned
• Remove and wash window screens
• Clean ceiling fans and switch direction of operation

Kitchen and Bathrooms

• Seal and polish granite countertops
• Clean kitchen and bathroom cabinets
• Clean grout in the bathroom and kitchen
• Clean inside, underneath and behind refrigerator (including refrigerator coils)
• Clean inside the dishwasher
• Clean inside the oven
• Wash and disinfect all the garbage cans

Living Areas

• Polish all wood furniture
• Wash artificial plants, dust leaves of live plants
• Dust bookshelves and tops of books
• Wipe down screens (computer, TVs, monitors)
• Clean all keyboards and remote controls
• Spot clean rugs or carpets
• Clean floors under rugs
• Clean underneath furniture

Bedrooms and Closets

• Vacuum and flip mattresses
• Put cold weather linens on beds
• Refresh bedding that isn’t cleaned regularly (comforters, pillows)
• Switch out seasonal clothes

Whew! There is your ultimate fall deep cleaning checklist! It’s a lot of cleaning so if you need help with your deep clean, call The Clean Up Club and we can help you clean it up!

 

 

 

Of all the rooms in your house, the kitchen is the one that gets used the most. So, it’s the one room that needs attention and cleaning every single day. You don’t have to do a deep clean every day to keep your kitchen sparkling. A quick wipe down goes a long way. Here are the quick cleaning tips to get your kitchen sparkling fast – like in 15 minutes or less fast!

Follow these steps in order to make the most of your quick clean up:
1. Scrape debris from dishes into trash or disposal.
2. Run a sink full of hot soapy water.
3. Place dishes that need soaking in the water first, followed by dishes that need less soaking time.
4. While dishes are soaking, collect trash from counters, floors, cupboards and fridge and toss in the trash bin.
5. Gather items that don’t belong in the kitchen and place in a basket. Then place the basket outside of the kitchen.
6. Put away items that do belong in the kitchen but just aren’t in the right place.
7. Load dishwasher. Scrub dishes that need a quick scrub with a handled scrubber and wash any dishes by hand that don’t go or fit in the dishwasher.
8. Wipe down counters, appliances and sink – this is just a quick wipe down, not a deep scrub down.
9. Take out the trash.
10. You’re done! Admire your clean kitchen!

Of course, moving quickly is part of the deal when you’re trying to clean down your kitchen fast or in 15 minutes or less. To make this time go even faster, here are some more tips you can use!

1. Train your family to scrape and rinse their dishes immediately after use and place into the dishwasher. Less dishes to clean means less time spent cleaning your kitchen.
2. Run a sink full of hot soapy water before you begin food prep. Then you can wash down utensils, measuring cups and other items while you cook so there is less to clean up after the meal.
3. Enlist family members to help in the clean-up. Many hands make light work! Assign each family member a different item or two from the list and watch your kitchen cleaning time get even shorter!

You don’t have to spend hours a day cleaning the kitchen. These quick cleaning tips to get your kitchen sparkling fast will have you in and out of the kitchen in 15 minutes or less. Getting your family in on the cleaning action also helps the time spent cleaning go down. And when you’re ready for that deep scrub down cleaning of your kitchen and your home, call The Clean Up Club and we’ll clean it up!

Give someone you care about the gift of a clean home. Whether it’s a one-time cleaning or an on-going cleaning service, the gift of clean is a gift anyone can appreciate. On a typical day, 83% of women spend an average of 2.6 hours on cleaning, cooking and lawn care. That’s a ton of time each day! Why give the gift of cleaning? Well, we have a few reasons to share with you.

1. One size fits all – No guessing sizes or worrying about gift receipts and exchanges! The gift of a clean home is a one fits all solution for your gift giving needs.

2. You get the credit without breaking a sweat – If you were offering to do the cleaning yourself, it would be a real pain. When you give the gift of clean from the pros, they tackle the job faster and more thoroughly than a single person can manage.

3. They can use it anytime – They can use your gift of cleaning when they need it most, such as when they’re really too busy to clean or if they have guests coming to town. Anyone can appreciate a pre-guest clean up.

4. You’re also giving the gift of time – Less time spent cleaning means more time spent with their loved ones or more time to spend on themselves. Eliminating the cleaning from their to-do list gives them precious time.

5. Everyone loves a clean house – Everybody loves a clean house. Your gift of cleaning gives them the clean house without the work, sweat and time.

6. It never goes out of style – The gift of cleaning never goes out of style. It’s timeless and so appreciated by the busy folks in your life.

 

So, who do you know who would appreciate the gift of cleaning? How about your parents or in-laws? Think of the busy moms and dads in your life and how much they could use a professional cleaning. You can give the gift of cleaning as a housewarming present that they can use on their new home or for a move-out clean on their old place. How many overworked professionals do you know? They can use the gift of cleaning too! There are plenty of reasons to give the gift of cleaning and plenty of people you can give that gift to. When you’re ready to gift someone with a clean home, call The Clean Up Club and we’ll clean it up!

The lazy days of summer are here. The days where the heat and humidity sap your energy for doing anything that requires effort, including cleaning. Well, we have some lazy days cleaning tips that will help you keep your house tidy, even when the summer heat has you sapped.

1. Hang clothes instead of folding them. Cut laundry time in half by hanging up clothes and avoiding folding.

2. Keep blinds from getting dusty. Clean blinds with a damp dryer sheet. You’ll clean the immediate dust and help repel dust in the future for less dusty blinds.

3. Use air fresheners. Homes that smell cleaner, feel cleaner.

4. Create extra storage space. Use storage ottomans and seating cubes with extra storage to stow clutter out of the way and make your house look cleaner.

5. Keep cleaning supplies handy. When supplies are within reach, it’s faster and easier to use them.

6. Use rubber gloves to easily remove pet hair. Simply slip the gloves on and run your hand over furniture to collect pet hair and toss in the trash.

7. Time yourself. Take a cue from productivity timers and set a timer for your cleaning. Start with 10 or 20 minutes. When the timer goes off, you’re more likely to have momentum going to keep cleaning.

8. Don’t strive for perfection. Your house doesn’t have to be perfect!

9. Enlist some help. Have a friend come over for a short cleaning blitz followed by a relaxing glass of wine. You’ll get more done and get quality time with your friend.

10. Clean messes as they happen. Don’t let messes build up. Clean them up as they happen and keep ahead of the mess.

Summer days are often too hot and humid to get much done. That doesn’t mean you have to live with a dirty, messy house. Follow these lazy day cleaning tips to keep your house looking tidy, even on those less than energetic days. And if you need some more help, call The Clean Up Club and we’ll help you clean it up!

Summer is not the time to slack off on cleaning. In fact, the high humidity and hot temperatures make a regular cleaning routine even more important during the hot summer months. Check out these top 6 summer cleaning tips to breeze through your summer with a cleaner house.

1. Clean ceiling fans – Dusty ceiling fans can irritate asthma and allergy symptoms, especially during the hot summer. Clean the fan blades weekly to prevent spreading dust and dirt. Also, turn your fan to rotate counterclockwise to push cool air down to keep you more comfortable.

2. Clean the fridge – One of the best parts of summer is all of the fresh produce from farmer’s markets and even your own garden. The last thing you want to do is contaminate that fresh produce with bacteria like salmonella! In hot climates, bacteria grow faster–even in the fridge. Clean down the fridge weekly with an antibacterial soap and always throw away old, expired or moldy food right away.

3. Clean counters and sweep floors daily – Warm and humid weather is perfect for bugs. We know you don’t want bugs in your house. Prevent luring bugs in by cleaning down countertops and sweeping up any food and crumbs every night. You’ll have a clean kitchen and keep bugs at bay.

4. Clean the drain/garbage disposal – In the summer months, food rots quickly–including in your drain or garbage disposal. Avoid the sink stench by running your garbage disposal with cool water nightly to clear out any food particles. Then, two to three times per week, pour some baking soda followed by white vinegar into the drain. Wait for five minutes and then pour boiling water down the drain to wash away germs and food matter. Keeping your drain clean also helps prevent gnats.

5. Wash the windows – If the windows haven’t been cleaned in a while, use warm soapy water and a sponge to clean windows instead of window cleaner. Mold and mildew can collect in window corners due to condensation from the inside coolness and the humid hotness outside the window. Plus, clean windows let the sunshine in!

6. Clean window screens – The humidity of summer and the condensation mentioned in the previous point can also cause mold to grow on your window screens. When you open your windows, mold spores can blow into your house from the screen. Yuck! Use hot soapy water and a course sponge to clean window screens of dirt and mold.

These top 6 summer cleaning tips help you keep a cleaner house without much effort by preventing bugs, dust and mold growth. These tips also help your house smell better by preventing sink stench and getting rid of old, smelly food regularly. When you need a deep clean or just don’t have the time, call The Clean Up Club and we’ll help you clean it up!