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How to clean a sponge

December 9, 2022 No Comments

Just Nuke It

How to Clean a Sponge

For Marching Maids house cleaning services the sponge is a house cleaners best friend. Chances are when you book our maid service we will have to use the sponge in plenty of places to make your house look as clean as we possibly can. Whether it’s scrubbing your shower walls, wiping down counter tops or scrubbing baseboards, sponges get well used. It’s important to change out sponges often especially when tackling grimy and bacteria-filled jobs. But sometimes a sponge doing a basic routine cleaning like wiping down a stove top can get quite funky after just a single use. In this case, a quick microwave to get the sponge clean and functional is the way to go. After a big move-out cleaning where the sponge is really put through the ringer, the best thing to do is just throw it out, rather than bring a dirty, over-used sponge to the next home.
If you’ve ever been curious about how microwaving a sponge works, you’re not alone. This is a common question that many people ask. It’s not as simple as it sounds, but it is possible to microwave a sponge and get some interesting results. Let’s take a look at how microwaving a sponge works and why you should take some safety precautions before you do it. When you microwave a sponge, the water molecules inside the sponge start to vibrate at a very high frequency. This causes the surrounding air to heat up, which in turn heats the sponge. The heat from the sponge then evaporates the water molecules, killing off any bacteria or germs that may have been present.
The other effect of microwaving a sponge is that it can help to remove grease and grime from it. The heat breaks down the grease and grime, making them easier to wipe off with a cloth. Before microwaving a sponge, it’s important to make sure that it is damp. Make sure to wring out any excess water before you put it in the microwave. Also, it’s important to set the microwave to its lowest setting, as high heat can cause the sponge.

Hopefully this will help you keep cleaner, more usable sponges around your home longer than you did in the past.

I walked straight into my Sliding glass door today!

August 1, 2022 No Comments
Windows so clean it's like it's not even there

Step by step guide to complete window cleaning

Just the other day I was walking down State Street in Santa Barbara and peered in the window to see all the new devices.  It struck me that high-end stores like Apple, Gucci, Louis Vuitton, and others have spotless windows.  Why is it that these boutique shops have such clear windows?  Well, one reason is so that you can see the merchandise of course. But it also gives the impression of a well-kept store that people want to walk into.  Not only that, but once you’re inside, the outside light brightens up the merchandise and gives a positive tone.  A home is no different than a store of this caliber.  When a guest walks into a home and see streak-free windows with sun beaming in through the panes, a sense of warmth falls over everyone.  Conversely, you can gaze out of your windows and see the beautiful outdoors.   So how do you get such beautiful, clear, streak-free windows? Check out our guide.

Step 1:

You want to walk around the perimeter of the home and remove the screens from the windows.  This can be a little tricky to do at first, but you will quickly catch on. One most screens there’s a spring-loaded side that can be compressed and then removed from where it’s slotted into.  On other screens you may have to find the shallowest slot, typically on the bottom groove, this is where you will start to remove the screen.  I usually use a flat-head screwdriver to gently pry the screen from the groove while making sure not to bend the frame.  Be very careful of this. If you bend the frame, it may not sit flush inside the tract anymore and may need to be reframed or adjusted by hand to fit again.  Once you’ve removed all screens from the windows, prop them up on a support.  With a light-bristled brush and a bucket of soapy water, begin lightly brushing back and forth until all debris is removed and then rinse with water.  Set them in the sun and allow it to fully dry.

Step 2:

Now it’s time to clean the windows.  You will need a bucket with dish soap (Dawn works well) and a good squeegee.  You can usually find one at Home Depot with a strong straight edge.  Dip a rag in the soapy water and thoroughly wash the window from top to bottom.  Once completed, take your squeegee, start from the top of the window, and work your way down.  Repeat this for all the windows on the inside and outside of the home.  When working on the windows on the inside of the home it is nice to lay a towel on the windowsill to catch any water that might drip onto the floor.   Lastly you will want to have a spray bottle filled with rubbing alcohol and some water and a lint-free rag. Any small streaks or drips you may see can be touched up with this.

Step 3:

Replace all your window screens. It’s important to start with one window, work your way around the house and end at the window you started with.  The screen sizes may vary and that’s the best way to ensure that you put the correct screen on the correct window. 

 

 

There you have it! You now know how to clean your windows.  You’ll have your neighbors walking by your house wondering how you did it!o.

5 Reasons why you should clean your carpet regularly

June 27, 2022 No Comments

5 Reasons why you should clean your carpet regularly

The current trend is to put as much hard flooring throughout the house as possible.  It’s been the case for a long time that one would put hard flooring in the kitchen since there are so many spills and splatters to surely happen while cooking.  The hard flooring then began to extend into the dining room to make cleanups from the same spills so much easier than carpet.  Gradually it spread into the living room because well, people started to eat and drink there as they lounged on their recliners and sofas watching tv.  Who ever invented the TV dinner must be a least somewhat responsible for doing such a thing?  The bedrooms were sort of the last room to be converted to hard flooring in some houses.  A lot of homeowners that made the choice to have no carpet in the home point to the fact that hard flooring is much easier to clean and maintain by the homeowner, the number of allergens were reduced, and the home appeared to look cleaner even if the wood floors had some dirt and debris on them.  However, there are still lots of people that love having carpet in their house especially in the bedrooms.  And if you have ever walked into a room with nice, fresh, soft, and clean carpet, you know exactly why. It feels great under your feet, it doesn’t get cold like hard flooring does and it makes the house just feel much warmer in general.  Of course, there’s a cost to having carpet and there are 5 good reasons why you should make sure its cleaned regularly.

1)      Cleanliness.  Presentation is always important especially if you’re having guests over regularly and you want to make a good impression.  If someone walks into your home and sees a beautifully decorated home but lots of stains and blemishes on the carpet, they may have reason to believe your home is not very clean. 

 

2)      Odor reduction.  Unlike hard flooring, carpets hold a lot more odor and it can linger for a long time.  By professionally cleaning the carpet you can eliminate most odors and get your home smelling good again.

 

3)      Allergies. A lot of customers book a cleaning because they have certain allergies that prevent them from cleaning themselves. A major culprit is dust.  Think about how much settles on your carpet every day and digs deep into the fibers that normal vacuum just cannot extract. 

 

4)      Preserve the life of the carpet.  By regularly cleaning the carpet you ensure that food and liquid spilled on the carpet does not turn into more harmful bacteria and mold that’s difficult if not impossible to remove later down the line. Such cases result in the homeowner having to remove the carpet completely when they could have paid to just have the carpet cleaned if they acted sooner.

 

5)      More livable and enjoyable.  By having a clean and good smelling carpet, people will be drawn to it.  Whether that’s your children sitting down on the carpet and playing with legos or a family sitting on the carpet to enjoy a board game, you will not hesitate to plop down. 

House Cleaner vs House Maid. Is there a difference?

June 20, 2022 No Comments

There’s a subtle distinction between a house cleaner and a
maid.  With overlapping job
responsibilities it’s sometimes difficult to know what to expect from the two
designations.  A house cleaner is going
to focus on, yes, you got it, cleaning.
The primary goal is to focus entirely on cleaning your home and ridding
it of dirt, dust, grime, and scum.  Once
your house is picked up and basic items are removed from surfaces that may
prevent an efficient and effective cleaning, such as: shoes, daily mail,
newspapers, clothes off dresser tops, etc, then a house cleaner can go in and
focus on those spaces.  A house cleaner
is fully aware of what products to use on various surfaces: wood, quartz,
granite, laminate, etc.  They are masters
of getting difficult areas of the home clean that someone without their
knowledge would struggle with.  Picture
yourself cleaning your shower glass doors and how difficult it is to make them
look new, reflective, and fully transparent.
A cleaner has certain cleaning methods and products to really bring your
home back to life and showcase just how good your house can look.

A maid may have a lot of cleaning experience and knowledge
when it comes to cleaning different areas of a home.  They should be comfortable in performing a
lot of the same cleaning tasks that a house cleaner can but perhaps not as
knowledgeable when it comes to subtle details.
On top of some cleaning duties, a maid will also focus on tidying,
organizing, and making a home more presentable.
In the kitchen a maid may make sure the loaf of bread is securely sealed
to prevent going stale.  They will look
at the throw blankets and pillow in the living room and arrange them in a way
that is aesthetically pleasing.  A maid
will also be skilled an making a bad, stretching the sheets tightly over the
mattress and displaying the pillows to make it more welcoming.

When a customer books a professional house cleaning service near me in Newbury Park with Marching Maids I make sure to
have a thorough conversation regarding the customer’s home and confirm that
they understand what they’re getting.
Referencing the above information, Marching Maids focus is house
cleaning.  We ask customers to not,
“clean before the cleaners arrive,” but rather pick up any clutter and loose
items that may interfere with an effective and efficient house cleaning.  At the end of my conversation with every
perspective customer I do ask them if there’s anything they would like us to
pay special attention to.  The most
common response that I hear is for a focus to be on the floors, bathrooms, and
kitchen.  But if there are any other
areas of the house that a customer would like help with such as making a bed,
folding bath towels, or arranging pillows on the sofa, we can assist there
too.  Our general rule of thumb is we
will help with small tasks that take a minute or less that make a lasting
impression on you when you book a routine cleaning.   These small tasks are completed on top of
the general house cleaning that you receive.
Now if a customer has more “maid” related requests, I often recommend booking
an hourly rate. This will allow you to decide on the amount of time you would
like cleaning for and we will go down your priority list to ensure it’s all
take care of.

Marching Maids House Cleaning Promise

Marching Maids completes a thorough walkthrough with the customer after the cleaning is completed to ensure 100% satisfaction.  Get your free house cleaning estimate or give us a call to get help over the phone.  (888) 571-9181

 

What’s better an agency or an individual cleaner?

June 13, 2022 No Comments

Personally, I’m always interested in a good deal. Who isn’t right? Do you want to spend $2000 on a brand-new mountain bike or find someone who just didn’t connect with the sport and will see you their lightly used bike for $1500?  I think I would go with the latter.   But sometime this principle isn’t so cut and dry.  Sometimes a good deal is too good to be true, as my mother has always said.  “C’mon Mom. He said the trip to Hawaii will only cost me $20?”  When searching for a house cleaner, you might be tempted to find the cheapest one possible, I mean after all, how much skill does it take to clean out the inside of a microwave. Choosing a cleaner off Craigslist for only $12 an hour might sound like a steal but maybe you’re not looking into the issue deeply enough.  I usually ask new clients if they had a previous house cleaner and if the answer is “yes,” I ask them why they’re switching. The most common reason I hear is that the cleaner is not very dependable.  Don’t get me wrong. Some individual cleaners are absolutely amazing but too often individual cleaners hand-pick the most lucrative jobs and disregard any customer that may be paying them too little or doesn’t tip quite enough to make the job sweet enough to continue.  These individuals will also bring new people with them to help out with the job and often pay these helpers very little.  This results in them needing to find new helpers all the time and that leaves the customer wondering, “who will be in my house this week?!?”  These are all very troubling questions to have to reckon with every week and you might find it much easier picking a company that vets, background check and assures you’ll have a great cleaner every time.  Marching Maids takes all the extra work off your hands and vets the cleaners, background checks them and keeps track of their cleaning feedback.  We make sure we are sending you the best cleaners every time and keep it consistent.  That way you know exactly what to expect with your home every time.  

How do I pick the right housekeeper for me?

June 8, 2022 No Comments

This is a question that I hear all the time.  My family and friends ask me how they can find a “good” house cleaner all the time.  Some of their frustrations revolve around issues that I’m sure a lot of people face when trying to find good help.  A common one that arises is that their house cleaner is flakey.  They show up when it’s convenient for them but they’re not especially dependable.  Marching Maids has received so many calls from desperate people practically begging for a same-day house cleaning service in Santa Barbara, because their regular cleaner has disappeared or couldn’t make it and they are throwing a party the next day.  Another common complaint I hear is that the cleanings started off great, but the quality has begun to fade, and the consistency is just not there anymore.  The old revolving door of maids is another issues that we hear about often.  Customers say, “we keep getting a different maid every week.  Then we have to tell a new person about our preferences and sort of retrain someone all over again.”  Some other common questions are:

1)      Is my cleaner trustworthy?

2)      Will they show up on time?

3)      Do they use their own products or do they use mine?

4)      Are they background checked at all?

5)      Is there any vetting that happens?

After running a cleaning business for the past 7 years I’ve heard all these questions and concerns plus more. So when I look for new cleaners I make sure that they’re skilled, trustworthy and dependable.  First I have them provide some personal information so I can run a thorough background check.  Then I have them take a picture of their cleaning supplies to ensure they have everything they need to  complete any job they take.  Whether that’s a standard routine clean or a big move-out clean, they must have all of the supplies to carry out the task.  Then I check their level of cleaning experience and call their references to make sure that they’re able to perform the job.  They must have the knowledge to clean different surfaces: quartz countertops, Granite, etc.  They must know how to clean various floor types: wood, laminate, parquet, etc.  Lastly but not least importantly, they need to be dependable.  Once a housekeeper cleans for a client, I will schedule a follow-up call to ensure client satisfaction.  If the customer has any feedback for the cleaner or on certain aspects of the house cleaning, I will take that feedback and update the customer’s profile.  Having an updated customer’s profile ensure that cleaning are carried out to their preferences every time and that they’re satisfied.   If the customer enjoyed the cleaners work, then I will send the same cleaner back to that house every time.  If the cleaner wants someone else for any reason whatsoever: then I will send another cleaner.  Generally the first cleaner that goes to any house does such a good job and leaves such a positive lasting impression that they continue to go clean for that person for a very long time.

How to schedule a move-out cleaning

June 7, 2022 No Comments
Moving out is never easy. Call Marching Maids to schedule your move-out cleaning.

If you ever had to move before, you know just how dreadful it is.  First you need to find a place to live; and in this housing market that is no easy feat.  Then you have to call a moving company or rent a U-Haul truck to move your items. Next you have need to box up all your life’s belongings from your couch to your collectible X-Men figurines and load them into the Uhaul.  Drive your Uhaul to your new dwelling and unpack all of them items one by one.  Now if that didn’t give you anxiety, let me help.  NOW YOU HAVE TO CLEAN YOUR ENTIRE HOME!!!  That’s right! Everything in the house inside and outside, top to bottom.  That’s not what most people want to think of doing after breaking your back trying to move all their things from one place to another.   If you’re renting, then most likely you’re trying to clean your home to perfection to receive your deposit back. And if you own the home and just want to do the next owner a solid by cleaning up after yourself, you still need to put forth significant effort to make it look half-way presentable.  And you’re supposed to do this after being dog-tired from moving your whole life?  If you’re like most people, you will want to hire a professional move-in/move-out cleaning service in Rancho Cucamonga that will do the deep cleaning for you and there are some good reasons for that. 

1)       Studies have shown that renters receive more of their deposit back from hiring a professional cleaning service than doing it themselves. 

2)      You’re absolutely exhausted from the moving experience that you don’t want to do it.

3)      Your landlord/property manager wants a receipt from a cleaning company to prove that the cleaning has been professionally completed.

Now that we’ve established why one might want to hire a professional house cleaning company to complete their move-out cleaning let’s talk about scheduling the service.  Often when a customer calls to schedule a move-out cleaning I ask some very important questions to make sure everything goes smoothly.  Firstly, I ask when all of the items will be out of the home. And when I say all, I mean 100% empty: not a fork, a old tennis racket, a bag of clothes to be donated to the goodwill, 100% EMPTY.  Then I ask if any other services are planned in the home that we need to be aware of such as: Tenting for pest control, carpet cleaners, window cleaners, grout cleaners, wood refinishers, etc.  It is best to schedule your move-out cleaning when the home will no longer be entered by anyone for any particular reason.  That way you can ensure that when you hand the keys over, you know the house will be completely cleaned.  Next, and this one is important, is you need to know who is responsible for giving you your deposit back if you’re a renter.  Is it the landlord, property manager, friend of the owner, etc.   This is the person that decides if they give you all your deposit back, partial refund or nothing at all.  This is the person that needs to be at the property when the move-out cleaning is completed to do a thorough walk-through with the cleaners to ensure it’s to their satisfaction.  Often the renter will do a walk through with the cleaners and according to the renter’s standards, the property looks great and they’re confident they will get their full refund. But when the property manager sees the property, they interpret it differently. 

Last but not least, the cleaners cannot clean if they cannot see and then cannot clean effectively if there’s no water.  Please ensure that all utilities will be turned on when the cleaners come to do the move-out cleaning.  

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