Housework can often feel like a never-ending chore. And if you don’t have a routine or priority hierarchy the cleaning may never get done. When it comes to cleaning the house, this is something that should be at the top of your priority list for many reasons. Before we go into detail about why cleaning the house should be at the top of your list, let’s look at some things you can do to make that happen.
Consider creating a to-do list to help focus your attention and prevent procrastination. If you have children, think about making a chore list to delegate out the monthly household chores. It also helps to do little things each day so that you don’t overwhelm yourself trying to do everything at once. Take a few minutes each week to prioritize and divide the duties. This provides less stress on you and keeps cleaning at the top list.
Prevent Buildup
Reduce Allergens
If you or someone you live with suffers from allergies whether they’re seasonal or year-round, establishing a cleaning routine will help reduce their allergens. There are many things in a house that can cause and irritate allergies. So making cleaning a priority is crucial a crucial component to eliminating and reducing airborne allergies.
More Free Time
When you make cleaning the house a priority and not a chore, you’re able to get more done in a small amount of time. This means you’ll have more free time to do the things you love instead of spending all day cleaning house. It also means that cleaning will be easier and you won’t have to spend as much time on each task. So it’s really a win-win situation.
While we are all searching for the shortest and easiest cleaning hacks, some of them just end up making more work for us in the long-haul. Without knowing it, you may have adopted several of these cleaning habits. Habits that may actually inhibit your ability to clean effectively.
With Spring just beginning, it’s the perfect time to declutter and throw out some of these bad habits. At Spekless we know that changing your routine can sometimes become overwhelming and stressful. So in order to successfully break bad cleaning habits, consider changing two things at a time, gradually over a period of several weeks. This way you’re not doing it all at once. And you’ll be able to transition into your new habits easily and effortlessly.
Here are seven cleaning habits that you need to break right now:
Using too much product
Often times we think that the more product we use, the more effective it will be. But that’s not true. Using too much cleaner can actually do more harm to a surface than good. Make sure you’re following the instructions to prevent surface damage.
Thinking one disinfect wipe will clean the entire room
Yes, disposable disinfectant wipes are easy, convenient, and effective. No, they are not effective enough to clean an entire room with just one. For the best results, the wipe should have enough moisture to keep the surface your wiping down wet for at least four minutes. During these four minutes is when the disinfecting and sanitation take place. If you notice the wipe starting to lose its moisture, it’s time to get a new one.
Letting dishes pile up in the sink
Sometimes it feels like dishes are a never-ending chore and it’s easier to let them pile up. But sinks are a breeding frenzy for bacteria. If you don’t feel like washing dishes at the moment, allow them to soak in hot water and dish soap. This will make it easier when it comes time to clean them and it will help prevent the growth of unwanted bacteria.
Wearing shoes in the house
Wearing shoes around the house in a really bad habit to adopt. Removing your shoes at the door will save you time on vacuuming. And it will keep unwanted germs and bacteria out of your living area.
Leaving leftovers in the fridge too long
Laziness is often associated with leaving leftovers in the fridge for too long. If you’re not going to eat it, do yourself a favor and toss it. This prevents mold and bacteria from growing in your refrigerator.
Not making your bed in the morning
Get in the habit of making your bed every morning. Doing this will help promote a more organized appearance in your home as well as motivate you throughout the day.
Forgetting to clean out the vacuum
Isn’t it enough to move all of those heavy boxes from one place to another? I mean, the last thing anyone wants to do after they’ve packed and moved all of their stuff is clean. Although move in-move out cleaning is easy to neglect, it’s a vital part of the process.
Many people say that moving is one of the most stressful and exhausting experiences of their life. From getting their things in order, changing their address, and scheduling transportation, to cleaning and organizing. Moving can be a lot. Instead of adding another thing to your plate, consider hiring company to do your move in-move out cleaning for you.
Moving In
Although your new place should be sparking in its glory, don’t assume that will always be the case. We recommend a move in cleaningbefore you unload your personal belongings. This way you know every inch of the room gets the attention that it needs prior to your inhabiting the space.
Moving Out
Standard move in-move out checklist:
- Dust (everything)
- Deep clean kitchen appliances
- Clean out cabinets
- Clean sinks & countertops
- Scrub toilets
- Scrub shower & bathtub
- Wipe down baseboards
- Vacuum and sweep all floors
Contact our house cleaning service professionals today
Are you anticipating a move in-move out the near future? Let our professionals handle your move today. Fill out the form on our site to get started today.
We’re back as promised! And as promised here’s week number two of our annual Spring Cleaning checklist.
Day 6: Car
- Empty out any and all trash
- Take valuables in the house
- Take it to the car wash and give it a thorough vacuum and dusting inside
- Scrub the exterior, rinse, and repeat until shiny
- Wax to finish
Day 7: Odds & Ends
- Empty and wash all garbage cans and recycling bins
- Organize and declutter your junk/misc drawer
- Change any filters that need it (water filters, refrigerator filters, air filter, etc)
- Wipe down all remotes, phones, Kindles, tablets, and computers (use disinfectant – these items can harbor a large number of bacteria)
- Gather up all those coins laying around and take them to a Coinstar
Day 8: Garage
- Sort through any unused items for donating, selling, or throwing away
- Give it a good sweep inside and out
- Prepare to have a garage sale – get rid of all of your unused items by selling them
Day 9: Fireplace
- Start by opening the windows to ensure proper airflow
- Clean out the fireplace (for minimal users)
- Active users may want to call a chimney sweep
Day 10: Porch
- Sweep off the porch
- Water any plants & plant new plants
- Replace any light bulbs
- Paint the porch if needed
Day 11: Yard
- Rake up any leaves in the yard
- Pick up dog poop
- Empty out the gutters
- Pull Weeds
- Water the grass
So you’ve become an Airbnb host? Whether you have just purchased your first property, are converting your long-term lease properties to short-term rentals, or already own a number of properties, you probably understand the headache that self-management can bring.
Here at Spekless Cleaning, we work with dozens of Airbnb hosts in the Washington D.C. metro area. Today we’re going to share some of the best practices on how to automate your Airbnb cleaning schedule. This will help assist you with turnovers.
1. Hire a professional cleaning company
When it comes to the cleanliness of your Airbnb rental, it should be as clean as a hotel. Your guest will hold you to the same exact standards they would a five-star hotel. However, meeting these hospitality standards on your own can often be quite the challenge.
A professional cleaning company will help you meet those rigorous standards by taking care of the entire turnover process for you. Professional cleaners will work to ensure that your guest feels comfortable, cozy, and clean while staying with you.
2. Schedule cleanings easily
Airbnb host tend to have a lot on their plate. Between managing guests and providing excellent hospitality, you’re probably a very busy host/hostess. Here at Spekless we offer you the convenience of scheduling your cleanings online. This makes it possible for you to schedule a cleaning after each turnover, cancel, and re-schedule cleanings as necessary.
And aside from regular cleanings, you should also be scheduling routine deep cleanings for your rental. Deep cleanings aren’t necessary all of the time. But they are recommended a couple of times per year.
3. Setup auto-pay
We offer instant an instant online booking system that allows you to receive an estimate, check availability, and book services instantly. This means you don’t have to play phone tag or wait for a callback. It also allows you to set up a secure online auto payment for your turnover cleanings without the hassle of using cash. And you aren’t charged until the service is complete.
4. Keep an inventory list
In order to ensure that you get the most out of your automated cleaning service, consider keeping an inventory checklist inside the rental. Making sure your rental is stocked adequately with toiletries and supplies is one of the most important components in guest satisfaction. Save some time and let your cleaning service do an inventory check for you.
Pro Tip: Consider asking your cleaning company to snap a few pictures or a video in between cleanings. This is the safest way to ensure that nothing gets overlooked. And this helps make sure that you are informed of any damages right away.
Spring cleaning differs from regular or routine cleaning in the sense that it can take a lot longer. Most people designate a week or two to spring cleaning so they can clean, declutter, and do their yearly chores all at the same time. So if you don’t know where to begin with your spring cleaning, don’t worry you’re not alone!
Over the next couple of weeks, we are going to walk you through each week of Spring cleaning. The checklist we have created will walk you through each day of cleaning and decluttering your home. It will help you stay motivated, inspired, and the best part is that you can use it for other seasons too.
Day 1: Dusting
- Open your windows and let the fresh air blow through the house (trust me, once you get going you’re going to wish you had opened them in the first place)
- Dust, sweep, and vacuum up any dust mites and cobwebs in the corners.
- Dust any knick-knacks, books, and shelves
- Launder any drapes, couch covers, rugs, and any other upholstery as instructed in the label
Day 2: Donating
- Clean all mirrors including bathroom and bedroom mirrors
- Switch all your winter clothing to the back of the closet
- Create a donate box to donate things like old clothing, unused kitchen appliances and utensils, or old toys
- Sort through old shoes
Day 3: Bathrooms
- Begin bathroom sorting (throw out old and expired medicine and cosmetics)
- Launder and organize the linen closet
- Put old or unused towels in the donation box
- Organize emergency supplies and restock the first aid kit
- Deep clean the bathrooms
Day 4: Appliances
- Deep clean all appliances (this included all knobs, handles, and accessories that came with them)
- Sanitize all handles, door knobs, and buttons, not just in the kitchen in the entire home
- Self-Clean the washer (while this is self-cleaning wipe down the tops of your washer and dryer removing any soap residue and dust)
- Toss out any old food, remove any interchangeable compartments and let them soak, and wipe out your refrigerator
Day 5: Plants
- Feed the houseplants and clean their area (of course you should care for your plants routinely)
- Wash your windows inside and out
- Vacuum window screens
- Clean up any dead or fallen leaves
Be sure to check back next week for days 6-11 of our spring cleaning checklist!
Airbnb hosting is a great way to supplement your annual housing income. It’s a great way to meet new people and earn some money on the side. By hosting with Airbnb you are able to rent out a spare room, a shared space, and even entire apartment.
But hosting with Airbnb isn’t as easy as it seems. Vacation hosts are often held to very high standards. Usually higher than a hotel. When it comes to vacation hosting, cleanliness is the number one determining factor in succeeding.
When hiring a professional to clean your rental, make sure they:
1. Make All The Beds
When looking for an Airbnb cleaning service you don’t want a basic cleaning service. In other words, you want more than just your bathrooms, hallways, and countertops clean. You also want someone to make all of the beds with fresh linens.
2. Put Away The Dishes
If you are renting out a private or shared room you may not need a cleaning service to wash and put away the dishes for you (although it wouldn’t hurt). But if you are renting out a studio or entire apartment this option should be apart of the package. Some host ask their guest to ensure that the dishes are taken care of before leaving the premises. While some hosts leave it to the cleaning company.
3. Check Inventory
Running a busy vacation rental can get hectic. So hectic in fact, you might forget that you needed to stock up on toilet paper before your next guest arrives. Ask your cleaner to take inventory and leave you a note so that you know what needs to be restocked after each guest departs.
Some cleaning services will take care of the inventory for you for an extra fee. It doesn’t hurt to check with them. Provided that you are willing to use their products instead of products you prefer.
4. Provide Easy & Convenient Service
As a rental host, you’ve got enough on your plate. You probably have a full-time job, a house of your own to worry about, and now tenants to clean up after. The last thing you want to do in your spare time is drive to your cleaning companies headquarters to submit your payment.
Are you thinking about hiring a cleaning service but not sure where to start? Are you wondering what the benefits of environmental cleaning entail? Here at Spekless, we want you to get the most out of your cleaning experience so we created a blog to help.
There are many good reasons to hire a cleaning service. For starters, they do the dirty work for you. No more getting down on your knees and scrubbing those hard to reach places. That’s what you’ve hired us for.
Whether you’re in a home, an office, a school, or a rental cleaning services can help.
Hiring a cleaning service allows you to:
Save Time
By delegating our daily and weekly chores to a cleaning service, we have more time to focus on what truly matters. Often times we stress ourselves out about things that we don’t need to worry about. Cleaning is one of those things. Just think about how much time and energy you’ll save by hiring a cleaner to do the work for you. I’ll give you a hint: It’s a lot.
Be More Productive
When you use a cleaning service, whether it be in your workplace or your home, you have more time to focus on the things that you need to accomplish. You can be more productive and accomplish more when you know the house is being taken care of. Maybe you have errands to run, kids to tend to, or work to focus on.
Allowing a cleaner into your spaces effectively allows you to focus your attention on those things. Then you can prioritize better and ultimately become more productive on a day to day basis.
Get Those Hard To Reach Places
A lot of the time when we clean on our own we miss those hard to reach places. Those places that are often filled with dust and spider webs. We generally don’t even think about them. If we can’t see them, we don’t worry about them.
A cleaner will take care of these places for you. And they’ll do it every cleaning. No need to worry about the dust mites building up again.
Save Money
Most cleaning companies come fully equipped with their own products and supplies. Some of them don’t but that’s very rare. Which is why it’s important to do your research before hiring a cleaning company. Nonetheless, you won’t have to worry about keeping cleaning supplies in the cabinet (except for items like dish soap, hand soap, and Windext).
Each time your cleaner arrives they will be fully prepared to clean your home, office, or rental. And any other space that needs it. Cleaners typically come with vacuums, cleaning rags, disinfectant, bathroom cleaner, dusters, and even trash bags.
Save Energy
We’ve talked about how cleaning services help you save time and money but they also help you save energy. Let’s be honest, cleaning can take a lot out of you. If you’re anything like me, you might think you need a nap afterward. In order to savor every last bit of energy you have left, why not have someone do the work for you?