Brilliant Cleaning and Maintenance Tips for Every Homeowner

Clogged and smelly kitchen sinks?

Sprinkle a cup of baking soda down the sink plug hole at night.  In the morning, heat a cup of white vinegar in the microwave and pour it down on top of the baking soda. The chemical reaction will loosen up any grimy sludge settled at the bottom of the drain and jolt it all loose. Finally, flush the drain with boiling water which will ensure unclogging perfectly.

The added advantage here is that the hot vinegar will deodorise the microwave also in addition to your sink.

Check your dishwasher, isn't it dirty?

Add one-quarter cup white vinegar into the bottom of the dishwasher and run a full wash cycle. Now you’ll see that all stains and dirt have gone. 

Did you know that dishwashers can also be used to clean stove vents, plastic cutting boards etc.? Place these special items carefully in the dishwasher and run a full cycle along with other dishes to get amazing result. It will remove stubborn stains and scum from the cutting board to make it as good as new.

Blocked shower heads?

This method allows you to clean the shower head without removing it from the pipe attachment. Pour a mixture of 1/3 cup baking soda and one-cup white vinegar in a plastic bag big enough to cover the shower head. Now tie the bag to the shower pipe with a tape, rubber band, or plastic thread etc. Ensure that the shower head is fully dipped in vinegar and no liquid is leaking. Let it remain like that overnight. Next day, remove the plastic bag carefully without spilling the liquid. You’ll be happy to see that all blocked holes are clear now.

Tired of trying to clean lime scale off the toilet bowl?

We know that one of the most dreaded household tasks is cleaning the toilet. But wait! Try using coke. 

Pour a cup or two of coke into the toilet bowl, and also around the rim of the bowl. Leave it to soak overnight and the acids will slowly loosen the built-up stains. In the morning, flush and lightly brush and see the difference. The dreaded job has turned out to be a simple one.

You may also use a pumice stone to clean and remove toilet bowl rings. It’s easy to use and won’t make any scratches provided the stone and the bowl are wet.  It works perfectly and gives good result.

Dirty Pans and pots

No more worries about burnt pans. Pour half a cup of vinegar to your pan and boil it to loosen the sticky burnt stuff. Now it’ll be easy to remove the stains completely by rubbing with baking soda with the help of a sponge. After removing all residues, just scour the pan normally.

Cut a piece of raw potato. Take some salt powder and sprinkle it in the pan/pot. Now take the potato piece and strongly rub the pot with salt. Then wash away the salt powder and dirt, and dry it with paper towels. Add some oil at the bottom of the pan and spread it to make a thin film of oil in the pot. Heat the pot in low temperature for half an hour to let the oil soak into the pan.

Stained Coffee mugs and discoloured old dishes

Immaterial of how thoroughly you clean, there will always be some traces of coffee and tea stains in your mugs. Remove those stubborn stains by scrubbing them with a lemon peel dipped in salt.

Clean those discoloured old dishes you kept aside in your kitchen cupboards, using a mixture of baking soda and water. You’ll be stunned to see the dishes sparkling again.  

Avail professional help from Select Cleaning

These handy home cleaning and maintenance tips are published for the benefit of our esteemed customers. Learn these simple tips to make your house cleaning easier and efficient. Call Select Clean whenever you feel the need for professional home cleaning.

Identify the Often Neglected Areas in Home Cleaning

Instead of organising and cleaning the house, some people have a tendency to keep on searching for more innovative and easy-to-do cleaning ideas. However, when it comes to practically doing the task, they feel their mood has changed!  If you fit into that category, then it’s better to hire a professional home cleaning service in New Zealand to do the job for you.

A clean home is very pleasant and evokes divine feeling, whereas a dusty and unkempt house makes you feeling guilty and irritated. It’s also a matter of hygiene to keep your house clean at all times.

Given below are some areas often forgotten while cleaning your home yourself or by some cheap service providers:

1. Some areas where dust accumulates due to continuous neglect are under the bed, and behind the sofa, curtains and doors.

2. Grease in the kitchen cabinets: there will be traces of grease visible as sticky, yellowing or darkening grime accumulated in the kitchen cabinets over time. Just giving them occasional quick wipe down with a damp rag will not suffice to properly degrease. Stubborn grease and oil stains need special cleaners to get completely removed from the cabinets.                  

Here’s a DIY degreasing method: Utilise the grease-busting qualities of white vinegar to clean your kitchen cabinets. Spray few drops of vinegar into clean, dry cloth and wipe down the cabinets. Then dip the cloth in warm water, and use it to rinse the cabinetry after squeezing the water out from the cloth. Finally dry the area to a shine, using paper towels.

3. You don’t know how many bacteria colonies reside in the kitchen sink:clean the kitchen sinks with a powerful anti-bacterial cleanser at least once in a week. These sinks accommodate more disease causing germs than your bath area!

4. Identify less used items in your house and dust them off: Have a look at the curio cabinets, framed photos on the wall, other decorative items in every room, and the frame of those table lamps- they are less used items and so gradually become super dusty! Dust these ornamental items thoroughly once in a while to prevent persistent dust mites generating allergens in your home. Dust and dirt that accumulate between the creases of a sofa are often neglected where homeowners or residents do all the cleaning.  Only a professional home cleaning service has the knowhow to smartly clean such neglected spots in your home.  

5. Decluttering can reduce the amount of dust particles inside your home. Dispose of old clothes, unused toys, damaged electrical & electronic items, and other less used items that have begun invading common spaces in your home. They form storehouse for dust and dirt.

Select Home Cleaning provides friendly professionals you can trust

If you’re a busy professional and don’t have the time and energy to manage your home cleaning, it’s a great idea to hire a cleaning service. It not only saves your relaxing time, but prolongs the life and good looks of your home and its interiors also.

Select Clean surpasses home cleaning industry standards in New Zealand for affordable, quality cleaning services, while maintaining personalised service standards to clients. Timely service, best quality products at the lowest possible price, perfect cleaning standards, and honest and direct approach in all our dealings make us the clients’ favourite choice. Even though we don’t do carpet cleaning and window cleaning, people used to call us to have those works done by other professionals recommended by us. That’s the level of trust and beliefs vested on us by our clients and professional contacts.   

We value the trust and beliefs vested in us by our clients and professional contacts and provide a dedicated cleaning service with an honest and direct approach in all our dealings. 

Speed-Cleaning Ideas to Get Your Home Ready for Short-Notice Guests

Quick clean guidelines

Plan your house cleaning task in advance, get all equipment and cleaning products ready and set the clock. First, declutter the entire house before you start cleaning.  Collect all the bathroom floor towels and bed linen and put them in the washing machine. Same way, load the dishes into dishwasher.  This will clear the space for you to move quickly during the cleaning process.

Now begin cleaning the rooms one by one. Don’t spend more than 10 minutes on an average in any room, even though there are exceptions. For example, your time together with guests is limited to some particular spots in the house, so spend more time there giving attention to details. These important locations can be the kitchen, lounge room, one bathroom and other areas you think the visitor may use.

Kitchen and bathroom cleaning

It’s advisable to first give your full attention onto the difficult areas that take more time to clean and make the area spic-and-span, like the bathroom and kitchen.   

Kitchen: 

Do a quick scanning of the kitchen, collect all loose items and put them in their correct place. Anything placed on the benchtop and other surfaces will go to the cabinets and refrigerator respectively. Your kitchen will look cleaner once all the clutter, including the dishes, has gone into proper place.  

First clean the sink thoroughly then wipe down the stove, microwave, and refrigerator. Walls and other hard surfaces need to be cleaned from top to bottom in order to avoid any debris dripping into already cleaned areas.  

Quick bathroom cleaning:  
Remove hair and dust by giving a quick run of the vacuum cleaner on the floor and bath mats.

Spray the shower, bath, vanity and sink with a quality cleaner, and leave it there to work for some time. 

In the mean time, you can wipe down the walls, and scrub the toilet using a brush and all purpose cleaner. Flush the toilet after brushing, and then wipe down the outside of the toilet and tank. Remember to clean under the seat and all other nooks and crannies of the toilet. Use a disinfectant spray while wiping down the toilet. 

Clean the mirror and any glass panels using glass cleaner and a squeegee. Spray the cleaner on the glass and wipe in a circular motion starting from the top corner. Give the shower and bath a quick wipe-down giving particular attention to edges and grouting. A full scrub is not required if the guests are coming within short notice.  Wipe down the vanity top and basin and also give the sink a quick wash and rinse. Lastly mop the tiles. 

Do everything swiftly, keep moving constantly once you have started the house cleaning task. Arrange the cleaning paraphernalia in such a way that you can avoid going back to rooms that you have already cleaned. This will save you time and energy running back and forth. 

Tips & Testimonials  

Marble benchtop or floor tiles can get easily stained. For removing these stains on natural stone, try cleaning them with a piece of lemon dipped in salt powder. Once the stain mark is gone, quickly clean all traces of lemon because the acid in lemon can again damage the marble surface.  

Microwave cleaning: Mix 3 table spoons of lemon juice with one and a half cup of water. Pour this lemon water into a microwave-safe bowl and run the microwave on high for 8 minutes then wipe the oven to sparkling clean.  

Use environment friendly home cleaning products which should also be kid and pet friendly. While keeping your house green using homemade cleaning products, remember one thing: there are certain cleaning ingredients that you should never mix together. 

Read all the testimonials at Select Clean website 

Here’s one from a happy customer:

Siane Ormsby wrote to us: “Just had the most amazing cleaning experience and I've been getting a bit of help from a few companies at the moment and the Hamilton crew (of Select Home Cleaning) Ray and his partner were just awesome!! They were professional, friendly, fast and left me with a huge smile and beautifully cleaned ceilings. Thank you so much, I will be recommending you to everyone I know!”

Cleaning Your Kitchen – The Correct Way to Do It!

Worried about kitchen cleaning? Watch a well explained video on how to do the kitchen cleaning and arranging the things the right way. In this Select Home Cleaning video, the Do’s and Don’ts while cleaning your kitchen are narrated with examples. Know these tips to keep your kitchen sparkling and spotless!

  

Fully cleaning the kitchen and the equipment and appliances there may seem a difficult task, but with step-by-step plan you can manage it effortlessly. If you’re in a good mood, you can speed clean the kitchen within half an hour, provided you practise it regularly! If time doesn’t permit, you can call a reliable professional home cleaning service in New Zealand to do the kitchen cleaning in a perfect way. In fact, you should call a home cleaner once in a while to cover up the lapses in your individual house cleaning habits.

Your countertops, floors, and appliances like oven, refrigerator etc. always have tough stain spots caused by everyday items such as salt, ketchup, wine, tea/coffee and other acidic substances. A home cleaning specialist can clean those stain marks and dirt in a proper way to make your kitchen looking and smelling great!

Use a multi-surface spray cleaner on the stove top and the countertops before you start cleaning. This will soak up the stains so they can be easily removed when you clean them up.

Make sure to add a few drops of cleaner into the cleaning cloth when cleaning the fronts of kitchen appliances, cabinet faces and backsplashes. Kitchen sink rims and drains accumulate stubborn dirt and germs- use a toothbrush to neatly clean those areas. Use another toothbrush to clean food particles from burners, knobs and dials of the stove.  

Make sure that you’re doing every aspect of your kitchen cleaning in the right way. For example, you may be making mistakes while using your dishwasher- like arranging the dishes incorrectly- silver and stainless steel items are sometimes mixed in the flatware basket which can cause pitting. Another mistake is putting hand-painted porcelain or wood items in the dishwasher which could damage the beautiful artwork you’re proud of!

So, whenever you’re in doubt, call a home cleaning expert and watch them cleaning your home or read Select Cleaning blog for tips and advice on all matters related to home cleaning in New Zealand and Australia.

Also learn how to arrange things in an easy-to-use orderly manner in your kitchen. If you mess up everything in the kitchen, it’ll be a headache to work there. Remember, you spend pretty good time there! Ensure to store equipment and dinnerware close to the place where they are used- dishes next to the dishwasher, pots and pans next to the stove, the items you frequently use can be placed near to the work counters and so on. This way, things are not only arranged neatly but also kept closest to their point of main use. 

After reading all these genuine points, you may be wondering whether the kitchen cleaning procedures you were following till this time were proper or not! No worries, call the Select Cleaning professionals now on 0800 000 907 to do it right for you! Ask for a free quote to ascertain quality work at affordable price. 

Select Home Cleaning- Common Kitchen Cleaning Mistakes and Guidelines for Their Correction

Everyone loves a clean and sparkling kitchen. However, in a bid to clean it, we often land up committing mistakes. Given below are some of the most common kitchen cleaning errors and omissions we commit due to negligence and lack of knowledge-

• Ignoring handles and knobs- Most of us tend to ignore the importance of cleaning handles and knobs of our kitchen. The knobs on the oven, fridge, microwave etc. are used several times a day. If they are not cleaned or wiped, they become rich sources of bacteria and infection. Make it a habit of wiping these often neglected areas every night to properly disinfect your kitchen.
• Clean your kitchen sink- This is another area of your kitchen not given due attention. If you miss cleaning your kitchen sink, it becomes a thriving ground for germs and bacteria. For cleaning the kitchen sink, use warm water and sponge soaked with soap.
• Coffee machine and grinder- This appliance is more used than cleaned. You can clean it by using two parts of water and one part of white vinegar through the cycle of the brew. Make sure you rinse the appliance till you do not smell the vinegar. This has to be done for a few rounds. Cleaning the appliance once a month will do.
• Garbage disposal- Wash the garbage disposal bin regularly. You dispose garbage daily but small chunks of particles and food do remain behind.                    
• Never place sharp knives in the dishwasher- You should never place sharp knives in the dishwasher. Knives wear faster when they are placed in the dishwasher. To prolong its life and functionality, always hand-wash a knife.                       
• Clean your oven- It is very important for you to clean your oven on a regular basis. This may look a difficult task at first, but here’s a way to make it simple. All you have to do is spray the inside of the oven with an all-purpose cleaner and allow it to settle in overnight. In the morning, you should clean the black spots and the grime. For the racks, place them inside a large garbage bag and spray the cleaner on them. Let the cleaner settle in them overnight. You can clean them with soap and rinse them dry the following morning.
• Clean your reusable grocery bags- We use our grocery bags often to buy vegetables and fruits. However, we forget to wash and clean them. They collect dirt and can be a good source of bacteria and virus infections. It is important for you to take note of this and ensure they are cleaned frequently with soap and water. 

Now, you know the common kitchen cleaning wrong practices we generally commit. It is important to tackle them in a proper way if you wish to live in a healthy and safer home. In case you do not have time to address these small but difficult issues, you can call over professional kitchen cleaning New Zealand experts like Select Home Cleaning to do the task for you. These house cleaning specialists will take care of all the dirt and grime in your kitchen to make it clean and hygienic. To contact them, please visit website.