Move Out Clean and DIY Home Cleaning Tips

Are you moving out? Well, Select Cleaning provides the best one-off cleaners in New Zealand- affordable and highly professional. Select Cleaners can help you move out peacefully from your past home or flat by managing all the sophisticated end-of-lease cleaning requirements.

The move out cleaning job is a little bit complicated one as it’ll be further inspected by the property owner, and  you may be in the risk of losing a security deposit over a home that’s not cleaned up to the requisite standard. Here comes the need for professional help from a reputed house cleaning service which knows how to bring the home or flat to the condition it was before your tenancy began. This way, by paying a small fee to the professional cleaner, save yourself the embarrassment with the landowner and take the stress out of the bond cleaning process.  

DIY Home Cleaning Ideas

Eliminate the clutter to avoid constant frustration

For solving clutter menace, remember and follow the old saying, “a place for everything and everything in its place.” Group your clutter cleverly and arrange them in a proper way, like putting them in a decorative storage box or keeping a folder for bills and notes, or a bookcase for favourite reading materials, or a bowl for keys and wallets etc. This will impart a feeling of orderliness in your home. Consider such ideas and implement them to get rid of the clutter and chaos in your home, and life.

Clogged drains?

First, sprinkle two cups of baking soda into the drain followed by two cups of boiled vinegar. Allow the fizzing to stop and let the mixture stay in the drain for about five minutes. Flush with boiling water.

Some people also recommend pouring hot water and detergent down the drain for fat, oil and grease clogs that are common in household clogs.  

Getting prepared for cleaning your room

Ensure that you have all the right tools and products readily available with you before you start cleaning.

Let’s have a list:

• Microfibre cloths for dusting, cleaning and polishing.
• Cotton cloth for cleaning windows, mirrors, and glass screens of TV & computers.
• Mop for vacuuming hard floors.
• All purpose, good quality cleaner.
• Glass cleaner.
• Disinfectant.
• Fresh linens for bedrooms.

Cleaning procedure:

Firstly, tidy and deal with garbage and laundry. Secondly, start dusting and cleaning. And lastly, mop the floors.

Dusting:

For lowering the allergens and improving the air quality in your house, make it a habit to dust out your rooms regularly. Use a microfibre cloth and go left to right, and top to bottom in order to avoid spreading of dust all over the place.

How do you dust the slatted blinds, one slat at a time? You’re doing it wrong. The easy and efficient way is to close them one way (by pulling the string) and dust, then close them the other way and repeat the dusting. Clean the computer and TV screens, and the glass framed photos using glass cleaner sprayed to a fresh cotton cloth.

Mopping:

After dusting, go for mopping. While you do mopping, always start at the farthest corner of the room and move back toward the entrance door, so you’re always standing on a dry piece of floor without spoiling the already cleaned area. Rinse the mop frequently to ensure thorough cleaning.

Now listen to the best option:

While you're busy at work or on a weekend family trip, a police verified smart Select Home cleaner will make your home absolutely neat and clean. There's nothing like coming home, walking in, and see the house fresh smelling and in perfect shape!  Book a regular weekly/fortnightly cleaning service, or a catch up, once off cleaning service on the weekly cleaning when your week gets away from you! 

Visit SelectClean website for more info.

Don't Forget to Clean Some of These Dirtiest Places in Your Home!

There are areas in your house that you never suspected hoard bacteria, dirt, allergens and nasty germs. Find out those places and items that pose easy hiding place for things that could be making you sick. 

In the Kitchen

Sponges

Large colonies of bacteria grow in the sponges you use in your kitchen. Antibacterial sponges and dish soaps can reduce the bacteria growth to a certain extent; however, you need to disinfect the sponges on a weekly basis. You may do this either by microwaving the sponges for two to three minutes or by putting it in a bleach solution for 5 minutes.

Kitchen Buttons, Knobs, and Handles

Disinfect frequently used kitchen surfaces such as counters, buttons, and knobs, handles etc. with the help of antibacterial wipes before and after preparing a meal, especially when preparing raw meat or unwashed produce. This is to reduce the bacteria level in the kitchen.

Cutting Boards

There are different opinions among scientists regarding bacteria presence in wooden or plastic cutting boards. When there are more cutting marks on a plastic cutting board, it’ll accommodate more bacteria. And wooden boards are said to be easy hiding place for bacteria. So, whether you use wooden or plastic cutting boards, it’s safe to clean them regularly, and also replace them as and when required.

Your Beloved Coffee Maker Hoards Germs

For cleaning mould particles and bacteria from the coffee maker, make a mixture of equal parts of water and white vinegar and run the liquid through the machine. Repeat it on a monthly schedule to keep your coffee drinks double healthy. While cleaning the coffee maker, run the machine with the above said cleaner and switch it off for one hour after about half of the mixture has run through it. Next switch it on till the complete cleaning mixture comes out. Finally clean thoroughly with pure water to remove all traces of vinegar.

In the Bedroom

Pillows & Sheets

Pillows can become breeding ground for harmful fungus growth, dust mites and bacteria if they are not properly maintained. Effectively laundering the bedding and using anti-allergen pillow covers can solve the problem.

Spray down the stained areas on the bed sheet and pillowcases with a solution of vinegar and water. Then wash them in hot water wash cycle to completely disinfect them.

In the Bathroom

Bath Mat & Floors

Bathroom floors and mats are mostly contaminated with harmful bacteria and other disease causing germs.  Launder bath mats on the highest heat cycle at least once every week, and clean the floors with quality disinfectant.  

Laundry Basket

Always give proper attention to your laundry bag. There’s every chance that it’ll be dirty with grime from cloths and bedding. Make sure that you wash the laundry basket also along with dirty clothes. Keep a separate bag for clean clothes so as to keep that bag fresh and neat.

Eye Makeup and Toothbrush

A recent study says around 40% of mascara tubes they tested has been found infected with allergens within just three months of use. So, it’s advisable to change your eye makeup every season.

Another unsuspected item hoarding germs is your toothbrush! Scientists again warn that if you’re keeping your toothbrush uncovered and near to the toilet bowl, then it can get contaminated when flushing the toilet.

Importance of Hiring Home Cleaning Specialists 

Expert hands know which spots in your house need the maximum attention. Go for the most preferred professional home cleaning service in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington and Christchurch. When you hire Select Cleaning service, we ensure that the work is completed by local, dedicated owner operators who bring everything they need to complete the job. Call us now on 0800 000 907 for a free quote!

How to Keep Your Home More Organized and Germ-Free

When taking the services of a home cleaning company, ensure that their cleaners are insured and they provide all cleaning supplies and equipment necessary for the job. A good idea is to ask the company whether their home cleaners are vetted and customer recommended.

The secret to happiness: Not having to clean your house thoroughly will remove a lot of stress in your life and also will free up a lot of time for you!

Tips for Mopping Timber Floors

Timber flooring is very appealing, but you’ll have to take extra care to maintain it in good shape. Avoid the use of hot water on wood floors, and wipe out all traces of water after cleaning. Wet patches will stain the wood and can even result in expanded and warped boards.

Mats are to be placed at outside and inside of exterior doors to avoid dirt and germs entering your home. If you don’t remove the shoes at the doorstep, the tracked-in dirt could spoil a wood floor's finish.

Put floor protectors under furniture and rugs in children’s play areas to avoid getting marks and scratches on the wood floor. While vacuuming, give utmost care to prevent scratches- use only floor-brush attachment to the vacuum cleaner, not the beater bar attachment. Ensure that you are using the correct mop and mopping technique while cleaning timber floors.

One should understand that the weekly dust mopping won’t remove the stubborn dirt, pet stains, oil, and grime build up and scratch marks on a wooden flooring. For this, take the services of a professional home cleaning company which uses appropriate cleaning products. Trying to clean a very dirty wooden floor yourself with the help of DIY tips using sandpaper, steel wool, or harsh chemicals will result in permanent damage to the soft finish.

Removing Germs from Your Kitchen

Make it a point to keep your kitchen tables and countertops clutter free. When cooking raw meat and fish, avoid using cloth towels as they hold more germs- keep disposable towels handy. After preparing meat and fish, it’s advisable to disinfect your kitchen sink to prevent the growth of germs and harmful bacteria.  Keep the knives, spoons and plates dry so as to avoid mould growth. 

Kitchen floor is another vulnerable spot easily infected by large colonies of germs, so daily cleaning is a must. Make use of an antibacterial and disposable mopping system to make your kitchen floors sparkling without germs. 

Lastly, clean all the surfaces in the kitchen and dispose of food leftovers after the meals. Wash the dishes or put them in the dishwasher. Once all areas including stovetop are cleaned, clean and disinfect the sink and faucet. Remember to regularly clean the sponges if you use them in the kitchen. 

Organising Your Bedroom 

Every day morning one should make the bed, and declutter the bedroom. Put away dirty clothes, and ensure that reading materials, glasses, dishes, toys, etc. go to their proper places. 

If you have sufficient time and the mood to clean the bedroom yourself rather than calling a professional cleaner, then do the following on a weekly basis: 

Dust the dressers, vanities, nightstand, picture frames, armours and chests; sweep and clean the floor- or if carpets and rugs are there, vacuum them. 

And on a monthly basis, you can do the following to keep the bedroom neat and tidy: 

Remove the curtains and wash them. Rotate and flip the mattress to prevent sagging in the areas mostly used while sleeping – for this, rotate the mattress 90 degrees and then raise it on its edge, and lower the mattress over so that the other side comes upward.  Don’t forget to vacuum underneath the bed and open the windows and doors to allow all the dust and dirty air out. 

Select Cleaning Company provides a consistent high-quality clean - regular inside cleaning of homes in New Zealand and Australia. Read more about their cost effective home cleaning by clicking HERE. Punctuality and professionalism in house cleaning are very important to them. Their cleaners always show up on time and pay great attention to detail.