Nine House Cleaning and Maintenance Tips That’ll Make You a Smart Homemaker

Too many tasks related to household chores and not enough time? Don’t worry, you’re not alone- this is the problem faced by most of the working parents.  Whether you do it alone or divide them up among family members, home cleaning & maintenance activity is a must-do daily/weekly routine you can’t afford to postpone. Of course, there is an easy solution: you can rely upon an affordable and trustworthy home cleaning service, thereby saving valuable time and getting peace of mind.

You may have a list of favourite home cleaning and maintenance tips you put into practice. Add the following into that list – it’ll make you a great homemaker.    

Trouble removing food particles left on stainless steel pan?

Pour a few drops of vinegar on to the pan and then sprinkle a little baking soda, and watch it bubbles for a minute. Now add some hot water as required and use a scrubber to completely clean the leftover food particles with much ease.

Getting rid of pantry moths

Add whole dried bay leaves to the corners of your pantry or cupboard or add them directly to your canister of flour, rice, or other dry food to Repel Bugs in Pantry such as beetles, weevils, flies, moths, cockroaches, and ants.

Keep your benchtop spotless

Place aluminium foil (or baking paper) on your benchtop when you peel vegetables or cut the raw fish. This will safeguard the benchtop from possible stains.  Once the peeling task is over you can put the aluminium foil or the paper into the garbage. You can save time cleaning the becnhtop after use. 

Avoid bad smells while cooking 

Are you getting trouble with bad cooking smells while preparing cauliflower or cabbage?

Putting out a saucer of cotton wool soaked up in vinegar will absorb the bad odour in the kitchen. 

Keep coffee accessories next to the machine 

How do you make coffee in the morning?

After getting up in the morning, walking to the pantry to get the coffee, then taking out the grinder from a lower cabinet to grind the beans, then walking across the kitchen to add the ingredients in the coffeemaker? Don’t you think this disturbs you in the morning and is also more time consuming?

What you can do is to keep your coffee beans, the grinder, sugar, spoon and mugs in one cabinet right above the coffeemaker, or somewhere close to it.  Try it and you will feel the advantage! This can be applied to your breakfast paraphernalia and other drinks makers too.

Keeping your microwave clean and sparkling

Steam can do wonders to loosen the oil, starch and other food debris stuck on the internal walls of your microwave. Make a ball out of a damp cloth and put it in the microwave, then heat it till it emits steam. Once the steam has fully spread inside the microwave, wait for one minute and open the door. Now wipe all the stubborn stains and food particles easily.

Fridge maintenance tip

Check your fridge daily or at least on a weekly basis to ensure that it is clean. Keep food away from the back wall of the fridge. This is to avoid food particles getting absorbed by the ice dews at the back of the fridge. This contaminated ice forms mouldy water when melts and becomes unclean and smelly.

How to make your sink smell better

Clean the sink with a mixture of ice and lemons or vinegar and baking soda to avoid stinking of the sink. While cleaning the sink, ensure to scrub the underside of the rubber gasket thoroughly with a scrub brush to remove mouldy, smelly food particles left over there.

Cleaning tips for silverware

Take a large container, line it with aluminium foil and put some cooking salt inside. Fill the container with water and dip all your silverware in the water. The aluminium foil and salt will react chemically to remove all persistent dirt on the silverware giving it extra shine and sheen.

Remember, there are some people who know all these tips and more: your trusted home cleaning service in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Christchurch and Wellington.

Follow the Stipulated Hygiene Standards for Your Healthy Home

As we spend over 80% of our time indoors, we should make it a point to reduce the presence of a wide variety of micro-organisms in our home. The air we breathe should be fresh and oxygen rich without harmful germs. Frequent and thorough hand washing with soap and then drying by a clean towel is necessary when you’re working in the kitchen or spending too much time indoors.

For strictly adhering to the hygiene standards of healthy living, let’s look into different areas in the home where you need to concentrate more. 

Doormats

The doormat placed outside the main door harbours bacteria, viruses, fungi etc. which can cause infectious diseases. These germs can easily enter your living area from the doormats in many ways. Keeping your shoes outside can prevent the free flow of germs to a great extent.  Nylon yard or polypropylene mats have the quality to collect most of the dust particles from the shoes.

It’s thus clear that more attention should be given to doormats while cleaning the house. Inculcate good hygiene practice by vacuuming the mats weekly and washing them neatly on a monthly basis.  Use a standard disinfectant spray while cleaning the mats.

Kitchen Dish Towels and Germs

A new study reveals that kitchen dish towels contain more bacteria than any other place in our homes. Damp dish towels, even those cute embroidered ones, are breeding grounds for germs.  People working in the kitchen have the tendency to touch the towel too often and that too sometimes even before washing the hands after handling raw meat. This causes the towel to be contaminated with bacteria.

Replace kitchen dish towels daily or at least on those days you cook. This is to avoid bacteria in an area in your home that needs to be the most hygienic place.  Stock up on alcohol wipes could also cut down on bacteria.

Cell Phone Usage in the Kitchen

It’s advisable to keep your smart phone out of the kitchen. People have a tendency to grab the mobile while cooking. Bacteria are sure to infest your phone and you’ll transfer them to all the places you and your phone move!

Kitchen Sink

Don’t get surprised if some tests by microbiologists prove that your kitchen sink is dirtier than even the toilet seat as far as harmful microorganisms are concerned! Some studies said around 500,000 bacteria per square inch can be found in a kitchen sink. A sink, where raw meat, dairy products or other things contaminated with bacteria are handled, easily becomes breeding ground for large colonies of the bacteria and poses a health risk.

Because dirty dishes are rinsed and washed frequently, there will be higher levels of moisture in the kitchen sink. This creates ideal conditions for heavy bacteria buildup.  So make it a point to wipe down your kitchen sink frequently.  

Water Filters

Not all types of bacteria are harmful. Many organisms, including some varieties of bacteria, are found in drinking water. They normally pose no health concern. But you have to be careful about E.coli, Coliform Bacteria, Salmonella & and other such disease causing microbes. 

A free-standing ceramic filter can be used on a countertop or under the sink filter housing. Some standard water filters use four-stage purification to cleans the water of bacteria and viruses.

Floors

Know where harmful bacteria lurk in your home. Floors occupy most of the space and face maxium foot traffic in your home, so they naturally contain large colonies of bacteria.  Vacuum the floor regularly and sweep it at least once in a week with a good disinfectant cleaner. 

Pets

If you have pets, learn the safety precautions and special cleaning procedures to follow so that you can control the levels of bacteria and fungi inside the house.

Bedding and Carpets

Wash your bedding on a weekly basis and vacuum the carpets regularly. Maintain a routine cleaning timetable for the carpets and beddings as they harbour dust-mites and other allergens.

Occasionally call a professional home cleaning company in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington & Christchurch to safeguard the well being and healthful life of your family members.

How to Make Your Home Smell Amazing and Look Fresh

Standard house cleaning companies normally bring quality products and cleaning equipment, including vacuum cleaner, mops, brooms etc., when they come for your home cleaning task.

Pick up the best house cleaning offer that suits you well- it should be time saving, flexible, and affordable cleaning service with great customer care.

While selecting cleaning products and procedures, ask your home cleaning professionals to reduce the negative impact on our environment by keeping in mind the characteristics of petrochemicals and solvents. Nobody uses 100% natural cleaning products, but it’s good to be nature-friendly as far as possible.

It’s a fact that a clean home imparts very comfortable and wonderful feelings without you directly noticing it. It’ll enlighten the spirits of all family members when everything is neat and tidy. For this you need to give your home cleaning task to somebody who is an expert in the detailed, customized housekeeping services.

Find below some of the most germ-prone areas in your house:

1. Kitchen sponges and dish rags that you use to clean countertops, dishes etc. are found to be very dirty in most homes, carrying illness-causing bacteria, and other germs. They also contain colonies of mould. So, ensure to rinse the sponge or cloth in hot water, squeeze out the water, and keep it dry. Occasionally sterilize a wet sponge by drying it in the microwave for one minute. Daily wash the rags. When cleaning countertops, use a disinfecting spray and change sponge every two weeks.

2. Another area that harbours germs is the kitchen sink. Knives and cutting boards that have traces of raw meat, and fruits and food particles left in the sink basin encourage heavy germ growth! Ensure to daily scour the area with a scrub brush and a cleaning product as advised by your home cleaner to remove bacteria.

3. Your TV remote controls, and computer keyboards & mouse are often used by members of the family and contain large colonies of bacteria if you don’t give particular attention. Swab them with a well-wrung-out disinfecting wipe at least once in a week.

Another important point to keep in mind: you’ll get guaranteed results only if you call insured and police verified house cleaners. Enjoy hygienically clean toilets, dining area, kitchen, and so on with a trusted house cleaning company in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington & Christchurch in New Zealand, and also several places across Australia. Yes, you guessed it right, the Select Home Cleaning service!

Select Cleaning services provide you cent percent satisfaction guarantee and great peace of mind. This is evident from testimonials written by people of all walks of life regarding their home cleaning service. Check it out today on the Select Cleaning website.

Select your home cleaning needs and call the dedicated professionals at Select Cleaning service on a weekly, alternate weekly or monthly basis. Our cleaning professionals are franchisees and as they are owners themselves, it’s natural that they have great attitudes and honesty and they take pride in providing quality cleaning.

Need some help with your home cleaning? Get your free quote now from the most well-known and trusted name in the home cleaning service sector in New Zealand! Phone:1800-153-483.

Picture courtesy:freedigitalphotos.net

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. 

Easy Kitchen Cleaning Tips from Select Home Cleaning, NZ- Removing Kitchen Oil Stains at Home

When you are cooking in the kitchen, it is normal for you to have oil splatters here and there. It is important to address these stains immediately or else there will be a thick layer of oil or gunk impossible to remove without professional help. Prevention is better than cure but when you are cooking, it is obvious you will have oil splattering everywhere especially when you are frying or tossing cooking ingredients.

Now, if you take a good look at your kitchen, you will find the common oil splattered areas being kitchen cabinets, stove hoods, stove tops and the stove vent filter. You will find a nasty and stubborn coating of gunk on your kitchen and the effects of this grease is not only an eye-sore but it circulates throughout the air as well exposing you to foul smells.

The experts at professional home cleaning company in New Zealand, Select Home Cleaning, state that it is important for you to regularly remove kitchen oil stains for the health of your family and the good maintenance of your kitchen. If you cannot devote time to clean them, invest in an affordable house cleaning service in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Tauranga or Hamilton who will do it professionally for you. They have the right tools, cleaning agents and home cleaning experts to remove gunk and stubborn oil stains fast. This leaves your kitchen absolutely spick and span.

However, if you are cleaning the kitchen stain alone, ensure it is done every day. Please note that grease and oil stains cannot be cleaned with wet or dry paper towels. This is merely a waste of time. There are commercial home cleaning products in the market, however most of them fail to clean the gunk, especially if it is a combination of accumulated oil and dirt. There are ammonia based cleaners available in the market but they are not considered to be safe. Now, the question is- what are the steps for cleaning kitchen oil stains?

Read the following steps listed below for effective kitchen cleaning-

• Take some mineral oil and soak a paper towel in it.
• Wipe the greasy surface of the stove hood and top with the paper towel till the gunk film dissolves.
• If the gunk is too stubborn add baking soda.
• Take another paper towel and wipe the surface all over again to remove this excess oil. When you are cleaning the surface, you should leave a minimum layer of oil on the surface to make the task easy. Moreover, you will also be able to clean the surface better in your subsequent cleaning sessions.
• Next add white vinegar and warm water together.
• Soak a kitchen cloth in it. Wring it out and wipe the surface of the kitchen cabinet clean with this cloth. This will help in the removal of light kitchen oil stains.
• In case you are dealing with stubborn stains, use vinegar directly on the spots.
• For stove hoods, use baking soda and water. The water should be warm.

Thus, with the aid of the above expert tips from Select Home Cleaning, NZ, you can ensure the kitchen oil stains are gone in no time. However, if you do not have the inclination or are busy with work or holidays, you can call in professionals from Select Home Cleaning to do the job for you. Contact them today on 0800 000 907.