Home Improvements- How to Fix Squeaky Floors

If you are not a technically skilled person, even minor repairs such as replacing tap washers or fixing a leak can become tedious job if you’re attempting DIY methods. Sometimes things may get worsened, ending up damaging the tap itself! Same thing also may happen when you attempt minor repairs on electrical or electronic appliances, lightings, and switches etc. But don’t worry; you’re not alone in this category!

You may be a qualified computer wizard, an artist or banker etc. and you know that each profession needs its own expertise. Works such as plumbing, house cleaning, electrical repair etc. are also qualified professions which need to be done by respective tradesmen. If a House Officer tries to repair his computer, you know that the end result can be disastrous!

Annoying Creaky Floorboards

Squeaky floorboards are a nasty disturbance for everybody in the home as it creates that irritating noise whenever someone walks around. This can happen in both older and modern homes. Squeaking of floorboards is a sign that the boards are rubbing against each other because loose nails may be allowing the boards to move or the shrinking of wood has created a small gap for movement.

If the squeaking board and its adjacent ones seem springy, the joists below may be defective, and you need an expert hand to make it alright.  Repairing a creaky wooden floor is not a major repair work if you can get the best home maintenance professionals in the town. A qualified carpenter can fix this issue quite affordably. So don’t carry on suffering those annoying creaks and strained noises any more.

Your hardwood or carpeted flooring will not get any damage if the repair work is carried out by verified technicians. Search the internet for flooring specialists and check their websites to shortlist a few. Also visit their social media pages and listen to testimonials and customer feedback to finalise a service provider. You may also take free quote from two standard companies to compare the prices, and checking the quality of materials they use for decking and flooring.

For home cleaning and maintenance works, always rely on those service providers who are known for high quality craft and customer service.

At the same time let’s say, if you have some technical abilities and like to do small repair works for yourself, you can always try DIY methods where you’re confident. See what a house owner did when he realised that people won’t take his home for rent because the floor is squeaky and really annoying. He used a drill and screwed some small self tapping screws in the joints of the squeaking boards and found that the disturbing creaky noise has gone forever! But when squeak occurs due to shrinkage gaps and joint stiffness, it’s better to use glued joint than drilling down the screws.

If the squeaky noise is small, inspect the floorboards closely. If you’re lucky, you’ll find that the cause may be due to rubbing of the boards against each other. In that case, apply some talcum powder along the seam where the boards are rubbing and then walk few steps on the floorboards for the powder to set in and eliminate the disturbing noise.

Advantage of Getting Acquainted with Select Cleaning Professionals

If you’re calling a repair service for fixing squeaky and creaky floors, ensure that they do lifting and relaying the carpets before and after the screw down and repair. One thing you can do is to call the customer care team of Select Home Cleaning on 0800 000 907 and talk about your requirement. Select Cleaning do general house cleaning service in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington and Christchurch, and because they’re in the home cleaning sector for so many years, they can also get your home maintenance works done by authentic service providers who are well known to them.

Dealing with Leaky Pipes and Other Home Cleaning Issues

Leaky pipes can cause damage to your home if they are not taken care of in a proper manner. Water leaks are always a headache as it can cause flooding, mould and other issues. When you’re not taking professional help on time for house cleaning and water leak issues, you may risk long term damages to your property.

Check Your Water Taps Regularly

One should know the location of meter tap, or toby, which shuts off main water supply to your property. This is necessary to quickly switch it off in case of an emergency. It’s a good idea to know where your meter taps are before an emergency strikes.

Did you know that screw-down taps turn off in a clockwise direction?! Check and ensure that the meter tap is working properly or else call the water authority personnel who are responsible for repairing it. 

Also check for corrosion, stiffness and leakage on the controlling water taps to dishwashers, washing machines, sinks, and other appliances in the kitchen. Any leakage in the mains pressure hot water units and toilet pipes are to be referred to professional plumbers.

Dripping taps or showers in addition to wasting lot of water can also make the sink or bath susceptible to staining. Did you know that a dripping water tap wastes over 70L of water a day? And hot water leakage will cost you dearly.

You can try DIY methods for minor leaks, but it’s good to always seek the advice of your plumber or plumbing retailer before dealing with complicated dripping tap issues.

Leaking Waste Water Pipes

Consider any leaks from the bath, shower or sink waste pipes as serious issues which need timely attention. These leaky waste pipes could damage the foundation structure of your house and will eventually lead to the formation of dampness in the house due to excessive moisture build-up.

More House Cleaning Tips

• Some people think that a dishwasher needs no particular washing or cleaning because it itself is a ‘washer’! But the truth is that the dishwasher forms an ideal place for the growth of fungi and black yeast, so you need to clean it thoroughly at least once in a month. You can use vinegar to clean the inside of dishwasher. Take a dishwasher-safe cup and pour some vinegar into it before placing it on the top rack of the empty dishwasher. Then run the dishwasher at a hot temperature setting for a full cycle to clean it perfectly of microbes.
  
• It is a false notion that wearing gloves means you are safe from harmful bacteria. If you are not keeping the gloves clean enough, beware that they may be hoarding colonies of bacteria. Keep the gloves clean and dry when you’re not using them, and change them once in a month. Gloves have to be treated for about 15 minutes in a solution of hot water mixed with 2 spoons of vinegar.
  
• Some people use more cleaning soap thinking that it’ll yield better result. But actually it’s the contrary. More soap is always harmful. Uncleaned soap particles in the clothes, hands and dishes can cause the growth of bacteria. Rinse clothes well enough to remove all soap residue and ensure that they are completely dry before use.
  
• Don’t assume that disease causing bacteria are present more in the toilets than other places in the house. In fact, there is high percentage of bacteria concentration on the most used home items such as door handles, television remotes, microwave buttons, and light switches etc. than on your toilet seat. One may also find larger colonies of bacteria in the refrigerator and dish cloths than in the bathrooms. So, give greater attention to those places where there are more germs. Use a disinfectant wipe to clean all those electronic items mostly shared in the home.

Regarding home maintenance, it is good to remember the saying- A stitch in time saves nine! A leaky, unclean home can be a major worry to you. Never hesitate to call professional home cleaners and plumbers when you spot some issues.

Checklist for Homeowners to Keep Their Properties Well Maintained

Everything from regular home cleaning and preventative care to repairs and replacements can be termed as home maintenance. It’s good to get reliable, practical information on common house maintenance problems, their causes, and possible solutions.

Though Do-It-Yourself house maintenance is favoured by many New Zealanders, it’s necessary to know when you should go for DIY methods and when it’s time to call a professional. Inspect your property regularly and readily do the repairs on time. Keep with you the contact details of affordable home cleaners and plumbers etc. in New Zealand so as to call them promptly in case there are maintenance issues which you can’t do yourself.

Let’s check some of the important aspects of home maintenance that’ll help you to keep your home healthy & safe:

• Understand the common preventive maintenance requirements of all areas in your house to avoid some problems from occurring- timely gutter cleaning, opening the windows regularly for proper ventilation, occasionally checking the roof cladding etc. are some examples of preventive maintenance works.
• Small repairs should be addressed at the right time to prevent them from becoming large maintenance issues. This way you can save money by fixing problems before they get bigger.
• Suppose some damage has occurred in a rental property, or there is need for repairs, you should have a clear understanding of the situation as to who should make the fixing done and pay the bills.
• Know your limitations while trying DIY maintenance practices. Remember to take the help of a professional service provider to do important maintenance works in your home.
• Another serious issue with houses in New Zealand is dampness inside the house. A damp home is not a healthy home as the moisture getting collected indoors can cause diseases. It’s to be prevented by properly insulating, ventilating and heating your home. If there are leaks in the house, they must be repaired promptly and thoroughly by a professional.
• If there is presence of large deposits of mould and water stains in the kitchen or bathrooms, an expert home cleaner in New Zealand should be contacted for permanent solution.   
• Inspect your home’s cladding regularly for signs of water getting in. Consult a professional if you are not sure about the maintenance requirements of roof cladding. 
• Regularly clean guttering and spouting (at least once a year!) as leaves can easily collect and block them. Also ensure that the drainage outlets on enclosed decks and balconies are not clogged by fallen leaves and other items. Trees near to your house are to be trimmed regularly to minimise this issue.
• Blocked and damaged drains can cause flooding unless you call professional drain cleaners on time.  

                                           
The above home maintenance tips are brought to you by Select Home Cleaning research team. Select Cleaning has a proven track record of providing quality and cost effective home cleaning services in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Tauranga and Hamilton. Check out their wide range of affordable cleaning services in New Zealand and Australia. Visit Website or call now for a free quote: 0800 000 907.

Move Cleaning and Other Specialised Home Cleaning Tasks

Nowadays all are busy managing office work, sports and hobbies or doing household works like cooking, laundry, managing kids, pets, etc. So it’s near to impossible to handle home cleaning. People who realise that there are much more precious things to spend your time on, rather than house cleaning, they simply call house cleaning services to do this time consuming and laborious task. 

If you find that oven cleaning is one of the most horrible jobs to do, you are not alone! This is a specialised work for the professionals and people trying the DIY methods for this will end up messing it up. A reputed home cleaning company in New Zealand can handle the cleaning of any type of ovens: free standing, under bench or wall mounted single, double or combi-steam ovens.

Same way, steam cleaning your shower is also a tedious task. You won’t be able to get all the soap scum off your shower doors, walls and stone tiles. So, call a home cleaner to do the shower steam cleaning task efficiently. 

Tenancy Cleaning

Whether you are a tenant vacating the rented house or a landlord looking to perfectly clean his property to make it attractive for the new tenants, it’s another specialised area most people find it difficult to manage. Considering the stress and strain of moving, it’s advisable to detail a dedicated home cleaning service to do the cleaning task for you.

House Cleaning works done by Select Cleaning service in New Zealand:

• They do normal regular inside cleaning of homes, including Speed Cleaning, Kitchen Cleaning and Bathroom & Toilet cleaning.
• They also do spring cleaning (to get your house back to a manageable position or ready for a special occasion) and moving cleans.

Moving Clean

Nobody is comfortable with house moving, as you’ll have to manage things like cleaning, setting up your kitchen, closets, display cabinets etc., in addition to the exhausting work of packing & unpacking, and setting up and arranging things in all the rooms. 

You’ll be struggling hard to get enough time to get everything done.

An average house move will involve around 200 cartons as we have a tendency to gather more personal belongings these days. If you’re doing it yourself, it’ll take a full day to pack each room, and two days for a kitchen or the garage. Unpacking and setting up things will also take almost the same amount of time.

Because of the boring and time consuming task of moving home, most people feel that it takes over one month’s time to move and settle in a new home. In this difficult scenario, taking help from professional home cleaners who manage move cleans perfectly will be a great relief. In such case, you need not to worry about the hassles of moving, at least in the cleaning process which is the most important one.  Make move clean a stress-free and safe experience.

Busy professionals, young families with newborns, and the elderly people, all find it unavoidable to call an affordable house cleaner to help them while moving house.  This will significantly reduce the time it takes to organise your new residence, so you can start comfortably living there much sooner.

Select Cleaning Advantage

The home cleaners at Select Cleaning are fully insured, security checked and owner operated, so you need not worry about anything at all.   Moreover, they have been given adequate training on latest home cleaning tactics.

Though extremely unlikely, but if at all it happens that the house cleaning does not meet your standards for any reasons, Select Cleaning ensures that the home cleaner will be sent again to rectify the situation until you are satisfied. Keep your home shipshape! Request a no obligation free quote to get the very best service directly from the franchise owner by calling on: 0800 000 907. 

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

How to Solve Your Home Cleaning Headaches

If you can devote some time daily for house cleaning, the task may not pile up to become a massive cleaning project for you! Schedule your home cleaning task on a daily to weekly basis as per the checklist given below-

A better plan is to do the cleaning process from room to room. Cut the work done on the cleaning list as you finish cleaning each room. You can also delegate the cleaning task to members of the family including children to give them some responsibility in the overall house cleaning process. As you detail one room for each family member, your cleaning task will also get quickly finished.

Daily Vacuum the Areas that Have More Traffic

You need to daily vacuum only the common areas, not every room in the house. The living room, and the dining and kitchen area where most of the members spend more time has to be vacuumed every day to keep the area clean and hygienic.  Floor carpets also need daily cleaning especially when there are children and pets around.

Here’s a Weekly Task List for Your Home Cleaning

The checklist for weekly cleaning will contain a long list of tasks. Here you’ll have to take a decision whether to do it yourself or call a home cleaning service provider. If you have the time and inclination to do it, well and good; just follow the procedures mentioned in the following paragraphs. However, if you want to relax on a nice weekend going for a picnic or visiting some friends, you can detail the task to a responsible home cleaner in New Zealand and see a fresh and glittering home when you come back!

Some of the important weekly home cleaning tasks are given below:

1. Vacuuming All the Areas in the House

Vacuum clean all carpet, wooden or stone floors, rugs and their underside, your curtains, and wherever you can do the vacuuming. When you vacuum wooden floors or curtains ensure to use appropriate attachments to the machine so that it’ll work properly. Vacuuming curtains is followed by many people as it’ll remove some dirt and dust, by which you can prolong the washing cycle.  

2. Cleaning the Toilet

Not the kind of job for everybody, but if you don’t particularly dislike it you can manage it with a quality cleaning product. Apply the cleaner to the toilet bowl, its sides and under the rim, and wait for sometime before cleaning it. Use a strong toilet brush to remove stains. Use separate brushes for toilet bowl cleaning and the floor cleaning. Remove stubborn stains from floor and wall tiles using separate cleaner if required.

If you hate toilet cleaning, you can assign this particular task to a home cleaning company in New Zealand. Remember, a professional cleaner can do it the best way in a hygienic manner!

Same points are applicable for cleaning the bath and showers too. Here you’ll encounter soap scum and mould build-ups in addition to stubborn stains.                                                

3. Refrigerator Cleaning

Regularly remove any food items or vegetables that are past their ‘use by’ date- Now you may ask how to identify it? Of course, you can manage it by smelling and seeing! Take out anything that is getting musty, anything that smells bad, or anything that’s visibly rotten. This will save you enough space and also make the inside of the fridge healthy and hygienic.

Everybody will agree that house cleaning is a very tedious task. It can take away your precious time and energy even if you’re not employed. You can solve this issue by calling a professional house cleaner occasionally for full cleaning, and regularly for particular cleaning tasks such as kitchen cleaning, oven cleaning, toilet cleaning etc.

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.