How to Ensure Improved Air Quality in Your Home

As per a press release published on 24 February, 2016, the Clean Air Society of Australia and New Zealand (CASANZ) expressed its grave concern about the proposed cutbacks to climate and related environmental research in CSIRO, especially in the Oceans & Atmosphere unit. This shows the importance of reducing air pollution to control global warming and climate change. However, never assume that air pollution is something happening outdoors only! In fact, the air inside our homes or offices is more polluted than the air outdoors.

So, let’s make it a priority to make the air inside our homes cleaner and healthier. How to improve the air quality in our homes is an important topic today as most of us spend almost 80 % of our time indoors- for children and elderly people, this percentage will be higher! Poor air quality can cause allergies, lung diseases, and even cancer.

The air inside your home may not be that clean as you assume. There can be chemicals, moulds and dust mites, which are very harmful to health. Tests have proved that the air quality in common households is affected by chemicals such as formaldehyde, fire-retardants, radon, and even the fragrances used by conventional home cleaners which emit volatile chemicals.

Remedial Measures to Keep Air Quality High

If you don’t take the services of a professional home cleaner once in a while, the situation will turn worse as harmful chemicals generated from unclean mattress, furniture, and carpets will affect everybody’s health in your home.  Dampness caused by water leaks, insufficient ventilation, and improper home cleaning could give rise to the growth of mould and dust mites which can aggravate Asthma and related ailments.

You need not to get panic because maintaining good air quality in your home is not that difficult! Let’s consider some tips to get the best quality clean air in your home:

1. Keep Your Floors Clean

Most of the chemicals and allergens in your home air come from the floor as people or pets move about. Cleaning the floor hygienically is the foremost step to improve air quality. While using a vacuum cleaner, use protective filters which can lessen the presence of lead and other harmful chemicals and allergens. 

There are several sources of formaldehyde chemical in your house including glue, plywood, particle board, paper product coatings etc. Use proper air cleaners to remove all presence of this harmful chemical.

After vacuuming, mopping is necessary to pick up further concentration of dust, dirt and allergens. Perfectly clean all door mats also.

However, remember that you can never attain the level of cleanliness a professional home cleaner can bring forth.

2. Keep Humidity under Control

If humidity is more in your home, then there will be large colonies of dust mite and higher percentage of mould growth. Take advice from a well known home cleaner or maintenance expert to keep humidity under allowed limits.

Good ventilation protects both your health and your home. Include the basement also in your home's ventilation strategy to minimise humidity and keep the air fresh.

3. Service the Furnace on Time

Furnace can be the villain spoiling the quality of your air. Call certified professionals to service and clean your furnace annually. Also remember to replace the filter on a monthly basis or as directed by the cleaning experts.

Professional home cleaning can improve quality of life by removing pollutants and harmful chemicals in your homes.

4. Make Your Home a No-smoking Zone

Second-hand cigarette smoke contributes greatly to indoor air pollution as it contains over 4,000 chemicals. So it’s clear why smoking causes the deterioration of your home’s air quality!

5. Refresh the Indoor Air

Get proper ventilation by opening all the windows for a few hours. Let the fresh air come in and the stale air go out. Rather than using artificial air fresheners, just use sliced lemons and baking soda to get a clean scent. Indoor plants can also act as natural air purifiers. Use them as advised by experts.

A little more care from your end in house maintenance and taking timely help from home cleaning professionals can reduce the levels of pollutants in the air and keep your home healthy. Call your favourite home cleaner in New Zealand on 0800 000 907 to check and ensure that hundred percent cleanliness is maintained in your home.

How to Handle Chocolate Stains on Clothes, Upholstery and Carpets

Festive occasions and day-to-day events can cause chocolate stains on your costly clothes, furniture & upholstery, or carpets.

Chocolate stain is not an easy customer! It’s called a combination stain. With a variety of ingredients such as proteins, sugar, fats and oil, and tannins, chocolates easily get absorbed into clothe fabrics and become very difficult to remove. If not handled properly, these stubborn stains can spoil your upholstery, clothes and carpets.

Chocolate Stains on Clothing

For clothes with ‘dry wash only’ labels, never attempt to try DIY tips to clean chocolate stains - you’ll have to call a professional cleaning company to do the stain removal in such cases.  

Use the following chocolate stain removal method on washable clothes:

Put the cloth in a polythene bag and place it inside the fridge for 20 minutes. The polythene or plastic bag is used to avoid the cloth getting stained by other substances in the refrigerator. Once the cloth is cold enough, take it out and gently scrape away maximum amount of the chocolate stain with a scraping tool or steel ruler. Wipe as much of the excess chocolate as you can, but always make sure that you’re not pushing the stain deeper into the fibres.  

Next, apply some dishwashing detergent on the chocolate stain and wait for 10 minutes. Now put the cloth in the washing machine and run a normal washing cycle. You may repeat the process two or three times till all the traces of chocolate is removed.

Chocolate Stains on Furniture & Upholstery

Using a small plastic spoon, you can scrape off any sticking chocolate flakes from the upholstery.

Take a container and add 2 cups of water. Mix it with one tablespoon of liquid dishwashing powder. Dip a clean cloth in the detergent liquid you just made. Use this dampened cloth to slowly remove the chocolate stain on the upholstery or furniture starting from the outer edge of the stain. Repeat the dampening of the stain and removal processes till the stain is removed fully.

Next, dip a cloth piece in clean water and then use it to sponge the stain affected area. And finally dry the area by wiping with a dry cloth. 

If the stain is very tough, you may also try putting 2-3 drops of a dry-cleaning solvent directly onto the stained area. After a few minutes, blot the affected area using a dry cloth several times to see that the stain has been fully removed. 

Chocolate Stains on Carpets

If your carpet is stained from a bar of chocolate, it can be termed as dry stain because there is not much liquid involved. In this situation, we can first vacuum the stained area to remove maximum amount of chocolate. But while vacuuming, ensure not to use the beater brush on your carpet because it may grind the stain into your carpet. Instead, use the upholstery attachment to the vacuum cleaner and just make use of the suction of the vacuum to pick up loose chocolate specks and bits.

However, if the stain is caused by wet chocolate, never use the vacuum method.

Next step is to use a towel dipped in cold water to sponge and blot the stain, starting from the outside of the stain and moving towards its centre area. And finally, use a laundry detergent and repeat the sponge and blot processes to completely remove all traces of chocolate stain from your carpet.

So, the chocolate stain removal from the carpet, furniture & upholstery or your clothes is not that crazy difficult to deal with. It can be done in simple easy steps. And let there be Easter, Christmas or any other party time, you can have the last laugh as you know how to remove the chocolate stains now!

The Benefit of Calling Experienced Home Cleaning Professionals

Use effective, naturally-derived, non-toxic home cleaning products as much as possible for home cleaning. The house cleaning charges vary from $15 to $25 per hour in Australia/New Zealand. However, never believe the cheap home cleaning services as they may compromise on quality.

Do you find it difficult to clean your house and the premises because of busy work schedule? Don’t worry; we have many years of experience in dedicated house cleaning in New Zealand and Australia, and can help you out. Book a home cleaning task online today or call us now on 0800 000 907 for a free quote.

DIF Tips to Clean Thermal Backed Curtains in Your Home

We all have faced problems associated with mould in our homes when there were lapses in our home cleaning and maintenance practices.  You might have noticed that mould attacks more during winter and rainy seasons. Mould is irritating and smelly and can cause serious health and respiratory problems for you and your family members.

If you happen to see mould build-up on your window curtains, don’t panic; we can show you how to remove it using simple home remedies. However, if you have allergies, asthma or related respiratory illnesses, never forget to wear a mask while cleaning mould affected curtains. If your health issues are complicated, we recommend calling professional house cleaners to remove the mould.

When You Can Clean the Curtain in a Washing Machine

You can use a delicate washing cycle in the washing machine if both your curtain and its thermal linings are fabric material. Add some soap powder or liquid soap into the warm water in the washing machine. When the soap fully dissolves, put your curtain in the washing machine and make a normal wash cycle without letting the machine to spin. Once the washing cycle is over, fill the laundry tub with water and rinse well.

Now take out the curtain and hang it straight on the clothesline, don’t fold. Don’t use clothespins to hang curtains, always use the curtain hooks. You should double check to ensure that the thermal lines are not touching each other. If there was more dirt in the first curtain piece you washed, then you’ll have to drain the washing machine and refill with fresh water. Otherwise use same water for two or three curtains till the water gets dirty.

When the Curtain Needs to Be Hand-washed for Mould Removal

Remember, if you use washing machine to clean your curtains which are thermally backed/patterned thermal fabric, be cautious, you could spoil the show and damage your curtains beyond repair. If you act carelessly, the thermal lining in the curtains can get stuck together and damage it. If you try to untangle the linings, they’ll just peel off. 

So, use the following cleaning methods to safeguard your curtain:

First vacuum the curtains, or try shaking the curtains to remove dust, dirt, and loose mould spores. You may use this opportunity to give the windows also a quick wipe with a microfiber cloth and plain water after you have removed the curtains. Ensure to wash the hooks, strings and other attachments before fitting the curtains back.

Condition 1

If you notice that the mould has affected only the base and corners of the curtain, then do the following.  Mix half a cup of white vinegar with one cup of warm water and pour it into a spray bottle. Mix well and spray the cleaning liquid on the traces of mould. Wait for 20 minutes and wipe the area with a plain cloth to remove the mould.

Condition 2

If mould is spotted at many areas of the curtain, get it hand washed perfectly. Put the curtain in a bathtub with water and 1 cup of vinegar. Wash it carefully without spoiling the thermal lines. If the wet thermal material (coating) starts to stick to itself, then it’s difficult to save your costly curtain.

Now, take out the curtain from the bathtub and hang it to dry in a straight position without folding. You may also spread it flat over a clothes horse. The drying should be done in a well ventilated area, and on a sunny breezy day, it’ll be quick to dry without getting damaged.   

Prevention is Better than Cure

Even after washing properly, you may find mild traces of mould stain in the curtain as it’s not possible to completely wash away the whole mould presence. However, you can be rest assured that the washing will ensure the mould spores are dead and won’t grow any further. Again, consider the saying that prevention is better than cure. Make sure that your windows don’t suffer from condensation and that the conditions for mould growth are always avoided.

Call professional house cleaners for weekly, bi-weekly, monthly or occasional home cleaning to get everything done efficiently and thoroughly. This will prevent cleaning issues such as mould and mildew, stains etc.

How to Safely Plan Your First Home Buying

Buying your first home needs careful planning and important budgeting too. Here are some useful points for you to keep in mind while planning for the total cost of buying a home that covers insurance, mortgage, legal and other fees etc.

• Saving for a deposit on a first home
• Choosing what and where to buy
• Getting a mortgage on a first home
• Moving-in costs
• Ongoing costs
• Where to go for help

Initial Deposit Needed When Buying a First Home

Lenders in the country make it mandatory that you’ll have a deposit of at least 20% of the amount you’re borrowing. For example, you should have around $120,000 when planning to buy a house for $600,000.  Also enquire about the Welcome Home Loan Scheme, which stipulates a saving deposit of only 10%. Here we have to remember that if there is more money in your deposit, you need to pay less interest. So plan your budget accordingly to save maximum. The cuts you make on your household expenditure are worth for the cause as you are going to have your own home!

Choosing What and Where to Buy

Choose your house wisely. Reliable real estate websites can be searched to find out how much properties are worth in different places.

If you want to purchase a property as an investment, as well as a place to live, first consideration should be about resale or rental potential. Check out the interest rates of the banks in such case.

Other points to consider are transportation facility, distance to schools & hospitals, and feasibility of rental market.

Getting Mortgage on a First Home                                  

Be careful and cautious while choosing a mortgage because the interest rate, fees and degree of flexibility varies with different types of mortgages. Over time, repayments could add up to a lot more than the cost of the home. Better to use the servicers of a qualified mortgage broker and get all the mortgage legal formalities checked by a lawyer before buying your first home.

Check Builders' Reports and Land Information Memorandum (LIM)

Before you put all your investment on a home loan, make sure that you’re getting a safe home. Get a builder’s report which will help you to find out if there are existing flaws with your house building structure. Same way get LIM through the local council or your lawyer to know about possible problems with the land where the house is built. LIM will contain information on drainage issues or landslip risks, if any.

Take a Note of Other Costs Involved  

Other than the basic requirement of the ten or twenty percent deposit, you need to have funds for moving-in costs such as house moving services or truck hire, renovations or additional purchases for the new home, legal service and builder’s reports etc. And also take into account ongoing costs such as insurance, rates etc. As a first homeowner you become a ratepayer. Stipulated by local councils, rates include charges to cover the cost of things like roads, water supply, sewerage and parks, amounting to thousands of dollars a year.

Regarding insurance payment, there are house and contents insurance, life insurance and mortgage repayment insurance. The Lenders Mortgage Insurance is not for the homeowner, it covers only the bank in the event of non repayment of the loan from your end. If you’re buying an apartment, insurance for the building will normally be included in the annual body corporate fee that’ll also contain costs for maintaining common areas etc. Anyway, there will be contents insurance that you’ll have to manage separately.

Remember the Affordability Criteria
Once you are committed to a home loan, your regular home budget won’t be the same again! You’ll have to compromise certain things as you are going to possess a very big asset in your life- your beautiful, happy home! Include all the above said costs into your total budget, and do a thorough calculation to see if you can afford the house you’re going to purchase. Good to consult a lawyer before you proceed further.

This information is brought to you by the research wing of Select Home Cleaning, providing regular home cleaning, seasonal cleaning and move-in and move-out house cleaning etc. 

Home Cleaning and Maintenance Diary for Every Household- Tips, FAQs and More!

Keeping your house well maintained can be related to the servicing of your car- if not done at regular intervals, you’ll have to face costly repairs in both cases!

If possible, keep a house maintenance calendar at home where you can write down easy maintenance works for scheduled tasks such as weekly, monthly, and quarterly cleaning. Another option is to call a house cleaning service provider for professionally doing such scheduled tasks.

Three Things to Remember for Proper Home Maintenance:

• Test the functioning of your water heater’s temperature and pressure relief valve once in a while. This can minimise the chance of a leak caused by mineral and corrosion build up in the water heater.  This way the water heater will run more efficiently, decreasing your energy bills.
• One point people often forget is about changing the batteries in smoke/carbon monoxide detectors. This can cost you dearly in case of an accident. So replace the batteries every six months and make a note of it in your home maintenance diary.
• Another important point to remember is to vacuum your refrigerator coils if you’re using the older versions. Only a good refrigerator mechanic will tell you this because many are unaware of the fact that dusty coils will not radiate heat easily and thus the machine will use more electricity to cool your stuff.

FAQs on Home Cleaning, and Replies by Select Cleaning Professionals

Here are a few frequently asked questions by clients and our answers... If some of your questions haven't been covered here, send us an email, or call us to get your doubts cleared. 

How can I get a quote or book for a home cleaning service?

You can get your free quote by calling us on 0800 000 907 or by simply submitting a form on our website with relevant details for a no-obligation free quote. We’ll revert back the same day. We guarantee a spick-and-span kitchen, living room or bath area after our professional house cleaning service.

Do you clean in my area?

We provide house cleaning services in Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington & Christchurch, New Zealand.

If you live outside of the above places and still would like to get Select Cleaning standards, we may still be able to help you directly or can get the work done by some reputable house cleaning services in your local area.

Should I provide cleaning equipments and products to my cleaner?

You need not to- we are a well established home cleaning company in New Zealand and have all the state-of-the-art cleaning equipment and quality products.

What services do you offer and what not?

At Select Cleaning, we do normal regular inside cleaning of homes.  We also do spring cleaning and moving cleans but do not do steam cleaning, carpet cleaning, ceiling cleaning, and window cleaning.  Those cleaning works they don’t do, they can arrange to have them done for you.

Are your home cleaners pet-friendly?

Yes of course. Our cleaning professionals are pet friendly as they have been given adequate training on how to treat dogs, cats and other pets in your home. We give the care, love and respect your pets need. However, if any of your pet is aggressive and may obstruct the cleaner’s work, please inform us in advance and ensure that the pet is well secured and kept away from the cleaning area.

Suppose if there is additional job other than specified, would you do it?

Sure, we can help. Please inform us the requirement and we’ll give you an extra quote for it and the cleaner will do the needful.

Do I need to be at home while you clean? Can I trust the cleaner you send?

You need not to be available in the cleaning location. You may go out for a walk or go for a weekend picnic while our responsible cleaners manage the house cleaning task. It's thus your choice to stay around or not.  From our side we can give guarantee that our expert home cleaners are security checked and police verified and so there won’t be any security or safety issues.

Do you have any guarantee for the home cleaning task? What happens if we’re not happy with the home cleaning you provided?

Please contact your cleaner immediately if you have any concerns about the quality of the cleaning. They’ll guarantee to fix any problems on the next visit or you will get the next clean for free.

Visit Select Home Cleaning website or talk to their office executives or cleaning professionals on 0800 000 907 for clearing any queries or for obtaining an obligation free home cleaning quotation. 

More Tips on Autumn House Cleaning and Gardening Activities

Falling autumn leaves can create havoc in your home drainage system. Autumn water blocks and related issues can be solved if you take gutter cleaning seriously- timely inspection of gutters and roof is important, need not to spend much time for this. If the gutters and drains are blocked, and roofs show signs of wear and tear, it can cause water to seep into your house foundation, wall cavities etc., affecting the security of the concrete structure. Installing gutter guards is highly recommended.

Check your fireplace thoroughly and get it cleaned and repaired by experts to prevent chimney fires and carbon monoxide poisoning. This can happen with wood-burning fireplace.

Rearrange your furniture and bookshelves etc. to allow or restrict more air into your home by blocking or freeing windows and air passages as per the outside temperature. While re-ordering, take some time to dust out the furniture and bookshelves.

Autumn Window Cleaning

Here is a nice DIY window cleaning method. Use a bucket half filled with water. Pour a cup of methylated spirits into the bucket and stir well. Take some of this mixture into a spray bottle and spray on windows while wiping with a squeegee. Once cleaned, polish the windows with a paper towel. Using newspapers for cleaning is not advisable as the printing ink has a latex base which may make smear marks on the window glass.

Shape Up and Organise Your Wardrobe

An autumn clean is exactly the right time to organise your wardrobe, all the way streamlining your huge clothing storage. Remove less used garments. Think of charity or some garage sale or Kidspot Market to dispose of staunchly unworn clothing that belongs to you, the children or other members of the family. Do the same process to your linen cupboard also. Keep the most used items on shelves at eye-level for easy pick up, and move the rest to higher shelves.

Put Your Bathroom Cabinet in Order

De-clutter the cabinet- check out the cosmetics, soap, oil etc. and remove those items which are untouched for long.  If you call professional bathroom cleaners on a regular basis then there won’t be much to do for autumn cleaning too! Otherwise it could be a Herculean task ahead.

Make Your Kitchen Neat and Tidy

Have the kitchen cleaned out and the cupboards washed inside out for autumn by a home cleaning company. The refrigerator, ovens, dishwasher etc. also should get some professional cleaning by skilled technicians.  

Gardening and Outdoor Cleaning Tips

Autumn is the best time to keep your outdoor area well maintained!

Before winter peeps in, it’s necessary to do a few seasonal extras to your cleaning list to prepare your home exterior for the winter. Drain and store garden hoses, lest they get spoiled in winter. Give a close look to the painting and do the touch up wherever required. Drain the pool and close it up after seeking advice from experts.

Clean all outdoor furniture and garage, in addition to drains and gutter cleaning. And have a closer look into the garden! If you grow lot of vegetables, clean up is required in Autumn. Remove all piled up green waste and garden rubbish, and replant the winter crops after cleaning tubs and planters and refreshing and conditioning the soil. Grow new plants from stem cutting as Autumn is the best time for tip cuttings from your favourite shrubs.

Trim the hedges, shrubs and wall-trained bushes to shape. Cut off dead branches of trees in order to avoid them falling during a winter storm and causing damage.

Spray the weed killers on your lawn. Use a garden fork to aerate the lawn and sprinkle some lime over it to sweeten the soil. Give suitable autumn feeding in tired lawns so as to prepare them for the winter months.

Call Only Well Known House Cleaners

We are daily watching many media reports about unlicensed home cleaners with poor workmanship and unscrupulous behaviour. You can avoid this experience by depending only on reputed cleaning companies. Also search the internet for reliable home cleaners in your locality and visit their websites to read testimonials and also to have a feel of their work culture and quality.

Removing Blood Stains from Clothes, Carpet and Upholstery- DIY Tips

Blood Stains on Fabric: 

What would you do if blood stain occurred on costly clothing?

If the stain is fresh and wet, soak the cloth in cold water and apply some soap. Rub the stained area gently with the soap and wash properly. If the stain doesn’t go completely, put some hydrogen peroxide on the stained area and wash the cloth with a brush applying slight pressure. If the blood stain has already dried when you saw it, first brush the area to remove the surface deposit. Then soak the affected area with some quality stain removal product. Lastly, apply diluted ammonia on the stain and wash the cloth.

On Carpets:

People have a general tendency to immediately rub the stain as soon as it happens! Never do it as it’ll cause the stain to spread further. What you should do is to blot/sponge the stain with a clean white cloth.  The right way is to press down the cloth on to the stain and remove as much blood as possible.

When you see that the stain has spread to a larger area, start blotting from the edges first and move towards the centre to avoid the stain keep spreading.

If the stain is not fresh, use a toothbrush to dust out the outer layer of dried blood. Soak the area with two cups of cold water mixed with one spoon of dishwashing detergent. Use a white cloth to blot the stain. Switch on a fan and allow the strong airflow to dry the carpet.

On Upholstery:

Your guests’ looks always fall on the upholstery whether you like it or not! Even a slight trace of stains will be noticed as upholstery forms elegant decor piece in your home. Try the following method to keep your upholstery in good shape and quality, free from blood stains.

If you see blood stains on the upholstery, never rub it as it’ll only help to spread the stain deep into the fabric. If the stain is fresh and wet, blot or sponge the stain with a pure white cloth. As said earlier, try to blot the stain first from its periphery and slowly get into the centre.

If the stain happened to be old and dry, first scratch it gently with a brush and then do the steps mentioned below.

After removing the initial traces of stain, more thorough cleaning is required. Soak the stained spot with a cup of cold water mixed with half a spoon club soda. Again blot the stained area using a clean, white cloth. Continue blotting the surface till last traces of blood have come out.

Now to lighten the stain further, do the following. Prepare a mixture of 80% water, 10% glycerin, and 10% laundry detergent in a bowl. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle and shake well. Apply this mixture on the stained spot and gently scrub in a circular motion.

Once the stain has been completely removed, pour cold water onto the area, and pat dry with a towel. The mixture of glycerine you just prepared will remain in good condition for a longer time, so preserve it for future blood stain removal.

There are chances that rough methods of blood stain removal by inexperienced hands may damage or discolour your clothes, carpet, or upholstery. Always consult a carpet cleaning specialist if you’re not sure about the stain removal process.

You can also contact Select Home Cleaning Company who can arrange professionals from their friends’ circles to help you out. They are affordable and reputed home cleaners you can trust. Also get your home sparkle clean with Select Cleaning service. Their cleaners consider their client’s home as their own and extend high quality approach to each customer. That’s why Select Cleaning Company has a full customers’ satisfaction guarantee whereby they don’t stop cleaning till you are satisfied.