Home Cleaning and Maintenance Tips from the Professionals

Routine Home Maintenance Checks

You should remember that there are some home maintenance tasks that may cause bigger trouble or even worse, cost you big money, if you don’t check them in a timely manner.

• Sump Pump – If they are not routinely checked (at least every six months) for their functionality, you may face frequent flooding in your basement.
• Water Pressure gauge - Check for high water pressure in your house water pipe lines. If it’s more, fixtures and appliances may get affected.  
• Weep holes - Check and clean window weep holes at times. If they are clogged, rainwater will enter your house.
• Heaters -Routinely drain sediment from your water heater, if there is a provision.
• Garage - Lubricate the garage door-springs occasionally for smooth functioning.

Daily Home Organising Tasks

Here are 5 things you should do every day to keep your house clean, organized and germ-free.

1. Effective decluttering: Put things in order as and when you see them strewn all over the place. Keep bins, baskets and cubbies at convenient places so that everything in your house has a proper place.  

When children and others in the house come to know that everything has a place to go and you do replace them regularly, they will also have a tendency to place things back to its place.

2. Properly arranging the paperworks: Proper handling of all physical mails such as forms, letters, bills, reports etc. - if done efficiently, you won’t face the issue of getting them accumulated on the countertops, bedroom tables etc.

3. Keep countertops neat & clean: You should ensure that all the sinks and countertops are wiped down at least once daily- the ones in the kitchen may require frequent cleaning as the need arises. This will avoid any crusty gunk accumulating around the edges of the sink, behind the faucets, and in or around the drain. This gets rid of colonies of germs settling in your kitchen.

If you can manage washing the dishes daily, it’ll be a great advantage. Washed dishes, clean countertops and sinks all create a good feel of cleanliness everywhere.

4. Take out the trash: Make it a habit to take out the kitchen trash every night. This will not only keeps harmful bacteria and bad smell away, but also makes your house seem cleaner in the next day morning...

Good to try this to have a fresh smell near the trash: drop a dryer sheet into the bottom of the empty can before you put in the new bag.

5. Sweep the floors: A clean floor is what adds up to the overall cleanliness of your home.  You need not to vacuum daily, but dust out and sweep the floor whenever you can.

It’s good to add two more points to those daily things to do: Always make your bed and keep a clean kitchen sink. You may not have much time to clean but these tips give the appearance of an orderly, clean home.

Bathroom Cleaning

Use clever tricks to remove soap scum from your bath area.  It’s not that easy to get rid of soap scum if you don’t follow instructions from an expert home cleaner.  Soap scum forms a tough film on tiles in tub and showers and won’t get removed by rubbing alone. Use a plastic putty knife to scrape off the scum when the surface is dry. If you are okay, you may use synthetic soaps which don’t form scum.

Cleaning and Maintaining Stone Floors

Natural stone surfaces are delicate and porous too. Marble is softer than granite, and so it is very easily etched by acids and citric juices. Even water drops left after mopping can cause water stains on marble.

If a spill occurred, quickly blot the spill to minimise their absorption into the stone’s inner layers. Place doormats at all entrances to minimise dirt and other particles lingering to the stone floors. Also ensure to dry up marble floors with a towel after cleaning. If you leave the floors to air dry, there are chances that the marble may get water spots and stains.

Never use strong detergents for cleaning marble or other natural stone floors. The chemical content in the detergent could harm the stone and also dull the polished surface. Always use the gentlest methods to clean marble and other delicate stone surfaces. Consult a stone restoration specialist or a reliable home cleaning company in New Zealand for tips to maintain stone floors and counters.

Quick Home Cleaning Checklist and DIY Cleaning Tips

While cleaning our homes, we have a tendency to leave those hard-to-reach areas, thinking we’ll look at it later. But the problem is that we normally fail to come back to clean those dusty spots! Professional home cleaners have appropriate tools and equipment for cleaning inaccessible places such as ceiling fans, walls and ceiling, place under the bed, and so on. 

Making a cleaning schedule for your home is a great idea. Manage the cleaning works efficiently one day at a time with some useful daily and weekly tips we will give you in this article. Once these tasks are executed in a timely manner, you can freely enjoy the weekends with your beloved family. 

Daily Cleaning Chores:

• Do dishes
• Collect all trash
• Wipe down all hard surfaces like wood or natural stone
• Do a quick pick up

Weekly Cleaning Tasks:

• Sweep, mop and dust
• Do laundry
• Clean stoves and microwave
• Scrub shower and tubs

If you do all those cleaning chores not in an orderly manner, it’ll consume more time and energy. Cleaning as per the given schedule is so much easier and don’t need more than half an hour daily to finish the cleaning task- the main advantage here is that the weekends are free for relaxing and family get together! 

However, setting the house cleaning schedule is entirely up to you as per your special needs. In addition to the daily and weekly schedule mentioned, there are spacialised cleaning (like oven cleaning, fridge cleaning, BBQ cleaning etc.) and seasonal cleaning to keep your home spick-and-span.   Keeping your refrigerator, dishwasher and oven pristine, hygienic and sweet smelling is the foremost thing in kitchen cleaning. 

DIY Home Cleaning & Maintenance Tips

Rather than purchasing costly bathroom cleaners, think about natural home products. Warm a cup of vinegar and mix it with a cup of dish soap. Pour the solution into a spray bottle and you can use this excellent cleaner on tiles and shower doors. Better result can be achieved if you can allow the solution to sit on the tiles overnight, and then clean the next day morning. 

Remove pet hair out of the carpets with a rubber squeegee. It’s more effective and an energy saver method as you need not to run the vacuum cleaner.  

How many times we lost our temper untangling mixed cords and cables! Just cut the coil cords and cables into shorter lengths, and place those into rolls (to keep them separated) made out of finished paper towel, aluminium foil and plastic wrap rolls.  

You can make enough magazine-holder style containers from empty cereal boxes. Use those handy containers now on the study desk of your children, or as your bill holders! 

How to save the cleaning time for your microwave? Heat a small bowl of vinegar in your microwave oven for 5 minutes. Now switch off the microwave and clean it efficiently. The steam of vinegar loosens grime and dry food particles for easy clean up. 

Here’s an easy way to remove static cling from newly washed clothes. Use a couple of dryer balls of aluminium foil to prevent static in laundry. Comparatively they’re much cheaper than dryer sheets.

Use an old toothbrush to brush out dirty spots around spa bath button displays, taps or hinges on toilets etc. 

Professional Home Cleaning

For professional cleaning, you need to choose a standard cleaning package that best suits your requirements. For this, consult with the best home cleaners in New Zealand. 

Common laundry detergents contain fillers that are left behind on your clothes. You may be facing problems with hard water causing lime and calcium deposits on kitchen and bathroom sinks and fixtures. Rust is another issue- it’ll create stains on taps, drains and tiles. To prevent these issues, always use quality cleaning products made with natural ingredients and recommended by professional home cleaning specialists. 

Regarding environment protection, Select Home Cleaning Company doesn’t pretend to be perfect, but they do their best by reviewing procedures and choosing the most appropriate products. Once you ordered a home cleaning task, they’ll come up on time with all the tools, equipment and quality cleaning products – so, it’s no botheration for you and you may even go for shopping or picnic while these security-checked professionals clean your home exceeding your expectations.

Minor Home Maintenance Tasks You Need to Do to Avoid Costly Repairs Later

If you give a little care, you can hear and see signs of potential problems your house gives out as and when some problem occurs. Attend to minor repairs then and there, and avoid the costly repairs later on. For example, serious water damage to your house can be avoided by finding out and repairing clogged gutters and drains, and water leaks anywhere in the house. Same way the life of your appliances and systems can be extended through timely maintenance.

Home Maintenance Checklist - Indoors

If you notice peeling of paints in a room wall, take it seriously. It may be caused by a steamy bathroom or a leaking gutter. If you’re not a technical kind of person, better to call a home cleaning or plumbing expert to check and rectify the problem.   

Does your house creak and groan at night? Creak and groan sounds can be heard as the whole house is cooling down and everything is quiet at night. These mild sounds caused due to temperature fluctuations and with changes in levels of humidity can be ignored. However, if a creaky floor is really disturbing, apply some talcum powder into the seams where hardwood floor boards rub together. The powder acts as lubricant and reduces the noise.

Flush out the water heater to remove all the sediment. Bleed radiators in the hot-water heating system (ensure that the water is not hot when you do it). Vacuum and clean refrigerator coils.

Check for any leaks in the kitchen and bath fixtures and cabinets. Do regrouting and recaulking shower and kitchen tiles in time to avoid water damage. The cracked grout lines on your kitchen counters also should be redone.  Change the washer of leaky water taps whenever you see it.

Outdoors Home Maintenance Tasks

Thoroughly clean the windows, balcony doors and the patio furniture, and seal them with weatherstripping.  Check the caulk on the outside window frame and replace seals and weatherstripping, if required. The patio and balcony furniture are to be stored during the harsh weather.

Check roof, chimney and around vents for leaks. Ensure that the vents are not blocked by pests.  There may be pests hiding in the chimney also, so clean it professionally. Also check for bricks and mortar falling apart inside the chimney.

Your patio can become a spreadsheet of stains and dirt! First declutter the area. Then remove weeds using a garden knife; you may also use weed killer sprays. Clean and reseal outdoor stone tiles at least once in a year, and for the timber surfaces apply sanding and recoating in every one and half years.  Use pressure washing if the patio is too dirty with stubborn stains. Remember to consult professionals because different cleaning solutions are to be used for stone and concrete patios.

Yard and garden cleanups: Prune and maintain trees and shrubs closer than 3 inches from your house. The garden tools are to be cleaned and stored during the winter period. You can prevent rusting of the tools by putting them in a bucket of sand.

Properly clean gutters and downpipes, removing leaves, twigs and dirt. Debris has to be removed before and after winter season. Leaks and backed up water from debris will cause corrosion, leading to costly repairs afterwards. Use a ladder in good condition to reach the roof and be very cautious of slippery roof while you go for cleaning or inspection.

How to Get Reliable Home Maintenance Professionals

You can take the services of local contractors to do outdoor cleaning. Select Home Cleaning Company can refer trustworthy, prescreened contractors in your area if you come within our home cleaning service areas in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Tauranga and Hamilton. Stay tuned to the Select Cleaning website for homeowners’ indoor and outdoor maintenance and cleaning guidelines. This will help you to keep your home in tip-top shape.

Importance of Seasonal Home Cleaning and Maintenance

With the arrival of chilly weather, there sure will be the spread of winter germs in your home. So, what should you do to escape from this menace?!

Prevention is better than cure! In addition to regular cleaning, proper home maintenance should also be ensured on a seasonal basis. You may be finding it difficult to combine household chores and home maintenance works.   

Get your home in great shape with professional home maintenance practice. This includes taking the services of experts such as home cleaners, plumbers etc.  occasionally so as to avoid something major goes wrong in your home.

Did you know that there are less chances of catching colds and flu if your home is well cleaned and kept hygienic during the winter?! 

Tips for Keeping Your Home Germs Free

Your dishwasher can be a source of fungi and black yeast. So don’t believe the myth that dishwasher need not to be cleaned because it’s a Washer!  Thoroughly clean the inside of a dishwasher by running it empty with a cup of vinegar on the top rack -  Clean it like this at least once in a month to decrease the presence of germs.  

If you use gloves for cleaning, remember that they can be very unhygienic if proper care is not given. Change the gloves frequently and ensure that they are kept clean and dry when not in use. Cleaning can be done by putting the gloves in a basin with vinegar and detergent.  This is to make sure that bacteria growth in the gloves is well under control.

If you have gas heating, and not yet serviced the gas hot water and gas heater during autumn, do it now on an urgent basis. This is to prevent gas leakages in the heater, and ensure its smooth functioning throughout the winter when you need it the most.  Take the services of a licensed plumber during summer for maintenance checks so that there will be fewer issues in winter. Release the hot water system valves to reduce pressure and inspect the sacrificial anode rod and replace it if required during summer checks. If you had done these summer checks and servicing on your hot water supply, then there won’t be any further problems in winter.

It doesn’t matter whether you use a wooden or a plastic cutting board- provided it’s cleaned regularly. Plastic boards can be washed in a dishwasher set to approx. 60°C. Bacteria growth in wooden boards is very less, so normal cleaning will suffice.

The most used and frequently touched  items in the house such as door knobs,  light switches, and electronic items like computer keyboards, mouse and TV remote, etc. are to be wiped clean twice or thrice in a month.  Some studies have proved that these items contain more harmful micro organisms than the toilet seat.

Also, don’t use the same bath towel repeatedly without properly cleaning it. Germs easily grow and multiply in a damp towel. Frequent cleaning, and drying after every use, can keep the towels dry and free from harmful bacteria. 

Go for Affordable and Quality Home Cleaners 

Select Home Cleaning Service delivers affordable, first class home cleaning in New Zealand and Australia. After our foolproof cleaning, you’ll feel great to come back from office to a perfectly clean home that smells great. Available now in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Tauranga and Hamilton in New Zealand, and many other regions in Australia. Call us now on 0800 000 907 to get your free quote! 

Regular professional home cleaning  in each season means you are always on track of home maintenance cycle and thus you minimise the risk of illness ad other related issues in your family. 

Do you want the freedom and profitability possible through owning your own home cleaning business?! Join SelectFrachise, part of NZ's multi-award winning Home Services System, which has around 200 Franchisees in its fold.

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.