New Trends and Attitude in Household Cleaning and Home Care Products

The year 2016 saw the use of fragrance enhancing products as a key trend in home care sector in New Zealand, a Nielsen Global Home Care Report 2016 said. Very many varieties of fragrances were introduced in premium and blended category to mask chemical odours or add value to cleaning and beauty products. In Asia-Pacific region, respondents were also more inclined to say they’re looking for Eco-friendly all-purpose cleaners, the survey report added. Around 46% of respondents in the region said they seek environmentally friendly products, whereas it stood 40% on a global average.

Large retail chains are popular self-reported places to shop for household-cleaning products, and e-commerce is showing promise, the report further said.

New housing boom is a key growth driver in the home care industry in New Zealand. Retail volume growth of home care industry including home cleaning and other services is said to be moving in upward scale in the coming years as a new housing boom is expected, especially in Auckland, the Auckland Build 2016 Expo revealed. Its estimate says about 80,000 new homes will be built in Auckland itself by 2020.

Unilever New Zealand continued to lead laundry care and dish-washing products in 2015 and 2016, with 35 to 38% share of retail value sales, a Euromonitor study said. Persil brand topped laundry care products with an 18% share of retail value sales. Their slogan “dirt is good” along with ads related to sports like football and rugby gained popularity in every household. Their cleaning products are available in powder and liquid formats.

The consumers generally preferred the incorporation of laundry aids in laundry detergents. The surveys said that it would enable time-poor consumers to rely on an all-in-one product to clean, soften, brighten and remove stains in one wash cycle. This will help the consumers to save money by not buying a number of particular task oriented cleaning products.

However, it’s not advisable to wholly depend on all-in-one products for your home cleaning. To improve the health and hygiene of family members, it’s necessary to call in reputable home cleaners at least on a weekly or fortnightly basis.

Select Home Cleaning Service New Zealand

Choose Select Cleaning’s regular weekly or fortnightly home cleaning service to suit your cleaning requirements and your budget.

Some of the home-cleaning tasks they perform are as follows:

• Vacuuming all the floors
• Dusting the surfaces
• Spot cleaning marks
• Washing all hard floors
• Clean all kitchen surfaces
• Complete cleaning of bathrooms, floor tiles and countertops
• Also do little extra cleaning such as cleaning inside the fridge and oven though they will be separate tasks for thorough cleaning 

You’ll be happy to know that all the SelectClean home cleaners have passed strict selection process and police verification. We also have an up to date training programme on latest techniques of home cleaning.

The cleaners of Select Home Cleaning Company are owner-operators and so you can rest assured that you house, the family members, the pets and plants, all are in caring, responsible hands.

There will be discounts for regular customers in their home cleaning list. Select Clean service can give you quality work output and they have competitive price because they already clean for customers in your area. Their cleaning service mainly concentrates on cities such as Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington and Christchurch. Contact their friendly staff today on 0800 000 907.

Tips to Keep Your Home Clean and Healthy

How to avoid bathroom slips and falls 

It seems all are aware of the risk of falls in the bathroom, but time and again accidents happen, causing serious injuries. Medical reports say that 28 to 35 percent people over 65 fall each year, mainly in the bathroom. And as the age increases, the rate of falls also increases with around 40% people affected in the 70 years or older category. Interestingly, the rates of falls among women exceed those of men for all age groups.

Fall prevention:

• Liquids on the floor can cause slips - mop up spills or splashes as and when they occur.
• Bathroom floors become slippery when they’re not properly cleaned. Find time to do a thorough cleaning to remove all traces of oil, soap and grease from the floor and wall tiles.
• Place slip resistant bath mat on the floor, and in the bath/shower.
• Never use smooth vinyl floor coverings; go for non-slip material.
• Use honed marble flooring instead of polished one.
• Avoid alcohol misuse and wearing of inappropriate shoes.
• Additional safety measures like grab rails and non-slip surface coating may be used. 

How to handle dampness in your home 

A damp home is an unhealthy home, there’s no doubt in that! But there is more than that - you need to spend more money as the damp air takes more energy to get heated up in the winter. Also note that moisture and dirt are the main factors which cause premature deterioration of fixtures and fittings inside the house.  

Blocked drainage and gutters, cracked or leaky downpipe, and other plumbing issues can lead to water seepage and dampness in your house. If moisture is not controlled, it’ll cause mould growth on the walls and ceiling.

Mould can cause health issues too such as asthma, lung infection, inflammation and allergy etc.

Use exhaust fans while showering, bathing, drying clothes, and cooking so that water vapours will not get accumulated indoors. If possible dry the clothes outside because drying clothes indoors creates about six litres of moisture per load.

If dampness still persists, try using a dehumidifier at places where there is more moisture and less airflow. 

Stop borer and other pests eating your home  

• Borers can weaken the timber and affect the wooden structures of your home.
• Watch out for small flight holes on wooden surfaces and presence of fine saw dust. These signs indicate that there are mice/rats and other woodworms grinding away your doors, furniture or other timber structures.
• Proper wood treatment is to be applied for preventing borer attack. All untreated wooden surfaces are vulnerable to pest infesting. Application of long-term penetrating treatment with insecticide or preservative can control the borers. Make sure that the product used for pest control treatment is environment-friendly, long lasting, and not harmful to humans.
• If you’re worried about getting an affordable and reliable pest control service in New Zealand, Select Home Cleaning Company can arrange to have it done by experts known to us in your locality.
• The basic thing to remember is to keep your home well maintained and perfectly cleaned to avoid infestation of rodents, termites, beetles etc. Clean up the places they like to nest such as bundles of old newspapers, unclean cupboards, unattended spare rooms, basement etc. 

Select Home cleaners do perfect house cleaning (from vacuuming and wiping to all other cleaning activities) - everything from bedrooms to bathrooms and the kitchen, they beautify your home with affordable hourly rate. 

Contact Select Clean now for a free quote:

Website: click here. 

Free call: 0800 000 907.

General Housekeeping Tips and Health Care Advice

The pollution, low indoor air quality (mould, formaldehyde, and radon can make indoor air unhealthy), germ colonies in the kitchen and bath area etc. can adversely affect your health and comfort, causing serious hygiene-related diseases. Let’s consider some general cleaning tips and tricks to avoid such unwanted health issues.

Home Cleaning Tips

Homemade all purpose cleaner: Take a half cup each of water and apple cider vinegar in a spray bottle, add 22 drops of any good quality essential oil and keep the bottle in a cool, dark place. Shake well before using this all purpose cleaner.

Here’s a working idea to remove ink stains: Apply some toothpaste on the ink stains and wait for sometime till it dries up fully. Now you can wash the cloth as usual and see that the stains are gone.

How to whiten your clothes:  Take some hot water in a metal bucket and put a slice of lemon. Now soak the white cloths in the hot water for around 10 to 15 minutes. You’ll get a brighter cloth whitened well.

Mirror cleaning: Pour few drops of Sprite into a cotton cloth and clean the mirrors to get them shine.

Tricks: Open the water tap and pour water into a dustpan and direct it to fill buckets or pots that don’t fit under the sink.

  

Health and Cookery Related Tips

Kitchen and cookery tips:

Put the lemons in a container with hot water for up to one hour, and then juice them. This way you can extract maximum juice from the lemons.

In order to easily skin the potatoes, first boil them and then soak in cold water for five minutes.

If you can put a piece of bread along with the cabbage while cooking, there won’t be any pinching smell of cabbage.

Do you face the tears problem while cutting onion? Just chew some delicious chewing gum and there won’t be any tears!

Get good shine to your hair by applying one teaspoon of vinegar to hair ten minutes before bathing.

Dip a cotton ball into some Listerine and dab it on pimples to shrink them within minutes. The alcohol will dry up the pimples and cause them to fade.

Boiling the drinking water first before placing in the freezer gives you pure and fresh water.

You’ll love this splinter removal method, especially for kids:

Remove a splinter by applying a paste of baking soda and water mixture at the affected spot. Wait for a few minutes and you’ll see that the soda mixture forces the splinter to pop out of the skin.

Health tips

No more migraine headache:

Dip your feet and hands in warm water while placing a frozen bag of peas at the base of your skull. The heat difference will pull the blood from your head and relieve the headache.

Sore feet?

Fill a plastic water bottle with 3/4^th water and freeze it, then use it after a workout or a marathon run to roll the bottoms of your feet to reduce inflammation.

Easy way to clear a blocked nose:

Push your tongue against the top of the mouth and apply pressure in between the eyebrows using a finger. Do it for about 25 seconds, and the sinuses will slowly drain out. 

 

Sore throat?

Eat four marshmallows and you will get relief from sore throat. The gelatin ingredient in marshmallows helps in soothing the throat and relieving the pain.

Stop night time coughing

Coughing at night can be disturbing for self and others in the family. Try these simple remedies:

• Use a comfy pillow to keep your head elevated.
• It’s advisable to keep comfortable distance from fans, air conditioners or heaters because direct cold or hot air can make your nasal airways dry, leading to coughing.
• Mix organic honey with warm water and have it before going to bed. Honey soothes your throat and stops dryness and irritation.
• Another method to stop coughing at night is by gargling warm salt water before bedtime. Salt water is very soothing and it also removes excessive mucus.
• Ginger and turmeric are also very effective for dry cough. 

These home maintenance and health related tips are brought to you by the research wing of Select Home Cleaning Company in New Zealand and Australia. We know what the pollution and air quality in your home can do to the health of your family members. Contact the friendly admin staff of SelectClean on 0800 000 907 for booking a home cleaner today.

Exit Cleaning, Moving House Checklist and More

Whether you’re a professionals looking to free up more personal time, a mom with kids at home or a pet owner trying to reclaim territory from the animals that live with you, a trusted home cleaning service can allay all your worries. It can give you a sparkling clean home to refresh your spirits and make you more productive in other areas.

Here’s a standard checklist for exit cleaning in New Zealand: 

• Vacuum clean, and dust & declutter all rooms.
• Mopping all wood and stone floors.
• Thorough kitchen cleaning that includes cleaning of kitchen bench tops, sinks, oven, stove top and grills.
• Professional cleaning of exhaust & ceiling fans, and removing cobwebs from all rooms.
• Cleaning of laundry sinks and all tiled surfaces.
• Wiping and cleaning of cupboards and built in furniture.
• Thorough cleaning of skirting boards & window sills, light fittings, light switches, and power points & door handles. 

Select Cleaning will customise its home cleaning services as per customers’ special needs. Call them now on 0800 000 907 to discuss your exit cleaning requirements.

If you plan to move to a new house, here’s a moving house checklist for you to make the transition as smooth as possible:

• While booking a removal company, check their credentials and get a written quotation. Go for New Zealand's leading furniture removalists with competitive rates.
• Take a household insurance policy for your new home.
• Inform all concerned about the address change.
• Consult with the removalist company to check whether your furniture will fit at the proper place in the new home.
• Discard everything you don’t need, and make an inventory of all items you’re packing, noting down any minor damages.
• Remove all food items from the refrigerator.
• Check the garage and garden shed and ensure that you’re not leaving behind any useful equipment.
• Dispose of flammable items such as paint, garden chemicals like pesticides, cleaning fluids, bleach, fuel, aerosols of any kind, and so on. Pack only empty gas cylinders and air bottles with valves open.

What to observe at your new house:

• Watch and give instructions to the removalist regarding furniture placement.
• Check for any damages to your items after the completion of unloading. Take signature from the removalist on the inventory sheet. Tally all household things and report if anything is missing.
• Ensure that all utilities are connected at the new home, and it is security checked and locks changed.
• Give special attention to kids and pets during the shifting process.
• Keep safe all keys and follow relevant instructions to the new resident area.
• Enquire and gather garbage disposal information from new local council. 

The SelectCleaning quality assurance is the best in the home cleaning industry in New Zealand. They service Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Tauranga and Hamilton.

If you’re not satisfied with a particular cleaning task, call Select Clean office and they’ll redo the work to your satisfaction without any additional cost. They use environment friendly products and latest machinery. All cleaners are given training on new tools and machines. If you’re looking for decluttering, rearranging the furniture and enhancing the decor elements, you may better call a personal organizer than a cleaning service. Get your free quote today!

Safeguard Your Family from the Threat Posed by Household Chemicals

Every day New Zealanders are exposed to a number of different chemical substances found in common household products and other materials. Several studies have been conducted in this regard, which say a high percentage of these chemicals are dangerous to the developing brain.

Some such chemicals found in cheap home cleaning products, cosmetics and high-end bath products are harmful to pregnant women, children and even unborn babies. They’re capable of inducing adverse effects resulting in menstrual disorders, couple fertility, miscarriages, low birth weight and structural congenital abnormalities. So it’s clear that the toxicity levels in the air, food, and cleaning products & cosmetics will certainly affect pregnancies in addition to other health issues.

A 2011 study from University of California San Francisco (UCSF) said the bodies of virtually all U.S. pregnant women carry multiple chemicals, including some banned since the 1970s and others used in common products such as non-stick cookware, processed foods and personal care products. Researchers found several harmful chemicals in the bodies of 99 to 100 % of the pregnant women who took part in the survey. The presence of multiple chemicals that have been associated with negative effects in children will have a greater impact than exposure to only one substance. Other studies also confirmed same quantities of harmful chemicals in the blood samples of pregnant women.

Another study in 2014 from Griffith University, Australia, related to health problems detected that indoor air pollutants are 2 to 5 times higher than external pollution. Consider this with the fact that people spend over 90 percentage of their time indoors. The study further said children were more prone to the side effects of chemical toxins.

It’s known to everybody that about 85% of the chemicals used in household products have never been tested for their impact on human health. And many of the home cleaning products used by yourself or some of the service providers could end up health spoilers. Consumers take it for granted that anything on the shelf has been tested, but in practical it’s just the contrary.

In such a difficult situation, one should always rely on reputed home cleaning companies who use safe cleaning products. The high percentage of indoor air pollutants in Australia and New Zealand make it mandatory that you should clean your house premises frequently. Professional home cleaning is a necessity for every week or at least once in a fortnight. Children, stay at home moms and aged family members are at risk of severe illness if chemical-free hygiene is not maintained in their homes. 

The Select Cleaning Commitment

Select Cleaning service makes a sincere effort to transform the cleaning as green as possible by trying to reduce its negative impact on our environment from petrochemicals and solvents. They don’t say they’re hundred percent nature-friendly, but they put maximum exertion to go green by reviewing procedures and choosing the most appropriate products. Their eco-friendly house cleaning products are very safe for your kids and aged persons.

The Select Home Cleaning professionals get adequate training on proper cleaning methods and are committed to their job.  You can be rest assured that their cleaner understands different surface types and know the most efficient and effective way to take care of them.  The SelectCleaning quality assurance is unique and well known in the home cleaning industry in New Zealand and Australia. 

Call Select Home Cleaning now on 0800 000 907 and get your free quote today!

Easy Home Cleaning Tips to Manage Extra Load during the Holiday Season

With family and friends visiting during the holiday season causing more foot traffic in your home, you have to be vigilant to maintain cleanliness and put the house in order.

DIY Home Cleaning Tips

Floors: Never use sponge mops on ceramic-tiled floors, instead they can be easily cleaned with warm water after vacuuming or washing the floor to remove dust and grit.

Cabinet doors: Your kitchen cabinet doors and handle knobs also require thorough cleaning. They shouldn’t be safe place for the germs.

Oven: Give your oven a quick spray of oven cleaner and let it stay there overnight. Give it a quick wipe down the next day to get the baked on stuff come off easily.

Refrigerator: Use baking soda and water solution (2 tablespoons of baking soda and a quart of warm water) to clean inside of your fridge. Avoid using detergents to clean the refrigerator as the food items may absorb them.

Bath tub cleaner: Mix equal quantities of vinegar and warm water and fill it in a spray bottle. Now spray this solution liberally over the baking soda you sprinkled on the tub. Wait for sometime as the mixture bubbles fully. Now scrub the area with a sponge till the mixture forms a paste over the bath tub surface. Wait for another 15 minutes and then wipe and rinse to see that the dirt and stains are thoroughly cleaned to your satisfaction level.

Scrubbers: The sponges or scrubbers you use to wash hard-to-clean pots and pans can harbour large colonies of harmful germs. Some people even discard them before the expiry date, but you can easily sanitise them by heating for two minutes in the microwave.  

Mirror and ceiling fans: Clean your mirrors using some vinegar and old newspaper; save the bucks for buying glass cleaners and paper towels.  Take an old pillow cover and slide it onto the blade of a ceiling fan, and then wipe the dust off the blade inside the cover. So, the dust won’t fall in your face.

Labels on dishes: Use a cotton pad soaked with rubbing alcohol to remove sticker price tags off dishes and other glassware.

Clean your iron: Sprinkle some common salt powder onto the ironing board. Switch on the iron with steam option off. The dirt on the hot iron will stick to the salt and thus your iron will become perfectly clean. Another option is to put some cream cleanser on a thick wet towel and to run the hot iron over it so that the cream absorbs all the dirt.

Select Cleaning Advantage

Busy professional couples, the elderly, and larger households where cleaning is a tedious task, can enjoy free time by calling us to help with their housework. Many people want that their homes should be always clean and tidy, but they don’t have the time to maintain perfect hygiene on their own. This is where a domestic cleaner can step in. How comforting it would be to come to an absolutely spotless home after work on a Friday! You can spend the weekend relaxing and planning your favourite things.  

To make sure that our clients get the best service always, we have employees who maintain the role of overseeing workers and handling feedback from customers.

If you have pets, it’s good to introduce them to the cleaner so there won’t be any safety issues.

Our eco-friendly house cleaning products are very safe for your kids and pets, and we guarantee a spotless house every time we clean. You’ll see that the kitchen and bathroom or whatever cleaning you ordered will be cleaned thoroughly, and you’ll have a fresh-smelling home.

Scheduling a home cleaning service and paying online is so easy with Select Cleaning Company. Regular customers also get attractive discounts on home cleaning.

How to Keep Your Home Fresh, Tidy and Shining Bright

Weekends are for unwinding, not for housework! You may find home cleaning a tedious task because it’s additional work after your regular job. However, cleaning is our main job and we would like to thank you for visiting our site and giving us the task.

Common Stains and Remedial Measures

Chewing gum

If the chewing gum is on the clothes, simply put it in the freezer for half an hour. After the chewing gum is frozen solid, scrape off with a dull knife. If some traces of the gum are left with, you can remove them completely by loosening with eucalyptus oil.

Ink stains

If it’s old stain, then take help from a professional dry cleaner.

Procedure for removing fresh ink stains - take some paper towels and place the stain face down on them. Apply hairspray or alcohol to back of stain, and replace paper towels as they absorb the ink. Then wash with a detergent and hot water. Remember not to dilute or sponge with water which will cause the ink to spread and set permanently.

For fountain pen stains, apply rotten milk and wash away the stain normally.

Stain caused by perspiration

If you’re faced with stubborn stains on fabric, never apply more washing detergent, in fact, it’ll backfire and sometimes the stain may get permanently trapped on the fabric.

For sweat stains, wash the cloth with soap or detergent and hot water. If the sweat is heavy and the colour of the fabric has been changed, apply a few drops of ammonia (for fresh stains) or white vinegar (if the stain is not fresh) and then apply washing detergent and launder using hot water.  

Grease stain

Apply a few drops of dishwashing liquid on the oily stain and rub it till it becomes jelly-like texture. Rinse out the cloth in cold water and you’ll see that the grease is gone.

Red wine spill

For fresh stains, repeatedly pour white vinegar through the stain area till it’s completely removed. And for older stain, rub the white vinegar over the stain area to make it loose and sprinkle some bicarbonate of soda and rinse with vinegar.

Lipstick stain

Apply dishwashing liquid and rub it on to the stain area, and once it’s soaked in, wash with cold water.

Stains on carpet

Once you notice stain on carpet, do these things first:
Use a towel to scoop up the spill as much as possible.
Don’t scrub the stain, but blot it. Apply slightly warm water on to the spot and blot again to remove maximum spill.
Now call a home cleaning specialist to remove the stain professionally without harming your costly carpet.

Why Select Home Cleaning?

Select Cleaning is New Zealand’s most trusted franchised cleaning company, giving you the advantage of owner-operators doing your home cleaning perfectly. They maintain transparency in communication between clients and cleaners. If the client is not satisfied of a work done, they guarantee to do it again with no additional cost till the client is happy.  Police verified friendly and trustworthy cleaners ensure peace of mind. They have both single and couple cleaners and service Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Tauranga and Hamilton.  

Some of their services include: Regular weekly or fortnightly home cleaning; A one off house cleaning service to catch up on the weekly cleaning if you missed it; Moving in/moving out clean; End of Lease cleaning; Seasonal cleaning such as spring clean, summer clean etc. 

For detailed info on their cleaning service, call SelectClean office on 0800 000 907. Check out deals and discounts for before and after-Christmas cleaning packages.