Quick, Easy and Eco-friendly House Cleaning Ideas

Several years of experience in the home cleaning sector combined with the willingness to employ new technologies only can make a cleaning service reliable and efficient. Double check the details before booking your house clean.

Today we’re providing you some home cleaning tips and tricks which will help you a lot in daily housekeeping routines.

Cleaning your floors and bathroom

Firstly, sprinkle some cleaning powder over the tile surface so that it covers all the grimy grout. Take white vinegar and water in fifty-fifty proportion in a spray bottle and spray over the tile floor. Now scrub the surface with a wet cleaning brush to form a paste on the tile and grout.

The powder, spray solution, and water will combine to loosen all dirt and grime. Wipe down the surface after 5-10 minutes to see that your dingy tile and grout have attained a new look. This method can also be used to clean counters, cabinet fronts and soap scum in the shower.

While cleaning granite, marble or other natural stone countertops, never use a cleaning solution, which contains vinegar, bleach, or acidic substances like lemon and orange. These substances will break down the countertop's sealant and make it vulnerable to stains.

Toilet cleaning

Pour two cups of coca cola into the toilet bowl and around the rim of the bowl, and leave it overnight to get the best cleaning result. The carbonic, citric, and phosphoric acids in the coke can break down the built-up stains.

Finally, you can finish up the toilet cleaning with a spray and wipe down with undiluted hydrogen peroxide.

Mould menace

Minimise mould formation in your house with the help of clove oil.  Take one litre of water in a bucket and add three drops of clove oil. Use this solution to wipe down mould affected areas and get rid of the menace as clove oil destroys mould spores.

Oven cleaning – make your own natural oven cleaner

Baking soda can be effectively used to clean your oven in a safe, natural way. Spray the whole oven down with a water bottle so that it is damp, and pour on a thick layer of baking soda, especially on the bottom, until there is about a quarter inch layer of baking soda paste on the bottom.

Make sure that the oven is off during this cleaning process. Let the baking soda paste remain like that for a few hours to loosen the grime in the oven. You can engage yourself in other works during that time. Now when you come back, wipe up the paste with a cloth and all the grime comes with it. Sometimes you may need to repeat the entire process for a really dirty oven with stubborn grime. Ensure that no traces of baking soda are left inside the oven once your cleaning is over.

Handy home tips

• The tops and creases of Roman blinds can be effectively cleaned using a vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment.
• Remove dead skin cells from mattress by vacuuming it, giving special attention to piping and crevices. This will prevent dust mite infestation.
• Does the smell of garlic stick around on your hands? Remove the smell completely by first rubbing your hands against a stainless steel sink and then washing with soap.
• Apply a dab of nail varnish on the top thread or onto the stem of the thread of a button on your dress and leave to dry. This way you can prevent the buttons from becoming loose or undone.

Select your home cleaner wisely 

Select Cleaning (serving New Zealand & Australia) also do spring cleaning and moving cleans, but don’t do steam cleaning, carpet cleaning, ceiling cleaning, and window cleaning. They can arrange to have these special tasks done for you by quality cleaners who are known to them.

Select home cleaners in New Zealand use their own product and equipment to ensure that you’re least disturbed during the cleaning process. Also, your house will be looking and smelling far better with Select Cleaning compared to the result achieved by DIY cleaning.

Call the most reliable Select Cleaning service on 0800 000 907 to get affordable quality cleaning New Zealand- now available in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Tauranga and Hamilton.

Cleaning Guidelines from Your Favourite House Cleaning Service in New Zealand

Regular home cleaning services with affordable rates are available in New Zealand for people who need help maintaining their clean home on a weekly basis. Select Cleaning is one such quality service, which provides regular inside cleaning of homes- all bathrooms and toilets, all kitchen surfaces, all floors vacuumed & mopped and all dusting.

Watch a Speed Cleaning Training video from SelectCleaning to learn the basics of speed cleaning and how to effectively dust and spot clean a room. It shows a lounge but applies to every room in a house except the kitchen and bathrooms, which are described in separate videos: Kitchen Cleaning & Bathroom & Toilet cleaning.

General home cleaning & maintenance tips

Let’s discuss some Do’s and Don’ts pertaining to cleaning up mercury spills in your house. Mercury is a dangerous toxic substance. Mercury spill can occur through thermometers, fluorescent light bulbs, or mercury-containing thermostats.

If the mercury spill is around a quarter teaspoon or less, you can manage it by yourself. However, if the spill is more, inform professional hazardous waste disposal companies to clean it up. The mercury spill is harmful because it easily evaporates at room temperature and cause health issues if the vapour is inhaled.

Don’ts with mercury spill

• A vacuum cleaner or common broom if used to clean the mercury spill can cause it to break into smaller drops. This will further aggravate the problem as mercury droplets will evaporate faster and quickly spread in the room, increasing the chance of more people inhaling it. 
• Avoid using household cleaning products to remove the mercury spill. The chlorine or ammonia present in the cleaners will chemically react with mercury and produce toxic gases.
• Don’t pour mercury down a drain. It can get lodged in the ‘p’ traps and evaporate in the room or clog your plumbing and pollute the septic system or wastewater treatment plants.
• Never wash mercury-contaminated clothing or sponges; instead put them in a plastic bag and seal for disposal.

Do’s for cleaning up mercury

If a fluorescent bulb is broken, do the following:

• Clear the room of people, especially children, and pets. Now ventilate the area at once. Respiratory protection may not be necessary as the bulbs contain only small amounts of mercury.
• Shut off the heater or air conditioning system to avoid the mercury-contaminated air moving to other areas.
• Do not touch the mercury droplets with your hand, use rubber gloves. Take out glass and metal pieces with the help of a cardboard piece. The mercury should not be allowed to evaporate, so put the breakage into a glass jar with a lid or a sealable plastic bag. Smaller pieces of debris with mercury beads can be scooped up using a sticky tape. Put everything in the glass jar or bag for disposing off.
• Any leftover mercury droplets or glass dust can be spotted using a flashlight as they reflect light. Search the entire room for traces of mercury, which can move far on hard flat surfaces. 

Removing mould and mildew in the shower

Worried about the gross gunk that builds up in your shower?

Add one cup of hot water into a mixture of one cup each of baking soda and borax. When it becomes a runny paste, scrub and rinse to get rid of mildew and mould build up in your bathroom. Gunk in front of sinks & stove can also be effectively cleaned using this baking soda-borax paste.

It is certain that Select Home cleaners do a pretty good job, and you can confirm it by going through the testimonials from their clients. 

Select Cleaning are confident of their service, which is why they’re proud to offer cent percent guarantee. In case you have any concerns about the quality of the cleaning, please contact your cleaner immediately. They guarantee to fix any problems on the next visit or you will get the next clean for free. Call them now on 0800 000 907 for your free quote.

Concern on Cleaning Industry Standard and Some Quick Home Cleaning Tips

Recent figures released by NZQA show that cleaners in New Zealand have been getting inadequate training for a long time. Out of the estimated 30,000 people employed in the cleaning sector across New Zealand, a very low percentage of cleaners had received an NZQA qualification suitable for undertaking a commercial cleaning job, including following basic levels of infection control precautions, the NZQA release said.

Actually there needs to be a National Standard for the home cleaning sector and the $1 billion commercial cleaning industry.Poor standards of cleaning affect New Zealand businesses as well as individual residences. People are falling sick because of unhygienic cleaning procedures.

We can assure you that SelectCleaning invests time and money to ensure their home cleaners have clear-cut knowledge about various surfaces such as wooden, stone, ceramic etc. They have been appropriately trained in the “SelectCleaning way” to ensure consistent high-quality cleaning. Naturally, they know the best cleaning method to be adopted professionally for all areas in your home and they do it in the most hygienic and efficient manner conforming to all quality standards.

The Select Cleaning home cleaners are chosen after conducting proper selection processes and security checks to ensure that they are honest and capable of undertaking your cleaning in a professional manner. Additionally, they are not just normal cleaners, but they are SelectCleaning Franchisee owners who really care about the quality they provide.

How to clean your house pretty fast

Allot a small amount of time each day to keep your home looking and smelling fresh. Knowing some quick cleaning tips will go a long way in accomplishing this and it will also save you hours of cleaning on the weekends or when a guest arrives with short notice.

Here are some easy cleaning tips, which will soon become a habit, if you practise them regularly:

First of all switch on some music when you do the cleaning. It’ll give inspiration and energy to do the task without boring you.  

Bedroom - ensure to make your bed each morning, and tidy up clothes and other items on the floorrather than creating piles of clutter accumulating each day.  It may take only a few minutes to do them, but will make a world of difference in your daily life.

Toilet & Bathroom – clean the toilet every few days so it won’t accumulate much dirt. Apply disposable wipes on the surfaces, including the toilet seat and handle, and use an effectivebowl cleaner.

It’s ideal to clean the bathroom everyday as you use it. For example, do a quick wipe on the bench and sink after brushing the teeth. Don’t forget to quickly sweep the floor after washing your hair.

Kitchen – never allow your kitchen to become a storehouse of dirty dishes. Here also follow the clean after use procedure. Wash or stack dirty dishes in the dishwasher immediately after everybody finishes eating. Also give a quick wipe on benchtops and tabletops after each meal. Similarly, remember to clean the stove top and sink regularly after cooking.

Weekly and fortnightly cleaning schedule - Vacuuming, dusting, and mopping the floor can be done on a weekly basis without fail. If you do it sincerely every week, it won’t take more than 30 minutes to complete the whole thing.

And strictly follow these fortnightly cleaning tasks too: wipe down the windows and mirrors. Wash commonly used surfaces such as door handles, remotes and the bin. Allot sufficient time for cleaning your refrigerator properly to wipe out all germs.

Call a SelectCleaning Franchisee owner today on 0800 000 907. Currently they service Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington and Christchurch.

Home Cleaning Tips, Tricks and Hacks for Parents of Toddlers and Small Children

Every father and mother with small kids will always be interested and eager to know more tips and tricks in home cleaning and organising that will help make their life better!

An untidy and messy house is the least thing anyone wants to occupy. However, with children at home it’s indeed a difficult task to keep your house tidy all the time.  

Find some tips, tricks and hacks for you with young children at home:

1. Clean up after playtime and do a deep scrub of everything once the kids have gone to bed. This quick sweeping will ensure that your house will be neat and clean every day before bedtime. Before sweeping, you can collect the toys and other children’s items and put them back in their original place.  
2. Teach your children clean up after themselves with you. This will inculcate a good habit in young children and at the same time come as a helping hand for you. Put some music on as it makes cleaning a little less boring, and also the children will appreciate it.
3. Keep a donation bin for items you no longer require.  This will certainly reduce the clutter, and is more applicable with children who have a strong affinity for clothing and toys even though they’re damaged.
4. Put the newspapers and magazines in the recycling bin once you finished reading. Never keep them piling up, thinking that you may need them later.
5. Another clever way to find time tidying up is to utilise those free short minutes you get here and there. For example, make use of a TV commercial break, or the waiting time for a device to get heated up like the microwave, coffee maker or a hair-styling device. You can do some short bursts of cleaning work such as a quick tidy, wipe-down, or load some plates into the dishwasher etc. during these small snippets of time.

More handy tips for Moms

• Baby food jars can be used to store spices. Label each container and display them in your kitchen shelves. 
• You can make a door stopper by reusing a pool noodle.
• Stick a medicine dropper through a cut pacifier and you can use it for easily giving medicine to your toddler.
• Shopping made easy without the kids. Draw out your child’s feet onto a plain paper and then you need not to take the child to the shoe shop. Just show the paper (with the tiny feet traced on to it) to the shopkeeper and they can give you the exact size shoes for the kid.   
• Some parents also use identification bracelets when they go shopping with small children. This will be of great help to get notified if your child gets stranded.
• How to avoid your toddler slide around with the toys when you give her/him a bath? Put a laundry basket in the bathtub and let your kid sit inside it so that the toys won’t flow away. It’ll then be easy bathing your baby as it plays with the toys. 
• An intelligent way to indulge your children in the home cleaning chores is to give them the internet password only after they finish the given cleaning tasks! This will also save your teenagers from internet addiction!

Need some professional help with your home cleaning chores? Call the most reliable Select Cleaning service on 0800 000 907 for your free quote now. Their home cleaning is of the best quality, and the pricing is very competitive too - Now available in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Tauranga and Hamilton.

Home Cleaning & Maintenance Checklist to Help You Get Organized

Living in a simplified, uncluttered home is less stressful because it looks orderly and peaceful. It’s also easier to clean and organise such a well kept house. Your visitors and even a professional home cleaner will appreciate the attractiveness of an uncluttered house. Naturally, it takes less time to perform any specialised cleaning task in such an organised home.

“We believe that a tidy and spotless house that looks great helps reduce stress and increases your productivity,” says Select Cleaning, the most sought after professional house cleaning service in New Zealand.

Now let’s look at some cleaning and organising ideas for you to manage your home and life just how you want.

General Home Cleaning & Organising Ideas

Old magazines: Reuse or recycle old books and magazines which you no longer require for reading/reference purpose. Wipe and disinfect remote controls, the landline telephone, switch plates and other commonly used electronic gadgets.

Doormats: Remember to clean the doormat occasionally. First, shake out the dust and debris from the mat, and then vacuum it with a brush attachment. If dirt is still visible, apply some baking soda using a scrub brush, and finally rinse it off with a garden hose.

If the doormat is a carpeted one, clean it effectively with an upholstery or carpet shampoo.

How to clean out the pantry: Wipe down the pantry or cupboard shelves. Remove any racks or drawers associated with these areas and wash them in the sink. Sort the bottles and jars and don’t hesitate to say goodbye to what you don't use.

Now wipe down those items you want to keep in the pantry. Also dust and wipe down the shelves and walls.

Refrigerator cleaning & organising: The dish racks, drawers, drain catch, and drip sponges of the refrigerator should be run through the dishwasher at least once in a month.

For storing the food properly, ensure that you rotate the food and use it up on a timely basis. Scrub down the inside of the refrigerator and keep the storage areas clean and dry. Remove unwanted food or other items in the plastic containers.

Bathroom cleaning tips: The mother of a three year old daughter said, “One thing that I learned while raising a daughter is that bath time is PERFECT for cleaning the bathroom! I am able to keep her supervised while interacting with her and cleaning the sinks, mirrors etc! Also because she is in the tub, I don't have to worry about her grabbing any of the cleaning supplies.”

That’s a good tip indeed for peacefully spending time to clean your bathroom!

Floor cleaning: “I sweep and dust my floors daily. In Canada we took shoes off in the house which helped keep floors clean. In Australia we don’t, so in my home cleaning floors is a must,” according to a well organised homeowner.

However, if there are no children and pets in the house, and nobody has much time for cleaning, you can use a vacuum instead of sweeping, for all hard surfaces, carpets and tiles.

Quick cleaning tips: When the need arises to quickly clean your house, utilise the big-picture thinking strategy.

Clean the areas that are more relevant to the immediate situation in front of you.  Organisation is the important factor here. By multi tasking and strictly following a set time limit, you can manage the cleaning efficiently. Gather all the cleaning products and equipment ready, and move from one room to others fast, without wasting time going back to rooms. 

Get your free quote now for a consistent high-quality Select Cleaning service at a cost effective price. Phone: 0800 000 907.

Hygiene Matters, Cleaning Industry News and Select Cleaning Advantage

The key to reducing the incidence of spreading a disease from an affected family member to others is to keep the home premises cleaned to the highest standard possible. In such medical cases, there is a need for methodical cleaning and disinfection procedures to be followed effectively. 

Easy tips to maintain cleanliness and hygiene at home 

Cleaning-clothes and sponges too have life period- replace them accordingly. These cleaning materials should be considered specific for particular areas, and are never to be exchanged. Don’t use the same cleaning cloth or sponge for the bathroom and the kitchen because it’ll carry the harmful bacteria and other germs from one place to the other.

Clean your bed sheets and blankets regularly and wash the towels daily. The bed sheets carry plenty of germs and can spread them easily among the family members. Clean them more often, at least every three days to make sure they are germfree.

Wash the dishes on time and clean down the benches and countertop perfectly after the meals because infectious germs easily spread through the food. Also make sure to clean the kitchen rubbish bin daily.

Special attention need to be given to toilet cleaning also. An unclean toilet is a haven for large colonies of bacteria and germs. The toilet cleaning jobs include, sweeping & mopping the floor, cleaning the tub, cleaning the toilet, and cleaning the sink, walls & windows. If you are not sure about achieving cent percent cleanliness in the bathroom and toilet area, it’s advisable to call a professional home cleaning company in New Zealand to do the job for you.

Home cleaning industry news

The cleaning sector in Auckland and other major cities is growing aggressively and faces new exciting challenges on a constant basis due to various factors like economic growth and changing business dynamics.

One of the latest trends in the home cleaning industry is the popularity for eco-friendly cleaning or the green cleaning concept. Green cleaning is “a marketplace phenomenon that is being driven by customer demand and the overall trending of the broad marketplace for environmentally preferable products and services,” the Worldwide Cleaning Industry Association remarked.  

People are now more knowledgeable about the bad effects of chemicals used in the supplies and processes of home cleaning. So, home and business owners these days are particularly looking for cleaning services which follow environment-friendly cleaning approach. 

SelectCleaning does a better job

Select Cleaning has a knowledge sharing mechanism by which all its home cleaners are well educated to clearly understand different surface types and their cleaning requirements. This way, you can rest assured that your cleaner knows the most efficient and effective way to take care of every spot in your house.

Select Cleaning team members are aware of the green cleaning concept in the cleaning sector and strive hard to minimise the negative impact on our environment from petrochemicals and solvents. Their home cleaners do their best to select the ideal cleaning products, world-class systems and processes that don’t harm people and our eco system as a whole.

You can call them now on 0800 000 907 and experience the Select Clean difference today. Currently their cleaning service is available in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch, Tauranga and Hamilton.

Nine Important Cleaning Mistakes to Avoid

Majority of New Zealanders now resort to hire quality home cleaners on a regular basis even though they sometimes try do-it-yourself cleaning practice. Narrated below are some common cleaning mistakes people tend to do due to negligence or ignorance. After explaining the mistakes, SelectCleaning experts have given the correct cleaning procedures too.

1. Mixing cleaning products can be dangerous. For example, if you mix two cleaners which have ammonia and bleach as ingredients, a poisonous gas will be formed – and it’s life threatening if you happen to inhale it.  
2. Never clean your non-stick pan in the dishwasher. If you do so, it’ll affect the pan’s seasoning, thereby disabling the non-sticking quality.  
3. Using abrasive cleaners to remove tough stains on porcelain tile and bath tubs will dull their smooth finish.
4. Some of us don’t know that coffee grinders and BBQ grill also need regular cleaning. All traces of crusty bean debris can be completely removed by whizzing uncooked rice or stale bread in the coffee maker, and thereafter washing with water. Vinegar can be used to remove bad odour. Scrub each grill grate with crinkled aluminium foil while it's still warm to remove those charred black bits. This is necessary to kill bacteria growth also.
5. Some are ignorant that fridge and freezer need spot cleaning on a weekly basis and thorough cleaning once every quarter at least. 
6. A few people mistakenly use window cleaners on television and computer LCD screens, which can harm the electronic surfaces. Same way, cleaning with paper towels or tissues can also damage the TV or computer screens because of the presence of wood fibres. Instead, use a microfiber cloth along with approved LCD or IED screen cleaners.
7. Cleaning the windows when the sun is hot? Another mistake! And the result: your glass cleaner will evaporate faster due to the sun’s heat, which may cause spot marks. Good to do the window cleaning when there is no hot sun shining at the windows; that is, choose a cloudy day.
8. Oven cleaning mistakes: Some times we neglect to clean the oven. Sticky and greasy food particles, chunks, and spills may have been left behind in the oven from previous cooking. They get even more baked-on when you cook the next time. This can affect the smell and taste of the newly baked food. Apply the baking soda and vinegar cleaning method to make your oven clean and sparkling.  Add some water to a cup of baking soda to form a thin paste. Apply this paste thinly to the walls of the oven after removing the racks. Ensure that you do this when the oven is still warm.Take some vinegar in a spray bottle and spray it over the baking soda paste on the oven walls. The bicarbonate of soda and vinegar will react, thereby cleaning the oven walls. Let the paste stay there for some time and remove it using a damp rag.  The chemistry here is that the mixture of baking soda and vinegar helps to break down the sticky grease and grime in the oven, which can then be easily removed with a rag.  
9. Ignoring the common touch points in the house: Some common items such as the remotes, computer keyboards are handled by everybody in your home contain more harmful bacteria and dirt than you thought. They need a disinfectant wipe at least every week.Similarly, door knobs, hair combs, water taps, handles of appliances and such things which can be described as the most-touched areas in your home are severely affected by the germs. Failing to understand this and not giving them frequent disinfectant wipe is another cleaning mistake we tend to commit.

For a free cleaning quote, you can now call the Select Cleaning home cleaners on 0800 000 907. They service Auckland, Hamilton, Tauranga, Wellington and Christchurch.