Pets

If your furry friends share your home with you and your family, chances are Buddy and Chester are contributing some extra cleaning time to your house cleaning service schedule. However, you can use Scrubbing Bubbles® not only to clean up after your family but after your pets as well. Spray Scrubbing Bubbles® on any accidents left behind by your kitty or puppy and then wipe clean with an old rag or towel.

You can also use Scrubbing Bubbles® to eliminate hairball marks or any dirty paw prints on sofas, walls, floors or doors. Scrubbing Bubbles® works like magic as a carpet or vinyl spot cleaning agent for any unsightly or unclean pet trails. There’s no need to stop just at the house. If Fido has gone for a ride in your car, use Scrubbing Bubbles® on upholstery or to clean car floor mats. You’ll be left with a fresher and cleaner car.

In the Kitchen

Scrubbing Bubbles® may be marketed as a bathroom cleaner but it also works well with kitchen cleaning. If you have linoleum floors, use the product to rub grime and dirt out quickly. Scrubbing Bubbles® also goes hard to work on oily build-up on stovetops, ovens and surface areas. Spray on cabinets and let the product sit for a few minutes before you wipe it off. Downsize buying multiple cleaning agents as Scrubbing Bubbles® works well cleaning kitchen appliances like microwaves and refrigerators. As with any strong cleaning products, make sure to wipe down and clean granite countertops and eating areas thoroughly with soapy water and wipe dry to avoid accidentally ingesting any harmful chemicals.

Around the House

Beyond cleaning soap scum, mildew & mold, germs, limescale and other tough stains in the bathroom, Scrubbing bubbles can be used to clean fingerprints on walls or light switches, dirty wall marks, ceramic tile, dusty mini blinds or stains can be removed with Scrubbing Bubbles® on a variety surfaces, perfect for move-out cleaning. The product’s spray capabilities make it easy to target hard to reach corners and crevices like high chairs, baby seats, garbage container lids and bins and screen doors. Scrubbing Bubbles® can be applied as a disinfecting dust remover on light fixtures, car dashboards or blinds. As an added bonus, the product is a strong air disinfectant so using on walls and in cars to get rid of any odors (especially cigarette smoke) is a cinch.

Instead of buying multiple products specific to particular areas of your house and surfaces, you can save money by purchasing Scrubbing Bubbles® for house cleaning purposes in between maid visits. How do you use your Scrubbing Bubbles®?

Scrubbing Bubbles Uses, Which Will You Try?

The list of not-so-common uses of scrubbing bubbles cleaning goes on and on. If anything other than tidying up here and there is not your thing, be sure to contact us for help with the following:

• Housekeeping
• Deep cleaning
• Apartment cleaning

We’re based out in Arlington Heights, Chicago IL, and surrounding areas. Give us a call for the best quotes and service.

Lastly, we would love to hear from you which of the uses we’ve covered today you gonna try. Either way, be sure to leave us a comment.

The post 3 Effective Scrubbing Bubbles Uses You Gotta Try first appeared on Upstairs Downstairs Cleaning Service.

Lemons are fairly cheap, environmentally friendly, natural and are also great alternative materials when you run out of house cleaning supplies or other necessary items at home. Our maid service experts share some unexpected uses for this citrus fruit below, just in time for the start of summer.

Use of Lemon Juice In The Bathroom & Laundry

Shine Your Mirrors

The acidic nature of lemons cut toilet bowl-related mildew and, when mixed with house cleaning borax, it can also go to work on stubborn rust stains.

To clean mirrors, you can squirt lemon juice out (about 3 spoons) into a spray bottle then mix with a cup of water. Next, spray the mirror down and then gently wipe with a clean and dry microfiber cloth.

Remove Toilet Ring With Lemon

To clean the toilet, cut half a lemon and then rub the lemon (inner-flesh) onto the toilet ring or wherever you see stains. Allow for a couple of minutes before using a toilet brush to scrub off any stain residues.

Clean Bathtub With Lemon Juice And Baking Soda

Soak a sponge in straight lemon juice then squeeze out the liquid. Now you can use the sopping wet rag to rub down your bathtub

You can eliminate rust and hard water stains from stainless steel sinks by using lemon juice on a microfiber cloth.

If you have scale build-up, mix lemon with vinegar (a 50/50 ratio) and apply it onto the area. Let it sit for about an hour and then you can scrub off the scale with a toilet brush.

Clothes: Brighten Whites

Tough to remove yellowing armpit and sweat stains, wine spills, berries or oil marked clothes can be lifted with lemon juice pre-washes or lemon paste scrubs. Mix little lemon juice, about 1/3 with another 2/3 cup of water and gently run onto the affected stain spot. Once done, throw treated articles into the washer and watch the stain disappears.

Use of Lemon Juice In The Kitchen

Make Edible Art

A few drops and a little squeeze of lemon juice over your fruit salad, will keep the medley from turning brown and provide for a more aesthetic presentation. Apples, potatoes, avocados and pears all perk up with a spritz of citrus when you want to prepare meals ahead of time but keep them looking fresh.

Clean and Disinfect your Cutting Boards

To give cutting boards a good clean and disinfect, just spread some lemon juice on them. Wait for at least 15 minutes before rinsing off the board with water. Lemon juice will also help to naturally remove stains from cutting boards.

Clean your Dishwasher & Microwave

Lemon juice can be used to clean your microwave and dishwasher by adding a cup of lemon juice into the detergent compartment. Let it run through a cycle to naturally clean and disinfect.

Your microwave can be a breeding ground for bacteria plus it gives food a weird taste. To eliminate this, make a mixture of lemon juice and vinegar and apply it to the inside and outside of the microwave. Let it sit for 10 minutes then you can wipe it down with a microfiber cloth.

Clean off your stove burners

Cut a lemon half, then rub one of the lemon halves across each burner. Wipe off the juice and grime with a damp sponge or cloth. This is great for getting rid of any burnt-on items that might be stuck to the surface.

Prepare Odor Free Trash Bags

Lemon juice can eliminate the horrible smell that comes from garbage bags. To do this, you simply need to add half a cup of lemon juice into a gallon bag then seal it up and place it in your cabinet until ready for use.

You can also throw lemon peels down the garbage disposal to help deodorize it.

Living Area and Around the House

 Room Freshener

Some smells and odors can stick around for days or even weeks even after they have been removed from your home. This is because smell actually “sticks” to the walls and surfaces.

Let lemon oust any unpleasant lingering house smells or odors caused by pets, trash or pungent cooking. Place a freshly cut lemon inside the refrigerator, wipe down microwaves or chopping boards with lemon juice or place a lemon in a boiling pot for an easy and effective natural air freshener.

You can also create a mash bag for freshening your drawers by drying out some lemon peels and stashing in a mash bag.

Clean and Shine Fixtures

Quickly buff up metal, copper, brass and chrome fixtures so that they are sparkling new again with lemon juice and a water wipe down.

Remove dried paint on Glass

First, coat the glass with hot lemon juice, let it soak, and repeat the process as needed. Second, take a cotton ball or cloth, dip it in lemon juice and wipe off paint stains easily. Let marinated for a few minutes to get the best results.

Pest Control

Create an insect barrier by applying fresh lemon juice or leaving small strips od lemon peel on window sills, window edges, cracks, door threshholds, baseboards and doorways to deter ants, spiders, fleas and cockroaches. Add some lemon juice to floor cleaner to further ward off insects and to create a clean and fresh scent within your home.

Personal Hygiene, Health, and Beauty

Beauty: Cheap Beauty Do-All

Lemons are a reasonable and efficient cosmetic alternative to store-bought products. Lighten your hair with a little lemon juice and sunlight; Dot lemon juice on freckles and dark spots daily to reduce appearance; Use lemon juice as an astringent on the face to remove oil and tighten pores.

Hygiene: Banish Bad Breath and Clear up Dandruff

When you don’t have a toothbrush, rub a wedge of lemon on your tongue and teeth to stop bad breath. Try applying lemon juice to your hair before shampooing to decrease unsightly dandruff.

First Aid: Antiseptic and Blood Stopper

Have a minor accident in the kitchen? Grab a lemon to disinfect small cuts and encourage blood clotting.

Health: Recovery Aid

Lemons have antibacterial properties. Gargle with warm water to relieve sore throats and to kill off throat bacteria. Adding lemon juice to water may also speed up the metabolism (while getting the digestion going) and also help you drink more water, which many of us do not get enough of already.

Explore what lemon juice can do for you!

The post 10 Household Uses for Lemon Juice first appeared on Upstairs Downstairs Cleaning Service.

Mold is unsightly, unhygienic and in some varieties, it can even cause a variety of health issues. It can lead to headaches and respiratory problems.

How to Prevent Mold in the Bathroom

The good news is, with a bit of upkeep and attention, you can win the fight against bathroom mold in five easy ways:

1. Adequate lighting
2. Keeping the bathroom dry and cool
3. Providing thorough ventilation, you can use a bathroom fan
4. Using effective cleaning products
5. Basic, consistent cleaning
6. Regularly inspect for leaks

Keep the Bathroom Well Lit

More than just the boogeyman prowls at night: Don’t let the mold growth monsters sneak out from the depths of the dark! Like the blackish color that mold is, it also thrives in dark environments. Keep the bathroom well lit with adequate lighting or allow sunshine in through open windows during parts of the day.

Keep it Cool and Dry Whenever Possible

Mold likes damp and humid climates, so the bathroom is the perfect breeding ground for mold and mildew. Remove all wet towels and clothing from the bathroom and allow these to dry completely. Do not store damp items in the bathroom and make sure to hang out the bathroom floor mat or towel to dry in between showers. Make an effort to remove excess water whenever possible.

Don’t overlook the shower curtain as an incubator for mold – wipe down the shower walls with a squeegee or spread open shower curtains fully to deter mold spores growth. As an extra line of protection, invest in a mold-resistant shower curtain.

Run Your Exhaust Fan During Showers

Aerate, aerate and aerate some more! Turn on the fan when showering and for at least half an hour after, until the condensation has evaporated from the bathroom. You can also install a more powerful ventilation fan to increase the circulation of fresh air within the small space. After usage, keep the bathroom door or windows open to encourage the flow of plenty of air. Proper ventilation helps prevent mold growth.

Even when running the exhaust fan, you may notice that over time, you start to see black spots on the ceiling above your shower. Use a spray bottle filled with a mixture of one-part bleach and one-part water to spray the area to kill the mold spores. No bathroom fan? Below are few things you can try to help with the mold problem.

Use the Right Cleaners

The products that you use can make a big difference in keeping mold growth under control. Bleach products are good agents to combat mold. Allow the bleach to sit on mold services for 10-15 minutes before you scrub the affected areas.

As bleach is a harsh chemical, wear protective rubber gloves and old clothes and make sure to avoid any contact with skin or eyes. Ventilate the bathroom while you are cleaning and afterward, either by opening windows or turning on the fan.

If you prefer working with natural cleaning materials try vinegar or hydrogen peroxide as a substitute instead of bleach or commercial cleaner. Vinegar is more effective at killing mold on porous surfaces than bleach. The white vinegar penetrates the materials to kill the mold at its root. In the worst-case scenario, you can also look into a mold specialist for more complete mold removal. If mold becomes a serious problem, you may have to reglaze your bathtub.

Clean Your Bathroom Regularly

A little bit goes a long way. Put in a little cleaning solution here and there to keep the bathroom from growing a fungus forest overnight. Wipe down surfaces, including shower walls. Keep the bathroom dry, and regularly maintain your cleaning appointments with Upstairs Downstairs to easily prevent mold growth and keep your bathroom mold-free.

When you clean your tub and shower, also take time to scrub your grout, as mold and mildew can build up in the grout lines. Regularly apply a grout sealer to help prevent mold growth. Wipe down the caulking or remove the caulking entirely, and refresh it whenever necessary. Use an old toothbrush with baking soda to restore its appearance.

Don’t forget to clean your bathroom rugs. These can hold on to moisture after each person gets out of the shower. Your bathroom rugs may never fully dry between showers, which makes them an ideal food source for mold.

Regularly Inspect Your Bathroom for Leaks

Make it a point to look for leaks in your bathroom at least once a month. Check the bathtub, sinks, shower head, faucets, etc. Even leaky toilets can lead to mold.

If you see signs of a leak, make it a point to repair it as soon as possible. If there are signs of significant moisture damage, run a dehumidifier in the bathroom for a few days to help dry it out.

The team at Upstairs Downstairs can keep your bathrooms clean, which will go a long way toward keeping your bathroom mold-free. We’ll clean your showers and tubs, sinks, and toilets. By doing your part and keeping things cool and dry between our visits, you’ll be sure to avoid mold in your bathroom.

The post How To Prevent Mold In Bathroom first appeared on Upstairs Downstairs Cleaning Service.

You don’t have to be a clean freak to want a tidy home but sometimes real life gets in the way. Tackling the mess with these simple and amazing tips will have you relaxing in a clean home in no time.

Gather Your Cleaning Supplies

When you’re ready to tackle cleaning, it’s important to have everything you’ll need to be able to get your house in tip top shape. There’s nothing worse than having to stop to run to the store to get supplies while you’re cleaning.

Here are some of the things you’ll need to keep on hand to clean: 

• Paper towels and rags to wipe down surfaces
• Newspapers to wash the windows
• Cleaners – having a window cleaner and multi-surface cleaner will take care of most of the surfaces in your home
• Natural cleaners – baking soda, white vinegar, and dish detergent are all great options
• Mop and bucket
• Vacuum 
• Broom

Where to Find Cleaning Supplies

You can get cleaning supplies at local stores or even order them online and have them delivered right to your home to save you a trip to the store.

Based on your home and what you’re cleaning, you may need some additional supplies. Double-check the cleaning supplies you have on hand as well to make sure you don’t need to restock anything before you get started. 

Make sure you have the right supplies the right way. There’s nothing worse than spending all day cleaning than seeing streaky windows or soap scum on your shower door after all of your hard work. 

You might not have the right product for the job or you might not have taken the time to read the directions to be sure you’re using it correctly.

Tips for Storing Your Cleaning Supplies

Designate a spot in your house for your cleaning supplies. Some people keep theirs under the kitchen sink. Or in the laundry room. You can also keep your cleaning supplies in the rooms you’re going to use them in. 

For example, you could keep your bathroom cleaners under the bathroom sink. Or stain removing products in the laundry room. 

If you don’t want to keep cleaning products in multiple rooms, consider getting a plastic tote for them. Organize them by room and choose a tote that has a handle so you can easily grab it and take it where you need it.

Start Out with a Deep Clean

One of the best ways to keep your home clean is by starting out with a deep clean. Go room by room and do a deep clean of the whole house. While you’re cleaning, purge things too. Get rid of those clothes that don’t fit, puzzles and games with missing pieces, and junk mail on the counter. 

When you’re cleaning, there are two things that can make it easier and faster: multitask when you can and work from the top down. An example of multitasking would be to strip your bed and wash the sheets while you’re cleaning the rest of the bedroom.

Working from the top of the room to the bottom will save you from having to clean things multiple times. If you start off by sweeping the floor, then dusting the surfaces, you will probably have dust bunnies on the floor and will need to sweep again. 

Here are some things you’ll want to focus on during your deep cleaning:

•  Dusting surfaces – bookshelves, end tables, decor, picture frames, bedside table, coffee table, ceiling fans, window sills, light fixtures, etc.
• Sheets and linens – wash your blankets, pillows, throw pillows, curtains, rugs, etc.
• Floors – sweep, vacuum, mop family room, bedrooms, bathrooms, kitchen floor, etc
• Trash – empty trash cans in every room
• Wipe down surfaces – walls, doorknobs, outlets, light switches, baseboards, etc
• Table and chairs – tops, bottoms, and legs of a kitchen, dining table, etc. and chairs
• Furniture – vacuum, flip cushions, clean underneath, etc
• Closets – clean out, declutter
• Laundry – wash dirty items, clean the laundry room including the washing machine and dryer, get rid of broken laundry baskets, etc
• Dishes – wash dirty dishes, put away clean dishes, get rid of things that are broken
• Windows and mirrors – wash inside and outside of windows, clean mirrors
• Kitchen – fridge, oven, microwave, coffee maker, dishwasher, dining room table, etc
• Bathrooms – clean showers, bathtubs, toilets, sinks, mirrors, grout, bathroom counters, hang fresh towels, empty the laundry hamper, etc
• Entrances – sweep up dirt tracked in, wipe down door handles and door frames, wash windows in and around doors, etc
• Bedrooms – change sheets, wash pillows, clean under the bed, flip mattresses, etc

If that all sounds like a lot to take on, consider having someone come in and do a deep cleaning for you.  That will make keeping it up easier. 

For seniors or those who need extra support, our House Cleaning for Seniors services are designed to make home maintenance safer and more manageable.

Get Organized During Your Deep Clean

During your deep cleaning, make sure that everything has a place. Move all the shoes you wear on a daily basis by the front door. This will make the shoes easy to find and keep your family from tracking dirt through the house. Find a home for all of the toys, games, and puzzles. It will be easier to clean up and put away because everyone will know where they belong.

Have you told yourself you don’t have enough storage space? It’s time to get creative as you’re deep cleaning and come up with some creative solutions. Use an over-the-door shoe holder for water bottles or rolls of paper towels. Get bins to store out-of-season things under your bed so they’re out of the way.

Come Up with a System to Keep Your House Clean

Now that you’ve gotten everything cleaned and put away, it’s time to keep up with it. Use our cleaning checklist to make sure you don’t miss anything during your daily housekeeping. Here are some great tips to help you:

Come up with a cleaning schedule that works for you. Spend 15 minutes a day picking up the house before you go to bed each night. Do a quick walk-through and a quick wipe down of surfaces.

Tackle things like the dishes and kitchen counter before you head to bed. That way when you wake up in the morning, you’re ready to start the day. No one likes waking up to a messy kitchen. 

Take care of things right away. When you get up in the morning, make your bed. Or when the laundry is done, fold it and put it away instead of letting it sit in the basket. Similarly, make it a habit of putting things away where they sit after each use.

Designate a donate or sell pile. Make sure you’ve got a spot in your house where clothes that no longer fit can go so they’re not taking up space in your closet. The same thing goes for toys, books, and other things around your house. It might be a basket in the closet or a plastic tote in the garage, but everyone knows that this is where things go when your family no longer needs them.

Make it fun. Put together a special playlist that you only play when you’re cleaning and working on chores. Do a short one for those quick cleans and put together a longer one for the times you need to a longer or do a deep clean.

Some things don’t need to be done daily so be sure to have a weekly cleaning schedule too. Things like laundry or mopping the floor might be able to be done on a weekly basis instead of daily. 

Before long, you’ll fall into a cleaning routine that works best for you and your family to keep your entire house clean. You’ll be surprised how just spending a few minutes in one room will help keep your home clean. 

When you’ve got everything cleaned up, take a picture of the space. You can print the picture out so your family can have a reference of where everything goes. This works great for kids’ bedrooms or playrooms so clothes and books get put away where they belong.

Let Your Family Help Keep Your House Clean

To keep a clean and tidy home is a team effort. Take a look at what needs to be done and delegate some of the tasks to your family members to help with maintaining a clean house.

Before they get started, make sure everyone knows exactly what the goals are for the chores they’re being asked to help with. 

Younger kids can get in on the cleaning fun by working on simple tasks like wiping down table tops, cupboard doors, or wiping down door handles. Give them a rag or paper towel with some warm water and let them loose.

Older kids can help with things like loading the dishwasher, sweeping and mopping floors, or changing sheets. Having the kids get involved will help develop good habits so cleaning won’t become a hassle, but just part of their normal routine. 

To tackle bigger things like clearing clutter, it’s best if you or your significant other go through those things so nothing important gets accidentally thrown out. 

What To Do When You Don’t Have Time to Keep Your House Clean

There just aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done. We all have to make decisions on how we spend our time. 

Use the time you’ve got to tackle some of your cleaning projects. When you’re decorating for a holiday or celebration, that’s a good time to clean at least parts of your house.

Find some things that work for your pain points. Lots of families use things like a robot vacuum cleaner to help them keep up with cleaning the floors in their homes on a daily basis. 

If your laundry basket is always overflowing with dirty clothes, look into finding a laundry service to help wash your clothes for you.

Hiring someone to do recurring housekeeping is a great way to keep your home looking great without taking time away from other things. This will make sure that everything gets taken care of in your home without you having to worry about anything. 

Upstairs Downstairs Cleaning Services offers a variety of housekeeping services to the Northwest Chicago suburbs. From deep cleaning services to recurring household cleaning services, you’ll be able to find an option that meets your needs. Contact us today for a free estimate. 

The post How to Keep Your House Clean: 5 Easy Tips first appeared on Upstairs Downstairs Cleaning Service.