Monthly Archives: May 2010

green cleaning idea #3 – drain cleaner

To unclog a sink or tub try this environmentally friendly drain cleaner. Pour 1 cup of baking soda down the drain. Follow it with 1 cup of hot vinegar. Let it set for a few minutes, and then pour a kettle of boiling water down the drain. Repeat if necessary.

Hint: Instead of throwing away the baking soda used as a freshener in your refrigerator, extend the life of it by reusing it as a drain cleaner.

To schedule a cleaning with Maid in Chicago or for a FREE quote, give us a call at (312) 829-9600. You can also visit our website maidinchicago.us and fill out our online form.

5 ideas to whip your home into shape before summer

Summer is just around the corner, and it’s a great time to whip your home into shape before the nice weather arrives. Here are some ideas to get you started:

1) Pull out your refrigerator and oven, and clean underneath them. Clean the coils on your refrigerator too. You can vacuum them using a crevice tool, or dust them with an extenstion duster.

2) Move couches, chairs, and other furntiture, and vacuum in those hard to reach areas.

3) Wipe down your baseboards.  

4) Wash your windows.

5) Clean the ceiling fans.

5) Declutter your home. Professional organizer Pooja Gugnani, founder and owner of Organizing with You in Chicago, wrote some great advice about changing your mindset about clutter in her article titled “Mind Over Clutter.” 

To schedule a cleaning with Maid in Chicago or for a FREE quote, give us a call at (312) 829-9600. You can also visit our website maidinchicago.us and fill out our online form.

green cleaning idea #2 – mild oven cleaner

 

Tired of putting on rubber gloves to protect your hands against caustic chemicals when cleaning your oven? Baking soda is a natural, mild abrasive that won’t scratch. Sprinkle some right out of the box on your stove-top or inside your oven, and scour with a damp 3M Scotch-Brite pad or sponge. You could also scrub your kitchen counters with it,  or use it in the bathroom on your tub or shower tiles.

To schedule a cleaning with Maid in Chicago or for a FREE quote, give us a call at (312) 829-9600. You can also visit our website maidinchicago.us and fill out our online form.

Product recommendation: Mr. Clean Magic Eraser

We recently discovered a great product to take scuff marks and stains off of walls without damaging the paint. It is called Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. It’s essentially a white sponge that you dampen with water. As you lightly scrub the wall, the eraser magically takes away the marks, and it eventually disintegrates into nothing. In addition to cleaning spots off of our office walls, it did wonders on a copy machine that had been become discolored over the years.

To schedule a cleaning with Maid in Chicago or for a FREE quote, give us a call at (312) 829-9600. You can also visit our website maidinchicago.us and fill out our online form.

wet mop brand recommendations

Here are some specific product recommendations for wet mop heads and handles, as well as where to purchase them. This is a follow-up to our post on how to clean hardwood floors.

We recommend these Quickie brand products, which can be purchased at Lowe’s. Our favorite mop head is the Quickie Wet Mop Refill With Microban (pictured to the left). The ends are stitched so they will not unravel or get tangled in the washing machine. Note that mop heads with Microban should be air dried, and not put in the dryer. They fit all Quickie 023 series mop handles, including the Quickie Clean Results Wet Mop With Microban (pictured below).

We also like the Rubbermaid Super Stitch Blend Mop Head which fits onto the Rubbermaid Value-Pro Mop Handle. However, they are difficult to find in smaller sizes in stores.  The large 24 oz. is sold at Home Depot and Office Depot, but they are  too big to use without a wringer.  The small (and medium) size is available online at cleaning and restaurant supply companies or at Amazon.com.

As we mentioned in our post about cleaning hardwood floors, we recommend using any string mop with a detachable head over a sponge mop or Swiffer. There are many other varieties of Quickie, Libman, and Rubbermaid brand mop heads and handles sold at grocery stores (Jewel, Dominick’s),drug chains (CVS, Walgreens), Home Depot, Target, Ace Hardware, Office Depot, etc. Most will be adequate. String mops do a great job and are cost effective because the detachable heads can be laundered in your washing machine and used over and over again.

To schedule a cleaning or for a FREE quote, give us a call at (312) 829-9600. You can also visit Maid in Chicago’s website maidinchicago.us and fill out our online form.