Author Archives: Maid in Chicago

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.

How to clean windows

Cleaning the insides of windows is time consuming, but it can be rather easy with the proper equipment. Do yourself a big favor and purchase a professional quality window squeegee from your local hardware store. Squeegees have been around since the advent of skyscrapers in Chicago, and they needed a streak-free way to clean the many windows. Ettore is the original and leading brand and available in stores everywhere.

Contrary to what you may think, you can clean your windows without a bottle of Windex or even a  single paper towel. You’ll need two buckets, a sponge, a soft cloth, some plain vinegar, and water. A simple solution of warm water and vinegar will cut  right through the dirt on windows and dissolve it.

Make a solution of 1 cup vingar and 1 cup warm water in a bucket. Fill up your other bucket with just plain water. Dip your sponge into the vingegar solution and wipe down the whole window.  Then starting at the top left hand corner of your window, move your squeegee from the top of the window to the bottom in one fluid motion. After each stroke, wipe the rubber edge of your squeegee with the soft rag. Return to the top and repeat, overlapping on the right side of the first stroke a bit. Continue to squeegee until you reach and finish the right edge of your window. Finally, draw the squeegee across the bottom of the window, and dry it with your cloth.

Clean your sponge off in your bucket of plain water and repeat steps for each window. Change your bucket of plain water frequently.

Enjoy your sparkling, clean windows!

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.

How to verify that your cleaning company is actually insured

If you choose to hire a person or company to clean your home, take the 1-2 days it takes to request and receive proof of insurance. Why?  If you are a home owner, it is especially important that your investment is protected. If you are a renter, you still may be liable for damage caused by an uninsured worker.

Maid in Chicago carries both general liability and workman’s compensation insurance. We can provide proof of insurance for our customers with a turn around time of one business day.  Our insurance company will either fax or mail this one or two page document directly to our customers.

Companies that balk when asked for proof of insurance are probably not insured. Once you receive proof of insurance, verify that the policy is in force. Certificates of insurance are worthless if premiums aren’t paid. The time to find out if a company is properly insured is prior to hiring them, not after something is damaged.

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.

green cleaning idea #1 – general cleaner

So you want to be more “green” and don’t know where to begin? Despite all of the cleaning products being marketed as green these days, the answer is easier than you think. With a couple of basics you can easily mix up your own general cleaner. 

You will need a funnel, a large bottle of vinegar, and a heavy duty spray bottle. We recommend the 32 oz. Zep brand professional sprayers. They work well and will last a long time. Any brand of plain white vinegar is fine. Add to the empty spray bottle two inches of white vinegar, then fill the rest of the bottle up with water.

Vinegar water is the perfect general cleaner for the kitchen and around the home. It fights odors and cleans most surfaces such as floors, shower tiles, and kitchen counters. Chefs like cleaning up butcher blocks with it, and pet owners love that it is safe. This solution is also great for cleaning hardwood floors. Note that it is only recommended for “hard surfaces,” not pourous or delicate surfaces such as marble, limestone, or granite.

What makes it so green? Vinegar is of course non-toxic, and because you mix it yourself with water from your faucet, you will use less packaging and generate less waste. You will love how much money you save on cleaning products too.

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.

how to clean hardwood floors

We are frequently asked about cleaning hardwood floors and products that we recommend.

First of all, a note about supplies you will need. Make sure you have a string mop with a detachable head, not a sponge mop or Swiffer. Sponge mops tear easily, tend to push the dirt into the corners, and you can never get them clean. Everyone seems to own a Swiffer these days due to all of the advertising on television. They are fine to spiff up with, but not an effective cleaning tool. The replacement pads are not cheap either. String mops do a great job and are cost effective because the detachable heads can be used over and over again. Simply put the used mop heads in your washing machine when you are finished, and you will always have a fresh clean mop to start with the next time you clean your floors.

We recommend Murphy Oil Soap which is a mild cleaner for hardwood floors. The only caveat though is to not follow the directions on the bottle. Fill a bucket up with water and add a quarter cap (not a full cap) of Murphy’s. Otherwise you will end up with a dull film on your hardwood floors. You can add a squirt of dishwashing liquid to that if you want. Alternatively another “green” way to clean your floors, which is a favorite among pet owners, is to add a 1/4 cup of white vinegar to a bucket of water. You can also add a squirt of dishwashing liquid to that solution. We do not recommend Orange Glo or Mop and Glo products. These products will initially make your floors shiny, but they leave a waxy buildup.

In addition to your bucket of water with Murphy’s or vinegar solution, fill up a second bucket with just plain water. You will use this bucket to rinse your mop head.

Before you begin mopping, either vacuum or sweep your floors, otherwise you will just smear them.  Then you are ready to mop.

Wet your mop in the bucket with the cleaning solution. Wring it out and start mopping your floor. When you notice the mop is getting dirty rinse the mop in the bucket of plain water. Redip it in the bucket with the cleaning solution and wring it out again. Change the bucket of plain water as often as necessary. Repeat. At minimum you should use a fresh bucket of water for each room. Dry floors with a towel when finished.

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.

Recommended cleaning supplies

(updated 10/10/12)

Whether you are cleaning your home yourself or hiring a service, you will need to have basic cleaning supplies. The following list will give you a general idea of items to have on hand. You don’t have to have everything, but it is a good idea to cover your bases. Tip: If you are pressed for storage space, store your cleaners in a milk crate under your kitchen sink. This will allow you to easily take them out and put them back.

equipment:
__ vacuum cleaner with attachments
__ vacuum cleaner bags
__ wet mop/hardwood floor mop (Quickie Wet Mop with Microban, Bona hardwood floor mop systems, etc. Please no sponge mops!)
__ bucket
__ broom
__ dust pan
__ step stool
__ dusters (feather, lambswool, or Swiffer disposable dusters)
__ scrub pads (3M Scotch-Brite, S.O.S.)
__ sponges
__ garbage bags
__ rubber gloves
__ cleaning cloths
__ paper towels
__ toilet bowl brush
__ empty spray bottles (Zep brand professional sprayers) 

cleaners:
__ vinegar (Heinz distilled white)
__ dishwashing liquid (Ivory, Dawn) and/or dishwasher detergent
__ Murphy Oil Soap (for wood floors)
__ all-purpose/general cleaner (Fantastic, Formula 409)
__ bathroom spray cleaner (Tilex, Comet Spray)
__ bathroom cleanser (Soft Scrub)
__ toilet bowl cleaner
__ glass cleaner (Windex or vinegar and water)
__ stainless steel cleaner
__ furniture polish (Pledge, Endust)
__ oven cleaner (Easy Off)

__ Mr. Clean Magic Eraser 

laundry supplies:
__ liquid / powder laundry detergent
__ fabric softener dry sheets (Bounce)
__ liquid bleach (Clorox)

Substitutions may be made for the brand names listed above.

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.

Spring Cleanings

Spring is just around the corner, and there have been many inquiries about spring cleanings. We generally consider spring cleanings to be everything normally covered in a general cleaning (dusting, floors, bathrooms, etc.) plus special projects–such as windows, blinds, ceiling fans, and the insides of kitchen appliances. Some of our customers will hire us for just the special projects alone. It is a time of year when everybody likes to get caught up before summer.

For those of us who are completely overwhelmed and don’t even know where to begin, try to be realistic. A home that has not been cleaned in months is going to require much more time to get back into shape than a home that is cleaned weekly or every other week. Depending on the size of your home, you may want to budget an entire visit on windows and ceiling fans alone. Also, if you have a lot of blinds, it may be more cost efficient to hire a blind cleaning service to take care of that task.

 A little bit of organizing can help immensely. If you can, remove clutter off of the floors, tables, and countertops before your maid arrives. We are more than happy to help you pick up and organize, but the more time the maid spends “picking up” and figuring out where things belong, the less time will be spent actually cleaning your home.

Stock up on cleaning supplies, and store them in a central spot. If space is limited, try putting them under the kitchen sink in a milk crate, so they can be easily taken out and put back.

 Here’s to a clean home!

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.

Keep ceiling fans clean

During the winter, your ceiling fan should be set to turn clockwise, which will draw the cooler air up and push the heated air down. Running a fan will help your furnace work less. This will reduce your heating bill because it is more energy efficient to run a fan than your furnace. It is a good idea to keeping your ceiling fan clean because the motor will expend less energy to turn the blades, and of course who wants chunks of dust floating down on top of them. 

First, to reach the fan you will need a step stool. Next, prepare a simple solution of dishwashing liquid and water. Then, dust off the blades with a Swiffer or feather duster. Finally, wipe them clean with a rag dipped in your cleaning solution.

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.