As winter slowly turns into spring, the dust in your home seems to become more obvious. The fact there is more sunlight is one reason (sun seems to make dust shine too!). The other reason may be that your home is becoming a little cluttered; with the weather lately we don't know if we should have winter boots and coats or running shoes and sweaters, so everything is being pulled out of the closet frequently!

How can you keep things more pristine? 

It's almost time for your spring cleaning, so tackling the clutter is going to make a huge difference. Regular cleaning and light surface dusting will also help maintain a dust-free, beautiful home. You can even ask kids to help out; suggest they dust their own rooms and turn it into a game.) 

Here are other tips that will help keep your home dust-free:

• Use door mats to prevent dust and dirt from entering your home.
• Brush your pets because they bring in a lot of dirt and debris too.  Brushing them regularly will minimise the amount of dander and pet hair in your home.
• Use a microfibre cloth. MOLLY MAID cleaners use microfibre cloths because they work so well and capture even the tiniest dust particles.
• Go over dusted areas with fabric softener sheets. The anti-static component in the sheets helps prevent further dust build-up and can easily take the place of more expensive electrostatic cloths. But be careful not to use these on sensitive electronic items such as televisions and computers.
• Don't forget windows and blinds - close all of your blinds and briskly dust them off all at once.
• Always dust top to bottom, left to right. This ensures that you won't go over surfaces multiple times and the dust won't fall onto a surface you've already cleaned.

Mom does so much for you all year round.  Mother's Day offers one special day to celebrate Mom for all her love and support, so what better gift than the gift of time for her to relax and take a break while you clean the house!  Before you start with the simple cleaning tips below, it's important to declutter: put clothes away, clean off countertops, take out the garbage and recycling, etc. Once you've taken care of that first step, follow the easy tips below:

1. How to get started - To tackle the tasks ahead for a sparkling clean home, assemble a bucket of supplies to clean the entire home (include an all-purpose cleaner, tile/grout cleaner, toilet bowl cleaner, different colour microfibre cloths, etc.).  Having all these cleaning supplies at your fingertips will help speed up the housework and eliminate the opportunity to get sidetracked.

2. How to clean windows/mirrors - Make your windows and mirrors shine as bright as Mom's smile.  Add a drop of dish soap to a natural cleaning solution of white vinegar and water.  Spray the window and/or mirror, then dry with a microfibre cloth.  Learn more about the benefits of microfibre cloths in our previous blog post titled " Throw Away the Kitchen Sponge".

3. How to damp dust:

a. with a microfibre cloth - Dusting can instantly give a room the facelift it needs to spring back into its polished, put together state.  Spritz the microfibre cloth with water (the cloth should be just damp, not soaking wet).  Use the MOLLY MAID cleaning technique of dusting top to bottom, left to right to ensure dust won't fall in an area you've already cleaned.

b. for webs on walls and corners   - Clean those hard to reach areas for Mom so she doesn't have to.  Attach a slightly damp microfibre cloth to the end of a broom to reach high corners and between tight spaces that your hand isn't able to reach.

Now that you have the more time consuming tasks completed, watch for some more great cleaning tips tomorrow…

Did you know that the highest concentration of bacteria in most homes is found in and around the kitchen sink?

Bacteria love dampness and - as mentioned in our previous post Stop Spreading Germs in the Kitchen - bacteria require moisture to reproduce and survive... and in the kitchen, the sponge at the sink is often a culprit. A sponge is a moist environment and takes so long to dry. As a result, it's a playground for bacteria to grow and multiply.

MOLLY MAID recommends trading in the kitchen sponge for a microfibre cloth. A microfibre cloth dries quickly when hung up after use and is also environmentally responsible because it lasts much longer than traditional cloths.  They're also a great cleaning tool because they have special small fibres that are designed to get into surfaces, pores and crevices that traditional cloths can't reach.  

Your house cleaning checklist just got easier!

Many homeowners rely on a professional cleaning company. But there are lots of ways to keep your home clean and fresh between visits.

Keeping the garbage can and compost container germ-free is one of those chores you need to consider. It's one thing to take the garbage or compost out to get rid of smells, but the container itself needs to be disinfected regularly because bacteria and germs are likely lurking!

MOLLY MAID recommends wiping down your garbage can and compost container with a natural disinfectant, like rubbing alcohol.

How to do it:

1. Pour some rubbing alcohol onto a microfibre cloth
2. Wipe down your garbage can and compost container - inside and out.

Do this at least once a week to help get rid of germs and to control the smells that garbage and compost can sometimes leave behind.

Keep an eye out for more great cleaning tips to help stop the spread of germs in your kitchen.

When you think about it, you are constantly touching things and picking up germs, and those germs are then transported to anything else you touch. For a lot of people, their smart phone and other electronic devices are used on a daily basis, and cleaning these devices should be a part of your regular house cleaning checklist.

Smart phones, computer keyboards, remote controls, telephones, and other electronic devices are a haven for germs. MOLLY MAID recommends wiping them with rubbing alcohol as an easy and effective way to disinfect them. Rubbing alcohol is a natural disinfectant found in most homes.

How to do it:

1. Dab some rubbing alcohol onto a microfibre cloth - do not directly pour rubbing alcohol on any electronic device
2. Carefully wipe down the device.

Be sure to do this regularly. Rubbing alcohol won't damage the electronic device when used this way - and it will get rid of germs that accumulate on these devices that are used daily.