SPRING CLEANING: The Experts at MOLLY MAID Make It Easy

At one time, spring cleaning was a much needed chore after a long, cold winter of coal, oil and wood burning.  These heat sources would leave homes dusty, dirty and covered with soot and ash.  Even today our homes are in need of a thorough spring cleaning following the winter season after months of muddy shoes and boots being dragged through the house.  

Spring cleaning is a welcome tradition for many people. After months of dark, cold winter, spring cleaning signifies the return of spring and spending time outdoors!

While we keep the house clean through the winter, it's really important to open up the windows, move furniture around and do all the extra cleaning steps that are on a 'deep clean' house cleaning checklist. And that's whether you do some of these chores yourself or bring in the experts at MOLLY MAID.

Just How Clean is MOLLY MAID Clean?

With some care and attention from MOLLY MAID, your home can quickly shrug off the winter dust and give you more free time to do all the things you truly enjoy.

MOLLY MAID spring cleaning is based on the same high standards that are used during an initial house clean. (Check out the MOLLY MAID Cleaning Handbook for lots of great cleaning advice.) In addition to all the areas covered during an initial house clean, a spring clean can involve additional attention to specific areas of the home according to customer requirements.    

During all visits, MOLLY MAID experts provide the same professional and thorough clean to meet the individual needs of all our customers. In fact, a MOLLY MAID spring clean can be carried out at any time of year, including move out cleans.

Spring Cleaning - It's in the Details

Spring cleaning tasks by the experts at MOLLY MAID include the same thorough, consistent and reliable service that our regular cleans provide. But they also include all or some of the following items according to your personal needs:                   

• Remove the contents of kitchen units and cupboards and thoroughly clean the insides;
• Clean the insides of closets and wardrobes;
• Wash all painted commonly-touched surfaces such as doors, walls and window frames;
• Wash baseboards, in addition to our regular dusting of baseboards.

Please contact your local MOLLY MAID today to discuss your spring cleaning needs in further detail.

SPRING CLEANING: Here are Great House Cleaning Tips from MOLLY MAID

If you're going to tackle some of your big spring cleaning projects yourself this month, the experts at MOLLY MAID can help get you started. With just a bit of care, attention and elbow grease, your home can sparkle for the warmer months and sunny days ahead.

Spring Cleaning Tips

1. Simplify your cleaning products cupboard. Limit spring cleaning products to a quality window/glass cleaner, all-purpose cleaner, tile/grout cleaner and a toilet bowl cleaner.
2. Always use the MOLLY MAID system of spring cleaning.  Clean from the top level of your house to the bottom. In each room, clean from the top to bottom starting on the left and moving right.  This really is the quickest and most efficient way to thoroughly spring clean your home.
3. Always dust the room first and then vacuum. That way any bits of dust or dirt that fall to the floor as you're dusting will be picked up by the vacuum cleaner.
4. The best dust cloth is a damp, clean, microfibre cloth. To dampen, hold the cloth by a corner and lightly mist with clean water from a spray bottle. The cloth should be just damp enough to pick up dust without leaving moisture streaks on the furniture surface.
5. If there's pet hair on upholstery, a damp microfibre cloth or rubber glove will easily remove it.
6. Before damp mopping, sweep or vacuum floors first to collect crumbs and dirt. Then, always start washing the floor in the farthest corner of the room and work your way towards the door. Use a damp cloth on the end of a mop handle to reach the narrow space between appliances. This will also help to get rid of cobwebs.
7. To soften splatters inside the microwave, fill a cup with water and microwave on high for a few minutes. The steam will loosen any baked on food so you can easily wipe it clean.  Before wiping the microwave, remember to be extra careful when removing the cup of water as it will be hot.
8. Dish cloths and sponges can be incubators for germs. Wash dish cloths regularly, and microwave damp sponges on high for several minutes to kill bacteria.  Even better, toss the sponge and stick to microfibre cloths, which dry quickly when hung up and help prevent the spread of germs.
9. Use a toothbrush for hard to reach areas in the bathroom and kitchen (for example, around the soap holder, taps and drain).
10. Streaks on windows are tricky to eliminate. When spring cleaning windows, wipe the interior side of the glass horizontally and the exterior side vertically. This way, it will be easy to determine if the streaks are on the inside or outside.
11. Are there cobwebs in hard-to-get-to corners and crevices? Get rid of them quickly and easily with a feather duster, which can reach into difficult places to dislodge cobwebs and dust. Another tip: use the feather duster on lampshades, which can look a bit grey and dust-ridden in the brighter light of spring.
12. Here's a simple way to de-scale the kettle. Fill the kettle half-and-half with white vinegar and water and leave it to soak overnight. Using an old toothbrush, dislodge any stubborn bits of lime scale. Rinse out thoroughly a couple of times and then boil some water to eliminate any odour of vinegar.

If all of these spring cleaning ideas sound a bit daunting, contact MOLLY MAID, the spring cleaning experts; click here to find your local MOLLY MAID. Another great idea: Give someone you know a MOLLY MAID Gift Certificate and start their spring off beautifully!

Great Spring Cleaning and Organizational Tips from MOLLY MAID

As an expert in residential cleaning, MOLLY MAID points out that it's always easier to clean your house when you have tidied and de-cluttered before you dust and vacuum.

But when you're Spring Cleaning you can take this cleaning rule-of-thumb a few steps further. It's actually a great opportunity to pack up and donate items you no longer need or want.

1. Sort things out. Start by getting three boxes and labelling them: 'Keep', 'Donate', and 'Dispose'. As you sort through your cupboards, closets and wardrobes, keep these boxes nearby and place unnecessary items in the corresponding box.
2. Clear winter clutter that has accumulated - it's time to finally find a home for all the extra winter scarves in the front hallway, the container of de-icer in the closet and the ice skates that now sit in the back room. Put these winter items into storage now that  warm weather is on the way.
3. Sort through your winter clothes and pack them away for storage. You'll have so much new space in the cupboards, closets and wardrobes once you've packed away your thick wool sweaters, etc.
4. Go through the pantry and food cupboards and dispose of anything that is past its expiry date. At the same time, if you find packaged foods that are fine but you know you won't eat, drop them off at a local food bank: Food Banks Canada or The Salvation Army.
5. Move on to the fridge and look for items that have expired over the winter months. It's time to make room for fresh, local produce.
6. If white bedding and towels are looking a bit grey and tired, put them in the washing machine and add a brightening agent (natural brighteners include lemon juice and white vinegar). Also, dry whites outside in the sun for extra whitening. This is a refreshing way to breathe new life into pasty-looking whites.
7. Attack the toy collection if you've got one - sometimes toys can take over a home! Consider investing in some storage containers - perhaps one in the kids' play room and one in their bedroom - to help make it easier to keep the house tidy. (Having specific storage containers for toys will teach kids to help keep the house tidy by putting their toys away.)
8. Wash vases in hot soapy water, or update your collection with some new ones, then fill your home with tulips, crocuses or daffodils for an instant lift.
9. Print those photos of your family and friends that you've flagged on your computer, and update your frames with these recent pictures. Or, have some photos enlarged or printed in black and white, put them in frames, and voila, you have some new artwork for those bare walls you've been meaning to fill. Best of all, they're homemade!
10. Good luck!

For more spring cleaning tips and suggestions from the professional house cleaning experts at MOLLY MAID, visit our blog or subscribe to MOLLY MAID Mail.