It’s not easy keeping your home clean all of the time, especially when you share it with toddlers, unruly teenagers, pets and messy partners. From an accumulation of dust, and muddy paw prints, to crumbs under tables (and down the back of the couch!) toothpaste all over the bathroom sink and mirror, and a kitchen that looks like it hasn’t been cleaned in weeks, keeping up with cleaning can sometimes be so much of a challenge that it becomes a real chore.
If you’re struggling to even get your home clean, let alone keep it that way, hiring a house cleaning service might be the best solution. Because sometimes, fighting over constant grime and clutter can drain the life out of you, and when you attempt to tackle it, it leaves you with precious little time to do anything else. When you have professionals come in once a week (or once a day if needs must!) to get the place top-to-bottom clean, you can go about your day without the worry of coming back to a grimy, unloved-looking home, and it will be much more hygienic and fresh smelling, too.
So if you do decide to hire cleaning services in Tampa, you might not need the following tips on how to deal with some of the most common and troublesome cleaning problems around the home. But if you prefer to do your own cleaning, or want some cleaning tips for those days between professional cleans, you may find the following information useful:
- 1. Kitchen grease and grime
With so much usually going on in the kitchen, it can be easy for it get a little out of control and messy. Grease can quickly build up on the walls, surfaces, cabinets and appliances, stains can appear and go uncleaned for days, and odors can linger to the point that you forget what a clean kitchen should smell like.
-
- Breaking down grease is easy when you create a solution combining equal part warm water with white vinegar. Simply decant the grease-busting solution into a spray bottle, and squirt it over anywhere that’s greasy and grimy.
- For stains that are slightly more stubborn, you can try sprinkling baking soda over the affected area, before scrubbing it with a moist sponge.
- Giving all of your kitchen cabinets a wipe down with a soapy sponge (or the water and vinegar combo mentioned previously) on a regular basis, can prevent a buildup of grease, grime and dust.
- 2. Bathroom hardwater stains
These are a common sight in many bathrooms, leaving a chalky white residue on shower doors, sinks and faucets, but they shouldn’t be left alone.
-
-
- Take a vinegar-soaked cloth and wrap it around any affected areas for up to half an hour, to dissolve pesky mineral deposits.
- Make a paste from water and baking soda, and scrub gently at stubborn stains
- Take a couple of minutes to wipe down faucets and shower doors with vinegar and water once a day, to stop stains from building up.
-
- 3. Mold and mildew
This can quickly begin to build up in any area of the home that gets damp and humid, such as bathrooms and basements. If left untreated, however, it can cause health issues and of course, look very unsightly.
-
-
- Kill mold without the use of chemicals, by making a solution of one part hydrogen peroxide, to one part water
- Try to open windows where possible or use an exhaust fan to reduce the build-up of moisture
- Wipe down wet or damp surfaces frequently and if needed, use a dehumidifier
-
- 4. Carpet odor and stains
This problem can make your entire home smell less than fresh very quickly, and where possible, dirt and dust should be vacuumed away every day, and spillages addressed promptly to avoid staining.
-
-
- As soon as a spillage occurs, blot it with a clean cloth to stop it from soaking into the fibers
- For more stubborn stains, use a combination of dish soap and hydrogen peroxide
- Before vacuuming carpets and rugs, sprinkle a light dusting of baking soda over them to help neutralize any odors.
-
- 5. Dust on surfaces
If you don’t keep on top of dust, it will quickly build up on any and every available surface, but if not kept in check, it can trigger allergy symptoms in sufferers.
-
-
- Rather than spreading dust around with a regular duster, use a microfiber cloth to trap the particles, or the attachments on your vacuum cleaner.
- When dusting, always start at the top of the room and work your way down
- To reduce airborne pollutants in the home, replace your HVAC filters on a regular basis
-
- 6. Pet hair and dander
As much as you may love sharing your home with your furry pets, you might not be quite so enamoured with the amount of fur and dander they shed, which can look unsightly as well as trigger allergy symptoms. If pet hair is a constant issue that you don’t have time to keep on top of, many cleaning companies in Tampa will have special pet-friendly products and techniques to help you tackle this problem.
-
-
- Make removing pet hair from furniture easy by using a lint roller or a damp rubber glove
- Purchase a vacuum cleaner with an in-built HEPA filter to such away all traces of pet hair and dander, and use it often
- Regularly wash your pets toys and bedding to reduce allergens and odors
-
- 7. Streaks on glass
From windows to mirrors, it can be difficult to wash glass successfully without leaving ugly streaks behind.
-
-
- With a combination of water and vinegar in equal parts, spray glass surfaces and wipe with newspaper or a microfiber cloth for a shine free from streaks
- Don’t wash windows when the sun is shining directly on them, as the solution will dry before you have a chance to wipe it off, causing streaks to appear.
-
Many common cleaning challenges have the power to derail our cleaning efforts and make us feel as if we’re failing. But, as common as they are, they don’t have to be a challenge if you use the tips listed above. Alternatively, you can schedule a regular cleaning service and enjoy a home that’s always clean, even if you haven’t had to lift a single finger to get it that way!
