10 Ways to Freshen Your House this February

Written on February 18, 2010 at 3:47 pm, by admin | No Comments

Spring time is almost here! But not quite yet. Here are some easy and quick ways you can freshen up your home to tie you over until the spring.

1. Natural Air Fresheners
Whip up this easy lemon-scented spray that freshens the air and absorbs odors.
• Dissolve ½ cup of baking soda into 2 cups of very hot water; Once the baking soda is thoroughly dissolved, add one quarter cup of lemon juice; Pour into a misting spray bottle; Spray into the middle of the room to avoid staining any fabrics

2. Plants
Houseplants are the best way to clean the air in your house. They are 100% natural and non-toxic. Try these 3 top air-purifying plants: Dragon tree, Ivy, and Ficus.

3. Candles
Candles are a great way to freshen your house but be careful of what kinds of candle you’re buying. Burn a natural beeswax candle to scent the air like honey and clean the air at the same time or try soy candles scented with essential oils. They are much cleaner than parrafin candles and have no artificial fragrances.

4. Freshen Your Mattress
We all like to hibernate slightly during the winter months. Adding a fresh scent to your mattress can radically change your sleeping experience.
• Using your blender, grind until fine ½ cup of dried herbs (try mint, lavender, lemon balm, etc.); Mix ground herbs with ½ cup baking soda; Sprinkle mixture lightly over mattress pad; Spread mixture more heavily on top half of bed where upper body rests to enjoy a consistent fragrance.

5. Flowers
One of the easiest ways to brighten up a dreary room is with a nice bouquet of beautiful flowers. Check your local flyers for sales.

6. Open your windows
The easiest way to bring some air into your house. Opening windows for 15 minutes every morning and evening is good enough in the winter months.

7. Let the sun shine in.
As your cracking open your windows, why not pull back those drapes (or blinds)! You’ll be amazed how much a difference natural light can do to brighten your mood.

8. De-clutter your fridge
And I don’t mean the inside of your fridge. I mean taking off all those magnets, scraps of paper, take out menus and business cards drowning the surface of your fridge. I guarantee an instant kitchen face-lift.

9. Move around some furniture and artwork

10. Wall decals
This requires a bit of spending but can be really fun. Look for temporary wall decals. When you’re ready to try something new, just peel them off.

Have some tips of your own you want to share? Send them to Theresa@theeverythinggirls.com.

House Cleaning Services

Written on February 17, 2010 at 5:08 pm, by admin | No Comments

There are so many things we have to do on a daily basis around the house. Times have changed though and there isn’t a person at home to do it all throughout the day. Most households have only one parent or both of them are working outside of the home. As a result there is still plenty to do once the work day has been completed.

House cleaning services can prevent you from feeling overwhelmed by all of it though. If you have a family then you want to be able to spend your time after work doing things with them. The amount of quality time you are able to spend with them is very important. You will also want to spend your free time engaging in hobbies and socializing. Let’s not forget making time for working out in the schedule too.

One of the reasons why people think they can’t afford House cleaning services is the myth that goes around about it being so costly. What you will find though when you start to look into it is that the services out there are very affordable. You can hire a business to do all the work for you or just bits and pieces of it. Take a look at your level of housework and your budget to find where the balance is for you.

For some people, it comes down to having such services once a week before the weekend hits. Then they can have a clean home for their family and whoever happens to stop in. They can also spend the weekend enjoying what life has to offer. For others, the cleaning comes after the weekend when everyone has been home to create a mess!

Not all housekeeping services out there are the same so keep that in mind. You want to explore what they offer, check their reputation, and compare pricing. You should be able to freely communicate with the cleaning service about what you would like to have done. Ask what they require of their employees too so you can get an idea of background checks have been done.

To get the most value out of House cleaning services, talk to several agencies. As you do so, let them know what you are looking for. Make sure you express what you want to have done so they can offer you a fair estimate. You can also change the services that they offer you later on if you find that you need more from them or less.

Being able to come home to a house that has been cleaned up for you is a great treat. You work hard and deserve to be able to relax at some point in your day. If you are always staying up late to get the chores done and even your sleep is suffering because of it then make some positive changes. With the help of house cleaning services you can enjoy more free time and be happier overall.

Explore the Idea of Maid Services for your Home or Office

Written on February 7, 2010 at 8:05 pm, by admin | 2 Comments

Cleaning seems to be a chore that never ends. I can’t tell you how many two parent households out there I see where they work hard to provide for the family. Then they spend their entire weekend cooking, shopping, doing laundry, and cleaning house. Come Monday morning it is time to get back to the grind again.

Where is the fun in that? It doesn’t leave any time for relaxing or for enjoying each other. It doesn’t allow for time to do outdoor activities either. For single parent households the load of chores is so long they often have to cut out hours of sleep each week to get it all done. No one wants to have a dirty home though and that is understandable.

Explore the idea of maid services though and get back some of your time again. The cost is really less expensive than you might think. You can customize the types of services that you want too as well as how often they come to your home. If you hire someone to come in weekly to do the laundry, clean the floors, and clean the bathrooms you will have several free hours over the weekend to do what you want to.

It could be that you are fine with the day to day chores but need help with those that come up now and then. Hiring a maid service to come in and clean the windows, dust high and low, and even to wax the floors will help to give your home a lovely appearance that lasts for a long time.

Maid services are also a good solution for a business. While you do expect your employees to pick up after themselves there is a limit to what they are willing to do. Someone needs to be there to take care of the bathrooms, the office kitchen, and even to dust around various types of office equipment.

If you have a reception area where clients come in then that area needs to be very clean as well. Your maid services should go beyond just cleaning it up though. They should also be willing to do some type of sanitizing to keep the spreading of germs to a minimum.

Too many people have the idea that hiring a maid service for their home or their business gives the impression that they are lazy or that they don’t think such efforts are important. However, that isn’t what it means at all. Instead, it shows that you do want to have a very clean home and a business with a professional look.

Yet at the same time you realize your time is very valuable so you are turning over the responsibility for the cleaning to someone that does it professionally. It is a winning situation for all involved. Life needs to have balance in it but that doesn’t happen when you feel like you are always either cleaning or working.

Cleaning Services are a Luxury you can Afford

Written on January 15, 2010 at 8:31 am, by admin | 2 Comments

When the idea of cleaning services comes up, most people think that would be a great idea of they could afford it. They never go get around to looking into it though, they just assume they can’t cover the cost if it. Even so, the idea of hiring someone to clean for them crops up again and again while they are in the mist of completing the never ending household chores.

Even if you have a tight household budget you can afford some basic cleaning services. You may have to cut down on other expenses and it is a good trade off. However, take a look at the big picture. For example do you often pick up fast food for dinner because you don’t have to time to cook or because your kitchen is dirty? With cleaning services you can cook more often and save money on having to pay for food that isn’t usually healthy for you anyway.

Most people assume they can’t afford cleaning services due to the stigma that is behind it in our society. We often think of the rich and famous when we think about people having others to clean up for them. While that is one aspect of it, the truth is that most families are very busy. The idea of one parent working and one being able to stay at home isn’t nearly as common is it was several decades ago.

As a result of this many households end up spending their free time cleaning up. Couples often bicker over who is taking on more household chores. Even if that discussion isn’t going on there can be resentment that will come out in some form over it. If you can trade spending some money for the value of having time to yourself or to enjoy an activity as a family it is definitely worth it. Take some time to compare the prices out there and determine what can fit well into your budget.

The prices vary depending on what types of cleaning you have the service provider complete for you. It also depends on which business you hire. You may find you only want to hire someone to take on half of the chores and that is fine. You will still get additional time in your day. You can hire them to do those that are the most time consuming or that you hate to get done.

Most cleaning service providers are willing to negotiate pricing depending on what you need to have done. They understand the needs of their customers vary so they try to be as flexible as possible.

Before you blow off the idea of cleaning services, you owe it to yourself and to your family to find out what all the different options are. Your only regret is that you didn’t follow up on this in the past to find out what the prices happened to be. Start getting some control back over your life instead of feeling like you are a prisoner chained inside your home to make it clean.

Finding the Best House Cleaning Service Provider

Written on December 4, 2009 at 12:28 pm, by admin | No Comments

There are plenty of service providers out there that are willing to clean your home for you. Yet they can significantly vary in the level of services that they are able to offer. Some of them are extremely professional while others unfortunately are severely lacking in the right skills to be of any real value to you.

Getting the most out of the house cleaning service provider you choose doesn’t have to be pure luck. In fact, if you are willing to invest some time before you hire someone you will find that you end up with the right combination of services and for the right price. There should be several different house cleaning businesses in your area that you can consider.

Find out what types of services that they have to offer you. That way you can match them up with the needs of your own home. Most of these types of businesses are very flexible so let them know what you are looking for. Take note of the prices they give you as well as their responses to your questions. That way you can use that data for comparisons later on.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions and remember that you aren’t under any obligation to use their services. If they offer a free in home consultation then take them up on it. This type of scenario allows them to come into your home and to show you what they can do for you. They are going to try to entice you with great deals and discounts too. Take advantage of that so that you are able to secure the best overall value.

Ask your family and friends who they use for their own house cleaning needs too. Word of mouth is a great benefit with this type of need. Find out what the pros and cons are that they have experienced with any given house cleaning services. Then you will know if that particular business is worth looking into further or not.

Find out how long a business has been established in the area too. If they are fairly new it can be hard to decide if you should take a chance with them or not. However, if they have been around for a very long time that is a strong indicator that they know what they are doing. If they weren’t offering excellent house cleaning services their business wouldn’t have been able to stay going for so long.

It doesn’t take long at all to uncover the reputation of any house cleaning service provider in your area. Yet the time you invest in doing so is going to make your decision so much easier. You want to be able to feel good about the decision you have made. You want to be able to have your home looking fantastic without any stress involved. You also want to feel that the price you pay for such services is well worth the end result.

Is there Enough Value from House Cleaning Services to Justify it?

Written on December 4, 2009 at 12:27 pm, by admin | No Comments

The cost of house cleaning services seems to be more affordable all the time. Yet you may be wondering if there is enough value from it to justify the cost. It really comes down to what your needs are. Some households are stretched to the limit when it comes to their time. Therefore they don’t mind paying for quality house cleaning services. They want to be able to benefit from a clean home and spending their free time on other things that they value as well.

A home is one of the most expensive investments that you will ever make. You certainly don’t want to be embarrassed by the way that it looks. If you have a large family it can seem like you are always spending your time cleaning up after them. It can start to be frustrating and stressful at the same time. Breaking free from those bonds is part of the value of house cleaning services.

When company drops by you want to be able to enjoy their presence. You certainly don’t want to be worried about how clean your home happens to be. Yet that happens to many of us. How many times have you frantically been rushed to clean due to the fact that someone is coming over in a short time? That process takes away from the excitement you have awaiting their arrival.

Germs are a common element all around us but that doesn’t mean we don’t fight them. A clean home is going to have fewer germs. With the help of a great house cleaning service then you won’t have to worry about them. Fewer germs can help to keep common illnesses at bay too.

A clean house is also going to help keep problem smells away. If you have pets then this is definitely a benefit of a quality house cleaning service. You want to be able to enjoy your pets. Yet not at the expense of your home having a terrible smell as a result of it. If you want to have more time for yourself or your family, then an easy way to do so is by hiring someone to take care of these common household chores on your behalf.

The needs that everyone has are different when it comes to house cleaning services. Therefore you don’t want to get locked into something that is expensive but doesn’t give you all you need. When you consider the value of this type of service you should feel that you are getting what you pay for. At the same time, you shouldn’t be paying for more than you need.

Your house cleaning service provider should be flexible to accommodate changes in your needs too. Find a provider that you have a very open relationship with. That way if you need them to come more often, to not be as frequent, or to change the services that they offer it can all be arranged without any problems. When you are able to do so then house cleaning services are definitely very easy to justify.

Hire Someone to Perform Services for you Personally and Professionally

Written on December 4, 2009 at 12:26 pm, by admin | No Comments

There is one commodity in life that most of us do wish we had more of. It is time and getting the most out of it is something we can all appreciate. Yet it can seem like all of your free time is consumed with things you don’t want to take care of. For example housework or cleaning up the office.

Why not hire someone to perform those services for you both personally and professionally? The bottom line is that you want your home to be clean and comfortable. You also want your business to have a fantastic impression by always being very tidy. Yet you are tired of spending hours of your time to accomplish those elements. Hiring someone to do it all for you is going to give you back your time.

It isn’t expensive at all to hire a business to take care of these tasks for you. The thought that they will be expensive though is often to discourage people from using them. If that has been your take on it, now is the time to explore it. Find out what businesses in your area are available.

The key to being successful with hiring people to perform these services for you is to let them know what you really need. Most of them understand that different households and different businesses have various needs. They will offer you pricing depending on the depth of the services they need to perform for you as well as the frequency of them. Ask about a discount when you are going to use them for both business and personal services.

Price isn’t the only factor you want to evaluate. You also want to find out what the reputation is for a given business in this field. Ask them for references to get an idea of how they have performed for others in the past. When you take the time to hire someone to perform such services for you, take your time to make sure they can offer everything you want. That way you can be confident in their efforts and not have to add one more thing to your list of things to keep track of.

Be very detailed when it comes to the types of services you want to have them perform. That way they can offer you an estimate that you can try to fit into your budget. With more free time you may be able to relax and to reduce your level of stress. It can give you more quality time with your family which has tons of benefits.

From a business perspective, a very clean office gives the impression that you are professional and a great entity to work with. Therefore it could be part of the reason why someone decides to do business with you. From that point of view, hiring someone to perform such services for you can actually end up helping you to make more money than before.

Cleaning your Home with All Natural Products

Written on November 26, 2009 at 5:34 am, by admin | No Comments

There are many all natural products out there you can use for cleaning your home. Toss all of those harmful cleaners you have been using in the trash can. You will feel good knowing your home is clean and that your family hasn’t been exposed to chemicals that aren’t good for them.

You will also feel good about knowing you are doing something positive for the environment as a whole. Having a clean home is important to all of us, and now you will discover that there is even a better way to do it.

Chances are you already have lots of natural products in your home that you can use for cleaning. Baking soda can help you to remove a variety of stubborn stains around the home. It works very well for toilets, sinks, showers, and much more. You also don’t have to worry about it scratching these types of surfaces in the process. Baking soda will leave the area very clean and it will also help to kill both germs and odors.

Distilled vinegar has a smell to it so some people are afraid to use it to clean their home with. You need not worry though as this natural product is one that the smell of will quickly go away. It works very well mixed with two parts water to clean your glass. You won’t end up with any streaking either and that is an added bonus that will make your home look much nicer.

Liquid soaps are a great way to clean instead of harsh chemicals as well. You can buy them for a low cost and apply them with a clean rag and some water. Make sure you read the labels though to find out what the ingredients in them are. Avoid those that have bleach or any type of bleach alternative in them.

Become a label reader too because there are many over the counter products you can buy these days that are made from all natural ingredients. As you read the labels you will find that they don’t have harsh chemicals and that they aren’t considered to be a type of poison. These are a convenient way to get the cleaning supplies you need without any of the elements that you don’t.

There are many great recipes online that allow you to mix ingredients to make natural cleaners. They are perfect for multi purpose efforts and there are some you will find for cleaning specific types of materials. It can be fun to explore these various ideas and to see for yourself just how well they work in any home.

Using all natural products to clean your home is a great way to be environmentally conscious. It is also a way to protect your family and your pets from various toxins that can be released from harsh cleaners. In fact, some of them do more harm to the environment than good but people continue to use them because they don’t have the facts.

Finding the Perfect Cleaning Service

Written on November 26, 2009 at 5:32 am, by admin | 3 Comments

Finding the perfect cleaning service really depends on how you define that. What you need can be very different from someone else you know. What you need for your home can be very different from what you need for your business. By taking the time to see what services a particular cleaning company offers you though you will be able to find that perfect fit.

Start by identifying the various cleaning service providers in your area. Then you can go online and see who has a website. These days more and more businesses do have them readily available. There you should be able to find a complete listing of all the different services that they are able to provide.

For those that you can’t locate a website for, you should consider calling them directly. Ask for details about what they offer so that you can take note of it. Make sure you ask about specific types of cleaning that you would be able to benefit from as well. Eliminate those cleaning service providers from your list that aren’t able to provide you with all you need from them.

You may want to consider only using those cleaning companies that use all natural products. They won’t bring any form of harsh chemicals into your home. Yet they will be able to get your home just as clean as someone using those harmful products would be able to. If that is the case, you do want to ask around to see who is providing those types of specific services in your area.

Read reviews online too about different cleaning service providers. You should be able to find information written from customers. This is important because a cleaning service provider may tell you that they offer specific services that you want. However, if it turns out that they don’t do a remarkable job of performing them then it is really pointless to hire them.

Keep in mind that you do get what you pay for. The lowest prices for cleaning services may not offer you what you had in mind. Yet you don’t have to pay top dollar either to get quality cleaning services. Finding that middle ground is going to take some investigating so keep that in mind.

As you start to learn about the various cleaning services that are offered, you can put together a good scenario of what you need and who is going to be the best business to provide it. You do want to be selective because not all of the businesses out there are going to be able to provide you with the same benefits. You want to feel good about your investment every step of the way.

You also need to be confident that who you hire can do the just right every single time. Otherwise you are still going to have the stress of getting all of those chores accomplished. Feeling like you can trust your cleaning service provider to be responsible and reliable is going to be a relief you are very happy with.

Cleaning your Home doesn’t have to be Harmful to the Environment

Written on November 26, 2009 at 5:29 am, by admin | No Comments

When you go about cleaning your home, the process is one you do in order to keep your family safe from germs. Yet you may not realize many of the products you use to do so aren’t safe from them. There are harsh chemicals in most over the counter cleaning products that you can do without. They also result in harmful elements being released into the environment.

It is possible to get the same cleaning results but without using any of those products out there. You will also find that these natural cleaning products are less expensive. When you consider how much money the average household currently spends for cleaning supplies you will be amazed. Imagine being able to cut that expense by half or more.

You may be wondering why these harmful products are allowed to be sold if they are so dangerous for the environment. The bottom line is that they are allowing companies to make money. They have met the industry standards but you still will find that the warnings on them are quite severe. For example the labels often tell you that the cleaning product is considered to be a type of poison.

You may be recommended to use gloves and to be in a well ventilated area while using them. Those types of warnings should all be considered to be red flags when it comes to their use. You don’t want to intentionally live in any type of environment where it is hard to breathe or toxins are used. Yet that is what you are doing each time you bring these types of cleaning supplies into your home and use them.

Somewhere along the line the perception that many of us have received is that we need to have various types of chemicals including bleach in our cleaning products for them to be effective. If they don’t have a strong odor coming from them then we assume they don’t work. Where do these types of ideas come from? Well, they are part of the overall advertising strategies for the manufacturers of cleaning products.

As you realize what the truth is though you can drop those ideas and get down to finding natural products that clean just as well. It will likely make you angry though to realize what you have been exposing yourself and your family to for so long. Don’t beat yourself up for it though as there are millions of unsuspecting consumers just like you out there that feel the same way.

Now that you have solid information about how to clean your home without using anything that is harmful to the environment, what are you waiting for? Another benefit is that Poison Control Centers get calls all the time from frantic adults that have discovered little ones consuming some type of cleaning supplies. By getting them all out of your home you can offer a higher level of protection for their well being.