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Springtime scour: Professional tips from eagle-eyed cleaning pros for making cleaning less of a hassle
Properly outfitted
Here’s what Two Maids & A Mop local Operations Manager Alyssa Meyer says her cleaning teams take to a job site:› Plastic scrapers: For caked on food on surfaces such as counter tops, backsplashes, ovens, heavy soap scum in showers and gum off of tile floors.› Toothbrushes: For small, hard-to-reach areas such as drains, sink fixtures, corners and toilet-bowl hinges.› Scrub brushes: For cleaning grout in the showers and tile floors.› Magic Erasers: For counters, trim work … virtually anything that does not have a wood finish, which it can harm.› Terrycloths: For general cleaning and disinfecting surfaces.› Microfiber cloths: For dusting, polishing, and cleaning glass.› Poles (broom, mop, duster, high duster): For floors and hard-to-reach areas where dust accumulates.
Watching the professional house cleaners of Two Maids & A Mop work their way through a kitchen is a bit like walking through a crime scene with Sherlock Holmes. They notice the kind of unsightly details most eyes slide over like stained Teflon.
For many homeowners, "cleaning" involves a half-hearted swipe here or there before calling it a day. Professional cleaner April McClure, 33, however, spends more than half an hour scouring just a few feet of countertop in Jacob and Chryssy McDonald's 3,100-square-foot home in Harrison.
She dusts the blinds over the sink, polishes the window panes and cabinet pulls before wrangling errant crumbs from behind the toaster.
"[Cleaning] is an eye-level thing [for most people]," she says. "Where they see, they wipe and ignore the rest of it."
Despite their professional thoroughness, McClure's partner, Jessica Kittle, says they're not the judgmental sort. Not everyone wants to devote so much time to the endless cycle of home upkeep, the 31-year-old says.
"I have a lot of customers say, 'I just don't like to clean,'" she laughs. "Well, that's what we're here for."
Whether they're applying the elbow grease themselves or hiring a service such as Two Maids & A Mop, most Americans get the cleaning itch with the onset of spring and the opening of windows to let the fresh air in. According to a 2013 survey of more than 1,700 adults by the American Cleaning Institute, nearly three-quarters (72 percent) of respondents said they spring clean every year.
For most of the year, Two Maids & A Mop - a national cleaning service with a Chattanooga office - cleans more than 100 houses a week, says Alyssa Meyer, the local branch's 24-year-old operations manager. Every March, however, the service's workload increases by up to 50 percent as homeowners call up, desperate for help getting rid of months of dust and grime that accumulated during the winter, she says.
"We're very busy," Meyer says. "We get a lot of spring cleans and move-ins and move-outs. We get a lot of deep cleans.
"It's spring and the weather is getting nicer, so they're having company come over. People are organizing and getting rid of stuff and realizing how much dust they have in their homes as they're going through things."
Contact Casey Phillips at cphillips@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6205. Follow him on Twitter at @PhillipsCTFP.
Clean like a pro
If you can’t afford to have a professional cleaning service give your home a springtime scouring, here are some tips from experts to clean more effectively and efficiently:Dusting› Dust air conditioning vents and the blades of ceiling fans using a cloth, then follow up with a soft nozzle vacuum attachment. For ceiling fans, the onset of warmer weather means now is the time to set your fan’s rotation to counterclockwise.› Martha Stewart suggests unscrewing light bulbs then polishing them with a dampened microfiber cloth. Avoid wetting the metal screw base. Clean bulbs in recessed ceiling fixtures using a telescoping wool duster, she says.› Use a mini-broom or dry paint brush to remove dust from baseboards. Be sure to clean baseboards after cleaning floors to minimize re-dirtying.› Dust tends to accumulate in the crack between furniture cushions. Flip them and vacuum between on a regular schedule.Kitchens› Clean the interior and exterior of cabinets. Remove the contents, vacuum the shelves and drawers. Take advantage of this opportunity to declutter and throw away or recycle what you aren’t using. Finish by wiping everything down using a microfiber cloth.› Before tackling your oven, check which type you have — self-cleaning, textured or non-self-cleaning — to ensure you use the proper cleaner. For non-self-cleaning ovens, use an oven cleaner, brush and scrubbing pad. Never use abrasive devices or cleaning products on a textured oven. Want to make your own oven cleaner? Use this recipe from the “For Dummies” line of self-help books: Mix 2 teaspoons borax or baking soda with 2 tablespoons dishwashing liquid, 1¼ cups ammonia and 1½ cups hot water. Apply generously to spills and allow to soak for at least 30 minutes.› To minimize mechanical issues with your refrigerator, unplug it and move it away from the wall. Thoroughly clean its coils, where dust can collect. Sweep and mop the area beneath the fridge while it’s moved.› Clean inside your refrigerator using a Martha Stewart-recommended mixture of two tablespoons baking soda for every quart of warm water. Wash removable shelves and drawers after allowing any glass to come to room temperature to prevent cracking. Loosen hardened spills on non-removable sections by wetting the area with the solution and allowing the spills to soften.› The moist environment and bits of food deposited in them make sink drains a haven for bacteria, according to a study at the University of Arizona. An expert speaking to FoodandWine.com recommends cleaning the sink basin with disinfectant designed for kitchen use rather than vinegar and lemon juice, which doesn’t eliminate certain pathogens.Bathrooms› To clean grout between tiles, dip a grout brush or toothbrush head in bleach, ensure the room is well-ventilated and set to scrubbing. Prevent the growth of bacteria by resealing every six months.› Refresh or scour your shower curtain every six months. Older, unwashed shower curtains tend to accumulate an abundance of harmful sphingomonas and methylobacterium bacteria, according to a Norman Pace, a professor of molecular, cellular and developmental biology at the University of Colorado.› To prevent a buildup of scum in your shower, apply a shower-safe water repellent — similar to the formula used on car windshields — to encourage water and soap to bead up.Floors› When cleaning hardwood floors, avoid using water on non-sealed surfaces. Use cleaners suitable for your floor’s particular finish. For non-sealed surfaces, sweep and vacuum instead. To prevent scratches, place thick, padded adhesive surface protectors on the bottom of furniture legs and replace any that are worn or dirty.› In heavy traffic areas with carpet, spray stains with a mixture of equal parts water and vinegar. Allow this to set, blot the stain and fluff up the carpet by running the edge of a spoon against the fibers.› Be sure to check care instructions for any rug you clean. For rugs without any instructions provided, test any cleaner on one area. If it’s safe, clean the entire rug then thoroughly rinse, dry and vacuum it.Windows› Clean window panes with a mixture of warm water and a few drops of mild dish soap. Be sure to have a squeegee and microfiber cloths at hand and wipe from top to bottom. To ensure maximum clarity, clean both the inside and outside.› If possible, take down blinds (plastic or metal) and clean them on an old sheet on a slanted surface. Scrub with water and a non-corrosive cleaner before spraying clean with a hose and drying with a towel. For wooden slats, dust first then clean with a few drops of furniture cleaner on a nearly dry sponge.› Martha Stewart recommends cleaning curtains using your vacuum’s upholstery attachment and, if possible on your model, reduced suction. For especially dirty curtains, check care instructions on the label and, if possible, clean in a washing machine. Be wary, though, because some curtains are dry clean only.Source: Two Maids & A Mop, MarthaStewart.com, Dummies.com