The Holidays are a great time to clean, as though you didn’t have enough to do. When you move the couch to put up the Christmas Tree, or clear the mantle, you find dust, stains, or grimy corners. You have more to do than chase the dirt so in many cases you call in a cleaner.
This year let me suggest you wait until after the Holidays and clean when you are putting it all back together. Cleaners are cheaper then. The other thing is that no matter how clean you get the house before the Holidays it will be trashed after. Many people think they need the house cleaned for relatives, but I have found that relatives that are visiting you are less concerned with the cleanliness than the owners.
Anyway, we get ready by first vacuuming the whole house. Then we move what we need to. We have a set of book cases and a mantle that we decorate so we dust all of that and anywhere else as we move stuff out of the way. It actually gets to be kind of contagious with us. The decorations take over the house so we have been pretty good about getting everything dusted. When it’s all in place we vacuum again.
Now the kitchen for sure will get trashed so don’t get carried away. I take a damp cloth and wipe everything down, spray it all with Windex, wipe it again with the rinsed damp cloth, and dry with another clean cloth. You can do the same with the bathroom. Just kind of move stuff around, the Windex dries quick.
These are just some tricks to get you through the Holiday. They should be used sparingly and of course hire a cleaner if you are feeling overwhelmed. The big push to get a cleaning done should be when you are getting ready for Spring. It is just around the corner.
Since 1968, high school, I have worked on properties for rent and sale. My first company was formed in 1972 with a partner. Over the years the business grew. Last year in 2008 my main company A Spring Cleaning won an award for Cleaning Service by the U.S. Local Business Association.
A Spring Cleaning was my own creation. In the 1980s and 1990s we did many things. Dry rot repair, yard work, paint, pressure washing, hauling, and design. In 2000 we changed to a regularly scheduled house cleaning company with the trade name Seattle House Cleaning.
The transition was gradual. A Spring Cleaning got a boost in 2005 with a mention on a national TV show, then a few interviews in the local media, and business was very good. I was also a licensed Real Estate agent with some project properties.
In 2005 I became concerned about the housing market and concentrated on finishing my projects full time. We sold off properties in 2006 then concentrated on the Seattle House Cleaning business. Three years later the cleaning business is good.
Blogging is a part of my daily routine. Most of the time my focus has been on Real Estate and economics. To go along with that we encourage people to be in business. Our cleaning business has branched off into other cleaning businesses and we consult with other business owners.
This site is an extension of what we already do. By sharing what we have learned about the cleaning business we hope you will see it's more than just a bucket and rags that get you the fresh feeling of a clean home. These are just some tricks of the trade and some of the pit falls we experience.