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Cleaning Tips, Tricks, and Tools
When it comes to cleaning, having a few tricks up your sleeve is the way to go. And if you want to know how to quickly get rid of dust bunnies, grime, dirt, and allergens, count on The Maids to provide the best cleaning tricks for your home. With over 30 years of experience under our belts, we have more than a few house cleaning tips to share. After all, we don’t go anywhere without a vacuum and cloth in hand! Read on to learn more about cleaning tools and housekeeping strategies you can use to get your home shiny and bright.
So you just moved into a swanky pad, and dang…that new carpet is looking fine. In order to keep things bright and fresh, we’ve gathered some carpet cleaning tips and tricks to tell you how not to ruin this blossoming relationship. Getting to Know Each Other First
How to Prevent Dents and Scratches When Moving
There’s no two ways about it: Moving is stressful. For all the rewards that come from setting up a new home and decorating to your heart’s content, getting all your furniture and belongings into a new house, whether it’s across the street or across the country, is
Quick House Cleaning Checklist
Quick, hide the magazine stash! Guests are coming over, and your house is looking less than its best. We know things can get crazy sometimes, and daily tidying can fall by the wayside. Meanwhile, occasionally you need to blast through some cleaning in a hurry. Here
3 Reasons Why Hiring an Uninsured Cleaning Service Could Cost You Millions
We know that hiring the best maid service can feel like a luxury, especially when you know someone who cleans houses on his or her own for a fraction of the cost. However, any money saved at the forefront could cost you much more than pain, stress, and heartache; they
Don’t Lose Your Lid: Five Tips for Keeping Plastic Containers Organized
You can’t beat the convenience of plastic food storage containers, except when you go to dig them out of the drawer or cabinet only to find that you have twice as many containers as lids, or vice versa, and none of what you have fits each other. It might not be
Refrigerator Organization: Zone Defense is a Good Offense
Before we burst into refrigerator organization, make sure you read about how to clean a refrigerator properly. After all, what good is an organized fridge if it’s full of expired items on sticky shelves? Once you’ve tossed the expired items (check your salad dressings
Your Teen’s Bedroom: To Clean or Not to Clean?
Teen bedrooms. In a word: Yeesh. A recent New York Times article explored the forsaken habitat of the human adolescent, and described, in anecdotal detail, the frustrations of both the parents and the teenager in the endless battle of who should clean what. It’s kind
Declutter Your Home For a Cause: Where to Donate Books
Even though there are numerous studies that link clutter to negative impacts on mental and physical health, most of us have a hard time parting with our stuff. As it turns out, however, the benefits of decluttering your home can have a much greater impact than you
House Cleaning Games: How to Get Lucky on St. Patrick’s Day
It seems to be the dynamic of every relationship: One person does most of the cleaning, the other…doesn’t. Sometimes it’s because they don’t do it well (and have been told as much). Sometimes it’s because they don’t want to. Sometimes it’s because they just don’t see
Our Spring Cleaning Checklist: Cleaning Tips For What Not To Clean
The interwebs are full of spring-cleaning tips and websites touting the best spring-cleaning checklist. We at The Maids don’t believe an ultimate list exists; in fact, we believe the best spring cleaning tips we could share are ultimately ones everyone should use all
10 Decluttering Tips That Take 5 Minutes or Less
If you have five minutes, you have the ability to take back your home from the clutter that threatens to take it over. Just five minutes a day—or whenever you can spare it—will help you feel better about the space you live in, giving you more room to breathe and
These Clutter Statistics Will Shock You.
There’s an epidemic sweeping our nation’s households. More pervasive than mold and more time-consuming than binge-watching Scandal episodes, this epidemic is negatively impacting our productivity, budgets, time and health. It’s the “Epidemic of Clutter.”
The Maids Heat Things Up In The Kitchen
We’ve written a lot about kitchen cleaning in the years this blog has been published, so we thought we’d take a moment to consolidate our favorite and most popular posts and present them in one handy place. If you find yourself snowed in or cabin-fevered, use these
6 Ways to Trick Kids (and Some Adults) Into Cleaning
We get it. Cleaning is a chore. If it were always awesome and fun and easy, we wouldn’t get so many chances to do what we do. That being said, cleaning isn’t really an optional thing; after all, dishes must get done, laundry must get washed (and dried, folded and put
5 Things the Flu Virus Hopes You Never Do
The flu virus is an unwelcome houseguest that would love nothing more than to take up residence and make your life—and the lives of everyone in your home—absolutely miserable. Kick the flu to the curb with these helpful tips. And if you need a visually stimulating
Get Undone in the Bedroom: 7 Ways to Take Clutter Out and Put Awesome In
Dropped socks, forgotten books, unmade beds–it’s easy to pick up messes in the bedroom, but when was the last time you really cleaned it? For a room that sees you more asleep than awake, it’s easy for bedroom grime and dust to sneak up on you. Take a couple of
5 Biannual Tasks Your Kitchen is Grateful for
They call it the heart of the home for a reason. Today’s kitchens are bustling with activity, which makes them one of the happiest—and the dirtiest—places to be. We’re all about keeping hearts healthy, so whip your kitchen into shape at least twice a year with these
5 Surprising Germ Factories In Your Home and How To Shut Them Down
With the news exploding with stories about Enterovirus-D68 and Ebola, it’s no wonder folks are in a panic about killing germs. The truth is, even if an illness didn’t make the daily headlines, it’s a perfect reminder to take stock of your daily hygiene and home
How to Clean a Car Like a Pro
We spend a lot of time in our homes and cars and we enjoy them more when they’re clean and decluttered. But busy schedules can make it tough for many of us to keep up with the housework, much less keeping a car clean. Professional car detailers may know how to
The #1 Bathroom Cleaning Tip Every Mom Should Know
Are you ready? Here it is: Make the kids do it. Here’s the thing. Bathrooms are small spaces that can get ridiculously dirty if given half the chance. If you have even one child who occasionally, ahem, misses the boat, then bathrooms need constant attention. Teaching
Get A Clean House Instantly With These 6 Tips
Unexpected guests? Friend in the neighborhood? Date go unexpectedly well? When you have a less-than-presentable house and exactly five minutes to clean it, race through these six tips as quickly as you can: 1. Clean the toilet. Give it a quick spray with cleaner
Five Reasons You Should Own a Clothesline
Hours of sunshine and gentle winds make for some beautiful memories in the summer, and that’s just the start of it. Now is the time to take advantage of all that free energy (I’m talking about the sun and having kids at home) and see how using a clothesline can really
10 Guilt-Free Reasons to Hire a Cleaning Service
We get it. Hiring a cleaning service can be a tough decision. We’re not even talking about our regularly scheduled services, although we obviously do those, too; we also provide “one-hit-wonder” services all the time for special situations, like the ones below. Do any
How to Get Rid of Mosquitoes Naturally
We all know how effective mosquito insecticides like DEET can be, but the harsh chemicals can aggravate your skin, lungs, and eyes. If you feel you’re trading one nuisance for another when you use commercial bug sprays, why not try a more natural method? From
Ten Non-Toxic Ways to Prevent Mold
Poor indoor air quality due to mold can impact the health of everyone in the home. Symptoms are wide spread and can be serious, ranging from allergies to
How to Get Fingernail Polish Out of Wood Flooring and Furniture
There’s a reason why our “How to Get Fingernail Polish Out of Carpet and Fabric” post is popular—accidents happen! Especially when it comes to drippy, brightly colored nail polish. So what do you do when you’re ready to paint the town red and you accidentally
Things Are Looking Up: 7 Surprising Ways to Dress Up Your Ceilings
Ceilings are often referred to as the “forgotten fifth wall”, but no more! Distract your guests between house cleanings with the newest trend in home décor! Make your ceiling (not your stacks of paperwork and randomly placed socks) the focus of the attention.
10 Steps to Help Your Washer and Dryer Clean Up Their Act
Washers and dryers are the dynamic duo that keep you and your family cleanly clothed, but how often do you give them the cleaning love they deserve? If you don’t exactly know how to clean a washing machine and dryer, we get it. But both these appliances work
Give Your Oven Some Lovin’: 5 Tips To Clean Cooking Machines
There is a reason for everything, and the reason for this post is bacon. Crisp, salty, oven-baked bacon. It crackles to perfection, but one jostled attempt to remove a rimmed cookie sheet filled with the savory strips can lead to a greasy disaster. Lose the courage of
10 Creative Uses of Rice Around Your Home
One of the most consumed grains across the globe, rice is a nutritional staple with many benefits. The grain is low in fat, sodium, and cholesterol and full of energy-creating carbohydrates—and it’s inexpensive. According to Statista, China, India, and Vietnam
From streaking to beak-ing: Is window washing for the birds?
I will start this blog with a confession: I can’t remember the last time a bird lost its life trying to fly into one of my windows. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t feel bad
‘Clean’ing Jokes. That are Actually Funny.
Sometimes cleaning is serious business. And sometimes it’s deliriously funny. Here are a few gems that will either get you in the mood to clean or laugh about not doing it at all. You
Doing Dishes the Easy Way
While the easiest way to avoid doing dishes is to buy disposable plates and silverware, it’s not good for the planet or your wallet. Washing dishes does many things—it builds character, promotes good hygiene, and provides additional surfaces on which to eat.
How To Clean Fingerprints Off Walls
Here’s a universal truth: If you have kids, you probably have smudged up walls. Whether it’s summer, winter, fall or spring, there’s a never-ending trail of their cute little fingerprints throughout your home. That said, the last thing you want to do when cleaning up
Garage Organization Ideas: 5 Steps for Reclaiming Your Garage
Remember how happy you were when you moved into a home with a garage, maybe even 2, or 3 stalls? No more braving lousy weather to hop in the car, seemingly unlimited storage space, and all those other garage benefits seemed like a dream come true. But now you know the
How To Organize Small Spaces
Homes come in all shapes and sizes, but that doesn’t mean organization has to suffer. If you are lacking horizontal space in your home, then capitalize on the vertical space and use every nook in a smart, functional way. Let’s explore some practical ways that you can
THE ULTIMATE STAIN REMOVAL GUIDE: House Cleaning & Tackling Life’s Toughest Stains
It never fails – you’re in a rush to get to work and you spill coffee down your favorite shirt. Or maybe your kids have gone strangely silent in the other room, which can only mean a juice stain all over your rug or favorite piece of furniture. Then there’s that
Tips for Cleaning Your Houseplants (Living & Artificial)
Houseplants are one of the most important accessories for your home. Bringing in a little bit of the outdoors can breathe new life into a room and add layers of texture to the overall design. Plants work to divide spaces or fill a voided corner, but just like any
Fireworks: Safety First, Cleanup Second
In the next week, we’ll be celebrating America’s Independence Day and Canada Day – which means, parades, barbeques, and for some of us, fireworks. People are always preaching about safety when “lighting off” fireworks (which of course is 1st priority), but we must not
3 Economical Ways to Keep Your Home Smelling Fresh
There’s nothing like the smell of a freshly cleaned house. But, the key to making your home feel all comfy and cozy inside lies in creating an atmosphere with aromas. Atmospheric Scents Sitting on your front porch on a rainy day or taking a walk on the beach, there’s
Dorm Room Cleaning Tips
Tackling dirty dishes, dingy clothes, and “What’s that Smell?” on your own Ah, freedom, independence, and the absence of prying parental eyes. College dorm living is all that and more – including the absence of done-for-you laundry, dish washing and housekeeping