Cleaning is no secret!
It simply feels peaceful when you know it's clean.
And... we would add, safe to breath after you have cleaned!
Since we are making homes sparkle almost every day we choose to be careful of our own health as we handle cleaning supplies and germs. We do our best to reduce the chemistry we leave you with after we have gone as well!
SO... what do we prefer to use?
HYDROGEN PEROXIDE 3%
Hydrogen peroxide 3%, bought cost effectively at the Dollar store. We add organic peppermint oil to it, to discourage both spiders and mice as well as leaving a subtle fresh smell in places we want to get rid of germs, bacteria, molds and mildew!
We always rinse if we use it around metal, to make sure the oxygen does not cause the metal to oxidize, change colour or corrode!
We especially use it on cutting boards, butcher block counter tops to kill any bacteria where food is prepared. It's safe, since you can also use 3% hydrogen peroxide to treat mouth wounds and infections. Stings though!
VINEGAR
We find that a little bit of vinegar in water is best for cleaning floors and often for getting soap and mineral build up off tubs and showers. It is also great for killing bacteria and such. The scent of very faint and disappears as soon as it is dry.
BARKEEPERS FRIEND
We love to tell our clients about this great product, both in cream or powder! It's our secret weapon for getting rust and coffee stains off counters and even cleaning tough rust stains in toilets! Saves a lot of 'elbow grease' endless scrubbing! Part of what makes is work is the fine abrasive of the diatomaceous earth, made of fine silica shells of diatoms, little microscopic creatures found in fresh or salt water. Be careful with soft stainless steel appliance! The new stainless steel has a grain to it and must be cleaned only with recommended cleaners! and ONLY in the direction of the grain, just like wood!
We have even used it with a tough no-scratch scrubbie and a LOT of work to get a mix of rust-lime-soap glaze off ceramic shower tiles. That was a long job, but sure looked great restored to like-new!
MEAN GREEN DEGREASER
This stuff is an eco-friendly and very effective de-greaser! We've used it to even take farm machinery grease and mud out of almond coloured broadloom carpet! It has to be rinsed well though as it has it's own green colour that stays as a residue.
CLR cleaners - for intense situations
We generally don't like using stronger cleaners, but CLR is safe for septic systems and is sometimes the only thing that will do the job in a sane amount of time. We always rinse thoroughly and spot test it first to make sure it is worth using it. As a last resort, it can be useful.
CLEANING TOOLS
CLOTHS: Our favourite cloths are Home Hardware brand microfibre scrubbing and polishing and glass cloths. They wash well with Eco brand laundry soap and Natura brand Borax to get the oils out completely. Tom is the laundry wizard and takes care of making sure our equipment is clean and ready to go every day! Thanks Tom!
FLOOR MOPS:
We like the new spray and mop models where we can change out the terry-cloth mops frequently! As soon as they start getting grey we switch to a clean one, to be sure we are removing dirt and not just making it look 'even'! That way your bathroom floor dirt never makes it to the living room where your kids play!
BRUSHES
We HATE dirt in corners, so we have a variety of brushes that we use to get it clean. At the end of the day, they get washed and dried to be clean for tomorrow. We do encourage clients to keep separate toilet brushes for each bathroom and change them 2X a year!
WALL MOPS:
We have a great extension mop with changeable terry cloth covers that we use for getting the cob webs off walls and ceilings. In bathrooms, after we have dry-mopped, we often dampen this mop with hydrogen peroxide and clean off the steam and dust marks on the tops of the walls, where it cools and drips after you've showered and are on your way to work!
And... we would add, safe to breath after you have cleaned!
Since we are making homes sparkle almost every day we choose to be careful of our own health as we handle cleaning supplies and germs. We do our best to reduce the chemistry we leave you with after we have gone as well!
SO... what do we prefer to use?
HYDROGEN PEROXIDE 3%
Hydrogen peroxide 3%, bought cost effectively at the Dollar store. We add organic peppermint oil to it, to discourage both spiders and mice as well as leaving a subtle fresh smell in places we want to get rid of germs, bacteria, molds and mildew!
We always rinse if we use it around metal, to make sure the oxygen does not cause the metal to oxidize, change colour or corrode!
We especially use it on cutting boards, butcher block counter tops to kill any bacteria where food is prepared. It's safe, since you can also use 3% hydrogen peroxide to treat mouth wounds and infections. Stings though!
VINEGAR
We find that a little bit of vinegar in water is best for cleaning floors and often for getting soap and mineral build up off tubs and showers. It is also great for killing bacteria and such. The scent of very faint and disappears as soon as it is dry.
BARKEEPERS FRIEND
We love to tell our clients about this great product, both in cream or powder! It's our secret weapon for getting rust and coffee stains off counters and even cleaning tough rust stains in toilets! Saves a lot of 'elbow grease' endless scrubbing! Part of what makes is work is the fine abrasive of the diatomaceous earth, made of fine silica shells of diatoms, little microscopic creatures found in fresh or salt water. Be careful with soft stainless steel appliance! The new stainless steel has a grain to it and must be cleaned only with recommended cleaners! and ONLY in the direction of the grain, just like wood!
We have even used it with a tough no-scratch scrubbie and a LOT of work to get a mix of rust-lime-soap glaze off ceramic shower tiles. That was a long job, but sure looked great restored to like-new!
MEAN GREEN DEGREASER
This stuff is an eco-friendly and very effective de-greaser! We've used it to even take farm machinery grease and mud out of almond coloured broadloom carpet! It has to be rinsed well though as it has it's own green colour that stays as a residue.
CLR cleaners - for intense situations
We generally don't like using stronger cleaners, but CLR is safe for septic systems and is sometimes the only thing that will do the job in a sane amount of time. We always rinse thoroughly and spot test it first to make sure it is worth using it. As a last resort, it can be useful.
CLEANING TOOLS
CLOTHS: Our favourite cloths are Home Hardware brand microfibre scrubbing and polishing and glass cloths. They wash well with Eco brand laundry soap and Natura brand Borax to get the oils out completely. Tom is the laundry wizard and takes care of making sure our equipment is clean and ready to go every day! Thanks Tom!
FLOOR MOPS:
We like the new spray and mop models where we can change out the terry-cloth mops frequently! As soon as they start getting grey we switch to a clean one, to be sure we are removing dirt and not just making it look 'even'! That way your bathroom floor dirt never makes it to the living room where your kids play!
BRUSHES
We HATE dirt in corners, so we have a variety of brushes that we use to get it clean. At the end of the day, they get washed and dried to be clean for tomorrow. We do encourage clients to keep separate toilet brushes for each bathroom and change them 2X a year!
WALL MOPS:
We have a great extension mop with changeable terry cloth covers that we use for getting the cob webs off walls and ceilings. In bathrooms, after we have dry-mopped, we often dampen this mop with hydrogen peroxide and clean off the steam and dust marks on the tops of the walls, where it cools and drips after you've showered and are on your way to work!