House cleaning services in the U.S. have been growing rapidly in the last few years. The pandemic has spurred this growth. It is expected to reach $40 billion in revenue by 2025.  Most cleaning services are provided by independents.  www.getonedesk.com/cleaning-stats

Here are a few quick cleaning ideas to help prep for the holidays.

1) If you don't have time to do a thorough cleaning, focus on the main areas where guests will be (like livingroom, diningroom, kitchen and bathrooms). 

2) Focus on floors--they make the most impression.

3) Use a designated room like an office to toss the clutter if you don't have time to deal with it.

4) Use scents, like essential oil sticks, to give your home a festive, homey feel.

Happy holidays!

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When winter comes, your house won't get the airing out that it does in warm weather with the windows open. So here are a few ideas to prep for your more air-tight home.

1) Wash out and disinfect all garbage, trash, and recycling receptacles.

2) Wash your shower curtain and/or liner to get that mold off it (or replace it).

3) Good time to do a heavier dusting since dust tends to build up more in winter (check those filters!). Dust ceiling fans, under couches, and behind the fridge for starters. 

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Here are some tips to prepare for a cleaner winter:

1) Make sure you have mats, inside and out by each outside door. Also a good idea to use slippers. Have extra pairs for guests.

2) Wash your windows. Use newspaper and a glass cleaner. This will cheer things up for the dark days ahead.

3) Change your filters (vents, furnace, stove fan). This will help keep the air in your home cleaner.

​Forward winter!

Several years ago I discovered microfibers, which are an amazing technology where the a cloth locks in the dirt and germs it comes in contact with to be released through rinsing. This allows for highly sanitary and efficient cleaning. It made my cleaning routine easier and faster. In time, however, I learned how the very tiny, barely visible, plastic filaments in microfiber products  breakdown and have become a serious environmental problem in oceans and even in our drinking supply. So I've decided that it's best to go back to older ways of cleaning.

It's been hard to 'kick the habit' and it's taking some time to work out effective methods that work as well. But I've been experimenting and am in the process now of converting.

​--My small contribution to our oceans.  

Here's something a little different. Ever wondered how airplane interiors are cleaned? Here is an innovation in the age of COVID to clean airplane seats more efficiently: germ-resistant seat covers! It's good to know the airlines are 'on it'!
www.cleanlink.com/news/article/Germ-Repelling-Seat-Covers-Could-Simplify-Airplane-Cleaning---27708?oly_enc_id=8353D0905923E1S&utm_source=enewsletterDaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=cpnewsletter-2021
AIRPLANE SEAT CLEANING

My sweetie and I are now in the process of getting a cat to liven up our new home. --And here's a plug for cat adoption: There are so many cats needing a home right now, it's really a good deed to adopt if you have the space in your life to do it. But back to the main subject of this post--getting a cat has put us in mind to think about pet safety in relation to cleaning products in our and doing cleaning around the house. I came across this helpful guide from the Humane Society on this topic. Most advice is pretty commonsensical but it's a good checklist if you have a pet..

www.humanesociety.org/news/how-keep-your-pets-safe-around-cleaning-products

Here's a good list of areas in your home that you probably overlook when you do a cleaning. How about the silverware drawer? Aha, I knew it!



www.apartmenttherapy.com/fall-cleaning-ideas-youre-probably-forgetting-36972142?utm_medium=at_daily&user_email=b879fef78c8b039e7ea991b2207148eec823dd549ffda3de774196584935c874&utm_source=Sailthru&utm_campaign=Fri%20Daily%20%2809/24%29%20A/B&utm_content=Final&utm_term=AT%20Daily%20-%2090%20days%20engaged

We tend to think of toothpaste as a health product but it's actually a cleaner--and a very effective one. It has an assortment of creative uses aside from cleaning teeth. It's good at defogging glass, taking up water rings from wood, erasing crayon marks off walls, whitening sneakers, and many more applications. Check out this article for a longer list:

​www.healthywomen.org/content/article/20-surprising-uses-toothpaste

It's a simple process really. Actually, there are many ways to take tarnish off of silver. But the best method is to boil some baking soda and aluminum foil in water with the item to be cleaned. This article shows you the details and lists a number of other methods for the adventurous.

https://www.rd.com/list/how-to-clean-silver/