Category: True Cleaning

The Joy Of Spring Cleaning

Spring cleaning is different in each household.  It is the time of year to go extreme and get every dirt cell in your house.  I tend to flip out a bit because it is the one time a year that my husband and children are helpful in the duties involved in our home.  I take full advantage of this.  Our spring cleaning consists of each room getting one on one attention and then the house as a whole.  The carpet cleaners are called in along with the handyman that will power wash the house, deck and windows.  Our job is to make sure that all the hidden dust bunnies are removed so that for one day our house can glow.

The kitchen is my least favorite place to clean.  I do spot clean the stove top and microwave but I truly hate these tasks.  During spring cleaning however I buckle down and get to it.  I start by empting shelves and removing food from the pantry.  I create a mixture of bleach and water and wipe down everything.  I then go through the items from our pantry and get rid of anything older than six months and reorganize as I out things back into place.

Next we move all the appliances.  The under carriage of the fridge, stove and dishwasher are magnets for dirt, lost toys and all types of candy.  The fridge is next. We empty both the fridge and freezer and wipe all the seals and shelves down.  Food is gone through and eventually reorganized back into the fridge and freezer.  One thing we are good about is making sure that flour, sugar and baking goods are fresh but if you are not check them out and make sure that nothing is playing host to bugs.

Each bedroom is canvases also.  We start by empting the room out.  This allows us to vacuum underneath the bed, dressers, nightstands and the far reaches of the closets.  Once this has been done we go though the items that have been relocated neatly placing them back into place.  We dust everything, throw away clothes that don’t fit, get rid of toys and take all large bedding in for cleaning.  The bedroom is the best place to clean because that night when you go to pass out you are really breathing in the fruits of your labor.

The living areas are always a treat.  This is when ceiling fans get dusted and wiped down.  You can really tell a lot about a family by the amount of dust on their ceiling fan!  The couches are taken apart and vacuumed.  If we notice stains on the furniture this is a perfect time to make note of it.  When the carpet cleaners come out it is often inexpensive to have them do a piece of furniture.  The windows are done by professionals.  This is because we have yet to master the art and I cannot stand getting the Q-tips out for inside the window sills.  All of the fire alarms are vacuumed out and new batteries installed.  Faucet aerators are cleaned and drains are too along with furnace filters and vents.

The one thing I love most about spring cleaning is after we are all done the carpet cleaners come in do another thorough vacuuming and get to deep cleaning our carpets.  This is a sure way to make sure all residues from dead critters, dander, dust and every other gross carpet issue is done away with.  Carpet cleaners get to the core of the dirt, remove it and leave the house smelling fresh and looking like new.  Once the carpet cleaners leave I take it upon myself to go shopping for new mats for the entrances of the house.  Clean mats help keep feet clean which in turn keeps the carpet in better shape longer.

Don’t forget to donate anything and everything you have decided to part with.  Don’t leave it piling up in the garage.  Most likely that sale you have planned for the summer won’t happen because summer is the busiest time of the year. Take the tax deduction and make let others thrive off of your goods.  If you have not used it in a year or more it belongs in that donation pile.  We had a brand new ricer that was still in the carton that we had no ambition to use that ended up going into the donation pile.    It is also not to forget that a clean home keeps the members of your family breathing easier.  Enjoy it!  You might find yourself cleaning more often.

Keeping The Carpet Clean

One of the things I like to do to calm me down is to clean the house.  I know weird huh?  There is just something about the smell of cleaning products and the thought of having everything in its place for even just a few minutes.  The one thing that irks me is the carpet.  We have newer carpet and maintaining it seems to be a job in its own.  I love the look and feel of the carpet but with two kids and three cats find myself at a loss for cleaning tips when I am in need.  Over the years I have come up with many carpet saving tips that I thought I would share for people going through the same situation as me.

Carpet cleaning is an art form. Professional carpet cleaners seem to have some magic trick that obliterates the stains and wear marks making the carpet as good as new.  How they do that to me is unbelievable.  However, I live within a budget and professional carpet cleaning services are just not in the budget more often than once a year.  The first thing for me, in cutting back on these services was to find a way to maintain the carpet for as long as possible.  I added an extra large entrance mat on the inside and outside of the door.  A bench and shoe rack was placed outside in the vestibule area of our garage to encourage shoe removal.

One problem with keeping our carpet clean is that my daughter is a flip flop lover.  Along with this comes dirt from her feet which leave marks on the carpet over time.  I cannot handle dirty feet so when I am home I make her wash them but that is not always the case.  I have found with dirt that has been tracked in the best remedy for stain removal is water and white vinegar.  I combine this mixture in a spray bottle and squirt the affected are, not saturating it.  I then take a clean white cloth and gently blot the stain until it is removed.

I have found that rubbing stains causes the stain to spread and often just squishes it deeper into the carpet fibers.  I also find that being overly aggressive will cause the carpet fibers to weaken making the carpet appear older than it is.  In order to thoroughly and deeply remove the stain take a thick white cloth and a heavy object and place in on the spot after you have blot removed the stain.  Leaving this overnight will help the stain seep from deep within the carpet onto the cloth leaving the carpet not only clean on the surface but also deep down.

I find that by vacuuming often I have cut down on the amount of stains that I visually see.  One member of our family takes a turn every other night vacuuming.  Thankfully we love in a ranch and the areas are easy to reach with the vacuum.  This helps keep pet stains down and allows us to spot stains quicker than when we were doing this chore only once a week.

Another trick I had read included using a blow dryer or iron to help dry the area after a stain was removed.  This is never a good idea for any type of carpet no matter how wet it appears.  High heat will only set it stains that may be hiding deep within the carpet.  The best solution for wet carpet is circulating air.  A large oscillating fan placed within the affected area should be enough to dry the area thoroughly.  It may take more than a day or two depending on how saturated the area is.

Many people ask me if I like clean carpet because I have issues with being overly clean but really it goes way above the fact that I enjoy a clean house.  Having carpet cleaning done allows all of the allergens that are building up to be removed.  It also prevents homes for organisms that will make homes in your carpet to be eliminated.  The thought of carpet bugs disturbs me especially because we enjoy family time hanging out on the floor.  The last thing I want to think about when playing a board game on the floor with my kids is the invisible creatures crawling among us.

Have a professional carpet cleaner out to your home at least once a year is maintenance that will not only benefit the look of the carpet but also the health of your family.  Routine spot cleaning and protection will help keep your carpets looking clean in between cleanings.  Obviously prevention is the key piece needed to improve the longevity of the carpet but with kids, pets and living in general that is not always possible.

A Lesson On Vacuuming

My vacuum is one of my most prized belongings.  The kids are not allowed to use it and my husband well he is as bad as the kids so no.  I selfishly leave the vacuum chore for strictly me.  I feel like this is really the part of the house that I have complete control over, maintaining the carpet.  I am a stain removal queen and think of the carpet cleaners as friends.  The carpet was the one home renovation I wanted and had to budget for when we moved in.  Carpet is not cheap, actually there are very few inexpensive floor covering now a days so I plan to make it last forever.

My cleaning rituals are like everyone else’s. We farm out daily duties to each of the kids such as empting trash cans and the dishwasher.  Every other day I vacuum the entire house.  This takes about twenty minutes but after I am done the whole house feels cleaner.  I also am able to look for a treat stains that have occurred without my knowledge.  This is super helpful because they have not set in so I can still remove them without having to call the professional carpet cleaners in.

Once a week our home is put through the deep clean ringer.  My children are in charge of dusting and picking up their rooms and closets.  My husband and I take on mopping the floors and laundry.  While my husband is tackling items in the garage that have meandered out of their spots I vacuum the wall to wall carpet. I take time to do the areas next to the walls and baseboards with the crevice tool.  This removes any build up that has occurred and then once all the dust is gone from the baseboards the kids have fun spraying and washing them with cleanser.

When vacuuming I break the rooms up into sections.  I find it is easier to do a thorough job when I can concentrate on one smaller area instead of worrying about the entire room all at the same time.  It also allows my focus to be within the area really looking to see if dirt is building up or a stain has appeared.  The entrance to the living room directly next to the front door is the biggest problem area.  This area needs regular maintenance to prevent any type of build up to occur.  I often put the vacuum on low and turn the rotating brush off in this area to get a tight suction allowing sand to be pulled deep from the carpet.

Other areas that require special care are in front of places people sit and places that we walk all the time, such as hallways.  What I do for these areas is vacuum in different directions.  This causes the pile to be moved differently and helps loosen the dirt to the surface.  Traditional horizontal and vertical vacuum techniques should be switched up with a crisscross pattern often to keep the carpet pile fresh.

Professional carpet cleaners will tell you that your carpets should be cleaned twice a year.  Going into the holiday season in mid October and again in mid April is the most common times to have carpets cleaned. I however feel that with regular vacuuming, maintenance and prevention that your carpets can be professional cleaned once a year and still maintain their original look and feel.   I love a throw placed by all exits and entrances.  Prevention is the most important step you can take in maintaining a spot free carpet.

Carpet Cleaners: Removing Pet Urine Odor and Stains

Dogs and cats are so much fun to have in a household. They lighten the whole atmosphere surrounding the family. They follow you around; they are constant companionship and overall best friends. That is of course when they are potty trained. During the first few months of pet ownership there is a struggle to learn to potty in the correct location which leads to much household stress. Is the limited stress worth the lifetime of love? Of course, however there are ways to ensure your home does not end up smelling like a great big litter box or dog kennel.

The pet of choice does not matter. Urine is urine and stinks no matter who the culprit. So if you have a guinea pig or a dog the urine will need to be immediately cleaned up and dealt with. Since this is one situation that you cannot completely prevent prompt attention is needed to ensure that your carpets stay clean and odor free.

Professional carpet cleaners have strong chemicals that eliminate odors and stains from carpets. What do regular home owners do to make the environment and carpet clean and odor free? At least until it can be deep cleaned, after say puppy is fully housebroken.

When you see an accident has occurred take time and blot the area with a dry clean white cloth. Absorb as much of the urine as possible. When the area is as dry as can be take and dampen the area with warm water and take baking soda and sprinkle the area. Baking soda is used to absorb odors. It is a great product that will produce results and not cause harm to pets using the carpet. Let the area thoroughly dry and remove the residue with your household vacuum.

Another technique that eliminates the stain and odors associated with pet urine is white vinegar mixed with water. The mixture should use a quarter cup of white vinegar mixed with a cup of warm water. The mixture should be applied to the area after the original mess has been blotted up as much as possible. Then you will place a towel on top of the area and press down hard to remove the water. It is best to do this process a few times eventually leaving a towel down covering the area with a heavy object on top of it. This should be done overnight. In the morning you may remove the towel and using a vacuum upholstery attachment you can remove the debris and restore the carpets fullness.

If you are a home owner who has not seen an animal during the crime but can smell it you must find the scene. In order to do this you can purchase a black light and use it to pin point the exact location. When a black UV light is used with the lights off and curtains closed the urine will glow in the dark. This will lead you to the crime scene and using the above techniques you should be able to remove the odor and stain.

If all fails and you are left with an odor or stain that you cannot live with call out the professional carpet cleaners. Carpet cleaners have special machines and chemical combinations that are superior and will remove most stains and odors. Using heat and high powered water extraction techniques professional carpet cleaners can remove most anything from your carpeted areas.

Carpet Cleaning: Tips to Prevent Deep Stains

Carpet cleaning is a trick trade. Professionals are trained to get out tough spots and to deep clean carpets to remove dirt and allergens from soiled carpet. It is important in dealing with carpet that you always start by preventing dirt and stains from building up in the first place. Regular carpet cleaning and paying close attention to stains when they first show up will prevent the need for the carpet cleaners to visit more than once a year. Taking appropriate care of your carpet will leave it stain and order free in between carpet cleanings.

Here is a list of helpful tips that will leave your carpet fresh and soil free in between carpet cleaner visits.

1) Maintain your clean carpet by having house guests remove shoes before entering into your living space. Carpet is easily soiled from outside dirt and soil. Use rugs at all entrances into your home and offer a sitting space for shoe removal. These signs will lead guests to automatically remove shoes before assuming that shoes are welcome on your carpet.

2) When you do encounter a stain do not rub it. This will only smear the stain and cause it to work into your carpet. The best option for most stains is to blot the stain until it is thoroughly removed from the carpet. If you rub the stain in it will go deep into the carpet and you will ruin the pile on your carpet fibers.

3) If you improperly remove a stain it will resurface at a later date out of the padding or depths if the carpet fibers. Make sure that you remove the stain thoroughly even going as far as placing a clean cloth on the stain over night and cover it with a heavy object that will press the cloth into the carpet fibers removing the stain.

4) Whatever you do, do not use an iron or blow drier to dry your carpet. These mechanisms will only set the stain in. Instead use a fan to circulate the air around the treated spot. This will help dry the area thoroughly.

5) Have your carpet steam cleaned by a professional carpet cleaning system once a year. This will help prevent buildups of spots and stains.

6) If you encounter mold or mildew in your carpet look for a non-chlorine bleach (non-colored carpet only) product or a combination of lemon juice and salt. Cover the area with the mixture and gently massage into the carpet. Then blot the area with a clean towel until the mold and mildew are gone. You can then circulate the air with a small fan to create an environment to dry the carpet.

7) Water is the best product to use to clean up most spills. Of course stronger substances such as urine will need to be treated with baking soda to remove the smell.

8) Vacuum is something that needs to be done more than once a week to keep carpets clean and fresh. Make sure you keep the canister empty and go over the carpet several times to allow all the debris to be picked up. A quick job is not something that should be done if you want to keep your carpet looking like it did when it was put in.

9) Mild cleaning products are always the best. I prefer just water but if sometimes products must be used for stains that are more stubborn. Read the directions on all products and use them accordingly.

Obviously the best tip is prevention. Prevent the stain from ever setting in or happening in the first place. You will save yourself a lot of time and money. Regular maintenance helps prevent deep soiling. Carpet cleaning professionals will tell you that eighty percent of debris brought into your home is dry. With this said regular vacuuming should minimize damage to your carpet.

Carpet Spot and Stain Removal Tips

Anyone with carpet knows the hassles that are fought daily to keep it clean of spots and stains. Once they have really set in carpet spot and stain removal is nearly impossible. It is important for owners of carpet to be diligent in the upkeep on their carpet.

My daughter is really good at wearing flip flops all day and come home with the bottoms of her feet caked in nastiness. This then lead to me cleaning the spots immediately by vacuuming and spot cleaning. To combat this issue I have developed the concept of “clean soles only” enter our home. So she needs to keep clean socks or slippers available to her at the door at all times. She is the in charge of going and scrubbing her feet in the laundry tub if she wants to be bare foot in our home.

This concept has also taken hold to family and friends that visit. It is important to us that our carpet stays clean without having to pay large sums to have it cleaned bi-yearly so I stress the importance that people remove their shoes before they enter our home. I have put a seat out in the shoe removal area to make it cozy and an extra rack especially for the shoes of our guests. I know it sounds very anal but having a house full of clean carpet is something I am willing to be anal over.

There are many stain removal techniques for those accidents that happen just from living in your home and having a family. It is important to know how to deal with them when they happen to avoid having to have a carpet spot and stain removal company come out to your home. Things like red wine and grease might seem impossible to remove from your carpet but they actually are something any homeowner can do with the right techniques.

First let us look into the matter of bleach. Bleach stains aren’t really stains at all. It is actually where the dye has been removed from the carpet. There is not really a technique to get a bleach stain off since it really is not a stain at all. You must actually have the section of ruined carpet dyed back to match the rest of the carpet. You can either have the carpet dyed or have that section replaced depending on the size of the area affected by bleach.

You will laugh when I give my next suggestion but I have tested this and it really works. I have frieze carpet with beige and gray so when I spilled Merlot it did not really go to well with the motif in place already. I began by blotting up as much red wine as I could with a white clean rag. This absorbed the majority of wine before it reached deep into the carpet. I then let the area dry and pour white wine onto the affected area. This actually negates the effect of the red wine and the satin is removed. The old saying, “If you don’t succeed try, try again” is true here. It may take more than one time to completely remove the stain.

Greaser is another area I am all too familiar with. My mechanic husband has had grease on his pants and proceeded to lounge on the floor. First you must remove as much of the grease by hand that you can. Using a clean towel you can get the majority of the chunk removed. Then apply a bit of rubbing alcohol onto a white clean cloth and gently pat the area. You are done when the stain is removed. It should come out very easily.

Carpet stains are annoying more than anything. Most stains will eventually come out of the carpet if treated promptly and with the correct tools. It is never wise to freak out and start rubbing the stain. This will only allow the stain to penetrate deeper into the carpet making it reappear later on down the road. For any carpet spot and stain removal that intimidates you call in the professionals. Getting your carpet cleaned is a lot cheaper than having it replaced all together.

Window Cleaning: The Spring Cleaning Nightmare

Who actually looks forward to spring cleaning? Spring Cleaning represents the time of year when all the creepy crud that has been living under your bed is revealed and sucked up into the vacuum. As the spring cleaning begins we tend to see that when let go the house will eventually turn into one large dust bunny. This is the time of year when we vow that we will never let the dirt overcome us again. We tend to be extreme when spring cleaning. Maybe it is due to the fact that we are finally free of the layers of the winter season. We believe that this abundant cleaning once a year will cleanse our souls and prepare us for the coming months of open windows and guests that join us for summer fun. Each room has different needs for a deep clean. Some rooms can forgo a spring cleaning with regular maintenance throughout the year.

Let’s start in the bathroom. This is one area that should never need a major spring cleaning. Regular washing of the tub and tile will keep mold and soap scum at bay. Use a solution of vinegar and water and you will keep your tiles and tub surrounds sparkling year round. Mirrors can easily be wiped down with window cleaner once a week. The only area that you might tend to have a pack rat tendency is the medicine closet. During your spring cleaning, if you haven’t kept up on this throughout the year, pitch unused medicine, bath soaps and things that will not be used that have accumulated.

Kitchens are a spring cleaning nightmare. The kitchen has been spots where crud creeps up and overtakes without much notice on our part. Start in the refrigerator where you will want to purge unused sauces and dressing. You might want to have a sink full of hot water and soap ready because the shelves will be sticky and in need of a good wipe down. You will want to move the refrigerator so that you can clean behind it and underneath it. Use extra care when removing the front panel to dust away the allergens caught underneath the fridge in the coils. The same care needs to be done with the stove. You will want to use a stove cleaner in order to remove buildup inside of the stove. Spring cleaning is the time that cupboards and pantries should be wiped down and food that has expired should be thrown out.

Bedrooms are where the most dust and allergens collect. Furniture is often not moves in these areas and will need to be in spring cleaning. You will want to make sure to flip mattresses and purge items out of your drawers and closets. In the kids rooms you will want to pitch broken or toys that are no longer played with away. The same hold true as you are getting out the summer clothing items if the item will not fit for winter wear next year donate it now. There is no reason to hold onto it for a year only to donate it the following year.

The entire house often could use a spring cleaning. Make sure not to neglect window cleaning and regular household vacuuming. You will want to wipe down and touch up walls. Have a professional carpet cleaner out to remove soiled carpet. Do a thorough dusting of ceiling fans, window sills, moldings and picture frames. Spring cleaning doesn’t only refer to the inside of your home either. Make sure you are doing window cleaning on the outside of windows before you put your freshly cleaned screens back in place. Freshen up patio furniture and siding with a good power washing. A good purge and clean is also recommended for the shed and garage areas. It is a good chance to reevaluate the safety of chemicals in these areas and to throw anything out that is not in complete working order.

Spring cleaning doesn’t have to be so overwhelming. Make sure to keep up on maintenance in your home throughout the year. When it does come time to do that once over massive cleaning make it a weekend job not a month long process. Breaking down the individual rooms and processing little jobs throughout the months can also help make this process less tedious. Who says you have to wait to clean the windows or wash the cupboards until spring?

Carpet Cleaning: ‘Tis the Season for Carpet Cleaning

Yes you can still have your carpets cleaned in the winter. Popular belief would have us believing that all carpets need to be professional cleaned once a year during spring cleaning. There are so many reasons that this thought has changed in recent years. Winter remains the top times that carpet professionals would like to have consumers have them out to clean the carpets.

Carpets take the most abuse in the summer months. With all the bbq and outdoor parties comes traffic for your carpet. People are not taking their shoes off each and every time they enter to refill their lemonade and if they did bare feet could be even worse. How many times have you seen someone with flip flops on all day with clean feet? Never! Feet that have been housed in flip flops all day tend to be filthy. Imagine twenty pairs of those feet tracking dirt in your house all summer. Of course your carpet will have dirt that has been ground in after an entire season of this.

What you really want to avoid is waiting too long to clean your carpet. Spots from summer will become more and more prevalent as the months turn into fall. The fibers from your carpet will begin breaking down from the oils and dirt and the last thing you want to do is wait until spring to have your carpets cleaned.

One of the great things about getting your carpets cleaned in the winter months is that you can pretty much pick your appointment time. During the spring, when everyone has the itch to clean, you can wait up to two weeks before an appointment time is available. When spring hits the demand is so high that even working at top capacity most carpet professionals will have to turn away business. That favorite carpet cleaner you have will most likely be booked into the coming months. You definitely don’t want to have freshly cleaned carpet in the summer. The humidity is so high that the carpet will have an incredibly difficult time thoroughly drying which can cause mold issues later on down the road.

Carpets stay cleaner when you have professionals out in the winter. The dust and allergens are not as prevalent in the winter months. This is good for people with severe allergens because all of the allergens that were blown in and have saturated the carpet all through the spring and summer will be washed away. This will leave you with an environment that is enclosed to the outside allergens. The carpet, having been professionally cleaned, will be allergen free for the entire winter. This will allow for a greater quality of life throughout the winter months for those who have sensitivity to allergens.

In the winter months the carpet tends to dry quicker after being professionally cleaned. Without humidity the moisture that is in the carpet will evaporate at a faster pace. High powered fans, along with the homes heating elements will ensure thoroughly dried carpets. For you this means less worry about mildew, mold, or carpet delimitation from the carpets staying wet for too long.

Since carpet cleaning professionals are usually less busy in the winter months consumers will likely be able to get the best deal when scheduling their carpet cleaning for the winter months. Not only will you get all the benefits above from cleaning your carpets in the winter you can also save money doing it. How much better can getting your carpet in the winter get?

Tile Cleaning: Getting Through the Scum

Cleaning tile is one of life’s most tedious, time consuming jobs. With all that being said it can get easier. If you are cleaning backsplashes in the kitchen, tile in the tub, or the tiled entry ways a few easy tricks of the trade could make the job much easier. The first thing you need to be aware of as a master cleaner is that tile inevitably gets dirty indifferent ways. Determine the root cause of the dirt and scum. It will be easier to pick the tool that will be the most effective if you know what battle you are fighting.

In the kitchen you will often find tile cleaning to be less of a hassle if you spend time throughout the time in the kitchen cleaning up food splatters as they happen. Waiting until the food has become an art form in your kitchen will present many grout and tile cleaning issues. For most kitchens cleaning with a simple mixture of vinegar and water, equal parts, will be sufficient. Spray on the cleaning solution and let it set and the stains should be easy to wipe off. For more stubborn stains a paste of baking soda and water can be applied. It is easier to get the tile and grout clean scrubbing in small circles rather than spreading the dirt around moving the debris about within the area using an up and down motion. Rinse the areas that you are cleaning with a straight water mixture and sop up the extra moisture with a clean sponge.

In the bathroom soap scum is a little bit harder to remove from between the grout and to get off the tiles. You can start by using household cleaners for soap scum removal. Most likely if the scum is visible you will need to use something a little bit stronger but we will discuss this in a minute. Household cleaners are available for purchase at most stores. Most over the counter cleaners that clean tile and grout will also help eliminate the buildup of mold and mildew in bathrooms. Another trick is to use a steam cleaner before actually using cleaning products. The steam will help to loosen some of the caked on grime allowing the products to get a better handle on the stains.

If you find that your cleaners are not getting the tiles and grout within your home as clean as you would like them to be go ahead and try a commercial grade cleaner. Commercial cleaners contain ingredients that are harsh to breathe in. You will want to make sure that you are using gloves and an air filtration masking when using these chemicals. If you would like to use a more natural solution that is equally strong try hydrogen peroxide or chlorine bleach. Make sure you dilute these chemicals thoroughly before starting the cleaning process. You will also want to make sure you are reading all labels to ensure that you don’t ruin your tile or grout sealants.

The final process in cleaning tile and grout to make it look fresh and new is to apply a few coats of sealer. Sealer enables your grout to have a defense against stains. Once your tile and grout is clean keep up on routine cleanings. This will avoid having to spend hours removing stains that have set in. Also, it is important to maintain the grout by continuing to apply a sealer once a year. Add grout sealing to your list during spring cleaning so that you can avoid staining.

Tile Cleaning: Keeping Restrooms Clean Equals Keeping Customers

Walking into a restaurant bathroom and seeing complete and utter chaos does not make your meal look too appetizing does it. If a restaurant can’t keep the bathroom tile clean how clean can they possible keep the kitchen that is cooking the patron’s meals? The same thing goes with retail establishments that leave paper towel hanging over the trashes and toilet paper rolls in disarray. These businesses expect consumers to pay top dollar for clothing and home goods. Businesses need to take into account the way their bathrooms look and make sure they represent the overall atmosphere they want to present to their customers. Keeping a bathroom clean from cleaning the tile to scrubbing the toilets is not that difficult and should be something all business owners account for in their budget. It is imperative to present a clean, organized and sanitized public restroom to provide a consumer with a sense of goodwill. Here are some general tips to keeping public restroom facilities up to consumer par.

1) Repetition: This is the key in keeping order in a restroom. Business owners need to have staff members scheduled at least every hour to check things like paper towels, toilet paper, soap and general cleanliness. They should address any issue that makes the area look unkempt.

2) Natural Products: Using overly scented products leaves an unpleasant odor to restrooms. Products that contain a neutral smell will be more pleasing to the majority of consumers and will not interfere with smells that exist already in your business. This is especially true in a restaurant setting.
• Borax: Leave in a toilet bowel overnight and stains and germs can easily be wiped away.
• Car Wax: Helps remove deposits of soap grime in tubs sinks.
• Vinegar and Water: Used together are the best tile cleaners ever. If you want tile cleaning to be quick and effective mix a gallon of water with a cup of vinegar. Mop the solution on the floor and you will have sanitized tile that sparkles.
• Hydrogen Peroxide and Water: Together this combination eliminates mold growth.

3) Use an Exhaust Fan: Exhaust fans circulate air and keep the bathroom area free of moisture build up. This is important to keep allergens, such as mold, from forming.

4) Empty Trashes: It is important to make sure bathroom trashes are emptied twice a day. Make sure employees know that if the trash is full before the two hours is up they are responsible for empting it.

5) Windex Mirrors: Mirrors are the number one thing that draws women into the restroom. Make sure that consumers can actually see themselves in yours. Mirrors should be cleaned at every other restroom check. Every two hours should be sufficient unless a lot of traffic has come through.

As you can see there isn’t much to keeping a restroom neat and tidy for your customers. Really all of these steps can be done in a matter of minutes each day. Clean tiles, toilets and mirrors can really help to retain customers and keep goodwill for your company. Something this simple can either bring a customer back or make them run for the hills. Make sure your company is doing what it needs to do to hold on to valuable customers.