We would all like to have a reputation for having a sparklingly clean and tidy home at all times. But the truth is, most of us rarely have the time or energy to keep our homes spotless all the time. So what do you do when you receive a call from a friend or a relative. Saying they’re coming for a last-minute visit? If you’re looking to keep your “tidy house” reputation intact, even when you have surprise visitors, keep on reading! Here are some helpful tips to make your last-minute emergency house cleaning easy, and your guests will never know!

1) Have realistic expectations

When it comes to last-minute cleaning, you must give yourself realistic expectations of what you can accomplish. It wouldn’t be practical to try and do a deep clean of every room in the house, but a superficial clean/tidy of the rooms your guests will enter is completely manageable! Save the deep cleaning for a day where you have plenty of time.

2) Ask for help

Many working hands make for a lighter load! When you’re pressed for time, take advantage of every helping hand you can find. Not only will this make your job a whole lot easier, but it will also make it go much faster as well!

3) The empty laundry basket

Your good laundry basket will be an invaluable tool when doing a quick clean. Place all loose items that are cluttering up your space into the basket and store elsewhere. After your guests leave, you will have all your things in one place, which will make it much easier to put everything away later.

4) Have a system

Take everything one task at a time. A great place to start is by using your laundry basket to collect all loose items before doing anything else. Start in the room you think your guests will be in the most, and then move on to the less important rooms. If you find items in your basket that belong in any of the other rooms, you can quickly place them back in their correct spots. If you feel you don’t have time, you can save this step for later and simply place the laundry basket out of sight. A good second step is to start straightening everything in the main room (pillows, books, etc.)

5) Last touches

If you feel you have time, go over the surfaces of the main room with some furniture polish or surface cleaner. You can also vacuum or sweep at this point as a finishing touch.

Keeping your house clean for longer

While these tips for last-minute house cleaning are very useful and will make your life a whole lot easier when it comes to unexpected guests, there are ways to help keep your home tidy and even eliminate the need for last-minute cleaning altogether!

1) Lose the clutter

Put aside one weekend to go through all of your belongings and get rid of all the things that you no longer use/need. Donate everything you can, and throw away the rest. Your home will instantly feel cleaner, and you will feel so much better knowing that you have a clutter-free home. Not to mention, you will have more space, and your home may even feel much more significant.

2) Organize the toys

We know, when you have children, it may feel like sometimes your home is being taken over by piles of toys. This is why it’s so important to have an organization system to keep your home nice and tidy. You can sort out your kid’s toys into multiple containers. Consider only bringing out one container at a time, so you only have a manageable amount of toys out at once. You can rotate the containers every week or every month, making sure to donate the toys they’re no longer using.

3) Multi-purpose furniture

Having furniture with storage space always comes in handy, especially when it comes to finding a quick storage area for any extra bits and bobs you might have found around the house while tidying. You can also store extra blankets, books, supplies, etc. in these areas.

4) Stick to a routine

Keeping your home clean will become easy if you have a routine that you stick to on a regular basis. Cleaning a little bit every day will make sure you never have a long and tiring day of deep cleaning. It could be as simple as running the dishwasher every night and wiping down the surfaces of your kitchen. If you get into the habit of sweeping every other day, you’ll never have to worry about dirty floors when a surprise guest comes to visit.

5) Keep up your supplies

It will be useful to always have a supply of eco-friendly cleaners, dusters, rags, and brooms around so you can clean up messes immediately as they happen.

6) Consider hiring a professional cleaning service

Life is busy, and it can be hard to find time to give your home the deep clean that it needs. This is when you should consider hiring a professional cleaning service to get your home shining and spotless. After your professional service, use these tips to keep your home clean for longer and never worry about last-minute visits again.

Keeping your home consistently clean may seem like nothing but a dream, especially if you have small children. However, by following these tips, this dream is one you will be able to reach. You’ll always be prepared for last-minute visitors no matter what, and you’ll be able to make any neighbor believe you have a spotless house all the time!

Urban Clean Professionals

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Luckily, there is a much more relaxed and safer way to clean your oven! You can clean your oven using natural products that may already be lying around your kitchen. You’ll need little more than a few minutes and some baking soda to get the interior of your oven sparkling like new. By using this method, you’ll turn one of your most grueling kitchen tasks into one of your easiest!

You’ll need:

• Water
• Rags (ones you don’t mind getting dirty)
• Rubber gloves
• Spray bottle
• Vinegar
• Baking soda

Step 1 – Remove Oven Racks

Remove each one of the oven racks and put them to the side. In the meantime, you can put them to soak in the sink with some warm soap and water. This will make it so you can wipe and place them back into the oven at the end.

Make sure the oven is empty (no pans or thermometers, etc.).

Step 2 – Make Cleaning Paste

Place the baking soda into a bowl and mix with enough water, so it becomes a spreadable paste. You’ll need enough paste to cover the entire interior.

Step 3 – Apply Paste to Interior

Put on your rubber gloves to protect your hands, and cover the whole interior of your oven with a layer of baking soda paste. Avoid any heating elements in your oven, and make sure to include any thick greasy spots with extra baking soda paste. As the baking soda begins to absorb the grease, the paste will turn a brown color.

Step 4 – Leave Overnight

Once your oven is completely covered, leave the paste overnight (at least 12 hours) to make sure it absorbs all of the greases.

Step 5 – Wipe with a Rag

After 12 hours, run a rag under some warm water and use to wipe off all of the baking soda paste. Any stubborn areas can be gently removed with a spatula.

Step 6 – Spray the Interior

Fill a spray bottle with some vinegar and spray the entire inside of the oven. It’s essential to do this because it will allow any leftover baking soda to foam and absorb any last spots of grease.

Step 7 – Wipe Oven Clean

Use another damp rag to wipe the interior completely clean. Replace the oven racks into the oven and let the oven-dry completely. If you want to, you can turn the oven on at a low temperature for a short time to speed the process along.

Step 8 – Clean the Oven Window

The last step to a clean oven is to clean the oven window. Use any leftover baking soda paste, or make another small batch, and spread a thin layer on the inside of the window. Leave it to soak for 30 minutes and then wipe clean. You want to make sure you have a perfect view of your clean oven!

Enjoy your squeaky clean oven, and all the extra time and energy you saved. Happy cleaning!

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It’s no secret that doing laundry can be a long and arduous task. It’s also not a secret that it is a task we will all have to tackle, so why not try and make it a little more enjoyable? Keeping your home’s laundry room, also known as a utility room, clean and organized will make your life a whole lot easier when laundry day comes around.

The utility room can often become a dumping group for array items such as coats, shoes, junk mail, jackets and of course…laundry. This is especially true for my home since our laundry room doubles as a walkway from the garage to the main house. With all that foot-traffic, things are bound to pile-up around this area. However, I have still managed to find ways to keep our utility room clean and organized by utilizing these few simple tips. Here are some of my favorite tips for maximizing your laundry room space:

My Organization Rule

When it comes to organization, the motto that I live by is: there is a place for everything, and everything has a place. Having a specific place where something is meant to be put away will make it far less likely for the object to be left on the side for you to pick up later. This is especially important in the utility room because it is often one of the smallest rooms in your home.

Bins and Baskets

Some of the first essentials to invest in when looking to organize your laundry room are bins and baskets. Keeping your supplies in containers will allow you to see exactly what supplies you have quickly. You’ll also know immediately when you are running low on something, like laundry detergent, and will be able to replace it before you run out. In my laundry room, I have multiple separate baskets. One basket contains all my stain removal products, one all my cleaning rags, and another includes the towels for outside use that I don’t want mixing in with our other clothes. Keeping your supplies in bins will also save you money by making it harder to accumulate an excess of products that you don’t need. If you only keep what fits inside the basket, you’ll never end up buying too many of one supply. Also, there are many stylish options when it comes to storage bins. You’ll be able to find a bin that suits your style with options that range from simple, clear plastic bins, to ones that come in fabric and color. Choose one style, or mix and match; the possibilities are endless!

Cabinets

When I first moved into my current home, the storage space in my utility room consisted of one metal shelf that spanned the room’s entire length. While it was an okay temporary solution, it didn’t allow us to maximize our use of the space. We chose to install cabinets last year and, let me tell you. It has made a world of difference. Not only are we able to use vertical space more efficiently, but there was also much more space in the cabinets than there was on the shelf. Another plus is that the cabinets hide everything from view, giving the room an overall organized and tidy appearance. You can also keep extra bins inside of the cupboards for additional organization.

Hooks

Another great way to maximize the space in your utility room is by using hooks. Install some necessary stick-on hooks behind your door and along a wall, and you will have lots more space for hanging up jackets, coats, backpacks, and sweatshirts. You can also attach a hanging bin to one of your hooks for storing smaller, loose items. Just adding a few, small hooks to your laundry room will make a huge difference and increase the room’s overall organization!

Small Furniture with a Dual Purpose

If your laundry room is more extensive and has space for a piece of small furniture, a shoe rack will be worth investing in. I have a shoo-in my laundry room rack that keeps my family’s shoes out of sight and off the floor. The shoe rack also doubles as a thin bench that we use to sit on while putting on our shoes. It also can open up and double as a small cabinet, which allows us space to store gloves, hats, coats and other winter items. A great tip is to buy furniture that can serve multiple purposes to make sure you’re getting the most out of your space.

No one loves doing laundry, but by using these few simple tips, you can transform your laundry room into a place you’ll enjoy spending time in. Instead of your utility room being a room full of mess and chaos, you can make it into the most beautiful and organized place in your home!

Urban Clean Professionals

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Supermarkets today are flooded with hundreds of cleaning solutions, all that claim they will work miracles in your home. The problem is, many of them contain toxic chemicals that are actually harmful to your body. If you look at the list of ingredients of these commonly used household cleaners, you may think you’re reading a foreign language. It’s difficult to understand just what is inside of these cleaners and whether or not they are safe for you and your family. We believe in the power of natural ingredients and want you to know precisely what you are bringing into your home.

Part of our goal is to inform our clients of not only the simplicity but the safety of eco-friendly alternatives when it comes to household cleaning. We review non-toxic cleaning products regularly, and even occasionally create our eco-friendly cleaning solutions,

We also know that some of you will want to be 100% sure of what is inside of your cleaning products. The great news is, you can make your own cleaning solutions at home, using ingredients you probably already have! You’ll only need a few simple ingredients to satisfy the majority of your everyday house cleaning needs. When it comes down to it, all you need are basic kitchen necessities like salt, vinegar, and lemon!

An excellent overview of useful green cleaning tips, but to save you time, we want to share our favorite eco-friendly cleaners that you can make at home and are easy to use:

• Natural Bare Floor Cleaner

For this natural floor cleaner, all you have to do is mix 1 cup of vinegar with one gal of warm water. This can be used not only on wooden floors but is safe to clean ceramic, tile, linoleum, and even vinyl. The best part is, you won’t need to rinse any of the surfaces afterward!

• Natural Furniture Polish

Typically, furniture polishes are made with materials, which are known to be toxic. Avoid these toxins by mixing two parts olive oil with 1 part lemon juice, and apply with a soft towel or cloth. The olive oil will not only remove dirt but will leave your wooden furniture beautifully shiny.

• Natural Glass Window Cleaner

Avoid inhaling those nasty ammonia fumes by skipping the conventional window cleaner, and merely mixing 4 tbsp the juice from a lemon with 1/2 gal of water for sparkling clean windows!

As an added tip, if you’ve ever gotten a headache from the smell of paint while redecorating, there is an easy, natural solution to this problem as well! Once again, the super ingredient vinegar saves the day: fill 3 or 4 small dishes with half an inch of vinegar, place them around the house or room, and it will absorb the smell. Change the dishes daily to ensure optimal absorption. It’s as only as that! This essential tip to protect against harmful fumes will surely be useful when it comes time to move or undergo renovations.

So next time you’re at the grocery store, you should skip the harmful bottle cleaners, and pick up a lemon instead! We are passionate about healthy alternatives and want your homes to be not only squeaky clean but also completely safe. Try out these natural, homemade cleaners for a clean, happy, and healthy home!

  Urban Clean Professionals

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Don’t be fooled, even if your Kitchen looks clean. Once you look beneath the surface, you will find it isn’t Research has shown that the salad containers are the neatest part of the average fridge interior. Even they contain thousands of bacteria per m2 than the recommended minimum good standard. Who has the time to clean the inside of their fridge as often as they should? Or the Cabinets to even the Trash Can. Maintaining a pristine kitchen is far more complicated and time-consuming than most average people have time to do. Add in the equation that spots in the Kitchen no one wants to clean.
But there is an easy solution to hand and an environmentally conscious way too.  Everyone loves their Kitchen for so many reasons, and It is central to most homes. We spend hours in there prepping and cooking food. Every one of us would be horrified if we knew just how dirty our Kitchen is, despite our best efforts.
Who has the time to do a deep clean on their Kitchen and all its appliances? Keep all the Kitchen free of grease and oil. Disinfected the trash can after replacing the trash bag. If you are like every other normal Northern Virginian, the most common answer would be it has been a while.This is why people retain our services. Our staff is fully aware of the hidden areas of your Kitchen that need special attention.

They are prepared to go the extra mile and clean the Kitchen appliances should you request it. We devise a customized monthly plan for our customers so they will always be aware of the routine of our staff. You will know when each request will be fulfilled. All these additional services are worth the extra few dollars, if for no other reason than to feel safe when you open the fridge to serve food to your loved ones.

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Ideally, taking a shower should be similar to taking a spa bath, yet a dirty and poorly maintained shower can make it an uncomfortable experience. Some of the major problems for a shower are

– Tiles, the tub is covered with a film of soap or grout

– The drain is blocked, or clogged

– Shower-head is partly or fully blocked.

Some quick ways to fix cleaning a dirty shower are discussed below

Removing the mildew and other scum

It is advisable to ventilate the shower room, opening the door and window if possible, before using a spray cleaner for the tiles and tub. The shower area should be divided into three different sections. This will reduce the fumes which are generated and also ensure that the cleaner does not dry before it is wiped clean. The first section should be sprayed with the cleaner to cover the tub and tiles and kept aside for some time until the cleaning fluid penetrates the surface. This time should be used for spraying the next section, and also getting a cup with water for cleaning the first section.

Using a wet sponge with a scouring pad, which will not cause scratches, wipe the area on which the cleaner is sprayed. If wider strokes are used, the surface can be covered quickly. After wiping, rinse the sponge to remove the cleaning liquid, and wipe the cleaned area with water. After the first section is cleaned, the third section of the shower room should be sprayed using the cleaner and the second section should be wiped clean after rinsing. For removing any grout stains which remain, a small amount of bleach should be mixed with twice the amount of water in a bottle with a spray. After the bleach mixture has soaked for some time, it can be applied to the grout stains, shower, or sprayed on other places with stains manually.

Clearing drains

Standing in a puddle of dirty water because the drain is clogged while taking a shower is an unpleasant experience. Usually, hair is clogging the drain. To fix this problem, a wire hanger can be used after untwisting it. One end of the wire will slide down the drain to either remove hair clumps or push them out. After this, a quarter cup of ammonia should be mixed with boiling water to form a solution. This solution can be poured into the drain so that it dissolves the coating of soap on the pipes.

Restoring and cleaning shower spray

If the water from the shower spray is flowing very slowly or in unexpected directions, mineral deposits have probably clogged the holes of the shower-head. First, the dry debris from the shower-head should be cleaned using the scrubber sponge, which was earlier used on the tiles. If this does not fix the shower-head problem, a solution of equal quantities of water and white vinegar should be made in a cup. This solution should be poured into a plastic bag, which is then tied around the shower-head so that the holes of the shower-head are immersed in the liquid solution. The shower-head should be soaked for at least twenty minutes, preferably up to one hour. The bag is then removed, and loosened deposits are wiped away. The shower should be then used with hot water to flush any dirt which remains in the holes. Urban Clean Professionals

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Northern Virginia is usually known for having a small space that dwellers need to make do with. Most people stuff their garage with all sorts of obsolete things. That little space that can give you more creative flexibility and you may never have thought of it. You can put the garage to a more valuable use to organize and store useful items that are not often used. Items like Christmas decorations, golf clubs, bikes, etc.

Sort All the Items

Go through all the items and sort them into three piles. Some things may have been stored because you will have need of them in the future – put them aside to be organized later on. Sort another set of items you would like to give out to friends or donate – like it’s often said that “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.’ After sorting these items, you will be surprised that a lot of things in the garage is junk – and that’s the part you want to get rid of.

Smart Recycling

We are engaged in green cleaning business so whether it includes non-toxic cleaning methods or using recycling whenever possible. Salvation Army and Goodwill offer these services and you can find a number of collection bins for various uses. You can deduct the face value of your donations as tax deductible charitable contributions if you keep records of your donations meanwhile, you are helping someone too.

Get rid of the junks

Some items like furniture are usually difficult to move away with because of transportation. Some companies like 1-800-Got-Junk and Fast HaulThey usually come down to your doorstep to pick up obsolete furniture and items.

Just in 3 quick and easy steps, you can repossess your garage and even in the process find some things you treasure but never knew you still had them. You also have a more valuable garage now.(Urban Clean Peofessionals)

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Here are five ways you can make the cleaning process more comfortable for you to enjoy a cleaner home and tangibly reduce the stress of often cleaning.

Interchange toys:

This is a perfect way to keep the house organized. Get some bins and fill them with various toys. Bring out only one container of toys weekly or monthly and continue the process of rotating different trays of toys monthly or weekly. This will cut the number of toys that fly over the place. Another benefit using this approach is that – the kids wouldn’t get bored with toys since they get a ‘new’ set of different toys at intervals.

Get rid of junk:

Less junk in the home will give you fewer wastes to deal with. Do away with damaged toys or donate toys that your kids have already outgrown. Sometimes they do not find some toys interesting anymore – you can give such. Check the board games and the books too. If they are worn out or they are no longer a complete piece – ditch them. You may donate them to a local shelter or a library.

Organize Their Play Zone:

If you look around their playroom and it seems your organization is in such a way that the kids can’t reach the shelves to put back their toys and games after playing with them – then you need to reorganize. Make it as easy as possible for them. You can have a bin for stuffed animals and another one for other toys. It will help them know where to keep various items in an organized way.

Provide Easy Cleaning Tools:

If your little ones are not old enough to help with significant cleanings like the bathroom, mopping the floors, etc. find a means of getting them more straightforward tools for cleaning. A piece of rag, sponge, smaller bucket, and other smaller cleaning agents they can handle will make their participation worthwhile. They wouldn’t have to pause every few seconds to call your attention over difficulty. Ensure you use eco-friendly solutions to keep your little ones safe while they get responsible.

Make cleaning fun:

Even adults don’t think that cleaning is fun. Making it enjoyable for your kids will entice them to do the chores and keep them engaged. Spice up the cleaning, give them cleaning outfits, sing their favorite songs, turn it to a game, etc. Make it seem to be a rewarding exercise by making an after-chore snack.

When cleaning is seen as fun, you have succeeded in making it easier for your little angels to clean and also taught a good habit in them. As they grow, it becomes part of them relieving you of so much work to do.(Urban Clean Professionals)

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Yes, immediately after the party follows a more significant event – I call it ‘the cleaning event.

‘The cleaning event’ is usually undermined and unthought-of because the preparation for the event itself takes all the attention. Most times, it is at the last minute that you will remember that you haven’t made any provisions to manage the venue after the party. Even if you are planning an event for a member of your family, a friend, a corporate event, or any get-together, you sure need a professional cleaning company to do justice to the venue after the party. It saves you a lot of stress, especially when you are tired after the party. Your site will be exceptionally taken care of, and everything will be put back in place – giving you peace of mind and nothing to worry about.
The fun and excitement are often regressed as you have to get back to serious work after the fun day. Cleaning of the event place takes place immediately, or you may have to schedule it for the next day. Yes, it’s that serious, it takes a lot of time to disassemble equipment, clean up the mess, and return things to their places. You don’t have to go through another stress again after you had spent so much time planning for a successful event. Just take a rest and allow a professional cleaning service in Northern Virginia to clean up the mess relieving you and making you happy as well.
You also benefit more when you allow professionals to clean and take care of the venue for you. Security deposit is part of the contractual requirements of the site, and it usually eats up a large part of the event budget. But if your place is managed after the event by a professional cleaning company, you are assured of getting your security deposit back, and that’s a plus to you.
As you plan for your next event, make provisions in your budget to have an after-party clean up. It’s the most efficient way to manage the venue and your time after the party while you take a good rest reflecting on the good memories you just made.(Urban Clean Professionals)

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