A Special House Cleaning Gift for an Elderly Parent
We are now, officially, part of the sandwich generation. That means that we are caring for our own children – and our elderly parents. It’s a difficult and busy lifestyle that we maintain. Where did our plans for rest and relaxation go? What happened to our weekend plans?
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This is a very self-less act that we offer when we care for our parents or for an elderly neighbor. We have taken on an additional “To Do” list and this includes keeping two homes clean and bright. Not only do you keep your own house clean, somehow; but, the elderly person in your life also needs his and/or her home cleaned. There are many house cleaning and other chores that our elderly family members can no longer do for themselves.
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It seems that, for a while, you can manage the back and forth traveling, the errands, the extra grocery shopping, and cleaning two homes — for a time, anyway. Then, eventually, you start to run out of steam.
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You may have thought a great idea would be to hire a house cleaning service in Boston to clean your home. But, have you thought about hiring a house cleaning service to go and clean your elderly parent’s home or apartment? You can hire a service to come in weekly or less frequently, depending on the needs of your parent. A small apartment with limited traffic throughout may need only a monthly cleaning.
Many elderly folks are very upset about not being able to clean their homes themselves. This was a chore that was always a part of their lives, and now ends up being one more thing that they are unable to do. They have also lived in a time when having a maid service was reserved only for the well-to-do neighbors, and not for the every day folk. You may find that they would be pleased and proud to have someone come in and clean their home for them.
If you are an adult child caring for an elderly parent, consider treating yourself to a clean house and have the service head over and clean your parent’s home, as well. Every little bit that you can do to lighten your load will allow you more quality time with your family members. That quality time is the most important thing you can do or give to your parents.
Another option is to give the gift of maid service through the use of a gift certificate. Holidays, birthdays, or just as a surprise are great times to present your special, elderly person with a gift certificate to a local house cleaning service such as The Maids Boston. They will remember your thoughtfulness long after the service has been performed, and you will find yourself with a special gift of a little more quality time with your loved one.
Spring Cleaning Tips For Your House Cleaning in Boston (continued)
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It is finally, officially, Spring. How are you doing with your spring house cleaning? Have you started or still thinking about how much you have to do? Our previous articles on cleaning your house for spring have focused mainly on stripping down each room and removing dust and dirt from the top to the bottom of each room.
If you’ve been methodical about the routine you established for how to approach and deal with each room, you should be well on your way to a nice, clean house for the warmer weather season. If you’re still procrastinating, or worried about the time and upheaval this encompasses, you may really want to consider using a house cleaning service in Boston. Your local maid service is very adept at providing full spring cleaning services to its clientele. You would find the job done perfectly and precisely the first time. And, a house cleaning service would be able to do your entire home in less than one day. They have the manpower and the product to get the job done.
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So, once you’ve done all your dusting, washing of drapes, window treatments, couch and chair covers, table coverings, wiped down all surfaces, wiped down your walls and baseboards, dusted away the cobwebs, washed your windows (the list seems endless, doesn’t it), it’s time to do a full and deep vacuum of your carpets.
When vacuuming your carpets, remember to use either a vacuum that has a double-bag system, high-grade HEPA filters and/or a steam attachment. Studies have shown that using steam cleaning products will significantly cut down on dust, allergens, dander, and dust mites. You might also find that another good thing to do in the spring is to use an actual carpet steamer or carpet washer to get up any hidden grime and dust mites that may be lurking beneath the carpet pile.
After all these items have been gone over, before you return your curtains and furniture covers, be sure you’ve wiped and shined any mirrors, brass fittings, cleaned the blades of your ceiling fans, and cleaned out the air filters for your air conditioner. If your weather is pleasant and not too much pollen in the air, open your windows and allow the fresh, spring air to enter.
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Did you know that most reputable house cleaning services are willing to do most any type of cleaning job from small to large? You can hire a home cleaning service service to do anything from a simple, dust, vacuum and mop once a week, to having them come in and do an entire top to bottom major cleaning. When you weight out the savings you will get from having someone else do the cleaning for you, the time you will save, and the result of having a professionally cleaned home, you’ll certainly wonder why you waited so long.
How To Ready Your Home For Spring House Cleaning
Hopefully, you are getting your house prepared for your spring cleaning bonanza. If you’ve followed our recent articles, you may have started the de-clutter process that should be done before heavy cleaning in your home. Your countertops are cleared, your winter clothes are packed away out of sight, and already your home is feeling more open and ready for spring.
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Now comes the house cleaning job that will set the stage for the rest of the season, and help you to feel more confident when friends or family come to visit. Many people take this opportunity to hire a maid service or house cleaning service in Boston to make an extra good effort at getting the house spotlessly clean. It makes it so much easier to keep up with once the major, hard work is done. You would find it such a pleasure to simply follow along the lines that your hired cleaning service set in motion for you.
Some people find that they need to clean one room at a time, while others enjoy the total effort of stripping out all the rooms at one time, and proceeding to make an entire weekend of the cleaning process. Either way, you need a plan. If you have the option to clean the entire house at once, the extra hands to assist in moving furniture, wash windows, run the laundry, and the time to get it all done, by all means, go for it.
For those of us who know this process is going to require several days to complete, we’ll start with one room at a time. The first thing to do would be to remove all the window treatments (check for their cleaning recommendations – some can be machine washed, others may need to go to the dry cleaners). Machine washables can go into the washing machine while you start the rest of the project.
Furniture covers, tablecloths, and any other washable items need to be removed, put into the washer or taken to the dry cleaners. Remove all knickknacks, cleaning them one by one, and place them either in another room or in a storage place while you continue cleaning. By now, the exposed surfaces should be void of any dust catchers.
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Now would be a good time to dust flat surfaces, and dust or wipe down walls, ceilings, and baseboards with a wet cleaning cloth. This will move the dust and cobwebs down toward the floor. It’s important to get the majority of your dust and dirt down to floor level. Next, wash your windows (inside and out – this is where those extra hands come in “handy”). Spring house cleaning is truly a huge job and one that most of us would not choose as our favorite thing to do.
The dirt and dust from the ceiling downward is now at floor level. Time to bring out your vacuum cleaner, which certainly has a HEPA filter for your safety. Vacuum up the rugs/carpets and floors thoroughly. Vacuum your furniture, move the cushions and vacuum under them, as well.
There should not be a spot left unturned as you methodically move through the room you have chosen to clean. Remember, moving the dust and dirt downwards toward the flooring is your first job. Once you’ve done that, then it’s time to wash surfaces, windows, walls, baseboards, and floors. You may also wish to use a carpet cleaner once the rest of the work has been done. Having fresh, clean carpets, a spotlessly clean and bright room, and the scent of spring in the air will leave you feeling so pleased with your efforts.
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Spring Cleaning Checklist: How Can Boston Maids Help?
We’re officially into Daylight Savings Time and with that, don’t you just feel the change in the air? Spring will certainly be upon us in a matter of weeks. What better time to get your house cleaned, uncluttered, and spruced up in anticipation of the many lovely weeks ahead to enjoy your family, friends and summer-time hobbies.
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When it comes to spring cleaning, our parents had a system. Their spring-cleaning days were back breaking and full of rushing about. I still recall the days when my mother would pull out all the furniture, take down all the drapes, take out the rugs, and then scrub, scrub, scrub. Those were the days, right?
Today, thanks to so many new cleaning products and newer technology, your spring cleaning doesn’t have to be such a drain on your energy and time. And, if you really want to save yourself time and energy, call in the Boston cleaning service, The Maids, to do that huge spring cleaning that will certainly put a sparkle throughout.
Let’s think about preparation for spring cleaning.
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We’ve talked a lot about de-cluttering the house, and this is one of the first steps you need to do. Spring and summer are the times you want your home to be light and breezy. Remove winter dirt, the darker decorations from fall that are still on the mantle (didn’t think we’d notice, did you?). Put books and magazines back on the bookcase, or donate to a thrift shop for someone else to read. Clear off your countertops, cabinets, shelves, tables and make room for your friends and family.
Perhaps it’s time to invest in a few more storage cabinets if you really need to keep everything, or make the effort to part with the surplus of things taking up space. There’s a rule that says if you haven’t used it in six months, most likely you don’t really need it. Throw out, give away, sell on eBay or have a yard sale.
Don’t forget to go through your closets, put your winter and cool weather clothes away (or donate them, too), reorganize your closets to find things more easily, and go through the entry way closet or coat closet and start moving aside the winter gear.
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The hardest part you will encounter in your spring house cleaning efforts is this process of clearing things out, making room, and just basically de-cluttering your space. Once you’ve managed to get through this part of the job, you will find it so rewarding in itself, that moving onto the actual cleaning of the house for spring will feel invigorating.
Allergies and Pets: Tips for House Cleaning
Statistics show that over 50 million people in the United States suffer from allergies of some sort. Add to this information is the fact that there are over 100 million dogs and cats in households across the country.
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So, what does this tell us? The potential for an allergy sufferer living in a home with pets that may be contributing to their allergies is a significant number. Does someone in your family suffer from pet-related allergies? Do you know the best ways to remove allergens from your home? Let’s look at a few house cleaning hints and tips that could make your life so much more pleasant.
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Many people erroneously believe that the allergic reactions they have to their pets are due to the “hair” or fur their pet wears. The truth of the matter is that it is not the hair but the dander and saliva that produces allergens in the air, on their body, and on contact with you. Dander is caused by dry skin and normal skin shedding (skin cells die and flake off). The saliva from your pets’ mouth when they wash or groom themselves just adds insult to injury here. Shaving the coat off your dog or cat is not going to alleviate the allergy issues. Keeping them washed, brushed, and clean will go a long way to help.
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Here are some tips to lowering the level of pet allergies in your home.
- First, keep your dog or cat clean and brushed. The brushing loosens and removes the dander. Bathing with either a hypoallergenic product or one of the allergy relieving pet shampoos on a regular basis can help keep the saliva allergens off the coat, and the dander under control. You may need to have the pet washed weekly initially, if you have developed a significant reaction. Do not bathe or groom the pet yourself if you are the allergy sufferer. Have another family member do this to limit your exposure to contact allergens and air-borne particles. You could consider having your groomer do weekly baths for you. Remind them to use specific product and not any colognes or scented shampoos.
- Keep your pets out of your bedroom. Period. There’s really just no alternative to this one. You spend one-third of your day in this one room. Keep it allergy free to the best of your ability. This would include removing rugs and having hardwood floors to keep the dust and dander out of the floors. Wash your bedding regularly, replace your pillows often, and vacuum several times a week. People have also found using air purifiers to be of great assistance.
- Cleaning the rest of your house should include vacuuming several times a week using a double-bag vacuum or a unit that uses HEPA filters, for the best air quality possible. The Maids cleaning service in Boston offers allergy-free cleaning and can save you so much time. Consider using a maid service to help you keep up with necessary cleaning that has to be done to preserve your health.
- Keep floors clean and cleared off, remove carpeting if at all possible, and washor vacuum drapery and other window treatments regularly. Keep your furniture vacuumed and all dust removed each time you clean. In addition to pet dander, dust mites are happily making their home in your furniture, carpets, bedding and pillows.
House Cleaning Tips for Clutter
Clutter, Clutter Everywhere and Not a Counter In Sight!
After a long winter and being cooped up inside all day, it’s shockingly easy to find that your counter space, tables, and even corners become amassed with clutter. We are hearing the same from people calling in to us at The Maids cleaning service in Boston.
Did you keep all those catalogs and flyers that came in the mail with plans to actually sit down and look through them? Did you make a stack on your counter to look at later? What about the other rooms in the house? Have too many “things” taking up residence all over your home? It’s difficult to feel a sense of comfort and peace in your home when you notice that there is just too much stuff taking over.
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A peaceful home allows space for your family, comfort for your visitors and a relaxing environment when your belongings are neatly arranged and the excess is properly put away. The old adage “A place for everything and everything in its place,” certainly has its, er, place in the home.
Getting control of your clutter is a relatively simple project. If you follow just a few house cleaning tips, you will feel much lighter. And with the many colorful, useful, and unique items available today to help you put things away neatly, you should be able to find storage items that suit your home and personality.
You can start by looking at products to help organize your mail and catalogs. This can simply be accordion-type files or perhaps a desk with deep storage drawers. Another option is a rolling cart which has several drawers that can fit unobtrusively within your home, and can hold a fair amount of paperwork. Remember, your countertops are for cooking and the preparation of food. They are not for storing your mail.
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When it comes to the other rooms in your house, you need to ascertain which items are most important to that room and specifically go with your décor. Sometimes, you will find that items currently in your living room would be better served in another area of your home. An added bonus with reducing the number of things in a room means less household chores!
Some people have found that by hiring a maid service to come in one time and offer advice and assistance in clearing out some of the clutter is an extremely helpful exercise and well worth the cost to find a neater way to keep your home. Of course you can schedule regular house cleaning service in Boston as well so that you can free up your time to do more of what you like, including working a few extra hours at something to pay for that cleaning (lots of people say they would rather work at their job or do some freelance work much better than cleaning).
Keeping your house neat and uncluttered will save you time cleaning and give you a sense of peace and well-being in your home. Now that you have all that counter space, just think of the dinner parties you can host!
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House Cleaning Service in Boston Targets Allergy-Free Home
If you or a family member suffer from allergies or asthma, there is a good chance that you are familiar with the efforts that go into keeping your house allergen free. A thorough cleaning – one that requires much more than a quick vacuum over the visible tracts of carpet – is required. It is a challenge to keep up with each week.
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Cleaning a house to the standards necessary for allergy or asthma sufferers is time consuming and difficult. And it is important to use cleaning products that do not leave behind contaminates that can cause more allergies or reactions. If it seems like a big job to tackle, it’s comforting to know that help is available.
The Maids Boston house cleaning services are well-trained in cleaning a home that is inhabited by allergy sufferers. The cleaning teams will go through each room from top to bottom to clean every surface available, including hiding places of dust and grime. Not to be forgotten is cleaning the tops of your fan blades and dusting your window sills that accumulate dust from both inside your home and seasonal allergens that originate outdoors.
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“Green” cleaning products that do not leave behind contaminates in your home are not only safer for you and your family, but also the environment. Today we know better than to use harsh chemicals to clean your home – because what’s cleaning the harsh chemicals? House cleaning services offer green cleaning for both safety and health.
Let’s look at an example. Cleaning with state-of-the-art back pack vacuums with HEPA filtration will tackle dirt and allergens while keeping the air in your home cleaner to breathe. The Maids Boston offers this new technology that will clean indoor pollutants of the smallest variety throughout your home, including the dust, dander and mites that like to hide in the cracks and crevices that are most hard to reach.
When planning to have your home cleaned by a house cleaning service in Boston, consider whether the house cleaning service utilizes procedures to provide you with safe and effective alternatives to harsh chemicals. Be sure to ask about their experience with allergy-free homes, and research their methods of cleaning that , consider whether the house cleaning service utilizes procedures to provide you with safe and effective alternatives to harsh chemicals. Be sure to ask about their experience with allergy-free homes, and research their methods of cleaning that target removing allergens and other airborne irritants in your home. You deserve to breathe deep and enjoy the clean.
It’s Time To Schedule Spring Commercial Cleaning
While you enjoy a slight break from freezing temperatures here in the northeast, it’s a good time to schedule your commercial cleaning with The Maids Boston. By the time we reach mid February you probably agree that it’s a good feeling to know spring is near and you will soon erase all traces of winter.
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Regularly scheduled office cleaning keeps your business area looking nice but a good spring cleaning is necessary to hit the spots where the extra seasonal dirt can accumulate. Staff members as well as visitors to your office will enjoy a clean working environment.
From ceiling to floor and all points in between Boston Maids commercial cleaners have your surfaces covered when they enter your business for annual spring office cleaning. Dust and dirt that accumulates from heat sources and extra dirt brought in from the outside need a thorough cleaning in early spring.
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Some of the same spring cleaning tasks that you do at home will need addressed as part of your business cleaning. Window treatments, floor coverings and floor surfaces benefit from a deep cleaning. Windows including frames, doors, ceilings, walls and wall coverings are thoroughly washed wiped, scrubbed or dusted.
Some items may need replaced if they were heavily used since last spring cleaning or have worn excessively. Furniture in your office can be cleaned according to the safest process for the material. Clean surfaces that are displayed to the public send a positive message about your company that someone can observe immediately.
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Choosing a reputable commercial cleaning service is a concern for business owners. You want to be guaranteed of a trustworthy cleaning team as well as quality work and a fair price. The Maids Boston employees are bonded, insured, supervised and trained to clean your office. In terms of spring cleaning rates, quotes are based on the specific work you request and are given before the work is scheduled.
Here’s to hoping the groundhog was right and it will be an early spring. Let us know what is most in need of cleaning at your office.
How to Hire a Maid Service in Boston – Part I
We receive a lot of calls each day about our maid service. There are some who call and only want to know, “How much?” There are others with a longer list of questions. I thought that I’d share what I think are the important points in hiring a maid service.
Is the cleaning service trustworthy?
This is difficult to check with 100% accuracy, but generally any housekeeping service that has been around for a number of years should be trustworthy. Here are some specific questions to ask:
- Are you insured for both general liability and worker’s compensation? We carry a sizeable policy to protect our customers from most risks.
- How long have your cleaning professionals worked for you? This is related to average tenure. A relationship with a cleaning company may not be good if there appears to be a lot of turnover. Our customers generally want the same people in their homes over the course of their relationship with our business.
- Can you provide references? While you’ll only talk to the good references, those people can give you a good idea as to what it’s like to work the house cleaning service that you are considering.
You may want to research other areas as well:
- Online reviews may be a good source of feedback. It is tough to tell. Try going through Google Places or Yelp reviews for a place in which you aren’t interested and it is oftentimes difficult to find a conclusive good vs. bad.
- You may want to check the Better Business Bureau for complaints. Not being listed with the BBB should not be seen as cause for concern; this costs money and the business may have chosen to allocate their funds elsewhere. A significant number of complaints should be researched further.
We have also created a buying guide that you can use. Best of luck with your search for the perfect cleaning service match!
How Much Should I Pay My Boston Cleaning Service?
We regularly get calls about the pricing for house cleaning service. At The Maids Boston, we either give home cleaning quotes over the phone or in person depending on what the customer wants and the complexity of the cleaning requirement.
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There are a few different ways that the residential cleaning industry gives estimates:
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- Many companies will initially quote an hourly rate for the first time that they clean a home. The reason for an hourly fee is that it is very difficult to predict the exact amount of effort required to deep clean a person’s home to the point where it can be maintained. The company should be able to provide a price range so that the customer has an idea of how much the first time might cost.
- Most companies can usually give an idea as to how much regular cleaning services will cost for the home. This usually depends on a combination of the size of the home and the frequency of cleaning. Larger homes and less frequent cleanings simply require more effort, so the per visit cost can be higher.
- Some of our Boston competitors quote a flat rate based on a range of square feet or bedrooms for the home. Honestly, this has always confused me as there are some major assumptions being made regarding the level of cleanliness and the true size/detail of the home. The only way for a cleaning company to stay profitable in this price model is to trade off on effort or quality.
A wide range of pricing can be found in this industry as you may have read in my other posts. At the end of the day, the trade offs are between the size/complexity of the home, the frequency of the house cleaning, and the underlying costs of the maid service.
Let me know what you think about the pricing you have seen!
