Tag: home cleaning

Celebrating International Housekeepers Week: Honoring the Unsung Heroes of Cleanliness

Posted on September 12, 2024 by maidbrigade - News

During International Housekeepers Week, it’s the perfect time to recognize and celebrate the dedication of cleaning professionals who work tirelessly to keep our living spaces spotless and healthy. From September 8-14, 2024, we join together in honoring the unsung heroes who make it their mission to create clean, welcoming sanctuaries for all of us to enjoy.

Celebrating International Housekeepers Week

International Housekeepers Week is an annual celebration that dates back to 1981. It was established by the International Executive Housekeepers Association (IEHA) to recognize the hard work and dedication of cleaning professionals across various industries. This week-long celebration is a time to honor those who often work behind the scenes, ensuring that our homes, hotels, hospitals, and other spaces remain clean, safe, and welcoming.

At Maid Brigade, we take this opportunity to shine a spotlight on our team members who make a difference every day. But beyond the internal celebrations, we also encourage our clients and the broader community to take a moment to recognize the cleaning professionals in their lives. A simple “thank you” can go a long way in making someone feel appreciated for their hard work.

The Expertise and Dedication of Maid Brigade's Cleaning Professionals

At Maid Brigade, our cleaning professionals are more than just service providers: they are skilled experts who take immense pride in their work. Each team member is trained to pay attention to detail, ensuring that every corner of every home is thoroughly cleaned and sanitized. This dedication to excellence is what sets Maid Brigade apart, and it’s why our clients trust us to maintain the highest standards of cleanliness in their homes.

Our cleaning professionals understand that a clean home is more than just about appearance; it’s about creating a safe and healthy environment for families to thrive. Whether it’s tackling tough stains, eliminating allergens, or ensuring every surface sparkles, our team approaches each task with care and professionalism. This level of commitment reassures our clients that they are investing in top-tier service, delivered by individuals who genuinely care about the well-being of the households they maintain.

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Maid Brigade’s Commitment to Employee Well-Being and Professional Development

We believe that a happy and fulfilled workforce is key to delivering exceptional service. That’s why we are committed to supporting the well-being and professional growth of our Maid Brigade team members in a variety of ways.

Focusing on Well-being: Our goal is to ensure that every team member feels valued and supported, both on and off the job. Team members get competitive pay and a family-friendly schedule (no nights or weekends), plus earn paid time off quickly.

Providing Opportunities for Growth: We provide ongoing training programs that help our team members refine their skills and stay up-to-date with the latest cleaning techniques and technologies.

Inviting New Talent: For those who are passionate about creating clean, healthy environments, Maid Brigade offers a welcoming and supportive workplace. We value hard work, dedication, and a commitment to excellence, and we invest in our team members to help them achieve their professional goals.

If you’re looking for a company that truly cares about its employees, Maid Brigade is the place to be!

A Heartfelt “Thank You” to Our Cleaning Professionals

As we celebrate International Housekeepers Week, we want to take this moment to express our deepest gratitude to the cleaning professionals at Maid Brigade. Your hard work, dedication, and commitment to excellence do not go unnoticed. You are the backbone of our company, and it’s your efforts that make Maid Brigade the trusted name in home cleaning that it is today.

To our clients and readers, we invite you to join us in recognizing and appreciating the cleaning professionals in your life. Whether it’s a word of thanks, a note of appreciation, or simply acknowledging the importance of their work, let’s make sure that those who keep our spaces clean and healthy feel valued this week — and every week.

Pet-Friendly House Cleanings by Maid Brigade

Posted on May 30, 2023 by oi_admin - Healthy Home

We love pets, and we want to make your home the paw-fect oasis for you and your furry loved ones. That’s why we have designed our cleaning services that cater perfectly to homes with pets. If you are learning about which cleaning service company to choose for your pet-friendly home, we are here to share why Maid Brigade is the best choice for your home and family.

Special Care for Homes with Pets

When you have a pet at home, we take extra measures to keep them safe while we handle the house cleaning. We carry out the cleaning so that our teams are as non-intrusive as possible to them. Having new people come into your home can be a stressful experience for pets. We will communicate with you prior to your cleaning to ensure we’re all on the same page. Some of our team members are pet owners themselves and care deeply for our customers pets, as if they were their own.

Safe, Non-Toxic Cleaning Products

While taking care of your home with pets, you can feel confident knowing that the cleaning products and equipment we use are completely safe for your pet family members. Our proprietary PUREcleaning system uses the safest and most advanced cleaning products. All of our cleaning solutions are EPA Registered, FDA Approved, and safe for pets upon application.

Pet-Loving Cleaning Crew

Our cleaning staff has lots of experience working in homes with pets. Their long years of experience plus genuine care for customers’ pets means your home and furry family members will be given the best care. In our conversations before your cleaning we can discuss your pet and what your preferences are when it comes to having our cleaning crew visit at your scheduled time.

We Know How to Clean Homes with Pets

Pet hair, dander, and odor can be one of the most challenging parts of cleaning homes with pets. Our industry-leading HEPA-filtration vacuum equipment, powerful electrolyzed water (e-water) solution, and trusted cleaning experience will give your home a top quality cleaning.

To ensure the healthiest environment in your home with pets, find your local Maid Brigade today and schedule your cleaning for your home’s well-being. Our pet-friendly, trusted, and reliable employees are always there to make the best cleaning happen for you!

Monthly Home Cleaning Checklist

Posted on September 27, 2019 by oi_admin - Healthy Home

Every season our homes tend to build up dust and dirt that we might not see immediately. While weekly or bi-weekly cleanings will keep your home looking clean regularly, it's the areas in your home that aren't always easiest to get to that will need seasonal care. For this reason, it's important to do a deep clean every month to keep your home healthy. Scheduling a deep cleaning in a different room in your home each month will let you rotate your cleaning and keep your home truly clean.

These are the things you want to clean in each room monthly. This list is outside of your regular cleaning chores:

Take down the curtains and place them in the dryer to knock the dust out of them. If the dust is excessive, you may need to pop them in the washer.
Using furniture movers, pull all the furniture away from the walls. Also remove pictures from the walls. Using a dry microfiber mop, wipe all the walls and ceiling to remove the dust.
Remove any glass light fixtures and place them in the dishwasher.
While the furniture is pulled out, use a vacuum and clean the woodwork and the carpet behind the piece.
Before putting the furniture back, use a microfiber cloth and dust the back of the piece of furniture.
Using a wet, fine-woven microfiber cloth go over the inside of the windows as well as the window frames.
Place the furniture back and dust it completely including the sides and fronts.
Vacuum all fabric furniture completely, including the seat pillows, sides and base.
Any knick-knacks can be deep cleaned by placing them in the dishwasher.
Use a paintbrush to remove dust on lamp shades. Then go over the shade with the upholstery tool on your vacuum hose

Additional items for bedrooms:

When deep cleaning bedrooms, place bedspreads in the dryer to remove dust.
Vacuum books on bookshelves.
Vacuum under the bed.
Remove the sheets and vacuum the mattress. On a quarterly schedule you should also flip the mattress.

For more information from DIY green cleaning expert Leslie Reichert, visit https://www.facebook.com/GreenCleaningCoach/

How to Clean Cast Iron, Wooden Cutting Boards, & More

Posted on July 25, 2019 by oi_admin - Green Cleaning Tips and Tricks, Healthy Home

After years of trying to clean those “hard to clean” kitchen items, I’ve found that it’s really not the technique but the tools that make the task easier. Things like cast iron or wooden cutting boards have been around for hundreds of years but just recently technology has caught up to make them easier to clean. Let’s look at some simple methods of cleaning these hard-to-clean items and then we will look at some new tools that make cleaning them very simple.

Cast iron – One thing to remember when cleaning cast iron is that it is a very porous metal. If you use any type of soap on cast iron, it will absorb it and then leech it back into your food when cooking. One simple way of cleaning your cast iron without soap is to use salt to give it a good scrub. The salt used with a sponge will work to remove any built-up food on the pan. And it will rinse right off the pan and leave it free from chemicals.

A new alternative for cleaning cast iron is a product called CM Scrubber. It’s made of chain mail – which is the same technology used in the Middle Ages to make armor. This simple chain mail scrubber is made of woven metal links that work to scrub the cast iron without chemicals. All you do is use the metal scrubber on the pan and rinse. It’s truly amazing how easy it makes it to clean your cast iron pans.

Wooden cutting boards – Wooden cutting boards are also very porous, but research has shown that the wood actually works to kill bacteria left on the wood. This does not mean we don’t have to clean the wood after using it. A simple solution to clean a wooden cutting board is to cut a lemon in half and them dip the open end of the lemon into some table salt. Use the lemon and work the salt over the wood to clean and disinfect the cutting board. The acid in the lemon along with the scrubbing action of the salt will clean the cutting board without using harsh chemicals.

A cool tool to use on the cutting board is called a Skoy Scrubber. It’s made in Germany and is aggressive enough to scrub the wood without hurting it. If you use this scrubber you don’t need to use any chemicals to clean the cutting board.

Fine china – If you have very expensive china and don’t trust your dishwasher to clean it without damage, there are some great cloths and sponges that will work to clean them gently and completely. My favorite tool is called a Skoy cloth. It’s a cross between a paper towel and a sponge. These cloths are made in Germany, just like the Skoy Scrubs, from a by-product of paper. They are strong, yet gentle and are perfect for washing your fine china.

Expensive crystal – To avoid having film and spots on your fine crystal I recommend washing them by hand. You can use the Skoy cloth and a gentle dish soap to wash them and then rinse with warm water. The best tool to dry the glass is a fine woven microfiber cloth. Don’t let the crystal air dry as that’s where you get spots. Instead rinse and then try right away with the microfiber cloth.

Tall thin vases – You can wash vases in the bottom drawer of a dishwasher but here is always that white film in the bottom of the vase that just won’t come off. A simple trick it to sprinkle table salt into the bottom and drop in some ice chips. The salt will melt into the ice and turn into a scrubber. Swish the salt/ice combination around for a few minutes then rinse with hot water. The salt will scrub away all the film.

For more information from DIY green cleaning expert Leslie Reichert, visit https://www.facebook.com/GreenCleaningCoach/

How Often Should You Clean Bedroom & Bathroom Items?

Posted on June 13, 2019 by oi_admin - Healthy Body, Healthy Home

Ever since it was reported that Oprah has clean sheets on her bed every day – the rest of us wonder if that’s the standard we should be striving to achieve. If we had a staff like Oprah, we could have our sheets, towels and even our shower curtains changed daily. Sheets and towels absorb sweat, dead skin cells, body oils, drool and other body fluids. If they aren’t washed frequently, sheets and towels become a breeding ground for dust mites, mold and mildew. So, let’s balance our dreams of having the ultimately clean bathroom with practicality and see if we can determine how often we should be cleaning things in our bathroom and bedroom.

Towels – Hand towels in a bathroom should be changed out daily as they get used a lot. Towels used after a shower should be washed every other day. In between uses, the towels should be hung so that they can dry out completely throughout the day. Mold and mildew can start forming a few hours after using the towel.

Washcloths – Washcloths can be on the same cleaning schedule as your bath towels. Washcloths collect dead skin cells with each use so more than two uses are not recommended. They can be washed with the bath towels using hot water to help disinfect them.

Bath mats – Bath mats should be washed once a week. They accumulate dust, fibers, and hair as well as dirt from the floor. Washing once a week keeps them clean and fresh. It also helps to battle any mold or mildew that could be forming inside the mat fibers.

Plastic shower curtains – Plastic shower curtains should be cleaned once a month. Soap scum and mildew build up on the inside of the plastic. You can place a shower curtain in the washing machine and it will come out looking brand new. Just put the shower curtain in the wash using hot water and two bath towels. Add a touch of laundry detergent to the washer as well. Wash and rinse the shower curtain on a regular cycle. Hang the plastic shower curtain back up as normal to allow it to air dry.

Use your dishwasher --A quick tip for cleaning things on your vanity is to enlist your dishwasher. Your toothbrush holder, towel caddies, toothpaste holders and even brushes and combs can be popped into the top drawer of the dishwasher. Use the regular dishwashing detergent and a regular washing cycle. The items will come out clean and disinfected.

Sheets – Most experts agree that sheets should be washed at least once every other week. If you have night sweats or tend to sweat more than the average person, you should wash your sheets once a week. Make sure to wash your sheets in a gentle soap versus a detergent. Detergents can cause skin irritations. They don’t rinse totally out of your sheets. Soaps, on the other handwash completely out of the fabric.

Blankets – Blankets need to be washed frequently, but not as often as sheets. Blankets can become infested with dust mites. Most experts recommend washing blankets monthly in extremely hot water and drying them on a hot setting in the dryer. The high heat will kill the dust mites. If you deal with a dust mite allergy, you may need to wash the blankets more often.

Comforters – Down comforters can be cleaned on the same schedule as blankets. Down comforters are very difficult to wash and dry so if you want to remove the dust and allergens quickly, you can pop the comforter directly into the dryer and set it to the hottest setting. The dryer will remove the dust and the hot air will kill the dust mites.

Pillows – Pillows are not usually on our list of things to wash. But they can become extremely infested with dust mites as well as body oils and fluids. To prevent the pillow from absorbing fluids and oils, you can use a pillow encasement that will keep the pillows clean and keep dust mites away from the pillow filling. The encasement is much easier to wash than an entire pillow.

Quilts – Hand made quilts need special attention. They needed to be washed with care. You can place the quilt in the dryer on a hot setting for a few minutes to kill dust mites and remove the dust. You can also use a clothesline and hang it outside in the bright sunlight to help keep the dust mites at bay.

For more information from DIY green cleaning expert Leslie Reichert, visit https://www.facebook.com/GreenCleaningCoach/

Why is Consistent House Cleaning Good for Your Health?

Posted on March 9, 2019 by oi_admin - Healthy Home

Let’s face it, constantly cleaning, organizing and putting stuff away is not anyone’s idea of a good time. But keeping your home clean on a consistent basis is important for a number of reasons. You might not realize that cleaning can give you a sense of satisfaction which releases endorphins and makes you feel better. Even if the reasons below don’t spark motivation for you to keep your house clean, maybe remembering that feeling good when you are done can keep you focused.

Removing allergens – Keeping your home dust free will remove allergens from your home. Dust contains dust mite excrement, which is the true cause of dust allergies. Dusting your home on a weekly basis keeps the allergens at a safe and manageable level. You can also use a HEPA air filter to help remove dust from the air, which keeps the dust from settling on the furniture, meaning you can dust less often.

Lowers stress – A clean and organized house can lower stress levels for you and your family. Marie Kondo’s “KonMari Method” of tiding up recommends getting rid of anything that doesn’t give you joy. Things that don’t give you joy are probably adding stress to your life and should be removed. Once removed, you will feel better and will have a little less stress in your life.

Home safety – For the safety of your family and pets, you want to remove the dirt and clutter from your home. Frequent cleaning removes germs. Not to mention too much clutter can cause trips, falls and accidents. Items stacked too high can fall down and be dangerous. Items left in the middle of the floor can cause a fall which can lead to a debilitating injury.

Germ-free – Cleaning and disinfecting should be a priority for your cleaning regimen. Some people do not realize that you cannot disinfect a surface that has not been cleaned first. Using disinfecting wipes on a dirty surface does not kill germs. Areas must be cleaned first with soap and warm water, rinsed completely, and then disinfected. The disinfectant needs to sit on the surface for 10 minutes or more to kill the germs.

Pest removal – Dirty homes are a haven for nasty pests such as ants, spiders, mice, and even flour moths. Leftover food attracts ants which are very difficult to remove from your home. They are attracted to spills and drips on floors and cabinets. By keeping your kitchen spotless you are working to keep ants and rodents away. Cobwebs are really just spider webs with dust on them. You’ll want to dust and vacuum walls and ceilings to get rid of the spiders that are making the webs. Keep your food products in airtight containers which will keep the flour moths from infiltrating your pantry. Keep your shelves spotless so there is nothing in the pantry to attract them.