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Friday, March 27, 2015

Clean Up Your Cleaning Products


At The Maids of Dallas, we not only believe in keeping a clean home – we believe in keeping a clean environment. We only use environmentally preferred cleaning products in order to protect the Earth and your house from potentially dangerous cleaning chemicals.

You may not know it, but many commercial cleaning products contain an abundance of harmful chemicals, even when the label says “natural”. The fact is, there is no real standard for labeling cleaning products, and thousands of chemicals found these cleaners aren't even approved by the EPA.

These chemicals can be inhaled while you are cleaning, absorbed through your skin, or even rinsed down the drain to pollute your water system. Studies have shown that using a household cleaning spray as little as once per week can increase your risk of developing asthma and that many aerosol sprays contain volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can damage your central nervous system, liver, and kidneys – stop using these products!

So what can you do to clean up your cleaning products?

Stop buying commercial cleaners from the store and instead opt to use natural ingredients that you probably already have sitting in your home. Not only will you help protect your family's health and save the environment, you will also save money too. Items such as vinegar, baking soda, lemon, and salt can be mixed and used to clean almost any surface in your home – you no longer have to buy a separate cleaner for your floors, countertops, glass, shower, etc.

You can learn more about household natural cleaners and their many uses here

The Maids of Dallas provides eco-friendly housecleaning to the entire Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex and the surrounding areas. We use state-of-the-art equipment and a 22-step deep cleaning system to ensure your house is spotless by the time we leave. Whether you need one room cleaned or your entire house, call The Maids at (972) 437-6253.

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Happy cleaning!

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

What Sets The Maids of Dallas Apart


If you are looking for a maid service in Texas, don't settle for anything less than the best. The Maids of Dallas is a fully licensed, insured, and bonded company providing top-notch cleaning services to the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex. Read below to find out why we are the best that Texas has to offer.

22-Step Deep Cleaning System
All of our maids use our exclusive 22-Step Healthy Touch Deep Cleaning System to provide you with detailed cleanings that include hand-scrubbed floors, streak-free windows, fresh linens on every bed, and more. We only use high-quality eco-friendly cleaning supplies and state-of-the-art equipment such as HEPA vacuum backpacks to leave your house as clean as possible.

100% Satisfaction Guarantee
We are so confident that you will love your clean home that we personally guarantee all of our work. If you are unsatisfied with your most recent cleaning, call us back within 24 hours and we will return to clean any spots we may have missed. What other cleaning service is that committed to their customers?

Your Own Personalized Team
With other housecleaning services, they may send one or two maids to your home – we send four! Every job, no matter how big or small, is entitled to a full-service cleaning team of four specialists committed to leaving your house spotless. Maybe this is why 96% of our customers would recommend us to their friends and family.

Customized to Meet Your Needs
Don't you want a cleaning service that not only listens to your needs, but does everything they can to fulfill them? The Maids of Dallas offers a variety of cleaning options so that you always get what you want. Whether you need one room, multiple rooms, or your whole house cleaned, you can count on The Maids of Dallas to get the job done right. We also offer daily, weekly, and monthly routine visits to keep your home clean year-round!

We proudly serve the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex including Arlington, Irving, Flower Mound, Carrollton, and the surrounding areas. Call us today to schedule a cleaning or to request an obligation-free quote at 972-437-6253.

Wednesday, March 18, 2015

8 Spring Cleaning Projects for Your Home


The official start of spring isn't for another two days, but people across the country are already beginning to experience warmer weather. If you are itching to get started with your spring cleaning, here are eight projects you can begin today!

  1. Windows. Between frigid temperatures, strong winds, and heavy precipitation, your windows have taken a beating. Give both sides of the glass a good washing with soap and water – just wait for a cloudy day so the sun doesn't cause streaks. 
     
  2. Refrigerator. With all of the raw food that a refrigerator holds, it is a hotspot for bacteria. Remove all food from it and wipe the interior with a soapy rag; and don't forget to clean the shelves and drawers too. You should also take this time to vacuum the condenser coils on the back, it will help lower your electricity bills and extend your refrigerator's lifespan.

  3. Carpet. Your shoes can spread an immense amount of dirt, pesticides, and other germs through your house. When was the last time you gave your carpet a deep cleaning? Do yourself a favor and rent a rug cleaner for the day from your local hardware store, your floor will thank you. 
     
  4. Basement/Garage/Attic/Shed. These four places are often the most cluttered in a home, make this spring the year that you tackle this project and get rid of your old junk. If you have a lot of old stuff, consider hosting a tag sale or renting a dumpster to fit all of your garbage. 
     
  5. Shower. You may think that the soap that washes off your body naturally cleans your shower as it runs down the drain, but that isn't the case. Grab a couple of old towels, a strong shower cleaner, and scrub-a-dub-dub your tub to clean one of the dirtiest places in your home. 
     
  6. Cabinets & Drawers. Cabinets and drawers often get overlooked because all you have to do is close them to make the mess disappear, but that doesn't mean the mess still isn't there. Clean these out once a year to get rid of items which have expired or you no longer use. 
     
  7. Dust. Dusting your whole house is a great cleaning project which can also relieve your allergies. Avoid using feather dusters, as they do a better job at spreading dust than collecting it and dust from top-to-bottom of every room to avoid cleaning the same surfaces twice. 
     
  8. Furniture. Your couches, mattresses, and even pillows can be a haven for pet hair, dust mites, and all other kinds of stuff you don't want to sleeping with. Use a vacuum cleaner with an attachment to thoroughly go over all of your upholstered furniture and bedding.

No matter the reason nor the season, a clean house is just a phone call away with The Maids of Dallas! Whether you need one room cleaned or your entire house, a team of four specialists will arrive at your door on time and ready to work. Our 22-step deep cleaning system guarantees that you will be satisfied; if you aren't, call back within 24 hours and we will return to clean any unsatisfactory areas. Call us today for a free quote at 972-437-6253.

Monday, March 16, 2015

5 Don'ts of Cleaning Glass


Cleaning glass can be an especially frustrating chore. Sometimes it seems that no matter how hard you try, you can't get a streak-free shine. If you struggle cleaning the glass in your home, you are probably making one of these five mistakes.
  • Don't use paper towels. Paper towels are a useful tool for cleaning many things in your home, but glass isn't one of them. Paper towels not only leave behind streaks, they leave behind lint too. Ditch the paper towels and opt for a microfiber cloth for streak-free glass.
  • Don't clean your windows on a sunny day. If you are washing your home's windows, wait until a cloudy part of the day. Exposure to direct sunlight causes most glass cleaning solutions to prematurely dry and leave behind streaks.
  • Don't use tap water. The best way to clean glass is with a specially-designed cleaner, such as Windex, however water can be effective as well. If you choose to clean your home's glass with water, pick distilled over tap water, which leaves behind spots due to the minerals in it.
  • Don't skip out on polishing. After cleaning your home's mirrors, windows, and glass tabletops, take an extra 30 seconds to make them shine. You can polish your windows with a variety of household products such as crumpled newspaper, chalkboard erasers, or a cotton t-shirt.
  • Don't forget the sills and track. While the surface of the window is primarily made up of the glass panes, it is important to remember to clean the window sills and tracks too. This can usually be accomplished with a wet, soapy rag and alcohol-dipped cotton swabs for the hard-to-reach areas.

If you live in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area, you are only one phone call away from a sparkling-clean house. The Maids of Dallas is the only housecleaning service in the area that provides their customers with window cleaning and hand-scrubbed floors – this is just one of the reasons why 96% of our customers would recommend us to their family and friends. To book an appointment with your very own cleaning team or to get a free quote, call us today at 972-437-6253.

Friday, March 13, 2015

5 Household Items You Don't Clean Enough


Think your home is completely clean? Think again. Even a seemingly-spotless house with a rigorous cleaning schedule is likely to have many germ-infested areas that we don't even think about. Here are five places/items in your house that you probably aren't cleaning as often as you should.

1. Doorknobs & Lightswitches.
Just about every time someone in your home enters or leaves a room, they touch the doorknob or the lightswitch – or in many cases, both. This makes them some of the dirtiest areas in your home, and two places which are probably overlooked on cleaning day. Every week, wipe down all of your home's doorknobs and lightswitches with a disposable disinfecting wipe.

2. Sponges.
Every day, your kitchen sponge is used to wash dishes which are contaminated with all kinds of germs and bacteria. As you wipe the sponge over your dirty plates, it absorbs some of these germs. When you're done with your load of dishes, the germ-ridden sponge is left to sit, and provides bacteria with a dark, moist home. Microwaving your sponge on high for 2 minutes can kill up to 99% of its germs; we advise doing this at least once per week.

3. Pillows.
The place that you rest your head for eight hours every single night probably isn't as clean as you think it is. In a two-year period, pillows can double in weight from dust mites, dead skin, and oil from our hair. Wash your pillows twice per year and your pillowcases every other week, and invest in an anti-allergen cover to help keep germs out.

4. Refrigerator Coils.
You may clean the inside of your refrigerator every so often, but what about the condenser coils? These coils are located on the back of your refrigerator and are responsible for cooling the refrigerant that runs through them. As these coils become coated with dust, they aren't able to release their heat, which hurts the energy-efficiency of your refrigerator and shortens its lifespan. It is recommended that you clean these coils twice per year using your vacuum's brush attachment.

5. Gym Bag.
Your gym bag is regularly packed with sweaty workout apparel, but chances are you don't clean it as often as the clothes you put inside of it. Besides the germs on its interior, your bag also probably gets placed on the locker room floor; one of the dirtiest places in the gym. Wash your gym bag once or twice a month on the hottest setting to effectively kill germs.

For a completely clean house, choose the Maids of Dallas. Our cleaning teams utilize our exclusive 22-step Healthy Touch deep cleaning system to provide you with fresh linens, sanitized bathrooms, and hand-scrubbed floors. We proudly serve the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex including Irving, Arlington, Carrollton, and the surrounding areas. Book a same-day cleaning with our award-winning team by calling us at 972-437-6253.

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

5 Cleaning Products Every Home Needs


The Maids of Dallas knows a thing or two about keeping a clean house. Not only do we clean hundreds of homes in the Dallas-Ft. Worth area each month, but we like to share our knowledge with our readers. Here are five must-have cleaning products for every home.

5. Swiffer Sweeper
The Swiffer Sweeper is a great product for cleaning the hardwood and tile floors in your home. Unlike mopping, which takes more time and effort, the Swiffer doesn't require you to soak your floors with a bucket of water. The disposable pads do a great job of picking up dust, dirt, pet hair, and other grime on your floors.

4. Disinfecting Wipes
Disinfecting wipes are essential for cleaning your home's dirtiest surfaces; particularly in the bathroom and kitchen. Clean up sticky, germy messes and prevent bacteria from spreading by keeping a container of these nearby during your cleaning days.

3. Spray Bottle
Every house should have at least one empty spray bottle. These can be filled with water, store-bought cleaners, or your own homemade solution to clean a variety of surfaces in your home.

2. Microfiber Cloth
Keep a stack of white microfiber cloths in your home's closet. These rags are perfect for cleaning: they are reusable, you can tell when they get dirty, and they only require a little bit of water to effectively clean most items. Microfiber cloths work especially well for cleaning glass because they don't leave behind linty streaks like paper towels do.

1. Mr. Clean Magic Eraser
This product truly works like magic! The Mr. Clean Magic Eraser can be used almost anywhere around the house to remove stains from just about anything. Remove scuff marks from floors, burnt food on your glass stovetop, even clean your shoes with this one handy product.

Without a doubt, these five products will make it easier to keep your home clean, but only The Maids of Dallas can leave your house spotless without any effort. We provide one-time and recurring housecleaning services to the Dallas-Ft. Worth area, so call us today for a free quote at 972-437-6253.

Thursday, March 5, 2015

How to Clean Baby Toys


For parents, nothing is more important than the health and safety of their child. Many of us go to great lengths to baby-proof our homes in order to provide as safe of an environment as possible,
but despite our best efforts, some things slip through the cracks.

We will never be perfect, but we can always get better. One way to do that is by cleaning your child’s toys. We don’t think about it, but toys get passed around from one set of hands to another, frequently chewed on, and are often left to sit in a bin with other germy toys for hours. Here are some ways you can help keep your kid’s toys clean and germ-free.

Beware of Bath Toys
Your kid’s rubber ducky seems cute and innocent, but it can actually be a breeding ground for mold. If not completely dry after every bath, toys like these can retain their moisture and eventually become moldy. Prevent this by using hot glue to cover any holes in the toy which may allow water to get in. Kill mold by letting the toys sit in a bleach-water solution overnight and washing several times to remove all traces of the bleach.

Use the Dishwasher
Keeping your child’s toys clean doesn’t have to be hard work - in fact, it doesn’t have to be any more work than you are already doing. Most childrens’ toys - including bath toys, plastic action figures, and some plush animals - are dishwasher safe, so just throw them in the load with your existing dishes (just make sure to check for special instructions first).

Outdoor Toys
The importance of keeping your child’s toys clean extends beyond the house into the great outdoors. For parents with backyard jungle gyms and playhouses, this is an overlooked germ hotspot; set a goal to clean this equipment once per month during warm-weather seasons. Just like your car, using hot soapy water with a garden hose rinse-off will do the trick.

The Maids of Dallas is a full-service housekeeping company that helps parents and families stay on top of cleaning and germs. Whether you need one room cleaned or your whole house, The Maids will work with you to meet your needs. To learn more about The Maids of Dallas or to schedule a cleaning for your Texas home, call us at (972) 437-6253.

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

5 Dish-Washing Tips to Save You Time


Washing dishes can be as boring as watching paint dry, but for those of us without a dishwasher it is an unavoidable daily chore. Next time you find yourself standing in front of the sink preparing to tackle a load of dirty dishes, use these five tips to make the best use of your time.

  1. Use a bin. Save time, water, and money by choosing to wash your dishes in a bin instead of under a running faucet. When you are ready to begin washing, fill the bin with hot water and a few drops of dish soap. Make sure to empty the bin and refill it when the water becomes dirty.
  2. Sort dishes by type. Sort and wash your dirty dishes in order from least to most greasy: wash your glasses first, followed by cutlery, plates and bowls, and pots and pans last. Using this method will minimize the amount of times you have to empty and refill your bin.
  3. Clean food off immediately. Even if you do not have the time to wash the dishes immediately after eating, taking a few seconds to scrape the remaining food into the garbage – it will make a world of difference when it comes time to wash them. Food left on the plate loses its moisture and hardens onto the surface, making it much tougher to clean the longer it sits.
  4. Turn it up! The hotter the water, the better. Hot water is much more effective at cutting through tough grease spots than cold water, plus it makes dried-on food (if you didn't follow tip #3) break away from the plate easier. It also reduces water spots on dried cutlery and drinking cups.
  5. Let it soak. If you have a messy baking pan or cast-iron skillet caked in grease, letting it soak is the best way to spend as little time scrubbing as possible. Fill the dirty dish with a couple drops of dish soap and hot water and let it sit for at least an hour; you will find the grime comes off much easier after pre-soaking.

The Maids of Dallas provides top-notch housekeeping services to the Dallas-Ft. Worth Metroplex. Whether you need one room cleaned or your entire house, our cleaning team is happy to accommodate. There's a reason why 96% of our customers would refer us to family and friends – call (972) 437-6253 to schedule your cleaning today.