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.

5 Bathroom Cleaning Tips

If left uncleaned for only a week or two, bathrooms can become a scary, germ-infested place. Sticking to a regular cleaning routine is essential in keeping your bathroom neat and tidy. Use these 5 tips for a sparkling bathroom the next time you clean:

To get rid of a ring in your toilet bowl...

Cut off a small piece of Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser and drop it in your toilet. Let it sit in the bowl overnight and the ring of grime will be gone by the morning.

To clean your shower head with minimal effort...

Fill a plastic sandwich bag with vinegar and tie it around your shower head with an elastic band, as shown in this picture. Allow to sit for 5-8 hours and your shower head will be as clean as the day you bought it.

To unclog a drain using products you already own...

Pour ½ cup of baking soda down the drain, followed by ½ cup of white vinegar. Allow the solution to foam up for a few minutes, then pour a cup of hot water down the drain to wash it through. In case you didn't know – vinegar and baking soda can be used to clean a lot of things around the house.

To clean the grout between your bathroom tiles...

Use Resolve carpet cleaner. Just apply it to the dirty grout and let it sit for 15 minutes before scrubbing it with a stiff brush (an old toothbrush works too).

For a streak-free mirror...

Ditch the paper towels; they not only leave behind streaks, but lint too. For a spotless mirror, wipe the Windex off with a microfiber cloth and polish the glass with a 100% cotton t-shirt or piece of crumpled up newspaper.

Bonus Tip: Save the time and energy it takes to clean your bathroom by letting us do it for you! The Maids of Dallas provides single-room cleaning in addition to our whole-house services, and we will still send a team of four specialists to ensure the job is done thoroughly. For more information about The Maids of Dallas, please visit our website or call (972) 437-6253.