As the weather gets warmer and the COVID-19 pandemic begins to recede, we’re all longing to spend more time outside. If you’re accustomed to being present while your house cleaner works (or you’re considering hiring a cleaner for the first time), you may therefore be wondering if you need to be home when your house cleaner visits. In most cases, the answer is “no.” Many professional cleaners – including the team at Super Cleaning Service Louisville – will happily clean whenever it’s most convenient for the client, whether they’re at home or not.

Below, we’ll cover everything you need to know about hiring a house cleaner to work while you’re away. Alternately, you can contact us directly to discuss your options.

What Are the Benefits of Letting Your Cleaner Work While You Aren’t Home?

The most obvious advantage of having your maid clean while you’re away is that it frees up time for other pursuits. If your maid cleans while you’re at work, for example, you’ll be able to start cooking dinner, spending time with your family, or relaxing as soon as you get home. (Plus, nothing beats the feeling of returning to a freshly cleaned home at the end of the day.) If you have your cleaner over on weekends, you can enjoy a day out while he or she whips your home into tip-top shape. It is better to hire a cleaner as learning to vacuum effectively is often more difficult than people think.

In addition to being convenient, allowing your cleaner to work when you aren’t home has the following benefits:

You may save money on your cleaning services.

Most cleaners charge by the hour, so helping your maid work more quickly can cut cleaning costs (without sacrificing quality). One of the easiest ways to do this is by clearing the area, so he or she can clean and organize your home without interruption. After all, cleaning around children, pets, and other people’s daily activities is a lot more complicated and time-consuming than cleaning an empty house.

Leaving gives your cleaner better access to hard-to-reach places.

Most cleaners will move furniture, appliances, cushions, and rugs to clean under them, which is much easier to do when no one is home. As such, stepping away while your cleaner works can actually help him or her do a great job – without worrying about getting in your way.

Letting your cleaner work when you aren’t home has health benefits.

One of the main reasons people outsource cleaning is because they aren’t comfortable handling cleaning products and disinfectants. Pregnant women, people with respiratory issues, elderly individuals, and young children should all avoid exposure to the harsh chemicals in many cleaning products, for example.

By ensuring no one is home while your cleaner works, you’ll give your family even more protection from the health risks associated with inhaling cleaner fumes. We can even ventilate your home during and after cleaning to remove residual vapors from the air.

What You Should Know Before Getting Started

If you’ve decided that leaving while your cleaner works is the right choice for your family, there are a few details you’ll need to take care of first:

How will my cleaner access my home while I’m away?

To let your cleaner in (while still keeping your home secure), you’ll need to leave a key out or provide your cleaner with a lock code. If you’re leaving a key, make sure you hide it in a discreet location; don’t just put it in the mailbox or slip it under the doormat. Instead, leave it in a small, well-concealed locked box that only you and your cleaner can access. Or, if you live in a safe neighborhood, you might consider hiding a spare key under a sprinkler or inside a bird feeder or dog house.

How do I know I can trust a cleaner to visit my home when I’m not present?

If you’ve had the same cleaner for a long time, you probably trust him or her to work while you’re away. (Establishing a good client-cleaner relationship is important to us; that’s why we try to send the same cleaner every time we visit your home.) If you’re hiring a cleaner for the first time, on the other hand, you may have concerns about home security and/or ensuring the cleaner does a good job. Fortunately, addressing these worries is fairly straightforward.

First, to verify that a housecleaning service is trustworthy and reputable, make sure their cleaners are licensed, bonded, and insured. Having a license means the cleaning company is legally allowed to work in your area, whereas bonding insures clients against the loss of money, property, or valuables. Insurance protects clients from liability issues if a cleaner gets hurt on the job.

Then, check if the cleaning company you want to hire offers a satisfaction guarantee. This will allow you to get your money back (or have the cleaner return) if you aren’t happy with the job he or she does while you aren’t home.

If you still have security or quality concerns after taking the steps above, you can install a security system to monitor your home while you’re away. This way, you’ll be able to check in remotely from your mobile phone.

 

For Convenient, Affordable House Cleaning Services in Louisville, Trust Super Cleaning Service

If you need flexible cleaning help, the team at Super Cleaning Service Louisville has you covered: Our cleaners are fully licensed, bonded, and insured, and we always strive to provide a smooth, efficient experience for our customers. Not only will we work within your schedule (whether you’re at home or away), we’ll happily accept last-minute bookings. We also offer a hassle-free cancellation policy and an easy online booking system.

 

To experience the freedom that comes with having your own house cleaner, book a no-obligation appointment with us online or by phone at (502) 230-6735. We look forward to meeting you!

 

 

 

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by your busy schedule, hiring a maid can do more than just lighten your workload. Asking a professional to help with housekeeping ensures that your home will remain a place of respite and rejuvenation, rather than becoming a source of personal stress or family tension. Living in a clean house can also make you more productive, particularly if you’re among the 25% of Americans who have switched to working remotely. Studies show that even moderately messy environments significantly impair our ability to focus and stay motivated, whereas tidy environments are associated with improvements in mood, energy, and sleep quality.

Of course, to fully enjoy the benefits of hiring a maid, you’ll need to choose a cleaning service carefully. Hiring the wrong cleaner may result in poor workmanship, missed appointments, or even safety and liability issues. Below, we’ll share six tips for finding a reputable, reliable house cleaner. Alternately, you can use our online booking form to arrange an appointment with one of our licensed, bonded maids in Louisville.

 

Make sure you’re hiring a cleaning service, not an independent housekeeper.

Cleaning companies typically vet the people they hire carefully, saving you the hassle of researching independent cleaners to verify that they’re skilled and trustworthy. Most cleaning companies only work with fully trained, experienced maids who have an excellent work history. As such, choosing a cleaning service over an independent cleaner is the best way to avoid unnecessary hassles, especially if this is your first time hiring a maid.

Working with a cleaning service also protects you against the possibility of missed appointments: Because cleaning services work with a team of cleaners, they can easily send someone to fill in for your regular maid if he (or she) falls ill.

 

Only hire cleaners that are licensed, bonded, and insured.

Any time you invite someone into your home to perform a service, you should take steps to protect your property and consider liability issues. One of the easiest ways to do this is to only hire professionals who are fully licensed, bonded, and insured. Being licensed means the cleaning company is currently registered to operate a business in your area, which is a clear sign they’re serious about what they do. Bonding, on the other hand, is a form of insurance that reimburses customers if their property gets lost, damaged, or stolen during cleaning. Insurance means the cleaner has coverage for workplace injuries and accidents, so you won’t be liable if he (or she) gets hurt on the job.

Check to see if your cleaner offers a satisfaction guarantee.

Working with a cleaning service (rather than an independent maid) substantially increases the likelihood that you’ll have a spotless home after each appointment. Still, it’s a good idea to make sure the company you’ve chosen backs their work with a satisfaction guarantee. (That is, they’ll send the cleaner back to your home if he or she misses any areas.) Offering a satisfaction guarantee shows the company is committed to providing a high quality of service, which is a key indicator of professionalism.

Seek a referral, if possible.

Though online reviews are a useful general indicator of a company’s performance, they aren’t foolproof. Companies may solicit positive reviews (using sales or promotions), and negative reviews are sometimes the result of unrealistic expectations on the part of the customer. As such, word-of-mouth recommendations (from friends, family members, or work colleagues) are still the most reliable way to gauge the quality of service you can expect from a cleaner. If you know someone who currently has a maid, try asking them for a personal recommendation.

 

Make sure the cleaning company offers the services you need.

There’s a lot of variation in the type and frequency of cleaning services people require (or prefer). Someone with a hectic schedule or mobility limitations will typically need more cleaning help than an athletic person who works 9 to 5, for example.

 

Before you hire a cleaning company, think about which cleaning tasks you typically struggle with and how often you feel like you need assistance with housework. (E.g., Do you barely have time to complete basic daily cleaning? Or do you just need help with deep cleaning once or twice a month?) Then, carefully review the cleaning company’s services page: Are they willing to clean bi-weekly or monthly, or do they only offer a weekly cleaning package? Does their standard cleaning package include the tasks you need the most help with, or will you need to purchase a deep cleaning package or add-ons? Is organizing offered as well as cleaning? How thorough is their cleaning of the bathrooms? Knowing these things ahead of time will help you plan, budget, and communicate effectively with your new maid.

Ask whether or not you’ll have a dedicated cleaner.

Once you find a great cleaner, you’ll probably want to work with him (or her) consistently. Having the same cleaner visit your home regularly builds a strong, trusting client-cleaner relationship. It may also help you save money and receive a better quality of service because your cleaner will be able to learn your preferences and figure out the most efficient way to clean your home.

Looking for Affordable House Cleaners in Louisville, KY? We Can Help!

Finding the right cleaning service can be challenging: The ideal cleaner has to fit your budget and your busy schedule while still providing reliable, high-quality service. At Super Cleaning Service Louisville, we do our best to simplify the process of selecting a maid by ensuring our cleaners are fully licensed and bonded. We also provide a clear description of our services and give our clients flexible, convenient scheduling options.

 

To learn more about how we streamline and personalize house cleaning for our clients, check out our FAQ or use our online booking form to arrange an appointment with us today. We look forward to helping you keep your home beautiful!

Having well-organized closets is the first step to leading a well-organized life. When you’re able to locate all of the clothes and accessories you need at a glance, you start each day with a sense of order that positively influences other areas of your life. Keeping your closets organized also helps control clutter throughout the home, making daily house cleaning easier. Best of all, getting your closets in order doesn’t necessarily require the purchase of an expensive closet organizer – There are many easy, affordable DIY strategies you can use to optimize your closet storage space.

 

In this article, we’ll break closet organization down into six simple steps that can be completed on virtually any budget. You can also ask our professional maids in Louisville for clutter management tips after booking a house cleaning appointment with us.

 

6 Steps to Organize Your Closets Properly

 

1. Start by cutting down on clutter.

 

If you own more clothing and accessories than your closets can realistically accommodate, keeping things organized will prove challenging – if not impossible. As such, the first thing you should do is cull items you no longer need.

 

Before you start developing a new storage system, pull everything out of your closets and set aside any items that don’t belong there. Closets should only be used to store clothing, accessories, linens, and utility items. (Don’t use them to hide old books, exercise equipment, office supplies, etc.) Once you’ve removed items that shouldn’t be stored in your closets, take inventory of your clothing and accessories. Consider getting rid of any items that no longer fit you, that appear worn, or no longer suit your style. As a general rule, if you haven’t worn a garment in two years, it should be discarded or donated. (You can, of course, make exceptions for irreplaceable items with high sentimental value, like graduation and wedding gowns.)

 

After you decide which items you want to keep, group them by type. Create separate piles for belts, shoes, pants, tops, skirts, sweaters, jackets, and so on; this way, you’ll be able to quickly organize “like with like” when you’re ready to put things away.

 

2. Clean your closet.

 

While your closet is empty, take a few minutes to wipe down the shelves and closet rods inside. Then, dust the closet floor with odor-absorbing baking soda and let it sit for an hour before vacuuming the space.

 

3. Figure out how many hangers you’ll need to store your clothes.

 

As a general rule, one foot of closet rod can accommodate 16 to 18 clothes hangers (depending on the thickness of the garments you’re storing). If the amount of clothing you’re keeping will exceed this limit, you have a couple of options to keep things tidy and organized: Either purchase several magic hangers (vertical hangers designed to stack garments over one another) or make your hangers do “double duty” using soda can tabs. Just slip a clean soda can tab over the neck of one hanger, then insert another hanger in the bottom hole of the tab.

 

When your hanger setup is complete, hang up your clothes and assess how much storage space is left in your closets. This will help you select appropriately-sized storage bins for your accessories.

 

4. Use closet drawers or plastic bins to store accessories.

 

To keep your belts, hats, gloves, sunglasses, and scarves tidy, create dedicated storage areas for each type of item. Depending on your budget and preference, you can either purchase a set of closet drawers or use clear plastic bins to house accessories. (People who own a lot of accessories may benefit from using both methods of storage.)

 

If you live in a region with distinct seasons, consider storing winter and summer accessories in different bins. This way, you’ll be able to quickly rotate items according to the weather: In winter, store bins full of warm-weather items in a discreet location, like the space under your bed. In summer, switch things around – And say goodbye to the days when you had to dig through piles of mitts, scarves, and hats to find your sandals.

 

5. Install a shoe organizer.

 

Different occasions often require radically different footwear. Between dress shoes, work shoes, sandals, boots, sneakers, and gardening shoes, the list of footwear we need to keep on hand is often lengthy. In fact, research shows that the average American woman owns 17 pairs of shoes, making footwear one of the most common sources of closet clutter. Fortunately, you don’t necessarily have to part with your shoe collection to keep your closets looking neat; instead, you can buy (or make) a shoe organizer. Shoe organizers can be placed at the back of your closet, outside your closet (e.g., near the front door), or hung over the back of your closet door to keep shoes tidy and protected from premature wear.

 

6. Use leftover space to store jewelry and other small accessories.

 

If your bedroom closet still has a foot or two of unused wall space after you’ve organized your clothes, shoes, and accessories, consider turning it into a “jewelry wall.” Use towel hooks or a coat rack to hang necklaces, bracelets, and decorative scarves; your jewelry will be easier to find, plus it will never get tangled up again.

 

Struggling to Keep Your Home Clean and Organized? We Can Help

 

Keeping your closets organized can free up precious time, helping you better manage your busy schedule. Still, even the most orderly housekeepers sometimes find themselves overwhelmed by commitments. When this happens, hiring our professional residential cleaners in Louisville, Kentucky can help you keep your life manageable while leaving enough time for relaxation. To learn more about our comprehensive maid services, contact us online or by phone at (502) 230-6735.

Whether you’re soaking in the tub, getting ready for work, or enjoying at-home spa treatments, your bathroom should be a place of restful respite. Unfortunately, because bathrooms are very moist environments, they’re prone to developing odors that detract from their peaceful atmosphere. Even when a bathroom isn’t in use, mold, mildew, and lingering bacteria can create a persistent unpleasant smell that’s difficult to mask with air freshener.

 

Instead of trying to hide unwanted odors in your bathroom, we recommend tackling them at the source: Proper ventilation and regular cleaning, along with the use of natural odor absorbers, will eliminate the conditions that encourage mold and bacteria growth in the first place. Whether you clean your bathroom yourself or entrust the task to our professional maids in Louisville, fighting odors the right way will make your bathroom a safer, more enjoyable place for your whole family. To get started, contact our cleaners or try out the tips below:

6 Ways to Keep Your Bathroom Smelling Fresh

 

1. Air your bathroom out frequently.

 

Bathroom fans remove moisture from the air by design, but they aren’t foolproof. If you notice condensation lingering on your bathroom mirror and walls after you shower, your bathroom fan may not be powerful enough to reduce humidity to acceptable levels. Likewise, in many older homes, bathroom fans vent directly into the attic; this simply distributes moisture – and mold problems – around the house.

To prevent mold and mildew growth in your home, open your bathroom door and window as soon as you’ve finished showering. Leave them open for at least half an hour to thoroughly ventilate the area, while running the bathroom fan at the same time. If your bathroom still seems damp, purchase and install a dehumidifier.

 

2. Clean your bathroom fan twice a year.

 

Even the best bathroom fan won’t work properly if it’s clogged with dust and debris. To keep your bathroom fan running optimally, take the cover off it twice a year and inspect the fan blades for dust and caked-on mess. (The use of certain products, like hairspray, can coat fan blades with a sticky residue that traps dust, lint, and hair.) If the fan looks dirty, start by soaking the cover in warm, soapy water. Then, unplug the fan before removing the fan and motor assembly. Lightly moisten a microfiber cloth with a solution of one part white vinegar to two parts water and wipe the blades clean. Towel off the fan motor, blades, and cover, then let them air out until they’re completely dry.

 

While you wait for the fan assembly to dry, vacuum out the fan housing and exhaust vent using your vacuum’s crevice tool. Then, wipe away any remaining grime with a cloth before reinstalling the fan.

 

3. Clean and disinfect your toilet regularly.

 

Toilet cleaning is officially America’s most-hated chore, but it’s one you can’t put off if you want to keep your bathroom smelling fresh. The average toilet contains over 125.55 colony-forming units of bacteria per square inch; without regular cleaning, these colonies of bacteria quickly multiply, giving rise to nasty odors – and health risks.

 

To keep toilet cleaning quick and hygienic, purchase a toilet wand. Toilet wands use replaceable sponge heads that come pre-loaded with a disinfectant cleaner, making toilet cleaning as easy as snapping on a new head, scrubbing the bowl and rim, then flushing to rinse. To keep your toilet smelling flawlessly clean, consider adding a five-minute scrub with a toilet wand to your daily cleaning routine.

 

Once a week, deep-clean your toilet to stop bacteria from accumulating outside the toilet bowl. Use an old toothbrush and disinfectant cleaner to scrub the grooves under your toilet’s seat and lid. Then, wipe down the body of the toilet and the area around the toilet with disinfectant wipes. When you’re done, rinse the toilet lid, seat, and body with a damp microfiber cloth.

 

4. Keep your shower free of mold, mildew, and bacteria.

 

If you think the toilet is the dirtiest part of the bathroom, we have bad news for you: Your shower curtain and shower floor could be harboring more bacteria than your toilet bowl. Showers can become shockingly grimy, smelly places because the dead skin cells, dirt, and germs we wash off combine with dampness that may linger for days at a time. According to Dr. Mai Ha, a leading specialist in odor control and antimicrobial technology, this allows “a wide variety of bacteria, fungus, and yeast” to thrive. “In addition,” Ha explains, “Soap scum, hard-water scaling, plus hair and skin exfoliates can stick to surfaces and gradually build up. These hard-to-remove surface contaminants can provide even more safe harbor for bacteria, fungus and yeast to grow.”

 

The best way to prevent this overgrowth of mold and bacteria is to control shower moisture and clean your shower floor and curtain frequently. During each shower, take a minute to quickly spritz your shower stall and curtain with diluted white vinegar. After you turn the shower off, use a squeegee to remove excess moisture from the walls of the shower stall. On the weekend, thoroughly scrub your shower from top to bottom (pay special attention to removing grout stains) and wash your shower curtain along with your towels and cloths. Remember to wash these items on a hot cycle to kill bacteria.

 

5. Clean your drains.

 

Bathroom drains are prone to becoming clogged with a mix of hair, toothpaste, soap scum, and dead skin. To keep unwanted drain odors at bay – and keep your drains working – pour a cup of undiluted white vinegar or commercial drain cleaner down your bathroom drains once a week.

 

6. Use an odor absorber.

 

Odor absorbers that contain bamboo charcoal are capable of removing both odors and moisture from the air, making them a perfect fit for bathrooms. Look for deodorizers with this natural, environmentally-friendly compound at your local big box store, or make your own bamboo charcoal bags at home.

 

Need Help Getting Rid of Unwanted Bathroom Odors? Call Super Cleaning Service Louisville

 

Removing bathroom odors can be very challenging, especially if you can’t clean with disinfectants due to respiratory health issues and be very careful if cleaning when pregnant. If you’re having trouble keeping your bathroom smelling fresh – or you’d rather assign the dirty job of bathroom cleaning to someone else – our professional maids in Louisville can help. Contact us online or by phone at (502) 230-6735 to arrange your first cleaning appointment today.

 

 

Most expectant mothers have one thing on their mind: Staying safe and healthy so they can give their baby the best start in life. If you’re pregnant, you already know to avoid cigarette smoke, alcohol, caffeine, and risky foods like sushi – but what about cleaning products?

Until recently, being pregnant wasn’t considered a barrier to doing basic household chores, as long as they didn’t involve any heavy lifting. As our knowledge of the toxic chemicals in cleaning products increases, however, many moms are questioning the wisdom of cleaning while they’re expecting. Likewise, today’s moms have to balance more commitments than their ancestors did: When you’re already tired from working outside the home, housekeeping can feel exhausting.

For these reasons, many expectant mothers hire professional maids rather than doing housework themselves. Hiring a maid prevents direct exposure to cleaning products and contributes to maintaining a healthy work-life balance, which is crucial for new parents.

For those who do have time to clean during pregnancy, trying the tips below can improve comfort and eliminate unnecessary risks:

 

1. Choose green cleaning products.

Certain ingredients in conventional cleaning products, like phthalates and phenols, have been linked to reproductive harm in humans. Some researchers also believe they can cause long-term adverse health effects following exposure in the womb.

To protect your baby, only use cleaning products that contain safe, naturally-derived ingredients. Look for products that are stamped with a Green Seal, USDA Bio-Preferred, or EcoLogo sticker, as these have been certified “green” by a regulatory agency. Alternately, you can make safe cleaning solutions at home using lemon juice, white vinegar, baking soda, and water.

Note that you should keep using green cleaning products after your baby is born, too, because infants are more vulnerable to the effects of chemicals than adults.

 

2. If you have a cat, get someone else to empty the litter box.

Cats that go outdoors sometimes pick up a parasite known as Toxoplasma gondii, which can cause toxoplasmosis. While this condition is harmless to most adults, it can cause complications during pregnancy. Fortunately, the only way to pick this parasite up is through direct contact with cat feces, so you don’t have to worry about petting your cat – Just make sure you get someone else to clean his (or her) litter box for you as a precaution. You should also keep your cat indoors while you’re pregnant, if possible, and never feed your pet raw meat. According to the CDC, indoor cats that eat cooked food are very unlikely to transmit toxoplasmosis.

If you can’t get help cleaning your cat’s litter box, you can protect yourself by wearing thick rubber gloves, a face mask, and goggles throughout the cleaning process. When you’re done changing the litter, wash your hands thoroughly in hot, soapy water.

 

3. Clean in increments.

It’s normal to experience periods of extreme fatigue when you’re pregnant, especially during the first and third trimesters. If you’re used to doing most of your cleaning on the weekend, you’ll probably have to switch to cleaning in short segments every day to preserve your energy. Getting into the habit of doing a bit of cleaning each day will also help you prepare for after your baby arrives, when you’ll need to work around caring for an infant.

Create a schedule of daily cleaning tasks and research speed-cleaning techniques to make housekeeping as manageable as possible. If you need help with deep cleaning, ask a friend or relative to come by on the weekends or hire a maid.

 

4. Be careful when cleaning hard-to-reach places.

Being pregnant can throw off your center of balance because it changes the way your body’s weight is distributed. This puts pregnant women at an increased risk of slips and falls, which can be dangerous for both you and your baby. To minimize this risk while cleaning, avoid standing on chairs, stools, or step-ladders while cleaning hard-to-reach places. Instead, invest in cleaning tools with extendable handles. These tools will allow you to reach the ceiling and the tops of high shelves and cupboards from floor level.

 

5. Break laundry down into smaller loads.

A load of laundry can weigh anywhere from seven to 20 pounds. If your doctor has advised you not to do any heavy lifting, you’ll need to modify how you wash your clothes to ensure you don’t strain yourself. Break laundry down into small, light loads, or consider hand-washing a few items at a time if you don’t want to waste water.

 

6. Buy a stick or robot vacuum.

Pushing a heavy upright or canister vacuum around the house can aggravate sciatica, a type of painful nerve inflammation frequently seen in pregnant women. If you experience flare-ups of back pain within several hours of vacuuming, try switching to a lighter type of vacuum cleaner – like a stick vacuum – or invest in a robot vacuum.

Note, however, that neither of these options are a good choice for use on thick, deep carpets. If your home has a lot of carpeting or you own pets, you’re better off hiring a professional house cleaner to vacuum and wash your carpets for you. A professional cleaner can get rid of allergens and bacteria in your carpets through the use of hot water extraction technology, leaving your home smelling wonderfully clean and fresh.

 

Affordable Cleaning Help in Louisville for Expecting Moms

Physical discomfort – particularly back pain – is common during the last few months of pregnancy, even for women who don’t have sciatica. If cleaning has become difficult for you despite using the strategies above, why not give yourself a break and let us take over? Our affordable maids in Louisville, Kentucky can help you keep your home spotless, so you can relax and enjoy your new arrival. Use our convenient online booking form to arrange your first appointment today and spend the day having fun at Bernheim Arboretum and Research Forest.

Cleaning every day is one of the healthiest habits you can adopt. Not only does daily cleaning control germs and allergens, it keeps cleaning manageable by breaking tasks down into smaller chunks. This stops dirt and clutter from piling up to the point where your home feels chaotic, allowing you to enjoy the proven mood and concentration benefits of living in a tidy environment. In fact, research shows that those who clean every day even have improved physical health because they’re more active and motivated.

Of course, for most of us, cleaning the entire house after work each night isn’t realistic or practical. Your daily cleaning routine should therefore be limited to the manageable, high-priority tasks listed below, with deep cleaning occurring on the weekends. Alternately, you can use this schedule to do light maintenance cleaning throughout the week and let our professional house cleaners take care of the rest.

 

7 Essential Daily Cleaning Tasks­­

 

1. Change your hand towels.

 

Dish towels and bathroom hand towels are hotbeds for bacteria. Even if your small towels don’t look soiled, they could be harboring dangerous bacteria, according to a study by the USDA. Why? Many people touch dish and hand towels immediately after handling raw meat and other potential sources of contamination.

 

Though you don’t have to launder your small towels every day, you should exchange them for fresh ones every 24-48 hours (depending on how often you use them). When you do launder your towels, make sure to wash them on a high heat setting to kill bacteria.

 

2. Speed-clean the shower.

 

Doing a bit of light shower cleaning every day is a great way to keep stubborn grout stains and soap scum at bay. To quickly clean your shower, keep a spray bottle filled with well-diluted white vinegar, a cleaning sponge, and a squeegee in your bathroom. While you’re waiting for your conditioner to set, mist your shower tiles with the vinegar mixture and scrub them for two minutes with the sponge. After you’ve rinsed your hair and turned off the shower, use the squeegee to wipe away excess moisture.

 

3. Wipe down kitchen counters.

 

You probably wash your cutting boards after each use, but you may not know it’s crucial to clean the rest of the kitchen counter frequently, too. Even if you haven’t prepared meat during the day, counter tops can easily become contaminated with bacteria during normal use. Most of us drop high-touch objects (like keys, purses, and cell phones) on the counter as soon as we return home, for example, effectively transferring outdoor bacteria to the kitchen. Likewise, leftover crumbs can attract pests (and the diseases they carry) if you don’t wipe down your counters at least once a day.

 

4. Take care of dirty dishes.

 

Leaving dirty dishes out overnight is never a good idea. The crumbs and odors they harbor are a magnet for pests, and letting food residues dry out overnight makes dishes much harder to clean. If you don’t have enough dirty dishes for a full dishwasher load, consider washing them by hand instead of leaving them on the counter overnight.

 

5. Clean out your kitchen sink.

 

Have you ever noticed a foul odor or leftover food debris in your sink after washing the dishes? These issues are more than just cosmetic: Whenever moisture, food, and warmth are present in the same environment, bacteria can rapidly proliferate.

 

To keep your family safe – and keep your kitchen smelling fresh – take ten minutes to clean out the kitchen sink every evening. First, remove food debris with a paper towel and use a magic eraser to buff out stains. When you’re done, fill the sink with hot water and a tablespoon of bleach. Let the mixture sit for five minutes, then drain the sink and polish it dry with a clean microfiber cloth.

 

6. Vacuum high-traffic areas.

 

Most dirt in the home comes from one place: The outdoors. By vacuuming high-traffic areas (like hallways and the living room) once a day, you’ll keep outdoor dirt and allergens from invading the rest of your home. You’ll also protect your carpets from wear and keep the entryways of your home looking clean and welcoming. Just make sure you use the right vacuuming techniques to get the job done; otherwise, the dirt you miss will slowly spread and accumulate.

 

7. Sanitize your cell phone.

 

Cell phones are infamously dirty: In fact, they often contain more bacteria per square inch than the average toilet seat. Mobile phones frequently come into contact with our unwashed hands, our saliva, and a wide variety of surfaces, so they’re essentially the perfect germ carriers. Fortunately, staying safe is as simple as wiping down your phone with an alcohol wipe at least three times per day. For added protection, consider using hand sanitizer before you handle your phone, and avoid absentmindedly placing it on nearby surfaces (keep it in your pocket instead).

 

Still Finding Cleaning Overwhelming? Our Cleaners Can Help!

Sometimes, cleaning tasks pile up despite our best efforts. If you’re working long hours, or if you’re cleaning as you get older, or you’ve recently had a baby, your schedule probably doesn’t permit even basic daily cleaning – and that’s completely understandable. To keep your home hygienic while you take care of your priorities, we recommend working with our professional cleaners. The maids at Super Cleaning Service Louisville can keep your home fresh, tidy, and manageable, no matter what’s going on in your life. Contact us today to learn more about our flexible, affordable maid services in Kentucky while you instead enjoy your day relaxing at Taylorsville Lake State Park.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought fresh attention to the advantages of remaining at home in old age. Independent living is associated with numerous health benefits for seniors, including reduced social isolation, higher activity levels, and lower rates of depression and Alzheimer’s (Retirement Living, 2020). If you’re elderly, having your own home also allows you to reduce your risk of catching communicable illnesses, like influenza and the novel coronavirus.

Though aging at home is beneficial in many ways, it still presents challenges that require careful planning, creativity, and adaptation to overcome. As a senior living independently, you’ll need to manage safety and accessibility concerns, including the risk of getting injured while cleaning. In this article, we’ll share some helpful tips on how to change the way you clean to fit your level of strength and mobility.

 

5 House Cleaning Tips for Seniors

 

1. Invest in the right tools.

Strains, sprains, and falls are a concern for anyone who cleans frequently, regardless of their age. As you get older, however, your risk of experiencing these injuries increases and recovery becomes more complicated. You might also find that manual scrubbing drains your energy and stresses your joints more than it used to, making cleaning feel like an unpleasant chore. The good news? Today, there are a number of useful tools available that make backache-free cleaning a reality. Some of our favorite essentials include:

-Extendable microfiber dusters. As the name suggests, these dusters come with an extendable handle that makes reaching the tops of cupboards, light fixtures, and other high-up places a breeze.

-Power scrubbers. Power scrubbers are an absolute must for cleaning grout, floors, tubs, sinks, and other areas prone to stubborn stains and bacteria build-up. These scrubbers come with an electric head that does the work for you, so all you have to do is move the tool along the surface you want to clean. Many models also have extendable arms and multiple scrubber heads, making them incredibly versatile in hard-to-reach areas.

-Robot vacuums. Robot vacuum cleaners, like the Roomba, can quietly and unobtrusively vacuum your floors without any manual effort on your part. These devices are equipped with special sensors that help them identify dirty spots and avoid obstacles, for a hassle-free clean.

2. Choose natural cleaners whenever possible.

Even for non-smokers, the risk of developing respiratory illnesses increases with age. Along with leading a healthy, active lifestyle, avoiding the use of harsh cleaning products can help prevent common lung diseases, including pneumonia and COPD.

According to research conducted by the French Institute of Health and Medical Research, frequent use of chemical disinfectants can increase the risk of developing COPD by 22-32%. These findings highlight the importance of using harsh cleaning products only when the benefits outweigh the risks (i.e., in areas where dangerous bacteria might otherwise accumulate, such as the toilet bowl). Otherwise, it’s better to stick with natural cleaning agents, like vinegar and baking soda, to remove grime.

When you do need to use a chemical disinfectant, choose a bleach-free product and thoroughly ventilate the area while you work. (Keep windows open for a full half-hour before and after you clean.) If you already suffer from respiratory health issues, hire a professional cleaner to clean your bathroom and kitchen for you, and leave the area while they work.

 

3. Use shelf liners to make clean-up faster and easier.

Covering your kitchen drawers, cupboard shelves, and fridge with removable liners both protects these surfaces from stains and significantly reduces clean-up time. Look for non-adhesive plastic shelf liners for your cupboards and drawers, as these liners can be removed, cleaned in the washing machine, and reinserted multiple times. In the fridge, use disposable paper liners to line your vegetable and fruit drawers (paper liners soak up excess moisture, keeping fruit and veggies fresh for longer) and line shelves with peel-and-stick plastic liners. Glad “Press n’ Seal” food wrap can be used to make durable, low-cost fridge shelf liners that can be disposed of once they become soiled.

 

4. Store your cleaning products in easy-to-reach places.

Many of us store our cleaning products somewhere they’ll be completely out of sight, like a high shelf or the cupboard below the kitchen sink. While doing this reduces visible clutter in the home, reaching for products adds extra bending and stretching to your cleaning routine, thereby increasing the likelihood of muscle and joint strain.

Ideally, you should store your cleaning products at waist level; e.g., on the middle shelf of your pantry. You can also try storing them in a rolling cart, which can be tucked out of sight in a closet when you aren’t cleaning. This way, you’ll be able to wheel your products from room to room with very little effort.

 

5. Know when to ask for help.

Though most seniors are fully capable of doing light maintenance cleaning, tackling big jobs alone is often more hassle (and risk) than it’s worth. Before you attempt any cleaning tasks that involve moving heavy furniture or appliances, or reaching very high-up places, call a trusted relative or professional cleaner to assist you. Likewise, if you find routine deep-cleaning tiring, hiring a maid can preserve your energy for more important things.

As the leading domestic cleaners in Louisville, we’ll happily tailor our services to fit your needs, budget, and schedule. Whether you want a bit of extra help around the house or comprehensive housecleaning services, we’re here to help you enjoy your retirement to the fullest while you take a day to relax in Beargrass Creek Park. To learn more about what we do, contact Super Cleaning Service Louisville online or by phone at (502) 230-6735.