The thought of Spring cleaning can put fear into those with the best intentions. Excuses and procrastination often take center stage, and the deep cleaning goal originally sought after turns into a quick swipe, wipe or sweep. Fortunately, spring cleaning services by professionals can make a difference with both time and the degree of cleaning.
Deep cleaning is refreshing for the home as well as the people who live there, but is often ignored because of the amount of work involved for a really thorough job. There are places online that offer a 12-week cleaning challenge, or some other timetable; or they assign the tasks to be tackled in one room at a time. That might work for some people, but for others a little extra help may be needed.
Take a look at any DIY get organized and cleaning blog, and they suggest small, baby steps that you congratulate yourself for accomplishing daily. A popular blog online is FlyLady (http://www.flylady.net/) where she helps subscribers work through a series of tips and lessons about getting organized, and then about keeping things tidy. Her blog mentions that if your home suffers from CHAOS – Can’t Have Anyone Over Syndrome – it might be time to start decluttering.
Declutter to Get Ready for Spring Cleaning Services
Many suggestions involve sorting through things with three boxes – one to put things away, one box to donate items and one box to trash items – and walking through each room with the three boxes to eliminate clutter. There are also tips about which rooms to work on first, because sometimes doing things in a certain order makes the rest of the job easier.
If you don’t follow an ongoing schedule like above, a large decluttering stage of spring cleaning is probably a personal journey that needs to be taken at least once a year.
But once the decluttering is accomplished and you’re ready for the deep cleaning, what is the right cleaning pattern to follow?
ServiceMaster by the Border team members are experts at spring cleaning services. Deep cleaning can be scheduled anytime of the year, and can be completed in stages instead of one huge project.
Chunking the project into smaller jobs would include walls, then furniture, floors last, then outdoor windows and power-washing the side of the home.
Typically, a huge cleaning job would start at the top of the room and gradually work down. Your living room may have a variety of lights, ceiling fans, and window treatments. While they don’t clean fabric curtains, the ServiceMaster team can carefully vacuum draperies; and get rid of the dirt and cobwebs everywhere else in the upper area of the room as stage one to the spring cleaning project.
Start Cleaning at the Top
Stage one – ceilings and walls – can be tackled on a room-by-room basis, or as a larger cleaning project. The price for professional cleaning in this area is based on the square footage to be cleaned, but is very thorough.
Ceilings are dusted down and light fixtures are individually cleaned, as well as each part of the ceiling fan. A basic light fixture might be an easy surface-clean, however a fancy chandelier may require additional fees due to the fine details needed for all the smaller parts.
Next, the walls are cleaned thoroughly, including pulling furniture away from walls and cleaning from top to bottom, eliminating the cobwebs that hide high up in the corners. Door frames, picture frames, and other high areas where dust collects will be cleaned when the walls are done.
A wall wouldn’t be clean until each window also got a shine. This includes cleaning the window frame around the entire window. Finally, the small details make a difference, and that includes polishing up the light switches and electrical outlets to be sure fingerprint smudges are eliminated.
Accomplishing stage one in a deep cleaning project can give the whole room a fresher feel. Stage two involves another part of the room that is used every day, the furniture.
Cleaning Furniture and Floors
Cleaning upholstery is another specialty of the ServiceMaster by the Border team. They are qualified to know which cleaners are best for your type of upholstery fabric and furniture finish. The first step here is a thorough vacuuming to get rid of all the hidden cookie crumbs and other surprises found behind the cushions. Special vacuum attachments make this job easier, and all sides of the furniture receive attention.
Once the furniture is bright and fresh again, the third stage inside would be the floors. Constant use throughout the winter months or rainy season may cause layers of dirt buildup that need to be carefully removed from wood or tiled floors. Professional carpet cleaning begins with treating and eliminating spots, followed by a thorough cleaning with full water extraction. Airflow in the room is helpful during this time, to speed up the drying process; but the carpet can usually be walked on within a short amount of time.
Three stages of work makes one area of your home completely clean, and if that’s all you can tackle right now, it’s a step in the right direction. Call the cleaners back when you’re ready to tackle the bathrooms, because that can be a separate chunk of spring cleaning. Or, perhaps the kitchen area is next; ServiceMaster also helps there with deep cleaning stoves, refrigerators, cabinet surfaces, and sink areas.
Spring cleaning doesn’t need to be a task to dread, especially when qualified experts can help get the job done in minimal time. After you’d done some decluttering, schedule a call with ServiceMaster by the Border to discuss the cleaning stages they can begin inside your home. Gift certificates are also available to surprise friends or family with spring cleaning services they’d appreciate.