Category Archives for "articles"

0 Easy Cleaning – Part One

Here starts my first series of stories about my experiences as a maid. My names is Charis Whitcomb, I am 28 years old and currently live in Ipswich, Suffolk. My mother is a Greek who has moved to England to work as a maid but eventually gets married to my wonderful father – a butler of long standing. There is no doubt why I have chosen a profession similar to my parents’. I have been raised in the spirit of devotion and family values and feel satisfied when can help the others. As a little girl, I really enjoyed doing all the housework tasks and always gave a hand to my mother. As I grew up, started working for the family my parents have working for almost 25 years. Since I wanted to achieve some success on my own, I applied for the position of a maid in another little family mansion in Ipswich, on Turkey Shore Rd. The family that lived there really liked me and my services and eventually decided to hire me. Now I live on Turkey Shore and work as a maid for these nice old people.

As you may have guessed, old people are not able to do the housework at all so they are especially in need when it comes to cleaning personnel. I work there with one more lady at the age of the 56, who is very experienced in her work and always plays the role of a godmother of mine and is always ready to help me with my tasks. It is great to have such an experienced companion when you cannot deal with the task of removing grease on the kitchen sink in time. This lady with the traditional name Mrs. Smith knows all the hangs and knacks related to the essence of a maid’ works – as you start with all the tips for cleaning the appliances, floorings, windows and blinds, and finish with numerous tricks in case of needy de-cluttering. I will reveal to you some of them if you are interested in my experience. After all, learning ideas and strategies from the source – in this case, from me and my director – is the best way to save time, money and efforts. I will post in my rubric every week with surprising suggestions about the best solutions for household problems and tasks. Eventually, creativity and experience go hand in hand and are not applicable only in the cases of professional areas but in the real field of cleaning.

0 Cleaning Grease from Different Surfaces

We all know how close to impossible it is to clean the oven or the grill, or in other words, the burnt grease stains. There are so many different cleaning products which are supposed to serve this purpose. Companies compete to earn more customers by assuring us that just a sprinkle of their product will remove all grease and make our grills shinier than they have ever been. Unfortunately, the reality is different.

Cleaning burnt grease stains from food preparation appliances is one of the toughest cleaning jobs in a household. The most important thing is to pick a cleaning product that will indeed remove grease effectively without much scrubbing and rubbing.

Grills are easier to clean as the surface is horizontal and the cleaner can stay on the stains and effectively attack the grease. Ovens, however, require a cleaner of different density. Foamy cleaning products are recommended as they can get on the walls and stick on the stains and grease. The main rule when you use stronger cleaning products is to wait as long as the label says after you have applied it on the surface. A common mistake is wiping of a cleaning product immediately after spraying it on the surface, then making the quick decision that it is not effective, which, as you might have guessed by now, is not necessarily correct.

When you buy a grease-removing cleaning product always make sure you have read the instructions on the back. If they are not absolutely clear about how to use the product, I may advise you not to buy the product.

Another surface at your home that gets grease spots, surprisingly enough, is the glass surface of your windows. It might be fingerprints of the children looking out, or, for the kitchen, the grease when you are frying or cooking. That’s why it is good to spent some time every once in a while to clean all the windows thoroughly. If you do not wish to hire a professional company to clean your house, I might suggest that you take your time and clean the windows one room per day.

First, remove the main dirtiness on the windows. If you use a cleaner directly you might smear the stains and end up with messier windows than the ones you had in the beginning. Use water and a sponge to dust the glass surface first, then go for the cleaning product.

A good window-cleaning tool are newspapers. If you have old ones laying around, don’t hesitate to use them on the glasses. They are very good and do not leave streaks behind. When done, you can wipe the windows with a microfiber towel.

0 Cleaning After A Party

I am pretty sure that the party last night was amazing. This morning, however, is something you probably do not wish to talk about. In the light of day it is easy to come to the conclusion that the bigger the party the tougher the cleaning.

Regardless whether you had a couple of guests over for a dine and wine, or you had friends over to watch the big game, the morning after brings your spirit down with piles of dirty dishes and so much more. Piles of piles of plates and glasses, stains on the carpet, stained table covers, scratches on the floor, napkins under the table and God knows what more…

The situation, however, can be handled. There is a way to deal even with a problem of that caliber. As most good solutions, it is the fastest and easiest.

First of all, put all the dishes together, sort them and put them in the washing machine. Now you can start thinking you a jack of all traits – doing multiple tasks at the same time. Even climbing mount Everest takes a first step to begin with, so do not get scared of the upcoming work – the sooner you get down to it, the sooner it will all be over.

Play some energizing music. Take all you need for the cleaning process with you – put all the brushes, spraying bottles and all that in a bucket or a basket. You should not stop the whole process to search for a cleaning product or a tool, as this is nothing but a waste of time. Your mobile set should be well stacked with rags and cleaners.

When you walk in a room to clean it, set an alarm to go off in fifteen minutes and do not walk out before you are done with the cleaning. Hurry up! This will help you get focused on the tasks and deal with them faster. Speed, not style, is what matters in this particular case.

It really doesn’t matter where you start from, what is important is to stay focused on the task at hand. However, it is recommended to work your way counter clockwise around the house. Split the cleaning into small portions of work that will be easier to complete. Do the small tasks one by one. Do not move on before completing the first one.

You do not need a basin of dirty water. Take a spraying bottle in one hand, and a rag in the other. Spray and rinse – that’s all you need to do.

The faster, the better. You do not have to clean everything to perfection the first time around the home. You can always get back for some touch-ups.

0 Clean to Create a Refreshing Atmosphere at Home

Whether you are going to move out or you just need to redecorate a room, you might find some these following ideas quite useful in order to clean and create a refreshing atmosphere at your home.

A very simple way to make your place of relaxation even more pleasant is to bring more warmth in the atmosphere. Colours, such as yellow, orange and red are the perfect thing to go for in this particular case. They will charge you with bright, sunny mood and optimism.

If you want to feel more comfortable you can go for more soft fabrics. A fluffy blanket, curly carpet and decorative pillows – these small items will bring more comfort and cosiness to the room. You can use different colourful pillowcases with your favourite colours and put your favourite pillows in them. This way you can easily wash and change them, while in the same time keep the original colours of the pillows new-looking for longer.

If you are of the emotional kind and you appreciate the time spent with your loved ones, surround yourself with items that remind you of those moments and people. Beautiful picture frames, souvenirs and funny gifts is what you have to put around the room. The dust on them can be easily cleaned with a fluffy brush and a wet microfiber rag afterwards.

However, if you are not that sentimental of a person, keep in mind that these things are a bit retro. You can settle for a few pictures with more of a modern style or good photographs with interesting frames like a colourful frame and a black and white photograph. The effect is amazing and the dust can be easily cleaned with a piece of bread.

Go for out of the box furniture placement. You will be surprised how different a room can look by just moving a couple of big stuff around. Be adventurous – do not put everything in straight lines. Put the sofa on the diagonal for example.

In other words, let yourself free and do not be afraid to experiment with your home.

Regular moving of furniture will also prevent layering of dust under the sofa or bed. The walls will not get the marks of the furniture that has stayed there for decades; the carpet will be the same colour everywhere. It is not just for entertainment purpose – you preserve your furniture, floors and walls better by moving them around.

Another good thing to trust when moving furniture around is Feng Shui. Although you do not need to get in deep with the whole philosophy of it, the Feng Shui concept of Chi flow is a great way to optimize space in a room. Following its instructions you will find how spacious and big your room really is!

0 The Life of a British Maid – Serving My First Dinner

I brought the wine to Elizabeth just as she had ordered it – with ice and a lemon slice. This time she didn’t say anything as she was busy speaking on her phone. She was apparently telling some friend of hers about her day spent in shopping and going around the cafes. She seemed so sad and angry because of the fact that someone had bought the Gucci bag she had wanted before her.

I once again realized how superficial this girl was. But again I thought about her parents – they were completely responsible for this but they didn’t seem to care or do something about it. I looked at them and they were so calm and unconcerned. Katherine was slowly drinking her vodka martini and reading some fashion magazine while Chase was reading a newspaper. There was no communication between any of them, which seemed to me rather strange and bad. Those people had everything but they did definitely not look happy at this moment. They seemed bored with all of this, even with each other’s company which was really sad.

I went back to the kitchen to take a breath until they call me to serve dinner or anything else. The kitchen was empty now. The cook had prepared the meals and probably gone to sleep, the nanny must have been in the baby’s room putting him to sleep as it was already late, and I don’t really know where the others were.

I sat on a chair to relax for a minute and I realized I wasn’t feeling my legs anymore. I didn’t feel even tired, I felt nothing. This first day had been really intensive and burdening. I relaxed on the chair and I closed my eyes just for a second. Suddenly, I heard the nasty voice of Janette; she was speaking something which I couldn’t completely catch. She screamed.

I woke up. Oh my God! I had been asleep. I don’t know if I had been sleeping for seconds or minutes or more but I knew that this could cost me a lot. Janette was apparently furious. She was talking and talking and talking but I couldn’t really understand her as my head already hurt. I only got the part in which she told me to serve dinner immediately as I was late.

She instructed me to put a piece of salmon in each plate with a spoon of puree and some broccoli. Those people definitely knew what to eat. The food looked fine and sophisticated as everything else in the house but I couldn’t imagine how this kind and amount of food could be enough for me.

0 Aromas For Every Room

Aromas bring freshness, positive mood and health to our homes. The influence our state of mind and that is why it is important that we choose the right aromas for every room and every season. The smell of Christmas can be already sensed. And when we are choosing Christmas aromas, it is good to consider what kind of aroma to put in which room in the house.

Here are some appropriate aromas for the living room. For many families, this is the most important part of the home and it should always smell fresh and cosy. Some nice aromas for the living room are lemon, grapefruit and bergamot. Vanilla has a relaxing effect on us – it soothes and it predisposes us to sweet talks and hugs on the couch. You can also put orange, lemon or tangerine peels on the radiator. You can cut them into different shapes and make a Christmas garland or Christmas blinds with cinnamon and lace. If you have a fireplace, you will feel really cosy and comfortable if you put some pine-tree branches and cones there.

Here are some ideas for bedroom aromas. Here you should use relaxing aromas which will make you indulge in reverie and sweet dreams and help you enjoy your rest. Some appropriate aromas for your bedroom are rose, patchouli, vanilla, ylang-ylang, cedar.

Next, we give you a few aromas that are good for your bathroom and toilet. We usually place different kinds of aroma candles for more relaxation; we use aromas from shower creams, bathtub foams, shampoos and all kinds of cosmetics. Most importantly, it smells clean and fresh. For example, a potted crane’s bill will do a good job if, of course, there is enough space and light in the bathroom.

Kitchen aromas. If we are good housekeepers, this should be the cosiest room in the house, smelling of tasty food and home. But if we are not so good, we definitely need some aromas. Unfortunately, there aren’t any aromas of roasted chicken or home-made pie in order to make our kitchen more original. It is a good idea, however, to plant some herbs in pots such as basil, rosemary, salvia. In December, it is enough just to make a pie with cinnamon and everything will smell like Christmas holidays.

Everyone will, of course, choose their own holiday and everyday aromas according to their own taste and preferences. But it is always good to create a more pleasant, relaxing, exciting or cosy atmosphere in our place and in this way we will feel good and enjoy it every time we come home.

0 How to Clean The Iron

Almost every housewife has seen stains on their iron. In most cases, these are deposits that cover the plate of the iron. These are caused by the very process of ironing and are nothing more than mill-cakes from the clothes. The process of their formation is a continuous one so they do not appear after one or two ironings. With time, however, the deposits grow and every housewife has to face the question of how to clean them exactly. There certainly are quite a lot of products for that type of cleaning which you can easily purchase in the supermarket. I, however, would like to introduce to you those methods to clean the iron which are easy and practical and can be easily performed in your everyday life.

Some people use baking soda. It is probably the best solution for cleaning. Baking soda can get rid of pretty much any type of deposits. You need to put some of it on an old newspaper and scrub the surface of the iron, with the iron being turned off, of course.

The limestone can be removed using acid like vinegar for instance. But if you pour it in the iron’s tank, the limestone will dissolve and occlude the tubes. This could damage your iron. That’s why you should use only distilled water for your iron.

Another method is using dishwashing liquid to clean your iron. Soak a cotton rag into a lot of dishwashing liquid and put the iron on it for at least twelve hours. This is usually effective against the deposit. Do not forget to iron a worthless piece of clothing first to make sure there is no leftover dishwashing liquid, before ironing your clothes.

Vinegar is one of the best weapons against deposits. Heat up the iron first and then go over a rag, soaked in vinegar. That will make the iron shiny again without having to go through the supermarket looking for the specific cleaning products.

It is very important that you take care of your iron. It is as important as your washing machine for your clothes. If you let it get too much of deposits or stains on the ironing surface you might put your clothes at risk. Imagine you have to iron a white shirt for a business meeting and you are almost running late. Well, you would not want to burn it or stain it with your crappy iron, do you? Although you cannot prevent the eventual staining of getting deposits on the surface, you can try to postpone it as much as possible by taking good care of it. Always use distilled water for your iron to make it last longer and serve you better.

0 How To Deep Clean And Get Rid of Bad Smells

There are many aerosols and other chemical-based products you can get at the store that will provide you with a strong and quite lovely smell. These, however, fail to effectively remove bad smells – they just add the good smell on top of the other. Usually, they do not last as long as the stink source and in a couple of hours or less you are back to the set off point, with less money of course. The solution to this problem, as usual, is quite simple and unexpected. What you really need to do in order to deep clean is to use good old baking soda. It is one of the revolutionary discoveries of humanity, although we do not credit it as such. Besides from cooking, you can use it for cleaning, washing and, of course, smell removal. Here are a few ways of using baking soda to deal with bad odours.

1. Bad smell in the fridge? No problem.

But a little bit of baking soda in an open box and leave it in the fridge overnight. It will neutralize the bad smells in your fridge.

2. No-smell cutting board.

Sprinkle baking soda over the cutting board, rub good using kitchen paper and rinse thoroughly. For better results, you might clean the cutting board with vinegar afterwards.

3. Get rid of the bad smell in the dustbin.

Put some baking soda on the bottom of the dustbin. This will prevent appearance of bad smells.

4. Sewer smell in the bathroom?

Quite often, especially in the summer time, there is a distinctive stink coming from the sewer in the bathroom or the sink. What you can do about it is put half a cup of baking soda down the sewer and run a thin stream of warm water.

5. Remove bad smells from the carpet.

Put baking soda over the carpet and let it stay overnight. This will absorb the bad smell. In the morning all you have to do is vacuum clean in order to remove the baking soda along with the odours.

6. Freshen the dresser.

Put a few little pouches of baking soda in the drawers. This will maintain the fresh smell in there.

7. Get rid of the smell in your car.

If your car smells like the last thing you ate, or spilled a drink on the floor, if you have had an animal in the car and you can tell it just from being in the car or whatever it is that makes your car smell bad, sprinkle around the car with baking soda. Wait for fifteen minutes and vacuum good.

8. Refresh the towels and the sheets.

Adding half a cup of baking soda to the rinsing water when washing the sheets or towels will refresh them. You can do the same with water which you have soaked a bunch of lavender in.

0 How To Clean The Cigarette Smell at Home

Since it is banned by law to smoke in public areas, the home for a smoker is the only safe place they can relax and light a cigarette. But how to deal with the inevitable smell that comes with the smoking?

Of course, the only truly working way is to simply quit smoking. However, if you do not wish to take such drastic measures, here are a few tricks to help you defeat and clean the tobacco smell at home.

You probably already know about using candles. The flame of the candle absorbs the smoke. If you are expecting smoking guests, and you do not want to be a bad host and make them go out to smoke, lighting candles is a good way to prevent the smell. It will also help creating a cosy atmosphere.

Another thing you can do is to put a few small cups of vinegar around the room you or your guests will be smoking in. If you do not like the smell of vinegar too much, you can substitute it with charcoal.

If you have a cat as a pet, you can be sure that its toilet will be your helper towards defeating the cigarette smell. Put a little bit of it in the ashtrays and it will absorb the bad odour.

If you are reading this post too late and you have carpets or furniture that have the cigarette smoke stuck to them and you cannot wash them, you can sprinkle them with baking soda and leave it on overnight. Vacuum in the morning and the smell should be gone.

For a pleasant aroma at your home, despite of the numerous smoking acts that occur daily, soak a few cotton tampons with vanilla extract and place them in different places around the smoking room. Vanilla naturally absorbs bad smells and leaves a pleasant aroma.

If you have warm weather outside it is always a good option to simply open a window. The breeze that will come will disperse the cigarette smoke and you will get some fresh air in the room – something that it always good to do even if you are not smoking in the room.

They are kind of rare to find but you can buy special ash tray fresheners. This is some sort of aromatic dust which you put in your ash tray and it absorbs the smell of cigarette burns while at the same time, due to the high temperature of the burning cigarette, releases pleasant smell. It is a pretty cool thing to put it when you have guests but not tell them that you have done it. They will start asking you questions how come your ashtray smells like vanilla.

0 Carpet Cleaning and Furniture Cleaning At Home

Once a year, or more times for some, everybody does a complete cleaning of their home. Washing the carpets and refreshing the covering of the soft furniture is a big part of that process to make you feel more comfortably in your place of living. The procedure, however, is not easy at all – it involves time, work, money and nerves.

For the carpets, you have to roll them, put them in the car, take them to the car wash, and after you have them power-washed the dirtiness can get even deeper between the fibers of the carpet. In the end of the day, it has zero effect and it’s not among the cheapest things to do. You can try to wash them at home yourself, but this usually results in you getting exhausted and the carpet is as dirty as it was before and that is if you are lucky. It takes days to dry the carpets, especially if you have Persian carpets, and it’s hard to put them back in their original place.

If you have money to spend, you can hire a cleaning company to send people at your home and clean the carpets as they are, but this service can be really pricy. And if you want to remove a stain from the soft furniture or clean the mattress the price goes even higher.

Some might ask what happens when you have carpet flooring which you cannot pick up and take somewhere to clean it yourself. You have to move everything out of the room and it is difficult to move around especially if you have a bigger room. Prices, as you may guess, are higher for cleaning this one.

Some cleaning companies offer a cost-efficient way to clean the carpets and soft furniture in your home. You can borrow their professional equipment, which is far cheaper than hiring their staff as well. You can get a professional vacuum for washing carpets and soft furniture covering and save money, while at the same time have fun cleaning your home in what feels like a brief moment. These vacuum cleaners work well on all coverings and types of carpets. They are professional, ergonomically designed and cost-efficient. You can use it to wash the scruffy chair coverings, the stains on the couch you have had for years, the mattresses, the carpets, the floorings and do that all by yourself.

Not one company, not one single person, other than yourself, will work the hardest they can to make sure your home is perfectly clean. And you can be sure about the results of your work, because of the high-quality equipment you use.