About the Author

Tracy

Tracy has been working with Total Clean for 3 years, developing online and offline marketing strategy, planning and managing campaigns and copy-writing for the website. “Cleaning is an essential part of all of our lives so we should all take an interest!"

Non Toxic Cleaning Tips for Your Kitchen & Bathroom

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Avoid using chemicals in your cleaning, with these useful tips: - For a toilet, use a glass cleaner made with vinegar, water, and Castile soap and scrub inside and out. For deeper stains, use a soft scrub made from baking soda and Castile soap. For good measure, I gave my toilet brush a spray of vinegar before placing back in its holder. - To clean the bath tub an ethical way, start with vinegar spray to kill red and green molds and other germs, then rinse and move onto a baking soda soft scrub and get out your scrub brush. - To clean chrome drain covers, tub chains, and mixer valves, use the glass cleaner and scrub with a toothbrush. - Soak handheld plastic showerheads in baking soda and use your scrub brush or toothbrush in crevices. Soak metal showerheads in vinegar and scrub. - For stainless steel and ceramic kitchen sinks, baking soda works as well as conventional bleach powders. Use the vinegar spray or tea tree spray for germs. - On sink faucets and mirrors, use the vinegar-based glass cleaner.

Wood Floor Cleaning Tips!

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Hardwood floors are one of the easiest types of floors to keep clean. Protect their warmth and character with simple these cleaning techniques. - Dirt, grit and sand are your hardwood floor’s enemies.They act as sandpaper on the finish, causing scratches, dents and dulling. Place floor mats at entrances to trap dirt and prevent damage. - Wipe up all spills as they happen, because standing water can warp a poorly finished hardwood floor and damage the finish. - Lift the furniture to move it - avoid dragging and when vacuuming use a brush attachment, don’t use vacuums with beater bars.  Total Clean Services Ltd provides floor cleaning treatments for all hard floor areas.  To discuss your office cleaning requirements and a no obligation quote, please contact us or telephone 020 7935 5088.<!-- -->

Ambulance Cleaning to stop the Spread of Superbugs

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Reports today have revealed that patients could be exposed to potentially lethal superbugs, because ambulances aren't being cleaned properly. Paramedics' leaders and those working on the frontline are claiming their requests to "deep clean" vehicles after patients have been sick or had diarrhoea have been refused. They say they aren't allowed to spend time cleaning ambulances in case they compromise response targets. From April 2009, paramedics will have to answer 75% of life-threatening emergencies within 8 minutes. A paramedic from West Lothian said: ‘We just don't have time to clean the vehicle – we're struggling. It's getting worse with the pressure of work and calls have gone through the roof.’ ’In this day and age, with the amount of infection going about, an ambulance should be deep cleaned at least once a week but that isn't happening.’ Cleaners on site routinely clean the fleet, work nights and carry out deep-cleans. They also re-stock ambulances with fresh kit so crews do not have to spend their time cleaning and re-stocking. A spokesman for the Scottish Ambulance Service, said: ‘Standards of infection control are very important to us.’ ’We require that vehicles should have both a daily and weekly clean, and that the interior of the vehicle is wiped down after each patient.’

Cleaning Tips for Keeping Your House-Market Friendly!

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With the current slow housing market, it is now even more important to keep your house clean and tidy when trying to sell. To give you a helping hand and perhaps some well needed motivation, here are some tips to keeping your house market-friendly: - Wash windows inside and out, after all first impressions are important. A good tip is to dry the windows with crumpled newspaper and if you can, wash the windows on a cloudy rather than sunny day, because the sun can cause it to streak. - Clean shower, sinks and bath tubs, to remove hard water spots and scum off showers use undiluted, heated white vinegar. Put in a spray bottle, spray on and leave to soak for 15 mins and then scrub. - Clean all light fixtures and replace lightbulbs with a higher wattage, these little things are easy to forget, but can make all the difference. - Put non-essential items in boxes to eliminate clutter, so that viewers can see the whole space, it will also make the rooms look bigger. A clean house will help viewers see themselves living there and will show that you take pride in maintaining the house.

Handy Cleaning Tips!

In Cleaning Advice, Contract Cleaning by TracyLeave a Comment

You don't necessarily need fancy, expensive cleaning products to clean up. So here are some useful tips to cleaning up with items you have around the house: - Use a air freshener to clean mirrors. Not only does it do a good job of cleaning, but it also leaves a lovely smell. - Stop a fridge freezer rusting by spraying it with furniture polish. - Use Hairspray to remove magic marker. - Putting baby oil on shower curtains will prevent mould and discolouring. - Use a pencil rubber to get rid of heel marks on wooden floors.  We Hope these cleaning tips come in handy, but for a contract cleaning company with a difference see our services.

Tips for Cleaning Your Car!

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The maintenance of a car can tell you a lot about a person, so why not make a good impression by keeping yours clean. Here are some tips on how to clean your car effectively: - Cleaning your car at home is not only the most cost effective, but it's also great exercise. Hose the car down, then clean the car starting with the roof and working your way down the sides with hot soapy water and a sponge. - Once the outside of the car is sparkly, you can begin cleaning the interior. Give the floor and the seats a good vacuum and clear out all those crumbs and dirt, and polish those sideboards. - Put a waste bin in a convenient place in your car (preferably hidden) to put your rubbish in and safe your car smelling bad. - Finally, finish of the wash by investing in an air freshener this will complete the clean and leave your car smelling fragrant.

Useful Everyday Cleaning Tips!

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Here are some general tips for cleaning, because you never know...
  • Permanent marker on your favourite top or shirt...The solution, a squirt of hairspray, with a wipe of a cloth and the stain has gone.
  • Getting rid of those annoying window smears. After cleaning your windows wipe them with a scrunched newspaper and all smears should disappear.
  • Not keen on the shiny effect on your suit trousers?...Then wipe a damp tea bag over the seat of your trousers. Preferably wihout wearing them, otherwise you might get a few strange looks!
  • Remove sticky label residue effectively, by sprinkling a little talcum powder on the sticky area and rub it with a dry cloth.
  • Now here's a good one! Ever heard of polishing your shoes with fruit? You have now. Apparently a cost effective way of shining your shoes is to use a banana, yes really. Use the soft, inner skin to polish leather shoes. Wipe it softly over, then buff.
  • And finally...Removing water stains from polished wood not as convenient as the other tips but effective! Smear olive oil or vegetable oil over the stain and then, using a generous amount of cigarette ash, rub to a paste with oil. Leave over night if the stain is old, otherwise wipe clean with polish!
I hope these tips come in useful to you!

Tips For Cleaning Your Work Desk!

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So the chances are you are reading this whilst sitting at your wooden work desk... Now have a look, is it looking a bit dusty and a tad dirty, if so these tips are for you! Wooden desks and other furniture require some special treatment. Take these tips on board to ensure cleaning, doesn't ruin a good finish.  To keep your desk dust free it is best to use lambs wool dusters or classic feather dusters.  However if you are unable to get hold of this type of duster then a dry, clean soft towel will be fine.  It is important to clean your wood from dust because it can cause scratches and abrasions. For sticky spots use soap and water, do not use cleaning sprays. Furniture polish is a very good tool for cleaning wood, it make the surface slippery and less likely to catch dirt and dust.  However if you choose to wax the surface, there are a lot of good waxes on the market.  Or alternatively a good homemade recipe for giving your wooden desk a deep clean, consists of equal parts olive oil, denatured alcohol, gum turpentine, and strained lemon juice. You should apply this with a soft cloth and gently buff. Remember a clean desk environment maintains professionalism and makes yourselve and/or your company even more inviting.  So get the elbow grease going!

How Important is to Clean Our Hands ?

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It is well known that inadequate hand washing can lead to the spread of germs.  However, as cleaning professionals it is sometimes overlooked how important this is in our industry. Clean hands thoroughly after using chemicals, cleaning up spills, or emptying bins -- even if gloves were worn. At least 20 seconds are needed for the washing to be effective. If soap and water are not available, it is a good idea to keep alcohol based hand sanitizers, gels or antibacterial wipes around as an alternative. Surveys show that proper training is beneficial in getting employees to pay attention to their hand cleaning habits. When training your employees make sure to include this vital information about keeping their hands clean.

Desk Organisation Tips: Tips to Maintaining a Professional Clean Desk

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Ever feel like your snowed under with paper and clutter on your desk? If this sounds familiar check out our tips for keeping a clean organised desk.
  • When you receive any mail or important documents, make sure you file them appropriately as soon as you get them. So that you remain organised and they are accessible, for when you need them. 
  • Ensure to prioritise your documents as you receive them, this will help you not to feel too overwhelmed and help you get things done faster. 
  • Organise your desk in a way that all your resources are within reaching distance (if this is possible), for example stationary and filing cabinet. Ideally your desk chair should have wheels so you can move around quickly and easily.
  • Always ensure you give your desk a wipe down and clean of any rubbish, as this will maintain professionalism if any clients are expected and help you feel more relaxed and focused.
After all having an organised, tidy desk can help you to keep control of the work you are doing and help to alleviate stress!