Spring cleaning has come and gone, but for many, the dust bunnies seem to keep multiplying. Jersey Shore Style talked with two local cleaning experts about how to make the most out of your household cleaning regimen. Joanna Dadas,
who provides residential cleaning services, and Dawn Scherr, who provides commercial cleaning services, have both offered some great (and creative) tips.
For people who hire a cleaning service:
Save money while getting your cleaning done by breaking it into sections, recommends Joanna: living room/family room, kitchen, windows, floors, etc. Each week pick one section you want done, and have your cleaning person dedicate the last hour to that section. For example: maybe one week, have them skip the dusting and have them concentrate on the bathroom instead.
Wet-washing hardwood, marble, and/or stone floors:
Dawn Scherr likes the Swiffer Wet-Jet Floor Machine. For a nice summery, cirtrus scent, Scherr recommends the Antibacterial Solution (in the orange bottle) – plus, it sterilizes and kills 99% of bacteria that migh
t live in your floors.
Have a child that’s outgrown their Pampers Swaddler’s diapers, and don’t know what to do with the leftovers? Scherr used her extra diapers as replacements for the Swiffer pads – the diapers and the pads have the same mesh lining.
For an all-natural route, try the Oreck Steam-It mop. It heats tap water to deep clean without the need for chemicals. The Oreck mop sanitizes by focusing steam on hard floor surface for at least 5 seconds. Plus, it comes with reusable, machine washable microfiber pads, which means less land-fill waste.
When wet-washing hardwoods, push the tool you are using in the direction of the hardwoods – not against the grooves (think of it like shaving!). This prevents the dirt from being pushed down in-between the grooves, and it also eliminates streaking.
Sparkly Sinks:
Joanna recommends Bon Ami powder cleanser for white sinks. Bon Ami is all-natural, and uses cleaning agents from renewable corn and coconut oils. Since pots and pans can make horrible marks on ceramic sinks, Joanna recommends sprinkling Bon Ami all over the sink and adding a little water to make a paste. Then, take your sponge and buff them out. The marks comes out easy and the sink looks like new again.
Cleaning carpets:
A new spill can easily be lifted from carpet with seltzer-, or just cold or water. Completely saturate the stain by pouring the seltzer or cold water onto the stain. Do not rub! Gently pat and soak up the stain with a dry white cloth to lift the stain and the water out.
Furniture:
For leather couches and chairs that have lost their luster, Dawn uses a furniture oil to make them shine again. Spray the oil on a polishing cloth and rub in a circular motion, covering all exposed areas. For this, a little bit goes a long way – so use sparingly.
Dawn uses Mr. Clean’s Magic Eraser to remove ink stains from furniture. Lightly wet the eraser with water, then rub the stain aggressively. Wipe area clean with a damp rag when finished to remove any left over eraser residue. The Magic Eraser is also great for metal scratches on furniture.
Dawn also recommends using ordinary shoe polish to cover scratches or areas where color is fading.
These are just some of the cleaning tips from Joanna Daddas and Dawn Scherr. Stay tuned as more tips will follow.
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Dawn Scherr runs Clean Sweep South, a family-owned business for over 30 years serving Monmouth and Southern Ocean counties. Contact her at 732.528.4877.
Joanna Dadas serves residential homes at a starting rate of $50 a week for two hours. Contact her at 732.714.7757 or pnj6875@yahoo.com.