Spring Cleaning Strategy
Thursday, March 29, 2012 at 09:47AM 
March is the time of year to think about spring cleaning your home. It's an opportunity for you to freshen up your house after a long dark winter.
Domestic cleaning, daily or weekly, will maintain your home and keep it in a good condition all the year round. But once a year, normally spring time, every home should undergo a thorough spring clean getting into those corners you do not get to during your normal regular schedule.
Planning and taking a strategic approach is key to successful spring cleaning. Without a plan it is all too easy to miss things. Take a walk around your home, room to room, with pen and paper in hand, and survey, analyse, and note down what needs doing, what are the real problem areas. This will ensure you do not miss anything significant. Things to record are what clutter needs tidying away, do your curtains and carpets need cleaning, what is the condition of your oven, do your cupboards need a good tidy.
Spring Cleaning Tip: Get Rid of Dustmites
Tuesday, March 27, 2012 at 09:54AM Exposure to dust mite and pet allergens are widely accepted to be the most important causes of indoor allergies. Here are a few tips to help you combat these culprits...
- HUMIDITY LEVEL: Dust mites thrive in moist conditions. Make sure your home is too dry for the mites to survive. Maintain a humidity level of between 40 and 50 per cent, and don’t use a humidifier, even in the winter. Consider purchasing a hygrometer to monitor the level of moisture.
- MATTRESS & PILLOW COVERS: Cover your mattress and pillows in mite-proof covers. Plastic is best for containing mites, but not the most comfortable. A more comfortable option is tightly woven fabric covers, which are usually made from polyester or a cotton/poly blend and are designed to hold up to frequent washings.
Spring Cleaning Tip: Mattress Cleaning
Monday, March 26, 2012 at 02:07PM 
Spring is here! While you are getting in the mood for Spring cleaning and making your list, don't forget about your Mattresses.Spring Cleaning Tip: Laundry Time Savers
Monday, March 26, 2012 at 08:49AM - Attach a stain stick to the inside top of the bathroom hamper rub the stick on any stains when you undress. If clothes don't get washed for a day or two, they're pretreated.
- Put everything that can't be machine-dried into a large mesh bag. You won't have to sort through wet clothes when you transfer everything to the dryer, and you won't mistakenly include an item that can't take the heat.
- Before you machine-wash shirts and blouses, button alternate buttons starting with the third one from the top. Arms won't tangle in the wash, and damp shirts can be slipped right onto hangers. Or, if you machine-dry a shirt, hang it immediately and give it a shot of spray starch on the collar and cuffs. That may be all it needs to look presentable.
Pollen Survival Guide From WebMD
Monday, March 19, 2012 at 10:34AM Check Out These Tips From WEBMD...
Springtime brings not just deliciously longer days, warmer weather, balmy breezes and blooming flowers. For people with allergies, it means the return of pollen. Pollen and allergies don't mix.
There's not much you can do to avoid pollen altogether -- after all, it's produced by grasses, trees, flowers and weeds -- but you can minimize the misery. Here's your springtime pollen survival guide.
Can You Really Avoid Pollen?
Be realistic. "Complete avoidance of pollen is impractical," says Daniel Waggoner, MD, an allergist in Mystic, Conn., tells his patients. "In Connecticut, spring brings tree pollens. Late spring and summer brings grass pollens. Late summer and fall brings weed pollen."
Spring Cleaning Tip: Get the Family Involved
Tuesday, March 13, 2012 at 09:03AM CHECK OUT THESE GREAT IDEAS FROM ABOUT.COM...
You've seen the scenario played out in vintage sitcoms. An entire family on a Saturday morning is cleaning. Before you chalk it up to the wonderful fantasy of television, check out these tips for a successful family cleanup day.
- Make sure the assigned day has no prior engagements during the time period allotted for work. Check and recheck schedules and plan ahead. Don't accept excuses. Let everyone know that this is a family event and they are all strongly invited to be there.
- Invite everyone to bring his or her favorite playlist. Take turns playing each of them. To be fair pull names out of a hat to determine order. Have a small certificate or prize for both the best and worst “Cleanup” music.
Champion Cleaning Systems Earns Coveted Angie’s List Super Service Award
Monday, March 12, 2012 at 09:31AM Award reflects businesses’ consistently high level of customer service
Champion Cleaning Systems has been awarded the prestigious 2011 Angie’s List Super Service Award, an honor bestowed annually on approximately 5 percent of all the businesses rated on the nation’s leading provider of consumer reviews on local service companies.
“Only a fraction of the businesses rated on Angie’s List can claim the sterling customer service record of being a Super Service Award winner because we set a high bar,” said Angie’s List Founder Angie Hicks. “The fact that Champion Cleaning Systems can claim Super Service Award status speaks volumes about its dedication to consumers.”
Angie’s List Super Service Award winners have met strict eligibility requirements including earning a minimum number of reports, an exemplary rating from their customers and abiding by Angie’s List operational guidelines.
Service business ratings are updated daily on Angie’s List, but members can find the 2011 Super Service Award logo next to business names in search results on AngiesList.com
Angie’s List collects consumer reviews on local contractors and doctors in more than 500 service categories. Currently, more than 1 million consumers across the U.S. rely on Angie’s List to help them make the best hiring decisions. Members get unlimited access to local ratings via Internet or phone, exclusive discounts, the Angie’s List magazine and help from the Angie’s List complaint resolution service. Take a quick tour of Angie’s List and view the latest Angie’s List news.
How to Organize Your Closet
Tuesday, March 6, 2012 at 10:45AM Enjoy these tips from CNN Living as you tackle your closets this spring...
Get organized and clear the clutter with these clever ideas, methods, and products.
Tip 1: Clear it out
Distinguish clothing and shoes that you wear and items that you need to get rid of. You can do this by the golden rule of closet organizing: If you haven't worn it in a year, toss it.
Also, if it doesn't fit you well, it is time to get rid of it. Instead of hanging on to your "skinny jeans" until you lose a few pounds, donate them. Then, when you get down to your goal weight, treat yourself to a new, stylish pair of jeans.
If you are on the fence about an item, "flag" the hanger. As you wear each item, remove the flag. At the end of each season, items that are still marked with a flag should be donated. If the item is in good condition and/or if you paid a lot for it, think about selling it at a local consignment store or online at a site such as eBay.
How to Change or Empty the Vacuum Bag/Bin
Monday, March 5, 2012 at 10:03AM Why it matters: When the bag is more than half full, the vacuum loses suction. The fuller it gets, the harder the machine works. Eventually it could work so hard, the motor will burn out.
Step 1: Run the vacuum for 30 seconds to push any residual dirt in the machine into the bag. Unplug.
Step 2:
- If you have a disposable bag: Before pulling out the bag, stick a piece of duct tape over the hole where the bag connects to the vacuum, says Louanna Henning, director of housekeeping at the luxury hotel Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek, in Dallas. This will prevent a dust cloud from erupting in your face.
- If you have a reusable cloth bag or a plastic bin (as on a bagless vacuum): Work outdoors. Put the bag or bin inside a garbage bag and shake out the dust, says Debra Johnson, training manager for the Memphis- based Merry Maids cleaning service. Rinse the bag or bin in hot water before reattaching (or toss the bag in the washing machine, then let it air-dry).
Try to do this: Every month or two if you have kids and/or pets; twice a year otherwise.
SOURCE: www.realsimple.com
Spring Cleaning Time: Daily Cleaning Checklist
Thursday, March 1, 2012 at 02:52PM It's March 1 so it's time to start thinking about Spring Cleaning! Here's a simple checklist from RealSimple of things we can do everyday to keep our home tidy in between the big cleanings. Hope it helps!
Bedroom
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Make your bed (2 minutes). Even a fluffy down comforter pulled up over messy sheets will look polished.
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Fold or hang clothes and put away jewelry (4 minutes). Even better: Resist the urge to toss them somewhere in the first place! Put them away as you take them off.