Archive for June, 2009
Posted by Candice on June 29, 2009 at 10:00 am
Care and Cleaning of Granite
In a recent post about the usefulness of lemon for household cleaning, we mentioned that lemon is not to be used for cleaning granite. Granite is a natural stone so an acidic fluid like lemon juice or vinegar, though natural cleaning solutions, will damage your granite. Many homeowners have granite countertops in their kitchens these days but it is also common to find granite used on vanities and also floors.
When a cleaning service comes to clean your home it is their responsibility to have a thorough understanding of the best cleaning methods to use for the various materials in your home whether your granite countertops, wood floors or wool rugs. A good maid service will know how to clean and care for your granite but if you want to be sure they are taking the necessary precautions while doing a good job with the cleaning here is what you should look out for:
- Do clean surfaces using a sponge or soft cloth.
- Do use a specially formulated stone cleaner.
- Don’t use generic cleaning products such as bleach, glass cleaners or degreasers.
- Don’t use vinegar, ammonia, lemon or citrus based cleaners.
- Don’t use abrasives like tub & tile or grout cleaners.
If there is a stain on your granite don’t panic because there are steps you can take to remove the stain. It is advisable to take a sample of whatever made the stain to your granite dealer or other granite specialist and ask for professional advice before attempting to remove the stain yourself. The typical method for removing a granite stain is to use a poultice. One of the best materials to use is diatomaceous earth. Spray the stained area with distilled water, mix the poultice into a thick pasteand apply to the stain covering and overlapping the stain a little. Cover the area with plastic like food wrap and tape around the edges. This must be allowed to dry for 23-48 hours at least because it is during the drying process that the material will draw the stain from the surface into the poultice. If the entire stain is not removed on the first attempt a second poultice can be applied. In fact several may be required for complete removal of a stain.
While it may require more care, granite is definitely worth the effort because it will beautify your home for many, many years.
Image credit: jynmeyer on sxc.hu
Posted by Candice on June 26, 2009 at 15:53 pm
Friday's Eco-Friendly Find
This week our eco-friendly web find is Webecoist.com is a collective online magazine that publishes regular quality, well researched and fully sourced articles which focus on sustainable living, green design and environmental oddities. It is a partner site to Weburbanist.com which has a focus on urban design, culture, travel and architecture.
A recent article in the environmental oddities category is ’20 Bad Green Ideas & Failed Eco-Innovations’ which tells of humorous and strange examples of where green innovation and environmental technology went wrong. If you interest is green and sustainable gardening then you might be interested in the ’18 Tips for Super Green Pest Control’ which shares eco-friendly ways to approach pest control. Would you believe that a solution to your slug problem is to place a bowl of beer where they will approach it and fall in and drown. Who knew slugs had a penchant for beer! Another not to be missed articles is the 70+ Delicious Eco-Friendly Meals and Recipes.
Other features on WebEcoist are topics ranging from adaptive reuse to amazing tree houses and from uncanny skyscraper farms to recycled furniture and trash art.
The site also has ‘A Brief History of the Modern Green Movement in America’ and ‘A 7-Point Beginner’s Guide to Going Green’ which are well worth a look.
Posted by Candice on June 25, 2009 at 22:51 pm
Clean my room! Seriously?
It’s the time of year when parents all around the country are sending their young’uns off to college. As they leave you may have doubts about how well you’ve prepared them for life outside the home. Have you instilled them with a health self-esteem, have you taught them valuable problem-solving skills … and how to clean a kitchen?
When our children move into their own space, whether it be a first apartment or a college dorm room we’d like to think that even though it may not be worthy of a spread in Elle Décor, it will at least be clean and neat. If you haven’t spent the last decade teaching your son or daughter good housekeeping skills it may already be too late. Or you may find that their innate ‘pride of place’ shines through and they suddenly display house cleaning skills you never knew they had? Maybe when they are on their own, freed from parental reminders and cleaning services, they will keep their bathrooms clean and empty their make their beds regularly.
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Posted by Candice on June 23, 2009 at 22:44 pm
Lemon for Natural Cleaning
As they say in the classics, when life give you lemons … get some cleaning done! When there are so many delicious uses for lemons like lemonade, iced tea, lemon meringue, why would you want to use them to clean your house? The first and most obvious reason is that lemons smell fresh and refreshing but another important reason is that lemons are an effective antibacterial and disinfectant that will kill bacteria and germs. It is also effective against mold.
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Posted by Candice on June 22, 2009 at 23:29 pm
KDAF-TV, “The 33″ broadcasts to the Dallas/Fort Worth area and recently featured Bidmycleaning.com in a segment on green cleaning. The segment focused on why using green cleaning in your home is important. A homeowner explained why she chooses to use green cleaning products and methods in her home. Our CEO, Raymond Aker pointed out a few ways in which one can ‘green’ your cleaning. Bidmycleaning.com was also featured with a focus on our eco-friendly content and green provider selection tool.
View the segment on The33tv.com!
Posted by Candice on June 19, 2009 at 22:31 pm
- Friday’s Eco-Friendly Web Find!
Photo Credit: www.sxc.hu/profile/svilen001
If you consider yourself a chic, savvy shopper who wants to integrate more green into your lifestyle then AlternativeConsumer.com is for you. This site strives to provides a unique, upbeat perspective on going green including eco news, green product reviews and useful info for busy folks looking to cultivate a greener, healthier, more sustainable lifestyle.
Topics you can expect to see covered range from eco-fashion and organic beauty products, organic health, organic food, wine and home decor, eco-travel and hybrid cars. They also have regular links round-ups that are a great way to get a quick overview of what’s news on the green web.
A recent post from guest contributor Constance Marie from The George Lopez show was a great read about how to start your newborn baby off with a green nursery.
The site had a categories drop down which is a really quick and easy way to find their archived posts on any topic of interest to you. Of course we checked out the cleaning products category and learned that CVS have introduced a new line of eco-frienldy products called Earth Essentials and that Arm & Hammer, who makes one of our past favorite but now disgraced chemical shower cleaners, has introduced a new line called Essentials which is made with renewable, biodegradable plant-based soaps; no dyes, no phosphates or bleaches, no petroleum-based cleaners, safe for septic systems.
Visit AlternativeConsumer.com today and for a directory of other green websites we love visit our Bidmycleaning.com Green Directory.
Posted by Candice on June 18, 2009 at 16:37 pm
- Less Cleaning! More time for family fun!
Photo Credit: www.sxc.hu/profile/dynamix
These days we are all so busy and have so many demands on our time that we sometimes feel like we are just not getting to spend enough quality time with our spouses or significant others and children. Quality time is time you get to just hang out or go on an outing or do a fun activity – it does not count as quality time if you are spending the time cleaning the house sending everyone off with a task to complete whether it be vacuuming the living room or cleaning the kitchen.
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Posted by Candice on June 17, 2009 at 16:43 pm
Dallas House Cleaning Update www.sxc.hu/profile/Cainnech
There are currently six featured Bidmycleaning.com locations in Texas of which Dallas is one. For maid service, carpet cleaning and window cleaning services in Dallas, there is no easier way to find a reliable pre-screened local cleaner than to visit Bidmycleaning.com’s online marketplace for house cleaning services. Find affordable pricing in just a few clicks and then read customer reviews to help you choose the perfect provider to clean your house in Dallas/DFW.
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Posted by Candice on June 16, 2009 at 17:38 pm
Clean before you move in or move out www.sxc.hu/profile/rms519
Moving can be an exciting change – a move from being a renter to a homeowner or from one city to another! Moving is always a lot of work though. Preparing and packing and then unpacking everything. If you’re a renter you will also have the responsibility of cleaning the apartment or condo you are about to vacate or you will be charged for the cleaning. It is usually cheaper to find and schedule your own cleaning service. If you are a homeowner and you are moving into a home vacated by previous owners you will most likely also want to arrange a move in cleaning at your new home to get a fresh start.
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Posted by Candice on June 15, 2009 at 16:05 pm
Green Cleaning Fights Germs? www.sxc.hu/profile/DawnAllynn
We’ve all seen the television advertising showing the yucky germs lurking in our toilet bowl – usually for some cleaning product that touts it’s antibacterial properties. According to one study, Americans purchase $540 million worth of antibacterial soaps, hand-cleaners and detergents per year. Given the recent public awareness of Swine Flu you may be tempted to run to the stores to stock up on some antibacterial cleaning products and hand sanitizers but the bad news is that these are not going to help you fight the flu or even the common cold, both of which are caused by viruses not bacteria. When it comes to fighting germs should you be consider green cleaning products?
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