Category Archives: Clean Views

Residential Cleaning

Dorm Cleaning 101

The semester is wrapping up—and it’s been a weird one, hasn’t it? Some college students stayed home for the duration of the pandemic shutdown, but many others did indeed return to campus, to their dorm rooms, even if they had a whole or partial virtual course load.

The upshot? Dorm rooms are probably even more in need of end-of-school-year cleaning given the added time spent in them, the meals eaten and food stored there while more public eateries were limited, the socializing that occurred inside the building instead of at the usual campus spots, and all those many, many, MANY videoconference calls taken atop that little twin bed.

Despite the widespread sequestering of the last year, it’s now time to move out—permanently and by the required deadline—and these tips will help you do that as thoroughly and efficiently as possible.

  • Start with the desk area, packing up in sturdy boxes all textbooks, notebooks, school supplies, and technology peripherals. Keep your laptop and/or tablet safe and secure in a backpack or briefcase.
  • Next, head to the closet, dresser, or trunk—wherever clothes were kept in the room—and empty it, one piece at a time, in organized piles on the bed. Fold up clean clothes and pack them in a duffel or suitcase. Separate what needs to be washed in a plastic bag or pillowcase.
  • Once the bed is clear, it’s time to strip it—remove all the pillows, blankets, sheets, etc., and pack them in a large drawstring trash bag.
  • If you were lucky enough to have your own bathroom, head in there next and pack up all the toiletries and cosmetics you’re taking home. Plastic zip bags or small plastic tubs are preferable for this task, to make sure your belongings don’t come home splattered with toothpaste or covered in shampoo from a bottle that opened in transit.
  • Now comes the real work, the real cleaning: with a sponge, all-purpose cleaning spray, and some elbow grease, it’s time to tackle the microwave, the fridge, and the bathroom. Toss out opened, uneaten food (or munch on those chips while you work).
  • With everything emptied and cleared off or out, it’ll be easier to wipe down the furniture with cleaning wipes or a dust rag, spray the mattress and closet with disinfectant, and clean up the floors as best you can, with a handheld vacuum or a borrowed upright.
  • Check your school’s regulations for proper dorm-exiting procedures just to be sure you’ve ticked off all the items so you can depart with a clean slate and a clear head.

That should do the trick! On your way to the car for your drive back home, dump all that accumulated garbage and feel proud of the last school assignment you completed for the year—the next tenant in your dorm room will thank you!

We’ve got lots more cleaning tips and techniques on our website. And we’ve got availability for dorm cleaning … so if you’re in a Maryland area we serve, give us a call if you’d like a helping hand.

Home Services Enterprise  |  301-674-9564  |  www.homeservicesenterprise.com

Six Tips for Fall Cleaning & Maintenance

With another fall upon us—its beautifully falling leaves and its welcome cooler weather—it’s the opportune time to get your home ready for winter. Just like we do regular maintenance on our cars to keep them running safely and efficiently with routine oil changes and tune-ups, a few quick preventative measures in your home can go a long way toward avoiding costly and time-consuming repairs once winter hits.

Follow these easy tips to put your mind at ease this autumn:

  1. Inspect your doors and windows. Check for any weather stripping or caulking that may be worn and need replacing. Making sure that all windows and doors have a good, tight seal will not only keep your home comfortable and warm, but also save you money on your monthly heating bills.
  2. Give your carpets and floors a good cleaning. A thorough spring cleaning gets rid of all the accumulated dust and debris of winter. Likewise, starting the colder seasons off with mopped tiles, polished floorboards, and well-vacuumed carpets removes all the dirt, sand, and bare footprints of summer. A professional carpet cleaning provides the added advantage of eliminating any allergens that may have collected in your carpeting and rugs during the warmer seasons.
  3. Clean your upholstery and drapes. Your furniture and curtains, too, harbor all sorts of summer dust and allergens, including last spring’s pollen. Different types of materials and fabric will need different care, so it’s a good idea to call in a professional for cleaning these absorbent items in your home.
  4. Have your fireplace and chimney cleaned. This step has a dual purpose: You want to be sure that your flue is functioning properly for when your fireplace is in use and keeping cold air out for when it isn’t in use, but you also want to ensure that your chimney is in good shape and free of creosote to provide a safe environment for cozy fires all winter long.
  5. Check your heating system. To say it’s no fun when your furnace shuts down on a Friday night during a snowstorm is an understatement. Avoid this crisis situation by getting your heating system serviced and changing your filters regularly. Check for any gaps or leaks in your ductwork to help save on heating costs.
  6. Assess your roof. Just as you did for your doors and windows, inspect what shape your roof is in—assuring good sealing, replacing any eroded caulking, and making any necessary repairs before the vagaries of winter can cause an emergency call to a very in-demand and expensive repair service. The last thing you want to deal with this winter are leaks (or even worse) from accumulated snow on your roof.

There’s wisdom in old adages: “An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.” Take the precautions now that will pave the way for a safe and snug winter at home.

We can help! Call us today for a free consult and estimate:

Home Services Enterprise  |  301-674-9564  |  www.homeservicesenterprise.com

4 Tips to Get the Most from Your Vacation

Boy, are we all in need of a vacation around now, right? Home schooling is harder than regular school, having to stay in is just as challenging as having to go out, and being home all the time makes you dream all the more about leaving home. At least temporarily. On a well-deserved getaway that makes you feel like you actually got away.

How do you accomplish that? With all the planning and packing, the kids and the pets, the arrangements and adjustments that need to be made to vacate your home and your life for a little while, a break from your daily life can feel like anything but a break! Well, the answer lies in a few very basic, but always applicable essentials that focus on balance and self-care.

Simple & Effective Tips to Maximize Your Vacation Time

  1. Pace yourself. You’ve been going strong and working hard, and you’re excited to spend a week or so away doing things you enjoy. But you really can have too much of a good thing! So, yes, go ahead and schedule those scuba lessons, sightseeing tours, river rides, ziplining adventures, and jewelry-making classes. Just make sure you also allot time for naps, lazing on the beach, reading, watching a movie, getting a massage. Believe it or not, scheduling downtime is a sure-fire way to lift you up.
  2. Hydrate. It’s not just an empty adage—water really is the end-all, cure all. When you’ve been on planes, trains, or automobiles to get to a new environment where you perhaps indulge in more cocktails than usual, are exposed to more sun than usual, and stay up far later than usual, dehydration is a real possibility. Drinking plenty of water is a free, easy, and immensely efficient way to nurture your body and rid it of toxins. The goal is to stay energized and feel relaxed simultaneously, and there’s no clearer path there than the water way.
  3. Reward yourself upon returning home. Rushing to get out the door and to the airport, families on vacation too often come home to a sink filled with dishes, unmade beds, items strewn about the floor, and messy bathrooms. You can either build some extra time into the schedule before you leave so that you’ll return to a tidy home; or, better yet, you can arrange for a cleaning service to come in and take care of your house top to bottom while you’re away. It’s a great time to have professionals do a professional job for you or even a deep cleaning while the house is totally accessible and available. What better homecoming gift than a house as spotless and welcoming as a hotel room?
  4. Give yourself some breathing room. Once you are home, it can be extra challenging to shift back into “real-life” gear. So plan to give yourself at least a full day to regroup and reacclimate before jumping back into your regular routine. You can get the laundry done, stock the fridge, open the mail, pay the bills, and then get a good night’s sleep. Taking care of the details on a leisurely day off instead of your first day back to work will make all the difference between a vacation that ends in satisfaction versus one that ends in stress.

Let Home Services Enterprises reward you with a clean home upon your return home!
Home Services Enterprise  |  301-674-9564  |  www.homeservicesenterprise.com

A Working Woman’s Guide to Housecleaning

If you’re one of the many women in America juggling a career, a family, and a home, you know how draining it can be to get things done around the house when you’re just trying to get things done period. It’s not just workweek days that are jam-packed; even when the weekend finally rolls around, you put so much off for “off days” that your to-do list on Saturdays and Sundays can be even longer than Monday–Friday!

So how do you keep a handle on all the errands you have to run, grocery shopping you have to do, kids’ activities you have to attend, and dinners you have to host and keep your house tidy and neat in the process?

The trick is to do things a little at a time, in stages, so things don’t get overwhelming. You’d be surprised how much you can accomplish in just a half hour each day once you create a plan and set your mind on sticking to it. Whether it’s tackling the dust in your living room, shaking out the rugs in your halls, or finally putting those boxes in the corner away, take the one-day-at-a-time approach to reclaim your weekend days with little steps that go a loooooong way!

TIPS TO SAVE TIME

  1. Tip #1: Organize Your Closet. Sounds like a big task, right? But it doesn’t have to be, and once your closet is filled with only clothes you still wear, shoes that still fit, and styles that still make you feel sassy, getting ready in the morning will go so much faster and picking just the right outfit for date night will be so much easier. Start with one area at a time: sort through your tops on Monday, your skirts on Tuesday, your jeans on Thursday …. You get the idea. Create one ongoing pile for donations, one for the trash, one for storage in the attic. Before you know it, you’ll have a de-cluttered closest for de-stressed dressing times.
  2. Tip #2: Deep Clean Now for Quicker Touch-ups Later. No one likes cleaning and disinfecting a bathroom. But like anything else in life, if you put in a big effort up front, maintenance thereafter is much easier. Spend a half hour cleaning tiles. The next chance you get, scour the tub. Move on to the grout when you have a whole hour, one toilet at a time when you only have 15 minutes. After your bathrooms are free of grime and buildup, all you’ll need for a nice long stretch are cleaning wipes for spot-shining and freshening.
  3. Tip #3: Tackle the Kitchen One Wall at a Time. You already know how to do a quick dusting, a quick vacuum while dancing to Rihanna. But the kitchen is a different story. To save time and save your energy, approach this room one section at a time: one session for the fridge, one for reorganizing the cabinets on this wall, another for the drawers on that wall. Countertops can all be done at one time, as can appliance surfaces. While you’re at it, get rid of gadgets you don’t use anymore, food that has expired, and cracked dishes and pans with broken seals. Next time you reach down for your favorite soup pot, it’ll be right where you want it, easily in reach. Remember: de-clutter to de-stress.
  4. Tip #4: Hire a Cleaning Service. Even better than cleaning your house in time allotments? Don’t clean it yourself at all! Call in a professional to complete the tasks you want done on a schedule that works with your work schedule.

Home Services Enterprise would be happy to answer the call. We’re the working woman’s best friend … so you have more time to be your best self.

Call today to talk about your appointment needs:
Home Services Enterprise  |  301-674-9564  |  www.homeservicesenterprise.com

It’s Spring Cleaning Time!

The annual ritual of spring cleaning has been around for centuries, in all different parts of the world, for all different types of structures, for a variety of reasons—some cultural, some religious, and some purely hygienic. Here in the States in the year 2020, we faithfully engage in this tradition to both sweep out the old (as in fireplace residue, pent-up dust and debris, and winter staleness) and usher in the new: open windows, clean air, sparkling surfaces, and gleaming furniture!

But because we treat it as a once-a-year event, the sheer breadth and depth of the task can feel very overwhelming and very time-consuming, turning something that’s supposed to be invigorating and regenerative into something that’s just stressful and tedious. The result? We put it off as long as possible, sometimes even until … well, until it’s summertime!

So let’s break down good ole spring cleaning into a clear 10-point checklist that will make the process far more practical and manageable:

  1. Allow two weeks. During week one (or over the first weekend), cover the inside of your home, whether that means downstairs to upstairs or rooms at the back of the house to rooms at the front of the house. For the second week, you’ll move outside, to your garage, driveway, and front and back yards.
  2. Wash windows & clean window treatments. Since it’s the time of year to unlock latches, pull back drapes, and open blinds, start with the chore that will bring you the immediate satisfaction of sunlight streaming into your home. Clean window panes inside and out, vacuum drapes top to bottom (or send them out to be dry cleaned if applicable), and clean all sides of all blind slats.
  3. Clean carpets & floors. If you’ve got carpeting, steam clean it—you can rent a machine yourself or call in a professional company that can be in and out within hours. If you’ve got tile or hardwood floors, go the extra mile to scrub or polish them this time. After this thorough cleaning, regular vacuuming and touch-up mopping as needed should keep all your flooring in check and in control for months to come.
  4. Attend to baseboards, molding & ceilings. So many people take such good care of floors, walls, and doors that are in plain sight, but they neglect the nooks and crannies that connect all the parts of your home. Now’s the time to clear ceiling corners of spider webs, wipe down all the gunk that accumulates on baseboards, and clean all your molding, both at or above eye level. You’ll be amazed how much better you feel and how much cleaner your space will be when both the obvious and not-so-obvious surfaces are free of dirt and buildup.
  5. Dust the furniture. Feather dusters sure come in handy … but once in a while, we have to actually dust all our items by hand, with an actual furniture cleaner and old-fashioned dust rags or more modern microfiber cloths. Not only will you polish away streaks and prints, but you’ll remove allergens from surfaces to prevent them from becoming airborne.
  6. Make a list of odd jobs & tackle them one at a time, in small doses. Kitchens, bathrooms, dens, bedrooms—we all know what’s required to keep our everyday living spaces and places safe and sanitary. But then there’s all the miscellaneous fixes that get put on the backburner indefinitely, like paint touch-ups, replacing a cracked lightswitch plate, changing burnt-out lightbulbs, dusting ceiling fan blades, or flipping mattresses. To get your interior in tiptop shape, do a walk-through with pen and paper in hand, noting the small stuff that needs a little extra attention. It’ll make a big difference when you finally check those items off your list.
  7. De-clutter the home. Using a laundry basket, go around collecting anything and everything that is cluttering up your rooms. You can sort through the bin later—putting things back where they belong or storing them away—but for now, just clearing them from your line of vision and path of movement will produce order and efficiency.
  8. Organize the basement. Throughout the year, we’re all guilty of just stashing things down in the basement (or up in the attic or out in the garage) to take care of later—outgrown clothes, loose holiday decorations, empty boxes, faulty equipment. Set aside an hour or two to separate things into piles—donate, trash, keep, repair—then follow through as planned.
  9. Head outdoors. Once the inside of your home is in order, you’ll be energized to tackle the outside: sweep the garage floor, clear away fallen branches and dead leaves from your perimeter, trim your bushes and hedges, spread new mulch, clean your mailbox, and plant your bulbs. Then spring will be blooming inside and out!
  10. Hold a garage sale. By this point, you’ve likely come across lots of things, both big and small, used and unused, valuable and trendy—that you just don’t need or want anymore. Spring is the optimal time to hold a garage sale, turning one man’s trash into another’s treasure and finding a new home for things you no longer use in your own.

Not enough time at your disposal or too much on your plate to proceed through this checklist yourself? That’s what Home Services Enterprises is for! Call us today to schedule an appointment, and we’ll have your home, office, or personal space spring ready in no time!

Home Services Enterprise  |  301-674-9564  |  www.homeservicesenterprise.com

The Importance of Cleaning Your Oven, Refrigerator, and Microwave

Oven Cleaning

The kitchen is the heart of most homes—it’s not just where the nourishment is prepared and served, it’s where the family is nurtured, where they come together to share their days and break their daily bread.

But it’s also a room that sees a lot of action, and that means it requires extra care and extra effort to attend to all the traffic, all the mess, all the spills and all the drips. It’s common sense that the appliances in which we store, cook, and heat our meals should be regularly and properly cleaned and maintained for safe consumption. A hygienic home makes for a healthier family. But in today’s busy world of very limited time and never-ending to-do lists, you’ll want to clean your kitchen most efficiently and expediently.

Self-Clean Your Oven, Then Spot-Clean as Needed

Let’s start with the oven, because a well-maintained oven will be more energy efficient when the heat distributes evenly. And what stands in the way of allowing your oven to use less energy? You guessed it: a build-up of fat and grease, which not only interferes with burners and heating mechanisms, but also poses fire and flame risks. Luckily, modern-day ovens come equipped with self-cleaning capabilities that’ll do the lion’s share of the work for you, just be sure to completely empty the stove before starting and follow the directions to the letter.

But even smart appliances aren’t smart enough to reach every crevice, wipe away every spot, or sweep up every crumb. For those places that automation can’t reach—like the crud around hinges and outer frames—you’ll have to reach yourself. But there’s no need to buy expensive products or expose yourself to unnecessary chemicals: Wipe down surfaces with a “green” mixture of vinegar and water, and use a little baking soda on a sponge to dislodge cooked-on foodstuffs. It’s recommended to clean your oven every three to six months.

As for your stove, “deconstruction” is the easiest way to go. Instead of trying to clean your burners in place, remove them (the burner grates for gas stoves and the drip bowls for electric), along with any other removable parts, like the knobs, and soak them in hot soapy water for several hours; then scrub them down right in your sink, where the residue can easily be washed away. Skip the spray-and-wipe route to eliminate all the loose debris on the stovetop—instead, use your vacuum attachments to suck it all up in no time. Another time-saving tip: Once your burners are clean, insert disposable liners under grates or wrap drip bowls in foil to avoid future scouring.

Microwaves Get Messy!

Your microwave probably doesn’t go one day without use—between reheating your coffee, the kids making after-school snacks, and melting butter for your grandma’s cookie recipe, this appliance is arguably the most often used today in American homes. That’s why it needs to be cleaned more often too. Every day, preferably after every use, wipe down the inner walls, top, and bottom while whatever popped, spurted, or overflowed is still warm and loose. Then, once a week, give it a more thorough cleaning. Again, avoid the potentially harmful chemicals that don’t need to come into any kind of contact with your edibles: Just heat up a bowl of water with either vinegar or lemon right in the microwave itself to clean, sanitize, and deodorize all in one step. (Search online for more specific directions on this simple hack.) Swipe all surfaces with a clean cloth and you’re done!

Refrigerator Rehab

Keeping your fridge in optimal condition doesn’t have to be a chore if you stick to some basic guidelines. When it’s time to clean, remove all contents first so you have clear access to all internal parts of the fridge. Depending on how messy it is in there, you can either leave components in place or take them out and wash them down in the sink. To keep chemicals away from anything you’d consume, once again all you really need is a solution of vinegar and water to clean the interior and all shelves and drawers. Use some baking soda on an old toothbrush for any stubborn areas of build-up. Then make sure everything’s dry before loading your food back in.

Thereafter, keep your fridge tidy and family-friendly by:

  • Not overcrowding it
  • Organizing by food type (for example, keep all your condiments together, all your beverages grouped together)
  • Disposing of spoiled food, rotting fruit, and moldy sauces promptly to avoid potential cross-contamination
  • Keeping an open box of baking soda at the back of a shelf to neutralize odors
  • Cleaning up all leaks and spills right when they happen to avoid more and harder labor later

If even these summary steps sound like too much for you to fit into your busy schedule, call in a professional to get your kitchen sparkling for you! Home Services Enterprise would be delighted to be your kitchen cleaner, on either a one-time or ongoing basis. Contact us today to talk about all your cleaning and organizing needs.

Home Services Enterprise  | 301-674-9564  | www.homeservicesenterprise.com

Christmas Countdown

Holiday Decorating House Cleaning

The moment the Thanksgiving dishes are done, the season of gift-giving takes off at a mad dash—Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa … the holy trinity of December holidays—and for those of us doing the holiday hosting, it can be anything but a time of joyous celebration.

Why not return some of the fun and festivity to the month with this five-step plan that will ease your load and alleviate your stress? By the time everyone convenes around your holiday table, you’ll be sitting pretty in a home that’s been prepped to perfection!

  1. ORGANIZE: Before you do anything to commence December’s frenzy, lay the foundation now with some basic organizational tasks to pave the way for a smoother ride later. Empty the pantry, fridge, and freezer of expired, unused, and unneeded items to make room for what’s to come. Get the boxes down from the attic and sort through what you’ll be using this year and what you won’t so everything will be at hand when you’re ready for it. Go through each and every room of your home where company will be visiting or staying and declutter what’s cluttered, stash those seasonal items that are just taking up room for the winter, note what’s needed there to accommodate your guests. Now’s a great time to donate whatever you don’t need anymore to those who are less fortunate.
  2. PLAN: Now it’s time to make lists. Pick recipes now and list out all the ingredients you’ll need to make them. Gather gift lists now, and next to each chosen present, jot down the store you’ll need to visit to procure it. Mark on the calendar what days are set aside for what tasks so you can realistically and comfortably manage them all, like laundering the holiday linens, stocking the bathrooms with guest soaps and holiday towels, mailing the holiday cards. Create a timeline for your baking and cooking days so you’ll allow yourself adequate time in the kitchen. Check your stock of wrapping paper, ribbons, and bows now and designate a gift-wrapping station somewhere convenient in your home.
  3. CLEAN: Once you know what needs doing, making, and buying, create a clean slate to work from. Polish the furniture and the silver. Scour the bathrooms. Make sure all the pots and pans and serving dishes you’ll be using are in good shape for the big day. Dust and vacuum the guest rooms and make up the beds. Rake the yard, wipe the windows, mop the floors.
  4. SHOP: Gather all those lists from step 2 and order them efficiently and effectively. Instead of going uptown one day for Johnny’s hockey stick and the next day for the butcher shop, combine that into one trip. Make two runs to the mall rather than ten by grouping all the stores you can hit in one fell swoop, preferably during off-hours to avoid long lines and wait times. Map out the quickest and most streamlined route for all your stops so you don’t have to circle back in the afternoon to where you just were in the morning.
  5. DECORATE: Finally, the fun part! Although you likely took care of the outdoor decorations on Black Friday, it’s time now to set the mood and bask in the beauty of the season indoors. Create an inviting entryway with wreaths, boughs of holly, and twinkle lights. Warm up your living room with stacked wood at the ready by the fireplace. Roll out colorful runners, placemats, and tablecloths. Hang stockings and trim the tree. Simmer cider on the stove. Load a basket with spiced pinecones, set evergreen-scented candles on counters, and plug in aromatic air fresheners. And don’t forget to fill the candy dishes on side tables for that extra touch of sweetness!

Want to make the season of giving even more special? Gift yourself by calling on Home Services Enterprise to take care of the organizing and cleaning for you. Make the season merrier by booking an appointment today: 301-674-9564 or www.homeservicesenterprise.com

A Month-by-Month Guide to Organizing Your Home

A house that is well organized and less cluttered feels calmer, looks better, and operates more efficiently than a home that goes neglected and disorganized, with clutter strewn about. Easier said than done, however, since the pace of life these days often keeps people too busy to attend to wish-list tasks and too exhausted to undertake them even when they have the time. Not only that, but it’s hard to know where to even start a significant cleanup project, so sometimes people just don’t begin at all.

But organizing a home doesn’t have to be so overwhelming and taxing. The trick is to start small and not try to tackle the whole thing in one fell swoop. Use this monthly checklist to break down large chores into smaller, more manageable increments completed throughout the year, and your house will be running like a fine-tuned machine in no time!

Monthly Checklist:

  • January: Pack up all your holiday decorations and return them to clearly marked boxes and bins as you clean and straighten common areas of your home as you go. Didn’t use that tree stand, tablecloth, or wreath the past few years? Make a donation pile of no-longer-used holiday items and drop them off at your nearest Goodwill the next time you’re running errands.
  • February: Now that all your holiday cooking and hosting is over, it’s a good time to clean out the pantry, dispose of expired and unused foodstuffs, and reorganize your kitchen shelves.
  • March: It’s almost tax time, making it the perfect opportunity to go through all your files and drawers of paperwork and bills, throwing out anything you no longer need.
  • April: This is the month of spring cleaning—a reenergizing and rejuvenating time of year to get home surfaces sparkling and home textiles aired out. But first, you have to restock all your cleaning supplies: make one trip to the store for kitchen, bathroom, dusting, vacuuming, and sanitizing supplies.
  • May: Now that the warmer weather is here, sort through your family’s winter clothes—in dressers, drawers, and closets—laundering what needs to be cleaned, storing what won’t be needed until winter, and donating items no longer worn.
  • June: It’s a great month to attend to the kitchen, so open the windows and turn on some tunes as you clean and organize kitchen cabinets and drawers and weed out any pans and cooking utensils you no longer use. You can even add a backsplash or paint an accent wall a new color to freshen things up!
  • July: The long days of summer offer the chance to take on the bathrooms while there’s daylight to spare. Go through cabinets and medicine closets, eliminating whatever’s not needed to make more space and then straightening up everything that’s staying. Set up accessories—like electric toothbrushes, hair styling tools, and cups and soap dispensers—in such a way to eliminate morning chaos as everyone gets ready for the day.
  • August: Before a new school year starts is a prime time to get the kids’ rooms in order: fold clothes, clean out closets, go through the toy chest and donate unused items, get the bookshelves back in order.
  • September: It’s time to put the summer things away and get the winter apparel back out again. Shop for school supplies, organize and label your kids’ school supplies and lunch boxes, maybe even map out a weekly meal calendar so you know what groceries to buy and prep for quick breakfasts, wholesome lunches, and ready-to-go snacks.
  • October: As fall sets in, get your family room ready for quality family time by organizing your movie and video game collection, tidying up the software and technology in the entertainment center, and dusting off the books and photos in the room.
  • November: In preparation for the holiday season, clean windows, draperies, and carpets so your house looks its best and is ready for company. Stock the guest bathroom if you’re expecting visitors.
  • December: With all your closets and cabinets in order, you’ll be ready to wrap all those holiday gifts you now have time to shop for, decorate your home, and get to all that cooking and baking!

Feel free to reorganize this checklist any way that works best for you—like starting in rooms that you use the most or with the chores you enjoy the most—and know that you can begin at any time. It’s never too late or the wrong time of the year to launch a home improvement initiative that will improve your quality of life!

Home Services Enterprise is happy to help with cleaning and organizing your home. Call 301-674-9564 or visit www.homeservicesenterprise.com.

 

Spring Is in the Air: Tips to Freshen Your Home

Home house and office cleaning

Home is where the heart is. But getting a breath of fresh air your home this time of year may not be as effortless as it sounds. Following the colder months of winter, when our doors are fastened tight and our windows are sealed shut, the air quality in our homes can feel stuffy and stagnant, making for a less comfortable (not to mention even a less healthy) living environment for you and your family. Compounding the stagnation of winter are the chemicals we inhale from our carpets, draperies, furniture, paints, fabrics, and other items in our homes that collect dust, dirt, and mildew.

Springtime, though—with its warm, sunny days that beckon us to let the sunshine in and bring the outdoors indoors—is the most opportune season to renew and re-energize the air inside your home. Follow these tips, and you’ll breathing easier in no time!

FOUR TIPS TO FRESHEN YOUR HOME:

  1. Clean your vents: Dusting and cleaning out your vents will eliminate the dirt and debris that accumulates inside them and is then distributed in the air that circulates around your home. Cleaner vents will also reduce any allergy and asthma issues your family members may suffer from. You can do this yourself or you can hire a professional duct cleaner to do the cleaning.
  2. Dust and vacuum: Thoroughly dust all surfaces in your home, including windowsills, window treatments, baseboards, ceilings, and ceiling fans. Don’t forget to dust off any household plants and their leaves, which collect a buildup of dust and dirt. Take advantage of your vacuum’s brush attachments to allow you to access those hard-to-reach places where dust accumulates.
  3. Clean bedding and blankets: Laundering and airing out bedding is another important step to take, especially for people with allergies and asthma. Sheets should be washed weekly, and blankets and pet bedding should be washed regularly as well.
  4. Open the windows: Opening windows on all available sides of your home will let a breeze blow in to clear out the stagnant air. You can even leave the windows open all night (if your allergies can handle it) to awaken to crisper, fresher-smelling air throughout your home!

Home Services Enterprise can swoop in today to help bring the freshness of spring into your home. To schedule a cleaning, call us today at 301-674-9564 or visit our website: www.homeservicesenterprise.com.

 

Customize Your Cleaning with Our Special Services

Everyone’s life is so busy these days, making finding the time to get to household chores more difficult and stressful than ever. How long is your to-do list every day? How are you supposed to regularly attend to cleaning and household tasks amid all your other obligations, like your work schedule, family responsibilities, school activities, and more?

Well, with Home Services Enterprise, you can pick and choose the services you need on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. We offer a menu of special services that allows you to customize your own cleaning list and concentrate on the areas of your home or office that require the most attention. This frees up your own time so you can relax and enjoy life more!

HSE’s special cleaning services include:

  1. Windows: cleaning interior and exterior windows
  2. Walls: washing and cleaning
  3. De-cluttering: closets, kitchens, garages, children’s rooms, storage areas, offices, and supply areas
  4. Organizing: home or office, kitchen cabinets, bathroom shelves and cabinets, mail, bill paying, and plant watering
  5. Laundry: washing, folding, and ironing
  6. Polishing: silver flatware, serving and decorative pieces
  7. Exterior Cleaning: garage, decks and patios, outdoor furniture, and outdoor fixtures
  8. Outside Work: gutters, cement, asphalt, brick, stone, landscaping, retaining walls, and walkways

With the convenience of a fully customized cleaning service tailored to your needs and your schedule, you can book appointments for your home or office starting in increments as little as one hour. What better way to quickly and affordably reduce your stress and make your life a little easier?

Call today to schedule an appointment: 301-674-9564.