Easy Steps for Winterizing Your Home

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Sometimes the chill of winter can sneak up on us, particularly with unpredictable weather patterns. You may first notice it when you are sitting next to a window or door and you can feel a cold draft coming through. Or perhaps with the first heavy snowfall, your roof may spring a leak. Whether you have experienced any of these things or not, some quick and easy steps will help you winterize your home to prevent future problems from occurring during the cold winter months.

Inspect All Openings – For the typical homeowner, addressing the drafts coming in through doors and windows will be a major improvement in energy bills. Weather strip and caulk all openings to prevent drafts.

Check Your Heating System – It is very important to change air filters at least annually and check the ductwork in your basement or attic for any gaps. You can use metal-foil tape to seal any gaps so that heat does not escape.

Caulk Trim and Baseboards – Check to see if any caulk on your trim and baseboards is old or worn away. This can cause drafts to seep through the walls and floors of your home.

Ready the Roof – Hiring a roofer to caulk the roof or doing it yourself will prevent ice damming which can form on your roof after snow melts and there is insufficient drainage. This can cause serious damage to your roof and possibly leaks inside your home.

Check the Fireplace – You might be amazed to know that most people forget to close the flue in their fireplace. It will be cold in the house and people won’t know why until they go to build a fire and discover an open flue. Checking to see if the fireplace doors are energy-efficient will also help with heating the house and energy costs.

These few steps will help with heating your home more efficiently and preventing costly repairs later on down the road. For more winterizing tips or to schedule a cleaning please call us today. 301-674-9564

How Ready Are You for the Holidays?

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The answer to this question just might be, “We are as ready as we will ever be.” In other words, whatever doesn’t get done, hopefully no one but you will notice. And the truth is, that’s perfect! Who will notice if we didn’t get the garland up by the staircase, the second tree in the living room, or even the extra gift for Uncle Joe? Chances are, nobody will ever notice these things… so why stress about them?

The truth is, not stressing about every little thing is sometimes easier said than done. Many of us tend to fall into the “perfectionist” category. This is the main reason we become so overwhelmed and frazzled by the holidays. We are too busy trying to decorate the perfect tree, buy the perfect present, or cook the best turkey with stuffing that we forget to enjoy the process. Go out shopping with your friends to buy presents, have your children help decorate the tree while sipping hot cocoa, and throw the turkey in the oven. It will all turn out fine, regardless of how much time we spent on everything.

SOME QUICK HOUSEHOLD TIPS TO MAKE THE HOLIDAYS GO SMOOTHLY:

Clean Out the Fridge: Go through your refrigerator and throw out anything over a week old to make room for desserts, trays your guests may bring, and of course… the leftovers!

Clear the countertops: Make some room for platters of cookies, festive floral arrangements, and to display your holiday cards.

Freshen up the Powder Room: Spruce things up with decorative soaps and scented candles for holiday aroma and ambiance.

Stock up the pantry: Have your favorite holiday spices, candied yams, and cranberry sauce on hand. It’s also a good idea to set aside a pile to donate to a food drive or local soup kitchen.

Clean the Chimney: Have a chimney cleaning service professionally clean the chimney so you can enjoy warm fires around the fireplace with your family and friends.

Shine the Silverware: Shine and polish your silver and wash the good china so your holiday table will sparkle!

Remember, don’t worry about making it all perfect; do what you can and then surrender to the flow of the holidays. Chances are, you will have much more fun in the process! For more household tips or to schedule a cleaning, please visit our website at: www.homeservicesenterprise.com.

Check Your List Twice – Holiday Cleaning

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The holidays will be here before we know it, and the last thing you need to worry about is cleaning your home in preparation for decorating, holiday dinners or parties, and guests dropping by. That’s why it’s a good idea to get a head start on cleaning and organizing the house now. There is much to be done with shopping, decorating, and cooking meals during the holiday season. If your surroundings are clean, uncluttered, and organized, the holidays will be less stressful and much more enjoyable for you and your family!

Here is a simple checklist to follow:

Begin Early

Start your cleaning early so you can break things down into smaller tasks. This will also leave more time for the longer (and often more enjoyable) projects like wrapping presents, cooking, baking, and polishing the silver.

Make Lists

No one can remember everything! Make lists for tasks and chores around the house or errands to be run. This will help keep you on track with your schedule.

Divide Cleaning

Set aside a fixed time each day to tackle a room or an area to clean, like right after your morning coffee or after dinner. You will be amazed at how much you can check off your list in under an hour.

Spot Cleaning

Take shortcuts when cleaning certain areas when you don’t have a large block of time to do a thorough cleaning. This will tide you over till you can get to it again. Something is better than nothing.

Simplify

Instead of cleaning around the clutter, just throw it out! This is a good opportunity to de-clutter your rooms and to donate or throw out items you no longer use.

Enlist Help

Dividing chores among family members gets the entire family involved and also cuts down on the time needed for cleaning. Set aside a specific time each week, like a Saturday morning when the whole family home and they can dust rooms and help tidy up the house.

Home Services Enterprise can assist with cleaning and organizing your home for the holiday season. Visit our website to schedule a cleaning with us.

Back to School? Time to Clean and Organize!

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Home Organization

Now that the kids have gone back to school in the Rockville area and summer vacations have come and gone, the house is empty and (hopefully) quiet. This is the perfect time of year to clean and purge your home of unwanted items. Why not go through all the things you and your family members have accumulated all year long and decide what you’d like to keep, donate, or throw out?

With everyone is out of the house for most of the day, it’s much easier to go through and clean, organize, and donate things that are no longer wanted. Once that is accomplished and your home is more spacious and less cluttered, it’s time to clean and organize!

Home Services Enterprise offers a wide variety of Standard Cleaning Services and Special Services.

Standard Cleaning Services:

Dust all surfaces and under all furniture
Clean windows, ledges, and frames
Clean fans, vents, and doors
Dust and polish all baseboards, light switches, and doorknobs
Hand wash all floors
Clean bathrooms including sinks, tub and shower, toilet, and treat mildew
Vacuum all carpets and under furniture
Change bed linens
Scrub kitchen counters and sink
Clean interior and exterior of refrigerator, oven, and microwave
Load and unload dishwasher
Collect and take out trash

Special Cleaning Services:

Windows – cleaning interior and exterior
Walls – cleaning and washing
Plants – watering, dusting, and trimming
Decluttering and organizing – closets, kitchen, garage, children’s rooms, storage areas, paperwork, and offices
Exterior – cleaning garage, sweeping deck, cleaning and polishing outside light fixtures, cleaning and polishing outdoor furniture
Laundry – washing, folding, ironing
Polishing – silver flatware, serving and decorative pieces

With all the cleaning services that are offered, you can enjoy that same old-fashioned cleaning that your mother and grandmother were proud of in their day. Your home will feel refreshed both inside and out!

Go Green & Clean! – Kitchens & Bath

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Cleaning home and office

These days, most people are at least somewhat concerned about all of the chemicals that can be found in our food, cleaning products, clothing, and just about everything else. The good news is that it’s getting easier and easier to find natural products. The bad news is that these products are typically quite expensive.

The great news is that making your own cleaning products with the supplies most of us already have at home will be less costly and much healthier for both you and our planet. You may even have memories from childhood of our mothers and grandmothers using these methods. There are three natural ingredients found in most homes – vinegar, lemon juice, and baking soda – that are used not only for cooking and baking, but also for cleaning your home.

How Vinegar Works as a Cleaning Agent: Vinegar’s active ingredient, acetic acid, is a strong cleaning agent that dissolves dirt, grease, and grime build-up. It also kills germs, mold, and bacteria. Use white vinegar because it’s less harsh and will not stain light surfaces.

Using Vinegar in the Kitchen: Mix equal parts vinegar and water, then pour it into a spray bottle. Spray this on your stove top, appliances, and countertops, then wipe them down. Using vinegar and water to clean tile floors in kitchens will leave them shiny and clean.

Using Vinegar in the Bath: Using straight vinegar, wipe down the bathtub, toilet, sink, and countertops. Use equal parts vinegar and water to mop the bathroom floor.

Lemon Juice and its Uses: Lemon juice is a natural ingredient that can be used to clean certain items in your home. Lemon juice can dissolve mineral deposits and soap scum. It’s also a good for cleaning and shining stainless steel, copper, and brass fixtures throughout your home. Lemon juice has the added benefit of keeping your home smelling fresh and clean.

Baking Soda: Baking soda is a great deodorizer for your home. Place an opened box in your refrigerator to absorb odors from food. Baking soda also acts as a mildly abrasive cleanser that can be used to scrub surfaces throughout your home. It will keep odors away and your home smelling clean.

Want to clean your home with eco-friendly natural products but don’t have the time in your busy schedule? You can count on Home Services Enterprise to use ecologically responsible cleaning products throughout your home. Give us a call today. 301-674-9564

Allergies and Air Ducts – Keeping Your Vents Clean

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House cleaning

Allergy season can be tough, and people try all kinds of things to keep their allergies to a minimum, from taking medicine to staying inside. Unfortunately, staying inside your home during allergy season will not necessarily limit your exposure to allergens.

All types of allergens, such as dust, mold, mildew, and pet dander can be a bothersome issue inside your home year-round. Whether you or your family members have indoor allergies, outdoor allergies, or no allergies, everyone will benefit from having all of the indoor vents and air ducts cleaned. There are air vents and ducts in every room in our households, but we sometimes forget about them and often overlook cleaning them. They tend to attract all kinds of household debris that is neatly hidden behind a cover, including allergens such as dust, mold, and mildew – and even pet dander.

Here is a checklist on what to look for when considering having your air vents and ducts cleaned:

If the components of the heating and cooling system have any visible mold, or if surfaces of ducts have visible mold and mildew on them
If the inside of the ducts are clogged with debris, dust, and/or mold
If debris and/or dust is released through the heating and a/c system registers

If you do see any sort of visible mold, mildew, or dust on any of your air vents, ducts, or even overhead fans throughout your home, it is strongly recommended that you remove all mildew and dust to prevent allergens from entering the air you breathe. Alternatively, you can have Home Services Enterprise come in and professionally clean for you. Having your air ducts cleaned may also require an air conditioning and heating service technician to come into your home and professionally clean out the air ducts for you.

Keeping the all of the vents in your home clean is crucial for reducing allergens in the air that you breathe each and every day. If you or any of your family members suffer from any type of allergies, keeping your home dust-free is an important step in maintaining a healthy, symptom-free lifestyle.

5 Fun Ways to Clean House After the Holidays

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Little girl wiping dust off a kid chair

Now that the excitement of the holidays had settled, you may look around your home and find a bit of a disaster area. Whether you had holiday gatherings and house guests or traveled to see loved ones, the change in routine that the holidays bring can make it hard to keep things clean and organized.

Here are a few fun ways to get things back in order:

Have a party. Organize cleaning parties with a small group of friends where you all agree to help clean each other’s houses. Choose whose house will be first, and make the cleaning process fun by having races, singing along to loud music, and enjoying the support of community.
Take a vacation. If cleaning parties sound like the furthest thing from fun to you, hire a cleaning company (like us!) to come in while you’re on vacation and take care of everything for you, from laundry and dishes to organizing closets and paying your bills.
Barter the broom. Another creative way to get your house clean is to barter with a friend or neighbor. Find something you love to share with others (cooking, for example) and barter for cleaning services – trade a few homemade casseroles for a clean house.
Take it slow. If you’d rather clean things yourself but don’t have much time, remember that you don’t have to do it all at once. Try doing one room a day. Or start with dusting, and do the bathrooms another day and floors another. Taking small but consistent steps can get your house clean and keep you stress-free.
Get the kids involved. Make it a family event where everyone pitches in. And to celebrate the teamwork, take each other out to the movies or dinner when you’re done. The best part is that you’ll come home to a nice, clean house!

No matter how you choose to clean house, the results are always worth it. We encourage you to have fun with the process, and to call us if there is anything we can do to help. We wish you a Happy, Clean, and Healthy New Year!

Tips for Staying Organized During the Holidays

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Holiday Cleaning

It’s that time of year again. December, filled with holidays, family gatherings, parties, and more as we head toward the New Year. Our calendars can get so full this time of year that keeping the house clean and organized can sometimes feel impossible.

Here are some tips to help you stay sane during this busy time of year:

Clean Out the Paperwork: Those piles of bills and junk mail may not take up much room on the counter, but they can certainly add stress every time you see them. Dedicating just one hour to go through it all and at least get it organized can take a weight off of your shoulders.

Get Ready for Guests: If you’ll be having guests stay with you at some point, it’s never too early to prepare a basket of fresh linens and bath towels. This way you won’t be rushing to get everything ready on the day they arrive.

Double the Recipe: As you prepare meals and do your grocery shopping, you may want to go ahead and double your recipes. It takes about the same amount of time and work, but you end up with a freezer full of leftovers. These will come in very handy on those days when you get home late after school plays, get-togethers, and more.

Tame the Tupperware: Speaking of leftovers, this is a great time to go through your Tupperware and match lids to containers. We inevitably end up with lids with no matching containers and vice versa. But until we identify which ones have no match, think of how many minutes are wasted looking for the lid that doesn’t exist! These minutes add up quickly, but it doesn’t take very long to go through and get rid of mismatched pieces.

Everyone here at Home Services Enterprise wishes you a joyful and stress-free holiday season. If there is anything we can do to help make things easier for you, from house cleaning and laundry to watering your plants while you’re away, don’t hesitate to give us a call at: 301.674.9564

Improving Air Quality: How To Avoid Allergies

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Little is more gorgeous than a Maryland spring. Our zone supports lovely foliage and plant life, beautiful sunlight streams in regularly, and all of our favorite nature companions come out to play. Unfortunately, not all of spring can be roses and buttercups. You know the thorn we’re talking about, right?

The itchy, sneezy nuisance called allergies also makes an appearance in our favorite season, as well. Fortunately for you, Home Services Enterprises knows a thing or two about keeping the worst of mother nature at bay!

Reducing Allergens In Your Home: A Brief Manual

The air quality of your home is dependent of a number of factors; most of which can easily be controlled by taking the right steps:

Adequate humidity levels.When you hear the word humidity, it conjures up an unpleasant, sticky and hot feeling, right? Well, that’s not entirely the case, actually. Humidity in the home (specifically, relative humidity) plays a vital role in keeping both you and your home healthy. Experts state that you want to keep your home at between 30 and 50 percent relative humidity to reduce allergies, improve air quality, and preserve furniture. To do this, look into adding a whole home humidifier. You might look into a dehumidifier for balance, but usually air conditioners and furnaces serve this function just fine.
Order in for a duct cleaning.The ductwork in your home is a hotbed for nasty dust, debris, pollen and pet dander. Have it professionally cleaned annually or biannually, and you’ll soon be breathing much, much easier.
Dust and vacuum regularly.Particularly in the spring (and fall) months, be sure to go about these chores weekly to reduce buildup and keep your symptoms at a minimum.
Avoid harmful chemicals.Many commercial cleaners do just fine at killing bacteria, but they can be killer on your sinuses as well. Pursue the use of organic cleaners or other alternatives to keep this particular culprit to a minimum.
Order a carpet cleaning.Much like your ducts, carpets and rugs are a breeding ground for all of our worst allergens. Dander, dust and even mites can practically add a second layer to your fabrics. Have them professionally cleaned!

Superior Cleaning Services In Maryland With Home Services Enterprise

Need some assistance getting your home ready for the spring months? Our Rockville experts can bring you the professional touch your home craves!

Start the New Year off Right – Getting Organized!

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Now that the New Year is upon us it’s time to get organized. Start by picking a room – any room! Decide which room in your home you would like to start in and get to work. Once you have settled on the room you want to organize, it’s time to clear out all your stuff.

Most of us are guilty of acquiring too much stuff. We are a society of stuff. We all have an excess of too much whether it’s clothing, gadgets, furniture, toys etc. Sometimes we may not even realize how much we have until we start to go through it and organize it. How many times have you come across an article of clothing, a book or movie and forgot you had this?

Allow yourself small increments of time to work on a room so you don’t get overwhelmed, bored or walk away. Giving yourself an hour at a time will break up the task and help with the monotony. You would be surprised how much you can accomplish an hour a day once you set your mind to it.

Start by sorting through all the things in each room picking one item at a time, and start dumping. If you come across any items you would like to donate, now is the time to do it. Designate a bag to give away and whatever you decide to keep, just put aside to another part of the room.

Once you have managed to go through and dump what you want gone, you can now start organizing and putting things back where you want them. You will have less clutter to deal with and more room to keep things clean and organized. Be careful not to put anything else in this room you do not want because this is how we accumulate unwanted stuff in the first place!

Home Services Enterprise can help with all your cleaning and organizing needs. Call today to schedule a cleaning: 301-674-9564.