Clean Machine - A House Cleaning Blog

Keeping the laundry room clean

Bringing home baby

Celebrating Father's Day with a clean backyard

Keep your home sand-free

Home office cleaning tips

You may have a small home office that you use for personal business or you may even run a larger business out of the home; either way, it's important that your office is a quiet, clean, and organized space. This will help boost your creativity and make you more productive. We've come up with a few tips to help you turn your home office into an ideal work environment.

1. Keep it organized.
One of the keys to an efficient work environment is to stay organized. There are many approaches to organization, and you need to go with whatever works for you. Some people like to work with filing cabinets and folders, while others keep a unfinished business shelves on their desks. Whatever your preference, make sure everything is labeled and kept in it's rightful place.

Pick up a couple containers to hold your pens, paper clips, scissors, and other office supplies. This definitely beats having this stuff strewn all over your desk. If you don't use something daily, it should be stored away. Organize your supplies and put them in desk drawers or someplace easily accessible.

2. Keep it clean.
Wipe your desk off at least once a week and remember to dust your shelves. It's also a good idea to sanitize your computer, mouse, keyboard, and phone to prevent spreading any bacteria. Wipe down your computer monitor and use an air canister to clean your keyboard and other equipment.

A clean office will do wonders for both your state of mind, and your productivity.

3. Make your work space distraction free.
Keep distractions at bay. Take everything that is not work related off your desk. We're talking about magazines, coffee mugs, souvenirs, etc. If you're going to be distracted by your cell phone or the television in the background, just turn them off. Don't let your office get cluttered with toys, storage, or other things that will break your focus.

Make sure to clean your office and conduct a quick organizing session at regular intervals. This will keep things from piling up, and will help you avoid falling back into old habits.

By following these tips, you should find that your office is a cleaner, brighter, and much more pleasant place to work.

The definitive guide to spring cleaning

Spring is our favorite time of year. Flowers are blooming, birds are chirping, and the best part: it's time for spring cleaning! Okay, we admit that spring cleaning may not be the best part, but it's definitely an important part of the season. Spring cleaning gets rid of all the dust and clutter that has accumulated over the winter, helps relieve allergies, and gets your home fresh and ready for summer time.

We've created a simple walk-through that you can follow for your spring cleaning, so grab your cleaning supplies, enlist a family member or two, and get ready to clean your heart out!

The kitchen

Dust - Get into the corners, up near the ceiling, around the vent over the stove, in the closets, and by the windows. Don't forget any artwork or photos in the kitchen.
Wipe - Clean the exteriors of the kitchen cabinets, clean the food and grease stains from around the stove, and wipe down the spice racks and shelves.
Wash - Take down the curtains or drapes, and run them through the washing machine. Do a wet wipe of any blinds.
Scrub - Use oven cleaner to get any stains off the interior of the oven and the stove top. Scrub the exterior of your appliances, and leave the stove knobs, spill-catcher, and burners clean.
Sort - Get rid of anything expired in your fridge and pantry, and throw out rotten or expired food items.

The bathrooms

Dust - Clean cobwebs from around the ceiling, and dust behind the toilet to remove webs. Clean the dust from the vents.
Wash - Wash the curtains, shower curtains, hand towels, wash cloths, and rags used for cleaning.
Scrub - Use tile cleaner to remove stains, mold, and grime from the bathtub, toilet, sink, and tiles.
Clean -- Windex and newspapers will help you to get the shower stall and mirrors nice and clean, Ajax will help you to scrub out the toilet, and some detergent will clean your sink.

The dining room

Dust - Move the cabinets and furniture to dust behind them, and remove cobwebs from the corners of the room. Don't forget to dust the art and photos on the wall.
Wash - Set the curtains to wash, along with any place mats, table rags, dinner napkins, and tablecloths. Run all of your dinnerware through the dishwasher once.
Wipe - Use a damp rag to wipe down the dining room table and chairs, as well as the shelves and cabinets in the room.
Clean -Give the carpets a good beating, air out the rugs, and consider using carpet cleaner to give your dining room a face lift. Sweep and mop the floor beneath the rugs and carpets, and use wax if you have hardwood floors.

The bedrooms

Dust - Get underneath the bed, inside the closets, behind the night tables, on the ceilings, around the knickknacks, the pictures and photos, and clean the ceiling fan.
Wash - Wash all of the curtains, bedding, sheets, pillowcases, and pajamas.
Clean - Vacuum the carpets, and apply wax to any hardwood floors. Empty your closets and drawers to allow you to wipe down the shelves. Rearrange and reorganize your closet, getting rid of old clothes.

Common areas

Dust - Clean all art and photos, the ceiling fan, the TV, the game and bookshelves, between and under the couch cushions, and behind the furniture.
Wash - Wash the couch covers, curtains, and drapes.
Clean - Vacuum any carpets or rugs, wax hardwood floors, and sweep or vacuum the door mats.

That's all there is to it. While it may take a day or two to get all of this completed, it will be totally worth it in the end! Trust us, if your home were sentient and possessed powers of communication, it would definitely thank you.

How to keep your home smelling fresh and clean

Spring is fast approaching and in preparation of this beautiful time of year, why not get your home smelling as fresh as the season?

Here at Golden Shine we have a few handy weapons that we like to use when it comes to fighting off bad smells in your home. Our tricks are simple, inexpensive, and are guaranteed to make your home sparkle. With just a few natural ingredients and a couple easy steps you can take your home from smelly to sensational in no time!

The first step in ridding your home of unwanted smells is finding the source of any bad odors. Some of the biggest culprits are your trash cans, garbage disposal, refrigerator, and carpet.

Now that the offenders have been identified we need to choose our weapons. Baking soda is one of the best overall odor neutralizers and can be used in pretty much every area of your home to help eliminate bad odors and get your home smelling fresh once again. Baking soda is also an eco-friendly green cleaning product. That means it doesn't contain any toxic, harmful chemicals, so it's better for both you and the environment.

To get rid of smells in your trash can, start by giving it a good washing and then sprinkle a little baking soda on the bottom of the trash can before you put in a new bag. This will absorb any lingering odors and prevent them from permeating your kitchen.

To get rid of smells in your carpet, simply sprinkle baking soda lightly over the offending area and then let it sit for an hour. The baking soda will soak up any moisture and odors from the carpet. After having let it sit, just hit it with a vacuum real quick to pull up the baking soda leaving your carpets smelling fresh and clean. You may even remove and old stain or two with this simple trick.

Fresh lemons can also be used very effectively in your fight against "the stink". Not only does lemon neutralize any existing bad smells, it also replaces them with a bright, fresh scent that will linger for days. Just like baking soda, lemons are also a green, eco-friendly cleaning product.

The garbage disposal can be a major culprit when it comes to bad smells in the kitchen. Just chop up a fresh lemon into small pieces, throw it into your garbage disposal and flip the switch. The lemon will rid your garbage disposal of any nasty smells, replacing them with lemony freshness.

When it comes to the fridge, you can use a combination of lemon and baking soda. Give your fridge a good deep clean to start. Next, take a warm bowl of water and add some fresh lemon to it, then wipe down your fridge using the solution. After your fridge has received a good wipe-down, open up a box of baking soda and leave it in your fridge. This will help keep odors away for months.

Last but not least, make sure to air out your home on a regular basis. Every couple of weeks open up a few windows on opposite ends of your home and allow the air to circulate throughout the house. You can place a few fans facing outwards in the windows and this will suck the old air out of your home and draw new fresh air in.

Now take a deep breath and enjoy your fresh-smelling, sparkling clean home.

How to fold a fitted sheet

Every now and then we come across a household chore that can be a real pain to complete. Think of a cleaning task that you absolutely detest and could definitely live without ever having to do again. That's how we used to feel about folding fitted sheets, that is until we found a few simple steps that help make this dreaded task a breeze.

We wanted to share out new-found wisdom with you, so here's a step-by-step guide that is guaranteed to take the pain out of all your sheet folding endeavors.

Step 1: Stand up tall and take a corner of the sheet in each hand and hold your arms out wide. Make sure to hold the corners of the shorter edge of the sheet. Turn the sheet inside out and then place each hand under the two corners.

Step 2: Take one of the corners of the sheet, bring it to meet your other hand and then fold it over the adjacent corner. Next pick up the third corner that is hanging in front and fold that over the corners you are already holding. The part of the sheet that is facing you should be inside out.

Step 3: Take the last corner that is hanging down and completely envelope all the other corners of the sheet.

Step 4: Lay the fitted sheet on a flat surface. You'll want to straighten the sheet out as best as you can, and remember to keep those corners folded nicely into each other.

Step 5: Fold the right and left edge of the sheet to hide the fitted corners.

Step 6: Fold the top and the bottom of the sheet in until it's a nice little rectangle.

Step 7: Now stand back and admire your work. You've just completed a task that many of us thought impossible; your fitted sheet is now folded as if it were a regular non-fitted variety. By following these instructions and using the nifty pics included as guides you'll soon be folding fitted sheets like a pro!

Awwww Yeah!

We're proud to announce that we are the recipients of a 2012 Angie's List Super Service Award. This exclusive recognition is given annually to the top 5% of service companies who have achieved a superior service rating throughout 2012.

Between our amazing housekeepers and friendly office staff, we like to think we are truly the best in the business. Time for a round of office high-fives!

Tips for Post-Super Bowl Cleaning