Friday, April 5, 2013

Ultimate Blog Party 2013!


Ultimate Blog Party 2013


This week I'm participating in the 2013 Ultimate Blog Party hosted by 5 Min for Mom!  This is a great opportunity to meet new bloggers and link up your blogs to promote and encourage one another!  If you are interested in linking your blog too, just click on the pic and it will take you to the site to link up.


Welcome to Jen's Cleaning Corner!

I'm so glad you decided to stop by!  I started this blog to share my love of cleaning and organizing with others and to help make life easier for everyone.  I didn't expect to meet such great people and I look forward to meeting more creative, wonderful, friendly bloggers!


 Who am I? 

Hi...I'm Jen a born and raised Minnesotan. I have two wonderful kids...a 16 daughter and 14 year old son and two new step kids...an 11 year old son and spunky 7 year old daughter. I am also a new wife to my awesome partner in crime with life and DIY projects, Scott. I own a residential cleaning company and love my job and life and am surrounded by awesome people! An artist at heart, my creativity is always glowing and gets me in trouble sometimes with too many ideas.




Please come follow me!
My follow buttons are to the left at the top of the sidebar.

Thank you for coming by and I hope to see you again soon!  If you aren't already linked up, click the pic above so you can link up to the Ultimate Blog Party 2013!!  Meeting new writers, contests, giveaways...it's the ULTIMATE PARTY!!

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Clutter....busted!

Clutter can take over your life, make you feel out of control and overwhelmed.  And the more clutter the more it looms over you....you avoid it, shut the door but you know it is still there.  It takes over your counter, then the floor and next thing you know you are sleeping on the couch. 
Here is a bedroom I worked on the other day.  After 4 hours we had taken back the room and my lovely client slept in her beautifully made bed once again. 
The room isn't finished yet but the difference is a good nights sleep for her!
I love my job and clients!

How to Clean a Bathroom

Cleaning a bathroom sounds so simple but there are several steps to keep your bathroom in tip top shape that get missed most of the time.  I clean, on the average week about 20 bathrooms!  I have lots of practice!

Do you know why bathrooms get so dusty?

Toilet Paper is the culprit!  We behinds are sensitive and so we like the soft, fluffy toilet paper...but that creates lots of dust!  Then it gets wet and melts onto everything...the towel and toilet paper holders, walls, sinks, mirrors and even the lights.

Here are some quick tips to get the bathroom sparkling clean without much time!

You will need:
Bleach spray
Window cleaner
Comet spray cleaner
Ajax
White cloth, microfiber cloth & a body poof scrubber (the cheap ones)
Toilet brush
Small scrub brush
Poly duster (easiest to wash out)
Pumice stone (for hard water rings and rust stains)




Fact: Most bathrooms take 15-20 minutes to clean if they are not in bad shape.

Tip:  Use a poly duster for all your dusting.(found at most home repair stores...I get mine at Menards for $2.00)  I clean them out as often as needed, usually almost every room.  To clean them, run them under a tub faucet to remove dust and dirt.  Then place the handle between your palms and roll it back and forth to spin the excess water out of it.

1.  Dust everything...start from high and work down.  If light fixtures need a good dusting, grab a chair and polish them up! I used my duster to remove some of the loose dust from behind the sinks and toilets too.
2.  Empty garbage can and wipe it out with a damp cloth.
3.  Spray the sink, toilet and tub edges that have mold with bleach spray.
4.  Spray Comet spray on vertical walls of shower to cut through soap scum.
5.  While the bleach and Comet are working, spray your mirror and wipe it clean with a white cloth.


Sink

First of all...Put EVERYTHING away!

To clean a sink, let the bleach spray work its magic and if there are water spots and soap scum use the Comet spray.
     ~ Get the white cloth you used on the mirror wet and start washing around the faucet, making sure to get behind the faucet really well.
     ~ Now dry the faucet and sink edges with the microfiber cloth.
     ~ Use the small scrub brush to get around the edges of the drain.
     ~ If your drain plug comes out, pull it out and clean the mold off of it.


Cabinets and Fixtures

Most people don't think about the cabinets and other fixtures but they get just as dusty and dirty as the rest of the bathroom.
     ~ Use your white cloth to get along the molding of cabinet fronts and remove any toothpaste or soap marks from the cabinet.
     ~ Wipe all the towel and toilet paper fixtures down then dry them off.
     ~ LIGHT SWITCHES and DOOR HANDLES!!!!


Tub/Shower

Now that your cleaning products have had a chance to work it's time to add a little elbow grease!
    ~ Use your white cloth and run along the top edges of the shower to get dust that has collected there.
    ~ Grab the body poof scrubber and scrub the shower enclosure starting at the top and working down.
    ~ Make sure to get under all the bottles and wipe the bottles themselves before putting back.
    ~ If the tub itself has a oily film, shake on some Ajax and then use your scrubby to remove the soap scum.
    ~ Do a final rinse and wipe down the tub edges.

Tip:  If you have a tub with jets, fill just past the jets and pour a cup of bleach into it and let the jets run.  It will kill any mold built up within the jets.


Toilet

Make sure to scrub around the hinges on the toilet with your small scrub brush and then use your toilet brush to get it nice and clean!
     ~ If you have hard water or rust stains, use the pumice stone to buff them away.
     ~ Flush...and it's clean.
     ~ Use your white cloth to wipe behind the toilet and around the sides of the toilet and bolt areas.
Tip: Always dry after you have wiped the toilet down or you will have streaks.

Floors

Use a white cloth to wipe up the floors.  Make sure you have gotten behind the toilet, sink and door and in every corner.

Final Touches

     ~ Fold towels neatly and make sure they match!  I always love having matching towels.
     ~ Wipe down any other items that are remaining on the counter such as perfume bottles, mirrors, canisters, cups and toothbrush holders.

Here is a before and after photo of the bathroom...

Before...




After...

What a difference it makes to put things away and polish up everything!