Tricia’s Blog

Preventing the Spread of Germs
Currently we are being swamped with news of the H1N1 virus. All we are hearing is Vaccine, Vaccine, Vaccine, Vaccine!!!!!!! Well, how about prevention. Here are some tips to deal with not only the H1N1 but all other illnesses as well.
General Tips:
1. Avoid close contact with people who are sick, keep your distance from others when you are sick to protect them from getting sick also.
2. Stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. You will help prevent others from catching your illness.
3. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick.
4. Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. Have hand sanitizer available for times where washing your hands is not possible.
5. Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose or mouth.
Things you can do at home to stop the spread of germs:
When someone is home sick germs can be spread around very quickly. We can keep bacteria in check and the rest of the family well simply by paying attention to all the general tips and to some of these special areas.
1. Bath Towels. Since viruses can survive on fabric, give your sick family member a towel in a different color so the towel is not shared. Have separate hand towels and bath towels.
2. Bath Tubs- Germs can get splashed around in water, so do not bathe kids together when they are ill.
3. Toys – toys should be disinfected especially plastic or rubber toys. Small toys can be soaked in a bucket of water with a little bleach, then rinse with clean water. Larger toys can be wiped with a disinfecting wipe. Stuffed animals should be washed on gentle cycle in the machine or put in a re-sealable plastic bag and place in the freezer for two days. (germs don’t survive at zero degrees.) Don’t let kids share toys when they are ill.
4. Misc. Areas – Places like light switches, door knobs, remotes, video controllers, etc. are places where germs gather. Wipe down these areas with a disinfecting wipe.
5. Keyboards and Telephones – If you are ill do not let others use your phones or keyboards. Before letting others use these items, use disinfecting wipes on them to help prevent the spread of germs.
6. Get your family in the habit of closing the toilet lid before they flush the toilet. Every time you flush, a fine mist of whatever is in there sprays out and settles on surfaces. Keep disinfecting wipes handy to wipe down surfaces in the bathroom regularly.
Stay Happy and Healthy!!!

Being a cleaning professional, I get a lot of e-mails from people regarding stories about cleaning products being safe or not. These stories – eRumors or hoaxes come across often. When I do get them, I do check them out to see if they are factual and let my clients and friends know the truth behind them.

One of the easiest ways I have found to check out these e-mail is to go to www.truthorfiction.com. This web site takes a look at all the latest eRumors, viruses, internet hoaxes and more. They determine if these rumors are true or false and give additional information regarding the stories.

One of the eRumors that is sent to me most often is a story about pets dying from the Swiffer WetJet. This story says a pet dog had to be put down because of liver failure. The owner didn’t know what caused the problem until they spotted a warning label on the WetJet floor cleaning product. They stated that they called the manufacturer and were told that the ingredients in the WetJet were only one molecule away from antifreeze. (Which can be toxic)

First, like with many rumors, it is written a way that there is no way to check it out. There are no names, places, dates, or any professional offices to confirm this story.

Second, according to the manufacturer, they say the product is safe for pets and does not leave a residue on the floor. They also state that the product does not contain antifreeze or any ingredients similar to it. So this eRumor is proven to be False.

Other eRumors that I have received:
• Lemon Fresh Joy detergent kills mosquitoes – False
• House destroyed by plug in air fresheners – False
• Mr. Clean Magic erasers contain formaldehyde – False
• Ultra Clorox Bleach is poisonous – More dangerous than normal Bleach – False
• Listerine chases mosquitoes away – Unproven
• Some dryer softener sheets can clog your lint filter – True
• Water heated in a microwave can violently erupt and cause injury – true

So, before you forward the next eRumor to everyone in your address book, go to truthorfiction.com and see what they have to say. You can then alert your friends and family to the truth regarding the e-mail. It could save you some embarrassment down the road when you find out the e-mail really was just a hoax.

If you still have questions regarding e-mails you receive or questions about certain cleaning products, feel free to send me a e-mail at tricia@maidcor.com. I will be glad to answer any questions you may have.

No one wants to spend a lot of time cleaning their home. All of us can think of a million other things to do rather than clean. So here are some tips to get you started with speed cleaning.

First of all, the more prepared and organized you are, the faster you can go. Find a location in your home where you can keep all your cleaning supplies together.

Next, get everything you need- start with a carry caddy for all you cleaning supplies, get a basket (such as a laundry basket), make sure you have a good vacuum with easy to use attachments, a good ostrich feather duster or swiffer duster, a lambs wool duster, old tooth brush, scrub pad or sponge, and cleaning cloths. Then get your cleaning products – an all purpose cleaner, window cleaner, tub and tile cleaner, soft scrub, furniture polish, toilet bowl cleaner, disinfecting spray, floor cleaner, and any specialty cleaners for things like glass top stoves and stainless steel. Always keep all these items together and in your designated spot so you can find them quickly. Use the carry caddy to carry your cleaning supplies from one room to the next.

Once you have everything you need, you can get started. Remember the speed cleaning rules: Work from top to bottom, back to front, left to right, and once around the room only, except for the floor care.

If you are in a real hurry because you are expecting guests start by taking your laundry basket. Go through the house and put all the clutter in the basket. You can decide what to do with the clutter at a later time after the guests have gone.

Start with the bathroom, this room does get dirty and you want to clean up so guest don’t see your mess. First thing, squirt some toilet bowl cleaner in the toilet. Next wet the shower down and spray with your tub and tile cleaner. Once the shower is sprayed-leave it and move to the toilet – you can come back to the shower – let the cleaner soak for a while. Now the toilet bowl cleaner has been working for a few minutes, take your toilet bush and scrub the inside of the toilet bowl. Flush the toilet and use the clean water to wash out the brush. Spray the outside of the toilet with your all purpose cleaner and wipe down all the outside surfaces of the toilet from top to bottom. While wiping the bottom of the toilet, spray a little all purpose cleaner on the floor around the toilet and wipe the floor as well. Now go back to the shower. Scrub all the surfaces with your scrub pad or sponge. If the floor of the shower has some soap scum, use your soft scrub on it to try to get the scum off. Once done rinse off and for now just let the shower air dry. If you have shower doors you may want to dry them. For areas that are hard to get at like shower door tracks or around fixtures use your toothbrush. Now that the shower is done move to the mirror and sink. Wet the mirror down with the window cleaner and clean with a clean dry cloth. Then clean the sink and counter with the all purpose cleaner. Then go through the room and make sure all the woodwork, pictures etc are dusted and you checked for cob-webs. The last little chore is to clean the floor.

You can quickly dust this room with a lambs wool duster. Get into tight areas with your toothbrush. Problem shower doors can be cleaned very well with vinegar and water. Let your cleaners do the work (if you have a lot of soap scum) spray your cleaners on and let them work a while before you start scrubbing. If you have a mold problem on the walls, a couple treatments of bleach will help kill the mold, however, it will eventually come back. You may want to consider special bathroom paints, and re-paint the room. Rust stains in the toilet can be removed using a pumice stone (only use on white toilets) or I have found that the new clorox natural toilet bowl cleaner “Green Works” is great at getting stains out. Be sure to let the cleaner work for a while before scrubbing. The steam in bathrooms does trap the dust, so you may have to hand dust your items to truly get them clean. Keep up with blinds in the bathrooms to prevent a big job of cleaning later. If you touch up a little here and there, it will save you time later. Once your bathroom is done you can move on to the next room.

Next time I will cover speed cleaning your kitchen and living room. If you have any cleaning questions or help searching for the right cleaning service for you, please send me a message and I will get back to you as soon as I can.

Today I was interviewed by You Magazine (A local Magazine for the Green Bay WI area), about what I feel people miss when they are cleaning, and how they can best clean these areas. I though, where do I start. There are many things home owners just don’t have the time to clean or just can’t get to.
Well, one of the things I notice the most when going into homes are the mini blinds. These are dust traps, especially in areas where there is moisture (such as bathrooms). The best way to clean mini blinds is to keep them clean. Wipe them down often with a cloth or even a duster of some sort (swifter, feather, etc.). If the mini blind has gotten very dirty and is proving difficult to clean, take it down and soak it in a tub of warm water with a mild detergent or vinegar and water. Let it hang to dry before putting it back up on the window.
Another area I see that gets neglected is around faucets and fixtures. Grime builds up in all the little cracks around sinks and faucets. Easiest way to clean these areas is to spay a little all purpose cleaner on the area and scrub it with an old toothbrush getting into all the little cracks and groves, then wipe dry with a cloth.
Well, have fun cleaning today. Next week I will give some tips on speed cleaning your home.
The article will come out in You Magazine March 18, 2009. You magazine is distrubuted by the Green Bay Press Gazette and will be in the March 18 Press Gazette delivery. It can also be found in the Green Bay area- at stores etc. in their free magazine racks.