The life of a cleaner

Cleaning is being transformed in my world.  As a professional cleaner for the past 25 years I now find myself no longer a cleaner.  This is an odd feeling and freeing feeling.

Growing up, I hated to clean!  Hated it.  I lived on a farm, cleaning meant I was not outside but inside doing the menial work of housekeeping.  Life is really very funny.  After college I took the next logical step, I became a professional cleaner. Seriously, who makes this stuff up???  Thankfully, I found I loved running a business, helping others and when you clean for someone else, cleaning brings great satisfaction.

Over the years of cleaning, I have cleaned everything from mastic off terrazzo floors, carpet for exhausted moms, filthy daycare chairs to award winning stone bathrooms.  I have cleaned for the ultra rich to the very poor.  I have cleaned for families moving in and families moving out.  I have cleaned for kind people, inspiring people, stressed people, families welcoming in a new baby, families hosting weddings and families after a loss.  During this time, I have also cleaned my own home.  I have cleaned, pondered cleaning, researched cleaning and taught cleaning.

As it turns out, cleaning was good for me.  It became my teacher as well as my vocation.  I learned from cleaning. I discovered residue and then taught residue free cleaning.  The value of cleaning and its history became visible. I found myself, in the process of being a cleaner.  Wax on ...Wax off.  There is wisdom in cleaning.  And there is a gift in learning to love your work whatever it may be.

As I write to you I'm in the process of becoming a certified transformational life coach.  As I help families clear out their clutter and live residue free lives my daily work is now my passion.

You see, as I cleaned, I learned that cleaning is also a tool for removing the residues of life.  The residues on our countertops and the residues in our soul.  Cleaning is a beautiful form of daily meditation.  Good cleaning creates a healthy home. Cleaning helps keep your home flowing with fresh energy.  Cleaning creates clarity and cleaning helps keep clutter and stagnation at bay. Cleaning gives you something productive to do when life throws you a curve ball.

I thought about closing out this blog and starting fresh in another blog.  But if I had done so we would not get to continue our chats.  If you call today wanting your travertine floors cleaned, I can no longer help you. I can refer you but I won't be your cleaner.  I can however help you enjoy your life,  I can help you clean out your clutter and life's residues. I can help you find clarity and joy in your daily work. I can help you discover what you love.

I thank all to whom I have had the pleasure to meet and work with over the years.  My husband Dallas and I have been blessed beyond measure.  We thank you.

As always, I wish you great joy in your home and in your life,
           Denise

7 Essentials of a Healthy Home: Resources

Thank you for everyone who joined me the other night for my 7 Essentials of a Healthy Home workshop.   What a great class!  I thoroughly enjoyed the evening and I hope you all did as well.

In our conversions I mentioned a couple resources.  Below are the links to those resources as well as a reminder of the 7 essentials.  If you would like help or would like to schedule a consult for creating a healthy and happy home.  Please call anytime.  Thanks again!

   

Entrance Mats:  The entrance mats I have purchased and sold over the years come from American Floor Mats.  Click here to go directly to their web site  

    I like this site/company for a couple of reasons.  First you can get high quality commercial entrance rugs at a very good value.  If you would to actually see the mats before you buy, no problem just call and have them send you samples of the ones you are most interested in.   On this site you have a huge section of types, colors, sizes and qualities.

    Check on any specials and for purchase minimums.  Around holidays they will often give a 10% discount and if you order a certain amount will give you free shipping.

     I have quite a selection of samples and have ordered from here many times.   If you would like help in your order, let me know and for a small fee I can help you get exactly what you are wanting.

    

Commercial Microfibers:  With microfibers you very often get what you pay for.  Buying cleaning supplies from our local retailers may not be as cost and quality effective as is buying from the suppliers who supply us cleaners.  Over the years I have got a lot of my cleaning supplies from Coastwide Laboratory in Tacoma and Seattle.   For Microfibers they stock the Rubber Made commercial line and I think a couple types of microfibers.  Buy quality over quantity!  To connect directly to Coastwide click here.  If you are not a professional cleaner, don't worry Coastwide is open to the public

Absorbing Towels:  This last tip comes after class.  As we were all chatting a gentleman mentioned he was having trouble getting the residue off his countertops.  A common reason for this is either applying too much cleaner or not effectively rinsing and drying the surface to remove the cleaner.  I had forgotten to mention the importance of using absorbent towels.  Please do not clean your towels with any sort of fabric softener or use dryer sheets in the dryer.  Both of these products tend to diminish the absorbency of your towels.   Also, do not clean your towels with bleach.  Bleach tends to be damaging to the fibers.

 We used to get our while cotton towels from Costco.  We used the white cotton hand towels and white cotton shop towels.  

  In class I showed a demonstration of cleaning with the microfiber and then rinsing with a cotton towel.  This is a very productive combination.  Here you get the benefits of microfiber technology along with the absorbing power of cotton. 

    

As a reminder of our class- here again is the list of the

7 Essentials of a healthy home.

1.  Keep it well ventilated

2  Keep it dry

3.  Keep it clean- the residue free style!

4  Keep it free of contaminates

5.  Keep it safe

6.  Keep it pest free

7   Keep it well maintained

These 7 essentials come from The National Environmental Health Association and The National Center for Healthy Housing.  These are the organizations I received my healthy home certification from.

Thanks again,

    Wishing you all a big splash of curiosity and abundance of fresh air,

                Denise