A simple but effective method to clean up life's little messes

  Life is abundant and sometimes abundantly messy.  Finding safe and effective ways to clean up life's little messes is the topic for today's conversation.  Recently, we were cleaning for a client, N.O. (our client). While at her home, she shared with us her brilliant way of cleaning up kitty surprises.

 Even though this recipe was specifically used for cat pee, I believe it would work equally well for puppy pee, baby pee or probably any other spill or leak your home may be blessed with.  

  Carpet spills are deceptive.  What you see is not always what you have.  If the visible spill is the size of a tennis ball- chances are it is 5-10 times larger on the backing of your carpet.  It is like magic but not the good kind.

  Over the years, we have found a lot of spotting usually leads to a lot of residue left behind. When we clean, our hot water reactivates the spotting residue and we become surrounded by dense patches of soap/foam. 

    This soap residue is not what you want!  It will attract more soil, it will become food for bacteria and you most likely still have some of the original spill/leek left behind.

  Thanks to this recipe, from N.O, we think you will be amazed at what a beautiful and effective job can done to clean up life’s little surprises, leaving nothing behind!!!  Love it!!!

         N.O.'s Recipe for pee clean up (or most any other spill)

1. Find the spill/spray/pee spot- the sooner the better!! 

    Hint: Try not to accidentally step in fresh spill when stumbling out of bed first thing in the morning.

2. Blot up as much as possible

    Press down on spill with very absorbent material such as...

             paper towels, terry cloth, diaper etc
    Hint: Do not rub fabric back and forth - you will damage the carpet fibers

3. Spray spot with either club soda or fresh water
      N.O. said the original recipe was to use club soda- which she used for a while but then just switched to water and hasn't noticed much difference.           
   Hint: There is a bubbling reaction with the club soda and baking soda- you may want to try both ways.

4. Next cover spill with baking soda 
   N.O. puts enough to completely cover carpet so you can't see the carpet any more.
    Hint: Let the baking soda completely dry. 

       The pee/spill will travel up into the baking soda/water mixture and out of your carpet!! 

 
5.  When your baking soda is completely dry - vacuum it all up - completely. 
     Hint: This process may need to be done a couple times for big spills.

Why I like this recipe... 
   * Baking soda is usually already in your pantry, deleting the need for a special cleaner
   * Baking soda is a non toxic- mineral with a pH of about 8.5
   * The spill gets wicked out of your carpet instead of absorbing into the pad
   * Baking soda is wonderful for absorbing moisture and odors
   * There won’t be any residual soil attracting soap/foam left behind

Good luck with life's little messes.  May the abundance of joy and love you receive from your messy family far outweigh any unwanted residues left behind!

As always, wishing you and your family a healthy, happy and residue free home!
    Denise

Note:  I'm using our client's initials N.O. because I want to give her full credit but do not want to publish her name all over the world. 

            On behalf of all families with little messes we thank you N.O.!!!!   

Does cleaning contribute to prosperity?

 Is there a correlation between a well kept home and prosperity?  I'm going to give you my 25 years experience plus two cents on the subject and let you decide for yourself.

  The shift of how a home or room feels after a deep and through cleaning is almost palatable.  The rooms are clearer, fresher and feel expanded.  I breath deeper- I think we all do.  My mom and I have had countless conversations about how a good cleaning uplifts our spirits and seems to calm our anxieties.  After so many years in the cleaning business, doing my own personal cleaning and helping others "clean out" I no longer question the shift a good cleaning gives, but is prosperity another bonus to a well kept home?

   If I ran a bar or a gambling business chances are my accounts receivables would need constant minding.  Checks would bounce; payments would get lost in the mail or be eaten by the family dog.  I don't have such a business, I have a cleaning business and I have no accounts receivables problems.  After over 23 years of running a cleaning business I think we have only had 2-3 jobs that never got paid!  This is unheard of in other businesses where cleaning isn't the service.   

   Maybe we are just incredibly lucky, which I truly believe we are, but there is more than just good fortune at work here. Our clients are thoughtful, prosperous and pretty organized.  They take care of their homes, families and surroundings.  And they take care of the companies who take care of them.  Are our clients and friends prosperous because they take care of their homes or is having a well cared for home part of being prosperous?

  It's probably a little of both (plus a lot of hard work, persistence and wisdom).  When our homes are clean and well organized we are calmer, waste less time and almost always save money- by not buying twice.  On the flip side, maybe because we are prosperous, we appreciate and treat our blessings a little more thoughtfully. Perhaps our mindset is one of gratitude for what we have earned and received.

  In the art of Feng Shui, having a clean and de-cluttered living space is fundamental to having healthy and vibrant energy flow.  If you have energy and flow in one part of your life...maybe it truly does carry over into other parts of your life.  And when you are prosperous in your work, maybe this energy carries over into all parts of your life.  

 This summer, if you want to add a bit of prosperity to your life consider adding a splash of cleaning, a dash of gratitude, a smidgen less stuff and see what flows your way. 

As always, wishing you a happy, healthy and prosperous home,

            Denise

 

 

How to prevent moldy toes, soap scum on your skin and an ugly shower!

       Showers are part of everyday life.  But do you ever wonder why our skin doesn't have the same chronic soil conditions as our showers:  mold, soap scum, hard water deposits and itty bitty dust bunnies?

    The only reason we don't have soap scum on our tummies and mold between our toes is because we rinse and dry our skin with every shower. If we didn't and treated our skin as we treat our showers, we would have a bad skin epidemic on our hands!  Well, maybe not an epidemic but we would definitely be itchier humans.

3 miraculous things happen when we rinse and dry our showers after each use:

      1.  Hard water deposit build up is minimized

      2.  Soap scum build up is minimized as is mold food

      3.  Less moisture means less mold, mold thrives in moist areas!

      My husband was just telling me about a conversation he had earlier this week.  Our client was wondering if you could in fact clean a shower with mild cleaners- neutral pH.  The answer to that depends on when you clean.  If you rinse and dry after each shower, then you can use the very mildest of products because nothing has set up.  Think about your kitchen dinner dishes and a meal of eggs, pasta or oatmeal.  If you rinse as soon as you are done eating, the process is quick and easy.  If these foods sit up over night, we all know they can turn into concrete!  Soap scum is like concrete on steroids!

     In cleaning, most damage is done by using too aggressive of cleaners or scratching pads (green pad).  Not only do we damage our beautiful showers by what we use to clean, we also damage ourselves.  The cleaners we usually buy to clean our showers tend to be dangerous to our lungs, skins and eyes, they are often acidic, high alkaline or very reactive like bleach.

     Did you know an acidic cleaner will eat away most grout joints and damage many natural stones?  Did you know mixing acids and bleaches cause caustic gasses?  Did you know showers tend to have poor ventilation but most cleaners want you to use in a well ventilated area! 

     The secret to being healthy, having a beautiful shower, minimizing your family's chemical exposure and keeping your shower in great shape is easier than you think.

     5 tips for the incredibly effective daily maintenance of a shower!

1.      Before you turn on your shower - turn on your exhaust fan!                                                             

         Let your exhaust fan run a full 60 minutes after your shower

           This step removes the humidity from your shower that can lead to mold

           Keeping the relative humidity down in the NW also pays big dividends for healthy homes.

2.   After showering

         Rinse the walls, door and shower pan with water

            Hand held shower heads are perfect for this step

            This step removes the soap and personal care products you used from your shower

3.   After showering

        Dry off your showers with either a towel or squeegee.

        If you only squeegee, you will be re-depositing the soap down the walls, into the grout joint and onto your shower pan- creating a surprisingly thick build up of soap scum.

       I personally like to dry with a towel as it gets the details better and I can dry fixtures off at the same time.

4.  Open up shower doors or curtains to let air flow.

     If you close up your shower tight, this will greatly delay your drying- if not stop it completely.

5.  Use the mildest means possible to clean!

      And when you clean your shower: use mild cleaners!  A good choice is a neutral stone and tile cleaner.  Another product which works wonderfully is dish washing liquid.  Dish washing liquid usually has a neutral pH and is already a product you have on stock. (Make sure to dilute or you will have bubbles galore!)

     Also, use a microfiber, wash mitt or wash cloth and rub your shower to break the surface tension- releasing the soil/soap from the walls.

    In our family the rule of thumb is:  Last one in dries the shower.  This daily process takes minimal time and effort but pays huge- gigantic- enormous benefits in the long run!  You will have a squeaky clean shower.  Your shower will last much longer and look better.  You will not need to use or even buy those harsh shower cleaners and on cleaning day- cleaning your shower is a snap!

   If you need help getting your shower back to clean, feel free to call on us.  We specialize in cleaning natural stone, tile and grout.  With our 23 plus years of cleaning experience we can get your shower back to beautiful!

  As always, wishing you and your family a healthy and happy home!

Denise Frakes

Co- Owner of Blue Sky Service: Stone and Tile Care

Certified Healthy home specialist

Residue free and green cleaning specialist

Fresh Air Does a Body and Home Good!

    It is here!  It is beautiful!  It is spring, sunshine and fresh air!!  In the northwest, I believe we should require mandatory sunshine days.  We have snow days but wouldn't a free & unexpected day to go be outside in the early spring be even better?  As I look out our office window I see blue skies, flowering cherry trees and a slight breeze moving the branches of our fir tree.

    Some of the best things in life are simple, effective and free to all.  This spring weather is one of those freebies.  Besides going outside and absorbing all this wonderful weather, this fresh air is also a major benefit to our homes.  Just like us, our homes need to breathe, the fresher and healthier the air the fresher our homes.

   Over the winter we close our homes up tight to keep our heating bills down and our homes warm but now it is spring.  Open up your windows and let the fresh air in.  This is one of the single most important steps you can do to create a healthy home.

  Anytime you are cleaning, doing construction, crafts, cooking, laundry, sitting or standing... open your windows.  Our exhaust fans remove stagnate and contaminated air but opening up a window brings in new life. 

  Our homes are a lot like balloons whatever expands the balloon stays in the balloon.  In the case of our home, this could be a huge variety of chemicals, particles, germs and who knows what else.  Open your windows let the trapped odors and wayward molecules out and in this same process you will let the sunshine, fresh air and new life in!

  As always, wishing you and yours a happy, healthy and prosperous home & life,
           Denise
 

  

 
  

Cleaning: A seasonal solution to being stuck, fatigued or bogged down

Spring: The season of new beginnings and cleaning

     It is funny if you think about there actually being a season for cleaning but spring is truly the season to clean.  From cleaning out your digestive system, to cleaning out your garden beds to cleaning your home- tis the season.

    There is a freshness and gift to new beginnings.  Traditionally we do this on the 1st day of the new year.  But seasonally, spring is the time of vibrant abundance and a lightness of spirit.   Who doesn't feel better when the sun shines, the birds start singing and the flowers begin to bloom?

    If you are feeling stuck, fatigued or bogged down with life, consider cleaning to be a solid solution.  Both in space clearing and feng shui the process of cleaning and de-cluttering is an essential and fundamental part of creating a new and prosperous flow in your life.

    Cleaning not only makes you feel good but it is truly good medicine for your spirit.  For me, after 23 years of professional cleaning, there is not one ounce of doubt about the power of cleaning.  Cleaning, deep and especially mindful cleaning, gives you energy!  You have probably experienced this after we have cleaned for you, or even after you do a deep cleaning to your refrigerator or closet.  When the cleaning is done, your breath is deeper, richer and more expansive.  Ideas come quicker, you feel lighter and the weight of the world seems to lift a bit.
 
    This season, start again.  Clean out your home, your darkest and most cluttered areas.  Look to your forgotten spaces and those spaces that nag at you or are ever present on your to-do list.  Clean out your procrastinations.  Physically clean something like your shower or garage.  Now, write out your wishes and set your new intentions for the new year.

   Use the gift of cleaning and spring as a jump start your health and life's abundance.  This seasonal practice will pay in joyful dividends all year long!  

    Wishing you a happy, healthy and most prosperous spring season!!
              Denise Frakes
             

3 tips on a Friday night

Greetings,
    I hope this post finds you all happy and healthy.  2014 finds us thankfully very busy and appreciating all your support, referrals and return business.
   Tonight as I was pondering this past week, I decided to share with you 3 topics that show up over and over.

1.  Toilet bowl cleaners tend to be extremely acidic!  This means if you have an acid sensitive stone on your bathroom's floor, the marks around the base of  your toilet may not be from the men in your home.  I'm afraid many men and boys get blamed for the strong acids we buy to clean our toilets.  Acid cleaners can etch acid senstive stones- toilet bowl cleaners are usually extremely acidic!!
   (acid sensitive stones:  marble, travertine, limestone, and onyx)
    Here is the fix- apologize to your men and buy neutral toilet bowl cleaners.
    They are not common- if you have any trouble tracking down a neutral cleaner- e-mail me and I will get you set up.

2.  If one glug of cleaner is good two glugs is not better.  The goal of the manufacturing industry of  cleaners is to sell cleaners- as much and as often as possible.  If you know me, you probably have heard my ongoing message about over cleaning and leaving product behind.  But here is an important tip.  The dilution and instructions for cleaning are intended to maximize the efficiency of the manufactures products.  If the manufacture says add 1 cup of cleaner per gallon of water do not add 2 cups of cleaner!  Overkill is a waste of both money and product.
     Here is the fix- read your labels and follow directions.  More is not better it is just more.

3.  Save a load of money and minimize your chemical exposure.  This is perhaps my favorite tip of the night.  Do not spray cleaners into the air.  Not only is this a huge waste in product and ultimately your money but it also fills your home and business with unnecessary and potentially harmful chemicals.  If you can smell your cleaner - you are breathing it in.
   Here is the fix.  Never spray chemicals into the air. Spray on a towel and then use or get a flip top applicator top and pour out.  This little tip will save you lots of money and minimize chemicals all over your home!

Just a couple thoughts on Friday night.
     Wishing you all a happy and healthy home,
             Denise


 

Harmony Hill raising hope

As I write this little blog today, it is in the wee hours of the morning.  Before heading off to our day's job,  I wanted to tell you about a place called Harmony Hill.

Dallas and I met Harmony Hill a few years ago when we were asked to help out at a retreat held there.  The retreats we help with are called Ayrevedic retreats.  St Francis women's auxiliary has graciously and generously supported our retreats and provide scholarships to women and men who had or still have cancer.  Our retreats are about finding hope, a new direction, friendship and your smile again.

2-3 times a year we meet at a place called Harmony Hill in Union Washington.  Before the retreats I had never ever heard of the place.  Now I think of it as a home away from home.  Harmony Hill is like going to camp.  Set in the woods and overlooking the hood canal, Harmony hill opens its doors to families and individuals who have crossed the path of cancer.  Multiple times each year, Harmony Hill holds retreats for free for anyone who currently has or has had cancer.  These retreats are an oasis in the world of confusion, fear and pain.  Harmony hill is a gift to the northwest.

Harmony hill is like no other retreat or hotel or lodge I know of.  It has a dining cottage that is more like going to grandma's kitchen- where the food is warm, delicious and prepared with mindful attention.  The old buildings squeak of history and comfort. The new buildings offer warmth and gathering places for early morning chats in your pjs.   The staff are more like friends, greeting us with hugs and kindness.  There is really no way to describe this place, you really need to visit sometime.
You can go for any reason.  A writers retreat, family get together, wedding, business planning sessions- it really can be whatever you need.  but all the gatherings are brought there for one main reason:  to support our friends and family who have crossed the path of cancer.  Harmony Hill has a clear vision of hope and TLC for the healing of spirits.

    This year or next year go visit this special place. And if you already know of this amazing place then I ask you to help them this year.  An incredibly generous individual has offered to match any donations given to Harmony hill by 2 times!!!  If Harmony Hill can raise $100,000 this amazing individual will give $200,000 or more to Harmony Hill!!  

   I realize there are zillions of worthy places to donate and support.  I also know what Harmony Hill gives back to our families.  With so many finding themselves directly connected to or personally having cancer we need places like Harmony Hill.  Their hearts are open and their hugs are real, giving us hope and a way of finding our spirit in the midst of cancer.

  So please continue to support your worthy causes but if you feel the tug of your heart, consider supporting our own local Harmony Hill this December.   Next year, your few dollars will give someone a smile.

  I wish you all great health and joy this year.
         Denise

click to visit the official site of Harmony Hill
   

The brilliance of simplicity

My tip for you today is so simple it seems almost funny to share and yet this tip is so helpful -
I must share!!

When using concentrated cleaners, first add your water to your container and then add the cleaner.  When you add your cleaner first and then add water, you will end up filling your container with bubbles and it won't be mixed properly.  Adding your cleaner second keeps you from being over bubbled!!

See I told you it was simple but I believe there is brilliance in simplicity!!  Leonardo da Vinci once said " Simplicity is the ultimate in sophistication."

Here is to a simple and yet joyful life,
       Denise

A reminder that less is usually more...

Less is more....

This week we got a new dishwasher, a long awaited improvement to our kitchen. Our poor little dishwasher was long past its better days.

The first few days of a new appliance are critical. Your motivation, need and even curiosity are all the all time high. If you don't read the instructions now, unless there is a problem, they will sit in every home's  instruction/warranty collection.

Our new dishwasher cleaning instructions said: 1-3 tablespoons of detergent per load. 1 is the normal and recommended. Up to 3 tablespoons and only for heavy duty cleaning.

Do you know how much 1 tablespoon of cleaner looks like in your soap dispenser? In cleaning, we figure if one glug is good 2 or 3 glugs must be better... right? Nope!

The 2-3 or more glugs means you are usually wasting both cleaner and money. Not only that but when you overuse your cleaners, there will usually be cleaner left behind and you will need to spend future time chasing your cleaners and trying to remove them the hard way.

This week, look at your manual for your dishwasher, read the instructions. Use the recommended amount- no more. Measure out what 1 tablespoon actually looks like in the soap dispenser.

Not only will your machine work at its best but you will probably be cutting your dishwasher detergent costs by 3-4 times!!

 Next time you start glugging, pause and read the directions of both cleaner and appliance. You will find a huge money savings, more effective cleaning and less waste in products manufactured, shipped and disposed of.

Happy cleaning,

Denise

It is the little things

I'm taking a pause from my inbox to say thank you!  A few minutes ago a new customer called and said they had heard about us from a neighborhood blog.  One of our clients posted a very nice recomendation of our company.  A kindness like this is so much more than business, it touches our hearts. 

It is hard to say what drives most businesses but I would guess if is like ours, our business is an extension of our family.  We give our time and energy to do our best and when someone takes a moment to notice the TLC we give, it feels so good.

This past week, I found myself at a hospital waiting and wishing for a good outcome.  Over the course of 3 days, my step mom and I were so touched by others just "doing their job".  We got coffee and there was a charming and joyful staff singing, smiling and bringing us some much needed joy.  There was a young man at the hospital we asked for directions. It seemed like if he thought it would help, he would have carried us to the other side of the hospital!!

You know sometimes you feel so supported and protected in life.  Often these moments come from complete strangers and new acquaintances.  It reminds me to remember how each contact, no matter how fleeting can have a lasting impact on a day and on a heart of someone else.

So for whomever wrote that thoughtful blog about our company- thank you!!!  And to the coffee staff and helpful hospital employee thank you, you have no idea!!!

  Wishing you unexpected blessings along your way,
          Denise