BASICS: CARE & CLEANING OF NATURAL STONE

No doubt that stone surfaces have become popular in homes within the last century.  More homeowners are installing stone flooring, furniture, countertops, and vanity tops.  More common stones we see often are marble, granite, limestone, slate, and travertine (a limestone).  And even though these different types of stone call for different kinds of care and maintenance we're only going to touch on general cleaning.

Sounds a bit weird but vacuum or dust (using a smooth microfiber cloth) stone surfaces before damp wiping them.  Do not use abrasive materials to clean with; such as, dusting sprays or chemically treated mops or cloths.  Abrasion by dirt can dull the surface if not properly removed.  If something should spill on your stone surface blot the spill with a microfiber cloth immediately.  Using a clean microfiber cloth wipe the area with fresh water and a mild soap. Dry the area thoroughly.

Just in case you're wondering why I stressed blotting a spill instead of wiping a spill up let me share a tidbit.  If you wipe the spill around, you will spread the spill and stone surfaces are porous.  We wouldn't want to create a bigger catastrophe on your investment.

Hope this helps.

TIPS ON DISPOSING CLEANING PRODUCTS

So, you're looking to dispose of cleaning products in a safe manner.  Don't want the neighbors to call you out for burying hazardous materials in your backyard?  Well, I'm here to help.  If you no longer need a cleaning product and want to help save your backyard (the environment) the first thing you want to do is read the label for suggested disposal instructions.  In an event that the label has worn off follow the following suggestions:

Pour down the drain.  If a product is water-soluble (meaning you can mix it with water) you can flush it down a toilet or pour it down the kitchen drain with running water.  Several water-soluble cleaning products are: liquid laundry detergents, chlorine bleach, liquid fabric softeners, multipurpose cleaners, glass cleaners, disinfectants, carpet cleaners and floor cleaners.

IMPORTANT:  DO NOT MIX TWO OR MORE CLEANING PRODUCTS!!!  We don't want to find your home on the five o'clock news.  Secondly, if you have a septic tank do not use this method of disposal.  Most septic systems are not capable of treating chemical waste.  

Place it in the trash or recycling bin.  If container is not empty please put in a plastic bag as to not contaminate other garbage.  Several products you may want to throw out are: scouring pads, aerosol cans, remoistened towelettes, and fabric softener sheets.  

Last but not least: Take to waste-disposal facility.  Some products are way to hazardous to dispose of any other way other than in a waste-disposal facility.  Such products include: flammable products, crystal drain openers, dry-cleaning fluid, and polishes & waxes that harden on surfaces.

Hope this helps!  Let me know if you have any questions or need additional information.

BEWARE: SMALL CHILDREN ARE IN THE HOUSE

If you have little ones around the house like we do, please take extra caution in where you store your cleaning equipment and products.  Also be diligent about reading what the product label has to say before using it.  Whenever possible, avoid using products that use the words corrosive, reactive or explosive, flammable, toxic, or poisonous.  It is a very real scenario that too many children are poisoned by common household cleaning agents.  A few tips to follow in keeping your kids safer are:

• Never leave cleaning products unattended or easy to get to.
• Don't leave buckets full of water unattended as tiny tots can easily drown if they somehow climb in.  Hay, you never know!
• Always, always close caps and lids of any cleaning container.  
• Dispose of any unused or empty cleaning containers.

I hope these simple easy to follow tips will keep you and your family safe from cleaning agent harm.  

THE RIGHT STUFF

I'm curious...what's lurking in your cleaning closet?  You don't have to spend an entire weekend or even an entire day cleaning your home.  If you have the right tools and you know how to use them cleaning can be effortless even enjoyable.  (I see those eyes rolling)  It's true.  Let's take a quick peek at what you have to clean your home with.  

First and for most a good vacuum with attachments is needed in every home.  Doesn't matter if you don't have area rugs or carpeting.  With the use of attachments, you can suck up cob webs and dust bunnies from the ceilings, and clean up food crumbs from under tables and kitchen cabinets.  Make sure your vacuum cleaner is in good working order.  My advice is to make sure its also clean.  You don't want to spread allergens from one room to another after each use.

Several of my go to cleaning tools are:

• A broom with a wide angle and dustpan (you can also use the vacuum to "sweep up"),
• A wet mop (microfiber of course),
• A couple of buckets to use in washing floors, windows, walls, etc.,
• A pair of rubber gloves (helps protect your manicure),
• A good sponge,
• A toilet bowl brush, 
• Trash bags, and 
• Lots of microfiber cloths for dusting and cleaning.

This list is by no means exhaustive.  These are a few of what I think is needed in every home.  Ok, let's take a look at what you have in regards to cleaning products.  I'm big on using environmentally friendly cleaning agents.  At work we use concentrated products because we're not storing large volumes of bottles and all you really need is a little product with some water and viola.  

Several of my go to cleaning products are:

• An all-purpose cleaner for floors, walls, and other standard surfaces,
• Disinfectant,
• Degreaser, 
• Dish washing detergent (can't live without this), 
• Oven cleaner,
• Wood cleaner,
• Stone cleaner (for natural stone floors and walls), and
• Stainless Steel cleaner (usually water based).

Again, this is a basic product list.  With these tools and cleaning products you'll be well on your way to an enjoyable cleaning experience.  

RECIPROCATION - THE GOLDEN RULE

So, I’m going to take a moment and vent just a tiny bit.  It seems to me that not enough people believe in reciprocity especially when it comes to building relationships whether business or personal.  It’s happened to me, you help out a fellow business owner or friend promote their business and what do you get in return, a cursory “thank you.”  Well, I overheard a conversation recently about just that, someone doing something nice for someone else with nothing in return, and I wondered why reciprocity is not the norm.  Don’t get me wrong we should all do nice things for others without expecting anything in return, but when you’ve given all you can and reciprocity doesn’t exit, seriously, what’s that all about?  Don’t people believe in Karma?

I read in someone’s tweet that this world is erected upon the principle of reciprocity.  Neither a drop of kindness nor a speck of evil will remain unreciprocated.   Something to remember! Done venting. ;)

7 TIPS IN CREATING A COMFORTABLE AND INVITING HOME

Have you ever walked into a home were you felt comfortable and at peace by your surroundings?  Definitely better than being in a home where it feels cold and unwelcoming. I ask because I’ve gone on a quest to find what makes a home comfortable, inviting, and relaxing.  I’m searching for the ultimate gathering place where friends and family feel an unmistakable connection to the home and the people that live there.

As the owner of a cleaning service, I have been invited inside many homes, and many of them are indeed comfortable.  Yet, there are but a few that as soon as you enter the front door you forget the outside world.  You believe that you are in a place of wellbeing, security, and belonging.  Where the sounds of the home are minimal and soothing.  Where every piece of furniture and color envelope you as part of them. It’s like being in a space where you feel not like a guest but part of the family. In a book by Richard Webster titled “101 Feng Shui Tips For Your Home,” the author gives us tips on using feng shui to create an environment that allows us to enjoy more harmony, balance, and success in our lives.  I picked out my 7 favorite tips to share with you in that you can too create a comfortable, inviting, and relaxing space in your home. 

1. Keep your home in the best possible condition.  Keep it clean!  The health of your home relates directly to you, your health, and the health of your family.
2. Avoid clutter.  Make a concentrated effort to discard anything that you are not using.
3. Make sure that your front door is as welcoming as possible.  You want people to be encouraged to visit, and by placing flowers on each side of your front entryway you encourage ch’i (the universal life force), and raise the spirits of your visitors.
4. Your kitchen should have an airy, spacious, and friendly feel no matter how small.  Keep it well stocked with food and you give the impression of abundance. 
5. Arrange furniture so that people can move freely around a room without feeling as if they are undertaking an obstacle course.
6. Place mirrors throughout your home.  There isn’t such a thing as too many mirrors just as long as they are kept clean.  Dust and dirt reduce the effectiveness. A mirror in your dining room symbolically doubles the amount of food on the table, and doubles feelings of well-being and enjoyment experienced in this room.
7. A family pet provides love and happiness ultimately creating harmony and contentment. 

It’s true that today we are more aware of the effects that our environment has upon us.  It, therefore, makes sense to incorporate feng shui in our home.  I for one want to keep my home as a place where I can go to relax, to be in harmony with my environment.  Here’s to my ongoing quest!

5 TIPS TO MAKE CLEANING EASIER DURING BACK TO SCHOOL

As much as I hate to admit it, September is here and its time for kids to start school. With the craziness of buying school supplies, meeting teachers, and working a regular job I thought it would be a good idea to share a few tips that may help keep you sane during this busy time.

1. Make a checklist.  Starting with all of the things that you would like to see cleaned almost immediately.
2. Organize your cleaning supplies in a caddy.  Carry it with you as you travel from room to room.
3. Divide and conquer.  Kids are great helpers (well, sometimes a little bribery is needed) and can help picking up books, toys, xbox games.  They can help move small/light furniture in order to vacuum behind them.
4. Clean from top down.  Dust corners of rooms and work your way down to baseboards.  Dust, cobwebs, and dustbunnies settle downwards, so begin your cleaning by dusting ceiling fans and light fixtures.
5. Focus on one room at a time.  Taking each room a step at a time keeps you focused on the task at hand. 

Happy Cleaning!

PRODUCT SPOTLIGHT - The New Pilot B2P

  

When my ingenious assistant, Liliana, gave me a gift – a Pilot B2P (Bottle 2 Pen) pen I was a bit glum wishing it were chocolates or a new Kate Spade bag.  A couple days later, I opened the package and started writing with my new B2P.  I love it!  It just glides on paper.  The stylish design had me looking at the packaging for information.  The B2P is the world’s first pen made of 89.9% recycled plastic water bottles.  The design looks like that of a water bottle even the label wrapping around the middle.  Since plastic is made from oil, using recycled plastic contributes to preserving our natural resources.   Totally winning me over as a now frequent buyer of the B2P.  On top of that, it is refillable using even less waste.  As for cost, I was surprised to see that they don’t cost any more than any other Pilot pen. For back to school or anytime during the year grab a stack in different colors.  You’ll not only find, as I did, that they not only write well you’re also helping our environment.  

What we're doing to help the environment!

What does "Green" really mean?  Going green is about embracing the principles of environmental responsibility by making different choices that lessen the negative impact on our environment.  

Several years ago, Sweeping Dimensions introduced its green cleaning program using products that reduce environmental impact and protects the health and safety of our staff and the clients we serve. Quick disclaimer: by implementing this program does not mean that we do not use a few traditional cleaning methods or that they create unsafe/unhealthy conditions.  We have simply taken additional steps towards reducing pollution while continuing to maintain and improve the healthiness, comfort and aesthetics of our clients' homes and businesses.

One of the most significant changes we adopted is the use of microfiber cloths and mops during our cleaning routine.  They are environmentally friendly for many reasons.  First, they are lightweight and can be washed in large quantities, greatly reducing water and energy consumption.  A big plus when the water  and electric bills comes in.  They also take up less physical space reducing both transport costs and storage space.  We have found that there are many other benefits to using microfiber.  They are:

• Microfiber cloths are hypoallergenic.  Great for those of us who suffer from allergies or asthma.
• Microfiber cloths are super absorbent.  They absorb over 7 times their weight in water.
• Microfiber cloths dry in 1/3 the time of ordinary cleaning towels.
• Microfiber cloths are over 4 times more effective than ordinary cleaning towels.  They clean almost any stain from any surface, are more plush & longer lasting than other cleaning products and contain more than 200,000 fibers per square inch.
• Microfiber cloths are completely lint free and non-abrasive.

In addition to microfiber, we have also incorporated liquid products as concentrates rather than as ready-to-use mixtures to our green cleaning program.  As a result, we use trigger bottles and pump sprayers - no need for propellants.  In a small way, we help reduce  packaging materials and their potential burden on the environment as well as fuel, vehicle emissions, and other impacts of transportation.

We believe that green cleaning benefits everyone especially those with special needs and sensitivities.  In cases were an individual has allergies or illness we address his/her specific needs and make appropriate changes to products, procedures, and scheduling as necessary.