We love a good To Do list here at HCC2 HQ.   Keeps the mind focused.  Saves hours of procastination.

Some people say To Do Lists don’t work (and done lists do!).  But we are practical people here at My Star Cleaner and  have no truck with this kind of fashionable nonsense.

When it comes to getting the best from your cleaner a good old school To Do List is the way to go.

You are probably think writing a To Do List is as easy as rolling off a log.

Respectfully, we beg to differ – not all To Do Lists are created equal.  A well written list is a thing of beauty (especially if you have fancy handwriting and some nice coloured pens).  A bad list  simply stresses and depresses.

So without more ado here are a few golden rules on How To Write The Perfect To Do List For Your Cleaner.

Rule Number One: Be Clear

Remember that your house is your house.  You live in it and you likely know it backwards. You know exactly which room you mean when you say ‘side bedroom’. Your cleaner, on the other hand, probably doesn’t.

So give your cleaner a fighting chance:

Do write:  Dusters are on the bottom shelf of the kitchen cupboard to the right of the fridge.

Don’t write:  Dusters are in the big cupboard.

Do write:  Please hoover carpet in bedroom with the blue door and biscuit crumbs by the desk.

Don’t write:  Please hoover the carpet in Tom’s room.

Remember – if your cleaner can’t find something, they can’t use it and they can’t clean it!

Rule Number Two: Prioritise

Your cleaner may be very talented at a lot of things, like dancing the Viennese Waltz or balancing an ice cream scoop on their nose without licking it (the scoop, that is).  Some might even be able to do both and clean at the same time.

But t almost certainly your cleaner will not be  a mind reader.    Ask them, just in case by all means.  But if you want our advice then if  you value some tasks more than others your best plan is to tell your cleaner your priorities.

Tell them what must be done,  and make it clear that anything else they can fit in after that is a welcome bonus.

The most important thing in your world might be that all your kitchen glass surfaces shine like a cherub’s cheeks.  Fair enough – we all have our little pecadilloes.  All we are suggesting is make sure your cleaner knows this.  Safe in this knowledge they can focus on buffing and shining and not on removing cobwebs from the dusty neglected corners where you never look and where their fine work will not generate any improvement in your sense of wellbeing.

Rule Number Three: Be Realistic

Most often a cleaner is  not a magician  any more than a  mind reader. Time is finite so you need to be realistic in the tasks you set for them to do, in the time you have agreed upon.

Don’t expect them to keep working after their time is up or rush around in the time available to get everything done.

This is why prioritising is so important. If you effectively prioritise, only giving your cleaner a list of top tasks that can definitely be completed in the time they have, you won’t run into trouble.

Rule Number Four: Be Polite

It’s nice to be important.  But it’s more important to be nice.   One of the easiest ways to ensure everything on your list gets done, and done well, is to make it a polite list.

If you abide by these four simple rules, you can’t go too far wrong.

Need A Little Inspiration?

Check out the services cleaners regularly provide for our clients to give you a good idea of the tasks your cleaner should be completing for you. Looking for a cleaner? Get in touch, we’d be delighted to introduce a great cleaner to you who can take care of your To Do List……

Unless you live in a bacon-free household here’s how to clean up that splattered grease.

Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.thekitchn.com

Organize and clean your kitchen with these simple tips so that you can spend less time cleaning and decluttering and more time eating!

Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.lifehack.org

Raise your hand if you feel like, despite your very best intentions, your kitchen is messier than you’d like it to be. I’m right there with you. And it makes sense! The kitchen is the very center of your house. No matter how comfy your living room is, chances are people are always hanging out in the kitchen — or helping themselves to food from the fridge — which leads to major messes. There are, however, a few little things you can do throughout the day to stay on top of things. Follow this plan to keep the space a little cleaner than usual.

Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.thekitchn.com

At CES in Las Vegas today, the firm presented what it says is the ‘world’s first flying air cleaner,’ using a drone-based system to remove dust, pollen, and other harmful particles from inside your house.

Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.dailymail.co.uk

To make this holiday season a little less stressful. Here’s a list of crafty Christmas tips to help keep your home clean and tidy.

Sourced through Scoop.it from: www.dailymail.co.uk

Now the weather is getting colder family pets will probably be spending much more time indoors. And that means more cat and dog fur will find it way on the carpets, upholstery, and even clothing!

Here are a few tricks I’ve learned to keep that added pet hair burden under control this season, and make your home a neater, healthier place.

A little grooming goes a long way
Make the time every day, or at least several times each week to sit down with your pet for a good long brushing session. Many pets absolutely love the attention. Others of course aren’t so keen. I’ve got one of each! If your pet is reluctant start with short session and reward them with a favourite treat. And build up the time slowly. Every little helps and crucially you will be collecting the hairs that would have fallen off over the course of the day and disposing of them all at once (before they find their way onto your favourite black jumper).

Washable furniture covers are a godsend
Either invest in washable seat covers for your (and your pet’s) favourite pieces of furniture, or just use every day fitted sheets to do the same job. I went for the sheets, myself. Once a week just toss them in the wash. This is also a perfect ‘quick clean-up’ solution for when you expect company.

Throw rugs protect your pet’s favourite part of the carpet
Whether it is right in front of the fire, next to the radiator, or that really inconvenient spot in the middle of the front room (I’m lookin’ at you, fuzzy), your pet probably has at least one favourite spot to lie down. Place a washable throw rug in all of these spots, and your pet will do a large part of their shedding there.

Autumn is here again – the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness. And apparently a great time for a spring clean!

Increasingly, experts are saying that it is more important to give your home a deep clean in the autumn months than in the spring. Especially in the UK, the autumn and winter months are spent with the windows tightly closed to keep in the heat. The combination of less air-flow and heat and moisture from radiators can make a closed-up home a haven for dust mites, allergens and bacteria.

They say that carpets are a particularly vulnerable spot during the winter, as all the dust (mostly made of shed human skin, remember), dirt, food particles and other unpleasantness that have collected there since the spring clean suddenly become exposed to warm, wet and stifling conditions. You don’t want to be closed up in the house all winter with that!

The essential parts of an autumn clean

1) Vacuum thoroughly with a powerful and well-maintained vacuum cleaner.
One with a strong motor and good suction is vital to clearing out all the dust from a carpet before it becomes the dust mites’ winter larder. I have an older model Dyson that still does an excellent job. Be sure to move all the furniture and vacuum under that, not just tables and chairs but also bookcases, desks and other large items.

2) Dust your hard surfaces and give everything a good polish
Remember that all of the pollen that was helpfully donated by Mother Nature over the summer will still be hanging about. A bit of furniture polish and a soft cloth will keep it from staying for the winter. Also, people associate the smell of furniture polish with a clean room!

3) Overhaul the kitchen cupboard
This is the perfect opportunity to pull everything out of the kitchen cupboards and shelves. I also take the opportunity to clean all the dust, crumbs and tiny spills out. While you’re at it, make sure you don’t put anything back that is out of date. If that paprika is old enough to drive, it isn’t doing you any good!
Just doing these three things before winter really sets in will make your home much more pleasant for the months when you’ll be spending more time than ever inside!

The kitchen is the heart of a home, but that means that it is in nearly constant use. Not only that, but preparing food and cleaning up afterwards can be some of the messiest chores. That means a ‘spotless kitchen’ is more of a dream than a reality for most of us.

However, I found a way to avoid a long weekly clean by tackling a few key areas daily:

1) A daily clean of your basin and taps can prevent build-up around corners and creases.
First, I give the entire basin and tap area a quick going over with a cloth or sponge and washing up liquid. Simple is best, I say.
Next, I rub a bit of cream sink and basin cleaner into the basin and draining area with a soft cloth.
Lastly, I take an old toothbrush to the taps, fixtures, and especially the crevices near the drain. If I’m honest, I only really do this part once or twice a week and it still gives excellent results.

2) Stainless steel fixtures aren’t really stainless.
Whilst good quality stainless steel will never truly rust, it can easily become dull or tarnish in a kitchen environment. I use a little baking soda and a cloth to keep the sink in condition.
There are many high quality stainless steel cleaners and polishes available to deal with persistent stains or tarnish, but I just use a paste made of cream of tartar and fresh lemon juice. I rub the paste in and leave it overnight. It just rinses away in the morning.

3) Don’t scratch the porcelain.
Harsh or abrasive cleansers can easily damage ceramic and porcelain surfaces, taking away their shine and making them even easier to stain in the future. Instead, I use warm water and a few drops of washing up liquid on a soft sponge. There are quite a few good cleaners specific to porcelain if you prefer.
If the porcelain is already stained (tea is the worst for this) try warm spirit vinegar and a sponge.

Best of all, by attending to these three key tasks daily, I never have a big job waiting at the end of the week!

If you’re anything like me, you are already been enjoying the season my spending more time in the garden. Of course, one of the first things I noticed was that the garden furniture isn’t looking its best. Even though it spent the winter in the shed, the white mesh cushions and table umbrella had gone dingy and grey, and the white plastic chairs had some grey-black mould or lichen growing on them in places. They needed a good clean.

So you don’t want to buy all new garden furniture, but your current collection is in a state. Here are a few tips to get at least one more season out of it all:

• Plastic or resin garden chairs are too delicate for most abrasive cleaners or metal scouring pads. However, a wet sponge and a bit of baking soda will scrub off that black stiff without damaging the surface.
• Mesh-type outdoor cushions can be tricky to clean. I advise putting them through the wash on hot, with a bit of bleach, then line drying.
• For wooden garden furniture, especially picnic tables, I use a spray bottle of white vinegar (never the brown stuff). Spray it on any mildew you see, and it should wipe right off.
• Garden table umbrellas also respond well to vinegar – this time mix about 1/3 of a small bottle of white vinegar with a squirt of washing up liquid in a bucket, and fill with hot water. Scrub the umbrella fabric with this mixture and a soft brush, then rinse with the hose.
• Lastly, if your plastic or resin garden furniture has simply lost its shine, spray WD-40 directly onto it, then wipe it dry with a cloth or rag. It shines right up, and won’t stain your clothing.

Of course, you must also remember to put it all back in the shed when the weather turns again. That will make cleaning it next summer so much easier!