A home’s exterior conveys to passersby how much the owners care about their property. If you’re trying to sell your home, curb appeal can encourage prospective buyers to look closer.

The meaning of curb appeal

Curb appeal is how attractive a home appears to someone when it is looked upon from a street distance. A freshly cut lawn and trimmed hedges make the exterior of any home stand out.

Improving the curb appeal of your home

People can’t help but smile when they see that the exterior of a home is well-kept. The good news is that your house can be a tiny one, a mansion, or somewhere in between. Take a little time to enhance its curb appeal. When you do, you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the difference it can make in how you and others view your home. What’s more, curb appeal always adds benefits you can measure in terms of home value.

Handle those unattractive aspects around your property

Since you’re used to seeing your home from the outside every day, you might miss what a passerby who has never before seen your home notices. To get a reality check, take pictures of every side of your home. Doing so will help you bring distracting elements into focus.

Specifically, pay attention to:

• Cracking concrete
• Fencing in disrepair
• Graffiti on structures and walkways
• Overgrown grass and weeds
• Too plain of a yard, not interesting
• The trash in the yard and overfilled trash cans

As you can tell, many of those things mentioned are simply exterior upkeep. Fixing them will help you make a great impression when trying to sell your home. With our busy lives, it’s easy to get distracted. However, if you make improvements to your home’s exterior, buyers will take notice.

Public property is another matter. Typically, maintaining clean sidewalks and pothole-free streets in front of your home is the city’s responsibility. To get the debris removed or street repairs completed, call the city and put in a maintenance request.

A plain exterior needs sprucing up

A bare exterior can cause a home to be overlooked just as much as one with many unattractive elements. If your home’s exterior looks clean but is on the plain side, liven it up. Add some color with flowers, a few complimentary shrubs, and maybe even a fruit tree. It doesn’t have to be elaborate. Just by making a few plant additions, you’ll add to your home’s curb appeal.

Pressure wash exterior surfaces

This is one of the easiest things you can do to your home. Hiring a pressure washing service is the best way to bring any dull surface back to life.

Use a professional exterior cleaning service to wash your home’s driveway, siding, roof, windows, and decks. 

Keeping our living and working spaces clean has become a top priority in a world that values cleanliness and hygiene more than ever. However, the demands of our busy lives often leave us little time and energy for thorough cleaning. That’s where a professional janitorial service comes to the rescue! But with countless options available, how do you choose the right one?

1. Define Your Cleaning Needs:

Before searching for a janitorial service, it’s essential to identify your specific cleaning requirements. Consider the size of your space, the type of cleaning tasks needed, and any unique cleaning protocols necessary. By understanding your needs, you can communicate them effectively to potential janitorial service providers, ensuring they have the expertise and resources to meet your expectations.

2. Research and Read Reviews:

Take the time to research different janitorial service providers in your area. Visit their websites, read customer testimonials, and explore online review platforms. Positive reviews are a good indicator of reliability and quality service. Look for testimonials highlighting promptness, professionalism, attention to detail, and customer satisfaction. Additionally, seek referrals from trusted sources who have previously used janitorial services, as personal recommendations can provide valuable insights.

3. Ensure Proper Insurance and Bonding:

When hiring a janitorial service, protecting your property and assets is crucial. Verify that the service provider has adequate liability insurance coverage to safeguard against potential accidents or damages. Additionally, inquire about bonding, which provides an extra layer of protection against theft or dishonesty. Both insurance and bonding demonstrate the janitorial service’s commitment to accountability and professional integrity.

4. Assess Cleaning Equipment and Supplies:

A reliable janitorial service should have access to high-quality cleaning equipment and supplies. Inquire about the types of equipment they use, such as vacuum cleaners, floor scrubbers, and eco-friendly cleaning products. Modern and well-maintained equipment enhances efficiency and ensures thorough cleaning. Additionally, if you have specific preferences for environmentally friendly or hypoallergenic cleaning products, discuss this with potential service providers to ensure they can accommodate your needs.

5. Discuss Pricing and Contracts:

When discussing pricing with a janitorial service, understand the breakdown of costs and any additional charges for specialized services. Compare quotes from different providers and ensure you get a fair and competitive price. Additionally, carefully review the contract terms, including cancellation policies, frequency of service, and any guarantees provided. Clear communication and transparency regarding pricing and contractual obligations will help you avoid surprises or misunderstandings.

Hiring a professional janitorial service is a wise investment in maintaining a clean and healthy environment. Following these seven essential tips, you can confidently select a service provider that meets your needs. With exemplary janitorial service by your side, your space will shine with cleanliness and professionalism.

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Maintaining a residential or commercial property’s aesthetic appearance is critical to increasing its value. Exterior cleanings are one such maintenance method. Two commonly employed house washing applications are soft washing and pressure washing.

Soft Washing

Soft washing is performed to address dirt, stains, and other unsightly occurrences on smaller objects than a home or building’s façade. The process is executed by equipping a pressure washing apparatus with nozzles capable of releasing water at diminished pressure.

The device further performs the process utilizing cleansing agents holding the ability to eradicate environmental debris, such as dirt, dust, allergens, and pollutants, in addition to stains precipitated by spills and other occurrences.

Typically, soft washing is undertaken to clean surfaces or objects like roofs, decks, patios, screened enclosures, and patio furniture. This technique may be employed to remediate sidings, such as cedar, wood, and stucco.

Pressure Washing

Pressure washing is performed by dispensing water at significantly high pressure against a particular surface. In many instances, water is expelled at the rate of 2,500 pounds per square inch, which is also abbreviated as PSI.

Cleaning industry professionals maintain that pressure washing is especially effective in removing the stubborn stains and environmental debris often accumulating on exterior facades, including brick, stone, or concrete structures, and other constructions, such as driveways and sidewalks.

That said, these same experts caution that this action should be carefully regulated. If excessive pressure is applied or the process is not executed properly, receiving surfaces could incur damage.

Differences Between Soft And Pressure Washing

Though each procedure has similar aims, there are certain discernible differences between the two processes.

The most significant discrepancy is the power each procedure employs. Soft washes are often executed using 400 DPI or less. Pressure washers utilize far greater power, sometimes as great as 2,500 DPI.

Another notable difference is chemical usage. Soft washing is less reliant on pressure as a means of breaking up caked or hard-to-reach collections of unwanted grime. Therefore, success is far more contingent upon the employment of cleansing agents.

One other discernible variation is the intended surfaces. Soft washes are meant for more sensitive objects, like windows, furniture, screens, and lighter exterior siding materials, such as vinyl and wood.

Pressure washing should be performed only on surfaces capable of withstanding the associated pressure load. Such destinations include heavy materials like stone or concrete.

Do-It-Yourself?

Many home or property owners wonder if soft or pressure washing can be a do-it-yourself endeavor. While soft washing can certainly be performed without professional assistance, industry professionals caution against undertaking pressure washing with care.

The pressure exuded during such efforts is intense and could be injurious for individuals not versed in the skill. 

Having a clean home can help to ensure that you minimize your risk for colds, flu, and coronavirus. There are many different steps you can take to ensure that the home is clean and healthy.

1. Regular Cleaning

Cleaning your home regularly should be a top priority. You should clean your home thoroughly every week, and you should create a schedule to make sure that you do not miss anything. Ensure that you wipe down walls, mop floors, and dust to ensure that there are no germs around. Use a sanitizing spray at least once a week to ensure that you cut down on germ and bacteria growth. Regular carpet cleaning is a must to reduce dirt dust and odors in your home. Click here to learn more. 

2. Air Duct Cleaning

Over time, your air ducts can become full of dust and debris. This can clog your ductwork, and you could be breathing in all these particles. If you see a lot of dust build up in your home and find yourself dusting frequently, this may be a sign that your ducts need to be cleaned. If this is the case, you will want to call your local air duct cleaning company to clean your ducts. Cleaning the ducts will help to ensure that the air you are breathing in your home is clean. 

3. Adding a UV Light

Another great way to ensure that your home is healthy and fresh is to have a UV light installed in your HVAC system. UV lights come on and kill any germs or bacteria in your air. This is great to ensure that the air is completely clean. UV lights can kill almost anything, including the coronavirus. Having one installed is affordable and will do wonders for the health of your family.

4. Getting an Air Purifier

If you want to make sure that the air is fresh and healthy, you should consider purchasing an air purifier. Air purifiers have filters that will trap bacteria, allergens, and mold. The air purifier not only scrubs the air clean but also helps to eliminate any odors that may be lurking in your home. There are many options when it comes to air purifiers. You can get a whole-house air purifier, or you can get small purifiers for each room.

With just these few steps, you can ensure that the air in your home is clean and healthy. When the air in your home is clean and healthy, so is your home. Just remember to do all that you can to minimize allergens and bacteria from coming into your home.

In order to have a healthy environment for you and your family to live in, you must clean your home. If you want your home to be as clean as possible, you need to use eco-friendly cleaning techniques. Here are five eco-friendly cleaning tips.

Make Your Own Cleaners

You don’t need to purchase cleaners from the store in order to thoroughly clean your home. You can actually make your own cleaners fairly easily. If you want to make an all-purpose cleaner, you need to mix four tablespoons of vinegar and two tablespoons of borax with 3 cups of very hot water. You can put this mixture in a spray bottle to clean your counters or cabinets. If you are wanting to make a window cleaner, you simply need to mix one part vinegar with one part water.

Read Ingredients On Products That You Use

If you already have store-bought cleaners on hand that you want to use, you really should read the ingredients first. Even if the label says it’s safe to use, you might find that it isn’t green or eco-friendly. This is why you need to read the ingredients on the packaging of the products. If you come across any ingredient that you aren’t familiar with, you can simply search online to find out if it’s safe. If you find that the product isn’t eco-friendly, you are better off not using it.

Freshen up Your Carpet With Baking Soda

It’s not uncommon for carpets to develop an odor, and they may need to be freshened up. Fortunately, you don’t have to turn to harmful chemicals to do this. Baking soda can get rid of odors that are being emitted from your carpet. Just sprinkle a few tablespoons on it, let it sit for several minutes, and vacuum your carpet.

The Power of Steam 

Steam cleaning is a completely non-toxic and powerful method. Steam breaks up everything from baked-on food on kitchen surfaces, to mold and mildew in bathrooms. There are several steam-cleaning machines on the market that make this easy to do yourself. If you employ professional cleaners, be sure that they use steam cleaning methods for disinfecting and sanitizing rather than harsh chemicals. Steam carpet cleaning is the preferred method for many companies.

Use Natural Items To Freshen The Air

Your house may not smell as good as you’d like it. Don’t use an air freshener to add a fragrance to your home. Turn to natural items. Boil orange peels, cinnamon sticks, or cloves. You could also try baking a cake or cookies in order to create a sweet aroma in the air. If you like foliage, consider adding some indoor plants that emit an odor like Peace Lilies.

Don’t Bring Toxins Inside With You

You can have an eco-friendly home by not bringing toxins inside with you. Leave your shoes by the front door. They can track in dirt, animal feces, and basically anything that you have walked on throughout the day. Change your clothes as soon as you get home, and place them in the washing machine. They can be filled with things like bacteria and germs.

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Cleaning and maintaining a dirt-free space is a necessity for healthy home living. But, many people either do not have the time or energy to do this work themselves. This leaves a great market for entrepreneurs looking to start a profitable cleaning service. Whether you’re offering maid and janitorial services, carpet cleaning or just don’t mind getting your hands dirty, here are five tips to starting a new cleaning business.

Make sure you have the necessary funding

Luckily, there is little experience required in starting a cleaning business. All you need is determination and a little patience. Still, you need to decide how you want to finance your new business to ideally keep startup costs low and debt at a minimum. Though it depends on how big you want your service to be, common budgetary items include buying cleaning supplies in bulk and securing transportation. There may also be necessary business permits or licenses required to operate your specific service for a public market. Make sure you do your research ahead of time to see if your service falls into this category.

Target the right audience

The competition in the cleaning service industry can be strong. With so many businesses providing services, understanding your target audience and what they want is crucial. If you don’t have adequate transportation at the start to carry supplies, creating a circle of clients within walking distance will be key. Though it’s important to get clients, you should also be selective in the jobs you take. Quality over quantity!

Register your business

Once you begin making over a few hundred dollars a month, you may want to consider registering your business to begin reporting income to the IRS. There are many ways to structure your business, including becoming a sole proprietor, an LLC or a partnership. If you are working with corporate clients, it’s also necessary to have all proper tax documentation on hand if asked for.

Give each job a personal touch

Regardless of what kind of service you’re offering, clean like you’re cleaning your own living room or office space. Clients will also appreciate a service that goes the extra mile, whether that’s putting a little more TLC into the bathrooms or leaving a personalized card to call for the next cleaning.Check out http://brevardtilecleaning.com/.

Establish your brand

Though advertising through flyers, the internet and other channels of communication can be beneficial, word of mouth marketing remains key, especially in the cleaning service industry. Satisfied clients will be more than happy to sing your praises to friends, so consider asking them to write a review. The worst they could say is no!

Allergies can precipitate numerous untoward symptoms and make an individual’s day-to-day life uncomfortable. In many instances, these bothersome ailments are caused by particles like dirt, dust, pollen, pet dander and other air pollutants. Fortunately, however, those afflicted with these maladies might be able to reduce incidents or overcome them by executing the following changes and practicing these relatively simple do-it-yourself cleaning methods:

Vacuum Frequently

Healthcare professionals recommend that everyone, especially allergy sufferers vacuum their homes at least twice per week. That said, the homeowner in question is strongly encouraged to use an apparatus equipped with a High-Efficiency Particulate Air, or HEPA filter. These products possess the capacity to collect even the tiniest dirt or dust particles and prevent said substances from re-circulating into surrounding air.

Promptly Eliminate Mold

Mold is a potentially dangerous substance that forms in places prone to excessive moisture, such as bathrooms, basements and attics. Homeowners with allergies are urged to have less frequented spaces like attics and basements examined for leaks and make execute immediate remediation is such issues are detected. Moreover, said subjects are advised to routinely clean bathroom tiles and components. Furthermore, they should periodically but thoroughly wash shower curtain.

Limit Clutter

Increased clutter, such as boxes, piles of papers and books stacked atop tables and desks provides additional venues for particles like dirt and dust to gather.

Never Air Dry Laundry

Individuals who do not own a clothes dryer and strongly urged to bring said articles to a laundromat. When clothing is air-dried, said items are liable to collect large quantities of dirt, dust, pollen and other allergens capable of circulating in the open air.

Consider Throwing Out Carpeting

Individuals stricken with allergies are encouraged to consider getting rid of their home’s carpeting. Rugs are a breeding ground for dirt, dust and many other irritants. Should finances permit, said subjects are urged to replace rugs with hardwood floors. Alternatively, you can have your carpets professionally cleaned.

A Kansas City, MO carpet cleaner can help to thoroughly remove allergens.

Run Air Conditioner During The Summer

Opening the windows and allowing fresh air to enter one’s home is a solid way to save money. However, this practice can prove detrimental to allergy sufferers because said action allows various air pollutants to enter. Operating the air conditioner not only provides significant cooling but eliminates associated humidity and prevents irritants from penetrating the air.

Avoid Using Scented Cleaners

Cleansing products with scented fragrances should not be used by persons with allergies. Though aromatic, such substances have been known to trigger untoward allergy symptoms.

If you’ve got an oriental rug that’s lost some of its luster, chances are that it’s just picked up a lot of dirt and dust over the years. Cleaning it is sure to restore some of its former vitality. The easiest way to do it is by taking it to a rug cleaner who uses giant machines to extract the dirt, and a centrifuge to extract the water. Alternatively, you could hire an oriental rug cleaning service to come to your location. But it’s not necessary to go through that expense when you can easily clean it at home.

Equipping yourself for this job is easy. You’ll need some dish soap and a bucket, a squeegee, and a rug beater. If you don’t have a rug beater, there are several other things you can use, such as a wooden spoon, a whisk, or a baseball bat. You are going to be beating it, after all!

First, take the rug outside where giant plumes of dust aren’t going to bother anybody; and for the sake of your own breathing, try to use a simple painter’s mask like you’ll find at Home Deport or any auto part store. Hang the rug up on a clothesline, a fence, or if you see a good one, a heavy branch (hopefully as horizontal a branch as you can find).

With the rug hanging at equal lengths on either side, use your rug beater or substitute and hit it with flat strokes evenly over the entire thing. Do this on both sides. If it’s been a while since you’ve done this – and it’s likely to be, as it only needs to be done once a year – be prepared to stand back and avoid getting the dust in your eyes. You’re likely to create a massive cloud of dirt. Shake it from about halfway up the rug, and again from near the top. This will release any remaining dirt and dust that settled back on to it. In some cases you may have to beat it again.

Next, sponge it off with very soapy water on both sides. This will take some time, but you want to make sure both sides are soaked right through. Now spray it with a garden hose, being sure you don’t stop until the water runs clear. Then squeegee it until all excess water is removed. You don’t want to leave any water in the fibers, or you’ll create mold on the underside when you lay it back down.

Now, you’ll need to let it dry. Depending on how large your rug is, and how thick, this can take an entire day of hanging in the sunlight.

Caring for your oriental rug once it’s back inside and in place will help maintain the color of the rug and minimize its wear. Rotate the rug every couple of months, and in the case of rugs with a lot of fringe on the ends, flip it. This will keep the fringe from getting knotted and minimize wear. Direct sunlight over an extended period of time can fade the colors, so keep the sun off of it whenever possible. Changing the room around so traffic is directed to keep people off the rug will help it to wear more evenly.