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3-Step Kitchen Countertop Cleaning Guide

by: Jamie | December 29, 2022

You can’t cut corners when cleaning and disinfecting the kitchen. Every part of the room needs to be addressed, especially the countertops. However, this is often easier said than done because not all countertops are made of the same materials. This means you need to use appropriate techniques to preserve the finish.

Your go-to Holly Springs, NC, maid services will help you do just that. Keep reading for a comprehensive 3-step guide to cleaning kitchen countertops!

How do I clean and disinfect my countertops?

Like scouring your fridge using the right technique and getting rid of stains on your oven, scrubbing your countertops is an essential kitchen chore. It contributes to the overall cleanliness and can take the look of the room to a whole new level.

The key to cleaning and disinfecting your countertops properly is to use a suitable method. The process involves three steps with some variation, depending on the material:

Step 1 – Clean

The first step is to remove light dirt from your countertops. Here’s what you can do for some of the most popular materials:

Laminate – Apply a mild liquid detergent and water with a cotton cloth. Don’t use harsh products based on acids, steel wool, and scouring pads.
Stone – Wash your engineered stone countertop with water and mild soap.
Stainless steel – Wipe stainless steel countertops with water and soap. Buff the surface with microfiber towels and cleaners specifically designed for your product. Also, avoid steel wool and scrubbing pads because they can leave scratches.
Granite and marble – Combine mild dish soap and water into a spray bottle and shake it. Apply the mixture to the surface and clean using a microfiber towel. Again, acidic and abrasive cleaners are a no-go.

Step 2 – Remove stains

Now’s the time to get rid of stubborn stains on your countertops:

Laminate – Pour some water into a bowl and add baking soda. Stir the ingredients to form a paste and apply it to stains. Let the mixture rest for about 5 minutes and rinse using a microfiber cloth. Avoid scrubbing because baking soda is mildly abrasive. Repeat the process if necessary.
Stone – You can handle most stains on stone countertops with water and soap. For more stubborn stains, apply some glass cleaner with a non-abrasive sponge.
Stainless steel – Contrary to popular belief, stainless steel attracts lots of stains. To remove them, apply a mixture of baking soda and dish soap to the stains. Rub them with a microfiber cloth until they’re gone.
Granite and marble – You can combat stains on granite and marble countertops with hydrogen peroxide and baking soda if the stains are water-based. Oil-based stains should be addressed with water and baking soda. Apply your paste, cover it with some plastic wrap, tape the edges, and let the mixture sit for a couple of days before rinsing.

Step 3 – Disinfect

Many people disinfect their countertops with bleach and even mix it with other cleaning products, which can be a major mistake. The substance is highly abrasive and can damage most materials. Rubbing (isopropyl) alcohol is a much safer option:

Combine equal amounts of rubbing alcohol and water into a spray bottle.
Dampen the countertop with a moist rag.
Wipe your counter with the alcohol solution.
Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes and clean with a damp cloth.
Allow the countertop to air dry.

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Even if your countertops are forgiving, achieving the perfect finish can take a lot of time. Once you’re done, you might be too tired to enjoy the fresh air at Bass Lake Park. But what if you could have impeccable countertops without wearing yourself down? That’s where Dust and Mop comes in.

Reach out to us, and we can make light work of your countertops. We’ll go above and beyond to restore their old sheen before proceeding to scrub and make your kitchen cabinets shine. Our hard-working maids are here for you. Book today for in-depth cleaning!

How to Keep Your Kitchen Cabinets Spotless

by: Jamie | December 29, 2022

You may often hire trustworthy maid services in Holly Springs, NC, to clean your living room and bathroom. After all, this is where you and your visitors spend most of the time. However, you can’t ignore the kitchen if you’re concerned about the look of your place. Each part of the room can make or break the appearance of your home, but the cabinets require the most attention.

If you’re struggling to deal with dust and dirt on your kitchen cabinets, you’ve come to the right place. We’ll give you a few tips to make the job a lot easier.

How do you get grease and grime off wood cabinets?

Cleaning your cabinets is just as important as other kitchen chores. This includes making your fridge look good as new and tackling stubborn stains on the oven. But what’s the secret to getting a spotless finish?

There are a few ways to get impeccable kitchen cabinets. Since most people have wooden units, let’s see how you can rid products of this material from grease and grime:

General cleaning

If you’re looking for a natural way to clean your cabinets, you can use vinegar:

Combine equal amounts of warm water and vinegar in a spray bottle.
Apply the solution to your cabinets.
Let the mixture rest for 2-3 minutes and wipe the cabinets with a microfiber cloth.
If the cabinets are extra grimy, repeat the process but add a couple of drops of dishwashing detergent into your vinegar solution.

Another option is to use olive oil and white vinegar:

Find a 16-oz spray bottle.
Pour 4 tablespoons of white vinegar, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and add water to fill your bottle (around 2 cups).
Shake the bottle to mix the ingredients.
Spray the solution onto your cabinets and let the mixture sit for a couple of minutes. Shake the bottle before each spray to make sure the oil is mixed in.
Scrub the cabinets with s microfiber cloth to get rid of dirt.
Buff the surfaces to make them shine

Deep cleaning

You can again use vinegar to give your cabinets a deep cleaning. However, you’ll need to combine it with something more potent than olive oil. Here’s a great technique:

Combine salt and vinegar into a paste.
Dip an old toothbrush into your paste and gently scrub the cabinets. Scrubbing too hard may scratch the wood.
Rinse your paste with water and dry the elements using a clean towel.
If this doesn’t do the trick, put some baking soda onto a damp sponge and clean the stains. Apply it with a soft toothbrush to avoid scratching the surface.

Once you’re done cleaning, you can protect the cabinets from stains by buffing them with a mixture of vinegar and oil in equal amounts. Rub the solution into the cabinets with a soft cloth and buff until shiny.

What is the best cleaner for kitchen cabinets?

Kitchen cabinets are relatively forgiving, but you can’t use just about any cleaner. Here are the safest and most effective options:

Regular vinegar
Distilled white vinegar
Olive oil
Baking soda

What’s the most effective way to shine your kitchen cabinets? Schedule top-quality maid services in Holly Springs, NC!

Even if you’re a detail-oriented Holly Springs homeowner, finding the right approach to cleaning kitchen cabinets can be hard. Different materials require different methods. Mastering them takes time, which you’d rather spend watching your kid’s soccer game at Parrish Womble Park.

Thankfully, there’s no need to rack your brains – reach out to Dust and Mop. Our highly accomplished professionals can thoroughly clean your entire kitchen, not just the cabinets. They can remove dirt from your marble and stone countertops, scrub the fridge, and do a lot more to breathe new life into the room. Give us a call today to witness our expertise and commitment!

How to Clean Up an Oven Like a Pro

by: Jamie | December 2, 2022

You rely on your oven every day to help you cook delicious food. Besides being one of the most useful appliances, it can also collect piles of grease and dirt. You often hire Holly Springs, NC, house cleaning services to take care of the mess, which is a great decision. After all, even the most skilled homeowner can’t clean the appliance as well as the professionals can.

But what if you needed some DIY tips to clean your oven in an emergency? If so, you’ve come to the right place. We’ll discuss the most efficient way to scrub your oven when you’re not a professional cleaner – keep reading!

What is the best way to clean the inside of an oven?

Like with any other kitchen chore (e.g., dealing with the mess inside and outside your fridge), you need to be thorough when cleaning the oven. Here are a few tips to point you in the right direction:

Take proper safety measures

You should first make sure you don’t get injured when cleaning your oven. To do so, turn off the appliance and wait for it to cool down.

Mix a DIY cleaning solution using water and baking soda

There are many commercial products that are purpose-made for oven cleaning, but some of them are expensive. Others don’t do nearly as good of a job as advertised. Luckily, you can stick to natural homemade cleaners, such as baking soda and water.

Combine half a cup of baking soda and a couple of tablespoons of water in a bowl. Stir with a spoon until you form a paste. You can replace baking soda with ammonia to produce the same effect. It’s just as effective, if not more effective, than sodium bicarbonate.

Cover the appliance in your paste

Put on rubber gloves and dip your fingers into the bowl with baking soda. Take a generous amount and spread the paste all over the inside of the oven. Apply more mixture on grimy sections. If your paste turns brownish, that’s completely normal.

Don’t forget to apply the paste to your glass door too. It might have heavy grease build-up due to all the food preparation.

Let your paste sit overnight

Allow your baking soda combination to rest in the oven for about 12 hours. Additionally, take out the racks and dip them in soapy water. You can also let them sit overnight.

Wipe down your oven and spray some vinegar

After your oven has soaked in the paste for about 12 hours, wipe down the inside with a moist dish cloth. You can use a spatula to scrape off the dried paste in hard-to-reach areas.

Afterward, pour white vinegar into your spray bottle. Spritz the substance inside the oven to get a sparkling finish. And don’t be alarmed when the baking soda reacts with your vinegar. It’ll foam up, which is perfectly normal.

Give it another wipe-down

Perform one last wipe-down inside your oven with a moist cloth, making sure to get every corner and get rid of any lingering baking soda. If necessary, spray some more white vinegar and wipe until the appliance is shining.

Return the racks

Once your interior is clean and dry, wipe down your oven racks with a clean cloth. Dry them and place them inside the oven.

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Deep-cleaning your oven can be a hassle, especially if you’re busy or want to enjoy a leisurely walk by the Leslie-Alford-Mims House. You can avoid getting your hands dirty by booking Dust and Mop – the finest cleaning professionals in Holly Springs.

Reach out to us, and we’ll scrub your oven quickly and efficiently. We can also clean stubborn stains from your kitchen cabinets and shine them before scouring your countertops, regardless of the material they’re made of. We guarantee an impeccable kitchen. Book our qualified cleaners today!

Quick 7-Step Fridge Cleaning Guide

by: Jamie | December 2, 2022

The kitchen is one of the most beautiful parts of your home. However, it can also accumulate a ton of grease due to all the food preparation. The fridge is especially notorious for collecting dirt, and you often need house cleaning services in Holly Springs, NC, to deal with the mess.

But what if you decided to tackle it on your own? We’ll help you do so correctly. Read on, and you’ll find out the 7 steps to cleaning your fridge properly.

How do you deep clean a refrigerator?

You can clean your kitchen elements in any order. For instance, let’s say you’ve removed stains and grease from your oven. You now want to move onto your fridge. Here’s how to deep clean this appliance:

1. Ensure safety

Before you start cleaning, make sure your circuit breaker or fuse leading to the socket is switched off. Unplug the fridge to ensure safety whenever you use water around your fridge. You should also place a towel on the floor to absorb any spills, especially if it’s made of wood.

2. Remove food

Cleaning a fridge works like cleaning any other surface or room – you can’t do anything if there’s clutter. In this case, the clutter is the items inside the fridge. So, remove food and place it in a cooler while you scrub the appliance.

3. Wipe the interior

Use the following method to wipe the inside of your refrigerator:

Slide out bins and shelves.
Clean the interior of your appliance with a mixture that consists of one-quart water and two tablespoons of baking soda.
Rinse using a moist cloth and dry the surfaces using your towel.
Soak any removable section with the same baking soda mixture.
Scrub vigorously to remove stains.
Rinse and dry.

4. Clean the drip pan

Remove your base grill and locate your drip pan. If there’s water, use paper towels to mop it. Extract and wash your pan with soapy water. If the pan is fixed, put a cloth on a long brush, dampen it with soap and water, and clean the item.

5. Dust the coils

To make sure your unit runs efficiently, clean your condenser coils with a crevice attachment on the vacuum or coil brush. You should do this at least once every six months.

6. Replace the items inside

Wipe down the tops of lids and other elements to get rid of anything sticky before putting them back inside. Seafood, meat, and similar items should be placed on the bottom so that any spills don’t spread. You can also put a paper towel under liquids and in drawers to keep the appliance extra clean and free from condensation. Baking soda can absorb odors too.

7. Scour the exterior

Once you’ve taken care of the inside, you should now wipe the fridge doors using water, mild soap, and a cloth. Pay special attention to the area around your handles since they often have fingerprints. If you have a stainless steel exterior, apply a commercial spray solution and follow the direction of your grain when wiping. Finally, dry to avoid streaks.

How do you get a spick-and-span kitchen? You hire the leading house cleaning services in Holly Springs, NC!

Cleaning the refrigerator is just one step to getting a spotless kitchen in your Holly Springs home. You also need to make your cabinets look good as new and scrub your granite, marble, or stone countertops to perfection. These chores can be fun, but they can also be time-consuming.

Fortunately, you can outsource them to Dust and Mop. Let us scour your kitchen and other parts of your abode while you go to a baseball game at Ting Stadium. The results will amaze you! Schedule our top-rated services today!

3 Essential Do’s and Don’ts of Deep Cleaning

by: Jamie | October 31, 2022

You probably rely on top-rated Charlotte, NC, maid services to clean your place on a regular basis. They may dust carpets, wipe tables, and perform other tasks, but you should also consider giving your house a deep cleaning treatment. Many homeowners fail to do it correctly, but we’ll help you avoid the same mistakes.

In the following article, professionals will give you valuable tips an the three most important do’s and don’ts of deep cleaning – keep reading!

What are the do’s and don’ts of deep cleaning?

Deep cleaning can be performed in any room. Whether scouring your attic from top to bottom or decluttering and scrubbing your messy garage, you need to take the right approach. The following do’s and don’ts will put you on the right track:

Do #1 – Declutter before cleaning

Decluttering sets the stage for effective deep cleaning. You want to remove any clutter that can get in the way of your broom or mop. If necessary, put it on your couch or bed for the time being to speed up the work. You’ll be able to access hard-to-reach areas more efficiently and increase your motivation.

Don’t #1 – Don’t do the ceiling last

Some homeowners start the deep cleaning process from the ceiling. However, this is a significant mistake. If you clean your floor first and the ceiling last, all the dust from the top falls to the ground. As a result, you need to repeat the process.

The easiest way to avoid this is to start from your ceiling. Afterward, move onto your ceiling trim, light fixtures, walls, baseboards, and floors.

Do #2 – Do deep clean your windows correctly

Here’s how you can deep clean windows properly:

Vacuum the tracks and sills. If possible, use a device with a HEPA filter to lower pollution.
Apply glass cleaner to the window from top to bottom.
Let the solution rest for a few minutes.
Squeegee the cleaning product off.

Don’t #2 – Don’t forget about window treatments

Deep cleaning doesn’t just involve windows. You also need to tackle your window treatments. This typically includes laundering your curtains at an appropriate cycle and ironing them. Just make sure to fluff them inside your dryer for about 2 minutes before wiping the rings and rod.

Do #3 – Eliminate dust from all surfaces

Wipe dust from all hard surfaces:

Tabletops
Countertops
Shelves
Sofa
TV stand
Chairs

If necessary, use a safe furniture cleaner to remove stains and polish furniture with some lemon juice and white vinegar.

Don’t #3 – Don’t use brute force to move heavy furniture

Deep cleaning floors requires you to move your furniture. However, there’s no need to risk injuring yourself by using brute force. To make the job easier, put furniture slides under sofas and beds.

Then, use the crevice tool on your vacuum to remove dirt from baseboards and corners. Finally, hardwood floors should be cleaned with microfiber mops and appropriate products, depending on the surface.

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Even if you’re well-versed in cleaning, you can easily make a mistake, especially if you haven’t scoured your home in a while. This can have many unpleasant effects.

For instance, you might not know where to start, or you forget to protect yourself from dust or other hazards. You may also spend more time than planned and have to leave your Lowesville adventure for another day.

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How to Stay Safe While Cleaning

by: Jamie | October 31, 2022

Suppose you’re throwing a Thanksgiving dinner, but your house is in disarray. You forgot to hire maid services in Charlotte, NC, to clean up the place, so you need to do the work yourself. The pressure mounts, and you forget another crucial thing – wearing protective equipment. As a result, there’s a higher risk of injuries and canceling your gathering.

Fortunately, you can easily prevent this scenario. To help you do so, we’ll list the six best tips for cleaning your home safely – keep reading!

How do you protect yourself when cleaning?

Safety matters most with any chore, whether you want to rid your attic of thick dust and grime or deal with garage mess the right way. Here’s how you can avoid health hazards when cleaning your abode:

Put on some protection

Colonies upon colonies of microbes lurk behind every corner. You can easily catch them and come down with a cold. The best way to stay safe is to wear a pair of gloves.

Also, put on a mask and glasses if you’re cleaning a particularly dusty area, such as your attic.

Don’t use toxic cleaners

There are many toxic cleaners you should avoid. Primarily, steer clear of ammonia-based products because handling them properly can be tricky. Instead, use sulfite and oxygen-based detergents.

Even better, rely on mild homemade cleaners, like baking soda, soap, and vinegar. They go easy on your skin and aren’t toxic chemicals.

Do your due diligence

Allergies brought about by harsh substances force many homeowners to use common household cleaners, such as lemon, natural oils, and vinegar. However, you need to do some research before brewing a new mixture because not every combination is suitable for all surfaces.

For instance, you should use vinegar on the following surfaces:

Aluminum
Iron
Marble
Wax

Determine what other substances don’t mix with, so you can avoid them.

Read labels

When attempting to remove any type of dirt and stain, make sure you have the right product. Pay special attention to commercial products labeled “dangerous,” “warning,” and “caution.” Check the instructions to reduce the risk of unwanted reactions.

Also, keep your cleaners in their original containers.

Don’t overuse antibacterial soap on food preparation surfaces

Many people overly rely on antibacterial soaps, especially when disinfecting food preparation areas. However, overusing them can be just as dangerous as using toxic chemicals. Therefore, don’t employ them all the time.

Use antibacterial products only when preparing raw eggs, poultry, and other types of meat. Additionally, you can apply certain amounts to sanitize dishes if someone in the family is ill. Never clean your cutting board or dishes with bleach or other harsh substances.

Recruit your family

You get tired pretty quickly if you’re cleaning multiple rooms on your own. At some point, you may lose your focus due to fatigue and fall.

The solution is simple – have your family members pitch in. Assign duties appropriate to their age and skillset to breeze through chores and stay safe.

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The answer is simple – outsource the work to trained professionals at Dust and Mop. Our qualified experts leave nothing to chance, so have no doubt they’ll scour your place thoroughly without making any mistakes. Schedule your appointment today and our specialists will sweep you off your feet!

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