Cleaning the front of your house in time for summer

Now that summer has finally arrived and we’re all enjoying relaxing weekends in our well-pruned gardens, but what about the front of your house? It’s high time to clear the debris, grime and general rubbish from the front of your house to get your house looking summer ready!

 

Groom the greenery

Getting on top of your gardening at the front of your house is as important as mowing the lawn and pruning the bushes at the back. Why? Because first impressions matter, and the front of your house is the first thing both guests and passers-by will see. Go through any flowerbeds you may have in front of your house and get rid of weeds, sweep any leaves and rubbish off the stones and path and dispose of the debris correctly. If you have a hedge, you can either trim it yourself if you have the tools, or hire someone to come in and do it for you – the results will be worth it.

 

Wash the front of your house

Get the pressure washer out (you can borrow or hire one if you don’t own one yourself) and spray the front of your house, taking care not to spray the windows. This will get rid of most of the dirt that’s accumulated on the outside wall, and it may even get rid of any scribbles your house may have been ‘decorated’ with by local kids (perhaps even your own). If it doesn’t work, you can get rid of graffiti using spray paint solvent or bleach (if your house is light in colour – always try a bit of your chosen product on a small area before treating the whole stain).

 

Remove chewing gum from the paving stones

Even if you don’t chew it yourself, there are unfortunately lots of passers-by who will chew gum and then have the nasty habit of spitting it out on the street. Chewing gum can be tricky to remove, especially if it’s been there for a while, so you want to make it harden and then scrape it off. Just like when you need to remove chewing gum from clothes, you can harden the gum by holding an ice cube or an ice pack against it. If you can, leave it with ice for a bit, then scrape it off with a metal tool, like a dedicated scraper, a blunt knife or the front of a spade. If you need to remove chewing gum from clothes as well as from your front path, you can follow the tips in this article. If you’ve got chewing gum stuck in your carpet, we can help – just give us a call or send us an email and we’ll help you out.

 

After getting your front garden into great shape, you’ve only got the back garden and the house left. If you need some help getting it all done, you can get in touch with your local ServiceMaster Clean to get your spring carpet cleaning done in a jiffy!

Yorkshire specialist cleaning company grows by 50% in 30th year

A Barnsley-based specialist cleaning company has closed out its 30th year in business with 50% growth on the previous year at over £750,000 turnover, thanks to its investments in its team and a new territory.

ServiceMaster Clean Rotherham and Barnsley was launched in the spring of 1986 by fresh-faced, local teenager, Alan Sutton and his parents, Bob and Ethel Pickup. Originally run from the family home in High Green, Sheffield, 30 years on, the company employs 19 staff, including 14 trained technicians and trades across Barnsley, Rotherham, Wakefield, Huddersfield, South Bradford, Halifax and most recently, Sheffield. Alan’s stepfather Bob stepped away from the business in 1989 and Ethel Pickup retired aged 70 in 2007.

A franchisee of ServiceMaster, which is one of the largest and longest established, multi-brand franchisors in the UK, Alan’s business purchased the license to operate in Sheffield in early 2016 after it was made available for sale. The new area has added to the significant increase in turnover over the past year and resulted in bringing on a new member of staff.

Alan Sutton, managing director, ServiceMaster Clean Rotherham and Barnsley said: “I have an excellent team that we invest in heavily and they are the reason behind our most recent success.  Being part of a growing franchise network means we are able to access exceptional capabilities, including training and support when needed. I’m excited to grow this business even further.”

In 2005, the company employed part-time bookkeeper, Emma Hazeldine who quickly rose through the ranks and became company operations manager in 2010.

Emma added: “We pride ourselves on delivering the best in customer service to ensure our customers keep returning. Without customers, there would be no business so our main focus is their happiness.”

The company provides domestic and commercial carpet and upholstery cleaning, as well as fire and flood restoration cleaning services across the seven territories. In early 2016, ServiceMaster Clean Rotherham and Barnsley was called in to clean up after flooding damaged the set of the BBC’s award-winning drama, Happy Valley.

SM Barnsley at Happy Valley

ServiceMaster Clean Barnsley and Rotherham cleaning up on the set of BBC drama, Happy Valley.

SM Barnsley

The team from ServiceMaster Clean Barnsley and Rotherham.

 

 

 

Spring clean your home in 15 minutes

There’s something quite lovely about carrying out a spring clean isn’t there? No? Just us then!

It doesn’t have to be as difficult as you think and it certainly doesn’t have to take as long as you might think! With our quick tips, you could carry out a spring clean of each room in just 15 minutes! 15 minutes? You better believe it.

Ready? Grab your phone, set yourself a 15 minute timer and get going…

Declutter

It’s quite amazing how much stuff we can collect over time and it’s equally amazing how reluctant we can be to give it up. We like to go by the one year rule… if you haven’t used, worn or looked at it for a year, it needs to go. We know there are some items that you simply can’t get rid of so why not look to put them into storage for safe keeping?

Grab yourself a box or a bag and start loading your old and unwanted items into it – remember you’re on the clock here!

Dusting

Next, take a microfibre cloth and work your way around the room, top to bottom, picking up as much dirt and dust as you can. Your microfibre cloth should do the hard work for you, even better when it’s a little damp, so move quickly and wipe over all your surfaces.

Vacuuming

When you’ve finished with the microfibre cloth, pick up your vacuum and work your way around the room again. If you couldn’t reach an area with your cloth, your vacuum should have a better reach. Use all the extra tools at your disposal to pick up the hidden and hard to reach dirt.

Sofas

Regular vacuuming of your sofas should make this job even easier but with the vacuum cleaner on full power, run the crevice tool all over your suite and remove the cushions and get right down into the hard to reach areas.

With some help, lift the sofas up and run the vacuum cleaner or a microfibre cloth underneath to pick up the hidden dirt. It’s only a very quick job but cleaning underneath sofas really does help to make the room feel cleaner.

Kitchen

If you have a dishwasher, utilise its power and place everything you can inside to give them a really good clean. If you can’t wash certain items in the dishwasher, place into hot, soapy water whilst you tackle other jobs.

To tackle the fridge and any nasty stains or odours that have collated in there, grab an old toothbrush and toothpaste and get scrubbing. The chemicals in toothpaste are great for cleaning stains and marks left over time and the toothbrush allows you to reach those tricky areas. Rinse the fridge well and if odours remain, chop a lemon in half and place one half at the top and one at the bottom – they’ll soon clear up any nasty smells.

Bathrooms

Tough limescale in the bathroom may take longer than 15 minutes to remove but with pre-planning, you can clean your bathroom overnight, whilst you sleep! For showerheads and taps that are turning green, fill a bag with white vinegar and tie it tightly around the showerhead or tap and leave it overnight. In the morning, remove the bag and take a toothbrush to the stain and it should just wipe off.

If you’re struggling with mould on your bathroom grout, check out the blog on cleaning this up over at MerryMaids.co.uk

PING! The timer has gone and your home is looking and smelling beautiful. It really doesn’t take all that much time ensure your home is left looking its best this spring.

If you really can’t find the energy to spring clean the home, our teams can help.