What to Look for in a Maid Service
Garcia Green Cleaners is very confident in its maid service. We are a good company with good cleaners. If you choose us, you won’t have to worry about receiving a good cleaning for a good value. However, what should you look for in a maid service? Here we give you some things to contemplate.
Are the maids bonded and insured?
You want to make sure that the maids have had a background check and, if something goes awry, you will be compensated. You want them to be insured in case they break something or get hurt in your home. That way you won’t have to use your homeowner’s insurance.
What types of services do you provide?
Some maid services don’t do windows or laundry. You should know that up front. Garcia Green Cleaners does indoor windows and laundry for an added fee. We put that on our web site at www.garciagreencleaners.com. Please contact us for services offered and to get a quick quote.
What are my payment options?
You should know if you are allowed to pay with cash or check or if you must use a credit card. Garcia Green Cleaners prefers credit card payments. We don’t charge you until the service is complete. Checks are accepted but for services that are under $100. Cash is accepted and it goes directly to the maid. Tips are also appreciated by our maids, but they are not mandatory.
Do the maids have their own supplies or will they be using mine?
Our maids have top of the line supplies like Method hardwood cleaner and Meyers glass cleaner. We use Dyson vacuum cleaners, and also soft head mops. You can also request for the maid to use your products by providing them yourself. We are happy to work with your products if that’s your preference. We do charge a $5 materials fee per maid so, if you’re using your own supplies, call the office at 512-705-2812 to see if you can get that waived. It shouldn’t be a problem.
Are your maids punctual and professional?
Yes, our maids are punctual and professional. They are on time and ready to work. They will leave your house very clean. Remember, the first one to two appointments should be longer than subsequent appointments because they’ll be more thoroughly cleaning your home. If you are not satisfied, remember that we offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
We hope that these questions have helped you decide to choose Garcia Green Cleaners as your maid service. We’d love to help you keep your home clean.
How do I Clean a Toilet?
In this article, we’ll teach you how to clean the toilet. No one likes to clean toilets, but it’s necessary. A clean toilet doesn’t smell bad and it prevents bacteria from spreading. To correctly clean the toilet you’ll need both a toilet cleaner and a disinfectant. In fact, we recommend the following materials:
- Gloves,
- Toilet brush,
- Toilet bowl cleaner,
- And disinfectant spray.
First, you should take everything on the toilet off. If you have pictures or books or tissue boxes on the top, take them off so you can clean the toilet. You can clean these items later before you put them back on. Keep them somewhere safe where they won’t get sprayed with the toilet cleaner and disinfectant or water while you’re cleaning the toilet.
Take the clean gloves and put them on. We suggest that you use a dedicated pair of gloves for the job. You don’t want the bacteria from the toilet being spread to other household cleaning tasks. If you must, buy your toilet-cleaning gloves in a different color than your other rubber gloves so they don’t get confused.
Next, you should wipe down the toilet with a damp sponge. Give it a once-over with hot water. You should wet with water and wipe around the tank, lid, seat, base and exterior of the bowl. This might be enough to remove the dirt without specialty cleaning products. If not, you can clean with a disinfectant or toilet bowl cleaner later on.
Now you can apply with a toilet cleaner to the inside of the bowl. Toilet cleaners help eliminate stains, rings and mineral deposits in your toilet. Squirt the cleaner on the inside rim of the toilet bowl, allowing it to drip down the sides of the bowl and in the water. Read the instructions on the cleaner because some cleaners require time to sit for maximum cleaning effect. If so, take a short break and then continue.
It’s time to scrub the bowl with a toilet brush. You should use a brush with firm bristles. Scrub the bowl thoroughly and pay attention to any mineral stains that have accumulated at water level or the back of the bowl. The more thoroughly and firmly you scrub the bowl, the cleaner it will get. To get the most out of your toilet bowl cleaner, dip the brush in the toilet water and grab some suds to clean the bowl. It will give you extra cleaning power.
Once the bowl is scrubbed and clean, you should flush. This rinses the bowl. You should continue to scrub as water drains from the toilet because the motion of the water alone might not be enough to rinse the dirt away. If you have persistent stains, repeat the process of applying toilet cleaner through rinsing the bowl. Do it as many times as you need to to clean the toilet bowl.
Now that the bowl is clean, you can clean the rest of the apparatus with disinfectant. Clean the bottom, the top and all around the toilet. Don’t forget the handle because it has bacteria on it too. Once it’s sparkling, wipe up the residue with a dry cloth and then you’re done.
All you need to do is clean the items that were on the toilet before you started cleaning and then put them back where they belong.
If you need help cleaning your toilet or don’t feel like doing it yourself, Garcia Green Cleaners can help. Give us a call in Austin at 512-705-2812. We’re happy to take care of this for you!
How do I Clean an Oven?
Most people neglect to clean their oven. At Garcia Green Cleaners, we can clean ovens for you. However, we feel that we should pass the process along to you so you know what to do in case you wish to do it yourself. There are three things you should know before you clean an oven.
- Does the oven have a self-cleaning feature?
- Is the oven an electric range or gas range?
- Which of the oven parts are removable?
Clean the stove top first.
Use a proper cleaning agent to clean the burners and stove top. Scrub everything down. If you have removable burner trays, put them in the sink for a little bit with some soapy water. After about twenty minutes, rinse them off and scrub them with a sponge to get all the little bits of food and other debris off of them. Place them back on your cleaned stove top and get ready for the next step.
Remove oven racks on the inside and clean them.
You will remove the oven racks and put them in a sink full of warm, soapy water. Let it sit in the soapy water for twenty minutes or longer if you can manage it. This will loosen up the grease and caked on dirt. After the twenty minutes is up, take a sponge or dish washing apparatus and scrub any remaining residue. Rinse them off with warm water and dry them with a paper towels.
Clean the inside of the oven.
Cleaning the inside of the oven is not hard. You can probably finish the bulk of it while your oven racks are soaking.
If the oven is self-cleaning, lock the oven door and select the option for “clean”. Let the oven go through the cleaning cycle. It will set itself to a very high temperature to ‘bake’ all the food and debris. When done, all you need to do is pick up the ash that’s left and wipe down with a damp cloth. Be careful not to streak the oven’s insides.
If your oven is not self-cleaning, then you’ve got yourself and a can of oven cleaner. Remove any loose crumbs using a cloth or paper towel. Wipe the crumbs into a garbage can or dust pan to save yourself extra cleaning later. Spray the oven with oven cleaner and follow the directions on the can.
If you don’t use an oven cleaner, you can use ammonia. Pour two cups in a bowl and place a rag or sponge in the bowl. Apply the ammonia to any rough spots on the side or the bottom. Let it sit for about 30 minutes. Then, wipe out the rest of the oven with water. Make sure the ammonia is rinsed out thoroughly; otherwise, your oven will smell like ammonia the next time you use it.
Clean the outside of the oven.
Use an all-purpose kitchen cleaner and a rag or paper towel to clean the outside of the oven. It’s a good idea to clean the window or any glass parts with a glass cleaner. This will avoid streaks.
That’s it. You’re done. Your oven is cleaned. If you’d prefer that we do it for you, certainly ask for the service when you set up your appointment. It costs extra, but it is well worth your time. We can be reached in Austin at 512-705-2812.