GFWC Indiana - Cleaning & Home Improvement

Having a dog can bring joy to the whole family. They make you smile and can brighten your day to say the least. One of the downsides of having a a dog or other pet is that they may shed. Pet hair is a common problem in many homes today. Cats and dogs can leave a lot of unwanted pet hair on furniture, carpets, rugs, beds, baseboards, and really just all over the house - especially a large breed dog. Cleaning up unwanted dog hair can be an endless task. But if the whole family pitches in and you follow some dog hair cleaning tips, it can be much easier to keep up with it.

Cleaning dog hair can be done several ways. Try using the vacuum cleaner on carpets, rugs, and upholstery. Even the tops of your baseboard trim may benefit from being vacuumed off once in a while. Vacuuming on a regular basis will help with dog hair floating around the house. Be sure to vacuum your pet’s favorite spot as they can lay in it and pick up hair and then transfer it to your carpet and furniture.

Try using link rollers to quickly remove dog hair from furniture, beds, clothing, and even your vehicle. Lint rollers are great for a quick cleaning if unexpected company drops by. You certainly don’t want your guests sitting down on a couch full of dog hair. Lint rollers are cheap enough that you can keep a few of them on hand around the house. One of our favorite tips for cleaning dog hair is to get to the source of the problem. Regularly brushing your dog can greatly reduce the amount of unwanted hair around the house. A de-shedding tool can be even better. As you brush the dog, it will pull out any loose hairs so you can dispose of them.

Dry skin is a main reason why dogs will shed excessively. Keeping their skin moist by using special shampoos and conditioners will serve well. These types of products have fish oils and fatty acids in them to keep the skin moist and claim to reduce shedding. You can also give your dog supplemental fish oil for pets. This will also keep their skin moist and keep their hair from drying out and shedding as much. Follow some of these dog hair cleaning tips for your pet and get the whole family involved in cleaning up dog hair and you will see a huge improvement in unwanted pet hair. It will make having a pet that much more enjoyable.

When it comes to house cleaning, there are a lot of things you can do as a homeowner to spruce up your house. A lot of what you can do will not only increase its value, but will also make your time there more enjoyable. There is no doubt that neglect is the number one cause for run down homes and premature failure of surfaces and building materials that make up your home.

Whether you are cleaning the outside of your home or the inside, you should read up on the latest cleaning tips. House cleaning tips can make life a lot easier. Read cleaning product reviews and all sorts of tips and tricks to get out stains, take care of pet odors, clean windows, and even wash your vinyl siding. There is so much information on the Internet these days, that there really is no reason for anyone not to be able to clean certain parts of their home.

House cleaning on your own following current cleaning tips is a lot easier. You may also find tips on hiring a maid service or a pressure washing company. Follow these tips to help you in deciding what cleaning company to hire. You can find out the right questions to ask contractors and all sorts of helpful tidbits of information that will protect you and your home.

Keeping your home and property clean inside and out will prove to be a good investment down the road. It increases your home’s curb appeal and reflects your image. Cleaning is maintaining and keeping up with maintenance is good insurance against having to replace things prematurely. Be smart and find some good house cleaning tips and stay up with the maintenance on your home and you’ll be a step ahead.

With spring rolling closer it is time again to think about having your house washed. In most parts of the country a house should be washed every one to two years depending on  the situation. Homes in areas of high traffic or surrounded by trees might need washed more often than homes in different locations. Homes in more southern areas will suffer from mold and mildew more often than homes in northern states.

Inspect your home looking for indications that it may be time for a house wash. Most commonly, mildew will be the first problem to occur. Mildew shows up on vinyl siding and other surfaces in the form of small light black blotches about an 1/8″ diameter in size. It will first start appearing where there is a lack of sun - namely on the bottom side of the gutters and/or the first couple rows of vinyl siding just underneath the overhang area. Covered porches and patios will also gather mildew on the siding that is shaded or even on the porch railings, posts, and columns.

Another issue sometimes appearing on its own or with mildew is algae. Most people refer to it as mold but it is actually green algae. Regardless of what you want to call it, it appears as green streaks or blotches that will normally first start appearing on the north facing side of your home. This side is shaded the most and provides more moisture for the algae to thrive. Not only does the green house algae take away from the appearance of your home, it can get in behind the siding and begin to cause other issues. It is best to have it killed and cleaned by a professional house cleaner.

Look for professional house washing companies that use contractor grade cleaners and use low pressure methods so your vinyl siding is not damaged. Call early in the year - just before spring - to get an estimate and to get on the schedule early in order to beat the spring rush. Most professional exterior cleaning contractors are the busiest during the first couple of months in the spring. Call early and get scheduled to avoid getting caught behind several weeks worth of booked jobs.

If you find a contractor during the spring that is not very busy - meaning he can get to you almost immediately - it may be worth looking into as to why they are not busy. It may be they just have a few crews running and are very efficient but to be safe always research a cleaning company in full before hiring them.

Inspect your home for potential problem areas and get on the schedule early this spring to have your house washed. This will ensure you get it done before you start getting busy and caught up in all the other things you have going on this spring and summer. Having your home washed will increase its curb appeal and value and can certainly be one of the best bangs for your buck when it comes to home improvement.

As fall is well upon us the mornings are cooler and it seems that it takes forever for it to warm up outside especially in the more northern states. As colder air is only a month or so away people are rushing to get their homes cleaned before it is too late. One thing some pressure washing companies market is that they use hot water. On cooler days warming up the water a little can be very beneficial. It helps the chemicals work better and cleans more efficiently but there is some risk involved that you should be aware of.

Vinyl siding is meant to expand and contract with temperature changes. Ask any vinyl siding installer and he’ll agree. This is why vinyl siding is not nailed tight when it is installed, it is actually “hung” on the house instead of tacked or nailed. The nails are left out an 1/8 inch or so to allow for movement. This is also why there are long slots for the nail holes, again to allow for movement and flexibility. With that in mind, there can be a bit of a risk of warping the siding on a cold day if you wash it with extremely hot water. It may not look as bad as siding that has been overheated by having your gas grill too close to it, but it can definitely warp the siding to where it does not lock into place correctly or tends to sag a bit.

Unfortunately, too many contractors depend on their hot water and are uneducated about the risk involved. I have actually witnessed a vinyl sided home being washed with super hot water in the middle of January in northern Indiana. Steam was flying everywhere as this fly by night company was going to town melting ice and cleaning mold off the siding. This is not something you want to have done on your home. Even cooler days in the 50’s or 60’s can warrant risk if the contractor is not careful. At best the water should be heated up a little bit just to aid in warming the surface a little and helping the chemicals. Normally around 80-100 degrees is more than efficient when it is cool outside. The water is that temperature coming out of the gun and will be even a little cooler before it hits the siding.

Some hot water washers will go up to 300 degrees or more and it only takes one time for one unethical contractor to mess up your siding, hopefully they are insured for your sake. This is not to say a home cannot be washed during cooler months, but simply that care needs to be taken and if hot water is going to be used it should be just slightly warm and that’s it. Ask your contractor this time of year if he is going to use hot water and just how hot he plans on making it. Let them know you are aware of the risks and that you just want the water warmed up a bit and that’s all. If he is using the right house washing soaps like he should be, then he will not need super hot water to clean vinyl siding.

We all know how important it is to maintain our home’s exterior. Neglect can lead to costly premature repairs and renovations of the building materials that make up our home. Dirt, mildew, mold, and algae can decay and rot building materials. Regular cleaning will stop the damaging effects of these contaminants and save you money in the long run. This alone is a well enough reason to invest in regular house cleaning maintenance.

Besides the savings on costly future repairs, house cleaning will also improve the curb appeal of your home and property which will directly increase the value of your home. It is a fact that improved curb appeal will increase value, this makes house cleaning and other pressure washing services well worth the investment. It has said that a better first impression of your home can add as much as 5 to 10 percent of value to the home.

For those planning on putting their home on the market, house cleaning and pressure washing services can set your home apart from the competition (other homes for sale). The cleaning investment could be the reason your home sells before another home. Not cleaning up the exterior of the home can lead to lesser offers on the home and can even create deal breakers. Let’s say for example that your roof has black streaks on it and you neglect to have it low pressure cleaned before listing your home. Now even though the roof is not bad but is just in need of a cleaning, most people do not know this. The majority of people will pull up and instantly proclaim that the roof needs replaced. This could result in an offer of thousands of dollars less or could even deter people from making an offer at all.

Unfortunately, this happens all the time. The sad fact is that most of the time it happens, the sellers are not even aware of who walked away or why someone offered way less but it happened regardless of the reasoning. This scenario alone costs home sellers thousands of dollars without even realizing it. A simple low pressure cleaning done by professional power washers would have yielded them 10 times more than the cost of the cleaning. If people only realized this, it would be a no brain-er for them. It isn’t just roofs but the siding, concrete, decks, fences, and other surfaces around the home that could be cleaned.

When you think of house cleaning you normally think of maid services for the inside of your home. But also consider the exterior of your home. House washing is sometimes referred to as house cleaning. A nice clean inside gives you a good feeling and improves your quality of life. But having the outside of your house cleaned can give you the same great feeling and have other benefits as well.

Exterior house cleaning can increase your home’s curb appeal and will boost your home’s value. Cleaning dirt, mold, and mildew off the house siding and gutters can greatly improve the appearance of your home which raises home value. Not only will it put money in your pocket through added value, it will save you money as well.

House cleaning will stop the negative effects of contaminants like dirt, mold, and mildew. These contaminants can rot and decay the building materials that make up your home costly you expensive premature repairs and replacements. Raised value and cutting renovation costs is a great recipe for a good investment. Exterior house cleaning is a great bang for your buck when it comes to home improvement projects, if not the best.

The key to a successful house cleaning is to find a reputable professional house cleaning company in your area. Find a company that has been in business for a number of years and that has a good sized customer base and testimonials. Find a house cleaning company that cleans houses full time as opposed to a weekend warrior type company if you want the best house cleaning results.

A great way to grow your own plants and flowers for a more appealing landscape around your home is with a garden greenhouse. No matter where you live or what time of year it is, you can enjoy your gardening hobby. You can maintain your greenhouse with a few simple cleaning tips. Mold and mildew are prone to grow in humid climates so a regular cleaning is necessary. Recommended cleaning is at least once a year for the best results.

You can rent or borrow a pressure washer if you do not own one. Remove all your plants and flowers from the garden greenhouse. Because of this, it might be best to do this during the time of year that your inventory is the lowest. Mix up a mild solution of bleach cut in half with water and a quarter cup of dish soap in a five gallon jug. Apply the cleaning solution to the infected areas with a brush or pump up sprayer and allow it to dwell for several minutes.

Hook a water source to the pressure washer and follow the directions for starting. Wash the areas that were treated with the cleaner and rinse well. Be sure to rinse the grass and surrounding area with clean water. If your greenhouse is small enough you can flip it over to allow it to air dry. For bigger garden greenhouses, leave all possible doors and window open so it can fully dry, you do not want a humid bleach smell in your greenhouse.

Once it is completely dry your greenhouse it clean and ready for use again. Gardening can be a fun hobby that you can enjoy with a portable greenhouse. They are sold in many shapes and sizes to fit your gardening needs in your desired area. They have come a long way in quality and durability and when taken care of, can last for years to come.

For most homeowners washing the entire house or restoring a wooden deck may be a little too overwhelming but there are some good jobs for a consumer grade pressure washer around the house. Small areas of concrete or brick pavers can be cleaned using a small pressure washer, like a sidewalk, walkway, or patio without too much problem. A large driveway may be another story unless you just clean a little bit at a time, it can be quite tedious.

Outdoor patio furniture is also a good weekend job for the do it yourself homeowner. Tables and chairs that have sat outdoors for some time will collect dirt, mold, and mildew and will eventually need cleaned. A little soap and bleach mix can be applied using a soft brush. Let that dwell for a few minutes and then wash the furniture with the pressure washer to make it look new again.

Glass tables should be rinsed well so the bleach does not etch the glass. Even soft cushioned outdoor patio furniture can be cleaned this way without harming the surface. You may need to turn the pressure down a little on the cushions or just keep the pressure stream a safe distance away while washing your outdoor patio cushions. The green mold and black mildew will turn brown once the bleach hits them and the rest is just a simple wash with the washer to restore its appearance.

Depending on your geographical climate, outdoor patio furniture, sidewalks, dog houses, grills, sheds, and other small objects should be cleaned yearly. A regular maintenance program will increase the longevity of your property and belongings saving you money in the long run. If you do hire a professional to wash your house, deck, or driveway it is possible that they can add in some of the other small items that you want washed as well. It shouldn’t cost much as they are already there working anyway.