Special to the Recorder
Few people keep house cleaning on the top of their weekend to-do list. While spring and the holiday season are often the times that people pay extra attention to home cleaning, it becomes much easier and much more effective when you clean on a daily or weekly basis.
At the Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront, each one of our housekeepers will clean at least 15 rooms per day. We in the hospitality industry set the highest standards when it comes to cleaning. Below are some simple and effective tips that will help you keep your home in tip-top shape all year long:
Homemade cleaning supplies
Making your own cleaners gives you greater control of the ingredients that go into them, therefore ensuring the safety of your home environment. Just a few basic ingredients can help you create a variety of cleaning products. These key ingredients include baking soda, lemon juice, vinegar, hydrogen peroxide and dish soap. Some of these products work well independently, such as using baking soda for scrubbing jobs, or one part vinegar to one part water in a spray bottle to clean windows or mirrors. Whenever possible, buy these ingredients in the bulk section in stores and find reusable packaging to reduce waste.
Also, when mixing chemicals, always be mindful about safety. Read safety labels and check a reputable source for what chemicals should and should not be mixed together.
Quick tricks to remove tough stains
Take every precaution to protect your carpet or rugs in the hope that no accidents or stains will compromise their beautiful appearance. Whether it is wine or wax, it seems whatever is not supposed to land on the carpet always does. No need to panic—take a deep breath, read through the tricks listed here, and that stain will vanish in just a few minutes.
Red wine stain
Dry the spot by blotting with a dry towel. If there is a substantial amount of spillage, make sure you are not spreading the stain even more by changing cloths as they become saturated with the beverage
Place a clean wet towel on top of the stain
Slowly iron the towel on top of the stain on high temperature for a few minutes
Remove the towel to reveal your spotless carpet
Remember to unplug the high-temperature iron for safety reasons!
The same technique applies for removing wax on your carpet—only this time, use a newspaper instead of a towel.
Mistakes that are too easy to make
As professional housekeepers, we see many mistakes that people make when cleaning their homes. Let’s start with the most commonly used cleaning tool: sponges. They are germ magnets, and it’s impossible to sanitize them completely. Instead, try microfiber towels. Unlike sponges, microfiber towels are easy to clean and do not absorb bacteria or dust.
Bleach is, without doubt, an instant germ-killer. It is also a highly concentrated chemical that can irritate your lungs, eyes and skin with overuse. If you’re cleaning countertops and other surfaces that will make contact with food or your mouth, use only one tablespoon of bleach per gallon of water, according to the Department of Health Services.
Creating a routine and experimenting with these tips can help make your house cleaning painless. After all, having a tidy, beautiful home should not be a daunting task for you and your family.
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Shana Peconga is the executive housekeeper at Hyatt Regency Jacksonville Riverfront. She has been with Hyatt for more than 16 years. Starting as a hotel room housekeeper, Peconga has eight years of experience in housekeeping management and front desk management.
