Cleaning Tips and Tricks from our Rosie Certified Partners

Let's face it, cleaning your house is an ongoing part of maintaining your house, home, castle or cabin. On our June 6, 2015, Saturday morning broadcast we talked about different cleaning ideas and tips.  Here are a few tips, tricks and thoughts submitted by several of our Rosie Certified Partners - and even some discounts! Enjoy!

Jason from First Class Green Cleaning:

To preserve all of your flooring wear inside shoes. Barefoot is not good as the oil in your skin will color the carpet. Jason can enter a home and tell if they go barefoot based on the color of the carpet. In Arizona we have alot of black tops that have oil in them. If you wear your shoes in the house this asphalt get transferred to the flooring. We get so little rain that the oil build up on the asphalt is significatant. Also if you have small rocks or pebbles in your shoes they will scratch the flooring.


Becky from Arizona Chimney Sweep:

Spring/Summer is a great time to clean your chimney. Getting the fireplace inspected and cleaned gets rid off all the old ashes in your firebox and the creosote in the chimney.  This will eliminate having a stinky fireplace hanging around all summer.  Plus our skilled technicians will inspect the chimney top to make sure the chimney cap is in place.  The last thing you need is a feathered guest with wings coming down the chimney while you are away on vacation.

Arizona Chimney Sweep offers Rosie Listener Discounts. “We love talking to all our Rosie listeners, call us at 602-439-3218 and take advantage of our $25.00 off season discount. With everything cleaned and inspected you will be ready for that first cold chill this fall." 

Josh from Clearco Window and Carpet Cleaning:

1) Never spray your windows with a hose unless you plan to immediately dry them off with a towel or squeegee.  Many homeowners attempt to clean their windows or remove cobwebs and dust by spraying their windows with a garden hose.  Each time you do this you leave another layer of minerals that permanently deposit on the glass and become hardwater stains.  Instead, use a broom or a bench brush to knock down cobwebs and dust.  Likewise, make sure all your sprinklers are not hitting your windows (or anywhere near them) as this builds up hardwater stains fastest and worst of all.

2) Hardwater stains are very unsightly, and even more stubborn to get rid of.  The best do it yourself method for removal is using four aught (0000) (super extra fine) steel wool in combination with a cleaner such as CLR.  The steel wool wont scratch the glass but will be abrasive enough to effectively remove the hardwater.  Using a lot of elbow grease, rub the cleaner in in small circles.  You can feel the glass get smoother as the hardwater is removed.  Squeegee or wipe the glass clean to see results and repeat scrubbing steps as needed.  Since glass is porous, and hardwater etches glass, you can never restore all the way back to 100%. Good results bring the glass back to 90 – 95 % clear.

Clearco Window & Carpet Cleaning’s professional window cleaning services get the dust and cobwebs off the windows for you and leave the windows sparkling, and they offer hardwater stain removal service

Sharon from Air Quality Specialist:

Always clean from the top down! Start with the HVAC system- the ducts and filter can cause more dirt in your home if not properly maintained! If your ducts are clean, and your filter regularly changed (do it monthly as you pay your power bill) you will not only cut down your dust, but you'll extend the life of your HVAC Equipment.

Robert from Phoenix Carpet Repair:

1) When carpet begins to ripple up or appear wavy after installation…it needs to be professionally Power Stretched! The number one cause for carpet ripples is poor installation to begin with (they probably used a knee kicker to install your carpet!).  The second most common reason is if the home is left at a warm temperature for an extended period of time (i.e. snow birds or a vacant home in summer).  The heat makes the carpet relax and ripple!  To correct this properly, we use a Power Stretcher to stretch the carpet from baseboard to baseboard and usually cut off between 2-4 inches from the length and width of each room.

2) A good majority of people do not know carpet can be repaired! Even some who do know this, they might not think they can have it done because they do not have any spare carpet to use.  What we can do is cut out a small piece from a closet (maybe behind the door or under a low laying shelf), and use that piece for the repair! Our technicians carry 3-4 different beige/brown carpet remnants at all times so we can replace that closet piece with a non-matching remnant.  Who looks at the closet floor anyways, right?

Chad Hoppe from Arizona Screen Techs, LLC:

Brush off screens with a brush. He also said that a home power washer would work best. This is a good tip for the whole back porch. Keep outdoor tile and screens clean and fresh (but not windows) with a power washer.


A special thank you to all of our Rosie Certified Parters who submitted these cleaning tips.  If you have other cleaning tips, you'd like to share, please do so in the comments below.  Remember, you can find our statewide screened and Rosie certified contractors, advice and do-it-yourself tips, for your house, home, castle or cabin, at every Arizona homeowner's best friend: Rosie on the House.

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