Cleaning Your Home Office

Cleaning Your Home Office

1. Start with a clean slate.
Take everything off of your desk, even if you know for sure you’ll be putting it back. Some people thrive when their desk is completely cleared of everything but the necessities. Others need a little controlled chaos to spark ideas and get creative. The key is to be intentional with what you allow to live on your desk so you don’t end up completely buried in a clutter avalanche. Add back only what you need and what makes you happy.

2. Wipe down your desk surface, keyboard, mouse, desk lamp, and any other high-touch hotspots.
You can’t be productive if you’re sick in bed. Wipe down all the surfaces and items handled regularly, like your keyboard and mouse, to minimize the spread of germs and accumulation of dust. (Get more tips from our cleaning experts on properly cleaning electronic devices in a previous post!) Then be sure to add these spots to your regular cleaning checklist.

3. Sort through paper clutter and get rid of what you don’t need.
Keep a wastepaper basket near your desk, and maybe a paper shredder, too. Paper clutter, like junk mail, fliers, and receipts, has a way of multiplying and accumulating without us realizing, often because we put off making decisions about each piece when we first encounter it. To keep paper clutter under control, sort through it regularly. Depending on how quickly it piles up for you, plan to do this anywhere from once a week to once a month.

Sort all the papers from your desk into four piles:
Toss anything you don’t need that doesn’t contain personal information (credit card numbers, bank account numbers, social security number, etc.).

Shred anything you don’t need that does contain personally identifying information. Invest in a small personal shredder or take your shredding to an office supply or shipping store that offers shredding service. (Pro tip: Take advantage of free shredding events sponsored by municipalities or businesses around the end of tax season!)

Keep important documents you’ll need in the future and file them away for safekeeping. When deciding whether to keep something, remember that many documents can now be accessed online, including instruction manuals, receipts, pay stubs, and tax forms.

Address things that require action, such as paying a bill, returning a purchase, or filing your taxes. Take care of these things as soon as you’re able to avoid amassing an overwhelming pile or, worse, missing a deadline and facing penalty fees.

4. Keep what you need within reach.
Think about what you use when you’re working. Make sure those things are on your desk or nearby. Having what you need at the ready can help you avoid interruptions to your workflow and save you time. If there’s room on your desk, add a small desktop bookshelf or file trays. Keep a set of rolling file drawers within arm’s reach. Add a bulletin board on the wall above your desk. Set yourself up for streamlined success.

For all your home cleaning needs treat yourself every week or every month – it is time for a good clean at the house – using our cleaning service in Kansas City, you can count on our skilled staff to take care of any loose ends throughout the week. Call us today to our teams of professional cleaners are ready to take care of the hard work for you. Book a clean today and leave the rest up to us – Treat yourself and your home! Tidy Up Angels has been providing residential cleaning service to the Overland Park area since 2008. Trusting someone to clean your home can be a little unnerving. If this is your first time hiring a cleaning company, we want you to know that you can relax with Tidy Up Angels. Our company is fully insured and bonded; safeguarding your most personal possessions. Honesty, integrity, and good work ethics are the back bone of our company. We aim to meet all your expectations and we hope to exceed them during each service. Let us know how we can help with your house cleaning services in Overland Park and how we can help you – contact Tidy Up Angels LLC at 913-642-2006.

Great Ideas for around the house to clean items with WD-40

Great Ideas for around the house to clean items with WD-40

WD-40 is more than just a can in your toolbox; it’s a can-do for nearly everything. For years, you’ve reached for it to loosen rusty screws, silence those irksome creaking doors, or battle stubborn gunk on your machinery. However, we’re about to take your relationship with WD-40 to the next level. Prepare to be amazed as we unveil some of the most astonishing and ingenious WD-40 hacks you never even knew you needed.

Unsticking Stuck Zippers
Zippers jamming mid-zip is infuriating. Yank and tug all you want; that zipper ain’t moving. Luckily, WD-40 can free the teeth from their prison. Apply a little to the stuck zipper teeth and slide back and forth.  The lubricant will loosen the zipper track and have you zipping freely again. Focus application on the problem area, and be patient working the zipper to allow the WD-40 to penetrate fully before trying to aggressively open or close it.

Hairbrush Cleaning
Hairbrushes become furry petri dishes over time. Sure, you could cut each strand out by hand, but there’s an easier way to de-hair brushes. Just spray on WD-40 and comb through. The liquid loosens trapped strands so you can quickly sweep away the hairy buildup.
For extreme cases, allow WD-40 to sit for 5 minutes before combing to enable it to penetrate deeply into the bristles. The lubricating effect helps release even the most stubborn hairs.

Crayon Marks Be Gone
Crayon masterpieces look sweet on paper, less so on walls. The rainbow swirls taunt you, impervious to scrubbing. But WD-40 lifts colorful marks with little effort: just spray, let sit briefly, and wipe away.
In seconds, walls are blank canvases again, free from your little Picasso’s handiwork. Be sure to test WD-40 in an inconspicuous spot first, as some paints or wall materials may be sensitive to the solvents.

Conditioning Leather Furniture
Leather furniture deserves TLC. Condition couches and chairs by massaging WD-40 into leather with a soft cloth. The oil restores suppleness to cracked hides, rejuvenating your luxury seating. Guests will think your vintage leather pieces are brand new again.
Use a microfiber cloth and rub in small circular motions to work the WD-40 into every crack and crevice. Buff afterward with a fresh, dry cloth to revive the leather’s natural oils and luster.

Toilet Cleaning
Cleaning toilets is gross. But spraying bowls with WD-40 before scrubbing slashes time and effort. The liquid penetrates stains, loosening icky buildup so you can wipe away grime with less elbow grease.
Bathrooms sparkle with 80% less work, and your toilet brush stays fresher, too. Let WD-40 sit for 5-10 minutes before scrubbing to allow maximum penetrating action. Pay special attention to hard water stains and rust spots for best results.

These are just some of many great cleaning ways you can do it yourself – but for all your home cleaning needs treat yourself every week to a month – it is time for a good clean at the house – using our cleaning service in Kansas City, you can count on our skilled staff to take care of any loose ends throughout the week. Call us today to our teams of professional cleaners are ready to take care of the hard work for you. Book a clean today and leave the rest up to us – Treat yourself and your home! Tidy Up Angels has been providing residential cleaning service to the Overland Park area since 2008. Trusting someone to clean your home can be a little unnerving. If this is your first time hiring a cleaning company, we want you to know that you can relax with Tidy Up Angels. Our company is fully insured and bonded; safeguarding your most personal possessions. Honesty, integrity, and good work ethics are the back bone of our company. We aim to meet all your expectations and we hope to exceed them during each service. Let us know how we can help with your house cleaning services in Overland Park and how we can help you – contact Tidy Up Angels LLC at 913-642-2006.

Hacks to keep your house clean with kids

Hacks to keep your house clean with kids

How you can keep the house clean with kids. The trick to keep the house clean when you have kids, is to put in a small effort everyday. The tasks are small and doable for moms who have so much to do and so little time.

So don’t let the fact that you have little kids, keep you from living in a clean and tidy house. With these smart mom hacks you can go from messy to clean and well organized.

1.INVEST IN STORAGE CONTAINERS OR BASKETS
The easiest organizing strategy ever, is to use baskets and storage containers to organize every room in your house.

When we are designing spaces, this is our trick to making sure the rooms stay organized and decluttered. You too can use baskets to corral clutter is every room of your house from the living room to dining room and kitchen.

Look at the creative and beautiful ways baskets and storage containers are used for organizing every room in the house.

2. DECLUTTER
Keeping a house clean and tidy can be hard when the house is cluttered with things you have zero emotional attachment to (or worse, dislike).

Pick a long weekend, send the kids over to grandma’s and just tackle the clutter. If you are expecting a baby, then this is the perfect time to get organized. Check out this nesting checklist to get started.

Get rid of things that are broken or you don’t need. Donate items that the kids have grown out of. Get the house de-cluttered and you’ll find that keeping and maintaining a clean house is much easier afterwards.

Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to look around and see a home you love?

3.HAVE A PLACE FOR EVERYTHING
Once you have de -cluttered, you’ve got to find storage for things you have. Focus on storing like with like. For example, organize the books together, toys together, etc.

Make sure you have designated storage places for everything. This is where the baskets we talked about before, come in handy.

4.WRITE DOWN A CLEANING SCHEDULE
Creating a cleaning schedule is essential to keeping your house clean when you have little kids. It will help you break down the cleaning of the house into simple tasks that feels less daunting and time consuming.

Keep in mind, that the easiest house cleaning schedule only requires you to spend a little time every day. With a 25 minute clean up routine every day, you’ll have a presentable house, pretty much all the time.

The best time to tackle the daily clean up tasks, is when your little one is napping during the day.

Here’s a sample cleaning schedule you can follow during the week:

5.START BY MAKING THE BED
Can making your bed change your life?

According to the New York Times Bestseller, The Power of Habit, by Charles Duhigg, making your bed is a keystone habit that leads to better productivity and a greater sense of well being among other things.

And, if you need more convincing, Retired U.S. Navy Admiral Seal William H. McCraven, gave a commencement speech which went viral, where we told students that one of the most powerful lessons he learned during his time as a Navy SEAL was to make the bed every morning.

6. DO ONE LOAD OF LAUNDRY PER DAY
One of our favorite mom hacks, to keep the house clean with kids, is to tackle laundry everyday. That’s right, no more trying to collect piles of laundry and doing laundry once a week. You’ve got to get in the routine of doing a load of laundry either in the morning or after dinner.

It’s really not going to take a lot of time. It will take you at most, five minutes to put laundry in the washer, start the machine and go on with your day (and switch the clothes to the dryer in between). And, then it will take another 10 minutes or so to put it away.

7. GET EVERYONE INVOLVED
If you want to keep the house clean get your husband, kids, dog and everyone else involved. They’ve got to pitch in and understand that keeping the house clean is important.

Get the little ones to help you pick up their toys and books. Ask your husband to help you with the dishes and cleaning the kitchen every night.

8. DO A 15 MINUTE NIGHTLY CLEAN-UP.
A 15 minute nightly routine to clean up and organize the living room, family room and play room will make keeping the house clean and tidy so much easier.

Fix the blankets and pillows, put the toys and books away, and tidy up anything else that is not in it’s designated place.

Just imagine how wonderful it would be to wake up to a neat and beautiful house, sounds awesome, doesn’t it?

9.PUT EVERYTHING AWAY AFTER USE.
A mom hack we swear by, is to always put things away right after using them. Imagine how much less clutter and how much less work you’d have, if everyone in your house just put their things away after using them.

It takes effort to get into that habit. It is convenient to come into the house and just drop the jacket on the floor. Or leave the toys on the living room floor after playtime is done, instead of picking it all up.

But the truth is, either way — you’re going to have to put the stuff away. So do it as you go through the day, rather than waiting for “clean up” time.

Now treat yourself every weeks to a month – it is time for a good clean at the house – using our cleaning service in Kansas City, you can count on our skilled staff to take care of any loose ends throughout the week. Call us today to our teams of professional cleaners are ready to take care of the hard work for you. Book a clean today and leave the rest up to us – Treat yourself and your home! Tidy Up Angels has been providing residential cleaning service to the Overland Park area since 2008. Trusting someone to clean your home can be a little unnerving. If this is your first time hiring a cleaning company, we want you to know that you can relax with Tidy Up Angels. Our company is fully insured and bonded; safeguarding your most personal possessions. Honesty, integrity, and good work ethics are the back bone of our company. We aim to meet all your expectations and we hope to exceed them during each service. Let us know how we can help with your house cleaning services in Overland Park and how we can help you – contact Tidy Up Angels LLC at 913-642-2006.

Essential Dorm Cleaning Supplies for Every Student

Essential Dorm Cleaning Supplies for Every Student

College can be a great and fun time, but yet – we want to help maintain a sense of cleanliness and quick and easy ways to make cleaning up easy and fast.  Here is a handful of items that every college student should have when going off to college.

1. All Purpose Cleaner
All purpose cleaner is an essential dorm cleaning product you can use to clean every surface in your dorm room super easily. Dressers, desks, mirrors, sinks, doorknobs, etc. all get really gross. But just spray some all purpose cleaner on the surface, wipe it down, and you’re done! So simple.

Cleaning your dorm room with all purpose cleaner is something you can do in just a few minutes once a week and it really makes a difference in keeping all the surfaces in your room clean and dust-free.

2. Paper Towels
Having a few rolls of paper towels on hand is always a smart idea. The main way I used paper towels was for wiping down surfaces after I cleaned them with the all purpose cleaner. It’s easier to clean with paper towels rather than using actual towels that you’ll have to wash later.

You can also use paper towels for cleaning up spills (the amount of times my laptop survived having water spilled on it is crazy) and they also double as napkins when you’re eating in your dorm room!

3. Disinfecting Wipes
Disinfecting wipes can almost be used in place of all purpose cleaning spray for cleaning your dorm room. I personally kept both on hand just in case, but it’s really just a matter of preference.

You can use disinfecting wipes for cleaning surfaces like dressers, desks, mirrors, sinks, and doorknobs. They’re super helpful for picking up crumbs or cleaning sticky surfaces in your dorm room.

4. Carpet Spot Remover
I liked having a carpeted dorm room, but it is definitely harder to keep clean than hardwood or tile. If you have a carpeted dorm room, or plan on having rugs in your room, then getting a small bottle of carpet spot remover is a good idea.

I can’t tell you how many times we ended up with unexplainable spots and stains on our carpet. No idea how they got there, but spot remover does the trick!

5. Room Spray
I don’t know what it is about dorm rooms, but they can start smelling really stale and musty no matter how much you clean. This is where room spray air freshener is really helpful to have on hand.

This will keep your dorm room smelling clean and fresh all the time. I personally love this pear blossom agave scent that is really light and subtle. (You can also use this on your linens, clothing, towels, etc. to make them smell nice!)

So these are the essential dorm cleaning supplies that every college student needs!
I guarantee that using these products will make your dorm room the cleanest on your hall and keep everything sparkling clean in just a few minutes every week.

Now treat yourself and after the kiddos are gone for college – it is time for a good clean at the house – using our cleaning service in Kansas City, you can count on our skilled staff to take care of any loose ends throughout the week. Call us today to our teams of professional cleaners are ready to take care of the hard work for you. Book a clean today and leave the rest up to us – Treat yourself and your home! Tidy Up Angels has been providing residential cleaning service to the Overland Park area since 2008. Trusting someone to clean your home can be a little unnerving. If this is your first time hiring a cleaning company, we want you to know that you can relax with Tidy Up Angels. Our company is fully insured and bonded; safeguarding your most personal possessions. Honesty, integrity, and good work ethics are the back bone of our company. We aim to meet all your expectations and we hope to exceed them during each service. Let us know how we can help with your house cleaning services in Overland Park and how we can help you – contact Tidy Up Angels LLC at 913-642-2006.

Summer Purge and Cleaning

Summer Purge and Cleaning

Decluttering falls somewhere between backing up your hard drive and filing taxes on the excitement scale. If you set aside a little time to chip away at it periodically throughout the year. The end of summer is no exception. Now is a great time to take stock of your needs and ditch all those ill-fitting swimsuits and untapped barbecue condiments.

In other words, don’t hold off for a big spring clean, take the end of the season as the perfect time to close up shop. Get a head start on your end-of-summer purge with this list of items you can donate, recycle, or toss without a second thought.

1. Old binders and folders
If you’re planning to replace supplies like binders and folders for the new school season.

2. Worn beach towels
Got beach towels that have seen better days? Don’t let them take up shelf space in the linen closet. Most animal shelters accept old towels as donations — which come in handy for lining cages, cleaning up messes, and bathing pups.

3. Summer clothes
If you have a bathing suit that doesn’t fit well enough for you to wear it regularly, donate it. Likewise, toss sandals and flip-flops that are worn out from a season or two of pounding the pavement. And peruse your closet: If you have spring or summer clothes that you didn’t wear this year, chances are, you won’t touch them down the line – time to donate.

4. Unused condiments and spices
Gourmet chipotle barbecue sauce, blackening spices, and pickled vegetables often look great at the store — and then don’t necessarily cut it when you try them out. Pare down your collection so they don’t get pushed to the back of the fridge or pantry and sit unused.

5. Old makeup
If it’s been awhile since you’ve cleaned out your makeup kit, now’s your chance. Shelf life varies depending on the product and how it’s formulated — for example, lipsticks can last a couple of years, but mascara is best replaced at least every six months.

6. Broken pool noodles
Those ubiquitous floating toys are fun but tend to snap easily. If you have beat-up pool noodles you regularly tote to your apartment’s pool, dry out the pieces and then take Naylon’s clever suggestion: Reuse them as boot shapers for winter boots.

7. Running shoes
Most athletic shoes are spent after 400 to 600 miles of running or walking (or 45 to 60 hours of other cardio like tennis, dance, or basketball), but there are so many variables that it can be hard to pinpoint exactly when it’s time to retire a pair — look for signs like a worn-down tread, thin sock liner, and loss of resilience underfoot. Turn them over to a recycling program like Soles4Souls or One World Running.

8. Air-conditioning filter
After the air conditioner has been chugging along all summer, it’s probably time to toss the old filter and replace it for the coming year.

9. Party favors
If you’ve accumulated small gifts and trinkets from spring and summer weddings and other events, assess your collection, determine what’s worth hanging on to

After you are done purging – it is time for a good clean – using our cleaning service in Kansas City, you can count on our skilled staff to take care of any loose ends throughout the week. Call us today to our teams of professional cleaners are ready to take care of the hard work for you. Book a clean today and leave the rest up to us – Treat yourself and your home! Tidy Up Angels has been providing residential cleaning service to the Overland Park area since 2008. Trusting someone to clean your home can be a little unnerving. If this is your first time hiring a cleaning company, we want you to know that you can relax with Tidy Up Angels. Our company is fully insured and bonded; safeguarding your most personal possessions. Honesty, integrity, and good work ethics are the back bone of our company. We aim to meet all your expectations and we hope to exceed them during each service. Let us know how we can help with your house cleaning services in Overland Park and how we can help you – contact Tidy Up Angels LLC at 913-642-2006.

The Gift That Keeps On Giving

The Gift That Keeps On Giving

Looking to make a grand gesture that your spouse or partner will appreciate this Valentine’s Day? Or maybe you’ve agreed to give DIY Valentine’s Day gifts?

Either way, if you’re not typically in charge of the housekeeping, presenting your sweetie with a clean home is likely to set hearts aflutter. At the very least, it will make your valentine feel like you appreciate the hard work that goes into keeping a tidy home. But first, you have to know how to clean a house.

Handle Unpleasant Business First
When you start your Valentine’s Day cleaning, you want to tackle the most difficult room first. Surprisingly, the room that’s the toughest to clean is also the smallest. That’s right, it’s the bathroom. Here are the areas you’ll need to clean and how to clean them:
Toilet:
Spray under the rim of your toilet with distilled white vinegar. Use the toilet brush to scrub any grime out. Really get in there. Next, pour ½ cup of vinegar into the bowl and let that sit for about five minutes. Scrub the bowl with the brush and flush the toilet. You can clean the outer rim and the seat by spritzing them with vinegar and wiping away any residue with a dry microfiber cloth.
Shower:
Make a hard water stain cleaner by mixing ¼ cup of vinegar and ¾ cup of water. In a microwave-safe bowl, nuke this combo for about 60 seconds. Pour the solution into a spray bottle and mist your surfaces. Let that sit for three minutes, then wipe the cleaner away with a microfiber cloth.
Tub and sink:
The method you use to clean your bathtub will depend on whether your tub is made from acrylic, enamel or porcelain. You can find cleaning instructions for each type of bathtub in this post. These solutions can also be used for your bathroom sink. Alternatively, you could sprinkle baking soda on your tub and sink surfaces and wash them off using warm water and a microfiber cloth.

Brownie-point bonus #1: Take your Valentine’s Day cleaning to the next level by washing the floor, cleaning the mirror and laying out fresh towels and a clean bathmat.

Blast Those Dust Bunnies
Dusting is the next step when you give the gift of house cleaning. You want to do this before vacuuming so you can zap any dust that may have fallen as you dusted.

Overall, this is probably the easiest task you’ll tackle. Work your way through the house with a duster and some dry microfiber cloths. Simply wipe the dust away using the appropriate tool, making sure not to forget about areas, such as ceiling fans, baseboards and blinds. Additionally, if you’re dusting fans above furniture or beds or other hard-to-reach places, you may want to lay down an old sheet to catch any falling debris.

Brownie-point bonus #2: Wipe off knickknacks and such as you’re cleaning desks, dressers and bookshelves.

Vacuum for Your Valentine
Now your floors should be nice and dusty. Vacuum throughout the house, even on uncarpeted floors. If you do have carpet, sprinkle a little baking soda as you go, especially if you have pets. This will neutralize any unpleasant household odors. And if you got dust on the furniture during your Valentine’s Day cleaning, no sweat: Just hoover it up with the appropriate attachment.
Clean the Kitchen
You definitely don’t want to leave the kitchen out of your Valentine’s Day cleaning. Here are the areas you’ll need to focus on:
Countertops, cabinets and stovetops:
After clearing your countertops, combine dishwashing liquid with warm water in a bucket or sink. Dip a clean microfiber cloth — just get it damp, don’t saturate it — into the solution and wipe down your counters. Be sure to regularly rinse the cloth clean as you go, so that you’re not just spreading jelly residue and toast crumbs around. Once that’s done, buff the countertops with a dry microfiber cloth and replace any items you removed from the counter.

Cleaning cabinets and stovetops is as easy as emptying a box of heart-shaped chocolates in one sitting. Simply dampen a clean microfiber cloth with water and wipe down cabinet surfaces. Then retrace your swipes with a dry microfiber cloth to remove any streaks that were left behind. Repeat these instructions on your stovetop with a fresh set of microfiber cloths.
Dishes:
No Valentine wants to come home to a sink full of dirty dishes. Load the dishwasher or take the time to do the dishes by hand. If you have drip pans on your stove, give them a wash, too.

Brownie-point bonus #3: After dishes have been cleaned and dried, put them away and wipe down the sink.

Add Some Final Touches
There are two more Valentine’s Day cleaning steps you can take to really wow your one and only: Do the laundry and freshen up the bed linens. You’ve probably got laundry covered. Just be careful not to toss any delicates into the washer.

Now you need to get those sheets and pillowcases fresh and clean. Wash them separately from anything else, so that they don’t pick up lint. You’ll want to use a gentle detergent and warm water (warm, not hot). Tumble dry on low.

You can wash and dry your duvet cover just as you did your sheets. Make sure you take the duvet itself out and distribute the cover evenly in the washing machine.

Brownie-point bonus #4: Top off the clean bed with some rose petals to set the tone and call attention to the job well done.

If you want to make sure your gift keeps giving, take it one step further than a Valentine’s Day cleaning: Give the gift of housecleaning to your one true love with Tidy Up Angels.  Using our cleaning service in Kansas City, you can count on our skilled staff to take care of any loose ends throughout the week. Call us today to our teams of professional cleaners are ready to take care of the hard work for you. Book a clean today and leave the rest up to us – Treat yourself and your home! Tidy Up Angels has been providing residential cleaning service to the Overland Park area since 2008. Trusting someone to clean your home can be a little unnerving. If this is your first time hiring a cleaning company, we want you to know that you can relax with Tidy Up Angels. Our company is fully insured and bonded; safeguarding your most personal possessions. Honesty, integrity, and good work ethics are the back bone of our company. We aim to meet all your expectations and we hope to exceed them during each service. Let us know how we can help with your house cleaning services in Overland Park and how we can help you – contact Tidy Up Angels LLC at 913-642-2006.