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Clean Habits to Keep

Quick cleaning tips that make a huge difference

It’s an amazing feeling to come home to a clean, fresh smelling house.  The big question on everyone’s mind, though, is how to make that happen with limited time. Kim Brown, owner of Merry Maids Augusta, shares how to keep a clean home with minimal time investment.

“These tips and tricks all take less than 5-10 minutes,” says Kim, “and can be done when you’re on a phone call, waiting for the kids to finish getting ready for school, or waiting for a text message to be returned.”

First up, the bedroom. Kim says, “Everyday, pick up clothes off the floor and make your bed, because an unmade bed makes the whole room look messy.”

“In the kitchen,” continues Kim, “wipe the front of the kitchen cabinets below the stovetop and the sink – those take the most spills and tend to get the dirtiest.”

When it comes to floors, Kim suggests using a vacuum to save time. She says, “we vacuum hard floor surfaces because we feel like a broom stirs up dust and sometimes will not get all the dirt up. Also, you can vacuum the dust from your baseboards with the horsehair attachment on the vacuum cleaner.”

Don’t forget to address the area you and your guests often see upon entering your home. “In the foyer and doorway, shake out welcome mats and straighten up shoes,” says Kim, “both are quiet things you can do while you’re on the phone.”

“If you do those small things during the week,” explains Kim, “it doesn’t take you near as long at the end of the week or on a Saturday to do deeper cleaning.”

If you’re managing to do these things each day but simply have a difficult time finding time to give your home a good cleaning, Merry Maids can help.

“Merry Maids is dedicated to giving people back some time in their life; to take care of things that aren’t always pleasant to take care of like cleaning your home,” says Kim. “Quality of cleaning and customer service are extremely important to us. We will always work hard to make sure our customers are satisfied.”

Merry Maids offers discounts for active military, medical personnel, and educators, and participates with Cleaning for a Reason, a program for cancer patients. For details, call 706-650-2409 or visit www.merrymaids.com/augusta.

3 tips – max 45 words each

In the family room… “Use time during commercial breaks to straighten magazine or books, fold blankets, straighten sofa pillows, and dust side and coffee tables.”

In the kitchen… “While waiting for coffee to perk or when dinner is in the oven, sort through junk mail, rinse dishes, load or unload the dishwasher, wipe down countertops and the fronts of appliances.”

Daily laundry…”Put a load in before work or if washer has a delay cycle, set it to run before you get home. Dry the clothes while you’re making dinner. Fold clothes while you’re watching TV and put away the laundry on your way to bed.”