A Clean Home is a Happy Home

Seems like a strange coupling, doesn’t it, putting ‘happy’ and ‘cleaning’ in the same sentence? Most wouldn’t describe scrubbing the bathroom or vacuuming as some of their happiest moments. However, as weird as it sounds, happy and clean go hand in hand. 

A clean home has been proven to decrease stress and increase productivity, and in turn, improve your mood! Organized spaces can also help you eat healthier according to this study published on Sage Journals, where compared to participants in a messy room, participants in an orderly room chose healthier snacks. Even the University of California released their own study that showed how a messy home can lead to higher stress levels.  

With everything going on in our daily lives, having a clean and organized home doesn’t top everybody’s priority list. One forgotten chore turns into two, and two turns into four until before you know it, your home is ready for a thorough cleaning. The task can seem daunting - bring on the stress!

Fact of the matter is, if having a cleaner home can elevate your happiness, why wouldn’t you decide to tackle that project? It doesn’t have to be done in a day, and maintaining your home can be as simple as loading the dishwasher after every meal and wiping down the bathroom counter in the morning before work, and in the evening before bed. 

Try taking the Fifteen Minutes a Day approach. Each day, for fifteen minutes, focus on doing something productive towards the cleanliness and organization of your home. Whether that’s folding and putting away laundry, dusting, cleaning out the spice cabinet or washing some windows, it all adds up. By the end of the week you’ll have a home that’s cleaner, and a smile that’s fuller.

Just don’t have the time to spend on getting your home spick and span? Give us a call for a free estimate!

From The Windows To The Walls

You may recall our Three Spring Cleaning Tips from 2019 (if not dive in), and we’ve created a handy checklist to help you clean everything from the windows to the walls. We suggest tackling each room of your home individually to ensure you give each room the attention it deserves. 

• Start at the ceiling and remove any cobwebs or unwanted spots or dust.

• You’ll want to remove any art pieces or wall items at this point and set those aside to clean properly.

• Create a large bucket of warm soapy water and wash each of your walls.

• Don’t forget the top door baseboards (those are easily forgotten) and work your way to the baseboards around the room (be careful if working in a carpeted area).

• Move on the the door, and be sure to give all of the details extra attention, inside-doors often have detailing that requires a toothbrush or special tool to remove dirt and dust.

• Next wipe each of the light switches, light switch covers and any exposed electrical outlets and their covers, (we like to use Lysol wipes to clean light switches to kill germs that might be living on these well used areas).

• Now move on to furniture, be sure everything is at least wiped down.

• If there’s carpet shampoo it, laminate or tile should be steamed. 

• Wipe every window in the house (don’t forget the sills, they often collect a lot of guck throughout the year).

COVID And Your Home

With everything happening in our country and across the globe right now, it seemed appropriate to take a bit more of a somber tone and share some information regarding the Coronavirus known also as COVID-19. As we watch our nation essentially shut-down for a month, we feel that it’s our duty to help our clients feel as secure as possible, and to also do our part in spreading the factual information that’s been released about this flu-like virus. 

First and foremost, please know that throughout the history our business, Rubio’s Cleaning has diligently worked to keep your home clean and free of invasive viruses, allergens and more. We’ve always paid attention to the little details - sanitizing all light switches and plugs to prevent germs from spreading and bringing fresh mops and towels into each home. These might seem small to you, but we know that in the face of such an epidemic, we’ve done our best to serve our clients and give them a better defense against COVID-19 and other contagions. 

We’re also taking measures to “step up” our routines. We’ve started adding more bleach and disinfectant to our towels, and using more disinfectant while cleaning in general. We’ve prioritized making sure our staff are fully informed on the virus and how to spot symptoms early on. 

We’re also offering free cancellations for our clients if sick. We’d rather you be well and our staff be well so we can better serve you. 

Here are some preventative measures you can use that we’ve pulled from the California Department of Public Health:

How can people protect themselves?

There is currently no vaccine to prevent COVID-19. The best way to prevent illness is to avoid being exposed to this virus. The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet). This occurs through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs. Older adults and people who have severe underlying chronic medical conditions like heart or lung disease or diabetes seem to be at higher risk for developing more serious complications from COVID-19 illness. Every person has a role to play. So much of protecting yourself and your family comes down to common sense: 

• Washing hands with soap and water.

• Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily. If surfaces are dirty, clean them using detergent or soap and water prior to disinfection.

• Avoiding touching eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.

• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue or your elbow.

• Avoiding close contact with people who are sick.

• Staying away from work, school or other people if you become sick with respiratory symptoms like fever and cough.

• Following guidance from public health officials.

Please consult with your health care provider about additional steps you may be able to take to protect yourself. And remember during these turbulent times please make sure to keep cleaning service as we are making sure your home is safe and sanitized.

Keeping Allergies at Bay at Home

Here’s a three things we do at Rubio’s Cleaning that you can try at home to help you minimize allergens and keep allergies at bay in your home. 

Good-bye Dust Bunnies

Since Spring is allergy season, it is important to clean the house of all the lingering dust and possible pet hair that could trigger any flare-ups. Start by getting rid of the dust. Tip: start from the top of the area you are working on and work your way down to avoid spreading the dust to other areas of your home.

Hello New Air Filters

Another important factor to help your home rid allergies is changing your air vents and filters throughout your home, air-conditioners, air ducts, heaters, dryer-units, and bathroom fans should be changed at least once a year. This is also a great time to clean or change the filters on your vaccume/s and other cleaning tools that need it. Tip: we use YouTube or direct manufacture websites to help us change filters that we haven’t had experience with -- try it if you get stuck, or call us!

You Have To Move It (move it) 

Dust hides in the most inopportune places. Sometimes the biggest items and appliances in your home can be the biggest culprits of allergies and dust collection. Which means you might have to move a couch, bed or even a refrigerator or a washing machine to reveal the colony of dust bunnies living in one area of your home (if you need help call us!). Tip: we use Diaper cloth rags to help us with larger dust jobs.