home disinfection | Bredon Hill Cleaning Services

Blog Cleaning
September 20, 2021
cleaning with bleach, cleaning with essential oils, cleaning with steam, cleaning with vinegar, healthy home, home disinfection, safe disinfectants

Safe Disinfectants to Use at Home

Every home needs regular cleaning and disinfection to keep everyone who lives there safe and healthy. Autumn and winter present good conditions for the spread of respiratory diseases. Spring brings a lot of seasonal allergies and high temperatures during summer, combined with high humidity benefit the multiplication of bacteria. So, you see, it’s important you have effective disinfectants at home all year round. Some of them work amazingly well, but contain heavy toxins and chemicals, which can be detrimental to human and pets health in the long run. What are the safe options then?

Bleach in the Right Concentration

Bleach is rarely regarded as a safe product. We know this substance is extremely strong and very dangerous if mishandled. However, diluted bleach in the right concentration with water can be applied safely as an effective disinfectant at home. As much as we would like to give you a universal guide on how to dilute your bleach, such a thing just doesn’t exist. Depending on the surfaces that will be treated and some of the household’s health conditions, the proportions of bleach and water will vary. Trust a professional cleaner to come prepared with knowledge and experience and take care of the task.

Essential Oils

There is a range of essential oils you can use for safe disinfection at home. These are natural sanitisers and have many other health benefits. The strongest and best disinfectants are lemon, orange, eucalyptus and tea tree oils. You can apply them directly on the surface you want to disinfect, but make sure you use gloves if you have sensitive skin. A great hack to disinfect your toilet brush is to add a few drops of tea tree and lemon essential oils to the holder. It helps with unpleasant smells and kills harmful bacteria.

Same applies to the bins.

Vinegar

Vinegar is known to be one of the most common natural cleaning and disinfection products. That makes it safe to use. It was the best option back in the day when chemicals were not so popular and widely used. However, it is worth noting that vinegar is not as strong as some of the lab-created alternatives. It also has a specific smell not everyone can stand.

Professional Eco-friendly Cleaning Products

The best and safest choice would be opting for professional eco-friendly cleaning products. They are 100%-effective and contain no toxins. The downfall, however, is they are not widely available on the internet or in shops. Cleaning companies have access to them and if you want to benefit from using those products you will need to book a professional cleaning service. If you think about it, that actually saves you a lot of time and stress, so why not go for it.

Steam

Another completely natural method for disinfection at home is steam cleaning. Steam machines use water vapour to kill harmful bacteria and other germs. Another benefit is that they purify the air and relieve some allergy symptoms. Clean air with more oxygen helps you sleep better at night too!

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10 Benefits of Professional Cleaning Services

During the pandemic a lot of people chose to cancel their cleaning service for a variety of reasons. But many others were able to see the true value of that job. We are glad to see the majority of our clients staying with us and truly appreciate their loyalty. Now it is important to point out at least 10 great benefits of professional cleaning services for those who are still reluctant to call their cleaner back.

1. Keep you and your family healthy

Professional cleaning is absolutely vital for the health of your family. Regular cleans and disinfection minimise the risk of viral and bacterial infection, allergies and substance or food poisoning. Commercial properties also highly benefit from professional cleaning as the employer is legally obliged to provide healthy and safe working conditions for all staff members.

2. Save you time and energy

Whether you are a field worker or someone who still works from home, time for chores is hard to squeeze in. Wouldn’t you want to just sit down and relax after a long day dealing with problems, customer complaints and things not quite going your way? Of course! Then the solution is simple - hire a professional domestic cleaner. They are trained and experienced, which means they will finish the same job you sweat over for 6 hours in just two.

3. Avoid damage and accidents

The worst property damage we’ve seen as professionals is usually caused by people who tried to clean a bad mess on their own. It may look like a very simple job, but there is a lot of science behind cleaning and if that’s not your forte you are likely to do more harm than good. Thousands of carpets that could have been saved by a skilled carpet cleaner are permanently scarred by bold but inexperienced hands. Not to mention the domestic accidents that improper mixing of cleaning solutions can cause. Please be careful, do not mix substances if you are unsure how they may react.

4. Save you money in the long run

Did you know that regular domestic cleans could save you money at the end of your tenancy or when you try to sell your house? Properties that are cleaned weekly or at least fortnightly see less wear and tear after several years. This avoids extra charges for end of tenancy cleaning and parts of your deposit being held back.

5. Improve your quality of life

Professional carpet cleaning every 6 months can significantly reduce allergic reactions and respiratory problems. Steam cleaning is great for improving the quality of air you breathe. Decluttering and maintaining your home in a clean and tidy condition will also help you literally sleep better at night.

6. Maximise your profit

If you own a holiday let or AirBnB property, hiring a professional cleaning and housekeeping service will maximise your profits. People pay a lot of attention to the cleanliness in those properties and it majorly influences the ratings and reviews they leave for you. The more 5-star reviews you get, the more new bookings roll in.

7. Keep you sane

Science has proven that a clean and tidy environment has a positive impact on people’s mental health. It boosts your creativity, productivity and motivation levels.

8. Allow you to be who you really are

Not everyone enjoys housework and that’s perfectly fine. We are all created differently and forcing ourselves do things we utterly dislike will only make us miserable. You can outsource not only the cleaning, but also the laundry and ironing to the professionals. Then go be who you really are and enjoy time practicing the hobbies that lighten up your soul.

9. Provide a feeling of satisfaction and security

Coming home to a beautifully looking house is the best feeling ever. It gives you a peace of mind and a great feeling of satisfaction and comfort.

10. Leave people in an awe of how great your home looks

Keeping your friends and neighbours at a healthy level of jealousy is not a bad thing. Who doesn’t love to hear “Oh my gosh, your house always looks so amazing, I just don’t know how you do it all”. Well, you don’t have to give out your little secret!

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Housekeeping vs Cleaning for Short Let Properties

International travel for leisure is still forbidden and it is not quite certain whether the restrictions will be lifted over the summer. This means that a lot of Brits will be heading for tourism in the countryside. Brilliant news for holiday and short let accommodation owners. But to be fully prepared and impress your guests you will need to make sure your property is in its best condition. For the less experienced hosts it may be a challenge to choose the right cleaning service for their business setting, so hopefully this article will help you understand the difference between holiday let cleaning and housekeeping.

Deep Cleaning and Disinfection

Since your property would have likely been unused for months, before you open it to guests you must arrange for deep cleaning and disinfection. This service ensures every corner of the place is properly cleaned and then sanitised. For the second part of the service, most professional cleaners use specific modern equipment and approved detergents with a proven antibacterial and virucidal effect.

In addition, while we are still living with relatively high levels of COVID-19 circulating in the UK, deep cleans and disinfection most likely will have to be carried out between bookings. This means you cannot check in a new visitor if the property hasn’t been cleaned and sanitised after the last check out.

Cleaning for Holiday Lets

All short let properties require a thorough clean before and after each guest. But for longer stays, like a week or over, regular cleaning is also essential. It will help your guests feel more comfortable, but also ensure that the property is kept in a good condition. It minimises the chance of damage or worn out look. You can arrange weekly, every-other-day or daily visits with the cleaners, depending on your and your guests’ preferences and requirements.

Housekeeping for Short Let Properties

Housekeeping for holiday lets is a comprehensive service that offers almost full maintenance of the property during your guests’ stay. It includes restocking of toiletry supplies such as soap, shampoo, toilet paper, as well as changing bed linen and towels. Some hosts prefer to do the laundry and ironing themselves, but why burden yourself with those tasks when the housekeepers can do it. Depending on the housekeeping package you’ve selected, the company could take full ownership of household duties, except cooking and shopping for the guests. The bed linen and towels could be changed at the frequency you and your visitors prefer, the dirty ones washed, ironed and then returned back to the property at the next change.

Bredon Hill Cleaning Services is a local champion in housekeeping for holiday lets. In fact, it is one of our favourite services! We would love to be your reliable partner and help you provide the best ever experience for your guests.

Plamen

Blog Cleaning
February 13, 2021
cleaning during lockwon, cleaning essentials, covid safe home, effective disinfectants, home decluttering, home disinfection, home organisation, office decluttering, regular home cleaning

How to Make Your Home COVID Safe

We are still expected to spend a lot more time than we usually do at home. And that makes a clean, safe and pleasant indoor environment extremely important. For millions of British families a COVID-safe home is a must, especially those who are essential workers or extremely vulnerable. If that’s you or someone from your family, keep reading how to make your home COVID-safe.

Regular Cleaning

You cannot disinfect an area before it has been thoroughly clean. It just won’t work. Regular cleaning of the most used home areas is vital. It reduces the spread of harmful bacteria and viruses and some recent studies show that a clean environment boosts your mental health, which also has a positive impact on your immunity. Obviously, after cleaning, you must disinfect the kitchen and bathroom, as well as the floors in all rooms.

Decluttering

Removing big, unnecessary and not often used objects from your living and sleeping space is part of making your home a safer space. It will improve the air quality, which is important for battling respiratory diseases and conditions. In addition, clutter provides lots of good hiding space for germs, bacteria, viruses and pests. You certainly don’t want any of those in your home during a pandemic.

Organised Systems

One of the best ways to make your home COVID-safe is by introducing organised home systems. Start by arranging what happens at the hallway. For example, everyone takes their shoes off when they come from outside and put them in a designated cupboard. The coats and bags go in the same area. They can later be disinfected before being used again in less than 48 hours. Your home slippers will be left in a separate area. Always remember to wash your hands thoroughly every time you come back from outside. If possible change your clothes and put them to wash immediately. Tumble drying and ironing your clothes is also a very effective way to kill any remaining droplets of the coronavirus.

Effective Disinfectants

The truth is the cleaning products you find in the supermarket are not effective in killing coronavirus on most surfaces. Professional cleaning products are the only ones that can guarantee quality disinfection but you can’t get hold of them. They are available to professional cleaners exclusively because the use is not as straightforward. That’s the reason why keeping your domestic cleaning visits is the best way to make your home COVID-safe.

Are you worried about calling your cleaning lady in?

It is a common concern for a lot of people who feel visits from the cleaning lady is taking an unnecessary risk. Let us reassure you that reputable cleaning companies will never send a cleaner who is ill or does not wear the appropriate PPE to your property. At Bredon Hill Cleaning Services we follow specific procedures to ensure that our work does not compromise the safety of the client or the staff at any point. We are fully committed to playing our part in the fight against COVID-19 in the best way possible.

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Blog Cleaning
January 29, 2021
cleaning during lockdown, help with cleaning, home cleaning, home disinfection, housekeeping services, keep your home safe, regulat domestic cleaning

Keeping Safe those Who Keep us Safe

With the news about the third national lockdown broken down to us, we at Bredon Hill Cleaning Services decided to do something to help critical workers. We know how challenging it is for medical staff, teachers, delivery drivers, shop assistants, care home workers, police officers to meet daily with the risk of contracting the virus, while trying to keep us all safe. Many of those people have very little time to spend at home as opposed to the majority of the nation. They are extremely tired and need to rest in a safe and welcoming environment.

As a cleaning company we recognise the importance of a clean and sanitised home, especially for people who work in close proximity with the virus. Yet, our essential workers rarely have the time or the energy to properly clean their living environment.

In early January Bredon Hill Cleaning Services started a campaign that offers 10% OFF regular domestic cleaning for all key workers in Bredon and other areas we cover. To reach more people who may need such an offer we also introduced a referral scheme with our existing clients. For each new booking for a regular domestic cleaning which came through an existing client’s referral, the person who recommended us gets 5% OFF their next booking with us.

In addition, we published our offer in local magazines and newspapers, hoping it would get to those who need it the most.

Some of the key workers who already booked with us under the current offer share their thoughts about our service.

“I am so glad I saw your offer on Facebook. I am a nurse in ICU and have been working all through the holidays. In the beginning of January I had 3 days off and I slept through almost the entire time. Then I got back to work and the infections soared. Most days I was actually scared going home because I didn’t want to bring the virus in if I contracted it. Now I feel more relieved in a way, knowing you are doing such a fantastic job and my family is safer at home.” - Beth Aston.

If you are a key worker who needs our services and lives in the areas we cover, please contact us today. We would love to do our part in keeping you and your family safe, while you contribute to the safety and wellbeing of the nation.

Alternatively, if you know someone who is part of our amazing heroes, please share our offer with them. Let’s keep safe those who keep us safe. Because together we can.

Plamen

Blog Cleaning
January 3, 2021
cleaning services covid, covid disinfection, hire a professional cleaner, home cleaning, home cleaning brendon hill, home disinfection, house cleaning

Is it Safe to Call My Cleaner Back

Lockdown restrictions have been lifted, but it seems like a lot of people are still cautious of inviting others outside of their household in their homes. That, in many cases, includes the professional cleaners. Even though during the second national lockdown, cleaning companies were allowed to continue working in domestic premises, there have been booking cancellations. Many people are still asking “Is it safe to call my cleaner back”. That’s a valid question and we’d like to give a detailed answer.

What we’ve done to make our work safe for you

Here at Bredon Hill Cleaning Services, we take your safety very seriously. Ever since the first lockdown, we have been working on new systems and procedures to ensure our service is safe and imposes no health risks on our clients or staff members. Our personnel has been continuously trained to follow and apply these new systems and procedures.

One good example is the colour coded system. We have different colours of cloths and cleaning tools that are used for specific areas in the client’s premises. We also have a system for separating used from clean cloths and tools, which helps us avoid cross-contamination between homes.

Our staff is wearing full protective gear. This includes a face mask or a shield, an apron, gloves and shoe covers. These are disposable and always changed before the cleaners go to the next address.

We also work with you to minimise the contact during service. This means we work on a specific area of your home while you are in another room. We are always discrete and do our best to not disturb your activities. We respect our clients’ privacy and provide flexible service.

What if the cleaner is unwell or someone from my family may be sick

We will not send a cleaner that is unwell to your home. We ask our staff members to stay at home if they think they may be sick. Depending on their symptoms, we may ask them to isolate for 7 or 14 days, or take a PCR test, to roll out coronavirus infection.

We ask our clients to also let us know if they are experiencing any flu-like symptoms and in such case we advise re-scheduling their booking for one or two weeks later, or until they feel better.

What if I am still unsure

The decision whether to call your cleaner is entirely yours and you should not feel pressured to book a service if you don’t feel it’s safe for your family. If you, however, want to talk to us and get more detailed information on the safety precautions we’ve taken and we practise, please email or call us. We will be happy to answer all of your questions and perhaps clear your doubts.

In the meantime, we wish you safe, warm and happy holidays! Bredon Hill Cleaning Services are always here for you, whenever you need us.

Plamen

Blog Cleaning
December 17, 2020
Christmas cleaning, christmas organisation, cleaning checklist, cleaning schedule, holiday cleaning, holiday disinfection, home cleaning, home disinfection, how to clean bathroom, how to clean the house, winter deep cleaning

Pre-Christmas Cleaning Checklist

Pre-Christmas Cleaning Checklist

The great news is that despite all the uncertainty in 2020, we will be able to visit and spend Christmas with our families and friends. That’s absolutely fantastic. But also, since you might be hosting a mini (or not so mini) party at your home, deep cleaning before the holidays is back on the table. To make it easier for all of you who want to brace it themselves, we put together a Pre-Christmas Cleaning Checklist.

The Exterior

Ugh! That’s tough, cold and unpleasant. Yes, we know, but you must make sure the facade and the exterior of your home also look presentable. After all, that's the very first thing your guests will see when they arrive. Furthermore, a good clean is essential before you put up all the outdoor decorations and Christmas lights. To be entirely honest, that's probably a job that should always be left to the professionals. There are cleaning companies who specialise in exterior cleaning and they would do a brilliant job.

The Hall

Moving on to the next spot of your guests’ journey in your home - the hall. It’s very important for that place to be well organised, clean and tidy. It is worth setting up a system mirroring that of a cloakroom. Shoes, bags and coats must have designated spaces to go to. Not only to avoid mixing up, but also to minimise the risk of contamination with bacteria and viruses brought from outside.

The Bathroom

The bathroom must be squeaky clean and sanitised before the arrival of your guests. Use antibacterial and virucidal cleaning products prior to the party. Don’t forget you have to do the exact same thing after your visitors leave too.

We also recommend leaving a scented candle or an air freshener in the bathroom to give it a more homely and nice feeling.

The Guest Bedrooms

If your guests are staying over you must get their room in the right inviting and relaxing condition. A deep clean is a good idea, especially if the room is not used most of the time. Wash the pillows and duvets, put fresh linen on, make sure there’s no dust built up on the furniture and ventilate well to allow free flow of fresh air.

Finishing touches like a bouquet of flowers, candles or natural air fresheners with essential oils always go a long way. They could make your guests feel really special and welcome.

The Kitchen

You absolutely cannot skip the kitchen. That’s actually a top priority on your pre-Christmas cleaning checklist whether you are expecting any guests or not. Christmas is traditionally associated with a lot of cooking and none of those meals will taste delicious if they are cooked in a dirty oven or messy stoves. Not to mention the health risks of letting your kitchen go without a deep clean before the holidays.

The Living Room

We know the living room will be the place where the most action happens during the festivities. But we purposely left it last on the checklist because you will be cleaning up until the last minute before your guests arrive. First and most important thing is to create space. So, if you are naturally someone who is prone to cluttering, that has to change now. The more unnecessary stuff you have lying around in your living room, the less space you get to actually have fun with your family and friends.

All this may sound a little overwhelming, especially in such a short period of time. But hey, that’s exactly why we are here! Give us a call and we will do our best to come straight to the rescue!

Plamen

Tag : home disinfection