Maid Service

Women Making A Difference In Plano

by Jennifer | No Comments Thursday, March 29, 2012

This charity was started by Mary Beth King 2 years ago, and has gained great momentum! Basically, everyone gets together quarterly, all participants gives a check for $100 and a vote is cast for which nonprofit the money will go to. When a charity is selected, the woman advocating the charity gets to deliver the check! It’s so easy anyone could do it! Especially when it is getting more and more difficult to commit as much time and money as we would all like to saving the world.

For more information on the charity and how to get involved, check out This Article From The Plano Star Courrier, and lets help the community one charity at a time!

5 Important Ways To Reduce Your Risk Of Heart Disease

by Jennifer | No Comments Monday, March 26, 2012

Heart disease takes the lives of roughly 1 in 5 people in America. While advances in medical technology have increased that can help people at risk or suffering, this problem won’t be reduced until we make better choices in our lives. Everyone already knows that a healthy, balanced diet and regular excercise are the two greatest things we can do for ourselves, and should be taken very seriously, but what else can we do?

1. Take A Multivitamin Rich In B, C, and Omega-3.

These vitamins should be present in your daily diet, but a boost from a multivitamin will help as well.

2. Drink Lots Of Water

While not everyone can realistically drink 64 oz. of water a day, drinking it as often as possible will do wonders for you. Choose water over soda, and you will notice a difference in your overall well-being.

3. Have A Beer Or Glass Of Wine Every Day

Just one of either of the two will help lower your cholesterol, a major player in heart disease. It will also put you in a more relaxed mood, which will assist with your blood pressure. Just don’t have more than one regularly, that will counteract the positive effects and can bring you into alcoholism.

4. Get Help If You Have Sleep Apnea

If your partner says you snore too much, get help. If you are by yourself, try and record you sleeping to make sure. Sleep apnea is a condition that causes you to stop breathing many times a night, which interferes with your REM cycle, increases blood pressure, and reduces your overall health.

5. Drink Hot Tea Every Day

Not only is it soothing and tasty, it’s great for you! It doesn’t really matter what kind you drink, but green and black are best. It helps lower your cholesterol, and that warm comfy feeling you get from drinking it can’t hurt your mood either!

There are so many things you can do to help lower your cholesterol. Hopefully our advice will get you started, but check out these great websites that go in greater detail and have loads of little things you can do every day to make a significant impact on your health:

30 Ways To Reduce Your Risk Of Heart Disease And Stroke – Reader’s Digest
Lifestyle Changes – American Heart Association

How To Reduce Pet Allergens In Your Home

by Jennifer | No Comments Thursday, March 22, 2012

Even if you are not allergic to pets, they can still cause problems, especially in the springtime when every other allergy culprit is making it’s way to you. These issues are caused by dander, the loose, flaky skin that animals shed. But your furry friend still needs loads of love, so here are some ways to reduce the pet allergens in your home to keep everyone happy and as sneeze-free this spring as possible!

1. Keep Them Out Of Bedrooms

As sweet as it is to snuggle with your pet, the dander can settle into your bedsheets and clothes, making it impossible to avoid any reactions. Give them their own bed in another room of the house.

2. Let Them Play Outside Often

Most pets don’t want to be couped up in the house all day and night, and who could blame them, you wouldn’t want to be confined either! So let them outside frequently when the weather permits, so they shed some of that dander outdoors.

3. Don’t let them crawl all over the furniture.

Upholstry is a magnet for dander and hair, so unless you are ok with vacuuming your furniture every day, it is usually best to not let them on the couch.

4. Keep Them Cleaned And Groomed

If you can afford it, get your pet professionally groomed every week or two. If you have time, do it on your own. If you have a cat that will not let you put him in water, there are powdered shampoos you can try. And having good tools really helps, such as a brush with wire bristles that will lift the dander, and one with regular bristles to grab everything and smooth the fur.

5. Vacuum and Dust Often

With a pet in the home, the floors and upholstry should be cleaned at least 2 times a week or more, depending on how many animals and people reside there. Maintaining your home will keep the allergens to a minimum.

How To Get Your Kids To Help Clean

by Jennifer | No Comments Monday, March 19, 2012

It’s not always easy getting your kids to help out around the house. Their growing minds are going at a million miles an hour figuring everything out, and it may seem impossible to get them to focus on house cleaning, especially when it’s not as exciting as everything else. The trick is to make it a fun learning experience with them. Keeping the chores age appropriate is necessary. Go To This Chart as a guideline of what you can realistically ask a child/teen to do.

To keep your kids on track with their duties, try a chore chart with a rewards system! It will teach them a great deal more than an allowance alone, and you can be creative with what you decide to give them if they complete all their tasks. They will happily oblige if they know they are working towards something they can really look forward to! The reward could be strictly monetary if you would like (for example, you will give a dollor for every chore completed by the end of the week,) or add a bonus for the end of the month, such as dinner at a restaurant of their choice or a day at the water park. You know your children better than anyone, so use your judgement. If you want to create your own fun chore chart, Try This Link By Tipjunkie for some great ideas!

How To Deep Clean Your Bedroom In 8 Steps

by Jennifer | No Comments Thursday, March 15, 2012

It can be easy to skip out on deep cleaning your bedroom. After all, it’s not a kitchen or bathroom, right? Ok, maybe it’s not as intensive as deep cleaning one of those, but you spend more time in it than any other room, so it deserves some TLC here and there. If you are cleaning your home on your own, we recommend doing this deep clean quarterly, then keeping it up with dusting and spot cleaning in between. For this deep cleaning, we recommend opening your windows a little to keep the air circulating, so there will be minimum resettling of dust.

1. Use An Extendable Duster To Clean The Ceiling

Before you do anything else, dust the ceiling fan, crown moulding, and remove any cobwebs with an extendable duster. This way, everything will fall onto surfaces and your bed before they are clean.

2. Clean Your Bed

Strip your sheets and bedskirt, and throw in the washer. If anything is dry-clean only, take it a day or two in advance so that it will be ready today, and use your backup linens/comforter in the meantime. Take a spray bottle with a mixture of 2 tablespoons of baking soda filled to the top with water and spray on your mattress and pillows until slightly damp. This will remove unsightly odors and freshen up everything. You can add a little scent to the baking soda mix if you like, but if you are sensitive, just leave it as is. Make your bed at the very end of your deep clean, making sure the mattress and pillows are completely dry.

3. Clean Blinds, Windows, and Sills

Carefully dust your blinds and window sills with a microfiber rag, to minimize tossing dust up in the air. With a clean rag and a spray bottle with 2 tablespoons vinegar, a few drops of essential oil of your choice (optional) filled to the top with water, remove any spots from your blinds, windows, and sills.

4.  Doors, Door Frames and Switchplates

With the Vinegar solution, go around and clean all door frames, doors, door handles, and switchplates. These are commonly touched areas that can harbor viruses and bacteria. Vinegar is naturally anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-fungal, so it will not only make those areas look sparkling, but will sanitize them as well.

5. Dust Wall Decor

With a microfiber rag, dust every item on your wall carefully. If possible, gently pull the decor away from the wall and dust behind it.

6. Dust Furniture

A good trick is to take every item off of your dresser and tables first. This way, when you put everything back, you are less likely to put everything back as clutter, and find a new home for everything you don’t need sitting out. Go around with a microfiber cloth and dust every piece of furniture, including the sides and any detail work. Don’t forget the headboard and footboard! As you put all decor and necessities back on your furniture, dust each item as well.

7. Wash Your Basebaords

Using the vinegar mixture and a rag, wash all basebaords. Move furniture away from the wall if possible.

8. Vacuum/Sweep And Mop Floors

If you have carpet, use the hose attachment of your vacuum to go around all edges, corners, and underneath all furniture before doing the main area. If you are sweeping and mopping, be sure and get every possible nook and cranny.