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Health Benefits of Clean Homes: Allergies, Diet, Savings

In part one of this two-part blog series, we looked at some of the considerable health benefits that may be available simply from maintaining a clean home on a regular basis. While some people only associate a clean home with aesthetics and comfort, the reality is that a consistently clean house offers several health-related plusses to all occupants.

At Healthy Homes Housekeeping, we’re proud to offer a huge range of house cleaning services to clients around Ogden, including maintenance cleaning, move out/in cleaning and much more. Today’s part two of our series will go over some additional health benefits that come with our services, including a few that may surprise you.

Seasonal Allergies

One major area where a consistently clean home can benefit your health is in limiting seasonal allergies. Dust and other allergens build up quickly in areas that aren’t cleaned regularly, leading to increased allergy symptoms, sneezing, watery eyes and many others.

By keeping your home clean on a regular basis, you reduce the presence of these allergens and limit their impact on anyone living there – especially children, who tend to be more susceptible to allergies. Some people’s allergies aren’t even confined only to seasonal irritants, but also include pet dander or other similar elements. A clean home can help with these issues as well.

Healthier Diet Choices

Did you know that research reveals that things like stress, clutter and chaos in the home can lead to poor food choices? This is because these elements tend to introduce anxiety, and many of us default to unhealthy eating habits when we’re anxious.

By keeping your home clean and organized, you reduce this anxiety and make it easier to stick with healthier food options. Many of our clients have told us how much more likely they are to cook a healthy meal at home when their kitchen is clean and clutter-free.

Saving Money

Another big area we’ve seen in our clients: Regularly cleaning the home can actually save you money on healthcare costs. Poor home hygiene can lead to increased chances of problems like respiratory infections, which require expensive doctor’s visits or medication.

But with a clean home and reduced transmission of germs or bacteria, you reduce these risks considerably – and could save major money over time. Consider the realm of air quality, for instance – this is far better in a regularly cleaned home, leading to reduced risk of asthma and other respiratory ailments.

As you can see, there are several major health benefits to maintaining a clean home. For more information on how our house cleaning services can help you take advantage of these benefits, or to learn about any of our other housekeeping solutions, speak to the staff at Healthy Homes Housekeeping today. We look forward to helping you live in a healthier and happier environment!

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DIY Vacuuming Tips: Backing Out, Frequency, Avoiding Odors

In parts one and two of this multi-part blog series, we’ve gone over everything you need to know about vacuuming within your home on a DIY basis. Homeowners will regularly vacuum their spaces, even those who have professional housekeeping services carried out periodically, and knowing how and when to properly execute this basic process will help keep your home cleaner and healthier at all times.

At Healthy Homes Housekeeping, we’re proud to offer a variety of house cleaning services, from standard cleaning through deep cleaning and move-in/move-out services — and also to offer expertise to our clients looking to keep their homes clean and tidy in simple ways even between appointments from our maid service staff. In today’s final entry into our series, we’ll go over a few more basic pointers or themes to consider when vacuuming any part of your home.

Backing Out of Rooms

One extremely simple theme that will help you keep your carpets, rugs and other vacuumed surfaces as clean as possible: Taking the time to back out of areas you’ve already vacuumed. Let’s say you’ve worked your way through all of the carpeting within your living room, and are ready to turn around and get out of there — but fail to consider backing out.

What happens is that dirt, dust and other debris becomes dragged along with you into another room, because all of the surfaces you’ve already vacuumed are now in your path to the door. By backing out, you’re able to ensure that all of these areas are properly cleaned before you move on.

Vacuuming Frequency

We’re commonly asked by clients how often they should be vacuuming their home. While we don’t feel that there is a single answer to this question, we do suggest looking into how it varies from region to region and country to country — and also based on the size of your space.

For instance: Standard dwellings in some regions will be more prone to buildup of dust and other debris if they are not vacuumed on a regular basis. This is especially true for regions with moderate climates, or those coming out of winter months, when windows are routinely opened to let in fresh air.

Does the size of your home play into this? Absolutely — if you have multiple stories within your home, it will require more frequent cleanings than others that are on a single floor.

Avoiding the “Vacuum Smell”

Most are familiar with the smell of a freshly vacuumed area, but some don’t enjoy this scent. There are a few methods to avoid it:

  • Sprinkle some baking soda in the bag or dirt reservoir to remove dirt-related odors. Some also try cinnamon in the bag instead.
  • Use a dryer sheet in the bag to release this pleasant scent.
  • Occasionally, deodorize the entire carpet or rug space you’re vacuuming using baking soda.

For more on proper vacuuming in any part of your home, or to learn about any of our house cleaning services, speak to the pros at Healthy Homes Housekeeping today.

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DIY Vacuuming Tips: Height, Pattern and Speed

In part one of this multi-part blog series, we imparted some expertise onto those who regularly vacuum their own spaces. Vacuuming is a big part of cleaning a home, both in the professional and DIY spheres, with many of our clients asking us for our best vacuuming tips so they can keep their home clean in between our professional appointments.

At Healthy Homes Housekeeping, vacuuming is just one small part of our comprehensive housekeeping services, which include everything from maintenance cleaning and spring cleaning solutions to deep cleaning, move-in and move-out services and more. For our clients who prefer to vacuum often and keep their space clean between our visits, here are some more general tips on how to do so properly.

Proper Vacuum Height

Most of today’s vacuums come with a feature that allows you to adjust their height, and it is important to set it in order to maximize your vacuum’s effectiveness. The handle should be at roughly the same height as your knees when you are standing upright and holding onto it with both hands.

If your vacuum itself is set too low, you risk wearing out your carpet with too much friction, or even damaging it. If your vacuum is set too high, you are putting more strain on your back, which could lead to injuries down the line — and you also may not be generating enough suction to truly clean the area in question.

Vacuuming Pattern

Did you know that carpet fibers are flexible and rest in a variety of directions? This means that if you only vacuum in one direction, you leave dirt on parts of the fibers.

For this reason, we generally recommend a crisscross pattern, which starts by vacuuming from one side to the other. Then, return to your starting position and vacuum first north-south and then east-west. This ensures that you get all of the area in between so as not to miss any spots.

Don’t Go Too Fast

A common mistake made by DIY vacuum users is trying to go as fast as possible. When you rush, it increases the chances that you will miss dirt and other debris, which can lead to a larger buildup or even damage your carpet fibers.

Especially if you’re looking for a deep clean of the area and removal of tougher buildups like pet hair or other debris, letting the vacuum do its job is key. Speed will come as you gain more comfort with the process and as your carpet begins to look cleaner!

For more on how to properly vacuum your space between housekeeping appointments, or to learn about any of our house cleaning services or programs, speak to the staff at Healthy Homes Housekeeping today.

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Ogden DIY Vacuuming Tips: Bag and Filter, Dusting, Crevice Feature

There are certain home cleaning tasks that will be carried out regularly by both homeowners and professional housekeepers (if they’re hired), and a good example here is vacuuming. One of the single most common home cleaning tasks out there, vacuuming helps remove various dust, debris, dirt, hair and other materials from your flooring, particularly carpets, rugs and other fabrics.

At Healthy Homes Housekeeping, detailed vacuuming and related suction solutions will be just one small piece of our comprehensive house cleaning services, which include everything from maintenance cleaning to deep cleaning and move-in/move-out services in Ogden and nearby areas. However, we also naturally realize that our clients will perform some vacuuming on their own — and we’re here to offer expertise for these settings as well. In this multi-part blog series, we’ll go over some basic DIY vacuuming tips from the best housekeepers in the business.

Bag and Filter

No matter which vacuum you own or which area of your home you’ll be cleaning, you should first check the vacuum’s bag or filter. These are the two components that will collect any kind of debris, dust, dirt and other materials you’re attempting to clean up with your machine. A full bag or dirty filter is going to decrease the effectiveness of your vacuum whenever you attempt to use it.

The simplest approach here: Check the bag and filter before each use, but also before each major vacuuming session on any given day. This way you won’t have to exert the effort of bending down every single time you want to start vacuuming — plus, it helps avoid accidentally missing anything important.

Dust First

Especially if it’s been some time since a given room was cleaned, we strongly recommend dusting first. This means using a dusting mop, duster or cloth to specifically remove any loose particles and materials before you’ve started vacuuming — the easy stuff that will be compacted into your vacuum’s bag/filter if you don’t get it first.

It is also good to remember that some surfaces (particularly plush carpets) will require an approach of pre-vacuuming, so that all the dust and dirt particles are pushed closer to your vacuum’s base. This will help ensure no internal vacuuming issues result from these larger surface materials being pulled into your machine later on.

Crevice Feature

One vital feature to utilize when you’re vacuuming a hard floor is the crevice tool, which will help remove dirt from edges and other tight spaces. The crevice feature will also help immensely when it comes to cleaning around furniture legs — essentially anything that’s small enough to be difficult or near-impossible for regular suction power to reach. If you’re not using the crevice tool when vacuuming a given room, you’ll be leaving hair, dirt and other debris built up in corners.

For more tips on DIY vacuuming from the best housekeepers in town, or to learn about any of our Ogden housekeeping services, speak to the staff at Healthy Homes Housekeeping today.

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