Courtesy MARTA

Imagine you could replace every bottle of cleaning product cluttering up the space under your sink with only three things. 

It may seem too good to be true, but cleaning expert Jan M. Dougherty has done just that — and she's sharing her secrets with TODAY.

“I’ve run my business for 10 years, cleaning 100 houses a week with my crew,” says Dougherty, author of "The Lost Art of Housecleaning."  "And I only use three products in my business and in my home." 

Those three products are:

• Krud Kutter, a biodegradable, non-toxic cleaner/degreaser
  
• Undiluted white vinegar
  
• Old English Lemon Oil

When it comes to cleaning products, I'm kind of a delicate flower. Strong chemical smells make me gag, and the fumes give me a headache long after the rest of my family has stopped noticing them.

To avoid harsh chemicals, I find myself spending a ridiculous amount of money on natural cleaning products at stores like Whole Foods. I wanted to try making homemade cleaning products, so I turned to local sustainable living consultant and author Linda Mason Hunter for guidance.

I decided to clean our house's bathrooms with recipes from Hunter's book "Green Clean: The Environmentally Sound Guide to Cleaning Your Home." The recipes were easy to make and featured simple ingredients, most of which I already had in my cupboard — baking soda, distilled white vinegar, Castile soap, essential oil and tea tree oil.

Mirror, countertop, and shower stall: I added ½ cup distilled white vinegar to two cups water in a spray bottle and cleaned as I would with any spray cleaner. Hunter said this will keep for months.

More at source: Desmoines Register

Find a green cleaning service here.

A bizarre scene unfolded in South Korea when paramedics were called to rescue a woman whose hair was sucked up into her robot vacuum.

It seems the woman decided to take a nap on the floor while her robot vacuum did some cleaning.

Apparently, the machine mistook her hair for a dust ball and tried to suck it up.

The woman was jolted from her sleep and had to call for help to get free.

Video and more at source: ABC

Find a cleaning service here.

As often happens, news of the longtime business closing sparked an outpouring of support among regular customers — so much so that McDonnell is now considering running a pared down business out of Dave’s Appliance shop just up the block.

As a young boy, McDonnell was quickly ushered into his father’s grown-up world. Dick McDonnell was a longtime Seattle horse breeder and boxing promoter and coach. Dennis grew up surrounded by horses and boxing, topics he’s much more interested in talking about than Central Vacuum’s seven decade run.

The shop is filled with images of McDonnell’s favorite boxers and horses, many with Seattle ties. He jumps from one picture to the next, telling stories of gambling and drinking with a strident laugh that causes him to hunch over. There were nights at Swannies Sports Bar, rubbing elbows with comedians who were playing the Comedy Underground and countless afternoons spent betting atLongacres Ractrack in Renton before it was torn down in 1992

“Our family is fun dysfunctional,” McDonnell said. “The vacuum business kind of held it all together.”

The business hasn’t changed that much over the years, including the prices — McDonnell hasn’t raised his $20 service charge in 25 years. In the past, Central Vacuum had clients from hotel and janitorial companies. Most of those clients have gone away, leaving mostly individuals and a few property owners who continue to use old vacuums.

McDonnell grew up in Issaquah and started working in his father’s vacuum shop when he was 16. It’s not the job he imagined he would spend most of his adult life doing, but McDonnell has few regrets.

More at source: Capitol Hill Seattle

Find a janitorial service here. 

DETROIT (Legal Newsline) - Former employere of a janitorial cleaning service company filed a lawsuit on Jan. 15 against the business alleging they were owed overtime pay.

Johnny Cody, Leeanne Snow, Alfred Sanders and Anthony Claiborne filed the class action suit against Michigan-based U.S. Servico, Inc. and its owner Brian Rogers in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan. The plaintiffs said they served as operations manager, supervisors, crew leaders and janitors, but were all exempt from overtime pay based on U.S. Servico's policy.

Their job title, however, meant little in terms of their responsibilities, according to the lawsuit.

More at source: Washington Examiner

Find a janitorial service here.

The business was founded in September of 2014 and is run by husband-and-wife team Nathan and Valerie Schuett. Nathan and Valerie combine their talents perfectly for the sake of their customers. Between them there’s a staggering 40 years of experience. In time their daughter will be joining this family-run business. N&V Helping Hands provides its services to homes and businesses in Guelph and the surrounding region.

N&V Helping Hands has all the right attributes to make the company thrive with its customer-focused ethic and commitment to provide the finest possiblecleaning services. Nathan and Valerie have a deep appreciation for the importance of having a clean home and take their responsibilities in the role quite seriously.

There’s a very significant value attached to having a clean living and work environment. Maintaining a tidy, hygienic home and work space can be critically important to children, the aged, and to anyone who might suffer with the challenges of a compromised immune system. N&V Helping Hands understands this. Challenges that might come from unclean indoor environments includes health threats caused by dander and pet dander, dust and dust mites, bacteria, pathogens, and the dangers of mould. Any of these common household and workplace health hazards can pose serious problems to the inhabitants, 

More at source: Guelph Mercury

Find a cleaning service here. 

The groundhog may have predicted six more weeks of winter but that may not stop locals from getting a jump start on spring cleaning. Once the cleaning bug bites, the Washington stormwater department hopes that residents will be mindful of where they dispose of hazardous household waste. 

Hazardous household waste consists of household products containing corrosive, toxic, ignitable, or reactive ingredients. These items include things like paint, batteries, oil, ink cartridges, light bulbs, and pesticides as well as other items that contain potentially hazardous ingredients that require special care to dispose of. 

Angela Quast, stormwater program coordinator, said properly disposing of the items is important for the environment. 

"When you don't properly dispose of these items, it pollutes the environment," said Quast, who said the Washington Household Hazardous Waste drop off facility, located at 304 E. Oak St., takes the items for proper disposal at no cost. "We also accept electronics or E-waste. We'll take anything with an electrical card as long as it doesn't contain Freon or other refrigerants." 

Quast, who keeps totals for the amounts of hazardous materials she ships to specialized facilities who can properly handle the items. "Some of the items I ship annually and others are shipped biennially so the quantities shipped each year fluctuate." she said, adding that how often the items are shipped depends on the amount of items collected at the facility. "Some places charge us more than others to take away certain household hazardous waste items. For instance, I shipped Mercury, found in light bulbs,  in 2013 but not 2014." 

More at source: Washington Times Herald

Find A Spring Cleaning Service Here

An exotic dancer from Saskatoon has taken the naughty French maid outfit to the next level with her new business — cleaning homes in her lingerie.

It's called Dirty Business.

Because of course it is.

Emily Kempin began Saskatoon's inaugural lingerie-clad cleaning service, with cleaners decked out in lingerie who will clean homes for just $200 an hour.

Her main customers are 20- and 30-something men, she said, and adds women are lining up to work for her.

"It's fun and it's a great way to raise the price a little bit and make some money and work with some awesome females," she told The Huffington Post.

Those "awesome females" Kempin employs are current or retired exotic dancers looking for an alternative career path.

While photos and playful banter are allowed, inappropriate touching or sexually intrusive language or actions will prompt the girls to leave -- under the protection of their bodyguards.

And your house won't get cleaned either.

More at source: The Observer

Find a REAL Cleaning Service Here. 

n the midst of cold and flu season, you're often greeted with sniffles and achooseverywhere you go. Washing your hands and stocking up on orange juice are great starting points, but there's more you can do at home to decrease your chances of falling ill. Take these steps to keep yourself and your family in good health.

Disinfect hot spots
Think about what you touch every day and spray those spots with disinfectant. This includes doorknobs and faucet handles. Carefully wipe remote controls and light switches with a disinfectant wipe.

Sanitize cleaning products
Ideally cleaning your home helps to kill germs, but this isn't the case if you're using dirty supplies. Opt for disposable mop pads, or for a greener solution, sanitize mop heads at very high temperatures before reusing them. Wash your dish towels regularly. University of Florida researchers found that microwaving a wet sponge for two minutes kills or inactivates 99 percent of living pathogens in the sponge.

More at source: Huffington Post

Find a cleaning service here.