Water stains can be the most annoying stains to remove from wood. There are two types of water stains that can be appear wood, white and black. White stains occur when the water stain has not penetrated the wood. Black stains occur when the water has penetrated the wood. We have some tips for you on how to remove water stains from wood.

White Stains

1.       Rub the stain with mineral oil on a rag. Leave overnight and repeat if it is not reduced.

2.       If the stain is not removed, buy mineral spirits, which remove stains in the wax.

3.       In a well-ventilated area, apply mineral spirits to a rag and rub into the stain with gloves. If it works, apply a new coat of furniture polish.

4.       If the mineral spirits do not work, prepare a mix of baking soda and non-gel toothpaste.

5.       Apply the baking soda mixture to a damp rag and rub with the grain.

6.       If it works, clean the area and apply furniture wax.

Black Stains (Sanding)

1.       Sand the stain gently with sandpaper to remove the finish (#100 grit) and feather edges (#150 grit).

2.       Sand the stain with #150 grit and feather edges around the area with steel wool.

3.       Remove the sanding dust.

4.       Lightly coat the area with varnish several times to match the original finish.

5.       Feather the edge of the new varnish with steel wool to eliminate bumps.

6.       Use wax to polish the area.

Black Stains (Bleach)

1.       Remove the finish of the wood with sandpaper (#100 grit).

2.       Pour bleach in a container.

​3.       Dip a brush in the container and brush over the stain.

4.       Wait for a few hours so the bleach can evaporate and the stain can fade to the wood’s original color.

5.       Clean area to remove bleach completely.

6.       Lightly coat the area with varnish several times to match the original finish.

7.       Feather the edge of the new varnish with steel wool to eliminate bumps.

8.       Use wax to polish the area.

If none of these processes work, or if you are uncomfortable with repairing your own wood floor, just use TalkLocal. We will connect you with up to three high quality cleaning professionals in your area who will be available to help when you need them.

Moving out can be a stressful process. Packing your things, finding a new place, cleaning up, making sure everything is taken care of; you can go crazy trying to handle it all.  You need to make sure that the place you are leaving is in tip top shape so that the next person to move in has no problems.  You should not only take all your stuff and not leave anything behind but you will also need to clean the place.  A moving out cleaning is a little different from a general upkeep.

Move Out Cleaning Tips

1. One of the things you will need to do when moving out is cancel all of your utilities.  Make sure you call all of the utility companies so that everything is scheduled to be turned off in time.  This includes water, electricity, phone, internet, and cable.  This may not seem like something to be included in a moving out cleaning but it is very important. Otherwise, the next resident will keep receiving bills with your name and information on them.

2. You should also consider the state of your walls, ceilings, and doors.  The surfaces of your place speak volumes to how you have cared for it.  Remove any and all nails, staples, and hanging devices used to decorate.

3. You should also try to patch up the holes and remove any scuff marks so that everything looks pristine.

Now lets get down to the actual physical cleaning.  We’ll start in the kitchen.

4. Clean out the refrigerator by removing all the food.  Now you can wipe down all the surfaces inside and get rid of any crumbs.

5. The oven will also need to be scrubbed down.

6. Empty the cabinets, fix the light fixtures, and wipe down all the counter surfaces.  Do not forget to clean the sink and sweep/mop the floor.

7. Clean the bathrooms in a similar way.  Take care of the sink, tub, toilet, and shower.  Scrub carefully and remove any stains or buildup.

8. Clean the mirrors and vents and  mop the floor.

9. The next room is the bedroom and living room.  Make sure you vacuum the floors and wipe down all the surfaces.

10. You will also need to throw out all of your trash.

11. Do one last inspection before turning in your keys to ensure you have not left any mess behind.

Additional Help

If you have more questions about how to clean when you are moving out you should try to talk to a professional so that you can get the best help possible.  The easiest, fastest way to get in contact with reliable local cleaning businesses is to use TalkLocal. Just put in your problem and availability and let them do all of the work.  Within minutes you will be connected to someone who will be able to help you when you need them.

Lemons.  That is the smell that every single person can identify as the characteristic smell of furniture polish.  This is the smell you usually walk into when you go to a house party because people like to polish their furniture before social gatherings.  Many people feel irritable, depressed, and annoyed in response to the use of furniture polish, so they want to find a sufficient alternative to using furniture polish.

Alternatives to Furniture Polish

One option many people choose to follow is making their own homemade furniture polish.  The best solution involves using oil and vinegar.  Many people advocate for using more oil and a little bit of vinegar but this can leave your furniture oily and slick.  Instead try to use the reverse of this.  Mix a quarter cup of vinegar with a few drops of oil and you will have yourself a good wood furniture cleaner and polish.  The vinegar in this solution will pull any dirt and particles out of the wood and the oil will lubricate it to prevent excessive drying.

If you are wondering what kind of oil to use, consider the ones with the longest shelf life.  Olive oil, the liquid wax of jojoba, etc. are all good options. Any boiled linseed oils have synthetic drying chemicals so you should definitely not use them. Lemon juice or organic apple cider vinegar are substitutes for the vinegar but they do have the possibility of staining your furniture so you should stick to white distilled vinegar.

In the case that you do not want to mix a homemade furniture polish, you should consider using simple oils.  Lemon oil, mineral oil, orange oil, and beeswax all can be used on their own to polish up your furniture. The lemon oil nourishes wood and helps preserve it.  The mineral oil should only be used on unfinished wood because it is nondrying so if it is used on finished furniture it will collect dust particles.  The orange oil can be used on all types of wooden furniture because it leaves no waxy buildup.  Beeswax is completely natural and so it is one of the best options you have to use.

Additional Help

If you have more questions about alternatives to furniture polish you should try to talk to a professional so that you can get the best help possible.  The easiest, fastest way to get in contact with reliable local maid services is to use TalkLocal. Just put in your problem and availability and let them do all the work.  Within minutes you will be connected to someone who should be able to help you out

How fast can a maid clean? Professional maids are trained to be thorough and efficient. However, a few factors need to be calculated  in order to estimate how long it will take a professional maid to clean.

Size of the Space

There is a difference between having an apartment cleaned and an entire house cleaned. The size of the area will determine how much time it will take a maid to effectively clean everything. A maid service will likely ask for a square-footage estimate of the area to be cleaned, as well as details about any furniture in the area.

How dirty is the area?

The time needed to clean up depends on how soiled the area is. If the space is cleaned regularly once per week, then the maid only needs to touch up. If the space has not been cleaned in at least two weeks, it will take more time to clean in order to ensure the space is dust- and dirt-free. In addition, the maid’s responsibilities will also determine how long she takes. Some maids dust, mop, wash dishes, launder clothes, iron, and vacuum. The type of cleaning you want done will decide how much time the maid needs to clean.

Size of the Cleaning Crew

If there is one maid it will take longer to clean than if there were multiple maids. Again, the size of the cleaning crew will depend on the size of the space that needs to be cleaned, as well as the service you request.

To find the best maid services near you, contact TalkLocal. TalkLocal is a search engine for services that connects consumers with quality local companies over the phone in minutes. Try us now!

Shutters provide both form and function to your house while being instantly noticeable, so it’s important to clean them often to maintain a good impression. Depending on the material of your shutters, you’ll need different cleaning supplies. Use this guide if you are wondering how to go about cleaning window shutters.

Interior shutters

For painted and vinyl shutters, a mixture of dish detergent and water is fine, but for wooden shutters you’ll need special wood polish. However, a vacuum cleaner with a brush attachment is required for the weekly maintenance of all shutter types. Then, depending on the shutter material, use either the wood polish or the water and detergent solution for a monthly cleaning. Follow up this process with a toothbrush to get into the crevices of the shutters. If you used the detergent solution on painted/vinyl shutters, make sure to rinse off the soap with clean water and dry thoroughly.

Exterior shutters

Mix a cleaning solution of one part dish detergent and four parts water. Pick a cleaning tool with a long handle, like a brush or a mop, if your shutters are high up and out of reach. If you have a pressure washer, use that to spray away any debris and dirt on your shutters. Otherwise, your gardening hose on high pressure will be fine. Use your chosen cleaning tool to scrub your shutters, starting from the top down, so the dirty water won’t get on the clean sections of the shutter. Use the hose to rinse the shutters while the shutters are still wet from the cleaning solution.

If you don’t have the time or effort to do this every week, why not find a maid to do it for you? For absolutely no charge, TalkLocal will find you the most reliable maid service that fits your schedule.

How to Get Rid of Indian Cooking Smells in House

Indian cuisine can be delicious and fun to cook at home, but some Indian spices are very strong and can leave an unwanted aroma in your house. If you want to know how to get rid of Indian cooking smells in your house, there are a few things you can do on your own, some being simple, but others being potentially expensive:

– Run your exhaust fan while cooking.

– Ventilate your home for a day by opening ALL windows and doors.

– Go through your house and spray Oust or another air neutralizer. Do NOT a freshener; doing so will just add another scent on top of the Indian food smell instead of getting rid of it.

– Use a fabric freshener on any furniture that may have absorbed the scent. You can also spray freshener on carpets and rugs.

– Keep your spices in tightly-sealed, glass jars to keep the effects of the scents minimal.

– Keep a bowl of warm water and baking soda near your stove while cooking to soak up the odors.

– Boil water and vinegar while cooking to neutralize odors.

– Place a can of charcoal bricks in your house. They must be clean and unused in order to absorb scents.

– Add 4 tablespoons of ReaLemon Juice to a quart of iced tea. Filter it through a coffee filter and then spray it around the house to neutralize the smell.

Other options that require more effort or money:

– Wash your walls if you think the aroma has settled in.

– Steam wash your carpet.

– Ultimately, it may be necessary to repaint your walls and/or to recarpet your floors.

If none of these options are working and you would like some professional cleaning help, try using TalkLocal to locate reputable maid and/or carpeting services in your neighborhood. Just enter in your specific problem, location, and availability and TalkLocal will contact multiple companies who will then call YOU directly, ready to help within minutes.

Tipping can be a fairly touchy subject. You want to tip the right amount, because too little gives a bad impression and too much is a waste. When it comes to tipping your housekeeper, finding the right amount can be difficult. How much should you tip a housekeeper? This really depends on the level of service.

The general consensus about tipping housekeepers is to tip them anything ranging from 15-25% of the pay depending on the quality of service. However, this only applies to one-time jobs. Usually, housekeepers are hired on a regular basis to come and clean several times a month. In this case, it is better not to tip them every time, but to just give them a holiday bonus. This can range from a week’s to a month’s pay, depending on how good the service is and how long they have been working for you.

A good idea is to give them a gift card instead of just a bonus because it is more personal. You could get them anything from an iTunes gift card to Fandango gift card, just make sure it’s something they will use. If you are looking for a good maid service, consider using TalkLocal to find one. Simply enter a brief description of your service needs along with your location and availability, and TalkLocal will match you to several highly rated maid services in your area for free.

Moving out of your apartment can be a hassle, especially making sure your apartment is squeaky clean before you leave. Make the transition easier by using an apartment cleaning checklist before moving out. The following is a list of common locations throughout your apartment that need to be cleaned in order to avoid extra costs added to your final rent payment.

What you will need:

– Cleaning products (Soft Scrub, 409, Pledge, Pine Sol, etc.)

– Mop & bucket

– Paint brushes & paint

– Sponges

– Broom & dustpan

– Various cleaning & dusting cloths

Cleaning the kitchen:

– Dishwasher – Make sure all of your dishes are done and out of the sink so you can have plenty of room to clean the rest of the kitchen.

– Stove and Oven – It is best to unplug the oven/stove before cleaning it. Use 409 to clean the surfaces of appliances such as stoves, ovens and refrigerators. When cleaning the oven and stove, remember to clean under and behind it as well. The unit is usually quite easy to slide out from its normal location. To clean the inside of the oven, use baking soda with water as a great, cheap cleaning agent.

– Refrigerator – As with the stove/oven, clean behind and under the refrigerator. Also clean the outside surface for scuff marks and other residue buildups. Using 409 is great for the exterior as well as the shelves and the inside.

– Counters and Cabinets – Pledge is a great option for cleaning the surfaces of your cabinets.

Cleaning the bathroom:

– Toilet – Use a toilet brush to remove any water stains. In addition, disinfect the bowl and rim.

– Counters, sinks, medicine cabinet – Wipe down all of these areas to freshen them up and get rid of any water marks.

– Shower – Use a towel and wipe down the inside of the shower and clean out the drain.

 Cleaning floors and carpet:

– Floors – Sweep the floors to get rid of any large objects and follow it up with a mop (usually with Pine Sol and water) to get rid of the dust particles.

– Carpets – Vacuum the carpets and sprinkle baking soda to get rid of any musty smells.

Other things to remember:

– Walls – Use a warm, wet cloth to wipe down the walls. Also, paint over any scuffs, repair any holes, and take out extra nails, etc that you may have used to hang objects throughout your apartment.

– Trash and Recycle Bins – Go throughout your apartment and get rid of any extra trash that you may have collected after going through the apartment cleaning checklist before you move out.

If you read through this list in preparation of moving out and realize that you don’t have the time or effort to thoroughly clean your apartment, consider hiring a made service to professionally take care of the job. Use TalkLocal to connect you to several highly rated maid services in your area within minutes.

You want to clean your home but you notice some mildew in the house. This could lead you to ask “Can maids get rid of mildew?” If you have a mildew problem in your home and are looking to hire a maid to get rid of it, you should first make sure that they can. It is important to understand the mildew and its growth cycle to avoid spending money when you don’t need to.  Mildew is the result of a parasitic fungus.  Read this article on getting rid of mildew for more information.

What makes mildew grow in my home?

Moisture, temperature and food enable mildew to thrive.  For this reason, mildew grows predominantly in bathrooms and kitchens where there is a source of moisture and high temperatures.

How do I keep mildew from growing?

Ventilating the room is a proactive way to decrease mildew growth.  In addition, using chemicals in an option to preventing mildew growth.  After taking a shower, leave the door open and dry the shower walls.

How do I get rid of mildew once it’s started growing?

A 50% percent mixture of water and bleach is one of the better options for getting rid of already formed mildew.  Allow the mixture to sit on the surface that is infected for at least an hour.  After waiting, rinse the area clean with water.  Repeat this step every four or five days for a couple weeks until the mildew is no longer growing.

Can maids get rid of mildew?

Maids can get rid of mildew but only with the assistance of the homeowner.  As described above, treating mildew must happen every 4-5 days alongside ventilating the room and keeping it dry.  Yes, maids can use their tools to get rid of the fungus but only with your help.

To get started on your mildew treatment and eliminate it from your house, use TalkLocal to hire the right maid service for you.  Within minutes you will be connected for free to a high quality professional in your area.

What cleaning supplies to use on hardwood floors depends not on the type of wood, but on the type of finish your floor has.  Most modern floors now are surface sealed, which means that they have a urethane, polyurethane, orpolyacrylic surface seal.  To test if your floor is surface sealed, run a finger across your floor and see if it leaves a mark on the floor.  Otherwise, your floor is probably treated with a penetrating seal or an oil finish.  In that case, you’ll need to apply liquid or paste wax to your floor, and regular cleaning methods will not work.

Surface sealed floors are usually quite resilient to cleaning methods that might harm a floor treated with a penetrating seal.  However, there are cleaning methods that should not be used on surface sealed floors.  Read on for more information on what not to use to clean hardwood floors.

Surface sealed floors

–  Don’t use oils, they tend to leave a residue that builds up over time

–  Don’t use furniture spray, as it makes your floor incredibly slippery

–  Don’t use wax, it’s not necessary for your surface sealed floor and wax is a huge hassle to take care of

–  Don’t use any abrasive cleaners, such as ammonia or other alkaline products that will dull the surface of your floors

–  Don’t only use water, since water alone will not remove dirt very well and your floors will not be as clean as they could be

–  Don’t use vinegar and water, as vinegar is an acidic substance that may dull your floors faster

–  Don’t use a completely wet mop, because water can still get behind the seal and ruin the wood flooring

Penetrating seal floors

–  Don’t use acrylic and water based waxes, which can turn a floor white

–  Don’t use furniture waxes, since they make your floors incredibly slippery

–  Don’t use one step waxes, as they tend to trap dirt

–  Don’t damp mop, floors with penetrating seals are much more vulnerable to water damage

A flooring specialist will be able to tell you in greater detail other products you should not use on your specific type of floor, in addition to what you should be using to clean your floor.  Use TalkLocal to find a high quality flooring specialist at no additional charge today.