TOP 6 HOUSE CLEANING MYTHS!

TOP 6 HOUSE CLEANING MYTHS!

Bleach cleans

Bleach only disinfect surfaces and whiten stains, it DOESN'T clean dirt/grime from surfaces. There is a misconception that germ free = cleans. Use bleach when your need to whiten your shirt or rinse away bacteria from your germ infected toilet, however, if you’re trying to remove the grit and grime from your toilet bowl, sink or bathtub, you’ll need an actual cleaning product with texture. One good cleaning product with texture is baking soda.

Newspaper is the best material to clean glass surfaces

In the past, newspaper were made from papers & inks. This combination will indeed leave glass surfaces streak-free. However modern newspapers are not made from 100% paper and ink anymore, therefore it is more efficient to use glass/window cleaner with a microfiber cloth & squeegee.

Dusting with feather duster

Feather duster only spread the dust to another location and do not absorb/remove dust. Damp cloth or vacuum cleaner works much better than a feather duster to remove dust.

Smells good = clean

Air freshener is a misleading item in cleaning industry. Human tends to associate fresh/good smell to clean environment. Air fresheners only make your environment smells better for a period of time. It does not remove dirt & germs as compared to actual cleaning. If you want your environment to be clean, you will have to do the dirty work by cleaning it.

There is nothing the vinegar cannot clean

Yes we understand there is a cult swearing the usefulness of vinegar in household cleaning. Vinegar's natural and organic way of cleaning is fabulous and inexpensive. However care need to be taken when using vinegar. Vinegar should not be used for cleaning flooring with wax, stone finishing, marble & hardwood. It may cause the above surfaces to lose their shine.

Cold water wash is good for your laundry

Yes, cold wash reduces utilities bill and works better in stain removal washing. However it is advisable to wash jeans, man-made fibers, knits and white clothing in warm water to preserve and prevent damages.

Author: Tiffany Goh, Art of Cleaning Pte Ltd

Art of Cleaning is one of the leaders in the Singapore carpet cleaning industry. We take pride in our work and strives to be the leading cleaning company in Singapore!

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WHY SHOULD YOU USE A PROFESSIONAL CLEANING COMPANY TO DO YOUR POST TENANCY/RENOVATION CLEANING?

WHY SHOULD YOU USE A PROFESSIONAL CLEANING COMPANY TO DO YOUR POST TENANCY/RENOVATION CLEANING?

Professional Cleaning Company in Singapore

"Professional" means people who are good and reliable in the work they do. Labour cost in Singapore skyrocketed with minimum wages and expensive levies for hiring foreign workers. Therefore it will definitely not be cheap and easy to hire a reliable professional cleaning company. Post Tenancy/Renovation cleaning is one of the heaviest task a residential cleaning company can get.

There is a reason why landlords/housing agents only accept post tenancy cleaning from a professional company during handover. Firstly, non professionals may not have the correct tools & equipment (e.g. high ladder for high area cleaning, steam mop for kitchen floor degreasing, commercial degreaser chemical for kitchen hood degreasing, etc). Secondly non professionals may use the wrong chemical and damage items in the house (e.g. using acidic based detergent on porous surfaces like marble/granite etc). Lastly non professionals will not be able to take the hardship if the house area is not exactly small. Imagine after cleaning the entire house windows, you have to scrub the toilet floors and WC. You have not even talk about degreasing the kitchen stove, ovens etc. Yes you can definitely do all these task yourself but it will at the expense of spending quality time with you family or even using the time to unpack at your new house (which will be much more fun!).

Professional cleaning companies faced problems like the high cost of hiring cleaners and customers' expectations in terms quality of cleaning and willingness to pay a premium for it. Lets face it, hiring a cleaning company never be cheap, at most it will be reasonable for the quality of cleaning you get. Therefore it is important to research before engaging a professional cleaning company.

Experienced cleaners with add on services

Professional cleaning company will be able to provide additional services saving you the trouble from liaising with multiple vendors like curtain/carpet/mattress/sofa cleaning. The reputable ones will be able to clean almost everything you have in your household. This will lead to a stress free moving out experience for you.

Heavy cleaning may be cause some health issues due to inhaling of cleaning chemicals and dust. Therefore appointing a professional cleaning company can prevent this as well. As professional cleaning companies usually have customer satisfaction as their priority, they will make sure your house is ready for handover on time. In any case, if there is any hiccup, some professional cleaning companies will even provide complimentary touch up session if you encounter problems during handover.

If you are an environmentalist, most professional cleaning companies can provide environmental friendly cleaning products or even organic cleaning products alternative for a premium.  

Customer satisfaction 

Professional cleaning companies are transparent in their pricing and will inform customers any additional prices before commencing work. Cleaners are trained by the company to provide on site quote if you require additional services. At the end of cleaning session, the cleaner usually will walk through the entire house with the customer to make sure the house is ready for handover before leaving. Therefore the experience and quality of cleaning services will outweigh the fees and also the consequences of doing the cleaning yourself.

Author: Tiffany Goh, Art of Cleaning Pte Ltd

Art of Cleaning is one of the leaders in the Singapore carpet cleaning industry. We take pride in our work and strives to be the leading cleaning company in Singapore!

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CLEANING HACKS - PROPER WAYS OF CLEANING GLASS SURFACE

Cleaning Technique

1. Clean from top down
2. Apply water applicator onto glass surface ensuring that an entire section of glass panel is evenly and systematically covered down to just below hand reachable height. Do not clean the glass panel right to the bottom.
3. Place squeegee at top of glass panel, blade flat onto glass surface with handle as close to the glass surface as possible.
4. Pull squeegee down from the top to just below hand reachable height. Do not go beyond the area covered by water applicator.
5. Move on to an adjacent lane and repeat drying action.
6. Use water applicator on the lower portion of the glass panel.
7. Place squeegee flat onto glass surface. Pull it horizontally across the glass panel, stopping about 2/3 of squeegee length before the other side.
8. When necessary, dry the squeegee with a cloth after each pass.
9. Move downwards and repeat until bottom of glass panel is reached, ensuring that each pass overlaps the previous one.
10. Place squeegee at the top of glass panel, starting from the side. Make a 90 degree turn and pull the squeegee downwards all the way to the bottom.

Author: Tiffany Goh, Art of Cleaning Pte Ltd

Art of Cleaning is one of the leaders in the Singapore carpet cleaning industry. We take pride in our work and strives to be the leading cleaning company in Singapore!

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WHAT IS CARPET?

WHAT IS CARPET?

A carpet is a textile floor covering. It consist of an upper layer of pile attached to a backing. The pile is typically either made from wool or synthetic fibre such as polypropylene, nylon or polyester. The tufts are often twisted and heat treated to maintain their structure.

Woven carpet is produced on a loom and can have cut pile or loop pile. There are new styles of carpet which combine the two styles, called cut and loop carpeting. Colored yarns are commonly used in the weaving process to produce intricate patterns.

Needlefelt carpet is produced by intermingling and felting individual synthetic fibers using barbed and forked needles. The results is an extremely durable carpet. Needlefelt carpets are commonly found in places with a lot of human traffic such as hotels and restaurants.

A knotted pile carpet has structural weft threads which alternate with a supplementary weft that rises at right angles to the surface of the weave. This supplementary weft is attached to the warp by knots types to form the pile of the carpet. Kashmir carpets, Oriental rugs and Oriental carpets are often knotted by hands.

A tufted carpet has its pile injected into a backing material. The backing material is bonded to a secondary backing made of a woven hessian weave or a man made alternative to provide stability. This is the most common method of manufacturing of domestic carpets for floor covering purposes.

Author: Tiffany Goh, Art of Cleaning Pte Ltd

Art of Cleaning is one of the leaders in the Singapore carpet cleaning industry. We take pride in our work and strives to be the leading cleaning company in Singapore!

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CLEANING HACKS - CORRECT WAY OF WET MOPPING

Preparation of the Mopping Area
Set up necessary caution signs to alert other users of the area on wet mopping is conducted. Shift all unnecessary furniture/objects away. Remove other dust/dirt by vacuuming

Vacuuming / Dust mopping the entire area
Follow the vacuuming / dust mopping procedure to remove all unwanted objects from the mopping area.

Ready for wet mopping
Prevent over wetting your mop by wringing it. An overly wet mop will result in spreading the dirt on the area instead of sticking the dirt onto your mop. Commence your mopping in the corner furthest from the door. Split the mopping area into 4/6 areas and concentrate on one area before moving to the next. Mop from the areas furthest to nearest the door to prevent stepping on the mopped areas. Rinse your dirty mop in a clear water pail before dipping it in the detergent pail. Dirty solution will only move dirt from one area to another, it will not remove it from the floor. Ensure your detergent is diluted in the optimal ratio to maximize your mopping efficiency. Use floor blower/fan to reduce drying time for the area.

Clean Up
It is important to thoroughly clean your pails after using to prevent leftover water from previous mopping sessions to contaminate your current one. Leave the pails upside down to speed up thorough drying and also to prevent mosquito breeding.

Author: Tiffany Goh, Art of Cleaning Pte Ltd

Art of Cleaning is one of the leaders in the Singapore carpet cleaning industry. We take pride in our work and strives to be the leading cleaning company in Singapore!

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ADVANTAGES OF STEAM CLEANING YOUR CURTAINS COMPARED TO DRY CLEANING

ADVANTAGES OF STEAM CLEANING YOUR CURTAINS COMPARED TO DRY CLEANING

Chemical-Free
As the process suggest, it only uses high temperature steam to carry out the cleaning process, which means that it is completely chemical free! This is most suitable to families with young children.

Highly effective Cleaning
High temperature steam can kill 100% of the dust mites allergens on your curtains. Singapore homes are highly prone to dust mites due to our humid weather. Dust mites can easily breed on curtains and upholstery, their faeces can cause allergy reactions like eczema or even asthma. Therefore steam cleaning your curtain and upholstery can help prevent allergy reactions.

Prolong life span of curtains
Regular steam cleaning will help remove odour problems and stains which in turn prolong your curtain and upholstery's life span.

Economical
Steam cleaning is cheaper due using natural steam instead of expensive chemical/detergents.

Non abrasive method of cleaning
Hot steam remove hidden dirt/dust without damaging the fabric as compared to machine wash which tumble and causes abrasion.

It is highly advisable to hire curtain steam cleaning professional to steam clean you curtains as curtains are highly expensive. By hiring the professionals, you reduce the risk of damaging your expensive curtains.

Art of Cleaning recommends steam cleaning your curtain at least every 12 months to prevent a build up of dust mite, dirt and allergens. You should steam it more often (every 6 months) if your family members have history of asthma, eczema or allergy. Steam cleaning not only keeps your curtains clean but also prolong it's life span to help you save money in the long term.

Author: Tiffany Goh, Art of Cleaning Pte Ltd

Art of Cleaning is one of the leaders in the Singapore carpet cleaning industry. We take pride in our work and strives to be the leading cleaning company in Singapore!

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HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU CLEAN YOUR CARPET?

HOW OFTEN SHOULD YOU CLEAN YOUR CARPET?

How often should you clean your carpet? This depends on the traffic on your carpet.

Lightly soil - no shoes policy, enclosed office or home with no outsiders or pets

Medium soil - some visitors occasionally, with shoes on, pets

Heavy soil - public area like shopping mall, hotel or training center (where different trainees come daily)

Vacuum Spot Treatment Professional Cleaning Light soil 1 x weekly Immediate Every 12 months Medium soil 3 x weekly Immediate Every 6 months Heavy soil Daily Immediate Every 3 months

As a general rule of thumb, you should always treat your carpet stains asap to avoid further damage to your carpet. Click here on how to remove various stains from your carpet!

You should definitely vacuum your carpet as often as possible. The benefits of vacuuming regularly:

Helps remove unwanted particles and substances
Food particles, skin flakes, dust/dirt are the most common things to be found on your carpet. There will be more if you wear your shoes on your carpet. These particles can be deeply embedded into your carpet if left untouched and can damage your carpet further causing stains and odour. Dirty carpet can spread harmful viruses/germs/bacteria. Therefore it is the most basic step to keep your house safe.

Prolong your carpet's lifespan
Grime and dirt is very harmful to your carpet. They causes friction every time your carpet is moved and will result in premature damage to your carpet fibre over time. The structure of your carpet is damaged with each foot stepped onto your carpet. This will erode your carpet's life faster than expected.

Enhance the appearance of your carpet
If you want your house to be more welcoming and vibrant, you should vacuum your carpet regularly because clean carpets are plusher, brighter and most importantly, welcoming as compared to dirty carpet.

Leave the professional cleaning to the experts
Vacuuming is only good enough as a regular maintenance. Carpet requires a deep clean at least once a year. Use a professional carpet cleaning company to enhance your carpet and home! As the saying goes "leave it to the professional" 😉




Author: Tiffany Goh, Art of Cleaning Pte Ltd

Art of Cleaning is one of the leaders in the Singapore carpet cleaning industry. We take pride in our work and strives to be the leading cleaning company in Singapore!

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