Caring for your Sofa

You’ve chosen your sofa, and it’s looking right at home in your living room. Now we want to make sure that it’s there for all of life’s moments. Daily life can expose your sofa to many things, but there are a few sofa care tips you can follow to ensure your sofa remains looking like new.

Upholstery fabric cannot be cleaned in the washing machine. By vacuuming and brushing your furniture frequently, it minimises the chance of dust particles settling and affecting the durability and colour of the fabric. To keep your sofa in the very best condition, we recommend an in-situ professional upholstery cleaning every 18 months. With emergencies, such as drink or food stains, a local specialist cleaning company should be contacted for advice on how to proceed.

If you have young children, sticky fingers and biscuit crumbs are likely, so investing in an easy-to-clean sofa with durable and hardwearing fabric is a must. It is important to remove stains before they sink in. Use a slightly damp, clean cloth (preferably muslin) to blot any spills as quickly as possible, but do not scrub the stain as this will risk damaging the pile, particularly on velvet fabrics. If too much water is used, it can result in watermarks and discolouration. We strongly recommend not using a cleaning solution on any upholstery.

Although our furry friends are integral to the family, they can affect the appearance of a sofa with their fur, claws and mucky paws. Durable fabrics are important in this instance where fur can be easily brushed off with a furniture brush, and any dirt can quickly be wiped clean.

Linen is a lightweight, natural fabric that will crease and stretch over time, adding to its charm and character. Like all sofas, you should vacuum dust and crumbs regularly to prevent further damage and keep the fabric clean. Linen is a highly absorbent, natural fibre, so for most spills we would recommend calling an upholstery cleaning specialist to your home to avoid further damage. We suggest choosing linen for slouchy, relaxed style sofas as the natural stretching of the fabric will contribute to the relaxed look and be less noticeable in comparison to a sleek, firm sofa shape. Always position furniture away from direct sunlight.

FURNITURE CARE

Periodically, lightly brush or vacuum the upholstery to remove soil particles and dust and prevent them from imbedding between fibers.

Turn and rotate cushions after vacuuming to prevent excessive wear and soil deposits.

Avoid placing newspaper on fabric. The ink will permanently stain and discolor the material.

Keep fabrics away from direct sunlight if possible.

Do not use acids, dyes, paints or nail polish near fabrics.

Do not cover fabrics with darker fabrics when having work done in the home, since dyes may rub off.

Liquid spills should be absorbed immediately. Blot with white absorbent cloth or paper towel.

Spills such as jelly or soft spills should be scooped up with a soft edge spoon. If the spill has dried up, scoop it gently and vacuum the rest.

Never throw your fabric in the washer or dryer unless the fabric says it is machine washable. Remove the pillow forms before washing.

To spot clean, always test an area of the fabric that is not seen first, such as under a chair/sofa skirt. Let it dry, and then proceed if the results are positive. Do not oversaturate an area with any cleaning solutions.

Do not rub strongly and try not to let a stain dry.

Professional cleaning will prevent the gradual buildup of dirt and grime, but discuss with the dry cleaner any fire retardant finishes that may not endure through some methods of cleaning.

FABRIC CODES DETERMINE METHOD OF CLEANING

CODE CLEANING METHOD

W To prevent overall soil, frequent vacuuming or light brushing to remove dust and grime is recommended. Spot clean, using the foam only from a water-based cleaning agent such as a mild detergent or non-solvent upholstery shampoo product. Apply foam with a soft brush in a circular motion. Vacuum when dry. Pre-test a small area before proceeding. Use a professional furniture cleaning service when an overall soiled condition has been reached.

S To prevent overall soil, frequent vacuuming or light brushing to remove dust and grime is recommended. Spot clean, using a mild water-free solvent or dry cleaning product. Clean only in a well ventilated room and AVOID any product containing Carbon Tetrachloride which is highly toxic. Pre-test a small area before proceeding. Cleaning by a professional furniture service is recommended.

S-W To prevent overall soil, frequent vacuuming or light brushing to remove dust and grime is recommended. Spot clean, with a mild solvent, an upholstery shampoo or the foam from a mild detergent. When using a solvent or dry cleaning product, follow instructions carefully and clean only in a well ventilated room. AVOID any product containing Carbon Tetrachloride which is highly toxic. With either method, pre-test a small area before proceeding. Use a professional furniture cleaning service when an overall soiled condition has been reached.

X Clean this fabric only by vacuuming or light brushing to prevent accumulation of dust or grime. Water-based foam cleaners or solvent-based cleaning agents of any may cause excessive shrinking, staining or distortion of the surface pile and, therefore, should not be used.

Prepare Upholstery for Cleaning

Prepare surface for cleaning by thoroughly vacuuming or brushing. Set up the machine, directing your attention to the hose connections at the rear.

Set Up

First, pull free the top portion of the large vacuum hose at the back of the machine. Then connect the top portion of the machine vacuum hose to the vacuum hose of the Hand Tool. Next, screw brass connection to small diversion valve, ensure it is on tightly to engage.

Remove the UPPER (white) tank. Mix Upholstery Cleaner with water in a clean bucket according to the label directions and POUR into the LOWER red tank.

Fit Upper white tank back in place, seal tank and clear dome securely by replacing restraining wire.

Plug in the power cord and position the machine. Refer to the label on top of machine and turn the machine ON for upholstery cleaning.

TEST for colourfastness by first cleaning a small, hidden area, then rub the test area with a white towel. If no colour appears, continue cleaning. A little colour on the towel means there’s some chance of colour running, but you probably can still clean safely. Dry cushions on sheets or towels laid out on the floor.

Start Cleaning

Working at a slow, steady pace, begin cleaning by squeezing the hand tool lever as you pull the tool over fabric. Overlap strokes slightly. IMPORTANT: Do NOT depress the button on machine handle while using the hand tool.

If foam builds up around the hand tool, pull a little bit faster or vacuum excess solution by passing over area a second time without squeezing lever.

When cleaning is complete, disconnect the upholstery tool then empty any remaining solution by taking the machine outside or over drain and turn machine ON for upholstery, this will empty lower tank.

Before returning to store, ensure machine is cleaned according to instructions at back of machine and vacuum hose is securely reconnected. Switch should be in OFF position.

NOTE: For velvet upholstery, fluff up damp pile with a soft brush or towel to keep from matting.

Understanding Upholstery Cleaning Codes

Checking the Upholstery Cleaning Codes before doing any kind of upholstery cleaning is vital. You need to check the manufacturer’s instructions on how it should be cleaned or whether it can even be cleaned. Certain types of Fibres will respond differently to certain Upholstery Cleaning methods. Typically, manufacturers use standard upholstery cleaning codes to advise on the appropriate cleaning method for the fabric on your furniture.

It should be noted that Upholstery Cleaning Codes must not be confused with upholstery wearability codes or grades which usually refer to something known as a Double Rub Count. Double Rub equates to the durability of the fabric of your upholstery and is different from upholstery cleaning codes. Wearability codes are something to consider when purchasing new furniture.

A word of caution

Do-it-yourself upholstery cleaning should only be done on lightly soiled furniture in accordance with the codes. Codes address spot cleaning and results cannot be guaranteed.  Always test a small out-of-site area first to ensure you don’t make the look of that couch or armchair worse than it might already be.

What are the Upholstery Cleaning Codes?

Standard upholstery cleaning codes are: W, S, WS and X.

W for Wet.

S for Solvent.

WS for Wet and Solvent.

X for Vacuum only and sometimes you may see D for Dry Clean only.

Where to find the Upholstery Cleaning Codes?

The codes will be on a tag or label attached to the furniture. You’ll usually find the tag on the base of the sofa or armchair under the seat cushions. Alternatively it may be completely underneath the frame. Or on the side near the arm rest

What do the Upholstery Cleaning Codes mean?

W (Wet) –   W refers to Water-based Cleaning. Spot clean with water only. Distilled water is ideal. To simply dab spots use a clean white or cream towel. Avoid colored cloths that might bleed their color onto the fabric.

Your Upholstery Fabric might be amenable to Professional Water Based Cleaning such as Hot Water extraction or Steam Cleaning but consult with a trustworthy cleaning  service company who will give you an honest answer as to whether your décor is agreeable to steam cleaning.

S (Solvent) – Water is a bad idea and should be avoided. It may leave water marks. It could also damage the fabric through shrinking or bleeding. Instead the fabric must be dry cleaned with a solvent based cleaning product. Appropriate Solvents help to break down grease spots leaving the area dry. After application, the fabric should be vacuumed. Ensure there is plenty of room ventilation when using solvents and make sure you use one designated specifically for upholstery. Read the instructions and follow them carefully.

WS (Wet and Solvent) – WS means the fabric allows for both Wet and Solvent Cleaning but it depends on the stain needing attention. Is the stain oil based or water based? Professional Upholstery Cleaning may be more appropriate for this code but it depends on the fibres

X (No Cleaning/Vacuum only) – Unfortunately this means your beloved piece of furniture should not be cleaned. And this is for sure something you should check for when buying a new item for your home.

Step Guide To Cleaning A Sofa

Professional Upholstery Cleaning – Sofas and chairs are not only vulnerable to surface stains, dust, and dirt, but grime can become deeply embedded into the fibres, too. Even if you can’t see the dirt, it’s there, so for cleanliness and hygiene’s sake, cleaning upholstery on a regular basis is very important – but it doesn’t have to be difficult.

If your sofas and chairs have removable covers, upholstery cleaning is simple: put them through the washing machine, or pop them down to the dry cleaners – just follow the instructions on the label. If your covers are not removable, however, you’ll need some suitable upholstery cleaning products and easy methods to tackle the stains and dirt. Here’s how to clean upholstery swiftly and effectively – leaving you time for more relaxing activities.

Which Upholstery Cleaning Products Should I Use?

You can buy upholstery cleaning products from most stores, but there are other products that you can find around the home that will also help to get your sofas and chairs clean.

Mild laundry detergent and warm water, mixed well to create suds.

White vinegar: This is a good choice for removing surface stains, but you’ll want to use a soapy solution afterwards to give the area an intensive clean. You’ll also want to air the sofa as much as possible afterwards by opening windows or by using a fan to help reduce the smell of the vinegar.

Baby wipes are ideal for spot-cleaning upholstery. They’re very gentle, so they won’t damage the material, and they’re relatively dry, so there’s no chance of over-saturating your furniture.

How To Clean Upholstery In 4 Steps

Furniture cleaning isn’t a science: try out a few techniques before choosing the one that is right for your belongings. This step-by-step guide explains how to clean a sofa:

Before using any upholstery cleaning products, vacuum the sofa or chair first to remove as much surface dirt and dust as possible. Be sure to use the correct attachments to avoid damage to the material – a soft brush attachment is ideal.

Spot Clean. Using baby wipes or vinegar poured onto a strong microfiber cloth, apply to any obvious stains, wiping gently as you go. Remember to test the upholstery cleaning products on an inconspicuous area first.

Overall Clean. Using soapy water and a microfibre cloth, gently wipe your sofa with the solution, allowing it to soak into the fabric and tackle the dirt beneath the surface. You only want to use a very small amount of water – don’t saturate the material.

Dry. Some people use a hairdryer to quickly dry a sofa, but allowing it to dry naturally is always the better option, if you have the time. To speed things up, open windows and allow the breeze to help with the drying process.

Mistakes to Avoid While Booking Your Vacation Rentals

There has been an increasing demand for rentals, as compared to hotels and resorts. However, the rules for hotel booking do not apply to the rentals you wish to choose. Everything has its own pros and cons. Rentals provides you with a personalised and customised vacation plan.

You can fine tune, what you need and how you need it. Many Captiva island rentals, helps you in defining and planning the kind of vacation you need. Also, there are varied vacation packages designed by the rental agencies themselves, to save your time and energy. However, there are few mistakes to avoid, while you choose.

• Don’t hurry up in reading the brochure provided by the owners. You could be easily be misled by the initial glitzy sentences. Read the whole document to know about parking, AC, cleaning up and other services.
• Don’t take what the owner says about the distance from your condo to important points in the city. Check it out using digital map services.
• Don’t leave your booking process, through the rental agencies’ website. Send a mail and make sure you receive a confirmation from their side, reserving rooms for you, at your preferred dates.
• Don’t hide any details regarding your travel. Be it the dates or the number of people in your group or if there will be any pets. It will be an ugly scene, if the owner comes around to check on your comfort, and find that you have lied.
• Don’t just assume the availability of amenities, like internet, AC, housekeeping etc. Make sure you make a list of what’s available and what’s not.
• Don’t overlook the details in the documents. There is an inherent risk in terms of your transaction. So, take some time to check about the owner on the net and search for reviews.

Not Knowing When to Book

There is no hard-and-fast rule for the best time to book, but anticipating the seasonality of a destination and taking into account the most popular times to make reservations can help save you money.

People like to go to warm destinations in the winter months, so if you’re targeting a highly desirable destination, it may make sense to book early. If you are going to a destination with a lot of availability it might make sense to book later.

Regardless, travelers should try to avoid the most popular booking times, when rates may be more inflated. According to Trivago.com, the most popular times to book hotels are at 6 and 9 p.m. EDT on Tuesdays. (Thursday evenings are a close second.) Checking prices multiple times between Tuesday night and Sunday (the least popular day to book) may yield different, possibly lower, prices and allow you to secure the best deal.

Don’t assume the owner will be readily available.

If you think about how often you check with the front desk during a typical hotel stay, you will recognize that having someone to talk to about your rental can be very important. Particularly if there is a problem, it helps to have an actual person to deal with, so be sure to ask if the owner or a representative will be available during your rental period. Get a reliable emergency contact number that you can reach if the plumbing breaks, the electricity goes out or other problems arise.

Don’t fudge the details of your stay.

In the same way you would like owners to be upfront and honest about their listings, you will want to be honest about who you are bringing, how many people will be around, if you have a pet in tow and similar details. Many owners greet their tenants and stop by to make sure things are going well, so you are likely to be found out if you do fudge the details.

How to avoid a rogue rental

• Rent from a reputable source. Typically, a professionally managed vacation rental or a by-owner rental belonging to a trade group such as the Vacation Rental Managers Association or Onsite Property Management Association is a sign your unit is on the up-and-up.

• Look for guarantees. HomeAway and Airbnb have customer guarantees that can ensure your rental will meet minimum standards. Wyndham Vacation Rentals even offers a “bill of rights” that promises a professionally managed and clean rental.

• Learn to recognize a rogue — and report it. Vacation rentals that don’t play by the rules tend to price their rentals aggressively and demand payment by wire. “It’s the cardinal rule. “If the deal is too good to be true, trust your instincts, and report it to the website in question.”

Mistakes That Sabotage Vacation Rental Bookings

1. Underestimating the power of research

Do not underestimate the importance of research. In addition to just listing your properties, the information you pull from sites such as Airbnb and HomeAway can be invaluable.

2. Having a love affair with just one booking site

It might be easier to work with only one reservation site, but getting all of your vacation properties listed on all of the booking sites out there is absolutely crucial. Think of it as a marketing strategy, not just another listing.

Once you’ve listed them, be sure to document all of the channels your properties are listed on and keep an updated list on the status of each property in order to best manage the postings and avoid double bookings.

3. Your headline is boring

Making your properties stand out from the crowd begins with a tantalizing headline. Travelers often search for rentals by choice luxury keyword after they’ve established the location, so be sure to highlight the most exciting qualities of your property.

4. Your listings aren’t visually exciting

Beware: An eye‐catching headline will fall short unless it’s been paired with plenty of gorgeous, dynamic and appealing photographs!

We exist in an information‐overloaded, image‐oriented world. Take the time to stage your property as if you were preparing to welcome a guest. Make sure to capture a variety of landscape photos formatted to a size of at least 1024px x 683px (ideally, 24 pictures total).

Reasons To Choose Us As Your Sofa Cleaning Company

Sofa cleaning is a really tedious exercise for most individuals. Most homeowners feel that they would rather be doing more important things than clean their sofa sets. For this reason, outsourcing presents the best solution. Many homeowners find it very convenient to hire a service provider such as Singapore laundry. As we perform upholstery cleaning, there are a number of procedures we follow to ensure your furniture looks sparkling. Below are seven reasons why you should choose us as your preferred sofa cleaning company.

Seeking services of a service provider like us is really simple more so if you have allocated the budget. We cater to all your upholstery cleaning needs while ensuring we meet all your expectations. To add onto this, we will provide you with a service agreement that is reasonable since we believe that all our clients have various cleaning needs. Some may just ask for the most common routines but it is important to note that not all clients requirements are usually the same. We are highly capable of handling all types of client needs while providing them with a detailed and comprehensive breakdown of the cost of services provided.

For instance should you make enquiries to ascertain this, we will be able to give you information regarding how our personnel have been trained. Hiring firms that do not properly train their employees is likely to ruin or damage your sofa sets. In addition, personnel who do not undergo sufficient training expose you to numerous health hazards.

Upholstery and Furniture Cleaning Services

Full Content and header tag updates: We’d like to be mess-free 100% of the time, but life gets in the way of that. Kids, pets and spilled food or drink can turn your beautiful furniture into a disaster. Trust Sears Home Services with all of your furniture cleaning needs. Clean upholstery brightens up the whole room. Sears offers upholstery cleaning services to get ground-in dirt, stubborn stains and unpleasant odors out of your upholstered furniture.

wo-step upholstery cleaning process

First, a trained upholstery technician applies a heated fabric-cleaning spray to lift dirt out of the upholstery fibers.

Next, the technician uses a high-powered rinse and extraction machine to remove the dirt and cleaning solution.

New furniture is coated with built-in fabric protectors, but these wear off over time. We recommend applying new upholstery protector after each upholstery cleaning. Reapplying the protector helps maintain the beauty, color and vibrancy of your furniture. An upholstery protector not only defends your fabric from stains and spills but it buys you time to clean up a spill before a stain sets.

Quick cleaning your entry area

Make sure to inspect what your guests see when they enter your home. Clean glass on the door, remove shoes, keys and mail. Broom sweep the entry, wipe down scuffs on the door and sanitize door handles and light switches.

Quick cleaning bedrooms

Make beds, removing laundry, dump trash and quickly dust furniture

Upholstery Cleaning

Types of Upholstery Cleaning

provide hot water extraction, dry or leather cleaning depending on the upholstery type. The upholstery cleaning experts will inspect your sofa and chairs. Then, determine the most suitable cleaning technique for their fabric. We treat each furniture piece differently depending on its condition and specific maintenance requirements. The service beings by inspecting the fabric of the upholstery and choosing the most suitable cleaning method. Followed by pre-treatment of any stains. Then cleaning the upholstery and leaving it to dry. The drying time is from 2-6 hours. Depending on the fabric of the item.

Steam Cleaning

The couch steam cleaning is a process that infuses the fabric of your upholstered sofa and chairs with hot steam under high pressure. It extracts all the accumulated dirt and moisture. This method is suitable for all types of fabrics.

Takeaways: Hot water extraction removes any trace of grime, bacteria, pollen and dust that’s been accumulated inside the upholstery. Your upholstery will be left slightly damp and will dry up on its own for 2 to 6 hours depending on the fabric type and seasonality.

Dry Cleaning

The dry cleaning method is suitable for more delicate fabric. We’ll inspect the upholstery and test the cleaning solution on a small spot. Stains will be pre-treated with the proper detergents. We’ll apply a powerful liquid solvent with high pressure and infuse it deep into the fabric. The solvent will be extracted along with the dirt with the help of a commercial cleaning machine.

Pros: The process provides a gentle, yet, powerful cleaning for delicate fabrics. The high-pressure cleaning will work deep into the fabric. It will sanitise and refresh the upholstery of your sofa and chairs.

Upholstery Cleaning

Upholstery cleaning – Having your lounge suite, couch or sofa upholstery cleaned by Carpet Cleaning is an easy way to freshen up your home. Also a freshly cleaned lounge suite is the next best thing to purchasing a new lounge suite.

experienced upholstery cleaners and Springfield Lakes use the latest upholstery cleaning methods to safely clean your delicate lounge suite upholstery. Because of our experience in cleaning lounge suites, we will have your lounge suite or sofa upholstery cleaned, deodorised and dry in no time

Don’t worry, your lounge suite or couch cleaning is in good hands. We clean hundreds of fabric lounges suites and couches every year. Therefore we have seen and dealt with all types of lounge suite cleaning needs. Be it stain removal, removing dark dirty areas on the arm rests/head rests or deodorising and sanitising. We can clean it all.

First step is to identify what type of material that we are going to clean. Most lounge suites are mircofibre/micro suede, Some are made from cotton, polyester, polypropylene or nylon. We then apply the appropriate cleaning solutions paying particular attention to the head rests and arm rests. Sometimes these areas may need a little extra agitation.

powerful truck-mount cleaning system creates its own hot water. Therefore it is no match for dirt, grime and residual odours. Combined with our effective cleaning solutions, your fabric lounge suite upholstery will be left fresh and clean.

Upholstery Cleaning

The professionals at Absolute Best Cleaning know that quality upholstered furniture can be quite an investment. Children, pets, and everyday use can leave your expensive furniture looking stained and dingy. Furniture cleaning can be a challenge. It is difficult to clean upholstery without the proper equipment, and you may do more harm than good by attempting to spot clean your own furniture. Professional upholstery cleaning will both improve the appearance of your furniture, and protect your investment by extending your furniture’s useful life. Regular upholstery cleaning will also remove indoor air pollutants such as dust mites, and pollen and will contribute to healthier indoor air quality.

First, we spray a cleaning solution onto the fabric to loosen embedded soils. We then rinse with a neutralizing solution, and extract the soil and solution from the fabric. This method, steam cleaning, is very effective on most fabrics. However, we also have the ability to dry clean certain fine fabrics such as chintz, moire, etc. Our 25 years of experience and education enable us to properly identify your fabric and choose the appropriate furniture cleaning method.

After cleaning upholstery, we recommend the application of a fiber protector. If your furniture is properly protected, you will have a better chance of cleaning up spots and spills before they become permanent.

SHOULD YOU START A VACATION RENTAL BUSINESS?

The vacation rental market is becoming increasingly popular. Each year, a growing number of tourists are preferring this option over hotels for reasons such as they’re more convenient, they offer a more personal experience and they allow guests to feel like local residents during their trips.

Does that make it an attractive investment? Yes. Is it possible to earn a profit? Of course. That said, you will need to stay on top of coordinating all of the different aspects of your business.

Even though there is a lot of demand for vacation rentals, there is also a lot of supply, and one of your main jobs will be to make your property stand out from the rest to catch a potential guest’s eye. You will also need to balance all the tasks that running a business like this entails. For example, being available for any possible guest emergencies, managing bookings, setting rates for high and low seasons, and so on.

How to Turn Your Home into a Vacation Rental

The vacation rental industry has changed rapidly in the last several years, and it’s now easier than ever to rent out your home or condo on a long or short-term basis. Whether you’d like to permanently convert your home into a vacation rental, or just rent out your apartment for a few weeks while you’re on vacation, there are people out there who want to rent it, and websites and services that will help make it happen. Do keep in mind that renting out your home can be a major undertaking, so it is important to know what you are getting into, and to prepare accordingly. With a little bit of planning and hard work, you can put your home to work for you, and meet a lot of new and interesting people in the process.

Take down your family photos

While it may not be ideal to take down your family photographs, if you’re serious about supplying an amazing experience for your guest, it is practically essential.

The best thing you can possibly do for guests who are staying in your vacation rental is to go the extra mile to make sure you house feels like their home-away-from-home. Unfortunately, it is hard for guests to feel comfortable in homes that are decorated with the photos of strangers.

Keep the necessities

When you decide to turn your home into a short-term rental, you actually have an advantage over those who are just starting out with a new property. Many new vacation rental homeowners make the mistake of not supplying enough of the necessities. Sure they have plates and bowls, knives and forks, but they don’t have the smaller items that all homes have, such as:

• Pens and pencils
• Scissors
• Extra blankets and pillows
• A drawer of cooking utensils
• A collection of take-out menus
• Chip-clips
• Tupperware
• Stain removers and clorox wipes

Dropping off the keys

All property owners have their own rules about handing over the keys. Some hide them under a rock, others have secure key holders near the front door that require a pass code. Some even take the time to meet with renters in person and walk them around the property. Returning the keys can be as simple as tossing them through a mail slot in the door.

Go the extra mile

Marketing your property doesn’t end when your renter signs up.. You need to offer the same level of hospitality as a hotel. Leave a bottle of wine or chocolates as thank-you gifts. Doing so will help ensure they’ll rent from you again and they’ll give you a great review.

Avoiding problem guests

Worried your place will be trashed? Ask your renters for references and look them up on Facebook and LinkedIn—a professional is less likely to punch holes in your walls. Rental sites can tell you if anyone has lodged a complaint about them. If you’re really worried, try meeting the renter in person or chat by phone. As a final protection make sure you ask for a deposit of between 15% to 20% of the rental fee to pay for any damages.

4 Tips to Turn Your Home Into a Profitable Vacation Rental

Acquire the necessary permits.

Although it’s possible to handle permits yourself, this is one area where having a vacation rental manager can make things easier. Vacation rental property managers are familiar with the local permitting process and can help you deal with associated taxes, overcome unexpected roadblocks, schedule inspections, and assist with any required documentation. It’s in the property manager’s best interest to avoid disruptions in business, so you know they’ll be thorough when it comes to making sure your home is properly licensed.

Prepare the home for guests.

Although most of your guests will be courteous, careful, and conscientious, accidents are unavoidable. Remove anything from the home that is one-of-a-kind or has sentimental value and can’t be replaced. If you plan to use your vacation home frequently and want to leave some items behind, consider storing them in a locked closet or another secure area so you can access them when needed.

That being said, if you do need to replace or upgrade some furniture, don’t fill your home with ratty thrift store couches or salvaged secondhand tables. Newer furniture and appliances are generally easier to keep clean, are more appealing to guests, and sometimes come with lifetime warranties—in other words, they quickly pay for themselves. If you don’t want to buy brand new, see what you can find at higher-end consignment stores.     

Gather photos and write a compelling description.

If you’re planning to self-manage your vacation rental or if you’re working with a property management company that isn’t full-service, consider hiring a professional photographer to take photos. Photos are the first thing someone looks at when browsing vacation homes, and if the photos aren’t high quality, potential guests won’t bother sticking around to see the rates or read the description. Your house might be beautiful in person, but if the only photos you have were taken on a smartphone in poor lighting, your bottom line will suffer.

Allow time for reviews.

A few positive reviews can do wonders for a vacation home’s reservation rate. An attractive listing is important, but reviews provide potential guests with a firsthand account of what staying in the home is really like. If someone is planning a special getaway, they want assurance that everything will be perfect and as advertised, with zero chance of unpleasant surprises. Reviews add trust and validation.

If you want to be ready in time for peak vacation season, plan to have your listing live and home rented with enough time to get five to 10 reviews beforehand. Roughly 40 percent of guests write reviews, so you’ll want to plan for at least 12 reservations prior to the start of the season.

How to Choose a Home Cleaning Service

If the mess of your home stresses you out but you just don’t have the time or patience to keep it in order—you may want to consider hiring a home cleaning service to help lighten the load. Before you do, use these tips to hire the best home cleaning service for you and your home. A home warranty is another great investment to keep your home in top shape.

How to choose a home cleaning service

The first thing to decide when choosing a home cleaning service is whether to hire an individual or a professional cleaning service.

Individual

An individual can provide a more personal touch—it may be easier to get to know them, give them specific directions about how you’d like your house cleaned, and you may feel more at ease when they’re in your home around valuables or breakable items.

Cleaning companies

A housekeeping company is a good choice if you’d like the work done quickly, as they usually send out several employees at once to clean your home. A company can often accommodate your specific schedule. There will always be back up employees, so it’s less likely a cleaning service will cancel or run late.

Choosing who to hire

Recommendations from friends and family can be the most helpful way to find a reputable cleaning service or individual.

Simple Tips on How to Choose the Best House Cleaning Service

Before you book a house cleaning service…

When looking for the best house cleaning service, it’s easy to get overwhelmed with information overload.

Sorting through websites, getting quotes, and speaking with each provider could take several days, maybe even weeks, to go through. Even then, you still may not be sure whether you’re getting the most out of your money or not.

Decide what you need cleaned in your home

What do you really need help with? First of all, it’s important to take stock of the things you really want cleaned because not all cleaning services perform the same services. For example, some do your laundry, make the beds, wash the dishes, etc. – so it’s important to know what you need before you book and make sure that the company you hire does those tasks.

Frequency matters

Need a monthly cleaning, bi-weekly, or weekly cleaning? Or maybe just a one time clean for moving out? Take a really close look at how often you need house cleaning appointments. Maybe you can get away with bi-weekly cleanings instead of weekly?

Look Up Reviews Or Ask Friends For Recommendations

Asking friends, family and coworkers who have had hired a house cleaning service before for their recommendation can save you a lot of headaches because you can be relatively sure that if they had a good experience, you will too. That’s one of the main ways Scrubbi grew the way we did.

How to Find and Hire a Maid Service

Looking for a House Cleaner?

Keeping a home clean can be a never-ending chore that consumes much of our free time. If life seems to revolve around mopping, vacuuming, dusting and changing bed linens, hiring a professional housekeeping service in your area may be the solution.

This guide covers everything to expect from a housekeeping or maid service including package options, what questions to ask and what they charge. This guide is for a service, not a live-in housekeeper who typically has more responsibilities such as laundry.

Depending on your location or the company you use, these services are referred to by several names: housekeeper, cleaning service or maid. “Maid” historically referred to a salaried, live-in employee of wealthy homes who ran the household much like a butler. Today, it’s just another name for a housekeeper.

Steps to Choosing the Right Cleaning Service

Choosing the right service is a straightforward process of research and asking the right questions. This guide covers all these steps to getting the right service for your needs.

Professional Cleaner vs. Personal Organizer

Before you choose a housekeeper, ask yourself if you really need it. If what you’re trying to avoid is a cluttered mess, you may want to opt for a personal organizer. They organize your space, design better storage solutions and help you get – and stay – clutter free.

How to Choose the Best House Cleaning Service

If you’re anything like me, you’ll know how boring house work can be. For the majority of home owners, maintaining your house can be an uphill battle especially when you’ve got so many other tasks to juggle at too. It’s true, hiring a home cleaner might be one of the best things you can do, not only will you save time but you’ll also get precious time back in your day to do things you actually enjoy.

There are plenty of choices for house cleaning services: you can choose to hire an individual to work with on a regular basis or it might be just as easy to use a reputable cleaning company where you know you are working with trusted and vetted home cleaners.

Do They Suit Your Schedule?

Before you look at cleaning services, you need to decide how often you want a cleaner to come to your home. Firstly, how much do you need to clean? Secondly, and maybe more importantly, you need to make a decision on the frequency your home will be cleaned.

Do They Understand Your Expectations?

A vital step in hiring a cleaning company is making your expectations clear. During an in-home or a phone consultation with a prospective cleaning service, communicate your concerns and expectations, so the company can provide you with a pricing and a cleaning scope that meets your specific demands.

Are They Responsive To You?

A good cleaning company will focus on the customer experience from the time you inquire about the services, until the time they complete the cleaning services. If you find that the company is responsive and takes the time to address all your concerns about the service, then it is most likely that you will have a great experience in hiring that company. This is because responsiveness is one of the first indicators of a cleaning company’s consistency, reliability and whether you can trust them.

How to choose the right cleaning service this spring

It’s almost spring time! Most people cannot wait to open their windows and doors and let in the fresh air and cleanse their homes.

Well, maybe not. Some of us nowadays do not have the time or really the inclination to do our spring cleaning ourselves. Better Business Bureau Serving Acadiana is sharing some tips with consumers on choosing the house cleaning service that is right for them.    

Do Your Research. Ask friends, family members, and neighbors to recommend a reputable cleaning business or individual. Check out the businesses through bbb.org to read reviews or complaints on them. Beware of businesses with poor reviews and multiple complaints, more importantly see how they address them.  Always look for the BBB Accredited Business Seal.

Interview Candidates. Interview multiple candidates to determine if you would rather hire a large cleaning business or an individual cleaning person. During the interview you should be able to meet with someone from the cleaning business, as well as, with the person who will actually be cleaning your home. During the interview process find someone you feel comfortable with since they will be working in your home.

Check Credentials. Any individual or business you hire should be registered*, bonded and insured to work in your home. This will protect you in the event something is broken, stolen, or if someone gets injured on the job.  Whether you hire an individual or a business, be sure to request that the employees working in your home have a background check done, or you may want to complete one on them yourself for peace of mind.

How to Choose the Best House Cleaning Service

If you’re anything like me, you’ll know how boring house work can be. For the majority of home owners, maintaining your house can be an uphill battle especially when you’ve got so many other tasks to juggle at too. It’s true, hiring a home cleaner might be one of the best things you can do, not only will you save time but you’ll also get precious time back in your day to do things you actually enjoy.

There are plenty of choices for house cleaning services: you can choose to hire an individual to work with on a regular basis or it might be just as easy to use a reputable cleaning company where you know you are working with trusted and vetted home cleaners.

Do They Suit Your Schedule?

Before you look at cleaning services, you need to decide how often you want a cleaner to come to your home. Firstly, how much do you need to clean? Secondly, and maybe more importantly, you need to make a decision on the frequency your home will be cleaned.

Do They Understand Your Expectations?

A vital step in hiring a cleaning company is making your expectations clear. During an in-home or a phone consultation with a prospective cleaning service, communicate your concerns and expectations, so the company can provide you with a pricing and a cleaning scope that meets your specific demands.

The more you know what you need to be cleaned, the more specifically you can speak to a cleaning agency to provide a cleaner to your home. Using your requirements they’ll be able to advise you, based of their experience, about whether you need an ad hoc or regular clean and at what frequency.

How to choose the right cleaning service this spring

It’s almost spring time! Most people cannot wait to open their windows and doors and let in the fresh air and cleanse their homes.

Well, maybe not. Some of us nowadays do not have the time or really the inclination to do our spring cleaning ourselves. Better Business Bureau Serving Acadiana is sharing some tips with consumers on choosing the house cleaning service that is right for them.    

Do Your Research. Ask friends, family members, and neighbors to recommend a reputable cleaning business or individual. Check out the businesses through bbb.org to read reviews or complaints on them. Beware of businesses with poor reviews and multiple complaints, more importantly see how they address them.  Always look for the BBB Accredited Business Seal.

Interview Candidates. Interview multiple candidates to determine if you would rather hire a large cleaning business or an individual cleaning person. During the interview you should be able to meet with someone from the cleaning business, as well as, with the person who will actually be cleaning your home. During the interview process find someone you feel comfortable with since they will be working in your home.

Check Credentials. Any individual or business you hire should be registered*, bonded and insured to work in your home. This will protect you in the event something is broken, stolen, or if someone gets injured on the job.  Whether you hire an individual or a business, be sure to request that the employees working in your home have a background check done, or you may want to complete one on them yourself for peace of mind.

How to Choose Reliable Cleaners When Moving Out of Your Rental?

Moving out is a stressful experience – all the organising and packing, all the documents and the stress from the final inspection with the landlords. Because – let’s face it – nobody wants to lose their deposit. One of the main reasons for deposit deductions is the state of the rental, and particularly – the cleanliness of the property. Many people hire professional cleaners in order to make sure they will leave the place in an impeccable condition. However, not all the companies can meet the expectations

Do the Cleaners Have a Detailed Checklist?

End of tenancy cleaning is a deep, thorough cleaning; a service oriented particularly to bringing rental homes in a pristine condition when tenants relocate. Many businesses claim that they provide this but fail to meet some essential criteria and to provide the expected results. This is why before you hire the end of tenancy service check if they offer a detailed cleaning checklist of their procedures. Normally, reliable professionals would provide you with a very thorough cleaning checklist, describing items and areas of the property that you haven’t even thought of. The more things are listed in their offer, the more certain you will pass the landlord’s inspection and get your deposit money back.

Do the Cleaners Offer Guarantee for the End of Tenancy Cleaning?

Getting a guarantee for the service from the cleaners is very import so you can be sure you will get your deposit back. True professionals are not afraid to provide compensation or re-cleaning of the property if the customer finds the results insufficient. Cleaners should offer at least a 24-hour guarantee for their End of Tenancy Service. Clients can take advantage of this timeframe and pass their final inspection from the landlord before the property starts accumulating dust and dirt.

What Are the Criteria For The Company’s Pricing?

The quality of the cleaning is of great importance when you want to hire a professional company. The best EOT cleaners offer service prices based on the contents or the size of the property, not on time spent cleaning. The results of the cleaning must help the customer to pass the final inspection with their landlord, so the cleaners must leave the property in a pristine condition. Hiring End of Tenancy cleaning team for a certain amount of time doesn’t give you a guarantee that all areas in your rental property will be in impeccably cleaned.

Does the Cleaning Price Include the Tools and Supplies?

When looking for a professional company for your end of tenancy cleaning, ask if the products and tools are included in the price. The team must bring all the necessary supplies to do their job. You shouldn’t pay extra for common consumables or for machines, essential for the job. You should also ask if taxes such as VAT are included in the final bill. Most services can give you an estimate in advance and you don’t have to pay more than this pre-arranged price.

How to Choose the Right House Cleaning Service

The right housecleaning service can save you time and provide peace of mind. Here’s what you need to know about basic housecleaning costs and services.

What to expect for costs and services

Several factors influence the cost of cleaning, such as house location and size; the number of adults, children and pets in the home; the frequency of the service and the thoroughness of the cleaning required. A cleaning company will generally send a staff member to view your home and get a good understanding of your cleaning needs and then determine a rate. Average hourly rates often range from $16 to $25 dollars depending on the location of the business.

Other services are usually available for an additional cost, such as spot-cleaning carpets, cleaning cupboards, washing windows and doing laundry. Other cleaning requests can also generally be accommodated for an extra fee. Some companies supply all cleaning products, whereas others expect you to provide everything.

Start with a trial run

Once you’ve found a housecleaner you want to try, start with a trial period that covers two to four cleanings. This allows time for the company to understand your expectations and gives you an opportunity to determine your cleaning requirements clearly.

What to check after a housecleaning

First, do an overall assessment. Does the house look and smell neat and clean? It should be apparent that the carpets have been vacuumed but make sure to look in out-of-the-way places (such as under the beds and couch) to be sure that those areas have also been cleaned. Have the kitchen and bathroom floors been thoroughly washed or only quickly damp mopped?

Moving Into a New House? Do These Things First

There are some things you don’t want to forget to do before moving into a new house, like giving the place a good deep clean. Here’s a cleaning checklist to help guide you through the process, plus six other vital things to do before moving in

Moving into a new home can be daunting. You are already changing so much and parting ways with a home where many memories were made.

Double check the place.

Once the keys are in hand, head over to your new pad and check over all the rooms. Make sure everything that was agreed upon in the sale is still accounted for once you’re the new homeowner. You will want to be sure everything you expected to be there is still in the house

Change the locks

There is no way to know how many sets of keys to your house may be floating around. Give yourself peace of mind — hire a locksmith and have a set of new keys made.

Give your new house a deep clean.

While your new space may have had a cleaning prior to sale, you will still want to give it a good deep cleaning so it’s up to your standards. You never know what went down there before you moved in!

Tips on How to Choose the Best House Cleaning Service

Eliminate any companies that are not insured

When choosing a house cleaning service, it’s important to make sure that the company you choose is fully insured. Should any accidents or thefts occur whilst the service is there, the insurance will cover it. If you choose a cleaner without insurance, all the responsibility will be yours.

Don’t just consider the cheaper option

If a cleaning service is offering to clean for you at an incredibly cheap price, it may be too good to be true. Find out what kind of service you’ll actually be getting. They’ll most likely be taking some kind of short cut or may have a bad reputation

Are they using environmentally friendly chemicals?

Looking after the environment as well as your family should be your main priority. If you have pets or children with allergies, knowing what kind of chemicals are used is essential.

Choose a cleaning service that provides a guarantee

Any cleaning service that takes pride in their work will ensure you’re satisfied and will make sure that any issues you have are reviewed and taken care of promptly

Things to Look For When Choosing a Maid Service

Taking the decision on whether to hire a professional maid service can be a tough one. On one hand, there is the fear of having your privacy invaded by strangers and having them handle the things you hold dear. On the other hand, you could be someone with no time in your hand to clean your own house and need a person to rely on to save you the time and the the resulting tiredness afterwards.

Choose a Highly Referred Service

Choosing a cleaning service can very well be compared to choosing a doctor.  You need to look for the most trusted and reputable ones and keep going through them until you find the one that suits you the best

Conduct a Telephone Interview

Most cleaning services have a policy of going through your home first to see the extent of cleaning they need to provide before they come up with an amount for the service and decide on the dates. Before it even gets to that, it is better to ask questions over the phone to save both of you any wastage of time. This way, you can also keep sketchy services from taking a look inside your house

Individual or Service?

Hiring an individual has both its pros and cons. For an individual, they can provide more attention to details and you can personalize their service more to your needs. However, if they fall ill, you won’t have anyone to back them up on a day when you need them. The insurance you have for an individual also doesn’t always cut it. If something happens in your home, you might have no way of getting full compensation.

Take a walk through your home with the representative

If after the telephone interview, you have narrowed down the list of house cleaning services you prefer the most, it’s time to let them have a look inside your house. When they are coming for a visit, don’t bother cleaning up your house more than you usually would.

The Ultimate Guide to Choosing the Right House Cleaner

Herein we layout everything you need to know to equip yourself to find the right house cleaner. Some of this knowledge may overlap with what you know already and there’s no need to read this guide in chronological order, so feel free to skip to any section that addresses your concerns. We’ve laid out a clear table of contents to help you navigate. Topics covered include, but are not limited to, how to avoid house cleaning rip-offs, questions you should ask when shortlisting cleaners, mistakes to avoid when choosing a home cleaning service and much more.

Be aware of these three house cleaning rip-offs

A ridiculously low price

To some degree, all of us are lured by a low price because we want to work within a budget. But some house cleaners use price as the bait for their false and misleading advertising. They offer an initial cheap price usually between $19 and $25 per hour (Australian dollar terms) and then, once they’re in your home, they elongate the hours spent and what would normally take 2 hours extends to 3.5 hours. Or they pressure you into buying “add-ons”. It’s as if you were buying a car and found that the dealer was charging you extra for the tires and steering wheel. House cleaning is not as cheap as some unethical cleaners would like you to believe.

Eco-friendly bait and switch

This one is heinous and downright unethical. Perhaps one day eco-friendly products and solutions will cost the same or even cheaper as chemical cleaners but for now we understand there’s a premium to using most eco-friendly products. For the benefit of your living and/or family, you order an extra to use eco-friendly products or choose your cleaner because they state they are eco-friendly, only to discover or worse find out through reactions that while you’re away, the cleaners have used cheaper harsh chemicals

Unsupported claims: “Best House Cleaner in Sydney”

You’ll read this in almost every ad. You’ll hear this from virtually every house cleaner. Heck we’re guilty of it too but we stand by our quality. First of all, there are multiple and subjective ways to measure this. Remember this: The cleaner that’s best for you is the one you trust, has a strong track record, can communicate and understand your requirements and provides a thorough cleaning. So, before you choose a home cleaner, identify your objectives. Then select the cleaner that provides the best fit for what you want.

Four costly misconceptions about home cleaning

The house cleaners you hired will clean every single thing in your home

As much as a good home cleaner would love to reach every part of your house, practical limitations prevent them from reaching certain areas within reason. Accessibility, time needed and safety are the primary constraints, for example, house cleaners are not equipped to handle biohazardous materials or lift and move very heavy objects. On the flipside, be wary of cleaners that carve out too much; especially when charging an hourly rate

Benefits of Choosing a Professional House Cleaning Service

People around the world undertake many painstaking efforts to get their homes sparkling clean and free of mess. Naturally, we all love and strive for cleaner spaces to live in. However, cleaning your home can be a tiring and time-consuming affair. Working folks and people with a lot of family responsibilities often feel that hiring professional cleaners for their homes is a better option, because it not just helps you save time but also gives you peace of mind. It is quite evident that experts who have adequate training and experience can do any job better than non-experts. Cleaning homes call for patience and a lot of hard work to things done. Since professional house cleaners have modern tools and equipment to get your house cleaned efficiently, you can trust them as helpful companions.

Everybody with children will understand that sometimes they don’t like to wait for something no matter what the situation, whether that be reading a book, going for a walk or going to the cinema. Having something to put your mind at rest such as a house maid can bring much more happiness to the whole family rather than just the person who feels weighted down by day to day chores.

There is no one who can do better than the professionals for e.g. everyone can bake cakes but no one can compete with Baker because he has the right tools to use and have mastery in baking cakes. Similarly, in the commercial cleaning industry, Professional cleaning services have extensively trained cleaners who know exactly what they are doing. The cleaning staff is armed with high-ended devices to complete the task. They carry special cleaning solutions with high powered vacuums. They never cut-out corners, they focus on the location which you could miss on.

Letting just anyone in your home to clean your belongings is a scary thought for many homeowners. Rest assured, cleaning service employees are educated on how to clean a home to professional standards and work quickly. For example Good Cleaners hires quality employees with a passion for professionalism and getting the job done right the first time. Always ensure you’re working with a bonded and insured company that requires employees to undergo background checks. Enjoy your time away from cleaning knowing that your home and belongings are in trustworthy hands

Benefits of Choosing a Professional House Cleaning Service

Between work, kids, family, and social obligations, cleaning your house can quite literally become a chore. When you decide to hire a professional house cleaning service for your home, you’ll receive excellent service and your home will be cleaned to your standards

Cleaning Supplies Are Provided

Your toilet needs scrubbed, but you’re out of cleaner? Not to worry. Professional house cleaners bring their cleaning supplies with them.

Professional Service

Professional house cleaners offer you the quality service you deserve. They’re educated on cleaning a home to standards and work fast while double checking they don’t miss a thing. You’ll know when you hire a professional to come into your home, you’ll receive great results and top-notch professional service.

Custom Cleaning Plans

Though cleaning packages are available and fit most families, custom cleaning plans can be built to fit your exact needs. If you have hard to clean areas in your home, professional cleaners can work with you to design a plan just for you. Ask the professionals about customizing your house cleaning plan to create a plan that’s right for you.

Safety and Peace of Mind

Chances are you don’t allow just anyone to come into your home. With professional cleaning services, you’re working with a bonded and insured company with trusted employees who pass background checks and references. This offers you peace of mind knowing you and your possessions are safe and secure each time a professional cleaner enters your home.