Maids Gone Green Blog

Glass vs Plastic

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 10:49:00 -0800

Many people prefer glass bottles over plastic bottles for drinking bottles, baby bottles and even juice bottles. Many people feel glass bottles are safer, especially if you've recently watched the documentary titled "Tapped" which explains all the possible hazards of plastics. I personally have tried to use glass baby bottles for two years and can say without a doubt that no matter how careful you are, you WILL smash a bottle every now and then. Safety? Plastic poisoning? Glass shards on my floors? I feel plastic and glass both have benefits and now I use a combination of both!

Lemon Juice as a Cleaner

Mon, 14 Nov 2011 15:25:00 -0800

When cleaning your home it is always great to find everyday household items that are cheap and easy cleaning products. Lemon juice is a green and cost effective way to get some of your household chores out of the way. To clean your vinyl dip a cloth into lemon juice and wipe down any areas with stains to remove or reduce them. For a wood polish try mixing two parts olive oil and one part lemon juice and wipe down your wood furniture with a soft cloth. A slice of lemon dipped in salt can even be used for cleaning up tarnished brass and copper pieces (be sure to rinse out after). Check out http://housekeeping.about.com/cs/environment/a/alternateclean.htm for other household item cleaning ideas.

Pink Solution

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 15:00:00 -0700

One of our favorite products at Maids Gone Green is pink solution. It can be used in every room in your house and is a multipurpose cleaner. The great thing about this product is that it is non-toxic and ammonia free while still being cost effective. It can be used for all surfaces and when it is mixed with water becomes a natural enzyme cleaner that can easily cut through dirt and grime. It can even be used on carpet stains and doesn't require a rinse out after. All you need is to mix a small amount of pink solution with some warm water and you have a cheap, effective cleaning solution ready to go. If interested purchasing 1 litre costs $19.99 and when diluted at a medium concentration produces 44 litres of cleaning product! For more information check out http://pinksolution.ca/index.htm

Green Halloween Party!

Wed, 26 Oct 2011 13:19:00 -0700

Halloween is just around the corner and many people are having kid's halloween parties. Here is a few tips on how to keep your party green (and fun!) this year. With everything being digital these days you can send online invitations to the party guests and save paper on the invitations. If giving out goody bags make them reusable, instead of just plastic and fill them with seeds for kids to plant themselves or window crayons. As far as activities go try making hats out of recycled paper or even bobbing for apples. Check out the website http://greenhalloween.org/content.php?page=host for more of ideas on how to keep your halloween party green from activities and decorations to food. Have a happy halloween!

Baby shower gift idea

Mon, 17 Oct 2011 13:11:00 -0700

Baby showers are a time to celebrate a new budle of joy that is on the way. Often people give gifts to help the to-be new parents out. Diapers and clothing for the baby are all very popular and helpful gifts for when the new baby arrives. But why not get a little gift for the parents that they can really use? A gift certificate for a house cleaning from Maids Gone Green is an original gift that can be a huge relief to new parents. With all the work and time that comes with a new baby a clean house will be deeply appreciated by the new (and busy!) parents.

Clean while you work

Fri, 07 Oct 2011 12:58:00 -0700

Do you have a busy schedule but want to come home to a clean house? At Maids Gone Green we can come and clean while your at work or out running errands. This saves you the trouble of having to reschedule your day and allows you to come home to a clean house hassle free. So let yourself get that fresh home feeling after a long day without any inconvenience!

Office Spaces

Fri, 30 Sep 2011 12:49:00 -0700

At Maids Gone Green we don't limit ourselves to houses, we are also able to tackle office cleans. If your office is getting messy don't hesitate to call us and get the problem taken care of with quality, professional care. From floors and dusting to kitchen areas we will have your office shine in no time. And yes we will keep the fridge and microwave clean as well as toss out all those modly sandwiches!

Mop heads

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 12:44:00 -0700

A common problem with mops is that they can get a build up of bacteria in between cleans. At Maids Gone Green we use reuseable microfibre mop heads that get changed between every house. A fresh one for each house means no concerns of bacteria being spread as well and other people's dirt being brought into your house. This allows you to relax and feel confident that your floors will be fresh and clean by the time we leave!

Toliet cleaners

Mon, 12 Sep 2011 12:24:00 -0700

A task that no one looks forward to is cleaning out the toliet bowl. There are many different products on the market to get the chore done. One route is buying a toliet brush (around $5) and some toliet bowl cleaner (around 3.99 for a 709 ml cleaner from green works). The initial cost is around $10 but will last you for almost a year depending on how many bathrooms you have. The other option is purchasing disposable products such as the Fantastik toliet brush. The initial kit costs around $5 for the wand and four brush tips. Additional refills run around $5 for about six. This brings the cost to around $10 as well but will only last for a few months. The toliet brush and cleaner is the cheaper option and also produces less waste compared to the disposable wands.

Window Washing

Fri, 02 Sep 2011 12:15:00 -0700

Washing windows and glass doors can often seem like a daunting task. Piles of paper towels and glass cleaner can drag the process out and produce a lot of garbage. Maids Gone Green uses a easier, faster and (and greaner!) method to cleaning large glass surfaces. All you need is a microfibre cloth, warm water and a squeegee. Wipe the windows down with a damp microfiber cloth and then squeegee it dry from top to bottom. Catch any drip marks with a dry cloth and enjoy clean, streak free windows the easy way.

Renovating?

Fri, 26 Aug 2011 12:06:00 -0700

When doing renos in your house it is important to remember that there is a lot of material that can be recycled that are often thrown away. All metals are recyclable so don't forget to remove the hinges and handles from the door and place them in a seperate metal pile. If a sink is being replaced the faucet from the old one can also be recycled. Every little bit helps and hope your place is looking great after!

Wedding gifts

Mon, 15 Aug 2011 11:55:00 -0700

The summer months are a very popular time for weddings, especially in beautiful British Columbia. Time to pull out the heels and suits and enjoy a good celebration with your friends and family. Having trouble thinking of a wedding gift? Instead of getting them another toaster or appliance (they will be getting quite a few!) give them a gift they can really use. Maids Gone Green has house cleaning gift cards that the happy new couple will appreciate after all the work that goes into throwing a wedding. This lets them catch up on the household chores without having to lift a finger and will have you to thank.

Moving? Time to clean

Fri, 05 Aug 2011 11:31:00 -0700

Moving into a new home can be a very exciting and stressful time. At Maids Gone Green we found there are some key areas that should get cleaned when moving in. Windows and window tracks are important as they can accumulate a lot of dirt and dust and a clean window can really brighten a room. Inside of all cupboards and cabinets should be done to remove any leftover debris as well as the inside of the fridge. The inside of ovens can have a large amount of greasy build up so they often need a thorough scrub as well. Don’t forget the exterior of appliances and give the whole bathroom a good scrub (especially inside of bathtubs and showers). Baseboards tend of get a build up of dust, especially when people are moving out, so they usually need a good wipe down. If you want to save yourself the stress of move in (or out) cleaning give us a call and we will take care of the work for you and have the place shine!

House Guests

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 11:22:00 -0700

The summer months provide lots of opportunity to get together with family and friends. The beautiful weather makes people eager to travel and get out of the house. If you have house guests coming from out of town let Maids Gone Green get your house ready for them. We will change and wash the linen and neatly fold towels to make your guest’s room welcoming. With a good clean your house will sparkle and make your guests feel comfortable and save you time to visit with them. Have a great summer everyone!

Lady Bugs

Mon, 18 Jul 2011 11:04:00 -0700

Spring and Summer bring gardens into full bloom, but with it comes garden pests. Lady bugs are mother nature's cute solution to this problem and allow for pest control without using any harsh chemicals. They will eat the aphids and mites that plague your garden without causing any damage or harm to the plants. With no chemicals used kids and pets can be free to roam without concern. Lady bugs can be purchased at many garden centers and nursuries around Canada. Happy gardening!

Eco-friendly paint

Mon, 11 Jul 2011 10:31:00 -0700

The summer months are a time to enjoy the nice weather but also a time for keeping up maintenance around the home. If you are thinking of doing some painting projects consider using Eco Coat Paint. It is 100% recycled and every gallon used prevents 115 pounds of carbon from being released into the atmosphere. It dries quickly and can be used indoor and ourdoors. For more information visit http://www.recyclepaint.com/ . Happy painting!

Canada Day!

Fri, 01 Jul 2011 10:18:00 -0700

The staff at Maids Gone Green is excited to celebrate Canada Day and is looking forward to all the local events going on around Kelowna! With music, marketplaces and food tastings there is something for everyone happening at Waterfront park. The evening ends with a big firework show and for more information visit http://www.festivalskelowna.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=61&Itemid=21 . We hope to see you all down there and have a great Canada day everyone!

Green carpet and tile care

Thu, 23 Jun 2011 09:58:00 -0700

While at a job we met another local Kelowna company who were also committed to using quality cleaning products that are good for the environment. Clean and Green Carpet Care uses minimal water to prevent bacteria and mold growth and are still able to keep carpets cleaner for longer than many of the traditional methods. Their products are safe with children and pets as they don’t use hazardous ingredients by using harmless products such as tea tree oil. We wish the best of luck to Bob and Lee and hope to run into them again!

Hockey bag odor control

Fri, 17 Jun 2011 09:50:00 -0700

Maids Gone Green is a big fan of odor control and we found that a simple box of baking soda goes a long way. Open a box of baking soda and leave it next to your hockey bag to reduce the odor in the air. It's simple and it works.

The Perfect Fathers Day Gift

Mon, 06 Jun 2011 08:14:00 -0700

Fathers Day is June 19, 2011 and I know just what every father would appreciate!
Give your father a bar of old school shaving soap, a good shaving brush and a personalized mug with a photo on it.

When I decided to start living aerosol-free I went to Shoppers Drug Mart and bought a bar of Williams Mug Shaving Soap ($3) and an Omega Shaving Brush ($14) for my husband. He was very surprised and had no idea you could even purchase such items in 2011 and had never used anything but aerosol shaving gels and foams. It only took one shave and he fell in love with it!

How it works:
Drop the circular shaving soap into a mug
Wet your shaving brush and stir it over the soap to work up a lather
Apply the soapy lather to your skin and shave
Rinse the brush with water when you are finished and leave the soap in the mug for next time!