Tag Archives: cleaning

That’s why they call it work and not fun

Posted on by Posted in General Announcement .

Like most teenagers, I would complain…about everything. I didn’t want to go to school, I didn’t want to go to work. (At the time, I was an A-B student, always on the honor roll, and I worked after school at a local McDonalds. That was actually my first job.)

 

My mom, a single parent of three girls, would always say “that’s why they call it work and not fun.”

 

I can’t count on my fingers and toes how many times she told me that. So much so, that I started telling other people that when they would complain about having to pick up an extra shift or someone called out so now they had to go in to work.

 

Most of my jobs were little $8 an hour cashier or secretary jobs, until I decided to start Miraclean. (To get the whole scoop on how and why I started Miraclean, check out my previous blog post here.)

 

Anyway, the other day I reminded of my mother’s famous saying while I was cleaning, except my work WAS fun.

 

Let me start over. Scrubbing soap scum from a leaky shower…not fun. Wiping all sorts of fluids from the bathroom, buggers off of walls, ok, ok, that’s not fun. But, the feeling you get from cleaning is fun.

 

I’ll put it to you this way. I have been procrastinating on cleaning out my second bedroom. I just don’t wanna! It’s stupid, I’m never in there and I keep the door closed so I don’t have to look at it….BUT I know what’s behind that door. Tons of crap that just needs to be tossed, but who has the time for that? Apparently, my boyfriend and I because I told him that was our plan for the weekend and he held me accountable.

 

I came home from work on Saturday and he already had everything pulled out of the closet. (What a guy!) So now there was no excuse. “Fine. Let’s just do it and get it over with.” Three overstuffed trashbags later (seriously, where does this crap hide?!) we have a place for everything and everything in it’s place. It literally took an hour, maybe a little longer with the both us working together. Afterward, we stood back, looked at our room (oh, hi floor…it’s been so long since I’ve seen you!), high-fived each other and took a nap.

 

The point being, we felt that feeling of accomplishment. In with new, out with the old. Now, my skin doesn’t crawl when I know I need something from that room.

 

It’s the same way when you’re cleaning houses. Usually, someone hires us to clean because they either don’t have time or they would much rather spend their free time at home with their family than yelling at the kids to clean up, upsetting the husband for making him work around the house on his day off, whatever, whatever. It’s just easier to hire a company like us to get everything done in a matter of hours.

 

The customer comes home to a clean house and BAM all of a sudden their entire weekend opens up. They can go to the park or take a weekend trip or visit friends and not have their skin crawl thinking they have four dirty bathrooms at home that still need to be cleaned and 100 loads of laundry that need to be washed.

 

That’s what makes me feel good inside. Those families that are absolutely grateful and thankful to have us clean and make their lives easier. So many tell me on a regular basis, “AHH!!! We love Miraclean days!” And that’s what makes it worth it.

I can’t tell you how rewarding it is to know that you are helping someone. Whether it is helping them spend more time with their family or helping them with a problem around the house. We clean for a lot of older folks, too. I can’t tell you how many times we’ve walked into a bathroom with a black tub, not because that is the color of the tub but because it is dirty-dirty!  We get that tub back to its original shade of color, after a lot of sweat and scrubbing, but it is worth it to see the look on their face when they walk into their bathroom and don’t even recognize it because it is so clean.

 

The other day, I was cleaning probably one of my favorite family’s house. They are adorable. Southern belle momma, Daddy brings home the bacon, they have two girls and a boy and a big, beautiful home in Fort Mill. The house takes a crew of two girls a little over three hours to clean, but we absolutely love it! We gawk at the chandeliers in the bathrooms and check out the new coats of paint in the kids’ rooms. It is such a nice house to clean and that’s when my mother came into my brain.

 

“That’s why they call it work and not fun.”

 

But, this is fun. Ok, for the most part it is fun. I get to work with people I enjoy working with, I get to feel appreciated at work (most of the time), and I get to help families. What is more fun than that?

I almost ruined Christmas!

Posted on by Posted in General Announcement .

elf on shelf

What the hell is an Elf on the Shelf?

 

Being 27 years old with no children, there are some “phenomena” that I don’t understand. A few months ago, dozens of little girls were ranting and raving over some chick called Sophia the First.

 

The First what?

 

Anyway, another one of those phenomena is this Elf on the Shelf character. Between my friends’ children, my little cousins, and my customers’ children, I’ve gathered he is an elf who watches the children and reports back to Santa. The elf tattle-tails on the children’s behavior and Santa determines if the child is naughty or nice.

 

Quite a few people have said they wish they could leave the Elf out all year long, but it is tradition that the Elf comes out the day after Thanksgiving and stay until Christmas Eve.

 

Ok. I’ve got that much. Here’s my confusion.

 

First, according to almost every kid I’ve asked, their Elf has a name that THEY (the children) got to pick out. My little cousins’ Elf’s name is Red McStuffins. How he came up with that, the world may never know. My niece’s Elf’s name is Sugarplum, “But he is a boy, not a girl,” she informs me.

 

So, you get a second babysitter of sorts that you get to name? How is that magic? Shouldn’t your Elf come with a name and back story like, “oh…he’s the most strict of all Santa’s elves!” Just a thought. Ok, so the kid gets to make-up the back story. Got it.

 

Next, what is up with this Elf’s behavior?! He is a mischievous little guy that according to Facebook and Instagram gets stuck in a lot of strange situations. Some innocent, like a hand in the cookie jar. Some not so innocent, like under the covers with Barbie. (You know who you are, you naughty Elf on the Shelf lovers!)

 

Anywho, this Elf is supposed to be checking your behavior; yet he is running around your home causing a ruckus?! What the french, toast?

 

Finally, the “magic” part. The children cannot see the adults touch the Elf. No one can touch the Elf. The Elf magically ends up in these situations.

 

I told you all that so I could tell you my Elf on the Shelf story. I was cleaning a customer’s house when I came upon the Elf sitting on the bottom part of the staircase handrail. I took my cloth, sprayed the handrail and picked up the Elf to dust underneath it. Just as I picked up the Elf, the children came running down the stairs, “Adults can’t touch the Elf! Adults can’t touch the Elf! Now he’s lost his magic!”

 

What?!

 

The first thing I could respond with was, “Oh no guys, I called Santa and explained to him that I had to get the house nice and clean for his arrival and in order for me to do that, I may have to clean up after his elves. Santa said that it was okay because he liked a clean house and he knows his elves can get pretty messy.”

 

Kids: “OHHH!!! But, you promise you called Santa.”

 

Me: “I pinky swear Santa knows and he said it was ok.”

 

Kids: “Ok! Yay! Our Elf still has his magic.”

 

And off they went.

 

Holy cow! Crisis averted! Jeeze, I had to think quick on my feet for that one.

 

The moral of this story is for parents.

 

Parents, please fill us non-having children folks in on your little magic tricks and give me a heads up before I go breaking your kids’ hearts.

 

😉

 

 

 

There is NO time!

Posted on by Posted in Cleaning Tips .

 

overwhelmed-mom

You are one person. How are you supposed to keep up with your job, being a wife, being a mom, laundry, and housekeeping?!

 

The easiest way…put it on a schedule. Get it in your calendar and get it done.

 

I’ve got my house on a rotation schedule. Sundays are my cleaning day. One week I will wipe down countertops in the kitchen and bathroom, clean the toilet and dust the living room. The next week is for bathtubs, floors, and vacuuming.

 

While I’m cleaning, I’m also doing laundry. It’s easy to keep everything moving once you get started. Are your weekends busy? Break up the chores. Try loading the dishwasher at night and unloading it in the morning. Throw a load of laundry in the washer in the morning. When you come home from work or running errands, move it to the dryer.

 

Another idea when dealing with kids and laundry is to assign each child their own laundry basket and their own day to wash clothes. Once the clothes are finished in the dryer have them fold and put away their laundry.

 

Need a cleaning schedule? Check out a few ideas we found to help you: 

cleaning calendar 1

Cleaning calendar 3

cleaning-calendar 2

 

Share your tips and tricks on www.facebook.com/Miraclean

 

The easiest way to DETOX your home

Posted on by Posted in General Announcement .

I’m so excited that my hands are literally shaking as I type this! As many of you know, I love posting all-natural tips and recipes you can use around your home for safe and effective cleanings. Well, have I got a treat for you!

 

The wellness company that I purchase my all-natural cleaning products from is running a promotion that I think all my green Moms are going to love!

 

First, let me give you some background information. This wellness company has been around for 28 years! They’ve received hundreds of awards and have patents and scientists testing new products every day.

 

We are talking over 300 products all made naturally, with no chlorine bleach, no ammonia and no formaldehyde. How is this possible?

 

Have you ever heard of tea tree oil? (If you are a regular customer of mine, this should sound familiar.) Tea tree oil is an essential oil taken from the leaves grown on the melaleuca tree in Australia. This oil kills bacteria and fungus, and helps reduce skin reactions. Tea tree oil has antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal and antiseptic properties.

 

What does that mean for you?

 

Because of its antiseptic properties, tea tree oil can help treat skin blemishes. In fact, face and body washing products containing 5 percent of tea tree oil is more effective than products that contain 5 percent benzoyl peroxide.

 

Did you know tea tree oil is proven to treat athlete’s foot, mites, scabies and head lice? In a 2008 study, tea tree oil was more effective against head lice than permethrin, a popular pharmaceutical remedy. In fact, shampoo with 5 percent tea tree oil is effective treatment for dandruff due to its ability to treat Malassezia furfur, the most common cause of dandruff.

 

There are safe, effective, all-natural ways to keep you family safe. Think of this wellness company as an all-natural version of Sam’s Club or Costco.

 

We’ve got a cleaning “aisle” and every product is made from safe, natural ingredients. How many times have you had itchy, watery eyes, or began coughing because of the fumes in most cleaners? Not with these products!

 

Oh and did I mention that everything comes in concentrated bottles. That’s right! One bottle of concentrate gives you SIX bottles of product! We’re talking $5.60 for one bottle of concentrated bathroom cleaner. That’s six bottles of product for $5.60. How much would you pay for six bottles of Tilex? A lot more than $5.60!

 

Another “aisle” in this store is bath and body. Tea tree oil, when used in beauty supplies, gives you soothing, penetrated and antiseptic properties. In fact, the number 1 selling product in this company is hand cream that is 7 times more effective than Eucerin! The toothpaste contains xylitol, a natural sweetener that is proven to help people suffering with gum disease. The mouthwash contains no alcohol, so there is no burning sensation. The company has a men’s product line with body wash, shaving cream, bar soaps, etc. and they have a kids line, too!

 

They even have an organic food “aisle” that contains cereal, popcorn, granola bars, vitamins, meal replacement shakes and more! Did I mention that all these products are gluten-free?!!!

Want to check out this company for yourself? Join the next 30-minute webinar to learn more. There are four webinars held every day this month! Visit the calendar and pick the day and time that best suits you.

 

So, how much? All these “aisles” of over 300 products that are all-natural and safe can be yours for $1! That’s your membership fee. $1! You will have access to every product. You will receive $100 in free product. You will have peace of mind knowing everything you buy is guaranteed with a full money back refund from the company.

 

But, you’ve got to hurry! They are only offering the $1 membership fee until August 20. So, click here to see the webinar schedule and if you would like to make a conscience decision to start using these products, let me know and I can sign you up!

 

Do you have any questions or concerns? My phone is always open at 803-366-1766 or my cell at 803-984-9383. If you prefer email, mine is kristin@miracleanonline.com or if you’d like to join us on Facebook, ‘Like’ www.facebook.com/Miraclean.