Pro Cleaning Tips Are you cleaning these frequently touched places? AND My Cleansing Herbs Notes

Without exaggerating I have been cleaning for my living in some form or another 16 years. For 10 years I have run my own small cleaning business, during that time I've discovered some commonly forgotten places and items. For instance, pictured is a hand sanitizer pump nozzle. How often do you clean your sanitizer or soap nozzles? When I was 15, I worked as a dishwasher in a retirement home, a nasty flu went around (not uncommon) and around a second time, someone came in to access the standards of that community and discovered the minute you walked in the door was a sanitizer pump nozzle that had clearly never been cleaned. It was pronounced the most likely candidate for spreading the virus as most people walked in, put a 1/2 teaspoon of hand sanitizer in the palm and wiped bacteria all over the rest of their hands and wrists.

How about your handles? Door knobs and cabinet handles I bet you are cleaning these thoroughly, especially in light of the times. However I find that you need to clean about 1 foot in all directions from these handles inside and outside doors. Here is a couple pictures of common usage. Pay attention to the way you hold doors and cabinets.

Some of the things we pay close attention to in the BIZ include all light switches, lamp switches, door handles,

and one foot around all door handles, locks, toilet flush handles, trash cans, cleaning supplies (spray nozzles & broom/mop handles), all soap dispensers. Basically anything we see that is touched regularly; remote controls, telephones, cell phones, computer keyboards & mouse, and electronic devices. Operating controls for stove, microwave, toaster, coffee makers, ice makers, and pull cords on blinds & fans/lights. Chairs where you pull them out and arm rests. Door frames at elbow height, especially if someone in your home is unsteady on their feet, like kids or the elderly, the door frame often is used to stabilize them while they open doors.

I understand the need to be extra clean these days so if you are instituting a more strict regimen please consider alternatives to products containing bleach. Unless you are going for a specifically whitening effect things like hydrogen peroxide, Simple Green, Fabuloso, vinegar with added essential oils, and rubbing alcohol can do a better job of eliminating bacteria and virus as well as eliminating fungus. When we use bleach we leave phosphates behind that act as food for fungus. This means these products are not good for your materials, just because we have a viral outbreak does not mean we should destroy our homes with bleach and other inferior products like window cleaners (just use vinegar) or disinfectant wipes (these leave surfaces sticky and sticky = enemy). If you must use products containing bleach please rinse them thoroughly with hot water after spraying them with bleach and then clean the surface again with vinegar or simple green or peroxide or any of the above-mentioned products to remove any phosphate residue. I have a link to the EPA list of Safe products that have been proven against stronger viruses than influenza things like norovirus and Ebola. https://www.epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-n-disinfectants-use-against-sars-cov-2 There are over 200 cleansers on this list and yes many of them include bleach but you can see the active ingredient against viruses is Quaternary Ammonium not the bleach itself.

Other generic tips I can offer you in regards to cleaning smart not hard are work from the top down and break the room into parts to do every other time. For example do the up high fans, light fixtures, tops of furniture, and air vents one week. Then next week get under &inside furniture, visible baseboards, items that sit on the floor (door stops, trash cans etc.). Wash all mid level surfaces every week, frequently used surfaces should be cleaned after each use. This way it is a clean room all the time and you only need to clean half of it at a time. Another pro tip is to vacuum all bathrooms and kitchen before starting to clean. If you spray them down first it is harder to remove hair and crumbs because they are wet. Use the attachments on your vacuum for getting drawers and tubs while dry. And always remember a dry surface is a happy surface. Whether your hands, your shower, or your sponge Dry after each use!

Here is a typical breakdown of how we maintain the cleanliness in our home as well as many others.

Daily

Wipe Down All surfaces & cabinet faces (bathrooms&kitchens wet and dry)

Sanitize handles, switches, door knobs, remotes & other hand holds

Clean all appliances (including fridge&oven)

Spot clean glass and mirrors

Weekly

Vacuum floors

Blinds & Windowsills

Mop tile floors /Polish wood floors

Spot clean porches

Every 2 Weeks

Alternating High and Low Tasks

Spot interior cabinetry

Vents, ac intake, bathroom fans

Vacuum/clean couches & interior furniture

Ceiling Fans

Baseboards

Under beds

Under large area rugs

Monthly

Door tracks

Wet Mop porches

Polish wood furniture

Polish/clean framework

Thrice a Year

Deep clean Bathrooms (late September, January, early June)

Deep clean Porches including screens (November, February, May)

*Deep cleans include emptying all cabinets, eliminating or cleaning items and return to clean space. As well as grout cleanings, and assessment of repairs needed.

Twice a Year

Curtains (January, August)

Deep Clean appliances includes emptying freezers (October & March)

Deep clean closets

Deep clean cabinets including contents

Once Annually

Deep clean floors aka scrub grout (in sections)

Light fixtures throughout (take down)

Behind/under heavy furniture & appliances

Touch up Painting

DIY hand sanitizers everybody that knows me, knows that I like to make my own cleaning products. Many have reached out about a recipe for hand sanitizer. Really easy, in normal times, I use 1/3 rubbing alcohol, 1/3 aloe vera, 1/3 witch hazel, to this I add 10 drops of Rosemary, and 10 drops of tea tree oil. However in these trying times nothing can beat the action of soap and water. I have taken to carrying around watered down soap as my shield in the world. I took a half a bar of soap, dissolved it in some rubbing alcohol (you could use distilled Spirits like Everclear) and mixed in some water. I'm just pouring that directly on my hands when I need to sanitize. The benefit of soap over alcohol, is that it repels bacteria and viruses, where alcohols only kill them. The solution of alcohol needs to be at a 60% strength in order to kill directly on contact, with less than 60% strength alcohol (something like 45%) can take up to 10 or 15 minutes to kill all viral and bacterial microbes. Remember heat kills too, hot as you can stand it water is our friend during these times, use it while cleaning.

Here are my quick notes on using Herbs for Household use:

Household Herbs:

For Cleaning Body and Environment

The Cleansing Herbs basil, Bay, cardamom, clove, coriander, eucalyptus, Ginger, hyssop, lavender, lemongrass, oregano, peppermint, rose geranium, rosemary, sage, spearmint, and Thyme are all powerhouse cleaners. They ALL posses properties preventing the spread of bacteria, fungus, and viruses. These properties are called antibacterial, anti-fungal, antiseptic, and antiviral.

More Specified Actions and the herbs to use

Bactericide(kills bacteria): Camphor, German chamomile, clove, Dill, lemongrass, lime, Melissa, orange, Patchouli, Pine, Rose, Rosewood, spikenard, thyme, valerian

Fungicide(kills fungus): coriander, lemongrass, Neroli, orange, rosemary, spikenard, tea tree

Germicide(kills germs): black walnut, cinnamon, cloves, eucalyptus, garlic, Goldenseal, mustard, myrrh, Sandalwood, tea tree, thyme, wild oregano

Disinfectants: Birch, Caraway, cinnamon, Dill, Mandarin, Pine, rosemary, sage, Tangerine, tea tree, Ylang Ylang

Insecticide: camphor, cinnamon, citronella, clove, Cypress, geranium, lavender, lemon, lemon Eucalyptus, lemongrass, Lemon Verbena, peppermint, Pine, Rosewood, Sag, Tea Tree, thyme

Insect Repellent: Birch, camphor, Cedarwood, citronella, clove, Cypress, geranium, Juniper, lavender, lemon, Lemon Eucalyptus, lemongrass, lemon verbena, niaouli, Patchouli, peppermint, Pine, rose geranium, Sage, Tea Tree

Antimicrobials: thyme, Sage, Rosemary, lavender, peppermint, spearmint, cinnamon, clove

Antivirals: echinacea, calendula, olive leaf, oregano, grape root

*Anti vs. icide: an antifungal prevents fungal growth (or reduces the spread) whereas a fungicide kills fungi on contact. So we need both for a balanced cleaning agent.

Other Cleaning Helpers

White vinegar has antifungal and Antimicrobial properties. Also vinegar can help eliminate mineral deposits.

Lemon juice kills germs and dissolves Grease.

Castile soap made from olive oil washes dirt and grease from household surfaces.

Baking soda is a natural Degreaser, scrubber for scratchless cleaning of many surfaces, and a deodorizer as well.

Borax an all natural pesticide, disinfectant, desiccant, and deodorizer all in one.

Witch hazel is a wonderful antibacterial.

We are hoping everyone stays safe and sane through the coronavirus outbreak. Don't hesitate to reach out if you have questions or concerns about simplifying your cleaning routines without sacrificing sanitation. In the mean time honor yourself, honor each other, trust in your heart what you know to be true, and Keep Peace in your heart, peace in your mind, help to put peace into the world.