In Answer to a Question we got last week…

Last week one of our clients said “I’ve gone through four other cleaning companies before I found you. What do you do to get my house so clean?”

First, we start by working in a Top to Bottom, Left to Right, Back to Front system. Starting at the top working our way to the bottom, one wall at a time always paying attention to the details. This ensures we are getting absolutely everything down to the baseboards.  Then we work our way into the room, cleaning and dusting all furniture and floors. We also use terrific enviro friendly products. We can also use the client’s products if requested.

In the case of cleaning floors, we use the hands and knees method instead of just mopping to ensure we are cleaning corner to corner, getting in all the little nooks and crannies and making sure to clean marks off baseboards.

Our main focus while cleaning your home is meticulous attention to detail and quality control. All cleaners are quality checked on an ongoing basis.

We have a 100% Customer Satisfaction Policy because we stand behind our work. If for any reason the Cleaning Technicians accidently missed something, just give us a call within 24 hours of the clean, and we will correct the problem.

Take Time is committed  “To provide exceptional service that exceeds our customer’s expectations.”

Our vision is  “To lead the maid service industry through outstanding customer service, training and meticulous quality control.”

Our desire is to provide our clients with an opportunity to  “Take Time to Live Well”

We have been in business for 6 years and are members of the BBB (Better Business Bureau) with an A+ rating.

We are extremely detail oriented and will work from the Top of your home to the Bottom using our own standardized
cleaning system.

We are a Full Service company and provide generous discounts on these additional services: commercial cleaning; interior/exterior window and gutter cleaning; carpet and upholstery cleaning; tile and grout cleaning and resealing; handyman services; snow removal and grass cutting; demolition and junk removal and real estate services. All these additional services are provided by employees not contractors who have been thoroughly trained and certified.

We also have Quality Checkers who continually check the work of our cleaners on the job to ensure quality control and to make sure our high standards are being maintained. We use the solo cleaner system so you have the same cleaner each time. In some cases if the client wants the work done faster we will send two cleaners. Everything we do is standardized so if your cleaner is temporarily unavailable another cleaner will be sent and you are still getting that same GREAT clean! Although our systems and procedures are standardized, we are great at customizing service for clients who require some differences to their service.

We have a 100% customer satisfaction policy. We stand behind our work! This means that if you contact us within 24 hours of your clean and are not 100% fully satisfied due to your cleaner accidently missing something, we will do a complementary redo of the area in question.

During our hiring process, our staff must provide extensive background checks and police clearance upon hire. We have an extensive two week training program upon hire and we have a process to ensure ongoing monitoring and improvement.

All our staff are covered by WCB (Workers Compensation) Staff are licensed, bonded and insured. We carry a 5 million dollar liability coverage. This means that if our staff were to get injured in your home, you would not be responsible or liable.

All these facts are what sets us apart from other maid services in the industry. Book with us and see the real difference Take Time Home cleaning makes in your life… Take Time so you can enjoy your life!

As a follow up to our blog post about germs around the office, we have some tips on how to clean your electronics. Here is a bit of information from Maryam Maids on the subject:

To get the gunk out, use a specially-designed cleaning putty like Cyber Clean. This product also works on TV remotes, video game controllers and MP3 devices. Never apply any harsh liquid directly to the screen – this includes glass cleaners and ammonia-based chemicals. Doing so can seriously damage the screen and the entire device. The key is to dampen a lint-free, microfiber cloth with a tiny amount of water and wipe it horizontally or vertically in one direction, not back and forth.

Click here for the full article from Maryam Maids.

Keep a dirty office and suffer woes that extend beyond those you might imagine. Sure, your productivity will take a hit. Your reputation might, too. But did you know an unkempt workspace could also make you ill?

So confirms a recent study out of the UK that warns that people who work in offices that are not kept to a hygienic standard put themselves at risk of picking up viruses from their surroundings that could land them in a sick bed.

The news is particularly relevant at this time of year, as the world hunkers down for the usual onslaught of cold-and-flu-season-induced illness, and the inevitable spate of absence that follows.

The study found that office-thriving creepy-crawlies occupy carpets, desk surfaces, phones, computer screens and almost two-thirds of computer keyboards—some in such numbers that mould had formed underneath.

Concerned office workers might adopt some strategies to combat this bacteria-strewn reality. Some suggestions:

• Introduce systems to the workplace that pick up where your cleaning service leaves off. Colour-coding cloths, for example—red for sensitive areas like the washroom, green for general-purpose cleaning and blue for glass—sets the stage for improved health at the office.

• Remember that germs are spread by hand contact. Take care that light switches, door handles and phones are being cleaned regularly.

• Hire a cleaning firm you can trust. A dependable, dedicated service with a reputation for attention to detail and an appreciation for the role it plays in fending off health risks among office workers is worth its weight in gold. Ask your cleaner whether they bring cloths from other jobs into the facility, or if they can assure you that only dedicated cloths are employed on your site.

Re-coating hardwood floors in its simplest definition is the applying of a fresh coat of finish to your hardwood floors. Re-coating is often confused with refinishing hardwood floors. However, unlike refinishing, you are not removing the original finish of the floor.

Did you know that Take Time Home Cleaning has another division called FreshLook for carpet and upholstery, tile and grout, and hardwoods.  We recoat your hardwoods and make them look like new. We can also deep clean your tile and grout floors or clean your carpets and upholstery.

All of our Freshlook staff have been professionally trained and are certified for these procedures.

For the month of February we are offering our residential clients $30 off all FreshLook services.
Click here to read more.

At Take Time Home Cleaning & Lifestyle Services, we want you to take time to live well even during the busiest time of year! With the holiday season just six weeks away we have given some thought about how we can assist you with being prepared for all the expected and unexpected company that will come through your home.

Time Management is Key

Proper time management goes a long way in regards to maintaining a clean home. The first thing we recommend you do is survey your entertaining spaces. How are the chesterfields looking, any stains? Pet hair? How are your carpets holding up? Could you use the help of a professional house cleaning company? Take a note pad with you when you are walking around and note any preexisting stains or dirtier areas. After you do this mark down what type of cleaning service you think you need.

Rooms To Think About While Home Cleaning

Are you the type of person who leaves doors open or closed to different bedrooms when company is over? If you like them open then please survey all rooms roughly six weeks before so you have time and can tackle any task with care and you don’t become overwhelmed.

How is your kitchen? If you have tile in the kitchen, how is the grout doing?  Is it time for a tile and grout cleaning? Is it supposed to be white but it is now black because of the heavy traffic that impacts your kitchen floor on a daily basis?

Do you have that one room in the home that the door always remains shut because it is used for storage? Take time and rummage through it. See what you can purge. Wouldn’t it be nice to show off a new space this year? What about your mattresses in your home, have you turned them over lately? Have your mattresses been properly cleaned and inspected?

Now for the busiest room in your house, the bathroom. Have you had it professionally cleaned in a while? With the company and perhaps some house guests, it is good practice to have the germs zapped before company arrives.

Why Take Time?

The nice thing about bringing Take Time on board as your partner to manage your home’s cleanliness is that we can do this all for you! It just takes one phone call and we even provide you with a free estimate. We would like to give you $30.00 off your first clean to make the decision even more enticing for you. Contact us today.  From all of us at Take Time, we wish the very best for you and your loved ones during this busy and special time of year.

Work, life, balance…you have heard it before. Adding the stress of moving into Manitoba’s coldest time of year and how this impacts your home is another thing to add to your never ending to do list.  Not to worry Manitoba!

Let Take Time Home Cleaning & Lifestyle Services take a load off for you so you can focus on you, your loved ones and staying warm. Winterizing your home isn’t as simple as just putting saran wrap on your windows to keep the cold out.

Here at Take Time, we want to ensure you know what is happening in your home to to beat the frigid temperatures. Let us perform an inspection and let us identify areas that need your attention.  Here are some tips to get you started:

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Do you ever get that feeling that your home or car or office (or all of the above, simultaneously) will never be tidy? The challenge of keeping your home and your belongings clean is that it is constantly ongoing. Even if you clean one room or all the rooms of your house, you start thinking about all that crap that’s been sitting in the trunk of your car for 3 months, or you even start thinking towards next week when you’ll be in the exact same position of having to clean the house again. Cleaning anxiety is common with almost every homeowner, and one way you can ease the stress a bit is to throw stuff away.

I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that you have too much stuff. There is something in your home that can be thrown away or donated, more likely, lots of somethings. At least once a year, you should go through all your belongings and make a giveaway pile. At first, it can be tough. Human nature is to maintain what you own for as long as possible, but when you do it once, you’ll realize that the 10 shirts you gave to Goodwill hadn’t even crossed your mind since you dropped them in that bin. Cleaning anxiety comes from the things you don’t see, so when you get rid of that stuff that’s at the bottom of the drawer or sitting in the basement, you’ll not only be decluttering your home, you’ll be decluttering your mind.

With that, here are 5 tips to decluttering:

1. You don’t have to do it all at once! Check out https://www.365lessthings.com/ to see how getting rid of one thing a day can change your life.

2. Make a list of rooms. Start with your closet. Next week, do your bathroom. Next week, your car. Similar to tip #1, one step at a time, people.

3. Use boxes or bags. If you just start with piles on the floor, you can lose track of what’s what in the early going. Start with clearly marked boxes for garbage, donations and keepers.

4. Music. Put on your favourite cleaning playlist . Marvin Gaye and Joni Mitchell are there to help you.

5. If in need, call for help! Get help from your kids, your husband, your neighbour. Or if they’re not around, call us!

Autumn is rapidly approaching and the leaves will soon begin to fall. Summer has come and gone in a flash and next week marks the first day of September which means back to school and back to cooler weather.

While fall marks one of the most beautiful seasons of the year, and many look forward to the changing colors, what we don’t often care for is the cleanups required for our yards and our homes. Summer is a time for fun and frolicking. We let the shoes track mud in the house, we don’t spend as much time vacuuming or dusting, and the dirt literally piles up. Come fall we spend more time inside and quickly realize that the house needs a good clean.

At Take Time we’re well known for our home cleaning services, but most people don’t realize that we also offer a range of add on services that can be grouped together or bought individually. Some of these services are perfect for fall clean up and include window cleaning, deep home cleaning, yard cleanup and maintenance, and upholstery cleaning to get those tough stains out of furniture and carpets.

Call us today to discuss how we can help ease you into autumn and maintain your home throughout the Christmas season.