It’s nice to climb into a bed with freshly cleaned sheets. But have you considered your pillows? You may be putting those fresh pillowcases on pillows that contain all sorts of bad news.

You may also be wondering whether your pillows are even washable, or thinking that you might ruin their comfort level. But understand two things:

1. Most pillows are washable and can come back to their original form easily.
2. Unwashed pillows can be home to all kinds of things you don’t want to put your head on. These include bacteria, dust mites, loose hair, dead skin flakes, and more. So if there ever was a reason to clean your pillows, this is it.

Here are some tips from your favorite cleaning services company in Red Deer for cleaning your pillows so that you can keep their shape and make sure there are no unwanted nasties on them.

How to Wash Your Pillows

Just about any pillow, down-filled or synthetic material can be washed at home. Although any washing machine will do, the best will be in a high-capacity front load washer. If that’s not what you have, not to worry, your machine will almost certainly do the job.

Note that you don’t have to wash your pillows each week with your sheets, or even monthly with your pillow protectors. Aim for a pillow wash about every six months, or seasonally if you like.

Here are the steps involved:

• Wash- Before you place your bare pillows into the washing machine, make sure you use the gentlest liquid detergent available. You do not want harsh detergents that contain stain removers or scents. Use the gentle cycle and wash in warm water, allowing the machine to fill slightly before you add the pillows. Do not stuff the machine, as you can always put in another load, rather, stick to two or three average pillows at a time for a good cleaning. Washing in the bathroom sink just won’t do it (but check these under sink storage tips while you are thinking about it).
• Rinse- When the wash is complete, run it through an extra rinse cycle to ensure there is no residual detergent left on or in the pillows. You can also run them through a couple of extra spins cycles to remove excess water.
• Dry- After you’re satisfied that there is no soap or water left in the pillows, it’s time to dry them. You will need to know what kind of pillow stuffing you have to do this correctly. For foam pillows, hang them rather than risk melting them inside the dryer. Otherwise, for any other kind of synthetic, set the dryer to low or medium heat. Down pillows cannot take much heat, so set your dryer to Air Only and just let them tumble in there for a while. Every 30 minutes, turn the pillows in the dryer to make sure they dry evenly. And to fluff them back up while drying, throw in a couple of tennis balls in socks to agitate the fibres back to life.

It’s not difficult to clean your pillows, and you will be happy you did as soon as you go to bed for the night.

We all need a little more organization in our lives and there are so many aspects of our daily routines that could use a little tidying. So here’s a little list that can help you make use of labels to get yourself organized. Don’t worry, you won’t need any special tools or techniques to stay tidy with labels. But when you’re through, you will be all organized and know exactly how to handle finding your “stuff.”

The Right Way and the Wrong Way to Label

If you’re like many people, you have a thing in every place instead of a place for each thing. We see this a lot with our Red Deer cleaning services business. While you can probably find what you’re looking for eventually, why not make use of the space you have and label everything you can for quick and easy access.

There is no right or wrong way to do this, it’s up to your personal preference, but let’s take a look at some ways to label what you have that you may not have thought about. It can only make your life easier in the end.

Why Label?

Labeling will help you to find things faster, but it’s more than that. Labeling keeps you on track and puts everyone in your household on the same page. It will be easier to ask your kids to get what you need if you remind them it’s labeled.

You can label for safety’s sake too, ensuring that everyone in your home understands the where, why, and how of the safety tools you need in your home.

What You Need for Clear Labeling

The only tool that makes your labels clear and easy to read is a label maker. You choose one that fits your budget and feel comfortable to use with the fonts you want. Think about the cost of cartridge replacement too when picking out your label maker.

What You Can Label

The best place to start is with the biggest pile. You can label anything with a good label maker. But if you still don’t know where to start, here is what you can look for in your home to get you going:

• Cords: Between our phones, tablets, and laptops, there are often charging cords everywhere. Label them even by name so nobody fights over them, and wind them up neatly.
• Canisters: Organize your kitchen or bathroom by labeling containers and clearing your cabinet mess.
• Shelves and Drawers: This can create good habits in young children by showing them exactly where everything goes.
• Travel Bottles: Never wonder what that liquid is in your suitcase and there’s no need to taste the shampoo to know what it is.
• Spice Jars: When cooking, you can grab what you need quickly.
• Bill Folders: Stay on top of your finances with easy to read labels of what’s paid and what’s not.

These are just a few solutions to keep tidy with labels. You can have fun with it and bring your newfound organizational skills to everyone around the home or at the office.

Every home has at least one of these spots. It’s a dark place under a sink that just seems to get clogged up with all kinds of things, leaving a mess to sort through any time you’re looking for something under there. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Here’s a very easy solution that can not only increase that storage space under the sink but also organize it perfectly so you know how to find everything.

Making the Most of Your Under-Sink Cabinet

Whether it’s in a kitchen or a bathroom, or maybe even the laundry room, that cabinet under the sink tends to either go unused or over-used, in a bad way. Here’s what you can do to get the most out of the space and declutter it. We have seen some great ideas in our years of offering commercial cleaning services in Red Deer.

By creating another shelf under the sink, which is not as difficult as you may think, you can almost double the space so that anything you have under there can fit nicely and stay well within view for easy access.

What You Need

While you may have to go to the hardware store to find a few things, you are sure to have much of what you need for this little project.

• Measuring tape
• Particleboard
• Nails
• Nail driver (but a hammer will do)
• Table saw (or you can ask the hardware store to cut what you need for you)

The Process

Start by emptying everything from out of the cabinet and measuring out the area. Then, proceed to the hardware store to purchase the particle board you need, along with the other items you require to install it. Make sure that you buy more board than necessary so that you can use the excess as support for your shelf.

If the store can’t cut your boards for you, pick up a simple handsaw that will cut through it, and measure out your cuts before you proceed. You should end up with cut boards for your shelving and several support pieces that will give you the height you need for your shelf.

Install your supports along the edges of the under-sink cabinet using the nails and hammer, or nail driver.

Next, place your shelves onto the supports. You can either leave them as they are for easy removal when necessary, or secure them with nails, glue, or caulking on the underside of the boards.

Added Storage Organization Tip

Now that you have more shelf space under your sink, you can grab a few little baskets to put your items into. That will make it simple to remove what you need. You can even label the baskets, assigning each one to a different person in the house.

Maximizing the storage under your sink is a quick and easy project you can do as a family. It’s simple enough to do on your own though, and when you’re done, you’ll have more storage than you thought possible, giving you ideas for more great storage maximizing projects.

If you feel like your home is too jam-packed with things you have loved collecting over the years or that you don’t need at all, then you’re not alone. And many people probably feel the same way as you do about decluttering. You know, that overwhelmed, anxious, dismissive approach to decluttering. But fear not, because decluttering is easier than you think, you just need a plan. So with that in mind, here are some excellent decluttering ideas from your favorite cleaning services Red Deer company that will get you started.

Think of the Benefits of Decluttering

We all lead busy lives, so who has time to declutter? The answer should be, everyone! Here is what decluttering can do for you:

• Fewer items to clean- Save yourself some time on every cleaning day with less of the cluttered items you have all over the place that will no longer need cleaning because they are not there anymore.
• Organizing is made simple- You will find that it’s easier to stay organized when you don’t have to sift through too many objects in the way.
• Less emotional stress- Your living space can once again be your place of solitude as you don’t have to look at or deal with so many items you never liked in the first place.
• Save money- A decluttered home tends to stay decluttered, so you will likely not go out to spend on more useless objects that you don’t need. Imagine saving money for the future or some other important expense down the road.
• More time to do what you love- You will be able to focus on the things that matter most when you have more time and more money in your pocket. You will be happier overall.

Getting Down to the Business of Decluttering

The first rule is, don’t make this harder than it has to be. Start with what feels comfortable and take it from there. Remember, nobody is saying it has to be completed today.

• The 5-minute rule- Start slow and only do 5 minutes each day.
• Get rid of one item per day- You can sell, donate, or gift one thing you have in your home each day and before you know it, you will see major progress.
• Donate what you don’t use- We all have clothes in the closet that have not been worn in years. Give these items the 1-year test: If you haven’t used it in 12 months, it’s out.
• Create a declutter list- Take an inventory of every room and closet so you can see what you have on paper, then start crossing things off while you enjoy a beverage. That will make it easy to go back to those rooms and just empty what’s left on the list.
• Take before and after pictures- Looking at a room before and after a decluttering can help you see your progress and motivate you to continue.

There are plenty of ways to declutter. These are just a few ideas that can help you get started so you can enjoy home again.