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Health & Safety- How to use cleaning products

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When you work with chemicals on a daily basis, it is easy to forget just how dangerous these products can be. The tendency is to forget to treat them with the respect they deserve, and painful injuries are often the result.

Cleaning products are a good example. Most of us use cleaning products fairly frequently, at work and at home. But how many of us actually bother reading the directions or product contents? How many of us use rubber gloves or splash goggles?

Having your hands wet for a long time or having them frequently wet during the day can irritate your skin leading to dermatitis.
Some ingredients in cleaning products can cause skin allergies and asthma. Also, some cleaning products are corrosive and can cause skin burns and eye damage.
Acids and bases are all corrosive, and most cleaners are composed of acids and bases. Think about it: when cleaning, you’re trying to “eat” away the dirt and grime. Most likely, the more effective a product is at eating away the dirt, the more effective it will be at eating away the skin on your hands. It will also do more damage if accidentally splashed in your eyes.

Cleaning products can also be extremely reactive when mixed. Bleach, when mixed with any product containing ammonia (or visa versa), will react to produce deadly chlorine gas. NEVER MIX CHEMICALS, ESPECIALLY CLEANING PRODUCTS. Some people think that if something works well by itself, it might work even better if combined with something else….. Wrong!!! Even emptying a mop bucket with an ammonia containing product into the sink, followed by a sponge full of bleach, can produce enough chlorine gas to be dangerous.

Take whatever steps are necessary to avoid mixing cleaning products. Always run clean water through a drain after dumping any sort of cleaning product down it. Wear rubber gloves, especially when using industrial strength cleaners. If there’s any chance of getting a splash in the eye, wear protective goggles. If you do get a chemical splashed in your eye, wash it with clean water for at least 15 minutes.

Always use common sense to protect yourself, and treat all chemicals with the respect they deserve.

Sustaining your cleaner’s standards

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Sustaining your cleaner’s standards is a very challenging task when you have a person cleaning your home on regular basis. You may feel that her standards have dropped or haven’t really improved since she started.
We have some tips on how to make sure that you are helping your cleaner to deliver the best of her!
The most important point is communication: the more you tell your cleaner what you like and what you don’t like the better she will be. Don’t wait until you have enough and cannot stand the way she is cleaning your lovely home.
Is very useful to leave notes (task sheets) for your cleaner if you are not home when she’s working so that she can follow your requirements. This will also help them to manage their time and finish within the expected amount of hours.

And remember: an organized home is easier for a cleaner to do her job and they will achieve more in a shorter period of time.

HOW TO GREEN-CLEAN YOUR HOME

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1250865_green_earthThinking about new ways in which you can live a more eco friendly life? Using eco-friendly products around the home can have a great positive impact on the environment. Many non-eco cleaning products contain enzymes, bleaches, brighteners and perfumes.

Here are some tips for you to green clean your home (White distilled vinegar is a popular household cleanser, effective for killing most mold, bacteria, and germs, due to its level of acidity):

– Clean the shelves and walls of the refrigerator with a half-and-half solution of water and white distilled vinegar.

– To shine chrome sink fixtures that have a lime buildup, use a paste made of 2 tablespoons salt and 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar.

– Clean the microwave by mixing 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar and 1/2 cup water in a microwave-safe bowl. Bring it to a rolling boil inside the microwave. Baked-on food will be loosened, and odors will disappear. Wipe clean.

– Make your own scouring cleanser by combining 1/4 cup baking soda with 1 tablespoon liquid detergent. Add just enough white distilled vinegar to give it a thick but creamy texture.

– Cut the grime on the top of the refrigerator with a paper towel or cloth and full-strength white distilled vinegar.

– Clean counter tops and make them smell sweet again with a cloth soaked in undiluted white distilled vinegar.

– Deodorize the garbage disposal by pouring in 1/2 cup baking soda and 1/2 cup hot white distilled vinegar. Let sit for 5 minutes then run hot water down the disposal.

– Get rid of lime deposits in a tea kettle by adding 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar to the water and letting it sit overnight. If more drastic action is needed, boil full-strength white distilled vinegar in the kettle a few minutes, let cool and rinse with plain water.

– For stained and smelly plastic food containers, wipe them with a cloth dampened with white distilled vinegar.

– Spray shower doors with full-strength white distilled vinegar after you’ve squeegeed the glass, or before you step in and turn on the water. It will help release the hard water deposits so they don’t remain on the glass.

– Mix up an inexpensive tile cleaner by adding 1/2 cup baking soda, 1 cup white distilled vinegar, and 1 cup ammonia to a gallon of warm water.

– To clean a scummy showerhead, pour 1/2 cup baking soda and 1 cup white distilled vinegar into a sandwich bag and tie it around the showerhead. Let this set for an hour after the bubbling has stopped. Remove the bag and then turn on the water.

– To make the toilet bowl sparkle, pour in a cup or more of diluted white distilled vinegar and let it sit several hours or overnight. Scrub well with the toilet brush and flush.

– For an economical and environmentally friendly floor cleaner, mix a solution of 3 drops dishwashing liquid to 1/3 part white distilled vinegar, 1/3 part alcohol, and 1/3 part water. Spray sparingly and mop for a fast clean-up.

Cleaner of the month September 2010

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medal Cleaner of the month is Valya Angelova. She has joined us in June and has received only good feedback so far. Always helpfull and ready to take on more jobs.
From E. M. We are happy with Valya at the moment – hope she keeps up the good standard of work!
From J. L. Valya is lovely and all is well.

The importance of a good training in the cleaning industry

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A well-trained, motivated and efficient team means cost savings and better results. In addition to more thorough and regular training, employees also need to be made to feel valued so that they are more motivated to follow the right procedures if cleaning practices are to be really effective.

Not only does the need to train new employees regularly have high costs implications, more importantly, it means that the industry is doing the best it can to keep an environment as clean as possible.

Amy Cleaning is regularly making changes to its training in order to help our new staff to develope and improve their skills. We understand that all our clients’ needs and requirements are different and we want to make sure that each one of them receives the right attention.

To create as clean and hygienic an environment as possible companies must invest in staff training, especially when it comes to teaching correct cleaning methods.

Cleaning Marble

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Marble is a metamorphic rock. It is formed from limestone that has gone through a process of recrystallisation through heat or pressure. This gives it a dense crystalline structure that makes a polished surface possible.


668721_marble stairMarble tiles could be used and installed in bathrooms, hallways, pathways, and in many other home locations. One common use for marble tiles is for the flooring. Like all stone, marble is both heavy and brittle. When these factors are combined with poor handling or internal weakness, the marble is liable to break.

Marble can also be damaged if it is exposed to acids and strong alkalis. Apart from distilled water, the solvents mentioned below are all listed on the COSHH (Control of Substances Hazardous to Health) Register. It is very important to read the instructions and hazard labels before you use these .

– Distilled water – available from DIY stores and chemists, used to clean and as a neutral rinse.

– White spirit – good for removing waxes and oily dirt, available from DIY and hardware stores.

– 2% non-ionic detergent – available from chemists.

Gloves (plastic or Nitrile, not fabric) should be worn to protect the hands, work should be carried out in a very well ventilated area, and the minimum amount of solvent should be used.

To ensure safe handling of solvents, decant small quantities for use into glass or ceramic containers – this prevents contaminating your bulk supply. Label small quantities of solvent (use the bulk container as a guide) and store all solvents appropriately (e.g. out of reach of children and away from sources of ignition etc.).

Avoid using bleach on marble: it does not remove stains and may change its colour or chemically react to fix the stain permanently. Bathroom cleaners often contain harsh abrasives, are acidic (to help remove limescale) and have a range of additives designed to improve their cleaning performance. Spray cleaners have similar ingredients.

All proprietary cleaners of this type can damage marble, and can ‘skin’ the surface, which will then be visible as dull patches. Polishing with abrasives may increase the sheen, but also removes the surface of the marble, damaging pieces of historical or monetary value.

Although it seems like hard work, marble creates a very elegant, sophisticated and classy look to your home, office or any particular room in any building. It is certainly worth the extra effort spent on its maintenance!

Cleaner of the month: August 2010

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medalOur Best Cleaner Award this month goes to Irena Sztorc. She started in June and her communication with the agency since then is very good. Irena has a vast experience in cleaning houses and also as a cleaner supervisor.

One of our clients has increased the hours after having Irena working for them:
Sally: “Irena has done a tremendous job in our home and I would like to increase the weekly hours of her cleaning.”

We would like to thank Irena for her hard work!

Ceramic hobs

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Last week we had a desperate visit from one of our domestic cleaners at http://www.amycleaning.co.uk. She needed to do a good clean of a ceramic hob, which was full of grease and sticky food, and she didn’t know how to leave it spotless as she didn’t have good cleaning products.

Ceramic hobs are very tricky. They require daily maintenance, otherwise you can end up damaging the delicate surface of the hob.

In cases of emergency you can pour a mix of hot water and vinegar on the hob. Leave it to stand for some hours and then clean. The hot water will help you to soften the dirt and the vinegar will help you to remove the grease.

For those sticky bits that won’t come off, you can use a glass scrapper. After that just the normal cleaning will suffice.

Amy charity

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The Amy Charity can help by providing deserving people in need a cleaner without any agency fee.

There are currently some more available spaces for people in need of help.

We would like to thank our customers for making this possible, basically for each 100 paying customers, we are then able to offer a deserving person or household this charitable help so we thank all Amy customers for their kindness.

A lovely example of where the Amy Charity is able to help is the assistance we can give to two 94 and 98 year old women who have lived together for 56 years. They live in North West London and admit they are both very fragile so their everyday cleaning needs have become extremely difficult for them.

The 98 yr old has to go out every day and buy lunch/dinner for them to eat as they are both unable to use the cooker due to their illnesses. We are currently in the progress of trying to find a company that would organise and arrange lunch/dinner for them, so that they would not need to buy food everyday and would save them a lot of money.

These two lovely women totally fitted the Amy charity as they were truly in need for a cleaner. Simple tasks we take for granted had become difficult for them. We visted them to ascertain how much cleaning they needed and what their cleaning requirements would be. They were very helpful and made it very clear from the beginning what they needed. It was a pleasure meeting and helping them by providing them a cleaner without any agency fee

The cleaner says “They are both lovely and I am very happy to clean for them”.

We are very pleased to have helped these lovely two elderly ladies and thanks to the kindness of our customers we are always looking for more people who we can help and fit the Amy Charity criteria.

The Amy Charity is simple, if you are or know someone with a disability, or whom is elderly and is deserving help as they have been kind to others and is struggling with their everyday cleaning/ironing needs then simply give us a call. It the charity is popular and places do get filled up quickly but please do contact us as we would love to be able to help.

We will take a few details over the telephone from you, just to give us an idea of the help that is required. We will then book an appointment with you so that we can complete a home visit and if eligible we can then allocate a cleaner. So please don’t struggle in silence and give us a call on 0845 062 9999.

New improvements at Amy Cleaning

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We have made many improvements over the previous year, most of these to do with  improved management systems and training of staff which have led to huge improvements in the service we provide.

We come from a background of providing cleaning, but as we have grown we have needed management expertise to show us how to run a larger domestic cleaning agency service.

We would like to thank Mr John Freeman of http://www.familiesinbusiness.co.uk. His advice and assistance have  led to many lovely comments from customers and staff as they see the great things he is introducing.

John Freeman family business consultant

John Freeman family business consultant

John Freeman is a qualified, experienced family business specialist with a unique understanding of the complexities of families in business through living and working on both sides of the “fence”.

John Freeman:

  • is a member of a family that was in business.
  • has worked in a large family business during the transition between generations
  • is a non-family director of a family business

He has firsthand experience of the impact that issues between family members can have on the family and the business, or wealth.

This became even more apparent when he left the corporate world to work as an independent turnaround executive, often turning around family businesses.

John Freeman is on the Family Business Panel and Advisory Committee of Coutts. He advised Coutts on the creation of their Prize for Family Business, chaired sessions of the judging panels, interviewed finalists. He is a regular speaker on Family Business.

John Freeman is a member of The Family Firm Institute and has been awarded their Certificate in Family Business Advising. He firmly believes in their philosophy of the Collaborative Approach to solutions for families managing a variety of assets:

All families are different but the situations that they find themselves in are surprisingly common although the solutions that are found differ because of the uniqueness of the individuals involved.