If your idea of a pleasant dream is never having to clean your home, we’d wager you’re not alone. 

Although there are probably other things topping most people’s wish lists like, for example, winning millions or having an ultra-fancy car in the garage, the luxury of never cleaning has a really nice sound to it. 

Have you ever considered hiring professional cleaning services in Toronto? We’ll assume your answer is yes, and that if you didn’t, you thought it might be too expensive. 

While the expenses everyone can afford varies from person to person, it’s important to consider whether hiring a cleaning service is worth it for your budget. Someone with the same income might feel it’s an absolute necessity, while others may find it unnecessary. 

If a professional cleaning service interests you, but you’re unsure if it’s worth it, this article provides a closer look to help you decide if we’re worth the cost.

Run the Numbers: Start With a Quote

To make that call, you need to have a realistic number to see how much it actually costs to clean your home. We invite you to click here for a quick quote using our simple cost calculator so you can run the numbers. 

At Maid4Condos, we also offer a comprehensive list of everything included based on the type of quote you request. It happens in real-time, and we won’t harass you for playing with our calculator. 

Give it a whirl, consider what we offer, and that will help you decide if it sounds worth it. It will also tell you if you can afford it. There’s a good chance you will be pleasantly surprised.

Reduced Stress

With everyone focused on enjoying a better quality of life for a sense of well-being, we will start with stress. 

Living in an unclean, cluttered environment often leads to anxiety. You might not think it is affecting you, but science tends to disagree. According to experts, mess and, more specifically, clutter causes the following issues:

• It bombards your mind and over-stimulates your senses, so you’re constantly experiencing the smells, tactile effects like crumbs underfoot, and the overall visuals of piles of stuff around you.
• You can’t focus because you’re subconsciously distracted by the clutter.
• The above two points mean that you can’t relax when you’re at home.
• You have panicky feelings because you’re constantly reminded that your work is never done, and you can’t even imagine how you’ll clean the mess the worse it gets.
• You feel guilty that you can’t get your act together.
• You feel nervous at the thought of someone entering your messy environment so you might become more isolated, which contributes to anxiety and depression.
• You lose your ability to problem-solve because your creativity is blocked by clutter.
• You get frustrated when you can’t find what you need in the mess.

These points alone make it worthwhile to invest in professional cleaning services in Toronto.

Time Isn’t on Your Side

If your home is always messy because you don’t have time to clean, you’re not alone. About one in five people admit that they never lift a finger to clean. 

When time isn’t on your side, you suffer all of the above negative effects, even if you’re the kind of person who typically would clean their home if only you had time. 

Professional cleaners save you time, so you can focus on doing the more important things. And if that means sitting on the couch in pyjama bottoms, binge-watching Is It Cake? no judgement here.

It’s a Deep Clean

Professional cleaners provide a much deeper clean than what you can accomplish. If you’ve fallen behind in cleaning, you can schedule a special deep clean, so your home is pristine. 

The beauty of the deep clean is you can afford to do it when you get behind because it gives you the perfect base that allows you to get back on track with your tidying and cleaning routine with less work involved. 

Every inch of your home is cleaned from top to bottom, so you know you can have peace of mind.

It’s a Germ-Removing Level Clean

It’s actually not just germs. Professional cleaners help keep your home free of all kinds of things that can make you sick, including mould spores, bacteria, grime, and allergens. 

These harmful little particles accumulate in your home over time and can’t be removed with just an occasional clean. If you maintain a regular professional cleaning schedule, your environment will be much healthier, so you will be.

You Can Entertain

A messy home can keep you from seeing friends or inviting people over to repay them for that lovely dinner they served you a few months ago. 

You want to remain social and part of the hosting give-and-take, and that means keeping your home clean. 

Home Value

If you own your home, regular cleaning helps to maintain its value. That might seem like an overstatement, but you’d be surprised at how infrequent cleaning can damage important elements of your home. 

For example, dirty grout has to be steam-cleaned to get it back to a presentable condition. 

As well, without regular cleaning, you can end up with filthy, stinky carpets, pet-stained hardwood, stained marble tiles or countertops, and more. 

Cleaners protect your home’s expensive finishes, so you’re always primed to sell with less effort and staging required.

A Clean Home is a Happy Home

We kept the most serious point for last. If you’re reading this and live with a partner, roommate, or children, then you already know that cleaning issues can tear a home apart. 

When one person carries the burden of cleaning (or is the cause of the mess), it causes tension in relationships.

A clean home is a happy home, helping to maintain a sense of harmony and eliminating resentment that can lead to a ton of discord within the home. 

While it might seem that professional cleaning is an indulgence or luxury, it is actually a worthwhile investment for people who just don’t have the time to clean. 

You’ll reduce stress, keep your home germ-free, maintain home value, and, most importantly, contribute to creating a harmonious home free of conflict. 

For more information on Maid4Condos’ professional cleaning services in Toronto, click here. You can call us at 647-822-0601, or contact us online here.

How do you clean your home? For many people, routine house cleaning—like light dusting, sweeping, or mopping—is part of their weekend ritual. It’s especially therapeutic after a long week at work, and necessary when you’re expecting guests or simply want to keep your surroundings clean for good health. The reality is that not everyone has the time to keep up with basic home upkeep, and it’s not a bad thing.

Today, millennials make up a huge chunk of homeowners and renters who want better, more refreshing homes, which only a professional deep cleaning can achieve. Rather than carve out time in their weekend schedules to do a deep clean, millennials are choosing to budget their time and money more wisely by hiring home cleaning services to restore their living spaces and create a warm and inviting atmosphere. But why are they trusting professional cleaners more to get the job done, and what are they getting out of the extra cash they pay?

Millennials are Busy

It’s a fact: millennials are time-poor and struggle to keep up with the changing demands of their jobs, such as having to stay online 24/7 and even taking on side hustles for extra cash. But with the rise of their favourite apps and the gig economy, it’s become so much easier to keep track of busy schedules and neverending to-do lists, including cleaning their homes.

Millennials value their quality of life, and hiring home cleaning services to offload the occasional deep clean helps them achieve a much-needed work/life balance. As a result, millennials come home to cleaner houses and apartments and earn back the additional expense in refreshing living spaces and the time spent catching up with loved ones or their favourite hobbies.

A Professional, Deep Clean

Many millennials also benefit from a professional deep clean rather than the light dusting and wiping they know how to do and have time for. While most of us have basic cleaning supplies stashed under the kitchen sink, professional cleaners have all the right and more powerful tools for dealing with tough stains.

When was the last time you moved around your furniture to clear out dust bunnies and grime from tight spaces and crevices? Millennials trust professional home cleaning services to get the job done every time. That means reaching in between tight corners and scrubbing off stubborn stains effectively. No more fighting with their partner or roommates about dirty dishes and toilets, because professional cleaners are equipped to handle the mess that’s been getting on everyone’s nerves, especially in small living spaces, like shared apartments and condos.

Professional Home Cleaning Services isn’t a Luxury

How rich do you have to be to afford a cleaner? Today, the answer is not at all. Previously, these domestic services were exclusive to upper-class families who are used to being waited on and taken care of, or older folk who require assistance for daily activities. That left everyone else doing their own household chores – but not anymore.

Cleaning your home isn’t as demanding as it once was. Modern families live in smaller homes, rather than large properties that cost a lot in upkeep. But with longer working hours and busier social calendars, it makes more sense to book a home cleaning service to do a routine deep clean of your home and restore its comforting vibe at a steep discount.

As home cleaning services are more available and affordable than the large overhead cost of a full-sized domestic staff from decades ago, millennials can now do it all: keep their homes clean, and keep up with their even busier lives.

Sharing Economy and Smartphone Apps

How easy is it to book a home cleaner you can trust? The answer is simple: a quick swipe and tap. Today, most millennials rely on their smartphones to keep up with their jobs and personal lives, and even manage their homes; hiring a home cleaning service is no exception.

As the sharing economy grows, so do online marketplaces for accessing lifestyle essentials, such as finding a professional cleaner. This convenience comes at a discount, too, as many home cleaning services can be found through smartphone apps and dozens of websites advertising locally. This means millennials can easily book a cleaning service with a few quick taps on the screen.

Modern Women and Changing Gender Roles

We’re no longer living in the 1950s, and that means women are no longer expected to stay at home and do everything on their own to keep the peace. Now, most families rely on two incomes to afford lifestyle essentials and save up for their future.

Millennials aren’t just working far more demanding jobs; they’re also a progressive generation that doesn’t believe in women or a single partner staying home and playing superhero to complete all the household chores while their other half is at work.

With both spouses working demanding 9 to 5 jobs, it makes sense to offload some tasks, like deep cleaning their homes to professionals, rather than constantly bickering about whose turn it is to do the dishes or scrub the toilet. In turn, they recoup the money spent on home cleaning services by making up for lost time at work, and other more abstract benefits, like spending quality time with family and friends, or taking up weekend hobbies they would otherwise be too time-poor to afford.

What’s up with your roommate? Shared Living Spaces

Here’s a little known fact: a smaller home, like a condo or townhouse, is easier to clean and maintain, but it’s also easier to mess up. That’s because these compact living spaces are typically built with less storage space, so homeowners are constantly dealing with a spillover of many small items like glassware, books, old accents and decor, and even clothing essentials that don’t fit in tiny closets.

With the rising cost of homes in real estate hotspots, like Toronto and the GTA, many millennials just starting to live on their own also often find themselves sharing these living spaces with their partners, friends, and even strangers-turned-unlikely-roommates. All these cohabitants also have their own demanding jobs and busy schedules, making it easy for their collective mess to pile up, or start up again after one roommate takes a stab at the chore wheel.

Home cleaning services make a huge difference in making these shared dwellings more livable and comfortable. Because more of you split up the cost, hiring a professional cleaner becomes even more affordable and convenient.

Too busy to deep clean your home? Get a quote for home cleaning services and book your cleaning today, and call Maid4Condos at 647-822-0601 or contact us here.

Your health and safety is a priority for us. Due to the current situation with COVID-19 we have taken the opportunity to develop additional health and safety protocols which include and are not limited to; preventative sanitation for our staff, extra attention on high volume touch points in the home, and other precautionary measures detailed below.

Details of some of the new measures:

• Staff are provided protective eyewear and mask.
• MANDATORY use of hand sanitizer before entering your home and starting your service.
• MANDATORY use of a NEW pair of Shoe Covers and Fresh Gloves during your service (as per our existing policy).
• Use of CLEAN and DISINFECTED tools and equipment. (as per our existing policy).
• INTRODUCED our new GermBlasters service**

“IF YOU ARE SICK STAY AT HOME” STRICT STAFF POLICY

We are truly enforcing this rule, and we are instructing our cleaners that until further notice, it will be mandatory to fill out the self-assessment tool at the beginning of each business day and they will have to send their result to the office so we can ensure that you are protected.

If you or any of your family members have travelled abroad, are showing any symptoms(coughing, sneezing, runny nose, fever etc) and/ or have been directed by a health official to self-isolate or quarantine, you must advise Maid4Condos office immediately and cancel/ skip your service for your safety and the safety of our team.

In order to facilitate your ability to cancel your service, we will be temporarily flexible with our cancellation policy, meaning that if you are sick or showing any symptoms, you MUST cancel your service prior to our arrival. If we arrive on-site and you are showing symptoms and did not cancel your service we reserve the right to cancel your service and charge you the full-service fee.

The following link is the tool our staff is using for self-assessment, we would appreciate if you utilize this tool as well at the beginning of your scheduled service date.

** Self-assessment link **
https://covid-19.ontario.ca/self-assessment/#q0

** We want to assure you that we will not for any reason send someone that is sick or presenting symptoms to your home. **

During Your Service:

Our staff will be wearing protective equipment mentioned above and they will disinfect and wash their hands before starting your service.

** You should feel confident that all of the protocols will be followed even if you are not at home **

If you are at home, our cleaners have been instructed to respect social distancing. We also request that you respect social distancing of 6 feet or 2 meters at a minimum.

You will be asked to either:

1. Vacate the home during the service. (Highly Recommended & Preferred)
2. Stay in a specific room in your home during the service.

3. Open windows/ patio door and activate ventilation in your home to ensure moving air flow and circulation. 

Simply advise the cleaner which room you will be staying in so the cleaner can clean that room first so that you can then occupy it. We truly appreciate your respecting this protocol as an additional precautionary measure.

**OUR STAFF WILL FOLLOW THE SAME CHECKLIST, AS USUAL, PAYING EXTRA ATTENTION TO ALL THE HIGH-VOLUME TOUCH POINTS IN YOUR HOME**

If you leave your keys with the Concierge, we are also asking our Staff to disinfect them before they returning to Concierge.

What are “High Volume Touch Points”?

We will clean with extra attention the High-Volume Touch Points in all the services that we do. Including and not limited to:

• Light switches
• All Door Knobs (Inside and out)
• Remote controls
• Toilet Seats
• Faucets
• Appliances Handles
• Busy Counter Areas
• Telephones

CLEANING AND SANITIZATION OF OUR EQUIPMENT AND TOOLS

** To maintain the cleanliness and sanitization of our cleaning supplies and tools we have provided additional training to our staff with new cleaning and sanitization methods. Rest assured that we come to your home with fresh clean tools. **

Introducing GermBlasters
A service by Maid4Condos

GermBlasters is a new service offering by Maid4Condos which was created for the constant demand and need for effective disinfection in your home. This service is a natural progression in the evolution of Maid4Condos as a cleaning service. Taking cleaning to a whole new level by addressing the molecular level of disinfection. A constant challenge that always needs to be addressed, which has been brought to the forefront and amplified by the recent and current events of Covid-19. This service will provide ongoing peace of mind for you during and post this crisis as it relates to contaminants, allergens and cold and flu season. At Maid4Condos, Time Is Precious. At GermBlasters, Your Health Is Precious. Together, your environment is protected.

OUR GermBlasting SOLUTION:

Our premiere solution, is an EPA-registered hospital disinfectant cleaner, mould and mildew killer, and odour eliminator. With its ready-to-use formula designed to be gentle to users but tough on germs, our product is non-irritating to skin, non-corrosive to most treated articles, NSF-certified (no rinse required) for food-contact surfaces. • Our Product has been approved by the EPA for use against SARS-CoV-2, the Coronavirus that causes the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

• Proven Effective in killing methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), Norovirus, Legionella Pheumophila, H1N1 (Swine flu), and Hepatitis A, B, and C, and many more.
• Eliminates a wide range of bad odours at a molecular level instead of masking with fragrances, from leftover food odours in the kitchen to cigarette smoke odours, pet urine, and sports equipment.
• Environmentally friendly, excellent to use on all surfaces and super safe for kids and pets.
• VOC Free, Fragrance-Free, Hypo-Allergenic.
• Safe on carpet and Fabrics.
• 100% Biodegradable.
• No aquatic Toxicity.
• No Carcinogens, Mutagens or Reproductive Toxicants.
• Our product breaks down to simple salt and produces no harmful by-products or residue.
• Prevents viruses and bacteria from coming back.
• Keeps you safe from pathogen transmission and sickness by effectively and efficiently disinfecting your home.
• Provide first-line of defence for infectious diseases and antimicrobial-resistant bacteria with time-efficient infection prevention.

OUR GermBlasting EQUIPMENT

• MORE COVERAGE, LESS WASTE, BETTER RESULTS.
• The most effective handheld, cordless electrostatic disinfectant sprayer in the world.
• Creates a uniform and wraparound layer of germ-killing power in your home.
• The most advanced technology.
• Unlike other electrostatic equipment, ours works flawlessly and consistently, greatly improving transfer efficiency and avoiding shock and electrical hazards.

These are only some of the additional measures we have implemented in the wake of Covid-19. We continue to work with our counterparts at ISSA and ARCSI to provide the best sanitization, disinfection and cleaning protocols in our service and ensure a safe working environment for our staff and clients alike.

Sources Referenced

Our member organizations:
The Association of Residential Cleaning Services, International (ARCSI)
ISSA Canada
Health Canada
CDC Centre For Disease Control

Clean T.O: Tips for Condo Managers

If you’re reading this, you are probably involved in condo management. Condos are on the rise, and so the demand for condo managers has obviously gone up. But what does being a condo manager involve?

It’s a complex role because it involves acting as a financial advisor, maintenance person and conflict mediator all at once. What’s more, the manager is also doing repairs, supervising staff, filling out paperwork and collecting condo fees! They are doing all this while also managing spontaneous problems that arise. Does this sound like you? Let’s talk about how to balance it all, and which habits you should practise to be a great condo manager.

Condo Conflict Tips

Condos are a breeding ground for conflict on two levels: residents and maintenance. It’s all about money and mitigation. That means you are the liaison between management (the board) and residents, which often leaves you between a rock and a hard place. When something goes wrong in the condo, residents want the problem fixed ASAP- but the board wants it fixed for cheap. Now you have to find a way to make everyone happy, and fast.

The truth is, it’s impossible to make everyone happy all the time. But just because this is so doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try to find the best compromises. Read on to find out about how to go about best compromises and conflicts by exercising foresight and transparency!

Tip 1: Maintain > Repair > Replace

If you are managing a condo building, you know all about maintenance. The working systems of your condo are your number one priority. They are important to everyone that you are responsible to: the residents and the board. If appliances fail, your residents will have to put their lives on hold and the board will have to pay for the damages. A happy condo is an uneventful condo, so it’s best to try to avoid maintenance issues as much as possible by sticking to this simple rule: maintain > repair > replace!

When you give your systems and appliances proper care and attention, they will last just as long as they were meant to and with a lot less surprises. Even if maintenance visits cost you some money, it’s much more cost-effective than a replacement. Not only is it cost-effective in terms of replacing, but a properly working HVAC system could actually save on energy and water costs for residents and the board! This will put you in everyone’s good books.

If you’re doing regular maintenance on your appliances, you’ll know when their lifespan is coming to an end. This knowledge is actually a good thing, because it means that you caught the problem early! Now you have a head start, and can plan for a replacement before the appliance dies, disrupting lives of residents and pockets of the board. When you think about it, being proactive with maintenance actually makes your job easier in the long run!

Tip 2: Managing Condo Residents

People are people. That doesn’t change in condos. In fact, the nature of condo living can amplify social conflict situations! Just think about all the different kinds of ages and lifestyles living under the same roof. Whether it’s a noise complaint from a party, or an illegal pet “I know is living in 309!” – it’s your job to be the mediator. To be a successful mediator, you must be accessible to your residents and make them feel confident you can help them. If you are looking for a career in condo management, you want to have a good rep- so making your residents happy has to be a priority.

Keep in mind that when helping a resident with an issue, you should do it in a formal and documented way. For example, initiating a formal complaint system for your residents will instill confidence in them that you care.. Furthermore, when a complaint is documented into a record, your resident will have more faith that it will be addressed. Keeping a trail of your resident’s complaints will show that you are committed and organized. Plus, it will also help you keep track of what you are supposed to be doing. For good measure, create a log-book for yourself to keep track of your tasks off the formal complaint system. If you need tips on how to manage residents who repeatedly break the rules, check out this article!

Tip 3: Transparency

At the end of the day, one of the most important things is transparency. Keeping residents and the board in the loop about maintenance and repairs is a tell tale sign of a good condo manager. Being open about what’s going on behind the scenes gives everyone confidence in your abilities, and makes them more sympathetic to your needs, whether that be time or money. Being truthful and honest paints you in a positive light. Withholding and being defensive can have the opposite effect. Want to learn more about the benefits of transparency? Check out this great article from Forbes that discusses 5 things that happen when a leader is transparent. If you’re about to start a new project and are looking to build a team of skilled trades workers, check out our other article here.

Hiring Skilled Trades and Contract Workers

Bringing in Trades: Building Your Reno Team

At one point or another, everyone gets their chance to experience a renovation, remodelling or rebuilding of a home. Maybe you’ve hired a contractor once before or maybe you have knack for management. Either way, you have decided to be your own contractor. Managing the project yourself is going to take a lot of time and energy but it is very rewarding and cost-efficient. If you are new to being your own contractor, you’ve probably yet to acquire a collection of trusted skilled trades people.

When you’re working on a project like renovating a home, inviting new skilled trades workers into the mix can be risky. These strangers can ultimately make or break your project. A few delays or shoddy job could have you months behind your completion date. However, being your own contractor can raise the odds of getting what you want. That means that choosing the right trades workers is going to be the key to your project’s success. Your objective is to find contacts that will understand your needs and execute their job within your time frame.

The Hiring Process

The first thing about hiring for your project is deciding which skilled trades you want to involve. We’re living in the age of technology, and that has it’s pros and cons. The internet can provide you with unlimited skilled trades companies and individuals to compare. However, the internet can be distorting, and you never really know what you’re going to get. That’s why word-of-mouth remains the best way to find quality skilled trades workers. Being sure about the reliability and trustworthiness of the people you take on, from the get-go, is going to be advantageous to your project in the long-run. There is less chance of a dead phone line or shoddy job done if you use a recommendation from someone you trust.

Think of people you know that have recently completed a project, or who know others that have. Reach out to them, get a contact and make the connection. Alternatively, you could post on social media asking for recommendations. Having a suggestion to start with is better than poking blindly in the haystack that is the internet. You never know, you might receive a recommendation by someone over Facebook that ends up saving your project! However, in general you should always err on the side of caution when working with any new person. Just because someone did a great job for your friend doesn’t necessarily mean your project will get the same treatment, here’s why.

Dealing with Schedules

If there’s one thing you should know about working with skilled trades people is that they have a tendency to be unreliable. But maybe it’s just a matter of perspective. There’s two sides to every story. On one hand, it’s easy to become obsessed with a project you’re managing. Time is money; so when you go into a contract with someone you expect them to perform the work that they committed to, in the time-frame you agreed upon.

On the other hand…it’s the way of the game. It’s important to remember that though they may be part of your team, these skilled trades workers are running their own business and dealing with other customers. Just as one is expected to tip servers, it is customary to give a grace period for delayed trades work. Keep your expectations low, and you’ll have an easier time keeping your cool. Try working potential delays into your time-frame, and you’ll have a chance at staying a ahead of the game!

Designer vs. Architect

So we’ve talked about skilled trades workers, but what if you have a big project that involves architects and designers? There’s a lot of debate about the necessity of having both, so let’s hash it out. We all know that designers and Architects are trained to do different things, but their results can have a surprising amount of overlap.

Architects are good if you are knocking down walls or making any other kind of structural or mechanical change to your property. Like designers, they help you turn your ideas into reality. However, hiring a knowledgeable designer could be more cost-efficient. They could do the work and get an architect to sign off on the final plans. Of course, both designers and architects have chosen their respective careers for a reason- they specialize in certain things that the other does not.

Whether you hire an architect, a designer or both depends on the scope, complexity and goals of your project. Hiring one could save you some money, but hiring two could achieve memorable results. After all, two heads are better than one! In fact, studies have shown that team-work can increase production, decrease costs and help meet deadlines. So if you find that your professionals get a kick out of bouncing ideas off each other, try getting them to collaborate! As always, monetary incentives are the best way to initiate this and see the best results.

At the end of the day, it comes down to networking and finding contacts that you can trust. There are a lot of moving pieces in any kind of construction project, so remember to expect delays and be patient. However, this doesn’t mean you should be open to end endless timeline. Time is money, so do everything in your power to help the project stay on track. Be in touch with your contacts so that you stay on their radar and anticipate delays by planning your project with a little wiggle room.