The Dishwashing Machine vs. Hand-Washing Debate | Toronto Maid Service 

Ah, the dishwashing machine vs. hand-washing debate… Maybe you’ve argued with your college roommates, perhaps it was your mother or brother. Whoever you’ve had the pleasure of debating with, you’ve been on one side and they’ve been on the other. But you’re not alone. In fact, since dishwashers were invented, people have been wondering which is cheaper, which is more water-efficient, and which is more green.

And these questions are not unfounded. Apparently, kitchen faucets and dishwasher machines account for eight to fourteen percent of all water that gets used in a home! Especially if you don’t have an aerator on your tap. But the arguments get even more complex, with some saying how washing dishes used to be constitute family bonding time. Yet others are adamant that dishwashers help mothers and single parents with the disproportionate amount of household work they face. So what’s cleaner, what’s more green- and most importantly…who’s right?

Hand washing vs. Machine: What’s Cleaner?

You might have heard that for dishes to really get clean, they have to be exposed to hot water. So it would be easy to think that with the heat dishwashing machines produce, they kill more bacteria. Ultimately leaving you with cleaner dishes. Well, you wouldn’t be wrong… but there’s more to the story than that.

Apparently, all the bacteria that the heat kills may not be bad. In fact, there are potential health benefits that come from some microbes. For example, how some exposure to bacteria is a good allergy prevention technique. When it comes to hand-washing, some say that it’s actually much more effective than we give it credit for. In fact, hand-washing may allow you to get your dishes even cleaner than the machine.

Hand vs. Machine: What’s More Green?

When it comes to green cleaning, there are some clear cut benefits to hand washing. For instance, you control the water- so you know exactly how much you’re using. However, if you’re not careful you could actually end up being less efficient in terms of water and energy than a dishwashing machine! For example, a European study found that hand-washers use on average 27 gallons of water to wash 12 place settings. While hyper-efficient, modern dishwashing machines only use 4 gallons. Crazy, right?!

Furthermore, the Environmental Protection Agency reported that using a dishwashing machine can save 5,000 gallons of water per home, annually. However, like anything else the efficiency of a dishwasher is determined by how you use it. For instance, running a cleaning cycle when you only have 5 dishes in in it is pointless. Similarly, running a more water-intensive cycle than is necessary will also decrease your efficiency. Plus, you should also know that older dishwashers are not as efficient as new, Energy-Star rated replacements.

End of the Debate?

Ultimately, dishwashing machines have a lot of benefits, like making parenting easier. However, there are many people who argue that handwashing is an important life-skill for children to learn. And perhaps even more importantly, a time for family bonding. However, if you’re having the debate with someone and they bring up the harmful phosphates in cleaning detergents… you may think they’ve got you. But did you know that the Canadian government banned phosphates in 2011? Though this may mean streakier dishes, it lessens the environmental impact from your dishwashing machine.

At the end of the day, it all comes down to your preference- but also how conscientious you are. If you are a diligent hand-washer, in terms of both clean and green, you have nothing to worry about. Similarly, if you prefer the hum of the dishwashing machine doing your chores – you can sit happy knowing you’re not killing the environment. However, you may want to find out the dirty truth about your dishwasher.

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This post was brought to you by Maid4Condos, a top-rated residential cleaning service dedicated to the people of Toronto. Maid4Condos has been a committed partner to the Toronto cleaning and construction scene for years, and continues to provide exceptional cleaning services to clients. Get a FREE quote & book your cleaning today or follow this link to learn more of what we’re all about!

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How Clean is Your TTC Station? | Toronto Cleaning Service 

Many Torontonians depend on the subway over their cars to get around the city- but how clean is your TTC station? You might be surprised to hear that despite continuous efforts, initiatives and plans set into place by TTC maintenance staff, 30 stations did not meet the benchmark of cleanliness in the second quarter of 2017. However, there are only 63 stations within the subway system…meaning that less than half qualified as clean. Was your station clean? What makes a station clean in the first place? Inspired by this article

What a Clean TTC Station Means…

In ye old days, garbage used to be picked up from the TTC trains at the end of the day. Yep, the train cars only got cleaned after all the passengers had gotten off and the trains were safe and sound in the service yard. Can you imagine the pile up by the end of the day? Thank goodness the system changed! Now, you can see maintenance employees at terminal stations like Kennedy and Finch ‘spot cleaning’ trains before they start their route again.

However, it’s not the garbage on the train, in the stations or even in the public restrooms that’s the biggest problem. Actually, what TTC employees are most concerned with is the litter that winds up on the tracks. In fact, if you’ve ever been scared by the phrase “smoke at track level” as the reason for a delay, it’s the fault of litter. Yep, all that paper and garbage in the tracks is the perfect recipe to start a fire.

What Makes a Station Clean?

When you think of cleaning, you might automatically think of dusting and washing. However, that’s not what happens at the stations. Because of size, a station will undergo a deep clean, on different cycles, performed by different crews, at different times of the year. For instance, major cleaning projects like floor polishing, and cleaning of escalators and elevators don’t happen that often. Plus, because of the cyclical nature of the cleaning, no one station will ever be in mint condition at any given time.

In addition, there are other factors that can affect a station’s clean score, like whether they are above-ground. For example, above-ground and open air stations like Warden and Keele have more chance of experiencing issues like garbage flying onto the platform and into the tracks. You don’t need to be too worried about track fires though. Unlike the big cleaning projects that happen annually, track cleaning happens every few weeks.

How Clean is Your Station?

So, how does your station rank? If you haven’t put down your cell-phone long enough to notice the cleanliness of your commute, we’ll help you out. Firstly, you should know that the Bloor-Danforth Line is dirtier than the Yonge-University Line. In fact, St. George Station was the only one on Line 2 to meet the TTC’s cleanliness threshold. Though at the end of the day, the latest data gathered in 2017 reveals Woodbine to be the dirtiest station, and Rosedale to be the cleanest. However, you should note that even if an extra large Coke got spilled on the subway platform just before a cleaning audit, it would effect the station’s score.

Is your station one of the top 10 dirtiest or cleanest in the city? If you can’t find your station, check out this article for a complete list of cleanliness.

Dirtiest – Cleanest: Woodbine, Dundas West, Chester, Scaborough Town Centre, Donlands, Old Mill, Coxwell, Main, Dufferin, Pape.

Cleanest – Dirtiest: Rosedale, Davisville, King, Downsview, Wellesley, Museum, Queen, Ellesmere, North York Centre, Dundas.

TTC: One of the Cleaner Systems

However dirty or clean your station is, you can feel good knowing Toronto still has one of the cleanest subway systems in the world. In fact, despite it’s limited lines, the TTC won Transit System of the Year in North America! As TTC spokesperson Stuart Green said, “If you look around the world at cities that are moving millions of people, the TTC has one of the cleanest (transit systems)”. However, problems may arise when the new stations in Vaughan open in the future.

Despite being wildly convenient to commuters, and architectural masterpieces in their own right, these new Vaughan stations will be significantly larger than traditional ones. This means, they will require far more resources to be maintained. At the end of the day, only time will tell how the TTC will deal with those issues. Until then, riding the subway is still much more cost-effective than taking an Uber. Plus, check out our other article to find out even weirder facts about cleaning!

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This post was brought to you by Maid4Condos, a top-rated residential cleaning service dedicated to the people of Toronto. Maid4Condos has been a committed partner to the Toronto cleaning and construction scene for years, and continues to provide exceptional cleaning services to clients. Get a FREE quote & book your cleaning today or follow this link to learn more of what we’re all about!

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Steps to Cleaning When You’re Depressed – House Cleaning Services

It’s hard to take the steps to cleaning when you’re depressed. If you can’t even get out of bed, how are you supposed to get even one basic household chore done? However, looking around at your messy space can make you feel worse about everything, including yourself. Not only that, but the longer you wait, the more the chores build up. Ultimately, this exacerbates your depression, and makes you feel more overwhelmed and worthless than you might already.

By no means are we saying that cleaning will cure your depression. We all know that there is no one cure to mental illness (as great as that would be). However, making an effort to clean your space even a little bit each day can help you get out of the clutter-depression-anxiety cycle, and give you a sense of accomplishment. If you can relate, read on. We’re going to give you a few tips to consider.

Baby Steps to cleaning when You’re Depressed

When you’re in the midst of depression, your mind can make mountains out of molehills. Your laundry, the dishes, the dust… it can all feel paralyzing. Firstly, the most important thing to remember when you start even thinking about cleaning, is that you do not have to do everything right now. The point is, you’re trying to break the cycle in your mind. So, how do you put ‘baby steps’ into action? Well, it’s all about breaking up the big tasks into smaller, more doable ones.  Remember, this isn’t about cleaning your whole home. This is about cleaning one thing. Just one.

However, if you’re having trouble getting started… start small. Like, if you’re walking through the kitchen and see a dirty bowl on the counter instead of in the sink, pick it up as you walk through instead of letting it sit there.  Additionally, if you’re ready for something more challenging, try setting a timer on your phone to 5 minutes. In those 5 minutes, choose to clean one area as much as you can. Don’t worry if the area isn’t spotless when the time is up, it’s not about 100% clean- it’s about setting a goal and accomplishing it. Because, cleaning for these 5 minutes once a day will feel a lot better than not doing anything at all.

Clean As You Go

At the end of the day, conquering a mountain of kitchen-ware can feel impossible, and probably makes you cringe in pain every time you look or think about it. You’re not ‘being lazy’ by not cleaning when you’re depressed. You’re just depressed. But what if there was a way to get rid of pile ups all together? Well guess what, there is- and it’s called clean as you go. Just like it sounds, this refers to cleaning your dishes right after you use them, and putting away things once they’ve served their purpose.

Just consider, if you take care of the things you use now, you’ll have to use less effort to clean later. For example, cleaning up an egg spill is a lot easier to do right after it happens versus three days later. And not only will cleaning as-you-go help you feel less trapped and overwhelmed in the future, it will give you a sense of pride and accomplishment. For more ideas, check out our article that discloses the secret to cleaning less.

A Little Help Never Hurt Depression

Reaching out to anyone while you’re depressed can be one of the harder things to do. Reaching out to ask someone for help cleaning when you’re depressed is probably even harder. However, if you’re lucky enough to have a friend or relative who knows what you’re going through, don’t hesitate to call them up. In fact, having a friend to help you tackle that mountain of dishes or two loads of laundry might actually be…fun. And they don’t even necessarily have to help you clean. At the very least, they’ll be there for some chit-chat. Just the right amount to get you through the clean.

However, if the mess is just too overwhelming- to the point where you’d rather move out then clean…it might be time to call a cleaning service. Asking for help isn’t a cop-out. No one said you have to do it on your own. There are no rules. In fact, if you do call a cleaning service, you could take the opportunity to go for a walk or take care of errands you’ve been putting off. However, the most important thing is to do what makes you feel the most comfortable. Whether it’s cleaning up by yourself, with a friend, or hiring a cleaning service…well that’s up to you!

It’s The Steps You Take…

At the end of the day, these cleaning feats, however large or small, will give you a sense of accomplishment and something to feel positive about. You’ll be able to look at your living room, your kitchen, or your bedroom and say “I did that”.  You made that happen. Even if it means you picked up the phone, called a cleaning service, and gave them the time and space to work. However, by even trying to do something small every day, you’ll notice that your space will get a little less messy over time. Plus, these tiny accomplishments give you something to be proud of.

Hopefully, the clean area or surface will serve as a reminder that you do deserve better, and you have what it takes to get yourself there. In fact, getting out of your head for even just five minutes each day can be enough to interrupt the depressive cycle going on in your head. Though cleaning will not cure your depression, you don’t deserve to live in a mess. Truth be told, cleaning when you’re depressed is possible. You are useful. You can accomplish something positive. Action is the best step to change, and baby, you’re getting close.   

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This post was brought to you by Maid4Condos, a top-rated residential cleaning service dedicated to the people of Toronto. Maid4Condos has been a committed partner to the Toronto cleaning and construction scene for years, and continues to provide exceptional cleaning services to clients. Get a FREE quote & book your cleaning today or follow this link to learn more of what we’re all about!

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The Air in Your Home Might Be Polluted – Condo Cleaning Service Toronto

You may not be aware that the air in your home might be polluted. In fact, the air inside your home could be 5 times more polluted than the air outside! With that said, neglecting the quality of the air in your home can lead to illness like allergies, headaches, asthma and more. But don’t be frightened, there are ways to neutralize the impurities. However, what are these pollutants and where do they come from? In this article, we’ll talk about common pollutants found in the home, where they’re coming from and the steps you can take to clean the air in you home.

How Does Home Air Become Polluted?

Unfortunately, there are a lot of things that contribute to poor air quality in your home. In fact, they are coming from things that you use everyday! Firstly, there are three categories of indoor pollutants. The good news is, that with a little awareness, regular home-cleaning and preventative measures in place, the air in your home will be cleaner in no time!

Combustion Pollutants

“Combustion pollutants” come in the form of gases or particles from burning materials. These gases could come from a space heater, a gas stove, a dryer or a fire place. However, these indoor pollutants will only become problematic when these appliances aren’t properly ventilated.

In fact, some of the most common indoor pollutants that come from gas-eating appliances include carbon monoxide and nitrogen dioxide. Unfortunately, these colorless and odorless gases are incredibly dangerous and easy to miss. This makes it even more important to ensure your appliances have been properly installed, enjoy regular maintenance and have good ventilation.

Volatile Organic Compound Pollution

Volatile Organic Compounds (also known as VOC’s) are found in commonly used products including: paints, varnishes, building materials, furnishings, pesticides, craft glues, adhesives, air fresheners, dry-cleaned clothing, carpets, caulking, vinyl and cosmetics. That’s right, check your labels! Unfortunately, all of these items have the potential to pollute the air in your home. For instance, they may be releasing toxins like acetone, benzene, ethylene, formaldehyde, and methylene chloride into your space.

Allergy & Asthma Triggers

We all know at least one person who suffers from asthma or allergies. But did you know that there are triggers in your home? Yep, things like dust mites, mold, pollen, second hand smoke and kitty dander can all be triggers for asthma and allergies.

Unfortunately, these triggers are found in almost every home. For instance, shower curtains have high potential to get moldy. And, there are definitely dust mites in your bedding and in the pet fur around your home. However, if you don’t have time to perform regular home cleanings to fight the dust, consider hiring a professional cleaning service to do it for you!

Purify the Air in Your Home!

No one wants the air in their home polluted. Nor do you probably feel like walking around your own home with a face mask on. Luckily, there are a few simple things you can incorporate into your lifestyle that will help to rid of and/or neutralize the indoor pollutants lurking in your air.

House Plants

As we mentioned in our article about indoor plants, keeping greens inside your home has a variety of benefits: including air purification! In fact, there are some plants that are great at detoxing significant amounts of formaldehyde, benzene and trichloroethylene from indoor air.

Plus, if you live in a condo you’ll have a much easier time purifying. Apparently, it takes at least one plant per 100 square feet of your home for effective air cleansing. Go small space living! Check out this list of 9 air-cleansing house-plants for some ideas!

Himalayan Salt Lamp

You’ve seen them in spiritual shops, but did you know that these Himalayan salt lamps actually have air cleansing powers? Yep, the 200-million old crystallized salt that has been turned into a lamp acts as a neutralizer for indoor pollutants. However, you won’t reap the benefits by just letting the lamp sit there. In fact, for the salt lamp to work you must to turn the small bulb on inside so that the salt becomes heated, releasing negative ions. These ions effectively cleanse the air in your home.

Bamboo Charcoal

You may have heard of the activated charcoal ice-cream craze sweeping North America. You might also know how charcoal can purify water and how it’s used in beauty products. But have you heard about how charcoal can purify the air in your home? Whichever way you decide to use it, charcoal removes toxins.

In fact, the porous structure of the charcoal helps to remove bacteria, allergens and other harmful indoor pollutants from the air by absorbing them. Intrigued? We found this great product by Moso, it’s an air cleansing linen-bag filled with high-density bamboo charcoal. The best part is, the bag is rejuvenating, meaning you can use it repeatedly! Simply recharge it by laying it out in the sunlight once a month!

It’s important to note that, breathing in high quality air is not a luxury like aromatherapy – it’s about your health. Perhaps you want to keep your status quo and employ these preventative measures. Whatever you choose, Maid4Condos will be here to help you in whatever way we can!

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This post was brought to you by Maid4Condos, a top-rated residential cleaning service dedicated to the people of Toronto. Maid4Condos has been a committed partner to the Toronto cleaning and construction scene for years, and continues to provide exceptional cleaning services to clients. Get a FREE quote & book your cleaning today or follow this link to learn more of what we’re all about!

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 Clean T.O: The Secret to Cleaning Less – Downtown Toronto Maid Service

Many people have yet to realize that the secret to cleaning less is a hot trend sitting right under their noses. That’s right, we’re talking about minimalism! It’s not hard to understand, less stuff’ means less home cleaning. However, you’re not alone if you feel overwhelmed by the prospect of going minimalist- especially if you’re a maximalist. But guess what? If you live in a condo or apartment, you’re already halfway there!

The truth is, we all identify as a minimalist in some way- we just go about it differently. For instance, some practise minimalist downsizing and may sell their car or move into an apartment. For others, it could simply mean consciously removing the ‘excess’ from their home. If you identify more with the latter, you’ll want to go through your clothes closet, your kitchen drawers and all that clutter you’ve been living with! Assuming you’re not looking for any major lifestyle changes, we’re going to walk you through how to downsize the basics, to make your home cleaning much easier!

Downsizing (a.k.a Minimalism)

Contrary to popular belief, minimalism doesn’t mean giving up all your prized possessions. Nor does it have to be extreme like moving into a tiny house or owning only one shirt. However, minimalism does require that you take a step back and ask, “do I really need this right now?” In essence, evaluating whether you need an item in the present moment, versus ‘potentially in the future’ will help relieve your space of useless clutter. Ultimately, leaving you with less housework and more time to do what you love.

Let’s Get Started

Talking about minimalism is great, but actions speak louder than words. We know that starting the minimalist purge can be overwhelming. That’s why we’ve compiled a few tips that will help ease you into minimalism and leave you with less home cleaning! Though the simple method of purging will be used throughout the process, it’s how you purge that’s important.

Less Laundry

Face it, when you have a closet full of clothes you’re more likely to throw that pair of jeans you wore once into the hamper. But guess what? Your jeans don’t need to be washed after one use. In order to ease your laundry load, try purging your closet once. Then, do it again and make sure you’ve removed all superfluous items from your wardrobe. In due time, you’ll start to become more conscious of what you’re putting in your hamper. Plus, the internet has a lot of tips to help you get rid of clothes clutter if you get stuck.

Indeed, this advice is all well and fine if you’re a single bachelor or bachelorette. However, what if you live with a spouse or children? The truth is, each person really only needs one towel and one set of sheets. Not only will having one of each lighten the laundry load, you’ll eliminate all the time spent folding and organizing the linen closet! Furthermore, you’ll have free up space in your linen closet. Because, no rational condo dweller would deny some extra space! However, if you have small children it’s smart to keep an extra set of sheets handy. Because, accidents happen.

Less Dishes

Just like your laundry, it’s easy to throw dishes and cups into the sink after only one use. However, that’s exactly how you get an overwhelming pile up by the end of the day! Instead, consider this minimalist idea: fewer dishes will make you more conscious and motivated about cleaning up in your kitchen.

Ultimately, if you only own enough plates, cups and silverware to get each person in your home through one day- there is zero chance of superfluous pile up. Not to mention, you’ll have more motivation to clean to those dishes that are dirty. After all, you want clean dishes for the morning, don’t you? However, there’s nothing worse than bare cupboards when you have guests. So for hosting purposes, you should keep some spares. Intrigued? Take a tour of this minimalist kitchen!

General Clutter

For many people, the most exhausting and time-consuming part of home cleaning is figuring out where to put the clutter that has no home. If you haven’t noticed this, start paying attention to how many things you own that don’t have a designated spot.

Not only will having an assigned place result in less home cleaning, but will help you get into a clearer headspace. As minimalist theory tells us, clutter is not good for mental health! Ultimately, purging all your excess clothing, kitchen ware and clutter is the best way to start incorporating minimalism into your life and reaping the home cleaning rewards to come!

Hungry for more?

This post was brought to you by Maid4Condos, a top-rated residential cleaning service dedicated to the people of Toronto. Maid4Condos has been a committed partner to the Toronto cleaning and construction scene for years, and continues to provide exceptional cleaning services to clients. Get a FREE quote & book your cleaning today or follow this link to learn more of what we’re all about!

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Parenting Just Got Easier – Maid Service In Toronto

Raising a child is no joke, however we believe that parenting (and home cleaning) just got easier. The truth is, western culture dictates that adults clean up after kids. Which consequently, produces lazy teenagers and adults. By changing your home cleaning practises, not only you could help instill important life-skills in your child, but you could make your own life easier! Just check out our other article to learn how children benefit from cleaning up after themselves!

However, it’s going to be tricky to change the ingrained behavior of your family. But it’s far from impossible. So, whether you have a few teetering tots or elementary aged kids, consider these tips on how to reprogram your family when it comes to home cleaning!

Parenting Just Got Easier With These Tips

1. Change the Rules

Ultimately, it’s easier for children to learn things when they’re young. In other words, it’s harder to reprogram a child’s behavior than it is to teach a toddler from the get go. At the end of the day, older children will simply take more patience and discipline. First, sit down with them and explain that there will be some changes in the house. For example, “you can only start playing with a new toy after the old one has been put away” & “everyone needs to rinse their dishes and put them in the dishwasher after dinner”.

In addition, be sure to create consequences for breaking the new rules. For instance, perhaps your child will lose access to the specific toy they left out, or not receive dessert or a treat in their lunch the next day. However, only create punishments you will follow through with. For this to work, they need to take you seriously.

2. Be a Role Model

Adults can be pretty jaded when it comes to house home cleaning. However, be careful about how much you complain in front of your kids! Ultimately, the more you vocalize your cleaning frustrations, the more you kids will come to associate cleaning with negativity. Instead, paste on a cheery face while you’re doing your own home cleaning! Eventually, your kids will have positive associations with cleaning.

3. Make Clean-Up Fun!

Similar to modelling a happy attitude, there are ways to make clean-up more exciting for children. For instance, you could play a game like: how many blocks can you organize in 2 minutes? Furthermore, try playing fun & energizing music to keep their spirits up! Additionally, you can try diffusing some aromatherapy to create a fun, magical atmosphere that will help their little minds click in action!

4. Break Down the Clean-Up

Cleaning up after a whole afternoon of play time is overwhelming for anyone, let alone a small child. Remember, your child doesn’t have the all problem solving skills required to break down the job into tasks. However, you can help stoke their problem solving skills by suggesting different ways to go about clean up. For example, when cleaning up a game like monopoly, suggest that they sort all the money into piles first.

Furthermore, there is no harm in helping them clean! In fact, home cleaning with your kids will be much more fun and will make them feel less overwhelmed. Plus, they love spending the time with you. At the end of the day you’re not forcing your children to clean because you’re ‘mean’, you’re doing it for their development (and your sanity).

Convinced?

At the end of the day, wouldn’t you prefer to spend time with your kids vs. cleaning up after them? Though it may feel daunting to change the way your house operates, you’ll thank yourself in the long-run and so will your children.

However, it’s difficult to determine which home cleaning tasks are age-appropriate. Like anything, some kids will be ready for larger tasks before others- regardless of age. Don’t worry, there are no with rules. Ultimately, as long as your children are making some kind of progress, it’s safe to say they’re learning. Finally, you can stop worrying about how your kid will fare in college, you know you’ve taught them the right skills! And remember, Maid4Condos will be there  when the clean up is just too overwhelming.

Hungry for more?

This post was brought to you by Maid4Condos, a top-rated residential cleaning service dedicated to the people of Toronto. Maid4Condos has been a committed partner to the Toronto cleaning and construction scene for years, and continues to provide exceptional cleaning services to clients. Get a FREE quote & book your cleaning today or follow this link to learn more of what we’re all about!

Get Social With Us:

Visit the Maid4Condos blog and follow us on FaceBook, Twitter or Instagram for more industry news, Toronto lifestyle guides and cleaning tips!

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Clean T.O: Stop Cleaning up After Your Kids

When you stop cleaning up for your kids, not only will you raise them into self-sufficient adults, but it will save you a whole lot of house-cleaning! Have you ever wondered how an adult could turn out to be such a slob? Well, it was probably because their parents didn’t make them lift a finger…

At the same time, if you have small children you know that asking for their help can just make the cleaning process longer. However, the payoff will be worth the wait! All you have to do is stop cleaning up after your kids. Alas, it’s going to be hard- but you have to stay strong. For the purposes of easing you into the ideas, let’s talk about all the amazing life-lessons and skills your child will learn from cleaning up after themselves…

Really, You Must Stop!

Ultimately, home is the best place to learn most things. And at the end of the day, if your kids aren’t learning things at home, they’re going to be learning it elsewhere- when they’re much older and on their own. For example, have you ever had a slovenly roommate? Sadly, it’s likely that their parents created an environment in which they never had to clean up after themselves.

With that said, you’re doing a disservice to your children by cleaning up their messes! As a matter of fact, you’re raising an adult. All in all, making your child cleans up after themselves, not only will you be relieved of certain cleaning tasks, you’ll be creating learning and growth opportunities for your child that will last a lifetime! So, perhaps it’s time to let your child experience…

1. Accountability

When you make it known to a child that they must clean up after themselves, you are instilling accountability. In reality, it makes sense that each person cleans up after themselves!  With that said, children are still learning the ropes of life, so it’s your job to ease them into cleaning. For instance, a two-year-old couldn’t handle washing their plate- but they may be able to bring it over to the sink! Just like walking and talking, cleaning will take baby steps.

2. Responsibility

When you give your child a chore or a task to complete, you have given them a responsibility. Similar to adults, when a child realizes they are being relied upon there is more chance they are more likely to get the job done! Ultimately, giving your children responsibility over a task will help to nurture their self-esteem and make them more confident in their abilities.

3. Work Ethic

The truth is, very few people are born loving mundane work like cleaning. However, by asking your child to help clean your home, you are helping them develop a work ethic. At some point, everyone needs to learn that there are some things that just need to get done. For this reason, it’s never too early to start learning!

4. Appreciation

Unfortunately, when you clean up your children’s mess without their help, they will never appreciate why messes are frustrating.  However, by asking your child to help clean up, they will start to gain an appreciation of cleanliness and the time it takes to do the job well. Once they see the results of their efforts, they are more likely to maintain a standard of clean- because they know what the consequences will be! Who knows, maybe one day you’ll find your angel of a child cleaning the kitty litter all on their own.

Convinced?

Remember, your child is a growing person that needs to be nourished in many different ways. In reality, the most important lessons we need to learn are never the most fun. However, by instilling traits like accountability, responsibility, work ethic and appreciation in your children there is no doubt they’ll grow up to be fine adults! Plus, your kiddos will benefit from the moral side-effects of being clean long after they’ve left the nest!

With a little patience and push, we know you can turn your house around. At the end of the day, one person shouldn’t be in charge of cleaning up after a pack. In other words, the burden shouldn’t just fall on you. With that said, there are some times when a cleaning service is essential! So when the time comes that you feel overwhelmed or just need a break, Maid4Condos will be there to help!

Hungry for more?

This post was brought to you by Maid4Condos, a top-rated residential cleaning service dedicated to the people of Toronto. Maid4Condos has been a committed partner to the Toronto cleaning and construction scene for years, and continues to provide exceptional cleaning services to clients. Get a FREE quote & book your cleaning today or follow this link to learn more of what we’re all about!

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