Looking to Sell Your House Quickly? Follow These Tips

Posted on January 10, 2022January 10, 2022 by Patrick Martel

Selling your house or condo is a major job. It requires careful planning, and the assistance of an experienced real estate agent to guide you through the process. One of the biggest challenges is understanding just how much work is required to prepare your home so it sells quickly. This includes a top-to-bottom repair and clean that can take a month to complete.

Follow these tips to sell your house quickly

In this article, we offer tips on how to prep your home that makes the countdown to listing day easier.

Do a Walk Through

Start by doing a walk through of your home and property from top to bottom. Look for every little thing that seems worse for wear or that needs repairs. This includes:

Burned-out lightbulbs
Outdated light fixtures
Leaky faucets
Holes in the wall
Broken, loose, or missing door knobs and cabinet pulls
Torn window screens

Buyers have eagle eyes, and will likely see every little eyesore as another deduction from their offer price.

Pack

Although your home isn’t even listed yet, it’s never too early to think about packing. This is a tedious job, but it is something you can start right away. And there’s a reason for this. You are going to find tons of stuff in your home you never or rarely use.

If you prepare yourself to pack now, you can weed out things as you go. Your goal is to reduce the things you no longer need to zero, and also clear out your closets and cupboards to 50% capacity to show off all that storage space that buyers love. This brings us to the next step: decluttering.

Declutter

With your packing boxes ready to go, you can slowly begin the decluttering process. The easy way is to start in the rooms you use the least. If you live in a small condo, begin with your storage areas.

The trick is to pack and declutter as you go, so target the things you don’t need right now. This is tough, but it is also very freeing and satisfying. You can finally get rid of any junk, and you might even find a gold mine of stuff you can sell. Basically, you are looking to pack the things you’ll take, find the stuff you can donate and sell, and put the rest out with the trash. Your process should include:

Storage and closets: Condos don’t have tons of closets and storage, which is why you need to free them up with a good decluttering.
Bathrooms: Go through all those samples, hand lotions that were too sticky, makeup flops and perfumes you were gifted and hate, and expired products and medicines, and toss them. This will liberate your bathroom and allow you to clear your counters and medicine cabinet, so everything looks more organized.
Invest in a few organizers that allow you to sort everything neatly and keep it that way, such as hooks to hang things, baskets for smaller items, and shelves for the baskets if space is tight. There are many hanging organizers made for doors as well.
Kitchen: This is a nightmare for most homeowners, but is very important since buyers view the kitchen as the heart of the home. Your goal is to clear the counters and organize the cupboards, so everything looks neat. Avoid cramming things into the cupboards or pantry if you have one, as people will open them and see you are short on space. Use the same approach you did for the bathroom, tossing things you don’t need, and finding handy organizers to keep items tidy.
Bedrooms: Pack your out-of-season clothes, and sort everything else based on the stuff you can toss, etc. This will clean out the stuff you don’t need now, and also the things you can sell or give away. Then, organize everything and invest in some hooks, baskets, and items like shoe bags to make things look more spacious.
Entrance: Make sure you declutter thoroughly, making your entrance welcoming. Store away all the shoes and coats, and use baskets and hooks to keep everything neat and tidy. If you can, ask someone to hold onto all those winter boots and coats you don’t need just until you can sell the home.

Continue the process in each room until you’ve decluttered everything and packed stuff neatly.

Clean

Your cleaning list is guaranteed to be overwhelming. Once everything is decluttered, you’ll get a good idea of just how dirty your home is. Your moving out cleaning is best left to the professionals, but if you’re up to the challenge, here’s what you’ll need to tackle:

Bathrooms

Bathtub and shower enclosure
Inside, outside, and behind the toilet
Lights, mirrors, sink, countertops
Vacuum ceiling fan cover
Light switches, door knobs
Empty garbage bins
Vacuum/mop floors
Wipe baseboards and vanity inside and out
Whiten Grout

Bedrooms

Dust counters, table tops, picture frames
Clean mirrors and polish ornaments
Wipe switches and door knobs
Vacuum/mop floors
Wipe baseboards and window ledges

Kitchen

Clean inside the fridge and oven
Scrub stove top
Polish the fridge front
Clean the microwave
Backsplash, counter tops, cupboard fronts
Clean the sink
Wipe light switches and door knobs
Vacuum/mop floors
Wipe baseboards
Wipe window ledges
Wipe inside cabinets
Wipe inside drawers

Living/dining room

Clean mirrors and polish ornaments
Wipe switches and door knobs
Vacuum/mop floors
Wipe baseboards
Wipe window ledges

Laundry room (if you have one)

Clear air vent
Clear lint trap
Wipe washer/dryer
Clean floors

As you can see, this is heavy-duty work, so calling a cleaning service to tackle your moving out cleaning makes the most sense. You can also follow our cleaning guide for more guidance.

Neutralize

Next, you’ve got to neutralize every room. The decluttering was a good start, but now you’ve got to look at the items in the home that shout you live there. This includes:

Removing all your personal photos
Clearing and packing away all those collections, chachkas, souvenirs, CDs, books, etc.

Basically, you want to create a clean palette that allows buyers to see themselves living there.

Spruce

Last but not least, you want to spruce your home up a little, including:

Buying some neutral duvet covers for your beds.
Replacing the shower curtain and towels in your bathrooms with new, crisp white ones.
Adding a neutral area rug in the living room if you have cold, bare hardwood or laminate.
Making your dining room look like it is ideal for guests to set the mood.
Painting your whole condo with a fresh coat of neutral paint.
Setting up your balcony so it looks like a nice place to sip a cup of coffee or watch the sunset with a glass of wine, a chair or two, and maybe some flower baskets.

Make sure your home smells good too. Your thorough cleaning should accomplish this. However, it doesn’t hurt to ask your professional cleaners to do a special deodourizing such as steam cleaning the carpets and sofa.

If you are looking for a professional moving out cleaning that Toronto home sellers need, then speak to our pros at Maid4Condos today. You can reach us at 647-822-0601.

How to Find the Best Toronto Cleaning Service

Posted on January 3, 2022January 12, 2022 by Patrick Martel

Finding a cleaning service for your home can be difficult. First, there are hundreds of cleaning services in the GTA, which means the list for your search is overwhelming right out of the gate. Second, there is a major trust element to finding a cleaning service because you are letting strangers into your home, so you need to make sure they are bonded. Last, you also need to feel confident the job will be done properly by experienced cleaners using the right cleaning solutions and tools.

How to find the best cleaning service in Toronto?

In this article, we offer tips on how to find the best Toronto cleaning service to make your search easier.

Ask for Referrals

Ask friends, family, and co-workers for referrals. This is always a good approach since there is a huge trust factor involved in finding a cleaner. If you don’t have luck here, try an online search.

Do Your Online Search Correctly

Start by doing your online search properly. Enter “condo cleaning Toronto” and avoid the cleaning companies at the very top of the list. These companies have paid for that position. Instead, scroll down just below the “more businesses” option and start your search there.

Check the Stars and Reviews

Make sure the websites you choose have a rating of 4 out of 5 stars or higher before you click. Check the reviews, and make sure customers seem very happy with the service. This helps you find the most trusted company, while also reducing how many websites you need to check.

Is their work guaranteed?

This is important because once your home is clean and the cleaners have left, they won’t be coming back any time soon if you complain. Make sure the cleaning service offers some form of guarantee for their work, so you’ll feel more confident that if something is missed, they’ll stand behind their work and make things right.

Know What You Want

Next, when you start checking out websites, make sure you know what you want. Different cleaners offer different services. There might be some specific tasks you want completed first such as a deep clean. You know the old saying, “I don’t do windows”, so be sure the cleaners offer what you need.

Some do laundry, some don’t. Some use eco-friendly cleaners, some don’t. Some might not even offer their services to condos or homes with pets.

Look at Pricing

Avoid companies that don’t make it easy to get a quote or see their prices. This can get tedious, as they likely want you to call. Good cleaning companies make everything easy for their customers from the start, and that means listing their prices, offering a quote calculator, or both.

Also, cleaning companies shouldn’t have a blanket cost for every home. They should be considering the square feet. You don’t want to pay the same price for your 500 square foot studio as someone with a multi-bedroom house.

Look for a Customization Option

Many cleaners have a strict list of the cleaning packages they offer. This could mean you are unknowingly getting upsold, so it costs you more. Look for a cleaning company that allows you to customize what you want. For example, you might just want your bathrooms cleaned, or you don’t want people in your bedroom. Also, for the packages, make sure they show a list of what is included, as it gives you a clear idea of what you get, and more importantly, what you won’t.

Consider Your Budget

Once you get an idea of pricing for the cleaning services you want, if it seems too high, don’t take this as a sign you can’t afford a cleaning company. First, cleaning services actually save you money in the long run. Consider your customization options, and see if there is a way to make it work.

If you are too busy to clean, or simply hate cleaning, the job will never get done and things will just get worse. This can make coming home feel icky and stressful. You might start by having them clean the bathroom(s) and kitchen as a base clean, for example, and then that makes it easier to keep those rooms clean for a month or two.

Spreading out your cleaning schedule is another option, as you can have a professional cleaner come in once a month or every six weeks to do a deep clean to keep things under control. You can also always just have a one-time cleaning to set the base for you to keep your home clean. Chances are, though, if you aren’t managing to keep up with the cleaning now, that won’t change. However, it actually costs you less to have your home cleaned more often, so keep that in mind when deciding what is best for your needs.

Look for Flexible Schedules

Your lifestyle will dictate how often and when you want to have your cleaners come in. This is important, as you’ll need a cleaning company that can accommodate your schedule. The busier your household, the messier it tends to be. For example, you might not have kids or pets, but maybe have friends over often. Or, you work from home, so it tends to be messier than someone who uses their home just to sleep and shower.

Understand What You’re Actually Getting

Back to packages. Packages make it easier to order a cleaning service, and it usually means you’re getting the highest demanding cleaning tasks completed all at once. However, you might be surprised at what you actually get with these types of packages if the website doesn’t provide a list. Therefore, always make sure the website shows a clear checklist of everything included in their packages so there are no surprises.

Be careful with what you ask for when discussing your cleaning job. For example, you might ask for a light cleaning and then say something like, “You do the dusting too right?” and they say, “Sure.” Unfortunately what you don’t realize is, yes, they do the dusting, but it’s not included in the price of the package you ordered. The next thing you know is that you’re paying for the package and there’s an additional $50 added to the bill for the dusting.

Check Their Work

Once you’ve hired the cleaning company, don’t assume your work is done and you can now depend on them to clean your home. Remember, you need to check their work to make sure they did everything on the list, and did it to your satisfaction. Print off their package list or the customized order, and go through each room to inspect their cleaning job. Your home should be noticeably cleaner and fresher. If they missed something, let them know right away and see if they come back to fix things.

Ideally, for the first cleaning appointment, you should be home so you can check their work while they’re still there. This can be a little awkward, but professionals know this is par for the course. If all is well, you will know that you’ve found your cleaners!

If you are looking for trusted Toronto cleaning services, check out our services here. At Maid4Condos, we’re here to help and offer a 24-hour clean guarantee. You can call us at 647-822-0601.

How Regular Professional Home Cleaning Saves You Money

Posted on November 4, 2021November 6, 2021 by Patrick Martel

You know when you come home, and your home is a mess? It can take away from the pleasure of having time to relax. Clothes on the floor, unmade beds, dust bunnies everywhere, crusty stovetops and kitchen counters, mildewy and dirty tubs all make your home feel less welcoming.

Do a regular professional home cleaning saves you money?

We get that many people don’t have time to clean their homes regularly, and even that people hesitate to call a cleaner because they are either embarrassed or think it will cost too much money. But first of all, we can tell you we’ve seen it all and tell our clients there is never anything to be embarrassed about, and second of all, you might be surprised to learn that regular residential cleaning Toronto hires saves you money. Here’s how.

It’s Not As Much As You Think

From a professional cleaning standpoint, it’s probably not as much as you think. For example, for a one bedroom, one bathroom condo that is 800 square feet, it is just over $100. That includes cleaning the following:

Bathrooms

Bathtub and shower enclosure
Inside, out and behind the toilet
Lights, mirrors, sink, countertops
Vacuum ceiling fan cover
Light switches, doorknobs
Empty garbage bin
Vacuum/mop floors

Bedrooms

Make beds
Tidy any clothing
Dust counters, tabletops, picture frames
Clean mirrors and polish ornaments
Wipe switches, doorknobs
vacuum/mop floors

Kitchen

If the dishwasher is empty, start a new load
If dishwasher full, put away clean dishes
Microwave
Stovetop
Fridge front polished
Backsplash, countertops, cupboard fronts
Sink
Wipe light switches & door knobs
Replace garbage and recycling liners
Vacuum/ mop floors

Living/dining room

General tidying
Tidy sofa seating
Tabletops, picture frames, window ledges
Clean mirrors and polish ornaments
Wipe telephones, switches, doorknobs
Vacuum/mop floors

Laundry Room

Clear air vent
Clear lint trap

And that’s just basic cleaning. So you are getting quite a bit of cleaning for that price, and your home is always clean if you bring us in twice a month. By having regular cleanings, you never have to pay extras for the higher ticket items because there is never enough time for buildup that requires special attention in those areas you aren’t cleaning enough. Of course, this price goes up the more rooms you have and the larger your space, but it’s all relative, as the saying goes. If you throw in some of our cleanings, you can have your homestay very presentable and comfortable by having a cleaner come in just once a month.

Don’t Forget Your Own Time

People underestimate the value of their own time. Would you rather spend your time cleaning, being out with friends, spending time with the kids, taking a course to improve your skills, shopping, going for a bike ride, or even binge-watching your favourite show? Honestly, even if you’re just lounging around in your stretchy pants, it’s all you and your own time doing what you love, as opposed to spending hours cleaning your home. You save your own time, which we would say is priceless, so the value of having your house cleaned goes up quite a bit when you look at it from this point of view.

We’ve Got You Covered

The most important word in our headline is “professional.” You can try to save money hiring an independent cleaner, but how do you know you can trust them? How do you know they won’t steal even in small amounts like using your expensive face cream every visit, taking a little from your pantry or change jar or even taking something major like jewellery or a pair of expensive shoes?

Even if you feel you can trust your cleaner, accidents happen. How will they compensate you for that broken vase, putting their elbow into your TV screen or scratching your hardwood floors? With a professional cleaning company, we are fully bonded and insured.

First, we greatly reduce the risk of theft because we carefully screen our team members. Second, we are fully insured, so any damage or theft is covered. Finally, we train our team to avoid accidents and damage. Anything damaged is replaced, and if it can’t be replaced, you are compensated in cash. And let’s not forget the potential for your independent cleaner getting hurt on the job. You could be sued if something in your home is unsafe. We have insurance to deal with job injuries with professional cleaners, so you don’t have to worry about being liable for damages.

No Need for Cleaning Supplies

Everything is so expensive these days, including cleaning supplies. We bring our own cleaning supplies, so you don’t have to worry about this added expense on your monthly spending. We get a deal on our cleaning supplies because we buy them in bulk. We pass those savings onto you. It can cost about $50 per month for cleaning products, which you can remove from your shopping list when you hire professional cleaners. Just keep some cleaning wipes around for spills and such, and you’ll find you have enough supplies in between professional cleanings to get by.

Proper Cleaning Makes Things Last Longer

This is a big one to keep in mind. Proper cleaning of floors, carpets, counters, tiles, electronics, etc., help prolong the life of items in your home. Everything is well maintained so you can see things last longer. Floors look new; kitchen and bathroom counters are shiny and stain-free, shower curtains are free of mildew, area rugs are less worn and dirty, etc. As a result, you spend less because you reduce the number of household items you need to replace.

Spend Less on Entertainment

Of course, the best way we save you money is by helping you love your home again. You don’t have to spend money going out all the time to get away from the mess. Instead, you can relax at home, have people over, read, stream your favourite show and not feel antsy because your home is such a mess.

If you would like to hire the residential cleaning Toronto trusts, call Maid4Condos at (647) 822-0601 or contact us here.

Does Toronto Have a Litter Problem? | DownTown Toronto Maid Service

Posted on January 24, 2018January 21, 2018 by Patrick Martel

Does Toronto Have a Litter Problem? | DownTown Toronto Maid Service

If you live in the city, you are no stranger to litter. So we have to ask: does Toronto have a litter problem? Though people visiting Toronto call it clean, residents see so much litter on a daily basis, it’s just become a part of our lives.

Does Toronto Have a Litter Problem? Coke Can

But of course, it’s not just a Toronto problem. Litter has become so prevalent worldwide that it’s formed its own nation in the Pacific Ocean, known as trash island. A large and ugly place, the island is said to be two times the size of Texas- and doubling each decade. As the island is proof of, litter bugs exist all around the world. But do we really take in the consequences? In this article, we’re going to talk about the consequences litter has on our health, the environment and city aesthetic. If you need some optimism when you’re finished, check out these anti-litter campaigns around the world!

Litter in Toronto

Apparently, the average Canadian litterbug only will only walk 12 measly steps in search of a garbage can before giving up. Though littering is classified as crime in the city, it’s one of the hardest things to catch- meaning there is no immediate consequence for the litterbug. With that said, did you know that all the litter is costing the city about $25 million a year in clean up costs?

Does Toronto Have a Litter Problem? Park

The City of Toronto’s 2015 litter audit found that cigarette butts and gum were the most littered items. Though the facts are getting dated, all you have to do is look around the street to see at least 10+ cigarette butts and gum on the sidewalk, as well as wrappers, Tim’s cups and papers galore. Thankfully, Mayor John Tory is aware of the litter problem and has “We (the City) should be collecting things more often and I’ll try to see to that”. If the Toronto Star is correct, Tory placed emphasis on litter pick up in late 2017. However, the onus isn’t only on the city. It’s on all of us to keep Toronto clean, and here’s why.

Aesthetic

For those of us living in the City, the most immediate and obvious consequence of litter is how it affects the aesthetic of Toronto. And it’s not just outside. For instance, I was on the TTC the other day and saw a man drop his Tim Horton’s cup on the subway floor. And it wasn’t even empty! He just stood there, eyes forward as the remnant coffee made a slick line down the subway car, the cup rolling idly as the train clattered on.

Does Toronto Have a Litter Problem? Litter In Water

As gross as that was, the negative effects of litter are more pronounced when litterbugs throw it outside. The more litter becomes common to an area, park, sidewalk or neighbourhood the more it sends the message that littering is ok. That means, when litterbugs see an unclean place, they are more confidence that littering is acceptable – and they’ll do it all the more often. It’s easy to see how the cycle is started.

Human Health

Once litter has become a problem in an area, it can start to affect human health. How, you ask? Well, all of those food packages and other debris that involve potential rotting create a perfect, fertile breeding ground for bacteria to grow (a germaphobe’s nightmare). That means, anyone who comes into contact with litter for any reason is facing a health hazard. Not to mention the more dangerous litter items like broken glass and metal can pose an immediate threat to children and adults who step, fall or bike over it. This problem becomes even more acute in the winter. When the snow covers up all the dangerous debris left behind by inconsiderate citizens. Putting you and your children directly in harm’s way.

Does Toronto Have a Litter Problem? Glass

The Environment

Unfortunately, the environment is not high on anyone’s list of cleaning priorities. However, the most damaging consequences of litter are for land-dwelling and water-dwelling creatures. When animals ingest inedible materials like plastic packaging and cigarette butts, they can become poisoned. Furthermore, the ingestion of these materials can block animals’ intestinal tracks, stopping any real nutrients from going down. This, in turn causes the animals to starve. Perhaps even more sad is when animals become trapped or entangled in human debris like rings of six-packs and plastic packaging. If the animal cannot free itself, it’s game over.

Does Toronto Have a Litter Problem? Animal

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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Written by Savannah Binder, Maid4Condos

4 Habits to Keep Your Bathroom Spotless | Liberty Village Maid Service

Posted on January 1, 2018December 24, 2017 by Patrick Martel

4 Habits to Keep Your Bathroom Spotless | Liberty Village Maid Service

Bathrooms are not fun places to spend time in, which is why you need to get into these 4 habits to keep your bathroom spotless! Sure, you can dress them up, clean them, paint them…But at the end of the day, a bathroom is a bathroom that can get messy. Not to mention germy and smelly. When you live on your own, it’s easy to keep track of your bathroom! The trouble starts however, when there’s more than one user. When you live with a roommate, partner or family, the bathroom will quickly become a high traffic zone. So you’re going to want to do everything you can to keep those invisible germs at bay! You’ve been in a public restroom, you need no further convincing.

4 Habits to Keep Your Bathroom Spotless Blue Bathroom

Keeping Your Bathroom Clean Habits:

A Theory-Based Habit

The truth is, cleaning the bathroom would be much less daunting if it didn’t mean dealing with a massive pile-up. Just like an apple a day keeps the doctor away, so too does a clean a day keep the big clean at bay! You may have heard of the clean-as-you-go theory in our other article on steps to cleaning when you’re depressed. Yet the advice still rings true. If you wait weeks between cleanings, you’ll just create a daunting monster mess! Why let it get to that point when doing things like wiping down counters, emptying the trash can and giving the mirrors a quick wipe down takes no time at all and shave months of cleaning off of your life?

4 Habits to Keep Your Bathroom Spotless notebook — 4 Habits to Keep Your Bathroom Spotless Notebook

The Bathroom Habits

1. Shower Habits

This is going to sound intrusive, but there’s something you should start doing every time you take a shower! Just like your kitchen sink, your shower doesn’t get cleaned just because you do. So to clean as you go, keep a spray bottle filled with vinegar and water by your shower. Now every time you clean yourself, your shower can get clean too! Unfortunately, vinegar is not good on natural stone surfaces- but everything else is fair game. You can be sure that the next time you or a cleaning service goes in there for a deep clean, the area will be ready for much lighter maintenance!

4 Habits to Keep Your Bathroom Spotless Shower

2. Laundry Habits

It’s easy to get into the habit of leaving your clothes on the bathroom floor when you get into the shower. It’s also a difficult habit to break, but maybe you don’t have to! Instead of stripping down and throwing the clothes around willy-nilly, move a clothes hamper into your bathroom! And throw them in there instead. That’s right, not only will the extra hamper help you be more organized with laundry, it will instantly unclutter your bathroom! However, if you don’t feel like moving your hamper or buying a new one, you could always just discipline yourself and make a rule that no clothes shall lay on the bathroom tile…But… c’mon.

4 Habits to Keep Your Bathroom Spotless Laundry

3. Garbage Habits

Depending on what’s going on in your life, the garbage you produce could be tame, or it could be scary. So when that unquestionable smell is coming from your garbage bin, it’s time to take the trash out out! Believe it or not, taking out the trash before it gets too full actually relieves stress in the long run! This is because your mind sees full trash cans as clutter, just another thing to take care of later. It’s strange, but just like an empty laundry hamper can soothe your mind, so too can an empty trash can have some positive psychological effects.

4 Habits to Keep Your Bathroom Spotless Trash

4. Fan Habits

One of the biggest problems with indoor air in wet spaces like bathrooms is mildew. Ultimately, the best way to a mildew free bathroom is to decrease moisture. Luckily, most bathrooms now have fans. And thank god, because proper ventilation is the only way to create healthy air flow in such a small space! If your bathroom has a fan in it, get into the habit of turning it on every time you enter. Remember to turn it off when you leave, though you should let it run for twenty minutes after you take a shower clear out the extra moisture!

4 Habits to Keep Your Bathroom Spotless Vents

As humans, we’re wired to carry out the habits that we’ve let ourselves fall into. But the greatest part about being human is that we can change current habits in favor of healthier ones! Though these three habit-breaking suggestions will take a little adjustment, the pay-off will be worth it. Because a) your bathroom be spotless and b) you can feel good knowing that you’re living cleanly and effectively. Why create extra work for yourself by being sloppy? Remember, clean as you go. Hopefully, you’ll start to see progress soon enough!