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How to Clean your Sneakers

| Blog, Tips

For obvious reasons, it’s hard to keep your sneakers clean. But what’s worse is when you let them get so dirty that you don’t recognize them anymore! This also makes cleaning much harder because the dirt and stains have had a chance to penetrate into the material. Now, the question on everyone’s mind is ‘how do I get my dirty, smelly kicks to be squeaky clean and fresh again?’ Read on to find out!

Firstly, gather up the following things before you start:

-Shoe Brush with Soft Bristles

-Dish Soap/Laundry Detergent

-Paper Towels

-Baking Soda

And now, here’s the step-by-step guide to cleaning your sneakers.

Step One: Take out the laces and soles/inserts (if removable). Your laces can be cleaned in the washer or by hand; simply soak them in a sudsy solution of water and detergent for about half an hour before using an old toothbrush to clean them on both sides. The soles/inserts can be cleaned by hand using the same method. Leave them to air dry while you move on to the next step.

Step Two: Rinse out each shoe thoroughly to get off any loose mud or dirt (especially from the bottoms). If you skip this step, you risk spreading dirt and stains while actually trying to get them out!

Step Three: The cleaner you use must be recommended for the material of your sneakers. Either way, the method is more or less the same; make a solution of your chosen cleanser and use a soft-bristled brush to clean. Simply dip the brush in this sudsy solution and brush your sneakers at all angles. You’ll find that the brush is quickly turning brown and so is your cleaner so be sure to make a fresh solution as and when needed. Also, rinse out the brush out at intervals so that you aren’t transferring any dirt back on to your shoe.

Step Four: Rinse out the sneakers thoroughly to remove the soapiness and check for any stains. If you do find a stubborn stain or two, cover it with detergent powder or liquid dish soap and allow it to penetrate into the material for about 15-20 minutes. Next, take an old toothbrush, pour a few drops of warm-hot water onto the area and brush the stain away in circular motions. Rinse the shoe out again and your sneakers will be stain-free again!

Step Five: To dry your sneakers, stuff them with newspaper towels so that they don’t go out of shape or cave in. You may have to replace the paper towels twice or thrice but the good news is that they help the shoes dry up faster by absorbing moisture. Place your sneaker on the window sill, balcony or any airy place but avoid leaving them to dry in direct sun as the color may fade.

Step Six: Once they have dried up completely, put the inserts and laces back in and finish off by sprinkling a little baking soda into each shoe. This helps to absorb odors and keep your sneakers fresh for a while.

Step-by-Step Guide for an Overall Bathroom Cleanse!

| Bathrooms, Blog

A dirty, unsanitary bathroom is perhaps, one of the most disgusting things to have in your home. We all dread using one, let alone cleaning one! Nevertheless, regardless of what condition your bathroom is in, it needs to be cleaned in a timely manner for better hygiene and complete cleanliness!

So, we’ve put together a simple step-by-step guide to clean your entire bathroom and make it shine again! It may take a little time and effort, but we promise it’ll be worth it. Read on!

Step One:

Before you do anything else, pour a good amount of toilet cleaner inside the bowl, as well as around the exteriors. Leave out the seat and lid as they can be cleaned later with an all-purpose cleaner. Now it’s on to the next part.

Step Two:

Grab a garbage bag and throw away empty bottles, tubes, old toothbrushes, etc. Basically anything classified as rubbish should be thrown out. Check the medicine cabinet for expired products or meds and throw those away too.

Step Three:

Take all the items placed on shelves, the sink top and window sill and keep them outside the bathroom. Start off by cleaning bathroom surfaces such as the window sill, granite counter, shelves, etc. Next, do the sink, bathtub and bathroom fixtures. We use all-purpose cleaner and a mildly abrasive scrubber to clean these areas as they work fantastically well together to remove stains and hardened dirt.

Step Four:

Now that your toilet cleaner has had enough time to sit, cleaning will require less effort and yield better results! Put of some rubber gloves on, grab your toilet brush and start cleaning the bowl’s interiors thoroughly. You shouldn’t have a problem doing this if your brush is in good shape. Next, take a separate brush or scrubber and clean the exteriors. As mentioned earlier, all-purpose cleaner can be used to clean the toilet seat and lid, as well as the flush tank. Here’s a tip; rinse out your scrubbers/brushes at intervals when cleaning your bathroom.

Step Five:

Now, the only thing left to clean is the floor. You can use your chosen bathroom floor cleaner for this but here’s a helpful tip; sprinkle baking soda around the floor before using the cleaner as they work together to clean tiles and tile grout more effectively. It’s also important to use a hard-bristled floor brush to really clean between tiles and get them grout and grime-free. Once you’ve finished scrubbing the floor, rinse away the cleaner thoroughly and squeegee the water into the drain.

Step Six:

This step is optional but definitely worth it! Dip a clean, absorbent cloth into a solution of equal parts white vinegar and lemon oil; wipe your sink, tub and bathroom fixture with this and obverse the instant shine! You can also use this solution to buff your floors and the results are amazing!

Bathrooms get dirty rather quickly because they are used frequently (and many times while the floor is wet). What’s worse is if the kids have spent a day at Cooper’s Beach or Caumsett State Park and brought home sand, mud and dirt with them; the bathroom could end up pretty soiled after they’ve cleaned off! We understand that many homeowners do not have time to invest in household cleaning but we cannot stress enough on the importance of it. Maintaining a sanitary home will ensure that you and your family are living in a healthy environment. If you need a professional and reliable home cleaning service, Long Island Maids are your best bet for quality cleaning at attractive rates!

Long-Lasting Tips to Keep Your Closet Organized

| Blog

If you’re anything like the teens of today, you’ll have clothes lying all over your room and a messy closet that’s responsible for it. Of course, a disorganized wardrobe is the primary reason for not putting clothes away and leaving your room in a mess. On the other hand, many are discouraged from organizing their closets because it just doesn’t last long. The hunt for your favorite tee can easily turn your closet upside down and that’s when you feel like organizing it in the first place was a waste of time! But before you give up on the idea of maintaining a neat and tidy closet altogether, take a look at our surefire ways to organize wardrobes and keep ‘em that way!

  1. Do Away with Unused Clothes

Before you begin to organize your closet, it makes sense to maximize the space. There is only one way of doing this and you know it. All those clothes you’ve holding on to for sentimental reasons but haven’t worn in years; it’s time to say goodbye to them. Maintaining order in your closet is so much easier when you have more space. What’s more, those clothes that don’t fit you anymore can be given to someone who could definitely make use of them.

  1. Store Wisely

By this we mean putting away clothes in a manner that is convenient to find particular items. For example, store formal clothes on hangers while folding your t-shirts and stacking them together in one pile or on a separate shelf with your jeans. It’s also handy to color-coordinate clothes in your closet for easy accessibility. This ensures that you don’t mess up your entire wardrobe looking for a particular item. Another useful tip is to hang bulky items up for more neatness on your shelves.

  1. Use Drawers for Delicates

Many people choose to store delicates in their closet which really doesn’t take up much space; but it can be hard to keep them organized as they are smaller articles of clothing. We suggest you clean out a drawer in your dresser to hold your delicates and other smaller items like socks, scarves and headgear to avoid losing them among your clothes.

  1. Stick to the Rules!

When you’re putting clothes away, stick to the theme you have in place (color-coordination, similar items clubbed, etc). The minute you put something in the wrong stack in a hurry, you have an excuse to do it again. That’s generally how it works for most of us; “I’ve put a yellow with the reds, another one won’t matter”. Well, it does! In fact, sticking to the rules are fairly easy because it makes putting clothes away much more convenient.

  1. The Pull-Out, Put-Back Habit

We often pull out several clothing items when trying to put together the perfect outfit. Where do these clothes end up? Dumped around your room or shoved back in to your closet, of course! That is an absolute no-no. Whatever you pull out that you aren’t going to wear, needs to be put back inside (and neatly). This habit (and the tips above) will go a long way in keeping your closet organized and clothes where they belong!