Shop

Spring Clean Challenge winner announced

 
winner_spring_clean_challenge_Amy_Hare
winner_spring_clean_challenge_Amy_Hare
For demonstrating a stubborn commitment to cleanliness by tackling a month’s worth of daily chores, Amy will receive 3 months of bi-weekly residential cleaning services from Goldstar. (That’s quite a return on investment!) “It was just a perfect prize to win,” Amy tells Goldstar. “The 31 day challenge was definitely a good motivator to get things done.” Amy, a travel agent who works from home, estimates that she and her husband completed three-quarters of the assigned tasks during the Spring Clean Challenge. Amy says she also worked hard to keep the house clean, despite the best efforts of her two-and-a-half-year-old twins. “Often, they’ll get something dirty while you’re in the middle of cleaning it,” she jokes. In her application, Amy stated that her least-favourite household chore was “dusting and cleaning the walls in my house.” “I live in a round dome house, and my walls don’t often get dusted, ” Amy explains. We’ll be sure to tackle that unpleasant chore first! Goldstar will begin cleaning Amy’s house later this week, so stay tuned. Thank you to all the participants in the Spring Clean Challenge. Due to an overwhelming response, we will be hosting the challenge again next year. In the meantime, stay tuned for the 2nd Annual Goldstar Extreme Makeover: Clean Home Edition, coming this fall.

8 time-saving spring cleaning tips

There’s no way around it – spring cleaning takes work. But if you’ve been following our 31-day Spring Clean Challenge, you know that the most effective way to tackle a big job is to turn it into several smaller jobs. Well, here are eight more time-saving tips to help you along.
Put together a cleaning caddy to keep your cleaning supplies close by (istockphoto)
Put together a cleaning caddy to keep your cleaning supplies close by (istockphoto)
Make a cleaning caddy You can find these handy organizing buckets at most hardware stores. Fill the caddy with multipurpose cleaners, microfiber cloths and dish soap. That way, you’ll always have your basic cleaning tools on hand as you move about the house. Find a place for everything Tackle large piles of clutter by subdividing the task into smaller pieces. Label a set of Rubbermaid containers with general areas in your home – kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, bedroom, office, garbage etc. Before you begin cleaning a room, place clutter into the appropriate box and place the box it in the room where the items belong. Once you’ve finished your cleaning for the day, sort through each box and find a home for your stuff. Repeat as necessary. (This is also a good way to sort through items when planning a garage sale.) Move your furniture and appliances just enough to clean around them Unless you’re steam cleaning the carpets, there’s no need to clear a room of all furniture before you start. When vacuuming, simply move those big items a little to the left or to the right, vacuum the area previously occupied by the furniture and then move it back into place. As an additional task: check the pads on the feet of your chairs and couches, and replace any that are dirty to prevent scratching your floors.
A squeegee is your best friend when it comes to washing windows (istockphoto)
A squeegee is your best friend when it comes to washing windows (istockphoto)
Use all the tools in your cleaning armada Do you use the attachments that came your vacuum cleaner? You should. The upholstery brush attachment is perfect for cleaning cushions and drapes, while the crevice attachment can get into tight spots with ease. You can also use an extending rod to clean up high. And when cleaning windows outside, save time (and a small fortune in paper towels) by using a squeegee with a pole attachment. Let water do your work Metal and plastic blinds can be removed from the window and cleaned outside. Scrub down the blinds with soapy water, then spray them clean with a garden hose. Lay the blinds flat on a towel to dry in the sun. Garbage cans, plastic furniture and toys can also be hosed down. Doing the work work outside will prevent you from accidentally bringing dirt and grime back in your house. Make a lost and found box Don’t waste time fretting about where to put that orphaned sock or how to neatly arrange your collection of extra shirt buttons. Instead, set aside a container for items that have no obvious home. Then you can resume your cleaning duties and worry about the little details later. Identify and eliminate clutter hotspots My personal hotspot is right next to the microwave on the kitchen counter. It’s a magnet for pieces of mail, flyers, old receipts and other documents I’m too lazy to sort. The trick to keeping such spaces clean is to remove the temptation; once you’ve cleared a hotspot, put something in its place – a lamp, a vase with some flowers or an art object – to block the clutter from re-appearing Get rid of dust at the source A lot of the dust in your house gets recirculated by dirty air filters, vents and fan blades.  Remove dust and dirt from ceiling fans and air-conditioner vents with a cloth and a vacuum with a soft nozzle attachment. Replace your air filters regularly, according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Take the Spring Clean Challenge and Win!

We could all use a little motivation to get the chores done. Goldstar has 31 days’ worth. Starting May 1, Goldstar Cleaning Services is launching its Spring Clean Challenge,  a 31-day regiment designed to take your home from drab to fab in time for summer. “The Spring Clean Challenge focuses on what people can do individually, each day, to de-clutter and clean up,” explains Goldstar owner Jill Barclay. “Each task is small, but over the course of the month, it adds up to a clean home.” And there’s an added bonus: those who participate in the challenge will be entered into a draw for three months of bi-weekly residential cleaning from Goldstar’s professional cleaning staff. Here’s how to enter: -Go to Goldstar’s Facebook page  (Goldstar Cleaning Services Ltd.) and click “Like” -Follow the daily tasks posted on Goldstar’s wall. (Don’t worry, the tasks will be simple, like cleaning out from underneath the kitchen sink, or sorting through the medicine cabinet.) -Register at https://apps.facebook.com/easypromos/register/85205. Post your feedback when you’ve completed a task. You can also post photos or personal testimonies. Goldstar will also be posting cleaning tips throughout the month, to help you along. -At the end of the month, all registered participants will be entered in the draw. The more tasks you complete, the more chances you have to win!
Good luck, and be sure to follow Goldstar’s Facebook page throughout the month of May to finish as much of the Spring Clean Challenge as possible!