Tag Archives: cleaning up

Cleaning vs. Sanitizing vs. Disinfecting

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Let’s be honest; we all love having a clean, spick-and-span environment. In fact, this reason is why we continually clean our homes to help take pride in our properties and to reduce the spread of bacteria and germs. Yet, cleaning your home is a generic term we often misuse. In fact, you will find that cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting all have distinct definitions. For instance, the level of cleanliness differs. How clean a dish is after washing it with soap and water is very different from how clean a scalpel is before a surgeon performs surgery. To further explain, here are the differences between cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting:

Cleaning

To clean something is to remove any visible dirt or debris physically. We do this all the time in our homes, from washing dishes, vacuuming, sweeping, and dusting. Additionally, cleaning will also facilitate the use of water and detergent, sometimes like wiping down your countertops with soap and water. However, water and soap do not kill germs. Adding water to the cleaning process is more or less to dilute the number of germs on a given surface.

Sanitizing

To be more thorough, the method will be sanitizing. This process kills 99.99% of germs and bacteria that can be health hazards. It is more used for things that may enter our bodies, such as food. You can sanitize an area or surface with strong chemicals, as well as extreme heats reaching over 170 degrees Fahrenheit. Hence why dishwashers use intense heat to help reduce the number of unwanted fungi and bacteria.

Disinfecting

Lastly, disinfecting is the most thorough of the processes. Disinfecting something kills the germs, fungi, and bacteria completely. This process is done with powerful chemicals, UV-C germicidal short wavelengths, ultraviolet lights, and other machinery. This process is not typically done in our homes. It is a process used for hospitals prior to surgeries.

Knowing these three methods can help you prioritize them. Try to clean your home and remove visible debris and dirt frequently. It is a great habit to achieve daily. For instance, you can sanitize your home during the weekends or, when needed, in high-bacteria areas or food prep areas. Lastly, you will only try to disinfect your home if you know sickness is afoot in your home. Go the extra steps when you have someone extremely sick to help prevent the spread.

Three Places You Are Forgetting to Clean

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Cleaning our homes can become somewhat of a ritual. You begin to form habits and techniques for keeping your own home spic and span. However, as we develop these habits, areas in our homes that do not need to be cleaned as often can become forgotten. It is easy to remember to do your dishes when you use them every day; however, less frequent or annual tasks can easily be overlooked.

Dusting Fans and Baseboards

Dust accumulates very easily around homes. It is easy to remember all the surface areas that we come in contact with daily. However, out of sight, out of mind can easily apply to dust. Our baseboards can collect a ton of dust. Remember to give them a quick wipe down every now and then to prevent the accumulation. Also, our ceiling fans harvest dust very easily as well. Wiping the top side of the ceiling fan is a vital spot to hit when dusting. Make sure you are not forgetting these two areas!

Grout Lines

Grout is very porous and can absorb a lot of unwanted debris and stains. This happens throughout our high traffic areas in our homes. Once-light grout lines can become mucked and darkened over time. This can look like this is the way it should be; however, these grout lines are incredibly dirty. Make sure to use grout cleaner or your own homemade cleaner to polish up your grout lines in tiled areas of your home.

Steam Clean Carpets

We can remember to vacuum our carpets pretty easily. There is something satisfying about fresh vacuum lines on carpet. Yet, we may forget that many carpet manufacturers recommend steam cleaning your carpet once a year. This means you should remove furniture from the room and steam your carpet. Your fibers can collect dirt deep down inside them, which the steam can penetrate out of them. Remembering to do this may easily slip your mind without creating a reminder.

These are just some simple reminders for cleaning your home to keep in your arsenal. Did you forget any of these three? What are some recommendations of areas that you have forgotten or want to remind others? Let us hear from you below in the comment section!

Selling your Old House – Clutter

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9831625_MWhen you’re ready to buy a new Fulton Home, if you’re already a homeowner, part of the process is selling your current home. You may want to check into the Fulton Homes Trade In Program. Many buyers of new Fulton Homes will qualify for the program, which offers three options for handling your current house. Visit our Trade-In Program website for information on your choices.

Even with help from Fulton Homes, you still will benefit from preparing your home properly for sale. The first step is clearing out any clutter. You’ll hear this from realtors all the time, but they may not tell you why this is so important. Here are three key reasons why eliminating clutter will help sell your home for top dollar.

Clutter makes your Home look smaller: Subconsciously, potential buyers who see a cluttered home think that the home doesn’t have enough closet or storage space. Clutter also makes a room feel smaller than it is. Many people want to buy a home to give them more space, and your clutter says they won’t find the space they want in your house.

Clutter makes your home feel too personal: People want to imagine the home as theirs. Your clutter makes it clear that the home is yours, so that they can’t picture themselves in the space. This is also the reason to eliminate any family photos, drawings and notes on the refrigerator, and anything else that makes your home obviously yours. People need that extra space to picture their own furniture and accessories.

Clutter distracts: Too much clutter can keep potential buyers from noticing the special features of your home. A fireplace that’s blocked by toys or magazines isn’t a focal point for a room anymore. Beautiful bow windows can be hidden by a room with too much furniture. Most people can’t visualize your home without all your things in it.

If you just have too much stuff to clear your home easily, rent a storage unit for a few months. And don’t dump it all in the garage – you’ll just make the garage look too small. First clear out all the extras, then eliminate at least some of the furniture – just keep saying “less is more” to yourself, and ask your realtor for advice as to when you’ve cleared enough to make your home totally sellable.