We move things and clean under them

Every visit follows the same order

A recurring visit works best when it runs the same way every time. We start high and work down. Ceiling fan blades and the tops of door frames get dusted first, and baseboards get done near the end. Dust falls as it comes loose, so anything cleaned early would be dirty again if we went the other way. Floors are the last job in every room, after everything above them is finished. That order is why the house still looks clean the next morning.

The difference between a quick wipe and real cleaning is what happens to the things sitting on a surface. We pick up the lamp and the picture frames. We clean the wood under them, then put everything back. One of our regular clients put it this way: “They don’t dust around things, they actually move them!” Light furniture gets moved too. That means the baseboards behind a couch get cleaned instead of skipped. Leave that step out for a few months and a gray line of dust builds up along every wall.

Kitchens and bathrooms get the most time on every visit, because those are the rooms your family uses hardest between cleanings. In the kitchen we clean the counters and the stovetop and wipe the cabinet fronts where hands grab them. In the bathroom we scrub the shower and the toilet, then clean the mirror and the faucets. We also wipe out the sliding glass door track. That groove fills with grit, and the door grinds on it every time someone opens it. Most people never look down there until the door starts to stick.

• A reminder before every scheduled visit
• High ledges and fan blades dusted
• Light furniture moved to clean behind it
• Kitchen and bathrooms cleaned on every visit
• Floors vacuumed and mopped as the last step

Reno wind pushes dust into the house

Reno sits in high desert, and the air is dry most of the year. Afternoon wind picks up fine dirt from open lots and the hills and pushes it through every gap it can find. It comes in under doors and around window frames, and it settles on flat surfaces within days. Dry air makes it worse, because dust stays in the air longer and clings to TV screens and electronics with static. A house here can look dusty again much sooner than the same house would somewhere humid.

Summer adds wildfire smoke. On bad days a fine gray film lands on window sills and patio door glass, and it smears if you wipe it dry. We use a damp cloth first and then dry the surface so it does not streak. Winter brings its own mess. Snow melts off boots, and the sand spread on icy roads rides in on shoes and paws. That grit is sharp, and on a wood or vinyl plank entry it scratches the finish every time someone walks over it.

This is the reason a regular schedule pays off in this climate. Dust that sits for a week wipes off in one pass. Dust that sits for two months mixes with cooking grease and skin oil and turns into a film that needs scrubbing. The same goes for the entry. Grit that gets swept up often never has time to wear a path into the floor. Regular visits keep the house at the point where each cleaning is upkeep, and nobody has to start over.

Newer and older homes need different attention

Many homes in Sparks and Spanish Springs are two-story stucco tract houses with vaulted ceilings and carpeted stairs. Those homes tend to have a high plant ledge above the entry and ceiling fans nobody can reach from the floor. Dust up there is out of sight, but it does not stay put. The furnace blows it back down every time it runs. The stairs catch whatever falls from the second floor. We vacuum each step and the edge next to the wall.

Older houses near downtown Reno are a different job. Many are brick or wood frame, with original wood floors and older windows. Old windows leak air, so the sills and tracks collect more dust than they would in a newer house. Wood floors get a mop that is barely damp, because standing water works into the seams and lifts the boards. The trim around doors and windows has ridges and corners that hold dust, and a fast swipe misses most of it. We run a cloth along every edge.

Out in Sun Valley and Lemmon Valley, many homes are manufactured houses or ranch homes on larger lots with dirt or gravel yards. Every trip outside brings some of that yard back in, especially with dogs. The entry and the hallway carpet take most of the wear, so they get the most vacuum time. Many manufactured homes have vinyl-covered wall panels, and those need a soft cloth and a mild cleaner. A scrub pad can take the printed pattern right off the vinyl.

You get a reminder before each visit

You decide how often we come, and the right answer depends on how the house gets used. A couple with no pets might do fine with monthly maintenance. A family with small kids and a dog usually needs us more often, because the floors and bathrooms get dirty faster. Tell us about the house when you call, and we will tell you what we would suggest. The final call on the schedule is yours.

Before each visit you get a reminder. Cleaning day never catches you off guard. One client praised this. The client wrote, "Maria always sends me reminders when she's scheduled to clean which I really appreciate." The reminder is useful for another reason too. Tell us what changed since your last visit. Maybe you had guests over the weekend. Maybe the dog got into the mud after a rain. Tell us, and we will plan more time for that room.

Plans change, and a visit sometimes has to move. Call (775) 285-6899 as early as you can. We will find another day that works. One client praised the team's flexibility. The client wrote, "flexible with scheduling as I called them last minute and they made it work." Another client shared a similar story. That client wrote, "The power cut out right before they came and were able to do the cleaning anyway!" A recurring schedule keeps the house on track. We would rather move a visit than skip it.