Keeping Home and Pets Safe During Monsoon Season

                                                     

We anxiously await the rain that our area so desperately needs, but as thankful as we may be for the
moisture, we quickly realize that there are concerns during this time of the year. Mold and
mildew can create health issues and the additional dirt, debris and germs that enter our homes
can cause us trouble down the line. Here are a few tips to help us a stay safe and healthy this
summer monsoon season.

Wash your hands regularly - Additional germs and allergens are growing during this time of the
year. We bring them in on our hands and feet and on our clothing. Don’t allow wet or damp
clothing to set in a hamper, wash and dry it immediately to avoid mildew and germs. Shoes are
bound to get wet. Clean footwear regularly and make sure shoes are completely dry before
wearing again. Use antibacterial foot powder.

Keep kitchens and bathrooms clean. Check in areas that sometimes don’t get cleaned every
time, like high corners above the shower, behind and under things, window tracks and sills.
These are all areas that can collect mildew, dirt and germs.

Keep windows closed when you leave the house. As you know, it may be sunny one minute
and a cloud burst the next. Water entering through an open window can damage sills, walls,
curtains, furniture and floors. Open windows again when you are home and it is not raining.
Your home needs as much fresh air ventilation as possible.

Make sure to use area rugs on the interior and exterior side of each door to the outside. Leave
soiled shoes in a shoe rack instead of walking around the house and spreading the dirt and
germs.

Remove any containers or buckets outside that may collect rainwater. Once the rain stops and
the sun comes out, that standing water is a place for mosquitos and other pests to gather and
breed. Keep pets clean and teach them to wipe their paws on the rug outside (yes, they can
learn that), or you can wipe their feet.

Keep furniture clean and dry and disinfect all hard surfaces often. Outside of appliances, walls,
fixtures, door handles, ceiling fans can all collect dirt and germs.

Make sure your pets are safe during the thunderstorms. Many normally well behaved pets
totally “lose it” during the storms and will dart out of the door, or over a fence. Some people
have had success with the “Thunder shirts” that can be purchased at most pet stores. If you
don’t have one of those, and your dog or cat is sensitive to the sounds of thunder, place a crate
with a comfortable blanket, one of your t-shirts and a toy inside, in an interior bathroom or closet
with a little radio or music playing. You can cover the crate with a sheet. The crate serves as a
“den” which is a natural comfort for most dogs and cats and is a safe place for them until the
storm subsides. Micro chip your pets so that if they do get separated from you, they will have a
better chance of returning home safely.

After the monsoon season, it is a perfect time to get windows, tracks and sills professionally
cleaned and carpeting and draperies professionally cleaned to prepare for the winter and to
avoid the continued growth of mold and mildew.

Have a great summer and be safe and healthy.

THE VACATION RENTAL EXPERIENCE

There is a lot of talk out there about vacation rentals in Prescott.  Some are in support and some are against the vacation rental industry here in Prescott and the surrounding communities.  Regardless of what side of the fence you are on, the fact is that people want to come here and enjoy the many things this area has to offer. 

The Prescott area continues to be named “The Best” in many publications and surveys including:

#1     “Best Place to Retire” – escapehere.com
#13     “Happiest Healthiest City” in the country – Sunset Magazine
#5    “Best Arizona Attraction” – USA TODAY
#3    “100 Best Places To Retire” – topretirements.com
#1    “Best Destination for Nature Lovers” – Expedia

With all of this in mind, owners of vacation rentals need quality, professional and reliable service to keep the properties in shape and cleaned between renters.  Many owners work out of the area or just don’t have the time to manage the maintenance and cleaning required to provide a successful vacation rental.  It is important to have a bonded and insured company overseeing the ongoing cleaning schedule.

The company should:
*Provide quality cleaning
*Handle laundry service
*Monitor condition of the property
*Report damage or excessive use
*Provide pictures of property condition to owner
*Be available to make minor repairs
*Report daily maintenance issues such as light bulbs, batteries in fire alarms
*Restock supplies and snacks
*Take care of outside yard maintenance
*Respond to renters needs when requested
*Provide professional window and floor cleaning

I am sometimes amazed at how lucky I am

to be able to live every day in a place that many people spend their valuable vacation time to visit.  I am able to look out my window and watch as people from all walks of life enjoy the trails and the outdoors.  It is very important that visitors are able to return to a clean and comfortable place to stay while here.  It is our goal at Prescott Maid to Order to help owners provide a positive and wonderful experience for their renters.

Finding A Star in a Home Service Provider

With such a huge array of choices these days of home service providers,  how does one choose the right company for the the job, a “Star” of sorts in the industry that they represent?  Of course it depends on the type of work that needs to be done, however, many of the same important factors will apply.

When searching for the right company:  *Make sure to check the companies ​reputation online​.  Choose sites that you trust such as Yelp, BBB, Home Advisor and even Facebook reviews.  Take a look at how they rate compared to other companies within the same field.

 -Check for​ licensing, bonding and insurance​.  If someone is coming into your home for any type of work, you should make sure that they are qualified and carry the appropriate licensing and insurance for the job.

 -Is the company a member of​ trusted organizations​ in the community?  A good sign of a reputable company is its involvement in the community and in the organizations that require a level of professionalism and accountability.  Some of these types of organizations may be the local Chamber of Commerce, trade organizations, community groups, local and national charitable organizations etc.

 -Does the company in question have​ policies, procedures and training​ for its employees and personnel? If so, you will more likely receive consistent, quality work across the board and be assured that the best practices are being applied to the job.

 -How long has the company been in business? ​Longevity​ often provides stability and offers a sense professionalism.  It allows a company to build a reputation within the community and allows a potential customer the ability to research the history of that company.

 -​Ask a friend​.  Referrals are often an excellent source of information when seeking a qualified service provider.  You can ask them questions about their experience and depending on the type of service, you may even be able to see the work in question.

 -Get a written estimate​ before work begins.  Avoid estimates over the phone and promises without real information.  Most services done in and for your home will require an in person walk through.  Make sure that the company is thorough in their walk through and seems knowledgeable about their area of expertise.

Most importantly, you must ​feel comfortable ​with those you will be hiring to do work in and around your home.  Meet the person who will be your main contact if possible.  Make sure that they are a Star in their field.  Here at Prescott Maid to Order, we offer Stars every day for every job

Cleaning During and After this Pandemic

Covid-19 has changed our lives, our livelihoods and our businesses.  It is essential that our community does everything in it's power to minimize the spread.  Steps need to be taken on an individual, company wide, and community wide basis to protect ourselves, our families and the public.

We have heard over and over that keeping our hands and our environment clean is a top priority AND to keep our distance from other people.  We here at Prescott Maid to Order are proactively and strategically, planning and training so that we can be here to assist our clients both residential and commercial in cleaning and disinfecting their environment.

We are in prevention mode, working with our businesses, schools, offices and residential clients to clean and kill the virus on surfaces and keeping those surfaces sanitized.  This takes careful planning and training of all of our management and employees.  Steps are in place to make sure we practice social distancing and minimize any contact with our clients.  Training is in place to make sure that every area that needs to be addressed is carefully and thoroughly cleaned and executed while also protecting the health of our employees.

Soon, hopefully, the virus will subside and we will be in clean up mode.  During this phase, we will be working with businesses, industry, schools and our residential clients to get things cleaned up and ready to bring employees back in and get homes cleaned up after the quarantine period.

We are here and available to do what it takes to keep your home an business clean and sanitized during and after this pandemic.

Simplify and "Clean Up" this Spring

Ready for the Spring?  Feeling overwhelmed with your current day to day tasks? Feeling guilty about what you don’t accomplish? Afraid to make those big household project plans because there is just “not enough time”?  Everyone feels these types of feelings at some time or another or in some cases...always.  In an effort to “simplify” the day to day, here are some suggestions to consider:

    • EVALUATE HOW SPEND YOUR TIME – Make a list.  Put the priorities on top.  List the things that can be done by someone else and hire it out or ask for help. Limit the extras and eliminate the junk.

    • SLOW DOWN – We often sacrifice the important things to satisfy accomplishing everything. Families often running in different directions, work and career obligations, school activities, community and church events, household chores and so many other things keep us from slowing down and spending the appropriate amount of time on the appropriate activities.  Take stock and make priorities.
     
    • DE-CLUTTER – Own less, get rid of the “stuff”, clear out and clean up.  Either in one big project or just a little at a time.  Too many material possessions complicate our days and consume our attention.  Clean out the closet, organize the garage, get rid of the stuff that you haven’t used in the last year.  Do you really need it?  Does it ad value to your life? Donate the good stuff, it feels good.
     
    • DELEGATE – Take a load off.  Let someone else do it.  We see this all the time in our industry.  Clients are just “done” doing the stuff they have done themselves for many years. They call us and say, I just don’t want to spend my valuable time cleaning.  Hire a reputable company to come in and help do the things that you don’t want to do.  You will find yourself feeling lighter and happier when it is done…..by someone else.
     
    • COMPLAIN LESS -  You’ve no doubt heard the story of  the 2 fighting wolves inside all of us.  The one with good thoughts and deeds and the one that spreads negativity and unhappiness.  It is the one that you feed that ultimately wins.
     
    • SERVE OTHERS – There is no better feeling than helping someone.  When we serve, we lose ourselves.  At Maid to Order, we help people achieve the tasks that they need done.  Some are unable to do the physical work any more. It’s a great feeling.

In your efforts to simplify and clean up your life this Spring, we hope you will call us to help you with your goals.  We look forward to this beautiful time of year.  We want to work with the people in our community to help them with their cleaning needs in their homes and businesses.  Prescott Maid to Order and MTO Janitorial wish you a beautiful Spring and Summer!

Business Serving the Community

We are a small community of dedicated citizens, employees, business owners and consumers.  It is important to everyone concerned that our community businesses grow and flourish.  While trying to grow a business, many companies locally and nationwide are seeing the value in serving their community and the world at large.  Whether it be on a large or small scale, the value of volunteerism, contribution and service is of unlimited worth.  The pioneers who colonized the west established honored traditions of unselfish cooperation for the common good. Here are some quotes by prominent figures:

“Without community service, we would not have a strong quality of life. It's important to the person who serves as well as the recipient. It's the way in which we ourselves grow and develop.”
Dorothy Height

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”  - ​ Mahatma Gandhi 
“Life’s most persistent and urgent question is “What are you doing for others?”- ​
Martin Luther King

 “Look for ways to bless the lives of others through seemingly simple acts of service." - ​ Steven E. Snow ​ .

For businesses, being active in community service renders the opportunity to connect with fellow business owners, clients, friends and neighbors.  It enhances the businesses presence and increases a sense of fellowship and connection to the people within that community. In an article by Forbes/Entrepreneurs it states “​Multiple studies and surveys​ have found that both employee morale and retention increased when a company was more engaged with the community. Many employees reported being happier at their jobs when they felt like they could make a positive difference.”  “By involving employees in the process, businesses can increase worker retention, which can save thousands of dollars each year.”

There are so many ways to serve such as: event sponsorship's like marathons and walk-a-thons to raise money for charitable organizations, volunteering at the hospital or for organizations such as People Who Care, Helping Hands, Habitat for Humanity, donations in the name of the business or food donations for local food banks,  serving on committees and boards in the community, and creating campaigns for a cause such as The Forever Home Program that we are doing here at Maid to Order (pictured above).

Each business needs to find the cause or organization that fits best with it’s type of business and will work toward the goal of the company.  For instance, a health related company may want to sponsor a 5k run to promote health and well being.

Whatever the cause and however the business gets involved, it is a “win win” situation for all involved. We have a community filled with available opportunities and caring companies to help fill the need.  We at Prescott Maid to Order and MTO Janitorial appreciate our community and all of its great businesses and citizens.

Get Your Home Ready For Spring

This is the time of year that we start thinking about warmer weather.  There are things that need to be done to prepare your home for the upcoming Spring and Summer.  Spring and Fall are optimum times during the year to take care of several semiannual tasks around the house.

The outside of your home is where you will be spending much of your time as the weather continues to warm up and the leaves start to come back.  Clear gutters and downspouts of debris and leaves that have collected throughout the year.  Consider some new landscape projects, tree planting, designing the garden you’ve always wanted, adding a deck or adding rock landscape.  It’s time to start planning these projects and preparing the ground, clearing out old plants, bushes, trees and weeds to make way for your outdoor dream yard.

Don’t forget the top of your house that protects everything inside.  Inspect the roof for loose, broken or missing shingles or tiles.  You may want to have a professional roofer do an inspection so that you are confident that you are ready for the summer monsoon season.  If you have a wood burning fireplace, this is a good time to have the chimney swept and checked for excessive soot, leaves, bird nests etc.

Windows, windows, windows!  How else to enjoy the outdoors while inside than to have beautiful sparkling clean windows.  Make sure that the window cleaning includes cleaning out the tracks and cleaning the screens.  Look up high and down low. Other interior spring cleaning tasks would include cleaning the fans and light fixtures, getting up and getting all the dust off of those high pot shelves and cleaning doors and door frames. Down low would be cleaning under beds, couches and scrubbing those baseboards that collect so much dust.

Lastly, but very importantly, would be to test all of your emergency systems including fire and smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors.  Replace batteries and make sure all systems are clean, charged and in working order.

Hire professionals that are bonded, insured and businesses that are locally owned.  They can make sure the jobs are done correctly and safely, and you can feel good that you are contributing to the health of our Quad City area economy.

We here are Maid to Order hope you have a beautiful and clean spring!!
www.prescottmaidtoorder.com
Prescott Arizona
Prescott Valley Arizona
928-899-8518