The House Cleaner's Guide to Life

What it means to be the best... PINK STYLE

2012-01-29T20:56:00.000-08:00

We are happy to announce that we were voted "Best Cleaning Service" In the Wayzata area Sun Sailor Newspaper. This is quite amazing for us, as the ballots for this were write-ins only. It has made us really ponder what it means to be the best at something...

It means that it’s never enough. Ever. It means that you don't give up until you have reached perfection. You tweak constantly. You document what works and what doesn't. Above all you never, ever quit. To be the best at something you must wake up every morning and want things to be better than yesterday, even if yesterday was the best day of your life.

As our world around us changes, so must our idea of "being the best". We must predict everyone else's next step and be two ahead of them. That means we eat, breathe, and sleep our passion.

For us that passion is clean homes. For Erin it has meant long hours trying new cleaning products, procedures, and techniques; all to get the perfect ratio for our cleaning teams. Erin is always researching new cleaning mixtures and new equipment and new technologies. She is never idol. Erin leads In The Pink with tenacity and determination to be the BEST, not just in Wayzata, but all over the Twin Cities.

Erin has the passion that annoys most, just ask Kim, our Service Director. She is constantly running new ideas past Kim for her approval or laughter! But it’s that constant churning of new ideas in her brain that will eventually lead to a jewel of an idea. But that’s just the first step in a long process to perfection. According to Erin, we have a long way yet down that road.

The ITP passion doesn't end with Erin. She has somehow successfully embossed that on her entire staff. Everyone here at ITP is obsessed with clean homes. We double, triple check our work, we work in teams so there are always at least 2 sets of eyes and we use state of the art cleaning equipment, procedures, and products.

Being recognized as the best at something is really just the beginning. It just means that someone else has noticed your efforts, but by all means that does not mean slow down.

For us, our Best is yet to come.

I have this new saying...

2011-11-06T19:40:00.000-08:00

Scrub like everyone is watching, dust like you’ve never broken anything, and Vacuum like no one can hear you.

When I think about what that means, it's true. When your're cleaning you should clean like your mom is looking over your shoulder watching you. You should dust like you've never dropped and broke anything. You should vacuum like no one can hear you move everything in the room.

That is the kind of passion I teach my staff to have. Nothing is worth doing it if you can't give it you're best. We are constantly learning new techniques, trying new tools and equipment for cleaning, just to keep the passion alive.

If you hate cleaning you will never have the passion it requires to do it with excellence.

That is true with everything you do. If you hate it, don't do it. Do what's passionate for you. For me it's cleaning. It hasn't always been that way. When I ,was younger I hated it and all it stood for. However as I get older not only do I have respect for it as general labor of love, but the mental cleansing I get from doing simple things like clearing my kitchen counter tops of clutter. I can truly appreciate a clean home now, knowing what it takes to get one that way.

My staff too understand it. They think I'm cleaning nuts, but the longer they are employed with me the more I see their passion grow. They begin to see the benefits of a clean environment. Not just clean as in no dirt, but visually clean as well, like no clutter.

I have always believed that a clean space clear of clutter is the best place to grow ideas. With less distractions in your physical environment, the more you can concentrate on the creative ideas that power our lives.

So try clearing all your kitchen counter tops, or maybe the desk of your home office and be prepared to feel more motivated, more clear, and more passionate. Maybe your passion isn't cleaning, but the benefits of a clean space can't hurt your efforts.

Cleaning for a Reason- Never a better one

2011-10-23T16:30:00.000-07:00

It's October and its Breast Cancer Awareness Month. We have had the pleasure over the last three years helping Twin Cities women with breast breathe a little easier during their cancer treatments. You see, for the last three years we have been a part of the non-profit, Cleaning for a Reason. With their administration and our cleaners we give 3-5 free cleans for women facing the battle against cancer.

It is some of the most rewarding cleaning we do. When we clean in a home where someone is being treated for cancer we don't just clean, we sanitize and kill as many germs as we can. People in treatment for cancer and on chemotherapy have compromised immune systems and need to be in a clean environment to stay healthy. We clean all switch plates, door handles, and hand railings, some of the germiest places in our client’s homes.

If you know someone who is toughing out the battle with cancer you can nominate them for this free service by going to www.cleaningforareason.org and filling out their form.

In addition to providing free cleaning to these patients we also donate a portion of our profits each month to the organization itself so that this service can be provided all over the country not just here in Twin Cities and Texas, where the non-profit started.

In the month of October we were our pink uniforms with pride and support for this cause. We will help find a cure and make the lives of cancer patients just a bit better, even if just with a clean home.

Cleaning Mistake #11

2011-08-28T19:20:00.000-07:00

Ever clean your mirrors in the morning to just find in the afternoon that they are smeary?

If that has ever happened to you, it's because you are cleaning the mirror with the wrong product.

Especially in the summer if the sun has been beating on your mirrors through a window and you spray glass cleaner on them to clean them- they will turn out streaky- probably clean- just streaky.

Cleaning say a bathroom mirror after the vanity lights have been on for a while and have made the mirror warm will have the same effect. It will make you want to pull your hair out.

There are 2 problems with this. 1- never clean a warm or hot mirror, wait until the mirror is in the shade or turn off the lights right above it for a minute to let it cool off. 2- never use glass cleaner to clean your mirrors

I know we can hear it form here, your thinking "OK, smarty pants, then what in the world should I clean my mirrors with?" Well, just keep calm and have a cupcake. Let me share a little secret with you...

Nothing, yep that's right, nothing... but a rag and water. Those 2 items (well technically 3 as you need 2 rags, but you get the picture) will do a better job cleaning than any product on the market.

I'm not nuts! Just try it before you laugh! follow these instructions to flawless glass, mirrors, and windows.

1- Take one clean rag and wet it down with warm water, ring out.
2- Wipe the mirror with the wet rag, using some elbow grease where you see finger prints and the such.
3- Take the 2nd rag- still dry and clean- and wipe the mirror down to dry it off and buff it out.

One note, if you have been using blue, purple, or green glass cleaner on your mirrors for years, you may have to repeat the above process up to 3 times to get all the build- up off that those products leave behind.

Oh, I almost forgot 4- Stand back and admire the clean, non- streaky mirror and go get a coffee with the $3 you will save from not having to buy glass cleaner any more!