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Top 10 Tips for Tackling Allergy and Asthma Flare-ups
The experts maids at Merry Maids offer tips on establishing healthy homes

As spring unfolds, humidity and blooming trees and plants can not only cause allergy flare-ups outdoors, but also indoors due to pollen dust and mildew build-up. To help prevent unhealthy home environments, the experts at Merry Maids recommend the following home cleaning tips:

Dealing with Dust:

1. Always clean top to bottom. When you dust, start at the top and work down. Tackle fan blades, cornices and tops of taller furniture first.

2. To dust papered walls, tie a dust-cloth over your broom.

3. Use paintbrushes to dust cracks and hard to reach places.

4. Remove dust from wicker by vacuuming with the dust brush attachment.

5. Spray your broom or dust mop with your favorite furniture polish and the dust and dirt will be easier to collect when you sweep.

6. Cover mattresses and pillows with special encasings to protect against dust mites. Every two weeks wash sheets in very hot water for at least 10 minutes.


Defeating Mighty Mildew:

7. To remove mildew from the corners of the tub, dip cotton balls in bleach* and let them sit. When you finish cleaning the bath, remove cotton and rinse well. The mildew will be gone.

8. Before hanging shower curtains, soak in a saltwater solution to prevent mildew. To remove mildew, wash in hot soapy water and rub with lemon juice.

9. Remove mildew on bathroom tiles and make them sparkle by sponging with a solution of ammonia* and water.

10. For mildewed grout in tub and shower enclosures, scrub with a 1:5 solution of liquid chlorine bleach* and water, then rinse. For colored grout: if the grout is old and dirty, you'll want to clean it with a heavy-duty (no bleach) cleaner and a grout brush. Once the grout is clean, apply a coat of masonry sealer to prevent it from absorbing stains and dirt in the future.

*Thoroughly rinse surfaces cleaned with bleach or ammonia to avoid harm caused by mixing these two chemicals.

 

©2008 Merry Maids Limited Partnership. All rights reserved.
Founded in 1979, Merry Maids is the largest home cleaning provider in the nation, providing customized residential cleaning services through more than 900 franchises and branches in the United States and 1,400 franchises worldwide. Merry Maids is a part of the ServiceMaster^® Family of Brands, which serves more than 10.5 million customers in the United States and in 39 countries around the world and includes seven market-leading companies that provide a wide range of related home services. For more information on residential cleaning, visit the Merry Maids Web site at www.merrymaids.com or call 1-800-MERRYMAIDS.

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