9 Simple Cleaning Tips to Keep Cross Contamination in Check

Whether you’re in the car, at work, or at home, cleaning is an essential part of your living routine. But did you know that conventional cleaning methods might not be getting the job done correctly? Improper cleaning could even lead to cross-contamination, the spreading of dirt and germs from one source to another. Your food contaminants from the kitchen don’t belong in the living room, but you could be unknowingly carrying them there!

So how do you prevent cross-contamination? Here are 9 tips to keep your living spaces as clean as possible!

Quick Clean – Kitchen and bathroom counters are the most important locations to hit with this tip. Setting a toothbrush, a bar of soap, a dirty utensil or dish, or food can contaminate that surface, allowing bacteria to begin growing, ready to be swept up by the next thing or person to touch it. Prevent this by wiping up any residue right away!

Germ Prevention – Keep hand sanitizer and wipes easily accessible in high traffic locations, and put down dirt-trapping rugs in entryways. Keeping dirt and germs out of the space in the first place helps keep them at bay for when it’s time to begin cleaning the right way!

Mighty Microfiber – Regular cotton towels and cleaning products don’t pick up dirt and residue nearly as well as microfiber cleaners. Because of its synthetic engineering, microfiber is meant to pick up any dirt and residue and hold on to it! Cotton towels and rags will only push dirt around and will drop it on other surfaces if used in multiple locations. So swap out those old cotton rags with some long-lasting and effective microfiber towels!

Swap Your Towels – It’s handy to have a kitchen towel on hand to clean up accidental spills and messes. Just be sure to swap it out for a clean one frequently! Especially if it gets wet, it can be a hotbed for mold and bacteria and will spread them to surfaces it touches. Throwing it in the wash and replacing it regularly can help prevent its dirt from getting on other surfaces!

Color Coordinate – Have multiple colors of microfiber towels on hand so you can organize your rooms and surfaces by color! Keep blue towels in the kitchen, red in a bathroom, white in the living room, etc. This way, you can ensure that any germs in one room won’t be able to hitch a ride on your cleaning products to other parts of your living space!

Sanitize Surfaces – It’s not enough just to clean. After you’ve eliminated all the grime on surfaces, make sure you sanitize them with something strong enough for the job! After you’ve applied it, make sure you let it air dry. Sanitizing cleaners need time to do their job, and drying them off prematurely lets bacteria and germs survive on a surface you thought was sanitary!

Touch Points – Hand hotspots such as door handles and switches can carry germs and dirt like no other spot in the living space. Wipe down those surfaces with cleaning and sanitizing agents. Be sure to do these last so you don’t re-contaminate the surfaces when leaving the room!

Keep Yourself Clean – Your own hands could be carrying germs from one space to another without you realizing it! Be sure to thoroughly wash your hands after cleaning each space to avoid cross-contamination. Once you’re done cleaning, wash out and sanitize any sinks you may have used to wash your hands to keep those clean as well!

Try New Things – New cleaners and cleaning methods are being introduced all the time that are designed with your health in mind. Using old cleaning tactics ignores the existence of germs only recently discovered. By using new products and techniques, you can ensure you’re getting the deepest and safest clean!

In order to lead a healthy and productive lifestyle, you want to ensure the spaces you spend your time in are keeping you as healthy as possible, whether it’s your home, car, or workspace! By keeping them clean, you’re doing yourself a big favor. And by using US Wiping products, you’re making sure that what looks clean really is! Check us out today at http://uswiping.com/ for all your cleaning needs – we have so many fantastic cleaning products for you to use, including color-coordinated microfiber towels!

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Do It Now! 9 Helpful Tips on Keeping Your House Clean

Whether it’s the morning rush, the after work crash, or the thought that we can do something later, clutter and little messes are the easiest things to make and the hardest to get rid of. We get in the cycle of creating clutter that we don’t even notice until cleaning time turns into cleaning day!

But what if you were able to cut down on the clutter and little messes? Doing these little things can help save you hours of cleaning down the road and will make your house look much better!

Fold Your Clothes—This first one may seem simple, and it is! Having clothes on the floor, clean or dirty, makes a room look messy! Further, dirty clothes can pass that dirt, sweat, or grime into the carpet or onto your hardwood, making it more of a chore to clean later. Instead, throw your dirty clothes in the hamper or laundry room as soon as you take them off and put the clean clothes away neatly in the closet or dresser. The room will look and feel so much cleaner, and you’ll have less work the next time you clean!

Wash Your Dishes—Whether it’s a meal or a snack, you should make sure to wash your dishes right away, or, if you have a dishwasher, rinse them out! Rinsing will help prevent nasty dried food from sticking or drink residue from staining your glassware or ceramics. If you genuinely don’t have the time to wash something and don’t have a dishwasher, fill it with hot water and soap to un-stick any residue to make washing easier down the line!

Wipe Down Those Countertops—Odds are you put your dirty dishes on your kitchen counters. So now it’s time to clean that, too! Get all those food particles and partially dried liquids and leave your counters as clean as the dishes! They’ll look great and will be clean for future food prep, too. Plus, they’ll last longer with proper care! Oh, and do this for the bathrooms at least twice a week!

Store Your Shoes—Your shoes go everywhere you do, and hopefully you’re washing your hands of all the dirt and germs you come in contact with. Do you give your shoes the same care? If you don’t, consider organizing them in the garage, or, if you don’t have a garage, keep them on a rug on a hard surface that you wash regularly. Many furniture, big box, and accessory stores sell shoe cubbies, so consider getting one!

Place Rugs Inside and Outside—Especially if you only have one door going outside, this one is crucial. Having a rug both outside a door and inside a door means you get twice the dirt and junk your shoes pick up dropped on a rug! And it’s a lot easier to deep clean two rugs than one rug and all of your floors.

De-Extra Your Home—Do you have 142 free pens and 57 notepads that you refuse to get rid of because you might use them one day? Do you really think you’ll use all of them? Clear up some space by recycling or giving them to a school or organization that will! And this one goes for clothes, too!

Clean Something Every Day—Instead of losing your Saturday or Sunday to cleaning, do a chore every day! Vacuum Monday and Thursday, dust Tuesday and Friday, clean bathrooms Wednesday and Saturday, and you’ll have a lot more time on Sunday to get everything else done!

Put It Away—Remotes, game controllers, clean dishes, DVD cases, mail, etc. can all pile up and get in the way. Once you get the mail, sort through it! Get a basket or reserve a drawer for your remotes and controllers. Keep your DVDs and Blu-rays alphabetized. You’ll be more likely to put it back if it has a place where it belongs!

Respect the Flat Surface—All the things you pile on a dresser or wardrobe get in the way of dusting and can easily be kept in a better place. Plus, if you only allow yourself to keep a few select items (keys, wallet, phone, etc.) on the dresser, there’s more of a chance you won’t lose them!

All of these are incredibly easy to do and will save you time when it comes time for the deeper clean. Whether you’re cleaning those dishes or prepping for the deep clean that will now take less time, check out our lineup at US Wiping to maximize your cleaning! http://uswiping.com/

11 Things You Should Be Cleaning But Probably Aren’t

When it comes to cleaning your home, your office, and your car, you’re a pro. You dust like a boss and dust mites don’t stand a chance when you break out the vacuum. You know how to make the kitchen floor sparkle like new and how to wash windows to let the sun shine in. But more than likely, you’re not cleaning everything that you really should be cleaning.

Here are the 11 items in your home, at the office, and in your car that really need to be cleaned but are probably forgotten:

Your Toothbrush Holder – The often overlooked, unsung hero of toothbrush holding is usually not cleaned very frequently. If not cleaned every once in a while, the toothbrush holder can get moldy and gross, especially since it’s drenched in a warm water a few times a day. Depending on what it’s made of, you can either throw it in the dishwasher for a good cleaning or clean it with a microfiber cloth and solution.

Trashcans – It’s ironic that we don’t tend to clean the very things that contain our trash. Even if you line your cans with clean trash bags, they are still covered in germs and will need to be cleaned once in a while, even the big ones outside. Every two weeks, scrub down the trashcan in the tub with some bleach and water to make it like new again.

Remotes and Controllers – Think about where your remote controls and game controllers wind up – on the floor, under your sleeping dog, wedged in the filthy cushions… these hard working devices need some extra care, for sure! To clean them, remove the batteries and use microfiber clothes and toothbrushes with rubbing alcohol. Do this about weekly to keep your remotes and controllers clean!

Your Cell Phone – Probably in greater need of a scrub-down is your cell phone. It lives in your pocket, in your bags, on the many desktops and countertops, and for many people, in the bathroom, too. Get rid of all the germs with an antibacterial cloth every once in a while.

The Car’s Steering Wheel and Buttons – Your hands, which may or may not be clean all the time, are all over the steering wheel and all the buttons that are placed in or around it. Make sure they’re clean! If your steering wheel is leather, opt for a leather cleaner. If it’s made of plastic, you can wipe it down with a disinfecting wipe to get the job done. Make sure to get everything that your hands routinely touch, including the gear shift and the knobs and buttons to your radio, air conditioning, and heater!

Pillows and Duvets – You probably clean your pillow sheets, but what about the pillows themselves? They contain a lot of really gross stuff like dead skin cells, mites, and more. Most pillows can be machine-washed and –dried – just make sure to check the label first! Set the washer on the gentle cycle and wash the pillows in hot water with a mild detergent. You can throw two regular-sized pillows in together to keep the load balanced, but you should really only wash one king-sized pillow at a time. Put them through the rinse cycle twice to get the soap out, and place them in the dryer with two clean tennis balls on low heat.

Ceiling Fans – You might not be able to see the dust that’s been collecting on the top of your ceiling fan blades, but it’s definitely there. Wipe it down with a duster or a damp microfiber cloth to prevent dust from swirling around in the air.

Bathroom Exhaust Fan – If you have one of these in your bathroom, you might not realize how dusty and dirty it gets over time. Remove the vent and wash it with warm soapy water regularly to keep it squeaky clean.

A/C and Heating Vents – Just like your bathroom exhaust fan, it’s a great idea to clean these vents frequently. You won’t just breathe easily, but you’ll also help improve the efficiency to your system!

Reusable Grocery Bags – Many of us have switched to bringing our own bags with us when we go grocery shopping, but very few of us clean them. According to a study from the University of Arizona and Loma Linda University, about 97% of us never wash our bags, and about 50% of the bags had tested positive for coliform (fecal) bacteria while 12% contained E. coli. Throw your cloth bags right into the washer and dryer after each use, and wipe down your recycled plastic bags with hot soapy water or with a disinfectant spray to keep things clean and to avoid cross-contamination.

Computer Keyboards – According to a 2008 study from the U. K., our keyboards are dirtier than toilet seats! Make sure to give your keyboard a good cleaning every few months by spraying between the keys with compressed air and lightly cleaning the keys and surrounding areas with an alcohol-soaked cotton swab.

Arm yourself with the best cleaning gear around to tackle any sort of cleaning problem! Choose U. S. Wiping for all of your cleaning needs. Check out our stock and order yours today at www.uswiping.com.

How 9 Famous Landmarks You Know and Love Get Cleaned!

Spring is the time of year when we clean our homes of all the filth and dust from the winter season. While we might be scrubbing down our homes and prepping our wardrobe for the impending summer weather, there are other important things that are getting spruced up as well, like famous landmarks, statues, and monuments. Sometimes this happens once every few years while others get a good cleaning more than once a year.

Here’s how some of the world’s most recognizable landmarks get cleaned!

Big Ben – Big Ben (or the Great Westminster Clock) requires a lot of time and patience to clean. Each of the 4 dials is 23 square feet, and there are 312 panes on each face. Time doesn’t stop marching on when the clock needs cleaning either; cleaners attached to nylon ropes are forced to dodge the moving hands with the minute hand moving about a foot a minute.

The Coliseum in Rome – Did you know that the Roman Coliseum has never been cleaned? It’s true! In fact, for the first time in its 2,000-year history, it is being cleaned of all the dirt and grime from the past. Those who are cleaning it are using toothbrushes and water to get the huge arena clean, along with larger brushes for the larger areas. The Coliseum is slated to be totally clean by 2016.

The Eiffel Tower – This 124-year-old structure that frequently adorns our walls and décor gets cleaned annually. It takes 4 tons of wipes (yes, TONS!), 25,000 garbage bags, 105 gallons of metal cleaning solution, and 10,000 doses of detergent to get this structure looking all shiny and new. In addition to its annual cleaning, the Eiffel Tower is repainted every 7 years by hand with lead-free paint in three different shades of brown, a system that requires almost 60 tons of paint. This paint job lasts up to 18 months.

The Empire State Building – How do you clean the windows of a building that doesn’t have a flat roof? That’s what window washers who clean the 102-story Empire State Building deal with whenever they clean this landmark. They tackle this problem by hooking harnesses to eyebolts that are embedded inside the building since they can’t attach ropes to the rooftop.

Lincoln Memorial – Honest Abe (or at least his inanimate doppelganger in Washington D.C.) gets a thorough power washing from a hose twice a year to keep him shining and sparkling like new!

Mount Rushmore – This well-known monument, which was completed back in 1941, had received its very first cleaning in the summer of 2005. The 60-foot-tall granite faces of 4 American presidents were cleaned by highly-pressurized 150-degree water. That causes all the dirt, moss, and grime to be wiped totally away!

The Space Needle – First opened for the 1962 World’s Faire, the Space Needle that graces the Seattle skies received its first cleaning in 2008. The same company that cleaned Mt. Rushmore worked only at night and used water pressure up to 2,610.6 psi heated to 194 degrees Fahrenheit on the 604-foot-tall structure. How did they do it? The cleaners lowered themselves by rope from the very top of the tower. Talk about bravery!

Statue of Liberty – Until the 1930s, this symbolic monument gifted from France received an annual wash but not a scrubbing. That’s because the green patina on the statue protects the copper underneath. Now we know why the statue is green!

Taj Mahal – This iconic monument in India is quite difficult to keep white and beautiful as it constantly fights the pollution in the area. When it’s time to clean it, workers use something unexpected to get the job done – mud. Mud clay is applied and left to dry over the areas overnight and is removed using soft nylon brushes and water the next morning. This has been done to the monument in 1994, 2001, and 2008.

You may not have a big task of cleaning a huge monument that graces tourists’ photos, but it can be a tough job to keep your home, workspace, or business clean. Come to US Wiping for all your cleaning needs! Check out our stock at www.uswiping.com to learn more!

10 Major Reasons to Start Decluttering Your Home Today

It’s not uncommon to have a “messy” house most days. Life is busy, and there just doesn’t seem to be enough time in the day to keep things looking neat and tidy before we wind down. But when does “messy” become “cluttered”?

If you’ve accumulated a lot of unnecessary items in your home, you might find that keeping your household clean can be tiring and next to impossible. If the clutter is bothering you (and it probably should) but you’re lacking in motivation, read this list of 10 big reasons why you need to take the time and start tidying up ASAP!

It Decreases Your Stress – A survey conducted by Rubbermaid found that 42% of homeowners experienced more anxiety when their homes were cluttered and in disarray. If you find that you’re more anxious or stressed out when you’re at home, chances are it’s because of your clutter. When you start clearing out the junk and unnecessary items, you’ll find that your state of mind will improve greatly!

You Can Make More When You Sell – If you plan on moving anytime soon, you might want to start decluttering right away. According to a 2013 survey by HomeGain.com, real estate agents ranked cleaning and decluttering your home as the top low-cost DIY improvement project for a home seller. In fact, the return on investment (ROI) was 403%! Remember, potential buyers like clean, organized spaces and are more prompt to buy those sorts of houses, so start clearing out unnecessary items right away.

Give Your Lungs a Break – All that stuff in your house gathers dust at best, and dust is bad news for your health, especially if you have asthma or other breathing problems. Regular house dust has also been known to contain arsenic, decomposing insects, pollen, and dust mites, and in more extreme cases, fecal matter, human skin, and even mold and other organisms. Keeping things tidy and cleaning regularly can help eliminate this, however!

Find a Parking Spot for Your Car – According to a UCLA study of home clutter, approximately 25% of garages couldn’t be used to park cars because they were too jam-packed with clutter. That’s one in four households! If your garage is packed with stuff, take the time to clear it out to shelter your car. Remember, a garage will help protect your car from the elements and help it last longer for you to use and enjoy.

You Can Save Money – Many households have the tendency to stockpile, which then typically becomes clutter. When you clear out the clutter, you may discover that you really do have enough frozen chicken, cans of green beans, toys that haven’t seen daylight in months, or all the cleaning supplies that you could ask for. This will help you to stop spending money on things you don’t need and keep your budget in check and your wallet fat.

You Can Find Money – Need money? Got a cluttered house? Take the time to clean it out and you might come up with some extra dough! Professional organizers have claimed that they have come across thousands of dollars in their clients’ homes including undeposited checks, gift cards, and even cash. Cleaning your home is like checking the pockets of old jeans and purses – you never know how much forgotten money you’ll come across!

It Will Clear Your Mind – Who can think clearly with all that clutter in the way? Apparently, not many people can. According to research conducted at Princeton University’s Neuroscience Institute, when one’s environment is cluttered with stuff, that person’s ability to focus is diminished, and the brain’s ability to process information is limited. If you’re tired of feeling overwhelmed, start small, begin decluttering, and try to keep it clean to help your mental clarity.

Improve Your Friendships – Not many people are okay with inviting their friends over to their messy homes. In fact, nearly half of homeowners said that they wouldn’t ask their friends over because of clutter, and 16% of moms with at least 3 children claimed that they won’t let their friends come over because of the state of their homes. If this applies to you, take charge and take control of your home’s clutter for the sake of your friendships.

Bump Up Your Credit Score – We know that a lot of valuables can go missing (including money) when a space is cluttered. Other important items that can vanish under piles of stuff are those pesky bills, which is bad news if you’re notorious for paying bills late. You won’t just rack up the fees – you’ll also kill your credit score. Keeping the house organized and clean, though, can help you keep those bills at the forefront of your mind, allowing you to pay them on time and keep your credit score going strong!

Have More Time for What Matters – Do you enjoy spending time with your family, reading, learning a new language, or doing crafts? Think about how much time you waste trying to find the items you need or attempting to clean up the clutter – time that can be dedicated to doing the things you want to do. According to the National Soap and Detergent Association, getting rid of clutter would eliminate 40% of housework in the average home, leaving you with almost twice as much time to do the things that really matter.

After you’re done reorganizing, throwing out unneeded items, and donating the things that don’t fit anymore, you’ll need to complete the job by cleaning your house. That’s where we come in the picture! Check out our website at www.uswiping.com to view our durable, top-of-the-line cleaning products to help get even the toughest cleaning jobs done!

5 Myths About Green Cleaning Busted!

Cleaning is a tough job, and the common thought is that a tough cleaning job calls for a tough cleaner. This isn’t the case anymore; in fact, cleaning with green products is a great way to go about cleaning. Not only do green products get the job done, but they also protect you and your family from harmful chemicals. In spite of this, many people still have reservations about green cleaners and actually believe false information that has been handed down for years.

We at U. S. Wiping are here to dispel any false information about green cleaning. Check out these 5 big myths that we have busted about green cleaning!

Myth #1: Green cleaning products don’t actually work.

Fact: This is more than likely the most common myth of all when it comes to green cleaning. It’s true that when most green products were introduced 20 or 30 years ago, they didn’t do too great of a job; however, in the past 10 years, all of that has changed dramatically. Now green alternatives work just as well as (if not better than) your everyday conventional cleaners.

Myth #2: Green cleaning products cost more than conventional ones.

Fact: Yes and no. This is true for some green products, but it’s definitely not true for all of them. In fact, several green cleaning products have become very cost-competitive with conventional ones. Additionally, while some green products do cost more, they are so concentrated, so they last longer and get more uses, which eliminates the cost differential.

Myth #3: Green cleaning is just a fad.

Fact: Not anymore. Several experts in the professional cleaning industry thought this about 10 years ago, but in reality, green cleaning has truly taken off and shows no signs of stopping as consumers become more aware of their health and the impacts of the environment.

Myth #4: You can’t really tell if a product is really “green” or not.

Fact: While this is true for many years, it’s much less prevalent today. Recently, the Federal Trade Commission has recommended very specific guidelines designed to clear up the confusion. When you’re looking for a green product to use in your home or business, look for certification labels on the product from organizations such as Green Seal or EcoLogo.

Myth #5: There aren’t many chemical manufacturers that make green cleaning products.

Fact: In reality, virtually every major manufacturer in the cleaning industry has embraced green cleaning!

Green cleaning isn’t just about the liquid substance that you use to clean with. It’s also about the products that you use to wipe, scrub, and more! For environmental-friendly, sturdy products that you can trust, take a look at our cleaning products at www.uswiping.com and order yours today! We make cleaning easy!

Do You DIY? Use the Right Cloth to Make Your Projects Perfect and Lint-Free!

Have you ever taken on a DIY project such as sprucing up an old piece of furniture or repainting your walls but wound up having bits of fuzz and dust in your paint job in the end? It can be incredibly frustrating to paint a piece so perfectly only to find all of those particles stuck right on top of your handiwork.

When it comes to painting an assortment of things, you need to make sure that you prepare the surface properly. Failing to do so will diminish the quality and durability of your paint! The best way to do that is with the right cloth or rag, which will typically be a smooth cotton rag devoid of texture. The right rag will clean the surface without leaving behind any dust or fuzz, making your project look perfect!

Find out which cloth is the right tool for the job below!

For Interior Walls – You want to make sure that your walls radiate with the colors that you choose and are lint-free. That’s why the best tool for the job is the trusty tack cloth! A lint-free tack cloth or even a cheesecloth tack cloth will work wonders on your walls, taking up all the dirt and dust with every swipe so you’ll have a clean wall to paint.

For Automobiles – When you’re painting something high-tech such as an automobile, you’ll need to make absolutely sure that your surface is clean. For this job, the lint-free tube is best in preparing the surface for painting. Our tack rags are also great choices to use if you choose to paint or touch up your automobile since they are infused with a hydrocarbon resin to help pick up all those pesky particles!

For Furniture and Wooden Objects – Wooden objects and furniture can take quite a while to perfect, especially if you want to stain and varnish the piece. It’s definitely worth it in the end, though, especially if you use the right rag to clean all the dust particles after sanding it down. Once again, tack cloth is a good choice to use between coats of varnish to help wipe the surface clean. You can count on it to pick up all the debris left over after sanding, leaving you with a beautifully painted object!

For Metal Objects – Want to make your metal objects look the best they can be? Try our lint-free tubes! Their smooth finish will help eliminate any kind of lint that might be present on the metal. Our tack rags are also great for preparing the metal surface for painting. Both cloths are made from 100% polyester and help you get the job done right the first time!

Are you ready to start DIYing? Before you pick up a paintbrush, be sure to visit U. S. Wiping at www.uswiping.com! We provide a huge assortment of cloths and rags for nearly every job. Find your perfect match today and get started!