| June 21st: The official first day of summer |
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Spring is my favorite time of year, flowers
blooming,
warm weather, and the promise of lazy summer days
ahead. It is only when you place it in context with
that other 'bad' spring word that I start to get the
shakes. What word? CLEANING. Spring Cleaning fills
me with dread and spring turns quickly to the
beginning of summer, and here we are...June 15th
and it's still waiting to be done. Honestly, it's time to
give in and just call the experts. Grab your kids, a
picnic lunch and leave the house to the people who
know
what they are doing.
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| Maid Brigade's Tricks of the Trade |
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If you are still inclined to tackle the winter
dust
on your own, Robin Murphy of Maid Brigade
offers the
following tricks of the trade:
Make a list:
Tackle each area in manageable doses-- if your
goals
are too high, you'll never get through the list. Take
each room one step at a time and finish one by one.
Remember to clean from top to bottom, dust falls
down as you go, you don't want to clean twice!
General Tasks to consider:
Clean woodwork, baseboards, ceiling fans,
blinds, lampshades, curtains, and throw rugs.
Clean under furniture, dust shelves and floors in
the closet, dust knick knacks, clean out window
wells, light fixtures, and heating ducts.
In the Kitchen: Clean and disinfect trash cans,
empty out the refrigerator and freezer and clean the
shelves and drawers, vacuum/clean refrigerator
vents, etc., clean drawers and cabinets inside and
out with a cleaner like Fantastik.
Wash or dryclean curtains, shower curtains and
liners, & wash the blinds.
Cleaning Hints?
Mr Clean Magic Eraser: cleans scuffs, marks,
etc. and removes crayons, pen, and who knows what
else has gotten on your walls and woodwork.
Use a soft cloth to clean the inside of your
washing machine and dryer.
Use a vacuum attachment or lint brush to wipe
down your lamp shades-- you'll be surprised how
much brighter they get!
If you don't have a self-cleaning oven, spray the
oven with cleaner the night before you plan on
cleaning to make it easier to clean the next day.
To clean the microwave, fill a paper cup with
water and a few tablespoons of baking soda.
Microwave for 30 seconds or until the
contents 'explode'. Then take a paper towel and
wipe it off-- the 'explosion' spreads the cleanser
everywhere in the microwave and the concoction is
ecofriendly and nontoxic.
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| Why Maid Brigade? |
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Maid Brigade provides high quality home
cleanings--
every housecleaning is inspected AND guaranteed.
One-Time, weekly, bi-weekly or monthly home
cleaning services are available and home cleanings
are prioritized and customized to meet your needs.
Maid Brigade provides all housecleaning solutions,
sanitized supplies and state-of-the-art equipment.
Maid Brigade is a responsible employer who offers
benefits, training, and retirement plans to full-time
employees. Maids are background-checked, trained
and NEVER sub-contractors.
Maid Brigade is committed to using safe,
eco-friendly cleaning products, allowing your family
and your pets a clean AND safe environment.
Maid Brigade gives back to the community they
serve. Last month, they helped clean the house
built by Extreme Makeover in Purdy's, they sponsor
MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) Awareness
Campaigns every May and November, and run a food
and clothing drive in the winter months.
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* This newsletter has been sponsored by Maid
Brigade.
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| Now what? |
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Now that you have cleaned, separated, and
thrown
out all of your unused and ill-fitting treasures and are
ready to move them along to others-- give the
wonderful folks in the second half of this newsletter
a call! They are willing and ready to accept your
gently used items, the clothes that don't fit, or the
toys laying under foot in the playroom. Most of
these organizations run on volunteer steam, please
understand their limited hours of operation and be
sensitive to the 'gently used' requests-- "if in doubt,
throw it out!"
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Donations Welcome! |
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The Bedford Hills Correctional Facility will
accept
gently used clothing (for ages 0-18mos) and toys for
the children who visit their mothers at the facility.
Also, new and used children's books for a wonderful
program that allows mothers to tape themselves
reading a book that they can then send along with
the book to their children. For
more information, please call 914.241.3100 ext.
4050.
Westchestergov.com/treasures provides space
for people to
place 'ads' for items they are looking to donate and
those in need looking to receive items. All
transactions occur between the two interested
parties. No fees may be exchanged.
Big Brothers and Big Sisters accepts
usable
donations of tag sale left-overs, clothes, books,
toys, linens, etc. for
families in need. Call 914.963.4453 for more
information.
Goodwill Industries accepts clothing,
toys, books,
shoes, small houseware items. Call 718.728.5400.
Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic runs
an
annual fund-raiser in the Fall of antiques, china,
linens, mirrors, picture frames, etc. If you have
items that they could use for resale at this fantastic
fundraiser, call the Auction Line: 914.467.7320.
The Career Closet, located in Briarcliff
Manor,
accepts new and gently used interview and business
clothing for individuals moving from welfare to work.
Also accepted are handbags, shoes, scarves,
overcoats, etc. Call 914.944.1472.
Y.W.C.A. of White Plains takes donations
on
behalf of women living in their residence
facilities. Clothing (size 12+ even better), canned
foods & emergency pantry items, lamps, small home
accessories, plates, silverware, kitchen equipment,
etc. Call 914.428.1130 ext. 301.
New Beginnings in Ossining, will accept
household items like pots & pans, sheets, towels, and
blankets for families who are homeless or living in
section 8 housing. Call 914.923.4889.
The Salvation Army will accept sellable,
useable
items-- bedroom sets, linens, tables, workable toys
and clothing. Pick up and drop off centers
throughout Westchester County. For information, call
914.664.0800.
Children's Village, a residential treatment
facility
for boys (ages 5-19 years), will take furniture,
computers, stationary/school items, lamps, office
chairs, new clothes, books, and sporting equipment.
Call 914.693.0600 ext. 1586.
My Sister's Place, a shelter for victims of
abuse
accepts kitchen items, linens, towels, bedding, etc.
to help victims set up new homes. They also are
looking for children's items like strollers, high chairs,
televisions, and used cell phones. Call 914.683.1333.
The Junior League runs thrift stores
which benefit
their various programs throughout Westchester. They
welcome donations of clean clothing, small furniture,
table linens, silverware, china and dish sets,
glasswear, formal wear and handbags for resale in
their shops. Call 914.666.4966 for the Mount Kisco
store or 914.834.8383 for Larchmont.
Oftentimes if you check with your local churches
or synagogues, they host tag sales over the summer
to support their programs!
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