Father’s Day

Clean Up Dad For A Day!  

The history of how Father’s Day originated:

Mrs. John B. Dodd, of Washington, first proposed the idea of a “father’s day” in 1909. Mrs. Dodd wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart. William Smart, a Civil War veteran, was widowed when his wife (Mrs. Dodd’s mother) died in childbirth with their sixth child. Mr. Smart was left to raise the newborn and his other five children by himself on a rural farm in eastern Washington state. It was after Mrs. Dodd became an adult that she realized the strength and selflessness her father had shown in raising his children as a single parent. 

The first Father’s Day was observed on June 19, 1910 in Spokane Washington. At about the same time in various towns and cities across American other people were beginning to celebrate a “father’s day.”  In 1924 President Calvin Coolidge supported the idea of a national Father’s Day. Finally in 1966 President Lyndon Johnson signed a presidential proclamation declaring the 3rd Sunday of June as Father’s Day. Father’s Day has become a day to not only honor your father, but all men who act as a father figure. Stepfathers, uncles, grandfathers, and adult male friends are all honored on Father’s Day.

Man Vs. Machine:

Dad’s usually are always “assigned” or volunteer to do the heavy duty, deep cleaning projects around the home.  Cleaning out the garage, attic or basement are usually the BIG THREE, then there are the kitchen appliance’s left just for your “Mr. Clean” to tackle.  Most of the men in your life are probably going to at some point, rent equipment to handle pressure washing/window cleaning the outside of the home.  And we all know the scenario: 

• Saturday Morning:  go and rent the equipment needed to do the job
• Get the equipment home only to find out you forgot to buy the cleaning solution!  Now it’s back to the rental store!
• Try and assemble the equipment (without reading the instructions of course!)
• Start using the equipment only to have half the cleaning solution spill out all over the place, and now your making more of mess than the actual one you are attempting to clean.
• Get frustrated and throw the rented equipment to the ground.
• Try and do the job the old fashioned way and get out the scrub brush, garden hose and ladder….do you see an E.R. visit in your future?
• Now realizing you ran out of time, and have totally waisted an entire DAY that could have been used to take the family out for a day of fun, or spent it on the golf course, or gone fishing, bowling etc.  You bring back the equipment to the rental store. 

END RESULT:  Absolutely NOTHING!

So the next time your guy want’s to tackle a ”manly” project around the home, GIVE HIM THE DAY OFF

and let the professionals at Teresa’s Family Cleaning do the rest.

We offer gift certificates for everyone that could use some free time, including Dad.  So call our office 1-866-744-4021 and purchase one today.

Feel free to post some great Father’s Day Gift Giving Idea’s here as well.  We love it when we can share great tips with our readers.

Advice on Spring Cleaning Services

March 18, 2010
By Kelli B. Grant

The signs of spring are here: warmer weather, the start of daylight savings time — and a rush to book housekeeping services for an attic-to-basement spring cleaning.

Residential cleaning services have been among the top 10 most searched-for services on consumer review site Angie’s List over the past 30 days. Even in the sluggish economy, residential cleaning services are a booming business, according to a January report from The Freedonia Group. Services reeled in $12.25 billion in 2008, and the industry is projected to reach $15.8 billion in 2013.

But don’t get taken to the cleaners by your cleaners. Before hiring a company or individual for your annual scrub-down or recurring service, there are precautions to take. Make sure you and the service agree on the work to be done, how many people will be coming into your home — and how they are screened — and who will be responsible in case of mishaps.

Read more: Advice on Spring Cleaning Services at SmartMoney.com

Open the Door to a Tranquil Home with an Organized Front Entrance

Front Entrance and Closet

The front closet and entrance is considered one of the most important parts of the home as it sets the mood for the remaining rooms in your home. If you tense up the minute you walk in the door because you’re tripping over the leash and can’t find a place to hang your coat or put away your shoes, your entire mood will be affected. By the same token, you want guests and family to feel welcome and invited when they step over your threshold, so paying attention to this often forgotten area is important when undertaking your March Makeover project.

There are dozens of ways you can organize your entryway storage area, but the guiding principle should always be this: keep your front entrance and closet free of clutter and free flowing. You want to smoothly usher people into your home by setting the stage in this space. Here are some practical tips for making your front entrance and closet a flowing, welcoming area in your home:

• Designate a basket, box, or drawer for mail.
• Hang hooks or set out cups for each set of keys in the home.
• Hang a stylish chalkboard or white board so that you can leave each other notes.
• If there are many people in your family, set up a coat and shoe area with one or two hooks and a shoe rack each. Include a shelf or hooks for school bags and a basket for hats, mittens, or an umbrella.
• Make space in the front closet for sporting equipment and musical instruments so that it doesn’t block the front entrance.
• Make sure there’s a door or curtain on your front closet so that you can close it up to avoid the distraction of stuff.
• Use the entire height of your front closet by installing several levels of shelves to take full advantage of storage space.
• Pack off-season outdoor gear in bins and store them out of the way in the closet or elsewhere in your home.
• Set up two bins at the front door: one for things going outside, and one for things coming inside.

Here’s our top tip for making the front entrance and closet area the most organized space in your home: buy a piece of furniture with 6-10 small drawers. A tallboy dresser is ideal, but choosing something that will fit in the confines of your front entrance area is important. Then designate one drawer for each member of the family where they can place all of the small items that would otherwise clutter the front entrance and get lost, including keys, sunglasses, wallet/purse, eyeglasses cleaner, coupons, mugs, and lip gloss. Remaining drawers can be used for other items, such as reusable bags, clean mugs, returning books to the library, pens and paper for notes, the dog’s leash and doo-doo bags, phone books, bag ties, rubber bands, matches, and other miscellaneous items that do not have a home.

Remember that keeping the front entrance clutter free and organized will keep you in a positive frame every time you come home. 

©2010 Teresa’s Family Cleaning

Want to use this article in your newsletter, blog or web site? You have my blessing so long as you include the following complete blurb with it (including links).

Teresa Ward, President of Teresa’s Family Cleaning and New York State’s Small Business Entrepreneur of the Year is often considered Long Island’s foremost authority on cleaning homes and businesses to create a cleaner and healthier environment for all. Our highly sought after, award winning weekly newsletter provides timely cleaning tips and other important Long Island information and charitable events for homeowners, businesses and not-for-profits. Visit us at http://www.TeresasFamilyCleaning.com to sign up and receive your copy today!