How-To

If you're a pet owner, you know how challenging it can be to deal with cat urine stains and odors. Whether you're a busy professional cleaner or just trying to keep your home smelling fresh, tackling these tough stains requires the right knowledge and the right tools. But don’t worry – you’re not alone in this! In this guide, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know to effectively remove those stubborn stains and unpleasant smells, leaving your home clean, fresh, and pet-friendly.

Who says cleaning can't be part of the holiday cheer? Let's add a sprinkle of sparkle to the season! In a home all festive and merry,  Lets stuff those stockings, don't be wary!  With Speed Cleaning joy, we shall play,  Making tidings bright in a cleaning array! First up, a duster light as a feather,  To whisk away dust, whatever the weather.  Wearing an apron so stylish and cool,  Decking the halls while carrying each tool.   Santa's helper, a toothbrush so fine,  Tackling spaces, even the hard-to-find.  Blue Juice, a spray that's truly divine,  Now the glass reflects all the green pine.   And last but not least, the book of Speed Cleaning glee,  For a clean home, the best present there'll be.  So stuff those stockings, spread the cheer,  Speed Cleaning magic, make it crystal clear!   With laughter and joy, in every nook  May your holidays sparkly, in a clean, tidy book!  From Speed Cleaning to you, in festive delight,  Merry Christmas to all, and to all a CLEAN night!

As you've probably discovered, grout is one of the most difficult surfaces to clean. It is both rough and porous at the same time. Rough surfaces are more difficult to clean than smooth ones, and dirt sinks into porous areas out of reach of your cleaning efforts. Moreover, grout lines themselves are recessed, so most cleaning tools glide right over them. Some cleaning tools actually make the grout dirtier by pushing dirt from nearby surfaces into the grout. This is especially true when you clean a floor. A brush, along with the appropriate cleaners (Speed Cleaning™ Scum Bum in showers, Speed Cleaning™ Red Juice on counters) is the best way to get at the grout surface and dig out embedded dirt. Use a Speed Cleaning™ Grout Brush in a shower and, depending on the area to be cleaned, a toothbrush or a handheld stiff-bristled brush on a counter. When cleaning vertical surfaces such as shower walls, you can really put some muscle behind a brush, but grout on horizontal surfaces like countertops can be damaged by hard scrubbing. Grease, oil, coffee, or chocolate spilled on a counter isn't moved along by gravity to a drain. Instead, the grout becomes saturated. Many household products like grease weaken grout to the point that heavy scrubbing with a stiff-bristled brush will actually remove grout rather than clean it! When cleaning countertop grout for the first time, go gently until you learn how strong or weak the grout actually is. If the grout has been soaked with various stains and has not been maintained well for a long period of time, you may not be able to get it clean again. Clean what you can without further damaging the grout. Let the cleaner sit on the grout for a bit longer and gently use a toothbrush or other brush. Ultimately re-grouting might be the best solution. Protect new tile-and-grout countertops by being vigilant. Wipe up spills of all types—even plain tap water!—promptly. Note: a grout sealer can save lots of time by reducing the porosity of the grout. Apply it to new grout, and then reapply it every six months or so. On old grout or when reapplying sealer, first clean the grout as well as you can. Allow the grout to dry, then apply the sealer.  

It all started with a book.  First published in 1987, SPEED CLEANING by Jeff Campbell was the very first step-by-step set of instructions on housekeeping.  It's a proven method that provides even the most profoundly cleaning impaired the wherewithal to clean in the smartest way possible. The method was carefully curated by The Clean Team, then a preeminent house cleaning service in San Francisco.  For over 18 years, they kept records of every visit to thousands of households.  They used time-and-motion analysis and an endless comparison of cleaning products and equipment to develop a method that would save every step and every moment possible. The result is a thoroughly tested system of cleaning without a wasted motion.  And now over 30 years later, the Speed Cleaning method is used by hundreds of professional cleaning services around the world.  We've all seen the statistics.  The average person spends 2 to 4 hours PER WEEK cleaning their home.  Between working 40+ hours a week and hopefully sleeping at least another 40+ hours a week, do we really want to spend another 14 to 28 hours cleaning?   Cut Your House Cleaning Time In Half With Speed Cleaning Speed Cleaning teaches you new cleaning skills designed to save you time without sacrificing the thoroughness of the cleaning.  Once you master the skills and the process, you'll also grow to dislike your cleaning chores less and less - and certainly enjoy the new free time it provides.   The 13 Tenets of Speed Cleaning Make every move count Use the right tools Work from top to bottom If it isn't dirty, don't clean it Don't rinse or wipe a surface before it's clean Don't keep working after it's clean If what you're doing isn't going to work, then shift to a heavier-duty cleaner or tool Keep your tools in impeccable shape Repetition makes for smoother moves Pay attention Keep track of your time and get a little faster every time Use both hands If there are more than one of you, work as a team That's it.  Like any new skill, Speed Cleaning must be learned, practiced, reviewed and perfected.  But it's well worth the effort.  The payoff is that you will save hours every week.   But Where Should You Start? Start by reading the book(s). Perhaps more than once.  SPEED CLEANING is the step-by-step starter's guide that details a weekly cleaning system for areas that need attention every week or two; a thorough cleaning of the kitchen and bathrooms, including washing the floors in those rooms and dusting and vacuuming throughout the hours.  The second book, SPRING CLEANING, covers the jobs that you don't tackle every time you clean but that you shouldn't ignore forever:  jobs like washing windows and waxing floors.  CLUTTER CONTROL provides instructions on organizing cupboards, drawers, closets and much more.  TALKING DIRT answers the 157 most frequently asked cleaning questions collected by the experts at the The Clean Team.  GOOD AS NEW provides in depth tips for how to stop wear and tear and make expensive appliances and furnishes last longer.   Get The Right Gear Speed Cleaning quickly evolved into more than a cleaning method.  Over the last 30+ years, we've continuously developed and improved products designed specifically to help you become a master at speed cleaning.  However, with over 300 products in the Speed Cleaning Catalog, it can be difficult to know where to start.   Introducing the Total Home Care Kit Based on over 20 years of feedback from professional maid services and homeowners, Speed Cleaning has assembled THE Total Home Care Kit containing everything you need to keep homes spotless!  And save 20% with the kit versus buying everything individually.  The kit even includes the Speed Cleaning DVD featuring author Jeff Campbell and Speed Cleaning owner Debbie Sardone as your guides in this practical, eminently useful DVD.    Get Cleaning Malcolm Gladwell famously claimed that it takes 10,000 hours of deliberate practice to become a true expert at something.  While there may be some truth in his statement, we've found that you can become a master at Speed Cleaning in far less time if you just commit to using it each and every time you clean.  For instance, the cleaning specialists in our house cleaning business typically become proficient in the processes in as little as a week.  Yes, they clean all day, every day, but even if you just clean on weekends you'll see improvement and time-savings almost immediately.