Get the latest and greatest information on professional cleaning in Richland, Kennewick, Pasco and Othello Washington!
Here at Dura-Shine Clean, cleaning is our passion! We love cleaning and another thing we love doing is helping you in your everyday life, from home-life balance tips, to favorite recipes, and even ways to cut down on your electrical bill. Who wouldn't benefit from saving a few dollars and managing their energy usage better? Especially when we have a busy home life, our house is constantly running on electrical gadgets, appliances, and other energy suckers. It is not surprising that appliances account for 20% of our household’s energy consumption. These include clothing washer and dryers and refrigerators. When purchasing an appliance, you should always look for an Energy Star rated appliance, which is a federal rating for energy efficient appliances - these consume less energy overall in their lifespan.
But besides going in and buying a completely new set of appliances, there are simple everyday actions we can take to reduce how much electricity we consume in our household. A good recommendation is placing simple reminders around our home, especially around electrical outlets and appliances. Also, if you have small children in your home, be sure to baby proof around the home.
Here are some simple things we can do to cut down on our energy bill
Contact your city's utility department
The majority of them will offer an energy auditor to visit your home completely free of charge to conduct an evaluation. Isn't that great? After they've evaluated your home's energy consumption habits, appliances, and heating and cooling, they'll smart make recommendations for upgrades. Some upgrades require a large upfront cost, but will provide great savings in the long run, so they're a worthwhile investment.
Green Lighting
Substitute energy-inefficient incandescent light bulbs for CFLs or Compact Fluorescent Light bulbs. These can be easily found in your local appliance or home improvement store. Believe it or not CFLs use 66% less energy than incandescent light bulbs so they are highly recommended for energy savings.
Unplug!
This one seems like a no brainer, but here it comes: Plug and unplug your electronics! The quickest way to do this is to use power strips for connecting your TV and other electronics and then turning the strip off when not in use. Also make sure to unplug all cell phone, battery, tablet, and other electronic chargers when you're not using them to save energy. Believe it or not, but our chargers draw power continuously! So unplug them! You can also set your desktop computer to hibernate mode to lessen the load even more.
These simple changes can have a big impact on your electrical and utility bills. At Dura-Shine Clean if we love anything is to make the lives of our clients easier - by keeping their home sparkling clean and sharing with them beneficial information. Like what you're reading? Check back on our blog often where we share cleaning tips, tricks, and other home improvement information. Want to make life even easier? Give us a call for a free quote on cleaning your home!
THE GREAT ALL-PURPOSE CLEANER
We all need a great all-purpose cleaner for those instances we want to leave our surroundings looking great and smelling fresh. This one will do the trick. Just mix 4 tablespoons of baking soda and 1 quart of warm water and voila! Pour combination into a sponge and wipe down surfaces like kitchen counters, bathroom sinks and tubs, inside your refrigerator, any appliances you may have, and other easy to clean up surfaces.
GREASE CLEANER
Need to scrub down those crusty, grimy oven hoods and grills and leave them like (almost) new? Then try this easy to make grease cleaner. All you have to do is mix 1/2 cup sudsy ammonia with enough water to fill a one-gallon jug or container. Ammonia acts almost like a detergent in removing tough grime. Use by dipping a sponge in the solution and and wiping or scrubbing over the surface.
GLASS CLEANER
Need something to clean that mirror or glass window full of little sticky fingerprints or dust? Then use this easy to make solution for cleaning glass surfaces. Mix the ingredients in a spray bottle for easy application. You can store it inside the bottle as well. Spray on a paper towel or soft cloth, then on the glass.
Ingredients
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup white or cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup rubbing alcohol (70% concentration)
NATURAL STONE CLEANER
If you're looking for a great cleaner for natural stone countertops, like marble and granite, this one should do the trick. Get two cups of warm water and mix in a drop or two of soft dishwashing liquid. Dip the sponge in and wash over the surface. Rinse completely to remove any soapy residue. It is recommended to give a final dry touch up with a soft cloth as water marks can often show up. As a warning, never use acidic cleaners on natural stone.
Did you know that Dura-Shine Clean only uses the most natural, environmentally-friendly cleaning products available? We go above and beyond industry standard to ensure the health and wellbeing of our clients and our planet. Looking for a cleaner with the same ideals as you? Contact us today for a free evaluation!
The holiday season is an especially busy time for everyone. We've got Christmas wish lists to fulfill, shopping to do, traveling, decorating, holiday parties, and family dinners. That means we have busier homes and less time to keep it clean. In fact, cleaning is one of the top stressors during the Holidays. According to a poll conducted by Hoover, cleaning is the #2 stressor around the holidays, followed by cooking and baking, and putting up decorations.
Give yourself and those around you a break this holiday season and year-round. Dura-Shine Clean has the perfect gift for that special someone in your life: Give the gift of clean with our special Cleaning Gift Certificates. These handy gift certificates are the perfect stocking stuffer for moms, busy working professionals, grandparents, and everyone in between. You can even give yourself the gift of clean (they're is nothing wrong with spoiling yourself!). They can be used towards the purchase of a house cleaning, window washing treatment, carpet or pressure washing. You can give any amount!
That means you and your loved ones will have the house prepped and ready for the holidays, for the new year and for the rest of the year. You can't beat the gift of a clean home. Our Gif Certificates are great for any occasion!
Call us today at (509) 543-9608 to purchase this special Gift Certificate!
There is possibly nothing more difficult than managing house chores and cleaning when you’re trying to fight a debilitating disease. These are the first-hand account from women undergoing cancer treatment. That is why our team at Dura-Shine Clean partnered with Cleaning for a Reason nearly eight years ago. Cleaning for a Reason is a nonprofit organization serving the entire United States and Canada. The organization partners with professional cleaning companies and maid services to help women undergoing treatment for any type of cancer.
To date, the organization has provided more than 17,000 cleanings for women with cancer with a value of more than $4.5 million in donated cleanings, and partnered with over 1,100 maid services. Since we began our partnership we’ve offered free house cleanings to more than 300 women in the Tri-Cities WA area.
Although we strive to raise awareness of our services and our partnership with the nonprofit in October, Breast Cancer Awareness Month, our promise to help female cancer patients is a year-long commitment and is not limited to just breast cancer. According to American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women, except for skin cancers. About 1 in 8 (12%) women in the US will develop invasive breast cancer during their lifetime. Breast cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in women, exceeded only by lung cancer.
Helping with cleaning is our way of saying to cancer patients they don’t have to fight this battle alone -- so we don our pink and get scrubbing and polishing! Know someone in your life undergoing cancer treatment or battling an illness of any kind? You can also do your part to help. Here are five things you can do:
● Buy you friend groceries: One of the hardest things to do is take care of the little errands of everyday life. Help your friend out by asking her what she likes to eat, and any special dietary restriction, and go to the store and buy her some groceries. You can email the list to other close friends, and coordinate shopping.
● Offer to help take her kids to activities: When a friend is undergoing cancer treatment and they have little ones at home, keeping life as normal as possible for them can prove difficult. Offer to take her kids to activities, to the park, on a play date, or just offer to watch after them.
● Offer your help, an invite, or company without strings attached. Cancer patients have a lot to think about, so they don’t need to fret about scheduling a meeting with a friend, entertaining you if you’re bringing by food, or giving back that Tupperware to store the casserole you gave her. That is why open-ended offers are the best. Your friend will take you up on the offer when she needs it. She’ll even appreciate you offering to drop off grocery at her doorstep.
● Send the message. You can do smaller things too, to show you care. Like sending her an empowering, uplifting, and supportive email or text. Cards are nice too, but just showing her you’re thinking about her is important.
● Be silly and fun. It doesn’t always have to be useful; you can do things for her just for the sake of being fun or silly. Doing fun things like offering her a spa day, a photo shoot, sleepover, or just a friend to share funny stories with, will help take her mind off cancer.
Know a woman who is undergoing cancer treatment and could benefit from a clean home? Call Dura-Shine Clean at (509) 543-9608. Dura-Shine Clean is the leading commercial and residential cleaning company in the Tri-Cities. We service the Tri-Cities WA (Richland, Kennewick, Pasco) and beyond.
As the
leading cleaning company in the Tri-Cities, WA our team at Dura-Shine Clean is committed
to sustainability, green living and healthy families. We believe there are too
many people using toxic ingredients in their cleaning products. Our commitment
to sustainability means we use eco-friendly and non-toxic cleaning products
that are both good to the environment and safe for our clients. Homeowners,
especially families with young children worry about what is being used to clean
their home. Business owners also want to maintain safe facilities for their
clients and their employees. We also deeply care about the safety of our
cleaning team.
Eco-friendly and safe cleaning products like Procter & Gamble and Spartan Chemical source only the safest components in their products.
What we appreciate about the products we use is that both Procter & Gamble
and Spartan Chemicals provide Safety Data sheets detailing the safety rating on
every product they make. This ensures that cleaners who buy their line of
eco-friendly household cleaners have the necessary information at hand to make
a safe purchase for their clients.
According to
environmental experts, the average household contains 62 toxic chemicals (source). Run-of-the-mill household
cleaners contain aggressive chemicals like ammonia, sodium hydroxide, and
2-butoxyethanol, which appears in popular multi purpose cleaners. These
chemicals can appear in window washers, spot cleaners, oven cleaners and more.
They pose no
risk in small amounts, but if used constantly overtime they may pose serious
health risks. As for our cleaning process, one of the things we do is ensure
that all windows remain open during cleaning so the air can circulate from the
outside in, essentially reducing any harmful fumes that might be in the air.
Hiring
professional cleaners means you don’t have to worry about what is in your
cleaning products, we do the worrying for you. When we’re not there to lend a
hand, however, these safe and all-natural cleaning solutions and green cleaning tips we’ll get the job
done in the safest way possible:
1) Glass and Mirror Cleaning
Commercial
polishing agents and window cleaners contain ammonia. It’s a powerful irritant,
and those with constant exposure to ammonia (when inhaled) have higher risk of
developing chronic bronchitis and asthma. This is especially harmful to the
elderly and people with asthma. Instead of window cleaners use 4 tablespoons of
lemon juice mixed with half a gallon of water. Alternatively, use some rubbing
alcohol and witch hazel.
2) Furniture Shine
Furniture
polishing cleaners are made up of petroleum distillates and solvents, both of
which are hazardous when ingested. Be wary of keeping these around the house if
you have young children. A good substitute is a mix of two parts olive oil with
one part lemon juice and rub it against furniture using a soft fiber cloth.
3) Oven and Bathroom Cleaners, and Mildew Removers
Some of
these cleaners contain chlorine or sodium hydroxide. Chlorine can be a
respiratory irritant at an acute level, and can be a serious thyroid disrupter
(source). Sodium Hydroxide is corrosive
and can cause serious burns. Instead use baking soda or vinegar to clean things
like toilet bowls or remove mildew and clean grime.
To learn
more about how we clean give us a call at (509) 543-9608. Let Dura-Shine Clean’s knowledgeable and expert cleaning staff come in and
give your home a thorough, all-inclusive clean. We’re the leading commercial
and residential cleaning company in Richland, Kennewick, Pasco, West Richland
and surrounding areas.
Everybody
who meets the Dura-Shine Clean team, knows we love giving back to our community
and we love being involved in events that uplift the Tri-Cities and the people
that live here. Last year we donated approximately $32,000 in sponsorships,
donations, scholarships, and in-kind giving. We also volunteer in the community
and lend our time and skills to various boards. We love to position ourselves
as a community resource, especially since this community has given us so much
and allowed us to grow. This summer for us is all about Sports and
Social Media. Our company culture embraces volunteerism and community involvement.
This summer,
we were the Premier sponsor for the Pasco Chamber of
Commerce’s annual Sagebrush Scramble Golf Tournament at Sun Willows golf course. As
residents and business owners in Pasco, we love to support our local businesses
through partnerships. We truly believe in the saying that a rising tide lifts
all boats, and the success of one means success for all. Plus, who doesn’t love
to play some nice golf? We do! And the best businesses decisions are made out
on the green.
We’ve
strived to be very supportive of the Pasco Chamber as they have been of us.
It’s been our third year sponsoring the Sagebrush Scramble, and every time we
want to make sure people have a great time and have a reason to come back next
year.
This summer,
we’re also the Social Media Sponsors for the Tri-City Dust Devils at Gesa Stadium. Every Tuesday we host contests,
trivia, and giveaways on our Facebook Page and for the people that attend the
games. Last week we encouraged our Facebook Fans to post a selfie at the
Tri-City Dust Devils game and use hashtag #durashineselfie.
Every inning we offered some cool prize bags to select contest entries. Check
back in with us on Facebook every Tuesday for a chance to win fun prizes.
You can
probably tell we love Social Media, and we have some great loyal fans in the
Tri-Cities! You can find Dura-Shine clean on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and even Google+. Social Media is a
great way for us to interact with our customers, our friends, and our community
partners. In our page we always try and provide fun and engaging content such
as multimedia, photos, and educational blogs.