Blog - Small Planet Residential Cleaning

Why Small Planet?

February 10, 2016 By SmallPlanetCleaning Leave a Comment

There are a myriad of cleaning companies out there. Many have great uniforms or low prices or fast service. Let me highlight some reasons to consider Small Planet as your best choice for home or business cleaning.

*Natural, handmade cleaning products

We make most of our own cleaners with natural ingredients like vinegar, lemon juice, castile soap. If I would be afraid to put it on my hands, it sure doesn’t go into our cleaners.

*Bonded and insured

We carry insurance and are bonded for your peace of mind and the protection of you as well as our cleaners.

*Our staff

The people we hire to clean your home have a great work ethic. They pay attention to detail and are just plain nice.

*Pricing

At Small Planet we strive to offer competitive pricing. We are not the cheapest out there, but we certainly are one of the best values for the dollar.

*Far-reaching impact

When you hire Small Planet you get a safely clean home…but you also have a hand in affecting the quality and availability of water in developing countries, and in helping people in the Pikes Peak region to prosper.

*Scheduling

We offer flexible scheduling options to fit your need.

So, when you are searching for a cleaning service, what are your priorities?

If safe, natural products…

If safe, reliable people…

If cost…

If sharing in a positive impact on water issues worldwide…

Then Small Planet is the cleaning is the company for you.

Check us out on the web at www.smallplanetcleaning .com. And then call today for your free, on-site bid.

Patience Is A Virtue

February 1, 2016 By SmallPlanetCleaning Leave a Comment

Once upon a time (just ask great-grandma), all cleaning supplies were natural and chemical free. Most were safe and easy to use—ignoring, of course, bleach and ammonia. Those simple cleaning techniques had been used for hundreds of years, with positive results, albeit, necessary elbow grease!

Enter detergent…

Once detergents were introduced into our cleaning products, homemakers thought their prayers had been answered. Suddenly cleaning took les effort, and once surfactants (natural or not) were added, their products foamed like crazy—and that foam became synonymous with clean.

Fast forward to today. Most of us have never lived in a world where our cleaning products didn’t foam. We don’t know what its like to not the have majority of ingredients in our products be chemicals we can’t even pronounce. We take it for granted that our products are safe. And that is just how we clean.

However, there is a lot of potential danger in our commercial cleaning products. We have come to understand just how bad they are for our precious water supply. And as more information becomes available, we’ve come to see the negative impact they can have on our bodies as well. We owe it to ourselves to be informed and then use that information to make decisions as to what products we want to use.

Do you know that there is NO governing board that regulates what goes into our health and beauty and cleaning products in the US? Hundreds of ingredients that are outlawed in other countries because of their carcinogenic nature are used in theigs we slather on our bodies and lean with every day. Some companies have stepped up and self-regulate to provide reasonably safe products, but consumers really need to read labels and not blindly trust manufacturers. Many products say “natural,” but chemicals are often hidden in the ingredients list by giving them new, harmless-sounding names.

You can feel confident when hiring Small Planet to clean your home. We use no chemicals, no bleach, no alcohol. We use nothing harmful to the water table. We hand-make most of our cleaning products using natural ingredients like water, essential oils, vinegar and elbow grease. Our Small Planet teams come ready to tackle the needs of each individual home, and treat them with the care we’d take with our own homes. With our natural cleansers, attention to detail, and care for our water systems—well, great-grandma would be proud. You will be too! Call us today for your free, on-site bid. Return with us to a natural cleaning service that leaves your home or business clean, sanitized and sweet-smelling.

Water Friendly Cleaning

January 26, 2016 By SmallPlanetCleaning Leave a Comment

Small Planet has a history of being “water-friendly.” When Small Planet was started in 2008, founder Kristen wanted to form a company that made as little impact on the water table as possible. With that goal, Small Planet has always used products that were chemical free, and has traditionally made the majority of our cleansers. A bit more elbow grease may be necessary, but we always tell folks, “we provide that at no extra cost to you!”

Not harming the water table is only one aspect of how Small Planet strives to impact this precious resource. Since its inception, Small Planet has used a portion of its income to dig wells in impoverished communities worldwide. We believe in taking action; in bringing safe, easily accessible water to people across our small planet.

You can be a part of this great effort. By hiring Small Planet to clean your home or business, not only will you receive top-notch cleaning services with water-safe natural products, you will also have the satisfaction of knowing that, as one of the efforts we support, a portion of our proceeds will be used to bring clean, safe water to people who otherwise would go without this vital resource.

So call us today for your free, on-site bid and become part of the Small Planet family. Together we can continue to bring fresh water around the globe and clean houses here at home.

Little Product, Big Job

January 12, 2016 By SmallPlanetCleaning Leave a Comment

At Small Planet, we make most of our own cleaning supplies ourselves. In our attempt to have little impact on our precious water table, we use natural, chemical-free ingredients. That being said, we do regularly use one commercially-available product, which we are happy to recommend to others.

This cleanser that we find invaluable for so many uses is Bon Ami. This powdered cleanser has been available since our grandmother’s time—and is still formulated in the same, simple, effective way. Seems they understand that “if it’s not broke, why fix it?”

This affordable cleanser is great for shining sinks and faucets, tubs and showers…cleaning toilets and counters. I even use it on my vinyl floors to get of the grime that builds up in the texture of the floor pattern. I leaves the floors white again. Wonderful! The thing to remember with powdered cleansers is to use it sparingly—a little bit does a big job—and rinse it well if you want to avoid a gritty residue. Otherwise, this unassuming product packs a punch against dirt!

The easiest way to get the most out of this treasure of a cleanser is to hire Small Planet to clean your home! We bring all the products necessary to do a normal clean—at no extra charge to you. Allow Small Planet to bring your home to a high standard of clean. Our products naturally sanitize as well. We’ll make you glad to come home to a lovely home, fresh and smelling great. Call us today to start your service!

Dull Sink Syndrome

January 5, 2016 By SmallPlanetCleaning Leave a Comment

We are often asked how to keep the kitchen sink (or bathroom sink) from looking dull. A porcelain sink will get black marks from metals and stains from food. Stainless sinks will become dark and lose their shine. One easy method will help both types of sinks regain their youthful glow!

Make a paste out of baking soda and orange oil. Apply this paste with a barely damp sponge to the scuffs and spots, or all over a stainless sink. Scrub lightly using a circular motion. Rinse with warm water until the shine returns. Can be buffed dry with a dry non-linty cloth (Microfiber is good for this).

Small Planet can save you the headache of spots in your sink. We will come into your home regularly and help keep those nasty stains and dullness from building up in your sink. We will leave your kitchen looking and smelling great. Call us today for your free in-home estimate and find out all we can do for you!

Gunky Sink And Shower Drains

December 15, 2015 By SmallPlanetCleaning Leave a Comment

Here’s another answer to some of the frequently asked questions we get to solve those cleaning needs that make you say, “Hmmmm.”

Gunky Sink And Shower Drains:

It seems like bathroom sinks and showers often get clogged with all the wonderful things that get washed down them. Hair, soaps, shampoos, bits of toothpaste can all begin to band together to cause real problems if not addressed.

Volcano of Wonderfulness:

This is very much like the home science experiments we did as kids. It is so much fun (seriously!) that you may even be able to get your kids to do this for you.

Step One:

Clean out excess hair to make space for baking soda.

Step Two:

Pour ½ to 1 cup of baking soda into your clogged drain. Pour slowly, allowing it to sift as far into the drain as possible. The amount you will use will depend on the degree of your clog and the room you have to add the baking soda.

Step Three:

Pour ½ to 1 cup of vinegar into the drain on top of the baking soda. Allow the bubbles to take over! They will do the work of loosening up the built-up gunk in the drain. Let this do its work for 10-15 minutes.

Step Four:

When you can no longer hear any fizz coming from the drain, rinse with HOT water. The harder the stream of water you can use to force the loose stuff down the drain, the better.

If the drain does not run freely, repeat all steps.

Please note: If your drain is especially clogged, don’t miss that first step! You must remove as much hair and “yuk” as you are able. Without this step, you will not be able to get the baking soda to go into the drain where it will work its magic.

People are really glad to have Small Planet come into their homes and get their showers clean! If you would like to experience this form of wonderfulness for yourself, call today for your own free, in home estimate

Keeping The Toilet Fresh

December 1, 2015 By SmallPlanetCleaning Leave a Comment

While cleaning our clients’ homes, we often are asked how we tackle specific cleaning problems. So here is another answer to your sticky cleaning questions.

Keeping The Toilet Fresh…

Many of our clients have a problem keeping their toilet bowls fresh between our cleans. That pesky orange ring begins to form at the water line, or mold starts to build up under the rim or even in the bowl. Without using chemicals, they are at a loss to keep the bowl sparkling. We have found one very effective method to keep a bowl clean in between weekly deep scrubbing.

This is an easy, quick fix:

In a 32oz spray bottle, pour one 16oz bottle of hydrogen peroxide. Fill the spray bottle the rest of the way with water. Keep this bottle near the toilet and give a spritz around the inside of the bowl after flushing. The peroxide will kill bacteria growing in the bowl and help prevent that orange ring that develops in a bowl not frequently used.

Here’s some good news: You don’t have to be the one cleaning your toilets! Call today for your free in-home estimate to have a Small Planet team come into your home and clean for you. Each bid is designed around the individual needs of each homeowner. We look forward to helping you keep that toilet sparkling!

Ring Around The Toilet!

November 18, 2015 By SmallPlanetCleaning Leave a Comment

We often get asked about how to tackle certain tough cleaning jobs without using harsh chemicals that are potentially harmful to the user as well as the environment. So this and my next few blogs will give our formulas to answer those problems.

Ring Around The Toilet!

We work hard to keep our clients’ toilets sparkling, but there are just some toilets that want to keep their ring! Depending on the content of your water, it can be a real challenge to keep a toilet from developing a ring without frequent, heavy scrubbing. Try this mixture and you will be surprised at the difference.

This is an overnight wonder:

¾ cup of borax

¾ cup of vinegar

8-12 drops of your favorite essential oil—combining scents for this works great.

(pine, lemon, lime, lavender, peppermint, etc.)

Combine the ingredients and pour all of it into your toilet bowl. Allow the mixture to sit overnight. In the morning, all you should need to do is flush!

But remember, when your cleaning needs go beyond just the toilet bowl, be sure to bring Small Planet in to help. Call now for your free in-home estimate!

Water Wise

November 9, 2015 By SmallPlanetCleaning Leave a Comment

At Small Planet we use no products that will harm the water table. In CO we are all aware of how precious water is. Without adequate snowfall in winter we can suffer the rest of the year with water shortages. This summer we are back to rationing water again for irrigation purposes. Because water is so precious, Small Planet had made a commitment to preserve the quality of our available water.

Many people wonder how we can get a home truly clean without using chemicals to do so. Our supplies are natural and so may require a bit more elbow grease (which we supply at no extra charge!) to get the deep clean we provide. But we have found that the benefits, both to the environment and to those who live in the home, are huge.

Think of it: no harmful chemicals to put behind lock and key in order to protect children and pets. No chemicals added to what becomes our drinking water. No worries about what touches your skin. Just tried and true cleaning supplies, developed and home-tested long before chemicals were added to common cleaning products. Great-grandma road-tested our products and we fine-tuned them for today’s homes.

Call us today for your free, in-home estimate. Then rest assured that having Small Planet clean your home or business is the safe, effective option for yourself, your home and for future generations.

Essential Oils and Aroma-Therapy Benefits

September 15, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Consider adding peppermint and orange oil (or any citrus scent, really) to your cleaning supplies.

When a Small Planet cleaning team comes into one of our clients’ homes, the client can always tell that we’ve been there. Yes, we leave a check-list detailing all the cleaning we did, and yes, they love coming home to a clean house (that they didn’t have to clean!). But before they ever get to the counter to see the check-list, and before they see their sparkly-clean bathrooms, they can smell that we’ve been there. The subtle scent of peppermint greets them as soon as they open up the door.

You may balk, at first, at the cost of adding essential oils to your cleaning kit but don’t let sticker shock stop you from using oils in your cleaning. A few drops at a time will make a very small dent in your 1-2 ounce bottle of oil, but make a huge impact on your home.

At Small Planet we use peppermint oil as a staple in our cleaning regimen for several reasons. First, the aroma-therapy benefits are tremendous. Peppermint is an uplifting scent, reminiscent of childhood holidays and candy canes. It is stimulating without being overwhelming with its clean, fresh scent.

Secondly, peppermint has great natural value in maintaining a clean, sanitary home. Peppermint essential oil is a natural antibacterial, antifungal, and antiseptic compound. We at Small Planet use peppermint oil to create and maintain a clean, safe environment in our clients’ homes. Imagine having your bathrooms not only cleaned, but naturally sanitized each time we come!

Also consider a citrus oil. We mainly use orange oil, but lemon, lime and grapefruit oils are equally as wonderful. Citrus oils are a natural, positive mood-enhancer. They also share antibacterial and antifungal qualities with peppermint oil. And nothing smells as clean and fresh as citrus. Some folks may think it odd to smell citrus in the bathroom, but don’t knock it till you’ve tried it. Perhaps start with a scent not as common, such as lime or grapefruit.

By using these simple tips, you can keep your home “Small Planet fresh” in between our visits (or by yourself if you live outside of the Colorado Springs area). Because in the end, the most lovely aspect of coming home to a fresh, clean, sweet-smelling home is having it done for you–by one of our Small Planet teams. Contact us for a free bid to see if Small Planet is right for your home.

Call 719-510-3036 or email smallplanetcleaning@yahoo.com for your free on-site bid. You can also check out our website at www.smallplanetcleaning.com.