Top Tips for the New Year

The holiday season is over and a new decade has arrived, and with it a wave of New Year resolutions. The new year is also a great time to focus on organization and cleaning, a proverbial "out with the old, in with the new." Here are a few tips from Agent Clean for making the most out of your New Year resolutions.

Cleaning Tips for 2022

Clean the Closets. Throughout the year, closets are common places for clutter and untouched dirt. A great starting point for your 2022 cleaning and organizing is your closets. Cleaning up and clearing space in your closets also provides potential storage for when you organize other areas of your home.

Pro tip: collect your cleaning supplies such as dusters, disinfectant, dust pan and hand broom in a bucket. Then when you clean the closets, you have all of your supplies at hand and a bucket for dirt or trash.

Dust the Drawers. Another culprit for collecting clutter are cabinets and drawers. They're easy to toss knick knacks into, and over time can fill up with junk or misplaced belongings. Dust also tend to accumulate. Empty the drawers and use a basic cleaner or vacuum to remove dirt and grime. With the drawers empty you can organize items into proper places, as well as dispose of any trash or junk.

Finish the Floors. Vacuuming and carpet cleaning is best done after you've finished cleaning your closets, cabinets, and drawers, as dust tends to become airborne as you clean out other spaces. Vacuum your floors, and clean the edges. You may opt to mop hard floors to remove dirt or grime that has stuck on, as well as disinfect.

Pro tip: Do one more once over with a duster after you vacuum, as dust tends to settle on furniture afterwards.

Schedule Spring Cleaning. The New Year is also a great time to schedule yearly spring cleaning for the exterior of your home. Gutters, concrete, and windows are common areas on the exterior of your home that tend to need a yearly or bi-yearly cleaning. Agent Clean offers custom cleaning service packages with "while we're there" pricing. Find a location near you and call for a free estimate.

How We Fight Coronavirus

COVID19, commonly known as coronavirus, has spread quickly across the United States. Agent Clean and many other cleaning contractors have been working to help fight the spread of the disease by offering sanitation services for outdoor seating, restaurants, playgrounds, shopping carts and more.

Softwashing Sanitizes COVID19

The CDC states that household disinfectants such as bleach are effective at treating and sanitizing coronavirus. We use a stronger concentration for soft washing. We can clean patios, playgrounds, siding and roofs using a soft washing method that not only helps remove dirt, cobwebs, mold and mildew, but also sanitizes the surface.

Food-safe Sanitizer

We're also able to offer sanitizing services to commercial clients. We have several locations sanitizing carts at local grocery stores with a food-safe, no-rinse sanitizer. While carts can be contaminated when someone touches them, this helps eliminate the build up of germs and bacteria on the carts.

We can also use this sanitizer on non-porous seating and playground equipment to help eliminate germs and bacteria.

What You Can Do

You can also be proactive at home to clean and disinfect surfaces. First, note the difference between cleaning and sanitizing. Cleaning is removing contaminants such as dirt, grease, grime, etc. The second stage is sanitizing microbes.

From the CDC website:

If surfaces are dirty, they should be cleaned using a detergent or soap and water prior to disinfection.
For disinfection, diluted household bleach solutions, alcohol solutions with at least 70% alcohol, and most common EPA-registered household disinfectants should be effective.
- Diluted household bleach solutions can be used if appropriate for the surface. Follow manufacturer’s instructions for application and proper ventilation. Check to ensure the product is not past its expiration date. Never mix household bleach with ammonia or any other cleanser. Unexpired household bleach will be effective against coronaviruses when properly diluted.
Prepare a bleach solution by mixing:
- 5 tablespoons (1/3^rd cup) bleach per gallon of water or
- 4 teaspoons bleach per quart of water
- Products with EPA-approved emerging viral pathogens claimsexternal icon are expected to be effective against COVID-19 based on data for harder to kill viruses. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for all cleaning and disinfection products (e.g., concentration, application method and contact time, etc.).
- For soft (porous) surfaces such as carpeted floor, rugs, and drapes, remove visible contamination if present and clean with appropriate cleaners indicated for use on these surfaces. After cleaning:
- If the items can be laundered, launder items in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions using the warmest appropriate water setting for the items and then dry items completely.
- Otherwise, use products with the EPA-approved emerging viral pathogens claims that are suitable for porous surfaces

You can read more about procedures and tips from the CDC regarding COVID19 here.

If you are interested in commercial or outdoor cleaning and sanitation services, find an Agent Clean location near you and give us a call for a free estimate.

Mildew and Mold on Your House

Do I Need a Cleaning Service?

Spring is almost here. If you’re like most people, you probably have planned spring cleaning. Most people do - it’s a time to get rid of the dust and dirt from being inside all the time. But what about the outside of your home? Spring is a great time to have the exterior of your house cleaned as well. Flowers aren’t the only thing populating during the spring – mold, mildew, and algae are making homes on your roof and siding RIGHT NOW. Go outside. Are there black streaks on your roof? Black and green streaks and spots on your siding?

Mold and Mildew Growth

Say hello to mildew, mold, and algae, three of Agent Clean’s greatest enemies. These three parasites that cause black spots on siding and streaks on roofs are prolific and damaging. The algae on your roof can cut your roof’s life in half, and cause heating and cooling bills to be higher.

Get Rid of Mildew on House Siding

There are a few solutions. You could scrub it off. This is time consuming and difficult. You could blast it off with a hose. The problem is that water alone requires quite a bit of pressure to remove the mold, mildew and algae, and even if you blast it off with water, it will return in a few days time. You could pay someone to blast it off with water – not a terrible idea since they will have the pressure washer to do it – but then you risk damage to your siding or roof as high water pressure can easily tear through siding or strip shingles. Plus, the black spots would simply return after a few months. Why are mold, mildew and algae so hard to kill? They are spore-based organic parasites. Even though the pressure washer has blasted the visible spots off the siding and the streaks off the roof, the spores are now in the air and looking for a moist surface to land on – which the pressure washer has just given them with your freshly washed siding and roof. In a few months, the mold, mildew and algae will be back.

Professional Soft Pressure Washing Service

There is another solution – call Agent Clean. Unlike traditional power washers, we use a soft washing method to clean your siding and roof using low pressure water and a cleaning solution to gently wash the exterior of your home. We strive for a 100% kill ratio on mold, mildew and algae, and we achieve this all by using our state of the art equipment and techniques. Our technicians are well-trained, insured, and knowledgeable. We guarantee our work. Black and green growth on your home? No problem. Call Agent Clean today.

5 Tips to Get Ready for Spring

Get your home ready for spring

Winter may seem to be never ending this year especially in the midwest, but spring is just around the corner, bringing with it the promise of warmer weather, spring showers, and bright colors. Make the most of the weather and dust off the winter blues.

5 Ways to Get Ready For Spring

Tip 1: Take Out the Trash

Clutter and trash can build up over the winter, hiding in garages, corners of bedrooms, or even kitchen pantries. One of the first things you can do when the warm weather arrives is clean out the trash. Pick a nice Saturday and grab some trash bags. Start with a room and throw out all the trash you can find. Kleenex and snack wrappers are common items in teen bedrooms. Getting all of the trash out of the house will make it easier for follow up tasks.

Tip 2: Clean Up the Clutter

Springtime is a great opportunity to go through your things and recycle, donate, or throw out unused belongings. Old or outdated clothing, toys, and obsolete electronics can build up. Getting rid of clutter will make your home feel less messy.

Tip 3: Organize Your Home

The next step for getting your home ready for spring is organization. It’s easy when “hibernating” during the winter for things to become disorganized. Clothing, books, toys and games are all easily put out of place when dealing with cabin fever. Once again, it’s best to go room by room and organize them to your liking. This is also useful if you plan on having friends or family over to celebrate the warmer weather.

Tip 4: Clean Up the Inside

Spring is often associated with cleaning. The warm weather brings a brightness and a refreshing change from the cold. It’s a great opportunity to do a deep clean of your home. Open the windows and air out the stuffiness of winter. Many families don’t completely neglect cleaning over the winter, but Spring is the perfect time for a deep clean. Carpet cleaning, dusting, and a good hard scrub of the bathrooms and kitchen can make your home feel new again.</p?

Tip 5: Clean Up the Outside, Too

Just like the inside of your home, the outside can use some clean up after a long winter. Dirt and debris can be left behind by snow, and the humid weather can cause a build up of mold, mildew, and algae. Take a quick look at the outside of your home - are there blackish brown spots on the siding? Black streaks on your roof? Mold or dirt on your sidewalk and driveway? While you can do some of the exterior cleaning yourself, it’s often easier to hire a pressure cleaning service such as Agent Clean. Be sure to ask about soft pressure washing for the siding and roof, as high pressure washing can damage the outside of your home.

Winter might be long, but spring is just around the corner. Getting your home cleaned, decluttered, and organized will help you enjoy the changing of the season, and make it easy to host friends and family for those spring barbecues.

How to Deal with Artillery Fungus

Artillery Fungus on Your House

If you’re someone who enjoys gardening, you’ve probably used mulch at some point in time. If you live in a humid climate, you might have seen black spots “shotgunning” the side of your house, your deck, or your car. The spots can be annoying, unsightly, and difficult to eradicate. Unfortunately, you most likely have a case of sphaerobolus stellatus, commonly known as artillery fungus.

What is Artillery Fungus?

Artillery fungus is a mushroom-type fungus that is cream or orange-brown color and shaped like a small cup and contains a spore mass. The mushroom opens and “aims” at bright light sources (such as reflection off of light colored siding) and propels the spore mass toward the light, thus earning it the name “artillery” fungus. The spores can be shot as high as a second story of a building.

Can You Get Rid of Artillery Fungus?

There are a few things you can do if you discover that your siding has artillery fungus on it.

1) Scrub the siding

Artillery fungus is notoriously difficult to remove but it is sometimes possible, especially if the spores haven't been on the siding for too long. You'll need a scrubber, magic eraser, and a putty knife or scraper.

Hydrogen Peroxide: some report this working. Soak the area, allow it to bubble, then scrub the surface and attempt to remove the spores.
Mouthwash: this is another reported solution for removing artillery fungus spores. Apply it to the area and let it dwell, then attempt to remove the fungus.

2) Call a cleaning company

Another option is to call a cleaning company, such as Agent Clean. Artillery fungus is very difficult to remove, however, so many companies may be hesitant to take the job. Likely the results won't be guaranteed due to the number of factors and liability involved.

Agent Clean will use a combination of heat, high pressure, and scrubbing to attempt to remove the spores, while working to ensure that there is little to no marring of the surface. This process can be timely and expensive, and requires prior assessment. If it appears that the fungus cannot be removed safely, we will inform you immediately.

3) Preventative measures

By far the best method to dealing with artillery fungus is preventative measures. This helps avoid the risk altogether, and is considerably easier than the remedies above.

If you have mulch near the siding of your home, be sure to turn it daily to help keep the growth of artillery fungus at a minimum. Certain fungicides can also be used at your discretion and according to the manufacturers instructions and warnings. Black spots from Artillery Fungus can be a real problem. Check your mulch for these little troublemaker. For all the other exterior cleaning services, give Agent Clean a call.

The Power of Clean

Professional Exterior Cleaning Service

Keeping the exterior of your home clean can be an exhausting effort as it’s constantly being exposed to the elements. Dirt is a persistent problem with keeping your windows clean, and nearby trees fill your gutters with leaves causing them to clog and not drain properly. The equipment required to maintain a clean exterior properly is heavy, expensive, and only used periodically. Why not let an exterior cleaning expert take care of the dirty work for you?

Quality House Cleaning Service

Agent Clean excels at a variety of cleaning services and offers custom cleaning packages for your home or business. Take advantage of our roof cleaning, power washing, window washing, and gutter cleaning services. We offer custom recurring scheduling for business looking to have window cleaning, dumpster pad cleaning, and concrete cleaning performed regularly.

Soft Washing and Pressure Washing Service

Agent Clean does more than blast surfaces with high pressure water. Our soft washing method uses low pressure and a cleaning solution to gently wash the surface, getting rid of mold, mildew, dirt, and algae in the process. The benefit of soft washing is that it eliminates mold and mildew spores, thus stopping regrowth.

For the best power washing service near you, find a location or give us call. We'll get you a free estimate before you can say Agent Clean!