The First-Timer’s Guide to Independent Living: What You Need to Know

Venturing into the world of living on your own presents an adventure filled with growth and discovery. It’s an opportunity to develop independence, self-reliance, and a sense of personal accomplishment. However, the transition to solo living requires more than just the enthusiasm to have your own space; it demands preparation, knowledge, and a proactive approach to tackle the challenges that come with independence. These essential tips are designed to equip you with the skills and knowledge needed to thrive in your new solo living environment.

Select Your Perfect Living Space

To streamline your quest for the ideal rental, leverage online platforms that offer filters for budget, size, and specific features, allowing for a targeted approach. This strategy enables you to explore options that not only fit your financial plan but also match your desired living standards, including the number of rooms, available facilities, and location. Prioritizing areas that seamlessly integrate with your daily life enhances your overall satisfaction, making your new place more than just a residence—it becomes a reflection of your unique lifestyle and personal preferences.

Master Basic Home Maintenance

Living alone means taking responsibility for the upkeep of your space. Acquainting yourself with simple maintenance tasks can save you time, money, and inconvenience. Whether it’s unclogging a drain, resetting a tripped circuit breaker, or patching up a small hole in the wall, these skills ensure your home remains in top condition. Empower yourself with the know-how to address minor issues, enhancing your independence and ensuring a well-maintained living environment. If you’re short on time for household chores, you can elevate the comfort and cleanliness of your home with top-rated cleaning services from Absolute Shine.

Design an Efficient Work and Study Area

Creating a productive home workspace starts with defining a dedicated area that minimizes distractions and enhances focus. Investing in ergonomic furniture, such as a chair that supports your posture and a desk at the correct height, can significantly improve comfort and productivity over long periods. Good lighting and a tidy environment also play crucial roles in maintaining energy levels and motivation throughout the workday.

Prioritize Home Security

The safety of your home is paramount. Regular checks on your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide alarms are essential preventative measures. Familiarize yourself with your home’s security features and consider additional safety measures such as installing deadbolts or a security system. Peace of mind in your living space is invaluable, and taking proactive steps toward safety ensures a secure and worry-free environment.

Enhance Your Resume and CV

In today’s competitive job market, a standout resume and CV are your ticket to securing employment opportunities. Utilize CV templates to design a CV and add your own copy, design elements, and images. By creating a CV and resume, you can open doors to new possibilities and career growth. Seeking feedback from industry professionals on your resume and CV can provide valuable insights, helping you refine it further to stand out among applicants.

Invest in Quality Sleep

Never underestimate the power of a good night’s sleep. Investing in a quality mattress is essential for health, mood, and overall well-being. Your bedroom should be a sanctuary for rest and rejuvenation, with a comfortable mattress as its cornerstone. Proper sleep supports your daily activities, enhances focus, and contributes significantly to a healthy lifestyle.

Be Prepared for Emergencies

Emergency preparedness is a crucial aspect of living alone. Keep a list of emergency contacts, including local authorities, medical facilities, and trusted friends or family, in an easily accessible place. Having a basic first aid kit, knowing your evacuation routes, and being familiar with how to turn off your home’s main water and power supply in case of emergencies can make all the difference in critical situations. Regularly updating your emergency supplies and rehearsing your plan can enhance your readiness, ensuring you remain calm and effective in any emergency.

Empower Yourself with Self-Defense

Self-defense is an invaluable skill that enhances your confidence and security. Consider enrolling in a self-defense class or workshop to learn basic techniques that can protect you in unforeseen circumstances. Being prepared to defend yourself not only boosts your self-assurance but also ensures you are equipped to handle situations that require physical defense. Understanding situational awareness and adopting preventive measures can significantly reduce the likelihood of finding yourself in hazardous situations.

Embarking on the journey of solo living is a significant milestone. By incorporating these essential tips into your daily life, you are not just preparing yourself for the practicalities of living alone; you are also embracing an opportunity for personal growth and independence. Equip yourself with the knowledge and skills to create a safe, comfortable, and fulfilling solo living experience.

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What do professional house cleaners do?

Our Professional Cleaners will clean your home from top to bottom.

Leaving your home spotless and ready for you and your family to relax in.

We take extra care making sure all areas of your home are throughly cleaned and nothing is missed. Yor satisfaction is guaranteed!

In your home there are two important areas that should be correctly disinfected and cleaned often: kitchen and bathrooms deep cleaning. we can deep clean your kitchen and bathrooms. To help maintain a healthy home.

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Contact us with 24 hours after the home was cleaned. And let us know what needs to be addressed and we’ll come back and make thing right for free! Our booking and cleaning process is one of the most complete and efficient in Virginia.

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Customers Reviews

Miguel H.
The owner is extremely efficient. After posting a request on the this site for one time move out cleaning my phone rang with a helpful voice on the other line wanting to work me in this week – a very busy week leading up to Christmas. The team showed up promptly at the appointed time and took care to remove their shoes or wear protective booties.
Kristina M.
I love these ladies. They were initially taking care of the basement of our 3 level townhouse as that is where my father resided until he passed away. After his passing, the ladies at Absolute Shine made me an offer to clean my entire house at a great price and they have been doing a magnificent job of cleaning the house every two weeks for about 9 months.
Kathryn Dailey
The ladies worked very hard and did a wonderful job. I’m going to use them to clean for me monthly. I love that they donate a portion of their profits to Breast Cancer charities and donate some of their time cleaning homes of those ladies affected by the disease. They truly make a difference. Very impressed and happy with it.
Julie Zick
Online booking was excellent, easy to do, gave me a firm estimate for my size house and I was able to setup automated alerts to email/text me reminder about my cleaning services. Sonia quickly responded to my questions I submitted online. The friendly ream showed up on time and quickly went to work; they cleaned my 5-bedroom house in about 2 hours. Then they made sure I was happy with their work when the job was done. I was able to pay with my credit card on their secure website. My credit card was not charged until they were done. With the reoccurring cleanings discount t he price is fair and the outstanding professionalism, communication, courteousness and organization of this company put them over the Top.
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Get Moving Out Cleaning Services at your Doorstep

Having a helping hand saves your time and effort. There are multiple professional cleaners available in the market to help you get the cleaning services at your doorstep. Having a clean house is essential for every individual as having a clean home is a symbol of a healthy lifestyle!

Move Out Cleaning Services

Hiring a professional cleaner is the best choice to make your home clean and safe for living. The professionals also help you in move out cleaning services that include various services from loading your stuff to one place to another.

Every individual can choose the professional as per their choice by going through their past reviews and profile. One can visit various online portals to know the details related to the residential cleaning services offered by the professionals.

Every cleaning service is provided with the utilization of new and advanced technologies to serve you with the best and efficient services.

What are the services included in home cleaning services provided by a professional?

There are multiple services included in home cleaning services, such as:

1. Professional help you in deep cleaning of the home

2. It is one of the essential parts of cleaning services that are floor enhancement. It is necessary to keep your floor germ free and clean in all aspects.

3. Residential cleaning services include furniture enhancement and upholstery cleaning to all individuals seeking help in cleaning.

4. The professionals also suggest you various fabric protection treatment to protect your fabrics from multiple germs and bacteria’s.

5. Paint services are the most commonly opted services by the clients as they want professional advice to make their home a perfect place.

One can refresh his/her house with the help of professional cleaners. These cleaners help their clients with the utilization of hot water extraction. The expert uses this method because they know that hot water helps you prevent germs. The professionals help you after listening to your all requirements and advise you on the best possible ways to protect your house from germs.

An individual who is seeking help in cleaning his/her home effectively can visit various online portals to hire a cleaner for their house.

 

 

Budget-Friendly Tips for Easier Senior Gardening 

Gardening is incredibly healthy for the body and mind. It gets you out in nature. It helps reduce stress and the risk of stroke, and alleviates depression and anxiety. That’s why it is one of the top hobbies recommended for seniors. Despite that, some seniors may not fully commit themselves out of fear that it will be too strenuous and/or expensive. That doesn’t have to be the case. Here are some tips for budget-friendly, manageable gardening for seniors. 

Move more things to containers

Container gardening – whether flowers or vegetables – is a good way for seniors to transition from large, unruly plots of land (big backyards) to smaller, more manageable gardening spaces. Growing plants in containers is often easier than growing them in the ground and requires less time spent on weeding and other general upkeep. Containers (terra cotta or plastic), potting soil, and small gardening tools are on the cheaper side of all landscaping supplies, too. When you’re inevitably shopping for supplies at a retailer like Walmart, don’t forget to check out in-store offers and promo codes online. These extra ways to save can help you lower the costs on an already inexpensive project even more.

Incorporate raised beds

Raised garden beds have benefits for gardeners of all ages: they provide excellent drainage as well as a solid barrier for grass, weeds, and pests like slugs. But for seniors, the benefits are even greater. Want to reduce back strain? Think very tall beds. As DIY Network says, “Waist-high raised beds are one way to eliminate bending altogether. With tall raised beds, seeding, weeding and harvesting are a snap.” If you’re crafty, raised beds can be built on the cheap. Even if you buy them premade, they are still inexpensive. 

Be smart about what you plant

How you garden is important, but it may not be as important as what you garden. Some plants are simply higher maintenance than others. Seniors can opt for a more low-maintenance garden, filled with hardy plants that are easier to maintain and harder to kill. This way, missing a day of watering won’t ruin your whole garden. Hardy perennials, like daisies, hostas, and peonies, are good choices, as are drought-resistant plants, like coneflower and butterfly weed. The easier the plants are to grow, the more you’ll enjoy your garden. 

Reduce the actual garden space

A smaller greenspace is inevitably easier to garden. You can focus more on making what you have perfect if what you have is smaller. If you have a yard that’s simply too large for you to manage, think about reducing that greenspace. Sure, you could build a deck, patio, or put in a pool. But as a budget-friendly senior gardener, you may want to look into low-cost paver stones. With these, you can create attractive pathways and seating areas inside your garden for less than $100.  

Pay someone to mow

Pay someone? Is that really budget-friendly? Well, when you do the math, the answer is yes. Once you factor in the cost of all that equipment (mower, blower, weed eater, etc.), it would take the average person nearly seven years to recoup the costs of spending money to mow their own lawn versus paying only about $270 per year to hire someone to do it. Plus, as a senior, having someone else mow your lawn frees up your time to focus on the fun stuff. It’s worth it in the long run. 

Getting older doesn’t mean that you can’t do certain things in the garden. It simply means that you want to start thinking about smarter ways to do them. The good news is that most of the things that make gardening easier for seniors are relatively inexpensive. 

Photo by Maarten van den Heuvel on Unsplash

THE BEST HOUSE CLEANING SERVICES IN NOVA

Best house cleaning service.

At Absolute Shine Cleaning Services, we have well defined the terms WASH, CLEAN, DISINFECT. Our clients know that these are the most important terms when beginning a House Cleaning, this is why they’re always excited for their home to get cleaned by us.

Our cleaning process is one of the most complete and efficient in our are “Northern Virginia”.

We know and understand fully that certain areas of your home need to be properly cleaning and disinfecting.

house cleaning

Our cleaning teams are trained successfully to take action at each specific task in your home. Each team is provided with specific cleaning products, such as disinfectants, granite products, products for stainless steel and floor cleaners of the highest quality and standards for a house cleaning. Our vacuum cleaners are equipped with HEPA filters, which are disinfected and replaced every day, as well as our vacuum bags. This helps to avoid leaving bad smells in your home and also prevents the spread of germs. We use microfiber towels with specific colors for each area, we never clean your kitchen with the same towels that were used to clean your bathrooms. This makes our clients trust us and be calm while we give the best house cleaning in Nova. They are always satisfied with the amazing job that our teams perform.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FROM OUR FUTURE CUSTOMERS ABOUT OUR HOUSE CLEANING SERVICE:

(Q) How come when independent people clean our house, their vacuum cleaners leave a bad smell?

(A) Our answer is easy and simple because they do not maintain their vacuum cleaners and do not change a filter or vacuum bags.

(Q) Are your team members trusted?

(A) At Absolute Shine our employees are certified cleaners, who have been working for us for years and they are people who have passed a background check.

(Q) Absolute Shine is responsible for damages in our home?

(A) Our company is fully insured and have worker’s compensation, which means we give all our clients the peace of mind.

We build valuable trust with our clients over time that they always refer us to their friends and family.

All of this makes our House Cleaning Service a Premium service.

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REMEMBER!

In your home, there are two important areas that should be washed and disinfected correctly very often, which are the kitchen and bathrooms.

Do not hesitate to contact us at (571) 4803584 to make an appointment or for any questions regarding our premium house cleaning process or simply visit our web site at https://www.absoluteshines.com/ 

Halloween season – how to celebrate and clean your home?

The Halloween is looming! You probably have already figured out how to spend this holiday and stocked up on candy. You might even have a costume (or two) ready for every family member.

Except in the United States, Halloween is celebrated in Ireland, Canada, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Puerto Rico, Japan, New Zealand and some parts of Australia, but the customs are similar in all parts of the world.

Jack o’ Lantern time!

Pumpkin patch is probably planned for this weekend and your family will have fun carving pumpkins. And that both means a lot of fun and a lot of mess!

This custom is based on the Irish legend about the blacksmith Jack. Jack was known for his imagination.

Jack offered his soul in exchange for a drink. According to the legend, when the Devil was turned into a coin, Jack quickly put him in his pocket next to the cross – which made the Devil unable to return to his form. This cunning blacksmith released the Devil only when he promised that he would not seek his soul for the next ten years, says the story.

After that, the lecture says that Jack once again managed to fool the Devil by asking him to pick up an apple from the tree. He quickly drew a cross on the tree of the tree, and the Devil could not catch him again.

Yet, as the legend says, when Jack died, he was not received in Heaven because of sinful life, but not in Hell. The devil sent him back, giving him a piece of coal.

According to the tradition, this blacksmith had a tail in his pocket and he put the coal inside. Since then, he has become a wanderer who, trying to find his way home, goes on dark streets carrying a tail in his hand and scaring people around him.

As the legend spread and the witch’s night slowly became an increasingly frequent holiday in countries all over the world, so the story changed. Because of this, some people have carved tomatoes, some potatoes, and everything ended with pumpkin becoming one of the most important symbol of Halloween.

How to clean pumpkin carving mess?

In most of the cases, after the holidays the beautiful costumes, spotless makeup and the most delicious sweets leave the biggest spots and the most stubborn dirt. Furniture and carpets are the worst part of the home where the stains end up.

It is fairly easy to clean hardwood and stone floors from pumpkin residues. Use water and cleaning liquid you prefer and everything is done in a matter of minutes. But what if the pumpkin seeds end up in a living room or bedroom?

Pumpkin stains are the most stubborn ones. They are cleaned as all fruit stains. You need a knife, a stain remover, a few clean cloths, warm water and a lot of patience.

Firstly, you should use a knife to scrape off any residual pumpkin stains in order to prevent it from spreading. Then use upholstery cleaning product and gently rub it in with the sponge. When everything is done, use a lot of fresh water and clean cloths to remove the stain. The same process applies to carpets.

No matter what, happy aces of pumpkin carvers are irreplaceable. So, enjoy your holidays and if the cleaning becomes too much for you to handle, you can always book a professional cleaning.

Happy Halloween from Absolute Shine team and we hope you’ll have fun!

Bathroom cleaning – Ultimate guide

How to do bathroom cleaning properly
Bathroom cleaning is a task that definitely needs a special attention when cleaning your home. Usually the smallest rooms in the house, bathrooms demand extra care and cleaning effort. You can decide to do it yourself step by step or hire house cleaning professional. Either way, here are the essential tips.

Remove all the toiletries from their places

All the bathrooms are full of cosmetics, cleaning products, hair accessories, brushes, holders, makeup items. Name it – and you have it. All those bottles, tubes, hairpins, shampoos and the other little buggers need to be removed prior to cleaning. So, make sure you put them away from sinks, bathtubs and floor before you even start cleaning.

Start from the top and move to the bottom

Clean the highest places first. Start from shower glass or curtain rod and hanging cabinets. Move to mirrors, and then countertops and sinks. Toilet bowl is the item you would want to clean before you start with floors. That ensures that none of the dust, dirt and stains fall or drip down while you are cleaning.

Make sure your toilet is cleaned properly

Bathroom cleaning tips and tricks
First step is always plain flushing, with the lid closed. Dd the cleaning liquid in the freshly flushed toilet, and move to the other parts. Then start with cleaning the exterior part. Make sure you cover all the rims and hidden parts. Clean the board and the lid, too. Then lift it and clean the part below the board. When you are finished with that – clean the interior and flush. Sounds pretty easy but, in fact, it can get messy.

Use different cloths for different parts

Professional maids at Absolute Shine Cleaning Services are trained to use color-coded microfiber cloths for each and every part of the home. So, if you are environmentally conscious as we are, and use reusable cloths for bathroom cleaning, make sure you dedicate one microfiber cloth for sink, the other one for toilet etc. To learn how to do it, click here.

Make sure you do bathroom cleaning regularly

Shiny bathroom is a matter of clean house as well as the matter of maintaining a good health of the entire family. It is understandable that you might not have enough time to do it yourself, so hiring a professional maid service for that task remains as an option. Feel free to contact us and book an appointment!

Aromatherapy and home cleaning

Aromatherapy and home cleaning

Aromatherapy is a way of treating diseases by using essential oils. Those oils actually are concentrated liquid containing volatile compounds from plants, also known as ethereal oils. As a part of integrative approach to medicine and healing process, it impacts our overall well-being.

There are two basic mechanisms that explain the purported effects. One is the influence of aroma on the brain, especially the limbic system through our smell, which begins with the olfactory neurons in our noses. The other is the direct pharmacological effects of the essential oils. This synergy between the body and aromatic oils is claimed to have healing properties. According to some experts, aromatherapy does not cure conditions, but helps the body to find a natural way to cure itself and improve immune response.

These essential oils can be found and bought at various healthy food stores. Always try to buy those that are organic and have no preservatives.

The modes of application of aromatherapy include aerial diffusion or direct inhalation with aroma lamp or topical applications for general massage and baths. Never use pure oils – before putting them in your bubble bath, mix 10-15 drops with a spoon full of sour cream or milk. When putting them in aroma lamp or air purifier, mix them with water.

Home cleaning with aromatherapy

Lemon, tea tree, lavender, peppermint and eucalyptus are the essential oils most commonly used for home aromatherapy. They have many health benefits, including relaxation, stress relief, disinfection and air freshening.

When your home is cleaned properly, aroma oils work in synergy with the cleanniness: they behave as additional antibacterial, disinfectant, anti fungal and antiseptic.

Absolute Shine Cleaning Services provide your home an essential oil aroma therapy session for the duration of our cleaning.

Quality essential oils, alongside Absolute shine crew, prompt a delightful clean home loaded with the magnificent possess a scent reminiscent of our fragrance based treatment items. Since our home cleaning items are green and natural, they are safe for your family, pets, and nature.

Dial us now and enjoy the feel and smell of your clean home.

The cost of NOT hiring maid service

Do you value yourself, your time and your peace of mind enough? If you think you’re not, read on…

The cost of NOT hiring maid service

Are you a single working two jobs? Or stay-at-home mom struggling to keep up with everyday chores and activities? Maybe you invested everything you had in a small business and now making ends meet until it grows up a little bit? People in all those situations rarely think about hiring a maid service due to the other financial struggles and priorities. But the reality is completely different.

Multiple magazines and blog posts were written on a subject of benefits of cleaning for your health and weight loss, tips and tricks on how to keep every room and corner of your home clean or which common household items can be used for their magical cleaning properties. But very few of them give you the point of view that paying for professional maid service really pays off in terms of your family life, well-being and financial construction.

There is no shame in asking for maid service help

The most cleaning services are in fact ordered by women. Various kind of women: students, new mothers, elderly or employed. But more and more men are ordering it, too, and their main motivation is to give a break to their partners.

Why should you feel any guiltier paying somebody for cleaning your home than eating lunch at a restaurant, or buying fruits and veggies? Almost everybody can cook; or use backyard to grow food. But anyway, they pay another person to do these errands as opposed to doing them all by themselves.

Have you ever calculated the value of your time?

calculating cost of maid service

If you are paid hourly, the chances are that you exactly know how much is the value of your working hour. Yes, home cleaning also counts as work. Even if you take that time from the time you have dedicated for family or leisure, it is still valuable. So, go ahead and calculate: How much money have you lost by not hiring a pro to do the job for you?

In addition, professional maids are much faster than you are. Window cleaning takes hours and hours of your time. Two skillful and well trained house cleaners can do it in no time. That makes it very hard to compare hourly rates, but you can imagine how much money you actually spare by investing your time in something else.

Some things in your life are priceless

Watching your children grow or helping your business grow. Spending quality time with friends or loved ones. Getting a good rest or a night of sleep. Staying healthy. Those things really matter and they all demand time. They also cannot be paid by money.

So, pay for the things the money can buy and afford professional cleaning service every once in awhile. Treat yourself with clean home and clean thoughts by delegating that obligation to the professional maid service.

Tips and tricks for home cleaning with microfiber cloths

Both soft and sturdy at the same time, microfiber cloths are one of the most popular options for home cleaning when people are environmentally conscious and like their home to be spotless at the same time.

maid services cleaning microfiber cloth

Professional maids at Absolute Shine Cleaning services like microfiber cloths as well. They help us leave the homes of our customers virtually spotless. In addition, their advantage is that they act like abrasive, but they are soft and gentle and never leave any scratches on your furniture, sanitaries, counter tops and precious items.

However, there is a big issue that we need to take special care about: all the reusable cloths need to be perfectly clean and used on one surface only. This list of tips and tricks from Absolute Shine professionals will help you to take good care of your microfiber cloths at home and make sure you never mix up the one used for bathroom and for kitchen (yikes!).

1. Bring in some color when you shop for cleaning supplies

Color microfiber cloths for cleaning home

When you are buying microfiber cloths, make sure you buy a few sets of cloths in different colors, or individual ones (2-3 of each color). The more colors – the merrier 🙂 Add a permanent marker in your shopping cart as well.

2. Use one color for one room

Decide which color to use for which room. For instance – you can use blue microfiber cloths for bathroom, pink for kitchen, white for dusting… You got the idea!

3. Mark the cloths with permanent marker

You wouldn’t want to use the same cloth for toilet sink and toilet seat. Or kitchen cabinet and kitchen sink. That is where marker comes in place. Write down the name of the item you will use your cloth for and never mix them up again.

4. Make sure your reusable microfiber cloths are always clean

You can wash them in your washer on high temperature. Many people say that fabric softener diminishes the cleaning effect, so try to avoid it. Dryers can also make them less soft, so sun drying is the best option if you want your microfiber cloths to last longer.

Whether we want it or not, everyone’s homes are full of germs. No matter how they enter it, we need to make sure that we do our best to prevent them from spreading. That is why regular house cleaning is very important. And when your lives get too hectic or busy, we are there to help you out!

Absolute Shine Cleaning Services team