There are those mythical few who love cleaning—at least that’s what we hear. Probably the vast majority of us, however, love having a clean house or business, though given the option, wouldn’t choose to volunteer a weekend to climb ladders, squeegee windows or dust fans, torture our backs to scrub or wax our bathtubs, or push around a rental carpet cleaner that really isn’t doing any deep-cleaning at all. Given that your home and business are your biggest investments, it’s positively crucial that you protect those investments by performing deep spring-cleaning tasks that prevent dirt and grime buildup, protect your flooring and other surfaces from damage or dulling, and ensure that you avoid mold and reduce other allergens that could harm your family or employees.

The good news is that you don’t have to do it all yourself. Omaha is home to some of the best cleaning-related companies around, and these professionals will get it right the first time. They’ll help your home or business look—and function—like new, which is uplifting for your family and/or employees, your business, and your vehicles. The importance of spring cleaning increased exponentially since COVID’s arrival, too, and we talked to professionals in the Omaha area who can ensure that your home and place of business are clean and safe for all who enter!

Your vehicles might not be on your list of top spring-cleaning list, but if not, add them to it, as deep cleaning is also essential to extending the life of both the interior and exterior. To achieve top-notch clean, we recommend the family-owned IQ Car Wash, which launched in Omaha about a year ago. They make cleaning your vehicle a no-brainer! The innovative technology and equipment they employ is: SMARTER, thanks to 3D mapping technology that uses close-celled foam sponges; CLEANER due to high-tech equipment and premium bio-degradable soaps; and GREENER because it uses less water and energy than many others.

Customers at IQ Car Wash enjoy free vacuums that give them two choices of nozzles to ensure that they can get their vehicles as clean as possible—and they are open 24/7, so customers can wash their cars at their convenience at a company that guarantees clean! Loyal customers to IQ Car Wash can enjoy some major upgrades this season, too, thanks to new roll-up doors in the exits of three of their easy-to-use self-serve bays and a new LED monument sign along West Maple to let everyone know about new specials. The IQ Car Wash office also has been transformed from bare, concrete walls and floors to drywall, paint, and plank flooring. Most important, they have hired one full-time and one part-time employee to help customers and continue to keep the facility clean, safe, and friendly.

Business Cleaning Essentials

 

Mike Rouw

The Office Cleaners (the-office-cleaners.com) have been serving greater Omaha, Council Bluffs, and Lincoln customers for 26 years, and they have been accredited with the Better Business Bureau since 2002, with which they maintain an A+ rating. Owner Mike Rouw said everyone knows that a clean place of business reflects highly upon the company’s employees and their quality of service. Some business owners feel like they need to clean their offices themselves, but in reality, a detailed office cleaning from a professional staff will not only be faster, but cleaner. One of the most neglected spring-cleaning tasks for businesses is the flooring, and the repercussions can be costly.

“Spring cleaning for businesses is a proven method of extending the life and usefulness of flooring, furniture, and vehicles,” Mike said. “Skipping deep cleaning and floor care in the spring could create more maintenance headaches and expense throughout the remainder of the year. Neglecting the care of your flooring always results in more expense down the road.”

With COVID-19 in play, it’s crucial to go the extra mile with cleaning, especially in spring. Hiring a professional team like The Office Cleaners allows you to stick to your business expertise and feel certain that your employees, clients, and visitors are safe to enter.

“Deep cleaning and anti-viral misting have become essential tasks for businesses, and this is especially important after the winter season when floors, furniture, vehicles, etc. may not be getting cleaned as well or as often as needed,” Mike said. “Your time is valuable! We believe you should spend less time cleaning and more time conducting business. Our focus is on providing the highest quality customer service in our industry and the highest quality clean to businesses of all sizes.”

Clean AND Protect

One of the things that is crucial in spring cleaning is to use the right products on the right surfaces—another great reason to hire a professional to do the job for you. Using a product with inappropriate ingredients for your natural stone surfaces, for example, can result in damage that shortens the life of your beautiful stonework. When it comes to stone, the most overlooked spring-cleaning task is the cleaning and honing of marble and granite surfaces. It’s important to remove or reduce any scratches in the surface of your stone where dirt and microorganisms can live. From there, the stone can be polished and sealed to limit further grime collecting in the scratches. MarbleLife (marblelife-omaha.com) also provides a lot of tile and grout cleaning to remove the stains, properly seal, and allow the stone to look its best. That’s where MarbleLife comes in.

“A lot of harmful bacteria get caught in the cracks, crevices and unsealed grout in your home or business,” said MarbleLife Director of Business Development William Vodvarka. “Spring cleaning is a great time to tackle these problems at a deeper level. Using the proper products and going deeper than usual at least once a year is crucial. Don’t forget to apply a new seal to keep these surfaces protected, and if you’re unsure what to use, give us a call and we can help!”

For spring cleaning, even many all-natural products contain harmful acidic ingredients, like citrus or vinegar, William explained. Many cleaners cause permanent etching on natural stone products and can degrade grout over time. Acidic cleaners are incompatible with many sealant chemistries, unzipping your seal overtime and allowing dirt, oil, and microorganisms into the grout. MarbleLife’s proprietary products are safe to use and our services are geared toward getting out the stains caused by ineffective seals allowing bacteria and grime to get in and discolor your surfaces.

The COVID pandemic has changed spring cleaning trends dramatically. Nationally, MarbleLife is seeing an increase in requests from restaurants and retail businesses that want their surfaces cleaned. By professionally cleaning shared bathrooms and countertops, businesses can show their patrons that they are serious about keeping them safe and health. For these types of concerns, it’s no longer spring cleaning but all-year cleaning!

“There are very few providers in Omaha operating at our level, and MarbleLife has a national footprint to provide support,” Williams said. “With three decades of research and development, MarbleLife has one of the top chemical engineers in the industry always innovating our products and services. We will go above and beyond to get the job done right with the best and most efficient technology in the industry.”

From Top to Bottom

After the winter weather gets its powers of muck on your windows and floors, springtime is the perfect time to schedule your deep cleaning, inside and out. Another fantastic option for getting that done is a call to Christenson Cleaning & Restoration (christensonclean.com).

 

Charlie Christenson

“We clean many commercial buildings, and a lot of our customers like us to do all the interior and exterior glass for their spring-cleaning needs, along with cleaning all the floors to ensure that their building is looking its best after the rough winter,” said Owner Charlie Christenson. “It’s really important to spend the extra money, if possible, on having a building’s floor deep-cleaned, too, to ensure all the ice-melt residue is out of your carpets and other flooring.”

COVID has really brought to light the importance of having not only an aesthetically clean building but a safe one for all occupants, so it might be necessary to have your business cleaned more frequently than usual. That includes extensive tile and grout cleaning, which many businesses tend to put off but which make a tremendous difference in the look and cleanliness of your place—and when it comes time to get someone hired for your spring cleaning, don’t just pick out any fly-by-night company.

“When choosing a contractor to provide these types of services,” Charlie said, “you really need to find a reputable company that’s certified by the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning, and Restoration (IICRC) to ensure they understand the importance of cleaning the floor properly. Also be sure that they have the necessary training to clean each type of flooring and that they are committed to delivering on their promises. That’s why we’re an IICRC certified firm, as we believe in the importance of buying the right chemicals and equipment and ensuring that our team is properly trained so we can deliver the best results possible for our customers!”

A Time of New Life

Throughout the year, especially winter, your beautiful stone floors take a beating, but that doesn’t mean you need to replace them. It’s amazing what the professionals at Lifetime Stone Restoration (lifetimestone.com) can do to make dull, dingy, dirty floors look like new again. They have 10 years of experience and, since they are not a franchise, they can change their process, equipment, and chemicals to give you the best result possible. They routinely test new products in their shop to bring the best materials to each and every job.

 

Don Mlarnik

“Spring is always a time of new life and we can do the same for your floors, counters and showers,” said Owner Don Mlnarik. “After all, snow, mud, and salt have been brought onto your tiled floors over the winter, so spring is the perfect time for deep cleaning. Most people don’t notice that their grout is dirty, but if they look in areas that nobody walks, such as right along the baseboard or in corners, they will see the color the grout should be. If you want do even more for your tiled floors, we can give them a new look by changing the color of your grout and color sealing it.”

Stone floors can get damaged from the salt you spread outside your business or home, and a deep cleaning can go a long way. If you need more, a full restoration that removes etching or scratches in the stone may be necessary. Spring cleaning should also include your shower.

“If you want to feel clean after your shower, you want to get clean in a clean shower,” Don said. “We can replace moldy caulking, fill in missing grout, remove soap and mineral-deposit buildup and re-seal the grout.”

Avoid Costly Damage

If your home has a septic tank, regular maintenance is a must to avoid expensive repair and the yuck factor that comes with failures. Midland Pumping Service, Inc. (midlandpumpingservice.com) offers pumping of any liquid that is not hazardous or flammable, which includes pumping of septic tanks, restaurant or commercial kitchen grease traps, and pits or holding tanks of all types and sizes that you might find in places such as auto body shops, car washes or industrial buildings. They also offer hydro-jetting, which is the use of high-pressure water to clear blockages or buildup that may occur in sewer or grease trap lines.

 

Aimee Hoffmann

“If you are on a septic system, spring is the perfect time to schedule your routine tank pumping,” said Midland Pumping’s Aimee Hoffman. “Having it pumped every year is typically not necessary but putting it on your calendar for once every three to five years is a great plan. A poorly maintained septic tank can cause thousands of dollars in damage in a short amount of time, and if waste escapes the unit, it can damage your property and your relationship with neighbors who have to deal with the aromas.”

Not only does skipping proper maintenance of your septic system reduce your home’s value when you decide to sell, but it could be dangerous to you, your family, your neighbors, and the environment.
“Improperly treated sewage has the potential to contaminate all nearby surface waters,” Aimee said. “Malfunctioning septic tanks release bacteria, viruses, and chemicals to local waterways. You can promote the health of your systems by not flushing random items and chemicals, like paper towels, paints, coffee grounds, kitty litter, and dental floss.”

Midland Pumping provides superior pumping services, which are always prompt and affordable. They offer free estimates, a knowledgeable staff, and more than 25 years of experience. Let Midland help you with spring cleaning by pumping and drain cleaning, grease trap systems, and septic tanks, all toward protecting your family, neighbors, and your investment.

Your business, home, and vehicles are likely your biggest investments, so it’s crucial that you take care of them to protect them. Spring cleaning is essential for ensuring that your investments are not only good-looking but also safe and comfortable. We recommend contacting these professionals to help you get the job done right the first time!