Hello Everyone. Just wanted to give an update on our holiday hours for 2020. Our office and operations will be closing this year between Christmas and New Years. We will be closed from Dec 24 and will reopen on January 4.

We wish you all a safe and happy holiday season!

 

 

 

The Big Clean: Early Spring Cleaning Tips for 2021

 

While you might be preparing your home for the Christmas holidays, it’s never too early to start on your spring cleaning plans. Getting a headstart on this project will help you create a streamlined process, ensure enough supplies and free up space for storage.

Besides, you can always start the ball rolling by tidying up in preparation for the new year.

How to Prepare for Spring Cleaning

Spring cleaning is more than throwing out your junk. It’s a thorough process of cleaning and organizing your home. Often taking a day or two to complete, this will leave you with a living space that is neat and comfortable. Here are some tips on how to make it go smoothly.

Gather the supplies and equipment you’ll need.
You don’t want to stop in the middle of your spring cleaning because you ran out of cleaning products or your mop is broken. It takes you out of your groove, which may result in more distractions.

Check your cleaning supplies and equipment to determine what you need to buy. Additionally, call a waste solutions company to schedule a garbage bin rental. It will save you the trouble of keeping your junk in front of your house until the next pick up.

Make a list of what you want to tackle.

It’s easy to get caught up in a task and forget about the other chores you have to do. It may cause a delay in the process, which takes valuable time away from your personal schedule.

A few weeks before you start cleaning, make a list of everything you want to accomplish. Include everything, from dusting bookshelves to throwing out old furnishings. Doing so lets you determine how much time it will take.

Start decluttering your home.

Decluttering is the process of regularly removing unnecessary items (e.g. unused furniture, old and ill-fitting clothes, and trash) from your home. It is also providing your belongings with the appropriate storage space.

• Make it a habit to take out items for recycling
• Put away your clothes as soon as possible
• Throw away junk mail and free samples

These are just a few examples of how to declutter your home. It helps you develop habits that will maintain the tidiness of your home. It will also lighten your actual spring cleaning load next year.

Check your home’s exterior features.

Spring cleaning isn’t limited to your home’s interior spaces. Check your home’s exterior, such as the lawn and the roof, to identify what needs to be cleaned, repaired, or replaced. This inspection will also help you identify areas that require professional services, such as tree pruning or window repairs.

Start 2021 right by getting your cleaning plans in order. Doing this now will also help you once you have to take down your holiday decorations. Know what to store for the coming year and which items to throw out to free up space in your house. Planning helps you identify the professional services you need, as well.

Junk It is a waste solutions company that provides different services to Toronto residents. Whether you need a bin rental or professional removal services, you can count on our help. Learn more about our services. Contact us today.

Winter DIY Cleaning Tips

Spring is not the only time to do a little “spring cleaning.” In fact, there are several reasons why devoting time towards cleaning in the winter months is a good idea. First of all, there are some areas in your home that will see an increase in use during the winter, so it is a good idea to take care of them now.

In addition, you’ll be likely to spend a lot more time indoors during the winter: with indoor air being an estimated 5 times more polluted than outdoor air, cleaning will do a lot for your health. In addition, tackling areas of the house during the winter months will minimize a lot of your spring cleaning tasks. Doing this yourself instead of hiring a professional is also a great way to save some extra money.

1. Clean Windows.
   It has been estimated that dirty windows reduce daylight by 20%. It is important to receive as much vitamin D as possible in the winter months, especially for those suffering from Seasonal Affective Disorder. Achieve this by cleaning windows both inside and out, using a toxic-free solution of ¼ vinegar, ½ teaspoon of dish detergent and 2 cups of water.
2. Vacuum Dryer Vent.
   This will prevent lint build-up, which can be a fire hazard to you and your family.
3. Wash & Disinfect Garbage Cans and Toilet Brush Cleaners.
   These house a multitude of bacteria; given your time spent indoors, it is best to tackle them many times during the winter months.
4. Clean and Organize Your Pantry.
   With all of the holiday cooking and baking, winter is a good time to organize your pantry. Clean it by wiping down the walls. Organize items using storage containers and labels, making access to items as easy as possible. Throw away any expired items.
5. Clean Your Kettle.
   Your kettle will likely be used more in the winter months. Remove mineral deposits by boiling equal parts of vinegar and water inside the kettle; remove it from the heat and then allow it to sit for several hours. Wash the outside of the kettle with a scrubber sponge.
6. Protect Your China.
   After the holidays have ended and there is no longer a need to use your china, it is a good idea to protect it from scratching by inserting paper plates or coffee filters between the dishes.
7. Vacuum and Rotate Mattresses.
   This should be done on a quarterly basis to ensure even wear of your mattresses.
8. Wax Wooden Furniture.
   This is a task that should be done seasonally to ensure that your wooden furniture stays looking its best, protecting it from dust and moisture.
9. Don’t Forget to Clean Your HVAC System.
   Ensuring that your HVAC system is in good condition is especially important during the winter months. Clear any debris in the system and replace air filters. Also check for any damage.
10. Clean & Protect Boots.
    It is wise to clean your boots and apply a spray protectant for the winter months ahead.

You will likely find a lot of excess junk during your winter cleaning. Allow your home to become much more spacious by contacting our team at Junk It!. We will remove all of it, quickly and efficiently.

Your Post-Winter Warehouse Cleanout Checklist

No warehouse is immune from the dust, dirt and grime. It is always a good idea to clean out your warehouse with each passing season, which will ensure that your workplace is safe, prevent accidents, increase morale by providing workers with a comfortable workplace, and allow your operation to function much more efficiently. Following this simple checklist will make cleaning out your warehouse much easier, ensuring that you don’t miss anything.

1. Check for Hazards Both Inside and Out.
   Scan the inside and outside of the warehouse for possible hazards, such as items being stacked too high or that a fallen tree has not obstructed a pathway. Tackling these safety issues should always be the first priority.
2. Remove All Unnecessary Items.
   Before you even begin cleaning, remove all unnecessary items, like old pallets. This will not only streamline your cleaning process, but it will also contribute to a safer working environment because there will be no unexpected items scattered across the warehouse that serve as a hazard for workers to possibly trip over. This is particularly important in the entryway/exit of the warehouse, which is where employees would escape in the case of an emergency.
3. Clean All Stains.

   To ensure that your warehouse is clean, spend some time tackling each individual stains from oil, lube or other spills. A heavy-duty cleaning product will be required, making the task much easier as well.

4. Deep Clean.
   To ensure that your warehouse is as clean as possible, ensure that you invest some time deep cleaning, like pulling materials away from the walls to remove excess dust, sweeping and mopping the floors, and cleaning toilets. This will improve the air quality, making your warehouse a much more safe and pleasant working environment. Ensure that you don’t miss those hard-to-reach areas.
5. Take Note of Dirty/Unorganized Areas.
   During the cleaning process, take note of which areas have gotten particularly dirty or unorganized. You can use this information as a means to put these areas into monthly or weekly schedule, which will allow you to spend less time deep cleaning each season.
6. Remove Clutter by Consolidating Items.
   After everything has been cleaned, it is a good idea to consolidate items wherever possible. For example, ensure that you do not have half-filled containers. Not only will this create a less cluttered working environment, but it will make your warehouse much more efficient as all items have a proper place for them to go. Ensure that your items are also stacked vertically, which will maximize space.

When it comes to your warehouse, ensure that you’re keeping the environment uncluttered not only to maximize your space, but to ensure worker safety. For help in getting rid of any unwanted junk, contact the Junk It! team today.

5 Ways To Keep Your Neighbourhood Clean

5 Ways To Keep Your Neighbourhood Clean

The difficult part about keeping an entire neighbourhood looking neat and tidy is that it requires a group effort and anyone who has ever tried to coordinate a group effort for anything, whether at school, work, or in the community knows that it is no easy task. Incentive is everything. People have differing attitudes towards public spaces, and their responsibility to upkeep and maintain it. Getting everyone on the same page is an undertaking. Here are five ways to keep your neighbourhood clean.

Start by taking personal responsibility

The only person whose actions you have complete control over are your own. Private citizens do not, nor should they have control over one another’s actions. If you are making an effort – picking up after your dog, disposing of cigarette butts responsibly and picking up trash when you see it – chances are others will be inspired to do the same.

Organize events

If you feel like pollution is becoming an issue in your neighbourhood or community, try to organize a bike or walk to work day. Obviously this is an impossibility for some people if their commute is just too long, or when weather makes it impossible, but convincing people to ditch their vehicles, even for just one day a month, or one day per quarter, is a good way to get your fellow neighbours in the habit of taking greener transportation to and from work. There is a reason that many cities with significantly lower levels of pollution have a much higher rate of people riding bicycles and taking public transportation to work.

Separate your recycling

It takes effort to truly recycle properly. There are many different grades of plastics and metals, even everyday items, that can be recycled – but many people lack awareness and understanding of how to sort the materials. Separating your newspaper, cardboard, glass and plastics diligently can start a chain reaction as each neighbour sees the other taking the time to recycle correctly.

Tie your trash

An untied trash bag or unsecured garbage can is an invitation to the wind or hungry nocturnal animals to strew trash all over the neighbourhood.How can you keep your neighbourhood clean when the main thing holding your household waste remains open? Our Toronto garbage bin rental team reminds you to tie your trash.

When you put your garbage out the night or morning before collection, make sure that it’s not going to end up all over the street or your neighbours’ property.

Go to a carwash

When springtime comes and it’s time to start washing the winter off our cars, why not take them to a carwash. The streams and bodies of freshwater that surround our communities are vital pieces of the environment filled with a diverse range of sensitive ecological systems. Runoff from chemicals used to wash our cars inevitably makes its way into these waterways and can have serious negative effects on local flora and fauna.

It is our job as responsible adults to do our part. Not only do we share our community with people who have a right to clean and safe living conditions, we also live amid natural spaces that are home to animals and delicate ecosystems in need of our protection. Lead by example with these five tips to keeping your neighbourhood clean, and hopefully your neighbours with follow your lead.

Junk It provides more tips on how to keep your neighbourhood clean. You may schedule junk removal service and structure demolition service with us for safe and efficient disposal of community waste. We also provide DIY bin rentals that motivate members of the community to keep their area tidy.

Ask about our garbage bin rental prices today.

Cleaning Tips For Good Feng Shui

Feng Shui is a system of laws that the Chinese consider essential to the governing of spatial arrangement and style that utilize and harmonize the flow of energy in a room. It has existed for thousands of years and whether you wholeheartedly believe in it or not, there is enough history and success behind it to at least consider it as a viable method. Here are 5 cleaning tips for good Feng Shui.

Declutter the kitchen

Decluttering your kitchen means taking everything out of the cabinets, inventorying what you have, and decisively getting rid of things that you don’t need. Spoiled food, near empty condiment containers and food items that have just been sitting, collecting dust for 6 months or longer need to go.

Purify the bathroom

Feng Shui focuses on purity. A Feng Shui bathroom should be clean, spare, and relaxing. Remove things like half empty bottles of shampoo or conditioner and scrub down walls and tiles with natural, scented ingredients like orange infused vinegar and baking soda. Insert a candle or a plant to help keep the air clean and fresh.

Organize the closet

A disorganized, cluttered closet means bad energy. Get rid of unworn clothing and shoes and make room for the handful of everyday items that are really useful.

Use natural oils to clean furniture

Feng Shui is about utilizing the natural energies and rhythms of nature. Harsh chemical cleaners leave unpleasant smells and leftover particles in the air. Opt for something greener and natural like coconut oil which has antiseptic properties, is not caustic or harmful and smells pleasant.

Buy plants

Plants are a great way to occupy space in a pleasing way. A plant by the door, or beside the desk means that that space is already being used and doesn’t fall victim to clutter. You’re not going to park 2 dozen magazines on the plant, or toss pillows around it. Plants also freshen the air and recycle carbon dioxide out of it.

Feng Shui cleaning is an attempt at harnessing energy. Every space has invisible, but powerful lines of energy, or chi, bisecting it and knowing how to make the most of it, especially when cleaning and organizing has led to increased peace of mind and a sense of harmony for those living in it. Follow the 5 cleaning tips above and increase your home’s Feng Shui.