Month: September 2018

What’s The Best Way to Wash (and Get Smells Out of) Pillows?

Posted on by WhiteGloveElite

Pillow Sheets and Bedding

We all know about laundering pillow cases… but think there’s nothing to be done about the pillow itself? WRONG!

Get a cheap bottle of vodka and a spray bottle. Mix 1 part vodka to 3 parts water. (You could splash for the nice stuff…but that means less to celebrate with later!)

Spray the pillow liberally and let dry (ideally in the sun – solar power is totally green). Fluff and repeat. Use a stronger solution for tougher odors. Plan to do this about once a month.

PRO TIPS Avoid drenching pillow and definitely do not submerge it into water!

Why does this work? Well there’s no chemists here at White Glove Elite, but the following IS true:

  • Alcohol is a powerful sterilizer and antimicrobial.
  • Vodka, as opposed to other spirits, has little in it beyond ethanol and water – by watering it down further, its as close to odorless (and colorless) as you can get in a cleaning solution.

Provenance of advice (given White Glove Elite founder, Jim Ireland’s, adjunct career as a stage actor) : Did you ever notice that dry cleaning does nothing for odors? Theaters across the country prefer this solution over dry cleaning to launder delicate, odor-rich costumes.

We hope the knowledge on this blog helps you treat your home with care. However, sometimes it’s great to have help – otherwise we wouldn’t be in business. Book service online today or call us at 212-684-4460 to schedule an appointment with New York City’s top-tier housekeepers.

The One Mistake That Ruins Everything After You Clean Up

Posted on by WhiteGloveElite

Clutter in Bedroom

We all know the feeling when we are SO GLAD to walk into the room and appreciate the clean, organized, and packed away aesthetic beauty of mess-free environment. Sometimes that reflects the hard-won fruits of your labor, or sometimes that of someone else! Either way, time, energy, and effort went into achieving this.  Invariably, that hard work will fade due to the realities of life – but that doesn’t mean you should give up your space’s beauty so willingly.

This mistake is an easy one to understand, but not the easiest to implement, especially when you often find yourself exhausted or in a rush! But if you can embrace this mindset as a lifestyle, you’ll be ahead of the pack, and will thank yourself (and impress any guests/roommates.)

Simply – Don’t break the ice!  Once you have a clean surface, keep it perfect as long as you can!  As soon as you put one piece of clothing on that empty chair or one cup on that clean counter, you will think it’s okay to put another and they each will have six friends before you can say “clutter”.

To help you on this journey, embrace White Glove Elite founder, Jim Ireland’s 7-Second Rule, especially in the evening. When you remove your clothes for the day, ask yourself “do I have 7 seconds to…hang up, fold this, or put it in the laundry?”  The answer is invariably yes and will lead to astonishing results for those who so easily accumulate the dreaded pile of clothes.

The 7-Second Rule works with everything: cups on the counter, dishes not in the dishwasher, shoes on the floor, bags on the chair,mail on the table (okay, maybe you’d have to apply the 7-MINUTE rule to the mail.)

We hope the knowledge on this blog helps you treat your home with care. However, sometimes it’s great to have help – otherwise we wouldn’t be in business. Book service online today or call us at 212-684-4460 to schedule an appointment with New York City’s top-tier housekeepers.

Easy as Pie Tips for Moving!

Posted on by WhiteGloveElite

black and brown Dachshund standing in box

Whether you’re moving for work, snatching a too-good-to-be-true deal on rent, getting more space to start a family (the reasons are endless) – the process itself is rarely fun. Imagining your future life in a new home is wonderful – you just have to get all your stuff there first. (Though we do wish that physical reality could move in lock-step with our daydreams…at least sometimes.)

And like everything with a lot of moving pieces, moving is easy to screw up.

Worst fears include damaging items, scratching the floors, or even losing treasured possessions. While accidents can still happens, we have some tips from White Glove Elite founder, Jim Ireland that are easy to implement and can save you a lot of struggle so you don’t have to resort to that Ibuprofen bottle after both your back and your head hurts.

Hold that run to laundromat.

With the exception of undergarments, dirty laundry is a much more effective packing material than packing paper and the trees will thank you! Use it for your most fragile items.

Repeat things you enjoy, not things your don’t.

Don’t waste time wiping or cleaning items before you pack. You’ll just be doing it again when you get there.

If you’re paying to rent a truck or van, use a little thought beforehand.

The greatest tetris expert can easily be foiled with just one quick start against a tightly packed stack if the stack is not level across the entire bed of the truck.

Use what you almost certainly have to lug heavy items.

Everyone knows to use blankets in the truck to protect un-boxed furniture, but few people use moving blankets within their apartment for the moving of furniture and boxes. Pack your boxes on top of a moving blanket and slide the stack of boxes where you need by pulling on the blanket. Place blankets under furniture and never scratch your floor again. Save your back and your security deposit! Moving blankets are very low-friction and are an amazing tool to help you move with ease.

With this knowledge in mind, save yourself some grief and make the most out of this big moment in your life. Your wallet, peace of mind, and schedule will thank you.

P.S. White Glove Elite would be glad to help you out with the move-out/move-in cleaning….

We hope the knowledge on this blog helps you treat your home with care. However, sometimes it’s great to have help – otherwise we wouldn’t be in business. Book service online today or call us at 212-684-4460 to schedule an appointment with New York City’s top tier housekeepers.