4 Alternative Ways to Remove Limescale
Anyone who lives in an area with hard water will know how annoying limescale is.
Hard water is the name given to water that has a high mineral content, and it is these minerals that create limescale.
The primary culprit is calcium carbonate, the compound which makes up egg shells and snail shells.
Specially made cleaning products are available that will remove limescale, although they can often be expensive, and littered with unwanted chemicals.
Fortunately, there are a few homemade alternatives that get the job done just as efficiently.
1) White Vinegar
One of the most common tricks for getting rid of limescale is using white vinegar. The vinegar is acidic, so reacts with the limescale to create carbon dioxide and water. The best way to apply the vinegar is to use a spray bottle and spray the offending area. It then needs to be left for around half an hour to work its magic before wiping off to give a gleaming finish!
2) Lemon Juice
Lemon juice works in the same way as white vinegar but is a little bit stronger. It also has the bonus that it will leave your kitchen and bathrooms smelling of lemon! Much more preferable than vinegar! However, to do a big clean with just lemon juice would require a lot of juice, so it is probably better suited to spot cleaning, and removing stubborn stains.
3) Cola
While this may seem a left-field suggestion, cheap cola can also be a good way to get rid of limescale if you don’t have vinegar or lemon juice to hand. Most people will know that cola is acidic from the damage it can do to teeth, but this also makes it excellent for getting rid of limescale. Unfortunately, it will also leave a sticky, sugary, residue, that will need removing after application, which means more cleaning products.
4) Wire Wool
While the other options have relied on a chemical reaction to remove the limescale, the last option is using a bit of elbow grease. Wire wool can be used to remove the mineral deposit from some surfaces, but care is needed to make sure you don’t scratch the underlying surface. As with any abrasive method, start with as fine a wool as possible, and get coarser until it begins to remove the residue. For an added boost you can also use the wire wool soaked with one of the suggestions above, to force the acid into the limescale.
The best way to stop limescale becoming a nuisance is still prevention. Limescale occurs whenever water evaporates away, leaving behind the mineral deposit. So, whenever you do anything with water, make sure you give it a wipe with a dry cloth to keep everywhere as dry as possible. However, even the most fastidious of people will miss some parts, so whenever you see limescale building up, one of these alternatives might be what you need.
Keep Your Bathroom Tidy with the One-Minute Challenge
Finding the time to keep your bathroom looking tidy can be difficult. This task can be even more challenging if you work long hours, live with a large family, or have three or more bathrooms to clean. Getting a handle on this chore may not be easy, but it is possible. One of the options you have is to take the one-minute challenge to keep your bathrooms looking neat and tidy.
No matter how busy your day is, finding a single minute to tidy up your bathroom shouldn’t be that difficult. You don’t even need to complete this challenge at the same time each day. All you need to do is spend one minute every single day completing one or more chores in the bathroom.
At first, you may not notice much of a difference in your bathroom’s appearance. However, after several days of meeting the one-minute challenge, you should see a big improvement. Of course, you should still plan on deep cleaning your bathroom once a week to make it sparkle and eliminate germs.
Doing a few cleaning tasks each day can really keep your bathroom looking and smelling fresh. Here is a list of chores that typically take a minute or less to complete:
- Swap out yesterday’s towels for fresh ones
- Clean the toilet
- Wipe the mirrors clean
- Replace the toilet paper or tissues
- Clean the soap dish
- Dust the light fixture
- Swap the shower curtain with a fresh one
- Clean the sink
- Wipe the faucets clean
- Change the light bulbs
- Dust the blinds
- Put up new curtains
- Sweep the floor
- Empty the clothing hamper
- Clean the toothbrush holder
In the beginning, you may want to time yourself to see just how long each of the above tasks take. After a while, you’ll simply be able to judge which tasks you can handle in a single minute. You may even be able to complete two or more tasks in the short span of sixty seconds. Of course, you can always spend more time tidying up your bathroom if you have a few moments to spare.
The best way to keep your bathroom looking clean and smelling fresh is to keep up on all of the small tasks that should be completed each week. Tackling one or two tasks each day is often a lot simpler than blocking out an entire hour. Take the one-minute challenge each day to keep your bathroom looking neat and tidy.
How to Focus When Working from Home: 15 Practical Tips
Need a turbo boost for your at-home efficiency? Is your job starting to feel like an endless cycle of highschool homework?
Maybe you’re a veteran at working from home. Maybe recent circumstances have changed the surroundings of your job.
Either way, we all struggle to maintain focus when working from home. Some days, you’re on fire, and get a lot done. Other days the clock drags on and you feel like you got nothing done!
In the spirit of getting more done, let’s explore 20 practical steps you can take to improve your focus when working from home. You might just find a few great ones that are like rocket fuel for your efficiency!
- Eat and snack smart
- Exercise twice
- Keep your home clean
- Take good breaks
- Become a minimalist
- Watch your media consumption
- Set time limits
- Design some office hours
- Make time for collaboration
- Get plenty of sleep
- Mark Twain it
- Dress like you mean it
- Create events to look forward to
- Go outside
- Notice, but don’t judge
1. Eat and snack smart
Give your brain a fighting chance. If you’re loading the carbs and aren’t eating vegetables, it’s going to be tough to focus—no matter how many tomato timers you set. When you work from home, you have access to your full selection of snacks and meals.
Eating a balanced diet and choosing light, nutrient-dense brain foods like spinach, berries, and nuts will go a long way for your focus.
2. Exercise twice
The hustle and bustle of the commute, stairs, and lunch break is now gone from your schedule. It’s more important now to prioritize exercise.
You don’t have to run five miles. A quick jog, brisk walk, or 15-minute yoga session is enough to elevate your heart rate and keep you focused. It helps wake you up and keep you focused. It helps you regulate your mood, energy levels, and schedule.
3. Keep your home clean
Your home is now your office. If it’s full of unvacuumed floors, dirty laundry, dust, and a dirty kitchen—you won’t feel very professional. A clean home is important for your schedule and mental health, freeing your up to focus on your job.
Because you’re home more often, you’re also using your home more often. The kitchen and bathroom will get dirtier more quickly, and you’ll track dust around the floors when you walk.
Many people are now turning to quick, efficient home cleaning services to maintain a professional atmosphere. You won’t burn through your workday vacuuming—but you’ll also keep your home clean, maximizing your focus.
4. Take good breaks
Don’t feel the need to put your head down for four hours straight. Taking a short five minute break every half hour or so is a really effective way to refocus yourself.
The best way to do an amazing hour of work, end over end, is to do an amazing 50 minutes of work. Taking a couple of good, intentional breaks helps you focus. Here’s what you should look for in a good break:
- It has a defined end point, like a short walk. Scrolling social media is not a good break. It can sweep you up in the algorithms.
- It’s relatively short. 5 minutes is a good break. 30 minutes is a good lunch.
- You enjoy it.
5. Become a minimalist
Cluttered spaces can be a huge distraction. If your phone, headphones, and TV are within reach—you’re setting yourself up to fail.
Work from anywhere in your home. But be conscious of how the objects in your space and line of sight can distract you and pull you away.
Keeping your phone out of sight is obvious. But you can also get more creative! Keep your desk clean, minimize the number of choices you make in a day, and avoid algorithms that intend to keep you scrolling indefinitely.
6. Watch your media consumption
Most of us love to toss on music, a show, or a podcast in the background when we’re doing tasks that don’t require intense focus. This can help you enjoy your day, but it can also make tasks take longer than they should.
Try to limit yourself to certain amounts or types of entertainment during your work hours.
7. Set time limits
Parkinson’s law famously states that work expands to fill the time allotted for it. Without a sense of urgency, you could easily find mundane work tasks ballooning to twice or three-times their length.
Be realistic about how long it takes to get things done, but make goals and stick to them. Make a schedule that is dynamic enough to accommodate for the challenges of your job. But also make a schedule that helps you get things done in the amount of time they should take and not merely the amount of time they could take.
8. Design some office hours
When you work from home you have tons of flexibility in when you start and end your work day. This can lead some people to take chunks out of their day to run errands, clean the house, and take on spontaneous new projects. While the flexibility is nice, a single distraction in the morning and afternoon can chop hours out of your work day.
Create office hours with the expectation that from like 9 to 6 you won’t do anything that isn’t work related. That means that groceries, cleaning, errands, and conversations with friends still occur on weekends and in the evenings.
9. Make time for collaboration
If you’re used to an office, you’re used to informal conversations that generate real work and strategy. You’ll have to be more intentional from an at-home setting to collaborate with your teammates.
It can be helpful to set aside 30 minutes to an hour for communications. That can include emails, texts, phone calls, video calls, and messenger solutions. Answer any communication that has come your way, but also be proactive during this time.
10. Get plenty of sleep
Sleep has a huge impact on your ability to focus on a task. If you’re underslept, you’ll struggle to avoid distractions and make tough decisions. Prioritizing 7-8 hours of quality sleep every night helps you stay focused in a home environment that is full of simple distractions!
Additionally, don’t be too proud to take a nap. If you’re sleep deprived, it isn’t efficient to push through 3 hours of work. It’s actually more efficient to take a nap for an hour and do 2 hours of quality, well-rested work.
11. Mark Twain it
Mark Twain used to say that if you ate a frog first thing in the morning, you wouldn’t do anything more difficult for the rest of the day. The wisdom is simple: do the hardest thing first. Every job has parts that are really fun, creative, and enjoyable—and has parts that are stressful.
If you procrastinate on the stressful stuff, then you’ll spend less time being efficient. Don’t save the hard stuff for the 2pm crash. Get it done first thing in the morning with a fresh cup of coffee in hand.
12. Dress like you mean it
On days without video conferences, it can be a joy to toss on sweat pants and get things done from the couch all day. Casual wear and athleisure outfits can be a refreshing take on the 9 to 5 grind—but they can also be a free pass for not working that hard.
If you realize that your outfits are holding back your motivation, take a day to dress professionally even if no one will see you. Sometimes the simple act of putting on pants is all you need to remind yourself to stay focused and skip the Netflix binge.
13. Create events to look forward to
Work expands to fill time allotted. If you don’t have anything after work to look forward to, you might lack the motivation to get everything done by 6pm.
Set a goal. Make up something you want to do in the evening. That might be cooking a meal, zooming with friends, spending time with family, learning a new skill, reading, exercising, or watching a movie. It doesn’t have to be anything super special!
If you have something to work for, it will get you through the 11am or 1pm slump. You won’t be tempted to slow down or take breaks, because working at night won’t be considered an option.
14. Go outside
If you wake up in your bedroom, work in your living room, and eat in your kitchen—you can spend a whole day (or week) indoors. Getting some fresh air, sunshine, and nature will help you maintain your mental health.
15. Notice, but don’t judge
It’s really easy to get down on yourself for falling behind on work. A bad afternoon can be frustrating. A bad morning can throw you off your game for the rest of the day.
When you feel your focus slipping, be kind to yourself. Don’t get frustrated. Make a meaningful change by getting some exercise, making a cup of coffee, or setting your phone in the other room. Take practical steps back toward focus without heaping blame on yourself.
10 Reasons to Hire Room413 to do Spring Cleaning in Los Angeles
You may have a lot of conceptions about what a cleaning service is. Many people think that a cleaning service is for only the super-wealthy or for other offices. But there are a number of different reasons to hire a cleaning service. And we work with all kinds of different clients.
We consider ourselves your partner. We know that your lifestyle or your business really need quality cleaning services to keep operating at a productive level. We’re proud to offer those services in affordable, convenient ways.
Let us know how we can help. Here are the top 10 reasons to hire Room413 to do spring cleaning in Los Angeles.
- Pricing
- Book in 60 seconds
- Professionalism
- We love pets
- The right tools
- Service
- We’re insured
- Residential and business services
- Furniture? No problem
- Any day, any time
1. Pricing
We’ve made our name for ourselves in LA through affordable cleaning services. Unlike other cleaning companies, we’ve simplified our services and solutions to cut costs all the way through. We pass those savings on to you, all while not sacrificing the quality of service that you expect.
When communications and logistics were incredibly expensive, cleaning services were a lot more expensive. By streamlining those things through digital solutions, we’re able to coordinate and effectively clean more spaces in less time for less money. It’s how we’re helping more people afford professional cleaning services for their LA spaces.
2. Book in 60 Seconds
You’re busy. You’ve got other things to worry about in your company and schedule. Cleaning isn’t a productive use of your time, but it does help you be more productive in the long run. We got tired of the confusing phone calls to distant call centers and the non-stop voicemails. So we’ve streamlined the process. You can book a cleaning session, in detail, all online. It takes just 60 seconds. Get a session booked and get back to the other stuff.
If you need to book monthly or weekly recurring cleaning, we can handle that as well. Our scheduling works with our clients, so we’re able to show up on weekends, weekdays, evenings, and whenever is most convenient for your family or business.
3. Professionalism
Our staff can work when no one’s home or in the middle of a crowded office. We prioritize teamwork and professionalism at all of our sites, no matter how many or how few people are around.
Our teams work effectively and efficiently. You don’t have to worry about being gone when we’re there. You don’t have to work about us working around customers, clients, and whatever business is happening in your office on a given day.
4. We Love Pets
Have a dog? Or a dozen cats? Not a problem at all! It’s usually best for your pets if they’re out of the way when our cleaning team gets there, but we know that pets are part of your family. We don’t mind cleaning up after them as well! Pet hair, paw stains, and lingering smells are no match for our holistic pet-cleaning protocols. No matter how many animals you’ve got, we’ll get your space clean.
5. The Right Tools
The right people are only part of the equation. You can hire the best team in the world, but if they don’t have the right, modern equipment, cleaning is going to be time-consuming and incomplete. We outfit our teams with the right tools so that they can clean quickly and thoroughly.
We care about the environment and use chemicals that protect your family and your company. Our favorite cleaning techniques use hot water extraction instead of rough chemicals.
6. Service
We have very, very few issues with our customer service. If a customer ever does complain because we’ve missed something or haven’t done the job they’re expecting—we work hard to make it right. Our simple online systems and customer service contacts help you anticipate problems and fix issues that arise. If you have a special request or need help with something, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Every space that we clean is different. If you have certain things you need done or spaces to avoid, just talk to us. We value communication and can help design the perfect cleaning experience for your space. Logistics are things that we handle consistently, and we have awesome internal systems that help us give you the perfect cleaning experience.
7. We’re Insured
Cleaning service insurance completely protects your space from damage, and also protects you from liabilities if any injuries occur while we’re in your space. We know that you just need a simple cleaning job. The last thing you want to worry about—really the last thing—is trying to get your cleaning company to pay for something they break. If any issues occur, we’re fully insured, which makes sure that you don’t take on any extra liability for damages.
8. Residential and Business Services
Residential and business spaces require different kinds of cleaning, but aim at the same result: creating productive, healthy spaces that people love to be in. We love cleaning kitchens and living rooms so that families can be inspired to lead a healthier lifestyle. We love cleaning meeting rooms and offices so that ideas can flow and your company can remain focused for longer.
Clean spaces make for more productive home and work lives. It’s an investment in your energy, wellness, and focus. How can we help?
9. Furniture? No Problem
We can help move and clear out furniture from rooms so that we can clean the floors. Even tough to reach spots under furniture that you’re not quite sure how to reach can be cleaned.
10. Any Day, Any Time
We work 7 days a week to provide options for your most convenient cleaning time. You might want to be out of the house when we clean. Or you might want to be home. Either way, we can schedule a cleaning service session whenever it’s most convenient for you!
The Best Cleaning Service in Los Angeles: What to Look For
When people are searching out the best cleaning service in Los Angeles, they often don’t know what they’re looking for. You know that you want your home clean. You know that you don’t want to pay a lot for it. But what, exactly, should you be looking for in the best cleaning service in Los Angeles?
At Room413, we’ve spent years perfecting our craft. We take your space as seriously as you do, whether it’s residential or a business. Let’s get your space clean and keep it clean.
A Service that Understands Space
Cleaning is about improving space. There’s more to it than just removing dirt and making sure everything shines. We follow specially designed plans to ensure that we maximize the wellness, health, and productivity of your space. You deserve to be in places that make you the best version of yourself. We think that’s possible both at home and in the office.
The best cleaning service in Los Angeles will do more than just tidy up. We deep clean, removing the contaminants and dust that floats around your interiors. You need the highest level of focus available.
Easy Scheduling
7 Days a Week
Weekends or weekdays. Right in the middle of your weekend or right at the end of your workday. We know that every business and every house run on different schedules. So we allow you to make flexible plans and change them on the fly when things don’t work out. Our teams can reroute, make new plans, and make sure that your space is perfectly clean.
Great Customer Service
You don’t want to spend hours on the phone with the cleaning company. We totally get it. You want things to move fast and get cleaned even faster. Our customer service is here to facilitate an awesome cleaning experience. If you want something change or if we didn’t do a good job, call us right away—we’ll put things right.
Make an Appointment Online in 60 Seconds
How’s that for best cleaning service in LA? You don’t have to leave your browser. Just click through our automatic, online scheduling service and you’ll get a professional cleaning team at your door whenever you need them. It takes only 60 seconds to start the wellness and cleaning partnership that makes life and business easier.
All Kinds of Spaces
We’re experienced in all kinds of spaces, including homes, offices, and stores.
Residential
Our residential services are quick, efficient, and affordable. A cleaning service is no longer for the ultra rich. Because we use digital communication and logistics to run the company efficiently,
Business
We handle offices with a ton of plants, art studios, and retail stores. We take on tech companies and warehouses. Any kind of business, any kind of schedule.
Clean spaces are an essential part of any business, for clients and employees. We’re a friendly, encouraging presence that increases productivity. We get your space clean so that you can get back to work.
Professional People
Friendly
If you need to schedule cleaning during a work day or when you’re home, we can come in and clean around your busy schedule. Our team is totally comfortable doing cleaning services, even when it’s the middle of a 9 to 5. Meetings, lunch breaks, clients—no worries. Our team is professional enough to interact in any situation, even a high-pressure environment where things move quickly.
Contactless
Our teams are trained to respect your space, get in, clean everything, and get out. We don’t have to make contact with you at all. Schedule a time when you know that you won’t be home, and just leave us a way to get in: we’ll take care of the rest. Our professional cleaning team is the best cleaning service in LA.
Our End Goals: Productivity, Happiness, and Wellness
We’re a cleaning service that understands why you get your space cleaned in the first place. You want your space clean because it makes you happy, improves wellness, and keeps your team productive.
Productivity
Clients and customers don’t want to see a dirty shop. Employees don’t want to work in a dirty space. When your home or business isn’t clean, it doesn’t inspire productivity. And this is beyond just spending time on cleaning—our space defines our mindset. When things are clean, minimalist, and in order, we get inspired to do more stuff. We react to space. Our actions are defined by how we feel in our space.
The best cleaning service in Los Angeles understands the connection between cleanliness and productivity. Our services are designed with your business and lifestyle in mind.
Happiness
Clean spaces are better to live in. Clean offices are better to work in. We take care of the little things while we clean and make sure everything shines. Clean windows help let in more natural light, and getting rid of the dust improves breathing and air quality.
As we clean, the goal is simple—maximize the happiness of your clients, family, employees, customers, friends, and whoever else uses the space.
Wellness
Cleaning is about health. When our spaces are dirty, it makes it tough to get clean air or quality focus. Our mental and physical health is directly tied to the way that our space is organized and maintained. Wellness in your family or company starts with the cleanliness of your space. We’re proud to partner with you for a better work life and lifestyle.
If you’re having particular problems with air quality or with a specific area, talk to us. We can send cleaning teams who are prepared to improve air quality, simplicity, and focus.
The Best Cleaning Service in Los Angeles: Full Service
We get it. You want a single contract with a single cleaning service which can handle all the needs of your household or business. Our commercial and residential services are ready for floors, windows, office cleaning, kitchen spaces, interiors and exteriors. We can handle any cleaning options you need.
Got 60 seconds? That’s all the time it takes to book our services. Get back to life and work—we’ll keep things clean.