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Employment

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Employment Opportunities

House Cleaners and Maids – Both Full and Part Time

All applicants will be subject to a full background check and must be bondable.

Location: Round Rock-North Austin areas

Do you have experience as a professional house cleaner? Are you detail oriented?

If you are hardworking and dependable, we have a spot for you on one of our professional cleaning crews.

We work daytime hours, Monday through Friday. No nights, No weekends, No holidays.

You must be task oriented with the ability to work as part of a team. You must be able to follow instructions precisely. Work systematically and quickly with an eye for perfection.

We offer initial and ongoing training (The Miracle Maids Way), above average pay, Gas allotment and Vacation pay!

All new employees begin as apprentices. No exceptions. You will work under the supervision of an experienced team leader. Pay at the apprentice level is up to $9.75/hour plus tips.

We are a growing company which offers room for pay increases and advancement.

Our day, for full time cleaners, typically begins at 8:00 AM and rarely ends after 5:00PM.
Again, no nights or weekends.

House Cleaners work out of our Round Rock office.

Requirements:

  • Must be legally authorized to work in the United States.
  • Must have reliable transportation and show proof of insurance.
  • Must have valid Driver’s license.
  • Must have your own cell phone.
  • Must be willing to submit to a Criminal Background Check. Job and personal references will be required and checked as well.

To apply, please complete this form:






Pictures won’t stay straight!

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“TILT” – PICTURES WON’T STAY STRAIGHT

 

Liz from Forest Creek in Round Rock asks: I probably have 50 or more framed pictures and paintings hanging on the walls of my home. Some are fairly pricey paintings but many are just framed photographs of our kids or places we’ve been, things we’ve done or people we know… My problem is that they don’t stay straight on the walls. I’ve tried tape but that doesn’t seem to work. Any suggestions?

The Cause

Liz, Let’s first look at the cause of this. Many people believe that there are gremlins that come out in the early, early hours of the morning and skew hanging artwork. They are nocturnal creatures and do this just for fun. In Pflugerville, they are known as the Wee Cockeyeds.

Then there’s always the possibility that someone in your house is deliberately putting them out of plum just to irritate you.

I however suspect that the heavier artwork that is hung from the back using wire are less susceptible to this than the lighter photos that hang from a bracket on the back of the frame. These are much more difficult to keep hanging straight.

The Catalyst

It may be that people in your household are brushing up against said artwork or that a door is left open and a breeze blows them out of whack. But much more likely is the phenomenon known to kids (especially teenagers) as the closing of the door. We as adults refer to this activity as slamming the door. Although homes in Forest Creek are generally solidly built, a well slammed door can reverberate through the walls, rattle dishes in the kitchen sink and cause wall-hangings to be lopsided.

The Solution

I too have tried wrapping tape, masking tape, electric tape, even duct tape. They dry and fail quickly. So the solution is:

Sticky Backed Velcro tape! One side adheres to the bottom of the frame and the other to the wall. And it’s adjustable. If you didn’t get it exactly straight the first time just peel the two sides apart and try again.

To be certain that your pictures are level you can get yourself a 10 inch “torpedo level” at Walmart down on Palm Valley (79) or drive over to the Home Depot or the Lowes by 35 and 45. Cost no more than 4 or 5 bucks.

That’s it for now!

Later, the Miracle Maid

Send your feedback to: HelpfulHints@miraclemaidstx.com

Watering House Plants the Easy Way

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Home » Helpful Hints » Watering House Plants the Easy Way

Watering House Plants the Easy Way


If you submit a helpful hint we will give you a 10% discount off your next cleaning. If we use your helpful hint we will give you a free upgrade on your next cleaning.

Problem 1) Too many trips to the sink.

Go to the sink, fill your water can. Water a plant or two. Go back to the sink and fill the water can again. Repeat as necessary. Five trips? Maybe ten? Maybe more?

The other problem with traditional water cans? Overshooting the plant pot. Water ends up everywhere. Most of us really don’t like or need to water our floors.

Try this:

Buy a 2½ gallon spring drinking water container. As a bonus, you get to drink the water first.

Then, cut about a 1½ inch hole in the back top side of the container for refilling it from the kitchen sink.

This really works great. Make it possible to water many plants with far fewer trips to the sink and also gives you pinpoint accuracy with water delivery.

Problem 2) Watering hanging plants

Try this:

For hanging plants, especially high hangers, just place a handful of ICE CUBES into each hanging pot. Added benefit? As with problem 1, you will have no spillage and no added mess to clean up.

If you are a little more motivated, you can even customize your ice cubes by adding some house plant fertilizer to them. Two birds with one stone. (Beware!!!! Make sure Grandma doesn’t use them for her evening elixir)

Later, the Miracle Maid

Send your feedback to: HelpfulHints@miraclemaidstx.com

Remember: If you submit a helpful hint we will give you a 10% discount off your next cleaning. If we use your helpful hint we will give you a free upgrade on your next cleaning.


Have cleaning questions? Ask the pros at Miracle Maids any cleaning question you may have and we’ll help you keep your home tidy between visits from us! Send your questions to info@miraclemaidstx.com

Professional Window Washing at Home

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Home » Helpful Hints » Professional Window Washing at Home

Professional Window Washing at Home


Professional Window Washing at Home

Start with a professional grade 12-inch squeegee with metal frame and replaceable rubber blades from any Hardware store.(Don’t buy cheap ones, top of the line squeegees will last a lifetime and work the best. You will have to replace the blades. If doing an entire house, it’s best to replace the blades before each washing.) You will also need a T-scrubber or for smaller areas a good-quality 2 sided sponge, a large bucket , hand dishwashing liquid and some lint-free rags or better yet a few microfiber clothes.

Making the Solution

Mix about one teaspoon of liquid dishwashing soap into 2 gallons of water. In Texas, use cool to luke-warm water. Never use hot water.

The Squeegee Method is Easy to Master

Move the squeegee horizontally across the glass beginning at the top of the glass (see Photos), although vertical strokes will work just as well. If you work vertically, angle the squeegee to direct excess water toward the uncleaned area.

Wash small pane windows with a sponge and use a small squeegee. If you can’t find a small enough squeegee, cut a larger one to fit your glass size. (Remember, you’ll be able to use these tools for years to come so it’s OK to customize them for your particular house) Scrub the glass with a wrung-out sponge to avoid excess drippage. Then use the tip of the squeegee to clear a narrow strip at the top (see Photos). Pull the squeegee down and wipe the perimeter.

You Can Use a Squeegee Inside the House Too

Here the key is to wring most of the soapy water out of the scrubber, again, so there’s no dripping or running. Keep a microfiber handy to dry off the squeegee and to quickly clean up soapy water drippage. Use a separate clean rag to wipe the perimeter of the glass. New “microfiber” rags (Photos) work great for window cleaning. Again, you can buy these almost anywhere. (Important hint! WHEN WASHING MICROFIBERS, DO NOT USE ANY KIND OF FABRIC SOFTENER. THIS WILL BREAK THE FIBER DOWN AND MAKE THEM INEFFECTIVE)

Later, the Miracle Maid
Send your feedback to: HelpfulHints@miraclemaidstx.com

Click here for past editions of Helpful Hints.


Have cleaning questions? Ask the pros at Miracle Maids any cleaning question you may have and we’ll help you keep your home tidy between visits from us! Send your questions to info@miraclemaidstx.com

Rental Move-outs

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Home » Helpful Hints » Rental Move-outs

Rental Move-outs


If you are renting a home or apartment, you likely have given your landlord a fairly substantial deposit. Usually the equivalent of one month’s rent. If you want to recover the entire security deposit, here’s a few important steps to take.

  • Leave yourself plenty of time to complete the job. Start organizing and boxing two weeks in advance.
  • Generally it’s a good idea to begin with cleaning at least a week before your move-out date.
  • Start with the tough jobs. (Oven, Stove) and work progressively (Showers, Tubs) toward easier jobs. (closets)
  • As you move along the process, you will find more and more overlooked cleaning tasks.
  • As a general rule, in each room, you will want to work from left to right and always from top to bottom.
  • If you need to have the carpets cleaned, whether professionally or not, it should be the last thing done. (Remember, here in Austin, if you steam clean your carpets, they will dry fairly quickly)
  • KNOW WHAT YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR !!

When you have thoroughly cleaned the entire residence, you should always have the owner or property manager do a walk-through with you. AND, get a WRITTEN letter of satisfactory completion.

Later, the Miracle Maid

Send your feedback to: HelpfulHints@miraclemaidstx.com


Have cleaning questions? Ask the pros at Miracle Maids any cleaning question you may have and we’ll help you keep your home tidy between visits from us! Send your questions to info@miraclemaidstx.com

How to Prepare for Your Cleaning

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– Please make sure that your home is clutter-free so that our professionals can concentrate on cleaning. If we find that there is excessive clutter there may be an additional one-time charge, however a customer service representative will contact you prior to assessing any additional charges. So please make sure we can focus on just cleaning.

– Due to liability issues, our cleaners are not allowed to lift anything heavier than 25 pounds. To get the most out of your cleaning we suggest preparing your home for our arrival so that we are able to get to inaccessible areas, like behind couches and other furniture.

– We can never guarantee that every cleaner will speak 100% English. If at anytime you have trouble communicating with your cleaner call our Corporate Office at 512-548-4655 immediately and we will translate the conversation.

– Unfortunately, accidents can occur while cleaning your home. For this reason, we suggest that if you have any items that are fragile or irreplaceable, please put them in a safe and secure location.

– We never want to discard anything that is of importance to you. Always make sure to be clear what is not to be thrown away especially if it is important paperwork that can be easily mistaken as trash.

– If you are home at the time of the cleaning, we would ask that you look it over and make sure that you are satisfied. Please do this toward the end of our cleaning service.

– Our maids are not allowed to perform any special cleaning requests without management approval. If additional services are needed, please contact a customer service representative so we can document the change and inform your cleaner.

– Just as you are getting to know MiracleMaids as a company we are getting to know you as a customer. So please communicate to us any specific needs or areas that require special attention. Our ultimate goal is to make each and every cleaning better than the previous one. The only way for us to achieve that goal is through communication. Never hesitate to call and give us your feedback, be it good or bad, we want to know.

Why Microfibers for Cleaning?

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Why Microfibers for Cleaning?

 

Many of you are aware that microfiber towels are recommended for cleaning your house. But many do not know why or for that matter why they clean so well. So…. Here’s a primer!

Microfiber is very, very thin. It is about 1/100th the diameter of a human hair. It was originally developed in the late 1950s.

First, there are essentially two types of microfiber cloth.

1) The first type which is commonly used for clothing, bed linen, furniture coverings and the like is an unsplit variety of microfiber. So if you looked at a cross-section of it under a microscope, it would look perfectly round.

2) The second type is the split variety of microfiber which is used for cleaning cloths, commercial floor mops, professional fan dusters, etc. These are what we use exclusively at Miracle Maids. If you were to look at a cross-section of a split microfiber it would look somewhat like a snowflake.

This snowflake pattern increases the surface area of each microfiber so that it can absorb many times the amount of liquid than a standard cloth. And, for the same reason, makes microfibers far superior and effective for cleaning and dusting.

Miracle Maids also uses commercial grade microfiber mop heads for all hard floor surfaces. We use one type for cleaning and polishing wood floors and a different type for cleaning and shining tile floors.

If you do decide to utilize microfibers for your day to day cleaning, one word of caution: Do not wash these with your other laundry. Any exposure to fabric softener, either liquid, dryer sheet, or included in the wash detergent will destroy the microfiber split making it ineffectual.

That’s it for now!

Later, the Miracle Maid

Send your feedback to: HelpfulHints@miraclemaidstx.com

 

In the Kitchen

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Home » Helpful Hints » In the Kitchen

In the Kitchen


If you submit a helpful hint we will give you a 10% discount off your next cleaning. If we use your helpful hint we will give you a free upgrade on your next cleaning.

– Sponges are a disease carrier and a perfect breeding ground for bacteria including E. coli. A simple solution to sanitize your sponges is to microwave them. Put your wet sponges in the microwave for 2 minutes on high setting. This will kill 99% of bacteria including E. coli. Be careful to let the sponges cool down completely for they will be fiercely hot after 2 minutes of zapping. If you cook every day then follow this practice every other day to help maintain a safe clean environment for your kitchen.

– Remember, with kitchen sponges, to rinse them and thoroughly wring them out after every use. This will prevent them from smelling like a gym locker.

– If you have Corian sinks in your kitchen or bathrooms, mix bleach and water at a 50/50 ratio and let it stand in the sink for 15 minutes, rinse and you’re done. Your sink will be beautifully white again. If you have stainless steel or porcelain sinks, then it’s Comet or another abrasive cleaner and some good elbow grease.

 – Two things that every kitchen should have: A high quality set of VERY sharp kitchen knives and a large (at least 16”x20”) wooden cutting board.

– Underneath or behind your refrigerator there is a condensing coil. Even in the cleanest of homes they will collect large amounts of lint, dust and dirt which makes it run inefficiently. To clean, locate the coils, UNPLUG the unit, and vacuum the coils thoroughly. This could save you up to 6% on your fridge’s energy use. We recommend doing this at least once if not twice a year.

– Cleaning your metal range hood filter screen can improve the ventilation in your kitchen while cooking. To do this, simply soak the screen in a mixture of 1 part ammonia to 6 parts hot water. Scrub with a brush and rinse under hot water. Another method is to spray your screen with oven cleaner, let stand for a few minutes and run through your dishwasher immediately after.

Remember: If you submit a helpful hint we will give you a 10% discount off your next cleaning. If we use your helpful hint we will give you a free upgrade on your next cleaning.


Have cleaning questions? Ask the pros at Miracle Maids any cleaning question you may have and we’ll help you keep your home tidy between visits from us! Send your questions to info@miraclemaidstx.com

Joke of the Week

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Joke of the Week

 

If you submit a cleaning joke you will receive a $10 discount on any future cleaning. If we use your joke we will give you a free upgrade on your next service. Submit your jokes to justcleaningjokes@miraclemaidstx.com

 

Our maids have CDO. It’s like OCD but the letters are in the correct order!!

The Maid

A woman suspects her husband is cheating on her. One day, she dials her home and a strange woman answers. The woman says, ” Who is this?” “This is the maid,” answered the woman. “We don’t have a maid”, said the woman. The maid says, “I was hired this morning by the man of the house. The woman says, “Well, this is his wife. Is he there?” The maid replied, “he is upstairs in the bedroom with someone who I figured was his wife.” The woman is fuming. She says to the maid, “Listen, would you like to make $50,000?” The maid says, “What will I have to do?”

The woman tells her, “I want you to get my gun from the desk, and shoot the jerk and the witch he’s with.” The maid puts the phone down; the woman hears footsteps and the gun shots.

The maid comes back to the phone, “What do I do with the bodies?”  The woman says, “Throw them in the swimming pool.” Puzzled, the maid answers, “But there’s no pool here.” A long pause and the woman says, “Is this 832-4821?”

Just Three Words

A woman is sitting at a bar enjoying an after work cocktail with her girlfriends when an exceptionally tall, handsome, middle-aged man enters. He is so striking that the woman cannot take her eyes off him. The man notices her overly attentive stares and walks directly toward her. Before she can offer her apologies for rudely staring he leans over and whispers, “I’ll do anything, absolutely anything that you want me to do for $20… But, on one condition.” Flabbergasted, the woman asks what the condition is.

The man replies, “You have to tell me what you want me to do in just three words.” The woman considers his proposition for a moment and then removes a $20 bill from her purse, which she presses into the man’s hand along with her address.

She then looks deeply into his eyes, and slowly, and meaningfully says, “Clean my house!”

Saved

Smith, who lives in a big house at Avery Ranch, goes to see his supervisor in the front office. “Boss,” he says, “we’re doing some heavy house-cleaning at home tomorrow, and my wife needs me to help with the attic and the garage, moving and hauling stuff.”

“We’re short-handed, Smith” the boss replies. “I can’t give you the day off.”

“Thanks, boss,” says Smith “I knew I could count on you!”

As Clean as Cold Water Can Get Them

A man went to visit his 90 year old grandfather and while eating the breakfast of eggs and bacon prepared for him, he noticed a film-like substance on his plate. So he says, “Grandfather, are these plates clean?” His grandfather replies, “Those plates are as clean as cold water can get them, so go on and finish your meal.” That afternoon, while eating the hamburgers his grandfather made for lunch, he noticed many little black specks around the edge of his plate so again he asked, “Grandfather are you sure these plates are clean?” Without looking up from his burger, the grandfather says, “I told you those dishes are as clean as cold water can get them, now don’t ask me about it anymore.” Well, later that day, they were on their way out to get dinner. As he was leaving the house, grandfather’s dog who was lying on the floor started to growl and would not let him pass. “Grandfather, your dog won’t let me out.” Without diverting his attention from the football game he was watching, his grandfather shouted, “Coldwater, get out of the way!”


Have cleaning questions? Ask the pros at Miracle Maids any cleaning question you may have and we’ll help you keep your home tidy between visits from us! Send your questions to info@miraclemaidstx.com

Why I Like My Central Vacuum Cleaner

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Why I Like My Central Vacuum Cleaner

 

Since writing a past blog about choosing a vacuum cleaner, my wife (As David Faherty would say “The one who must be obeyed”) and I sold our previous home and bought another.

Anyway, in that previous blog I spoke of the various styles, types, quality and costs of your options.

I also told you that were I ever to sell that home and buy another, I would have a central vacuum system installed there. And I did.

There are so many reasons why. Here are a few.

1) The vacuum power unit itself resides in my garage. This means that all particulate matter is completely removed from my abode.

2) It is a powerful sucker. While a well-made upright vacuum sucks at about 55 cubic feet per minute. Mine sucks at about 140.

3) The collection container is 5 gallons large. I only have to empty it about every other month.

4) It’s quiet. Very quiet. When vacuuming wood or tile floors (no beater brush working) I can actually hear a doorbell ring or even talk on the phone.

5) My unit has a 30 foot hose and I have several wall-jacks around the house.
With the various attachments I can easily reach even high cornered cathedral ceiling spots that no ordinary vacuum could get to.

6) Finally, because the power unit is in the garage and has jack in it, I can vacuum my cars with ease.

Now the downside to all this is the investment. You can expect to pay between $1,500 and $3,000 to retrofit your house with a system. But given that these units can last for many, many years with virtually no maintenance, no repair and no replacement, I believe it’s something to consider.

(disclaimer: I do not now nor have I ever been commercially involved with any vacuum cleaner company)

That’s it for now!

Later, the Miracle Maid

Send your feedback to: HelpfulHints@miraclemaidstx.com