DIY is cool, but some areas of household cleaning are better off left to the pros. While those cleaning jobs aren’t impossible to DIY, some can risk your safety because they require climbing on heights. So unless you have safety equipment at home, the job is a little too dangerous for you.
Though it’s cost-efficient to forego pros as much as you can, it’s not always time-efficient. And time is more precious than money, a fact we should all remember. You can earn money back, but you can’t take back the time you’ve lost. Considering that not all of us have the luxury to take a day off from work to do heavy cleaning, availing of professional services are indeed worth the money and time.
What’s more, professionals are guaranteed to perform the job well. For example, if you clean a roof by yourself, you can’t be sure if you’d do a spectacular job. Without experience and equipment, you’d end up with mediocre results.
That said, leave the following cleaning jobs to the pros:
1. Window Cleaning
Ideally, you should wash your windows every spring or anytime once a year. If the weather is uncooperative, start by cleaning the inside of your windows. This is a job you can DIY, as long as you don’t have a high ceiling that will warrant the use of a ladder.
When you clean the inside of your windows, remove the dust first before spraying any product. Skip the squeegee unless you’re cleaning big, picture windows. A microfibre cloth can save you more time because it won’t make the murky water drip down to the floor, which gives you an additional cleaning job.
For the outside of your windows, entrust the pros. Professional window cleaning services come equipped with safety tools and industrial-grade cleaning supplies. They won’t leave streaks and lint on the windows afterwards. If you struggle with removing streaks and lint from the inside of your windows, consider having them tackled by a pro, too. Natural light looks the best when it’s coming from a completely clear window.
2. Cleaning the Gutters and Downspouts
If you want to clean the gutters and downspouts yourself, you have to wear a safety harness. Hence, leave the job to the pros. It’ll save you from the hassle of putting on the harness and keeping them secure.
Gutters and downspouts should also be cleaned during spring. But before the onset of fall, you may need to clean them again. Cleaning the gutters in the middle of fall isn’t advisable because the leaves will go back quickly anyway. So have the gutters cleared out before the season so that the fallen leaves won’t cause a major problem, like clogs. And as the season comes to a close, hire pros to clear out the gutters and downspouts again to prepare for winter.
3. Cleaning the Roof
Roof cleaning is often joined by gutter cleaning. But cleaning the shingles poses a different challenge. It requires you to be on top of the roof itself, so the job is best handled by pros. Standing on a sloped roof can lead to horrifying accidents if you’re not trained to do that.
Plus, the supplies and equipment you need for roof cleaning are often heavy and bulky. Carrying them while balancing on a sloped roof risks your safety at dreadful levels. Professional services are just a little expensive, but you don’t have to call them often anyway. Once a year or once every two years will do.
4. Deep Cleaning Area Rugs
Have you ever seen videos of dirty area rugs being cleaned? They’re oddly satisfying, despite all the gunk. However, it won’t be as satisfying to deal with that amount of gunk by yourself. It’ll be tedious, and you’d probably suffer terrible back pain the next day.
If your area rugs haven’t been washed for a while now, take them to a professional to be deep-cleaned. Even if your rugs don’t look dirty, they may still require a thorough wash. The dirt and gunk are just hiding deep into the shag or wool.
5. Patio and Sidewalks
If you don’t own a pressure washer, let the pros deal with your dirty patio and sidewalks. A garden hose alone won’t be strong enough to remove algae. Leaving the algae alone isn’t an option either because they can be a slip hazard.
These cleaning jobs are taxing and time-consuming, so don’t blame yourself if you haven’t done them in a long time. What you need isn’t better time management skills but a smarter strategy, which is to hire people who can do them. The reward would be a chance to relax while your home is being taken care of.