Easy Egg Rolls

Here's a recipe I found recently and we all here at the Dyck household love them!

I've revised it slightly from the original which can be found here

 https://healthline-store.com/weight-watchers-big-mac-egg-rolls/         

1 lb ground meat, beef, turkey or chicken

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp garlic powder 

Salt & pepper to taste

1/3 cup dill pickles, diced

1/2 small onion, diced

1/2 cup shredded cheese or your choice

12 egg roll wrappers

Sesame seeds

Cook ground meat until done. Drain any fat. 

Mix meat, spices and Worcestershire sauce and cook for a few minutes longer. Add any other spices you might like.

Combine meat mixture, onions and pickles in mixing bowl and fold in cheese.

Spoon about 2 tablespoons of meat mixture onto centre of egg roll wrapper and roll as you would a burrito.

Do the same for all the rolls.

Spray or brush egg rolls with a small amount of cooking oil and sprinkle with sesame seeds if you wish.

You can air fry in the basket at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 7-10 minutes or bake on foil-lined baking pan at 400 F for about 10+ minutes and browned as you prefer. Flip about halfway through cooking.

What's In My Caddy?

 We've all heard of "what's in my purse?" and I'm going to talk about what's in my caddy.

Cleaning caddy, that is.

I try to be environmentally friendly but, honestly, to do a good and efficient job of cleaning, sometimes I'm reckless. 

Disposable gloves. I like to change my gloves frequently. If I'm cleaning your house, I'm not going from bathroom cleaning to another room with the same gloves. Off they go into the garbage and I put on fresh ones. 

Swiffers. I have purchased reusable ones but I don't find they do as good a job. Sometimes I'll use the reusables for baseboards and trim and such, but really, Swiffer refills are the way to go. AND you can pick up a lot more before switching up for a fresh one. Also Swiffers are smaller and work better for some jobs such as slat blinds. I cringe a little because I go through several for each house and throw them in the garbage.

Plastic garbage bags. If the home I'm cleaning uses bags in their garbage cans, then I will replace, most often, with my own. I have a few sizes that I carry with me. It's easier and more sanitary to pull out the garbage bag and replace with a clean one especially from bathrooms and kitchens.

Vim scrub. Not the bleach one, as I've ruined clothes by a rogue squirty tip. The one in the yellow bottle works great and I use it on almost all sinks. Great for scrubbing soap scum and coffee stained kitchen sinks. 

Enviro Care. I dilute this and use it in bathrooms mostly. It's an all-purpose cleaner that is gentle and won't ruin granite, ceramic, chrome or plastic surfaces. The salesman at the cleaning supply store told me a baby could drink this stuff and not get sick. Not so sure about that but it is odourless and effective.

Krud Kutter. I tag this with Enviro Care when cleaning showers and bathtubs. Be careful as it messes up paint but works good on plastic and wood if you've got soap scum or body oils. This I also dilute.

Vinegar water. I mix vinegar and water half and half. Works great in kitchens and glass if I don't have my glass cleaner with me. If I run out of Enviro Care this can be used in the bathrooms too. I also spray a damp cloth with vinegar water and wipe fingerprints as I dust.

Windex. I don't know why but some glass and mirrors don't get as clean with vinegar and some don't get clean with Windex.

CLR. Normally used for calcium, lime and rust found normally in bathrooms and kitchens but also works in conjunction with my Enviro Care on really scummy bathtubs and showers. 

TSP. Trisodium Phosphate is a great degreaser especially on ovens and areas around well-used ovens. It's safe on most cabinetry. I haven't found anything that has been damaged by TSP.

Stainless steel polish. After I clean stainless steel appliances with vinegar water, I wipe with a dry cloth then spray this polish and give it a good swipe with another fresh dry cloth. Works great in kitchen sinks too.

Lysol toilet cleaner. I find that the Lysol Power does the best job especially if I'm trying to clean a throne with dried you-know-what in the bowl. 

Paper towel. I spray the entire toilet with Enviro Care, then wipe with paper towel and throw the paper away. I'm not washing cloths with human or pet waste on them.

My bucket always has either Pine Sol, Murphy Oil Soap or both as I sometimes mix these two together in a bucket of water when I clean laminate or vinyl. Smells fantastic and does a great job of washing floors. 

Bona hardwood cleaner. For the precious hardwood or laminate that some have in their homes. The spray and wipe method usually is good for those floors that don't get too dirty. The REAL hardwood floors, those found in really old homes, look fantastic when I also use the floor polish every few months too. Looks super shiny if the floor has been treated with an acrylic coat.

And of course I always have other things like mop heads for the Vileda or Bona mops...depending on what kind of floors I'm cleaning that day. I carry an extension cord because I don't like unplugging my vacuum too often. I own two Miele vacuums--one for not-so-dirty homes and one for dirtier homes or ones with pets. I clean the vacuums with alcohol spray, vacuum the filters and change the bag frequently ...although I may leave the same bag in for a couple of rounds if it doesn't have much in it.

Same goes with my caddy and products--I wipe with alcohol so I'm not carrying too much germies and pet hair from home to home.

In my bag, my cloths. Lots of cloths. I don't want to run out in case I come across something big! Kitchen scrubby cloths and yellow drying cloths, bathroom scrubby cloths and green drying cloths, window and glass cloths, then blue and orange for everything else. I carry an extra pair of socks in case I soak the ones I'm wearing. Typically if this happens, it's from stepping in a puddle in the bathroom. I never go barefoot in clients' homes. I tried using indoor shoes at one time but found I was leaving very light footprints!

I also have a small plastic container that I carry a couple of scrubby pads, an SOS pad, small brushes, dental pick, flat stubby screwdriver (for tightening toilet seats), plastic scraper and hand sanitizer. 

In my vehicle I have another bag with extra stuff....a vacuum bag, a few cloths, swiffer refill and an empty spray bottle. Just in case.

It's a lot but I seemed to have made everything fit somehow. These items sometimes change, depending on what house I'm cleaning that day or if I decide to try something new or different.

Hello!...Spring Cleaning!

Throw open those windows! Nice weather is upon us!

For now, anyway. We've had a wild last few months here in Lethbridge, AB, haven't we?

We've gone from 20 degrees Celsius days to snow in just a few short days. I remember watching the snow fall whilst I stared out my deck door with a sunburnt face. 

BUT Mother Nature is looking promising once again! Now is the time to start freshening up your home. 

Here is a general spring clean checklist. Just do one room or area at a time as you have the time and energy to get these things done. I usually work from top to bottom but whatever works for you.

One. I sometimes take a broom to the ceiling. It can get incredibly dusty and cobwebby. Look at the ceiling fixtures whether they be lights or fans or whatever you got hanging from there. Grab a ladder and a damp cloth and start wiping as good as you can. If you can get the globes off of the light fixture, do it! For caked on dust and dirt, I use TSP. You can find this stuff in the local hardware store in the paint department. It comes in liquid, premixed spray or crystals. The crystals mixed in water work the best but the other forms will do too. Some say Dawn dish detergent works too...use whatever you've got. Often I end up using pure Murphy Oil Soap if I'm out of TSP.

Two. Look at the curtains and blinds. If you can pull off the curtains and wash them, that's the best. Wash them and just hang them back up again. The room smells amazing and fresh if you hang up your curtains damp from a fresh washing. Blinds, depending on what kind, can usually be wiped with a damp cloth. May have to use TSP for that as well.

Three. Look along the walls. Sometimes I dust the walls and then spot clean any fingerprints or smudges and sometimes, if I'm feeling feisty, I take a damp flat mop and run it along the walls to get a good wiping done. It's up to you. Baseboards, door and window trim may have lots of insect poo when you look closely...especially if they're white.

Four. Carpets. Move the furniture that isn't too hard to move--or get help if needed, and really vacuum well behind there. It's amazing what might be lurking under the couch! Run the vac wand alongside the baseboards. Don't forget to go into closets. They have feelings too.

Five. Windows and screens. Use glass cleaner or warm dish detergent water and give the glass a good wash with a wet cloth then another wipe with a dry cloth. If you can pop the screen out, that's great, and vacuum the best you can. Getting into the tracks of windows and sliding doors is easy. Just use an old toothbrush and the vacuum cleaner at the same time and brush that debris out of there. 

In the bathrooms, I suggest popping out the fan and give it a good vacuum. Don't forget to also clean behind the toilet and in the cupboards. 

Kitchen cupboards will need a good wiping as well. I use TSP the most in kitchens as they are generally the greasiest room.

This is a great time to declutter if time and energy permits. Feel the sense of renewed energy. Anything you haven't used in a long time, get rid of it. Someone else can use it instead of it hiding in your space, or throw it out if it's just not worth anything to anyone. Broken, chipped or damaged items that are not being used, need to go out. 

You can hire a housekeeper to do it for you too! Ahem.

I've helped people with their spring cleaning many times. Sometimes the homeowners go on a holiday and I'll go in and do the deep cleaning instead of the usual maintenance cleaning. Or I work in tandem with them...they clean one room or area and I tackle another. My favourite is when homeowners declutter and move things and I'll clean behind them.

Doing deep cleaning on a somewhat regular basis is a good way of finding anything that may need attention. I have found damaged stuff, or find that they've got, or had, a mouse in the house or something may be molding due to moisture or worse yet, a pipe is slowly leaking behind a wall from the bathroom which would never have been discovered if stuff hadn't been moved.

Any way you do it, it'll feel good and your house will say thank you!

Give me a call or email and I can help arrange some deep cleaning for you!

403-315-3231

rebdyckcleaning@gmail.com

Things to Know Before Booking

Over the years, I've had situations come up that I think I should start sharing. 

Perhaps you're booking your cleaner to come in just before you move into a new home. Maybe you've purchased, or already own, a rental and would like a good cleaning before you or your tenants move in.  

That's great! but please have the renovations and any other work done before you have the cleaning done. I don't much like cleaning around service people. It doesn't make sense to have the cleaner there while carpet installers, painters, plumbers or electricians are there. We're in each others' way and the contractors usually create dust and debris so it takes longer and it's frustrating for everyone.

I've cleaned cupboards, blinds, ovens and nasty refrigerators and other areas of a house and then am told don't bother, they will be getting replaced or renovated. So please communicate those things to your cleaning person too.

Do I still charge for that? Yes. I do.

But I feel bad about it and am usually disappointed that I had to do way more work than I needed to in order to get the job done. It could be several hours of work at $40 per hour that you didn't have to pay for if I would've known that I didn't need to clean it.

If you're booking a clean for the first time, it's nice to know if there isn't any parking near your front door. Or if I have to trudge through a foot of snow or slip and slide on ice to get to your door. 

I'm carrying a few pounds of supplies and equipment and falling down isn't something that thrills me. I may need to grab my cart for transporting supplies from my vehicle to your house or apartment. It would just be nice to know this prior to showing up for your clean.

I should remember to ask more questions but most customers will give me details such as if they have several hairy pets or a dog that bites.

I love cats and dogs but often, more so with dogs that may be adopted or rescued, pets may have a sketchy past. The pets may be well-behaved and loving in the home with their family but if someone who comes into the home waving tools around and making noise with the vacuum cleaner, they might mistake me for someone who might hit them with my duster as they see it as a weapon. 

"My dog wouldn't hurt a fly" turns into "Yes, but they may hurt a housekeeper". 

This is my workplace. Would you work somewhere that has a dog standing in front of you and growling or barking and the owner is nowhere around to control its behavior?

Another request that I'd like to make on behalf of house cleaners, is that if you're going on vacation or some other reason that you need to cancel and you know well ahead of time, let me know as soon as you can. I can then try to find other work. I realize sometimes things change last minute and I'm up for switching gears quickly but if you know in summer that you're going to Mexico in Winter, please let me know at least a few weeks or days prior. I have several clients that I sporadically clean for that I could pop into your spot but even they usually need at least a few days notice. 

I get it if there's an emergency or someone is really sick and that's understandable.

Many times I can still come into your home and clean extra things while you're away too. I have had many clients whom I've done more deeper cleaning--wiping out cupboards, moving furniture to vacuum behind if I can, cleaning light fixtures, washing walls or whatever else I generally don't do during a regular cleaning.

Being told so last minute of a cancellation leaves me with no way to find more work and I like having a moderately full work schedule. It's my paycheck.

Empty shampoo bottles and other containers in a bath or shower area is another waste of time and money. Any house cleaner likes to be efficient and the bathroom is one of those rooms in most homes that takes awhile if it's is a well used room. I don't know if there's still a tiny bit of conditioner that bottle you'd like to use up or for some other reason you're keeping the empty soap container, so I move everything out of the shower or bath area, clean, then move everything back into the area where you had it. It would just be a lot better if empty containers are removed prior to cleaning. 

If it's too frustrating to clean a particular house or dealing with the clients, housekeepers tend to quit or be unreliable as they're feeling disrespected. I definitely feel disrespected if I'm in the process of washing floors and someone walks in the house with dirty shoes and walks right in front of me. Or worse, they leave pet waste for when I show up.

These are just a few things that I wonder if people even realize they may be stressing their housecleaners with. I hear people say that their housekeeper just quit one day. Lots of things go through my mind when I hear that. Housecleaners like to make their clients happy but they also have standards to make their job efficient. Was the housekeeper unreasonable or did things in the household make them throw up their hands and quit. 

The ideal house cleaning job would be 

-I am able to park in front of the property or at least a heads up where I may park

-the home is tidied up the best they can. I don't know where things go and you probably don't want to pay me to look around the house and find "homes" for items.  

-I have clear instructions on what to focus on and areas that don't always need that much attention

-animals are friendly or secured or not in the house when I'm scheduled to be there

-nobody is home or at least in another area for most of the time I'm there

-I can lock-up when I leave

-payment is prompt, preferably same day

I give everyone the benefit of the doubt but if I'm uncomfortable cleaning somewhere, it makes for a miserable time for me even if I get paid promptly and things are tidied. 

So what are some things I've missed? whether you hire a cleaning service or you are a house cleaner?

Plan? What Plan?

I know I've been bouncing around with jobs and careers lately and I sincerely apologize for confusing those around me!

I tried selling real estate, tried working for minimum wage at a butcher shop and a high school cafeteria. I 've even tried cleaning for other property management companies but one thing that I can't seem to get away from is my own housekeeping business. 

I've been trying to find something that wasn't physically demanding but I've decided to exercise more, change some habits and keep on the house cleaning gig. 

Working out at least twice a week and yoga two or three times a week is definitely making me feel better physically and mentally. Cutting back on booze has been one of my best decisions....not realizing how shitty it makes me feel. Gettin' old, am I? Probably.

I enjoy talking to people who need cleaning in their homes and rentals. They feel so much better having someone do it for them so they can get on with other business. Or sometimes my customers just don't know where to start and what to use. 

I love deciding what I need to take along for the next job to be at my most efficient. I'm generally very organized so I have my supplies and equipment clean, full and ready to go by the time I'm ready to leave for my appointment. I'm usually ready the evening prior to the job.

If I've been at the house before, I plan in my head how I will tackle the cleaning but am ready for obstacles. If I've never been to the house, then I plan for everything. I've never regretted taking too many supplies with me. I never know what I'll come across!

I have my favorite cleaners and tools that work well for most homes. Although I've come across situations where I didn't, it's very few and far between. Most times, if I can't clean something over the course of a few cleanings, it usually needs to be replaced, fixed or taken apart ...or I need to be booked more frequent and scrub at it! I'm talking about moldy showers, stained fixtures or badly scuffed doors/walls that are in need of fresh paint.

I've met such interesting people along the way...since 2010. Some of my clients and former clients I have become good friends with or coffee comrades. 

I started house cleaning when the kids were young as working retail just wasn't getting me anywhere. I tried doing manicures and pedicures, as much fun as that is! it doesn't pay well. Then I found that there was a need for residential cleaning and I got the feeling of being useful and helpful. 

Maybe it's the hardworking Mennonite in me?

Organizing the Clutter

The best way to start cleaning a home is by organizing your clutter. 

What? you may say...

Putting things where they belong, whether that be in the garbage, recycle bin or in the proper closet, drawer or shelf, makes a world of difference before you start cleaning--or before your housekeeper shows up. 

Doing a room at a time is what most people seem to think of, and that's great! but I suggest tackling it a little differently. Walk around your house for a few minutes and put stuff where it belongs, throw it out or give it away. And then do it again next week! And the week after! and eventually you get your home under control by doing what you can each time.

Making the home easier to clean will usually give you incentive to keep going. I don't do all my cleaning in one day like I do when I clean other peoples' homes. I pick a day where I have time to clean the bathrooms, then a day when I have time to dust. After that, I will find time to vacuum and wash floors. It may not always be the same day of the week. As long as I get to it between 1-2 weeks, I'm happy.

In my house, I have a tenant, a.k.a. son who moved back home, who cleans the bathroom downstairs. I don't clean the bath/shower area very often on the main floor bath because that one very seldom gets used so I wipe the sink and give the toilet a swish and wipe once a week or so. That only leaves the ensuite bathroom that has a small shower that I'm more particular with, as my husband and I use it frequently and I don't want soap scum to build up.

It's been so much easier to clean the house lately as we don't have very many people living in the house any more but boy, I sure remember those days! As the kids got older, they understood the importance of cleaning and how important it was to me and would pitch in more often. 

Yes, it is a never-ending task but that's the cost of having a home. 

If you have an area that doesn't necessarily need cleaning as often because it really doesn't get used, skip it until it gets used. Maybe you can get away with just occasionally dusting and vacuuming a seldom-used room. Get the junk out of there and don't bother with it too much.

Have a bin in the house that is for donations. Clothes that don't fit well but still in good shape, unused toys, pare down the stuffies on the children's beds, or excess towels and bedsheets are great candidates for the donation bin or better yet--box that closes. Kids will try to pick out stuff that you put in! When the box is full, drop it at a thrift store or the donation bins that sit in the corners of parking lots. I will drop donations on my way to work or shopping so it's not an extra trip. Save one or two Amazon boxes or swing into the cardboard recycling lot some day and pick up a box or two specifically for donations.

Professional organizers so often say to do a big declutter. If that's the way you want to do it, then that's great! but remember, you need to maintain it. Do bits at a time and you will naturally maintain it. It doesn't need to be perfect and your home will be easier to clean and keep clean.

I lived in small homes for many years so I couldn't let stuff build up or there would've been no room to live. Now that I have a larger home, I still go through all my stuff and junk because one day I may go back to a smaller space. 

I've cleaned homes that were on my bi-weekly schedule for over 9 years and the homeowners kept the same almost-empty shampoo/conditioner/body wash bottles in the shower the entire time. So for over nine years, I moved those bottles out of the shower to clean it. And then I put them back. 

Taking 30 seconds to throw out unused shampoo, soaps and shower puffs makes it so much nicer to clean and looks better too.

I have a smaller bin in my office/spare room where I throw flyers and other pieces of paper that accumulate and when it gets full or annoying I take it to the garage and dump it in the recycle bin.

Tip that works for me--I leave things like this at the door or stairs and grab it on my way out or in. 

But Rebecca! I'm not that organized!

You don't need to be an organized freak. 

When you meet Jesus, who's going through your crap? 

Here's an old TV show I found on YouTube of two ladies who help clean people's homes. 

I think it's a comedy 😁

https://youtu.be/uYEfAAUQnXI

Dust Bunny Blinds

Blinds used to be my nemesis. Mostly mini blinds. Yech.

Since we moved into a newer house with the wider slat blinds, my blood pressure has lowered.
I used to use Swiffer Dusters but I'm feeling guilty about tossing those refills into the garbage every day. That was a lot of refills over the past eight years. Sorry, Mother Nature. I try to be good!

So now I've found some dusting tools that work as well, if not better than, Swiffers. I'm not even sure where I got them to be honest. I probably didn't pay much, because I'm Mennonite that way. I'm guessing Dollarama or Dollar Tree perhaps?? I know I've found these kinds of things at a liquidation store some years back but they weren't very good....they were too big and sloppy for what I needed them.


What I do now is just spray the duster with either water, vinegar water, water with essential oils or all-purpose furniture spray and run the duster along each slat. It works wonderfully! Then the duster can be pulled off of the handle and thrown in the laundry. Just make sure you wash the duster in a load that will not have fabric softener added....or the absorbency will be hindered.

On occasion I spray a cloth and wipe the blinds because after a few months I start seeing the build up of dust around the strings of the blind where the duster doesn't get as close but for the most part this way of doing it does a pretty good job. I swipe my blinds every couple of weeks so they don't get too disgusting.

When we have pets in the house, it seems that houses are a little dustier. In nicer weather, we all tend to have our windows open or we have several people living in the house and the doors open and close more frequently so I always like to keep at least a two to two-and-a-half week rotation of dusting furniture, blinds, baseboards and high areas. It's much easier to maintain especially when you have someone in the house sensitive to pet dander and dust.

And there it is. My routine of dusting blinds and keeping them nice-looking. Once or twice a year...I usually think about it in spring and fall... I pull curtains down and wash them out as well. I just do a few at a time until they're all cleaned. It's amazing how dusty they can get. I don't even dry them totally either. I wash, maybe dry them half way, and hang them right back up again. It makes the room smell fresh too.