Custom Maids Blog

Toronto basements start smelling when the furnace comes on. What Health Canada recommends, why bleach is the wrong tool, and what the City pays to fix the water.

Most advice on cleaning curtains and blinds contradicts itself. Here is what manufacturer care sheets, the care-symbol system and Health Canada's cord rules actually say, applied to Toronto homes.

Most window cleaning advice was written for plain single-pane glass. Toronto homes have low-E coatings and hard water, and the old tricks damage both.

Paint makers and Health Canada disagree on bleach, flat paint turns shiny if you scrub it, and older Toronto homes need extra care. Here is the wall-washing method that works on every sheen.

Quartz countertop advice contradicts itself brand to brand — one maker recommends the exact cleaner another bans. Here is what the care sheets say, and what Toronto hard water really does.

Laminate and vinyl plank look identical underfoot, but their care sheets prescribe opposite methods. A Toronto guide to steam mops, damp mopping, hard water film and winter salt on floating floors.

Most tile and grout cleaning advice starts with vinegar and baking soda. The companies that manufacture grout say the opposite, in writing. Here is what actually works in a Toronto bathroom.

Toronto tap water runs harder than the guideline printed beside it in the City's own water summary, and it shows on every stainless door. A practical guide to spots, grain, rust and safe cleaners.

A mattress cannot be rinsed, wrung out or dried from the inside — which is why most ruined mattresses were ruined by the cleaning attempt, not the stain. Here is the method that actually works.