Have you ever had someone on a team that people rave about? Now, all our Moxie are pretty dang spectacular at what they do, but Megan is wanted at a handful of our clients houses. Her eye for detail and the amount of care that goes into a home she is working at is amazing and people really do notice a difference. Her clients love her and so do we!
Megan is a detail oriented and caring moxie with an eye for design. She treats every client with respect and makes sure they get the service they deserve. She is very organized and likes to be on time and precise. She is quite, but I can see the energy she has. This positive woman has brought a different perspective of clean to our moxie team!
Megan and Destiny work together to make this kitchen sparkle!
Designer Eyes
There is a reason one designer is different than the other, they see things differently. Megan H. is no different when it comes down to the details and studying interior design for a future career probably helps see things differently in a home that someone else might not. The little things are what matter the most to Megan from built up soap gunk on the bathroom or
kitchen soap to the way the pillows are fluffed and set on a couch. Those details are important to Megan and she believes that some things really pull a room together and make it complete, like a made bed, fluffed pillows on a couch, and even cracked curtains to let some sunshine in.
Thinking about those things don’t always matter to some clients but to others its the difference from a clean house and a dirty house. We make sure that Megan is paired up with clients that would make sense to the way she works. We wouldn’t want to send Megan to a house where she leaves feeling unfinished because she doesn’t get to add her touch of details. We make sure the clients she is set up with are detail oriented like her because she gets to do what she does best.
Understanding the Client
Sometimes we have to send Megan to a home that may not be the best fit for her but we know she is still going to blow them out of the water with her work. She understands people and is able to “read” them in a sense in order to match the house to the person. I’m sure as an interior designer that is an outstanding skill to have because people may say they want one thing when in reality they want something completely different. She can’t actually read minds but she may know what you want better than you do.
Megan is making the floors shine and lookin good while doing it.
Megan has brought a lot of skill and knowledge to the table and we have also helped her hone in on her skills and put them to practice for her future career as an interior designer. She has learned a lot about people, organizing, staging and much more with Moxie. We hope when she does become the best interior designer in the state she will recommend moxie to her clients.
Let Moxie Girl take care of the details in your home by visiting us here
A cleaning business, like i’m sure many business are, is like a big puzzle with a lot of different pieces that need to fit together. Someday’s the pieces fit together perfectly and other days they fit, but start to fall apart as the days go on.
Keeping The Pieces Together
Putting this puzzle together and keeping it together would send me to a madhouse if I didn’t have the glue I call Brea. This woman brings support, energy, candidness and piece of mind to our Moxie team. She has an operations/systems mindset that I do not have, which balances out my thinking. We both think big, but the difference between brea and I is while I am ready to start something new, she puts me in my place in order to make it happen in an orderly manner.
Being goofy at #AdultingDay. Brea grew a nice full mustache for this pic!
When we hired Brea about 3 years ago she read our training manual front to back, determined to do this job, and do it precisely. She gets tasks done and done right, which is what she wants for all the moxies on our team. Now, brea isn’t just concerned about how well the moxies do in their job, but she cares on a personal level for everyone on our team and wants to make sure they are growing in all aspects of their lives. The heart and positivity in Brea amazes me everyday, always giving even if she has nothing to give. One of our moxies said she remembers working with Brea and she forgot her lunch. There Brea was offering anything and everything she had in her lunch box so this moxie would have the energy to push through her next house cleaning. She supports our team and always gets things done. Brea has the ability to move mountains if she wants to.
We had a tremendous scare at the end of the year. Brea was going through some stuff in her life that made a shift in her. It wasn’t a bad shift, it was just a shift. She was unsure how much longer she was planning on being with us. I met with the team to let them know about Brea and her situation, telling them she might not be apart of the team by the end of January. The girls were extremely saddened by the news. They didn’t see moxie the same without Brea being apart of it. She has become the face of Moxie and that extra support our team needs. The Moxies told me we have to do what we can to keep her and it wasn’t because they needed Brea, but the girls told me that I needed Brea. They told me how our two personalities balance each other out and I started to see what my team was seeing. She tells me things bluntly, which is what I need and helps me get my thoughts out of my head. Luckily Brea stayed on with Moxie Girl and is now taking on more of the operational side of things, relieving me of things that are more her strong suite and not so much mine.
Owning a business can be a struggle from time to time, but team work really does make the dream work. Become apart of the moxie team Here.
The other day we had each of our Moxies write a few things about the homes they work in. We asked questions like what’s your favorite room to clean, what clients are your favorite to work with and why, etc. The answers we got were great, but this one sentence from our Moxie just took my breath away:
“The owners make me feel like family, therefore I treat their house as if it were my own.” -Wendy
THE GIRL WITH THE POWER
Wendy is our Vacation Rental Team Leader, and a powerhouse vacation rental cleaner. The care and detail she puts into a home are stunning. Her work in homes shows just how much she cares. There are often days where Wendy’s car is full of linens and supplies to be delivered to vacation rentals, and regularly messages our vacation rental owners and managers to make sure they know how their property looks.
Wendy making this vacation rental sparkle!
When Wendy is working on turning over a vacation rental, she does it all. She makes sure it looks like nobody had been there in the first place, cleaning out cabinets, restocking toiletries, changing filters, washing sheets/towels and making sure there aren’t damages in the home. Wendy brings peace of mind to vacation rental owners, communicating with them about important things that need to be taken care of to ensure the next guest has a magnificent and luxurious stay. She goes out of her way to get those little details that make a huge difference in a house. “I just know I am making an impact.” says Wendy.
Team work makes the dream work! Wendy and Celia riding around in the Moxie Mobile!
Our Moxie girl team didn’t have this amazing asset until Wendy packed up her things in sunny California and moved out to Arizona to start a new life with her son in 2016. She had cleaned houses before so she began searching for a cleaning company to work for. Eventually, she stumbled upon Moxie, and we couldn’t have been more delighted that she did. She is a resilient woman with so much strength and courage, and we gladly brought her on to our team.
Wendy had the experience and the passion for vacation rental cleaning and it truly shows. She has a teacher’s heart, and we put it to good use by having Wendy work with all our new Moxies. Wendy is the type of person who doesn’t just want to teach people, she wants everyone to succeed and will invest her whole heart into the people she comes in contact with. We are so happy and proud to have Wendy leading our vacation rental team!
Check out Moxie Girl for your vacation rental cleaning needs here!
There are many people who’ve just started to live on their own who don’t know how to do laundry. When they lived at home, they would throw their dirty clothes in the hamper and later that day, all these clean clothes would appear in their closet courtesy of the parental units.
The good news is that doing a basic load of laundry isn’t that complicated. Here are some laundry tips:
• Check the Labels
Tons upon tons of clothes have been ruined because the owner didn’t read the labels. “Dry clean only,” means that the item needs to be taken to the dry cleaners. “Hand wash” means the item really does need to be washed by hand or the hand wash cycle if the machine has one. Other labels tell the owner whether the clothes need to be washed in cold water or whether they can be tumbled dry or dried flat. Pay attention to these labels.
• Separate the Clothes
Separate out dark or brightly colored clothing from whites. The dye may stain or dull the white clothing. If the clothing is red, it will definitely stain. To be on the safe side, items of red clothing should only be washed together.
• Remove Stains Before Putting Clothes the Wash
Remove stains before putting clothes in the wash. If a stain is still noticeable after washing, it should be removed before the item is dried. Drying sets stains, and ironing makes stains pretty permanent. Look online to find out how to get rid of certain types of stains from certain types of fabric.
• Take Clothes Out of the Dryer Right Away
Do not leave clothes in the dryer for a long period of time because they will wrinkle or suffer other types of damage. Take them out, fold them, and put them away.
Other laundry tips are to add a cup of vinegar to an empty washing machine, and let it run for a cycle, and remove mildew with a solution of one part bleach and two parts warm water. Vinegar reduces hard water that can leave clothes dingy or even yellow and diluted bleach kills mildew. Mildew is a problem in a laundry area that’s poorly ventilated or for a machine that uses cold water all of the time. Hot water kills mildew as well as dust mites, so bedclothes should ideally be washed in hot water.
These tips on how to do laundry should keep a person’s clothing sound and good-looking for years and avoid those avoidable catastrophes.
Definitely the most traveled time of year, summer freedom brings vacation thoughts!! Among those thoughts are, “Where should we go? How should we get there? and last but not least – What should I pack?”. Miss MOXIE to the rescue! Here are 15 Smart Packing Tips you can bank on to get everything you need to your summer vacation destination!
Packing Prep
1 – Make a Packing list thinking: HEAD TO TOE. Once for clothing – once for toiletries/sundries. This is how I taught my kids to pack efficiently. Start with your head; floppy sun hat. Trunk; swim-suits, lingerie, tanks, light sweater…etc. For the toiletries/sundries; Head: shampoo, conditioner, curling iron, brush, earrings, facewash, makeup, sunglasses etc. Either write EVERYTHING down, or take everything out and lay it on the bed. (And ALWAYS pack extra underwear! ) Easy and thorough!
2 – Wash, Dryclean, and Prepare. Do the laundry, and set your favorite vacation clothes aside. Dryclean that rain jacket you want to take, and buy Billy those new shoelaces and baseball hat you’ve been meaning to get. If you spend a day preparing your belongings, you’re vacation shopping time will be for souvenirs instead of extra socks!
3 – Consider Monochromatic Color Choices! A color scheme like black/white/khaki allows for mixing and matching everything – clothes, shoes, jewelry and outerwear, therefore you can pack less of everything!
Carry your EMPTY water bottle through security, and fill at a fountain on the other side!
4 – Check your Luggage for Damage! Whether you will be backpacking across Europe, or lying on a Southern California beach, you will have to lug your stuff there! A broken suitcase wheel or a torn backpack zipper will make you crazy!
5 – Savvy Carry-On Prep: BRING: Water bottle – (empty before security, you can fill it afterwards), a light snack, a book or magazine, your phone charger, any prescription meds, any expensive (or sentimental) jewelry, minimal make-up, a toothbrush, and a change of underwear (in case they lose your suitcase – because, sorry, it happens!), and mini-tissue packs for an un-stocked restroom. I always pack my handbag in my suitcase and take my wallet in my carry-on. Your documents: Insurance card, passport, driver’s license.
The Nuts and Bolts
6 – TRY to go Easy on the Shoes! (I’m talking to myself here!) One pair for walking, one for the beach, one dressy.
7 – ZIPLOCS save the day! You can scrunch all your underwear into a ZIPLOC bag and squish-flat the air out! Use it later for dirties or wet swimsuits. Use them for all your toiletries, or anything that can leak.
8 – ROLL as much as you can. Roll your pants and shorts, shirts and socks. stuff socks into your shoes. Rolling takes up much less space.
RESIST THE URGE to pack too many shoes!
9 – DON’T take Brand New Shoes! Can you say BLISTERS?
10 – Condense Toiletries or Buy Travel Sizes! While you may be tempted to take the full sized shampoo, conditioner or hairspray, unless you have six kids and are traveling the whole USA, you won’t need them! Buy travel containers in the $1 section at TARGET, along with travel-sized body wash, deoderant, contact lense solution, toothpaste, etc. If you travel often, grab a toiletry bag too and keep it fully loaded in your closet for next time. Remember: The TSA liquids carry-on rule is still in effect! Here are the TSA Guidelines. If you don’t want your expensive bottle of perfume tossed in the trash, think SMALL!
Stuff you don’t want to forget…
11 – Pack the chargers! What electronics are you taking? Pack all your chargers: phone, laptop, tablet, iPod, KINDLE device, and camera. Use a 1 qt. Freezer ZIPLOC bag – they are sturdy. OR – LIVE DANGEROUSLY and leave the electronics at home and focus on each other!
12 – Don’t forget your important documents: Passport, Driver’s license, Insurance Card, etc. Here is a super helpful checklist for you to use before you go.
13 – Avoid junk-food en route. Yes, it’s your summer vacation. Yes, chips and candy can be fun, nevertheless, these treats might also cause energy spikes and stomach trouble. Stick with grain or protein snacks like cheese sticks or nuts, granola bars and dried fruit or apples.
Fodor’s Travel books available on Amazon.com
14 – Pack info. about your destination. Yes, an iPhone can do all things, but I’m a book girl! I love my “walking tour of Manhattan” book! I found the best out-of-the-way restaurant once from a picture in a travel book. Just a thought…
15 – Pack extra plastic grocery bags. You know, the cheap kind? They are great for packing dirty clothes, sandy shoes, collecting trash, wet swim suits, and take up almost no room in your suitcase.
Remember: DON’T take what you won’t need! I know- sounds like a no-brainer, but go through everything one more time and take out the extra stuff..you won’t need that blow-dryer, or 3 extra pairs of shoes, ‘just in case’. Take it from Miss MOXIE – these tried and true tips will turn ANYONE into a worldclass smart summer vacation packer!
It’s Patio Time! The love of a balmy, breezy spring day is universal. A fabulous, welcoming patio can be created with a little thought, a little elbow grease and any budget! You don’t have to be a millionaire to have a beautiful outdoor space. Let’s start at the beginning, shall we?
Planning
What are your go-to activities? Are you the Martha Stewart of entertaining? Are you a homebody who would rather read alone on a windowseat? Are you the Monopoly Queen, always challenging your kids to a game? Maybe you are the barbecue guru and adore eating outdoors. Whatever your daily adventures entail, this is what you want to translate to your patio space. If you’re all about friends, you’ll need to consider seating for many, yet open space for guests to mix and mingle. If you are a ‘foodie’, then the Bar-B-Que area might be THEE most important part of the patio to you. I love to make a simple “project folder” to hold ideas for my projects. I tear pictures from magazines, note stores I want to shop at, add fabric samples and paint samples….(I also love Pinterest, where you can make a file for your project digitally and peruse a ZILLION amazing ideas to set your head spinning!.) A folder keeps me organized, discourages those littly sticky notes everywhere, and is a great place for receipts so I keep track of expenditures.
First, determine the area available. Measure it in square feet. Unless you are planning a costly, landscaping remodel, you’ll be making do with your current space. Next, are you just looking for an amazing outdoor rug and begonias in Italian flower pots? Or maybe that Pottery Barn to-die-for patio set? Are you thinking, “Honey! Let’s BULLDOZE the grass and put in paving stones!”? Write down what needs to happen to make the area usable, and determine the funds available. Can you purchase pavers, a barbeque, all new patio furniture, etc? If so, great! List your dream patio items, the price range or exact dollar amount next to them, and crunch some numbers. That rattan chaise with the 5 inch thick duck cloth cushions might have to wait til the fall when it goes on clearance, so that you can have the flagstone pavers you adore right now. Hot Tip: Don’t break the budget or your patio will be a constant negative reminder of overspending, rather than the relaxing oasis you intend it to be!
Prep Work
Plan the actual project by mapping out every step in order.
Are you just throwing out old furniture, painting a wall, or replacing a few cracked paving stones? Will you remove some bushes? Will you be digging up grass, moving gravel or leveling ground? Make a numerical list of the things that need to be done in the proper order. It may look like this:
Price Bobcat rental, Paving stones, Barbeque island, Patio Furniture, Pots for flowers, accessories
Rent Bobcat from Joe’s Equipment Rental
Dig up bushes next to patio door
Level side yard dirt
Stake patio area
Dig up gravel from patio area and move to leveled side yard
Purchase sand, pavers and border pieces
Put in border pieces, sand and water sand
Place pavers….and so forth
Get It Done
Your list will keep you focused and having you do the main, expensive and time-consuming portions of the project before you buy the flowers and the new rug! If your patio requires only to hang a wicker sun blind and purchase side tables and lanterns, it requires much less planning than ripping out part of your yard! Schedule in the days you’ll be working, when your hired help will arrive, when you’ll shop for your supplies, and when you’ll throw a party to celebrate your new space!
Whatever patio you choose to create, by planning, counting the cost, and taking a systematic approach to getting the work done, you will have great success! Time to plan the party! Margaritas anyone?
Lots of people have one of those spaces. You know what we’re talking about; a space that’s just not working like it’s supposed to. It might be that spare room you throw everything into…. A dining room that you can’t dine in because the table is piled to the ceiling with junk…. Or maybe, if you’re like one of our clients this past week, it’s a garage that’s gathered enough stuff that the cars won’t fit.
MOXIE GIRL loves to help our clients clean and organize spaces, making them beautiful and functional again!
In this case, it took one of our teams less than a half-day to get this garage organized and ready for the cars to move back in.
What is YOUR organizing challenge? From a bookshelf to a back room, MOXIE GIRL is here for you! Click here for more information on our garage organizing services.
I will never forget when my friend Denise and her sparkly little 18 month old, Tiffany, came over one morning to visit. When coffee and conversation were over, Denise started to sing, “Now it’s time to clean up toys, clean up toys , clean up toys…” and little Tiffany, as if turned on by a switch, stood up and began to clean up the toys! One after the other she picked them up and dropped them in the basket. I was shocked. It had never occurred to me that a toddler would help with chores. That day this mom learned a lesson: kids will do what is expected if you follow through and make them do it!
There are 3 keys to getting your kids to do chores in your home:
Setting Expectations, Training, and Follow Through!
Setting Expectations
Maybe you’ve never made your kids do chores. Perhaps they do chores but it’s hit or miss. Start by telling the kids that you are going to implement a new chore system and everyone is going to participate, because this is how a family functions best.
Start with a family meeting. Determine daily personal tasks, which everyone will do for himself, and household chores, which will be done weekly and split up according to age appropriateness. Determine penalties for missed or improperly completed items. Every person in the home who can walk and talk participates.
Yes, really.
Every child will have his personal chart. For little ones, paste pictures on a sheet of paper with a blank box beside each one for a sticker when the job is completed. For the older kids, use a simple spreadsheet. Personal chores should be completed by a certain time daily—say, before school, with only praise for a job well-done. Every child needs to be expected to learn self-care as it’s own reward.
Setting a weekly time for household chores, where everyone works together—say, for 1-2 hours on Saturday morning—is a great idea. Household chores should be part of “family life”, but may include an occasional movie night, or ice cream to celebrate a job well done.
If you choose to give an allowance, make sure it is tied into proper and timely completion of tasks.
Training
If required tasks are done haphazardly, or if Mom needs to follow with a “re-do” they are not really ‘done’, are they?
Proper training looks like: “I do, We do, You do”. First I rinse the dishes and load the dishwasher in the proper way while Suzy watches. Then we do the chore together; I rinse and she loads–so we can talk, correct anything done improperly, and make sure the desired result is achieved. Lastly, Suzy rinses and loads by herself with Mom watching to insure the child has understood and is doing the chore correctly.
Proper training now is essential to sanity and proper completion later!
Follow Through
Once chores are assigned, and the children have been trained, it is time to implement the program by putting charts on the refrigerator and expecting follow through at the proper time. The first week is when a few reminders may be necessary and a few penalties incurred. Be an absolute stickler this first week, and after that, you’ll be amazed at how smoothly things begin to run!
Congratulations! Your chore plan is now underway! Here’s to a smoothly running household!
Do you clean your house every day? I’m guessing most of us don’t.
The many things on our list vying for attention: work, school, activities, personal time- to name a few- usually trump housework.
Even if Hazel the housekeeper doesn’t knock at the door at 9AM daily, your house doesn’t have to be a nasty mess. You can FAKE your way to a clean house, and no one will ever know that you didn’t have time to clean this week!
Here are 4 things, which, if done on a regular basis, will give your house a clean appearance. Added perk? These things will also make the real cleaning day a breeze!
Tip # 1 – Everyone Makes Their Bed!
Whether you are thorough and careful, or just pull up the covers and toss and place the pillows, the bedrooms will feel tidy. Tidy beds give incentive to put away shoes, toss stray dirties in the hamper and will likely help push you toward tidying the rest of the house.
Tip # 2 – The 5-Minute Pick-Up!
Do things seem to grow legs and wander around your home?
You know; shoes under the breakfast bar, purses on the coffee table, and random dishes at your desk? The busier the day, the more stuff wanders, creating clutter everywhere.
Create the illusion of clean in 5 minutes a day. Immediately after dinner each night, set a 5 minute timer, give every member of the house a basket and have them circle the entire house picking up their belongings.
When time is up, give a hearty congratulations to everyone and maybe even a treat! Even if you live alone, establish this habit over 30 days, and your evening clean-up time will become routine.
Tip # 3 – Do the Dishes & Clean Kitchen Counters!
A commitment to keep kitchen counters and sinks free of dirty dishes is huge in the appearance of a clean home! Load and run your dishwasher nightly to get dishes out of sight. Wash pots and pans and air-dry them on a counter mat. In the morning, spend 5 minutes to put everything away.
Keep papers from accumulating by having a designated basket, and have a supply drawer with containers for pens, paper clips, rubber bands, etc., to keep minutia at bay.
Tip # 4 – Clean the Bathroom Counter!
Knowing you plan to “use all this stuff daily” can tempt you to leave a mess on bathroom counters. Taking 90 seconds each morning to throw combs and brushes in the drawer, put toothpaste and brushes in a designated cup, and stash all your makeup, hairspray, and styling tools in baskets under the sink, will go miles on the trek to a tidy-looking bathroom! Quickly wipe the counter and mirror before throwing your towel in the hamper, and voila’! Clean!
Sure it would be nice to have a spotlessly clean house 24/7, but The Illusion of Clean is the next best thing to a live-In maid! Don’t you agree?!
If you do need some extra help, give us a call! 602-633-4475 or contact us online – www.moxie-girl.com
I use to dread cleaning the floors. Images of Cinderella came to mind, and thoughts of spending hours on my hands and knees did not sound pleasing. As a parallel, one of the first things I learned with Moxie Girl was that a properly cleaned floors can make or break a living space. If you skimp on vacuuming or mopping, the room will always look sloppy and, quite frankly, sad. This left me questioning my own floors–I hadn’t vacuumed or mopped since moving in last August. What I found was alarming, to say the least–upon close observation, my carpet was covered with hair (my roommate at the time and I both have thick, long manes). Immediately grossed out, I borrowed a neighbor’s vacuum.
Most of my Moxie clients possess this space-age floor-cleaning contraption, something that looked as familiar as a space ship to me the first time I was expected to use it. From the detachable hose to the hundreds of buttons, I had no idea what I was doing. It took a good tutorial before I was confident enough to let myself lose with the appliance in another’s home. In all actuality, the vacuum itself is relatively easy to operate once you identify the various parts. Some benefits include the bag-less filter and breezily easy navigation. I don’t think I’m ever going back! Check Dyson out for yourself here.
My lesson of the week may seem overtly simple, but it’s a single-girl-in-the-city’s basic: cleaning the floor is a score. Never again will I go two months without a good vacuum, and never again will I question the importance of clean and shiny floors in the home of a client or friend–I’m starting the Clean Floors Movement. 🙂
eryone will do for himself, and household chores, which will be done weekly and split up according to age appropriateness. Determine penalties for missed or improperly completed items. Every person in the home who can walk and talk participates.
Suzy rinses and loads by herself with Mom watching to insure the child has understood and is doing the chore correctly.
give incentive to put away shoes, toss stray dirties in the hamper and will likely help push you toward tidying the rest of the house.
