Author Archives: Riley

When this COVID-19 outbreak occurred it brought panic to people to rush and buy all sorts of chemical cleaners, many of which are unnecessary or ineffective against viruses. The simple and efficient way to clean and disinfect isnot in panicking but understanding.

Understanding How To Clean &
Disinfect Your Home.

Understanding what you are bringing into your home and how your own steps from the front door can stop the spread of any illness is the first step.
When we understand how to live in a more clean, hygienic way daily, cleaning and disinfecting is easier.

Understand your surfaces and note that every cleaner on the cleaning aisle at H-E-B that says all purpose disinfectant cannot be sprayed on all surfaces! I’ve seen granite look hazy and marble destroyed by someone simply not understanding the surface or the cleaner.

Removing To Effectively Clean & Disinfect Your Home.

Removing should start at the front door by removing shoes and washing hands before touching or doing anything! The rush to relax at home should be paused by the mental note of the dirty world outside that we live in and not wanting to bring those germs into our homes. 
Everything you stepped on or touched should be removed before you relax in your home.
This is why we wear heavy duty gloves and protectant covers and sprays on our shoes to disinfect when professionally cleaning.

Cleaning Fact To Effectively Clean & Disinfect Against The COVID-19 & Other Viruses In Your Home.

Seeing all of the hand sanitizers and every single cleaner in the grocery store fly off the shelves is shocking because a simple combination of soap & water remains one of the strongest weapons against infectious diseases, including the novel coronavirus.

Why does Soap work? Soap works so effectively because its chemistry pries open the coronavirus’s exterior envelope and cause it to degrade. These soap molecules then trap tiny fragments of the virus, which are washed away in water.

When we provide Austin maid housekeeping cleaning services, we have a 7 step procedure to efficiently clean rooms. We understand that for our procedures to work, we have to do them step by step to clean effectively.
You have to clean before you disinfect and you have to understand before you clean.

COVID-19 fact to know

All viruses are bits of genetic code packed inside a collection of proteins and lipids, which can include a fat-based casing known as a viral envelope. Destroying an enveloped virus takes less effort than their non-enveloped compatriots, such as the stomach-busting norovirus, which can last for months on specific surfaces. Enveloped viruses typically survive outside of a body for only a matter of days and are considered among the easiest to kill, because once their fragile exterior is broken down, they begin to degrade.

Imagine the balloons in the pic below to be the virus. You can’t spray. You have to break down the barrier outside of them to kill them. So understanding what to remove, how to clean and break down the virus will help you understand then how to disinfect.

Disinfecting against Home viruses

After you’ve understood how to remove the unnecessary and not welcomed germs on hands and shoes into your home, then understood the surfaces and how to effectively clean them without damaging them, now you can disinfect.
Disinfectants (not cleaners) should not be rinsed off.
The CDC has a recommended list of approved disinfectants and cleaners for this particular virus on porous surfaces.  Keep in mind they just added over 40 more to this list prior to the recent outbreak. Effective products will have an EPA registration number on the packaging. See link here. www.americanchemistry.com/Novel-Coronavirus-Fighting-Products-List.pdf

Regular cleaning of your home reduces the spread of germs and dust making disinfecting easier.

Even though the city of Austin is at a standstill and most of us have more time on our hands than we usually did, it’s a great time to reevaluate how we clean and disinfect our home regularly.
Hiring a local Austin Housecleaning service on a regular basis, helps reduce the germ spread in your home making spraying a disinfectant a breeze.

Sometimes I don’t think home designers consider the living that goes into each room when they design it. Like who ever thought to put pendant lights that you can’t easily undo easily to clean in a home like the picture below? I’ve literally been on a ladder with a screwdriver, wishing for two more sets of hands to catch what I can’t hold of the light in the second picture.  Here’s an example of a pendant light that the designer most likely didn’t think we would need to know how to easily take it apart to clean.  

Now imagine cleaning this pendant light with one set of hands! It’s a risky situation but can be done and was done for a new home sale from our realtors at www.gottesmanresidential.com/ When they list a home, we take pride in their realtors relying on us to detail clean the home.

The Downside of  Pendant Lights In The Kitchen.

Most range hoods above the stove have an exhaust fan that removes airborne grease, smoke, heat and steam. Have you also noticed that you don’t have to have the fan on to see the accumulation of grease above the stove? Whether it’s the cabinets, wall, or in this case pendant lights, if it’s high in the kitchen, and close to the stovetop, it’s going to catch grease too.
The downside to hanging any kind of pendant lights in the kitchen is that they will quickly and easily accumulate a coating of airborne grease too.

The Trick To Clean Pendant Lights.

We’ve been providing Austin home cleaning services for over 24 years, so we have had to battle many greasy situations. Kitchen pendant lights can’t be dusted! They have to be thoroughly cleaned inside and out to shine by hand wiping.
There’s three tricks to know about cleaning pendant lights. ( Oh and be mindful that a lot of Austin maid service companies cannot allow their staff on ladders taller than a step ladder to clean due to insurance purposes)

TRICK #1.
Turn all lights off in the area and clean them at a time that the sun is also not shining directly on them. Lights and sunlight quickly warm your cleaning solutions up, which will cause an immediate streak.

TRICK #2
Use a dry microfiber rag. Never use a wet or damp one because it will streak. For these pendant lights in the Topic Image,  I used three microfiber rags. I folded them in four and used all four sides of the folded rag to wipe my cleaner on.

TRICK #3
Use a glass cleaner that foams so you can spray directly on the outside of the light fixture. ( Be sure to cover any areas below that you don’t want the foam cleaner to get on)

If your pendant lights have a clear to reach opening like these ones, you can clean the outside first and then use the dry rag side to now spray the cleaner on the rag and clean the inside. ( You may want to read that again, as it’s an opposite step to clean the outside from the inside!)
Don’t wipe over an over again! Wipe one time and go to the next area so you don’t reapply the dirt.

Some pendant lights require you to use a screwdriver to remove them. For this I suggest bringing them all down and cleaning them in a sink of dish detergent. If you have hard water, this will only work if you polish them with distilled water after to remove all residue.

IN MY PERSONAL OPINION, I LOVE THE LOOK OF PENDANT LIGHTS AND THE STATEMENT THEY BRING TO THE KITCHEN!
I AND AM GRATEFUL THAT WE HAVE MOVED PAST THE DAYS OF THE LIGHTS WITH SMALL HANGING LAMP SHADES ON THEM FOR SURE! 

Let’s talk dirty in the bedroom for a few minutes since we are a day after Valentine’s Day and we may be washing sheets and making coffee. Here’s a quick read to shock and educate you quickly at the same time. There are not too many things that can shock a housekeeper the day after Valentine’s Day because let’s be real, we are all humans and the bedroom is where werelax, relate and release after a long day. One thing that can be really shocking to people about the bedroom is…many allergies start there.

The Hotel Housekeeping Secret

Have you ever gotten into a hotel bed and wondered why is it tucked so tight? And how do they get it tucked so tight, anyway? Hint: this can sometimes be a three-step sheet process!Maybe, maybe not. Most of us are too exhausted to care, or just wanna relax and don’t notice. This hotel secret however is the way hotels keep their comforters clean and dust levels to the bare minimum in any bedroom.
It’s all in the sheets! 
The thread count isn’t a factor here, but the number of sheets is.
Most hotels use a three-sheet process to protect the comforter and occupants in the bed from dust.

IF YOU HAVE A DUVET COVER ON YOUR BED AND WASH IT WITH YOUR SHEETS THEN YOU’RE ALREADY ON THE PATH TO A DUST-FREE SLEEP.

Personal Experience In Keeping Allergens to a Minimum

I went to grab my black eye mask on the side of my bed and was shocked at my own bedroom secret. I travel to our Dallas location using the Vonlane Bus at least weekly and use this eye mask to sleep. It had a light coat of grey dust. I was immediately grossed out. I dust often and change my sheets weekly, but didn’t expect there to be dust on an eye mask I use weekly. 
😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳😳
That very moment took me back to when our house cleaning in Downtown Austin Condo clients taught us how to make their bed. 🤓
I know it sounds funny to hear that after providing cleaning services in downtown Austin for over 24 years that I’d need some instruction on how to make a bed but I was schooled quickly.
​

The Secret That Hotels Use That Our Client Taught Us Too

So if the eye mask is collecting dust in a week on my nightstand, imagine the dust collecting in a comforter on the bed. We wash the sheets often, but the comforter is protecting the sheets from the dust and collecting it over time.
In 24 years I’ve had two clients with this three-sheet process and today I truly know why they implement it.
STEP 1. Place fitted sheet on the bed.
STEP 2. Place a longer flat sheet on the bed but fit it to where it will cover over the comforter and sheets and fold back to the design or embroidered top area of the sheet.
STEP 3. Place comforter and top sheet over the comforter.
STEP 4. Fold the sheets over the comforter and hospital corner tuck them in to make a secure fitting.
Sleep 😴

Who Has Time For That?

Small decisions we make daily are the reasons we live the way we live. As we all know, our health will stop us in our tracks without warning!  We know you want to stay healthy but you probably don’t want to move to a hotel permanently (by the way, Hotel ZaZa in downtown Austin really knows how to make the sheets perfect for a fantastic night’s sleep). 

​So, if a small change to washing your duvet more often, or implementing the three sheet step hotel secret to your own bedroom is not high on the priority, then you can just click and call us to do that routinely for you.

Flexibility in reaching our toes, let alone flexibility in time, kind of makes us rush to the nearest 💅 nail salon. The rush to relaxation, cheap mimosas, and a massage chair sometimes makes us overlook the 5 alarming 🦠 germ facts about a pedicure.

So before you pick a color and have a seat, check the view on the other guests to see if this salon may send you home with a sparkling ✨ new color infection or not.

Say No To Shaving Before A Pedicure.

Come on, we’ve all gone at least two days without shaving right? 🤷🏻‍♀️ the rush of the need for a pedicure can make us forget that we should not shave 🪒 at least 2 days prior. Freshly shaved legs 🦵 have open pores and nicks you can’t see🔍. Reminds me of the above video when I had fresh shaved legs in the salt water Ocean. The memory that burn was a lesson learned for life! 
A USA TODAY article stated facts that a mans legs were amputated following a pedicure infection. Serious infections are rare but why rush even a small infection. 

Ask For New Buffers & Filers Only!

Unless you see them open a package in front of you don’t trust what you don’t see. Only non porous tools can be properly disinfected. These items are cheap and part of your pedicure cost.

Don’t Dip 🦶In Unless You’re Protected.

Of course salons should be disinfecting basins between each client, but there’s a hidden fact.
🔍A hospital grade disinfectant should sit in the basin for 10 minutes⏰
Whirlpool spa basins should have the disinfectant ran throughout the system, then the unit should be drained and rinsed with clean water. 
Opt for a basin cover or select a salon that doesn’t use whirlpool tubs. Think about your own jet tub 🛀 at home. Have you ever cleaned it and seen the disgusting crap that settles out of it😷 ? I will never forget when our RoundRock Cleaning Service Client was selling her home and she ran a jet cleaning on her in home tub.  I could hear and feel her disgust through the text of what she saw come out of it.  Unfortunately Jet cleaning is not part of our routine Austin cleaning service check list and it may not be part of your nail salons in between customer check list either.   Now imagine ever foot 🦶 that has soaked where your feet are? Next imagine what could be lurking in those whirlpool jets ready to attack your freshly shaven legs and more.

If 💅 Nail Salon Walls Could Talk.

If the pedicure chair you’re sitting in has built up gunk around and behind it, imagine what’s coming out of the water pipes inside it?
When picking a nail color, take your time and check out the condition of the walls and floors. This quick check of cleanliness could save your nail health.

Save The Cuticles. ✂️

Opt to push them back rather than cutting them at a nail salon. Cuticles protect the nails and skin from infection.  One snip ✂️💅 can cause more than a burn, and that’s a lesson you don’t want to learn.

DID YOU KNOW THERE’S ONLY 1 AUSTIN NAIL SALON I’M AWARE OF THAT MATCHES THE BEST DISINFECTING PRACTICES?
WWW.TENOVERTEN.COM PROVIDES AUSTIN WITH CONSCIOUS NAIL CARE. WHILE PROVIDING OUR DOWNTOWN AUSTIN CLEANING SERVICES WE ALWAYS OPT TO MATCH WITH BUSINESS WITH LIKE MIND APPROACHES TO DETAILS IN CLEANING AND MAINTENANCE BEYOND THE SURFACE.

(OH AND YOU CAN GRAB A BOTTLE OF WINE 🍷 AT THE NEXT DOOR SPOT TO BRING WITH YOU TO ENJOY AN AMAZING AUSTIN PEDICURE WITH A PERSONAL TOUCH.

Is it me, or does the waiter tend to come to the table at the wrong times? Well here’s a quick way to speak to your waiter without saying a word. Let’s just hope
they too speak utensil etiquette American Style.
I say American Style, because The French use silverware etiquette in a whole other format. I’m sure my girlfriend Ajiri of http://madamdelamaison.com can school us all on that, as she makes Gathering Beautiful with her linens and antiques in Paris. She makes dining and etiquette look glamorous. www.instagram.com/madamedelamaison/ My daughter recently took a break from our company that provides Austin Cleaning Services to visit Paris with Ajiri and her company  for three weeks.   She got to see firsthand the difference between American and  French Etiquette at the dining table. As much we believe it all starts at home, I do believe that the more you travel the more you can personalize what you learned at home to match your surroundings and grow. Ajiri ( In the gorgeous cream dress) and friends making Gathering Beautiful in the  bathtub at a friends dinner just makes us want to be there! 

Whether you are enjoying a night out in  Downtown Austin for dinner or brunching with the girls in Dallas, here’s some facts to know about your silverware conversations to your waiter.  

How to Tell the Waiter
I’m Resting 🍴(Don’t Touch My Plate so they don’t ask  “Are You Still Working On That?”

I’m Finished 🍴 Utensil Position

Where Should Your Napkin Be Placed When Your Meal Is Done?

Don’t place your soiled napkin on the table until you are leaving the table. No one wants to look at your soiled napkin while their food digests.

Does it Matter Where My Silverware Is Placed At The Dinner Table

A lot of things seem to not matter anymore. I mean let me be real and say I am writing this blog live from www.hotelzaza.com/austin Group Therapy Dining Table at Brunch.  Things have changed with phones and computers being mobile.  I don’t know how the future will change how we eat, but then knives were only used as a symbol of wealth in the 6th-10th century and now they are on every table, and in every drawer where we provide Austin Maid Housekeeping Services. It’s safe to say silverware is here to stay.  We might as well know how they speak without words. 
Do however note that your silverware, once used, should never touch the table or table cloth again.  Theres the main reason why it is good to know how to place your silverware on the table to not only silently speak to your waiter but to be of good etiquette as well. 

“FRIENDS AND GOOD MANNERS WILL CARRY YOU WHERE MONEY WON’T GO” – MARGARET WALKER

Gifting experiences over store bought gifts is the new rage that most would agree leave more of a lasting impression. I was already impressed by this staycation before my room keyopened the 🚪 door.
If you’re familiar with this Texas Hotel 🏨 that’s known for their collection of colorful 🖼 art, then you may think you know where this blog is going. I’m a regular at all of their locations, and even I was surprised by this experience. So buckle up, and read on with me for a quick overview of Austin’s Best 🥇 Staycation that will leave anyone with a memory of the experience.
​

Cabin Fever

My Daughter and I stayed in The Concept Suite called Cabin Fever.
The most memorable thing of walking into the door was that they even changed the lighting 💡 in the room to be dim to match the mood of the coziness of the cabin theme. ✅✅

Dog Art mixed with Landscape Art took us from the living room area to the AMAZINGLY memorable design of the bathroom.

Austin Staycation Bathroom

I just love a bathtub while staycationing and this Bathtub 🛀 was perfect.
The 🚿 shower was bigger than I expected, and my daughter raved about how the shower head had the best settings of water 💦 pressure. The color choice 🎨 was memorable and mood setting to say the least. This was and is one of my favorite Austin Hotel Bathrooms so far for the relaxing mood! 🏨🥇🏨🥇

Austin’s Staycation Bedroom

The Bedroom 🛌 had details that matched the cabin fever theme. The most memorable parts weren’t even the bed. It was the armoire and side table that made us fall in love with the bedroom. 💙💚
Since we are Austin’s Best Detail Home Cleaning Service, it was necessary for us to add a detail to the side table! So we personalized the cabin theme to match the Christmas Season. (No bears were harmed with our Personal Touch!)

• Remember how I said I’m a Zaza hotel regular? Well this location did something that the others had never done during my stays. They actually provided turn down service on the bed and left chocolates and waters by the bed for the evening. 💙💚 Loved that Detail!

The balcony was small but there was room enough for me to enjoy the downtown morning fog with a cup of tea from the regular morning butlers pantry that ZAZA provides to guests on each floor by the elevators. Teas, coffee and Biscotti’s await you and I always partake!

Austin’s Best Staycation Hotel With Instagram Worthy Areas You Have To See!

What makes this Hotel Staycation worthy is not only the memorable rooms, but the amazing details on every floor of the hotel. The hit for us was Group Therapy on the 7th floor. When the elevator doors open, we were greeted with a memorable surprise. Of course about 25 pictures were taken here and all but one made it to the blog. Lol

Austin’s Best Staycation Bar & Restaurant All In One

Group Therapy is a restaurant that we ate breakfast and lunch at. Since it’s close to the pool 🏊🏽 I decided upon checkin to take advantage of the quietness and eat outside in one of the cute concept areas. It may seem basic, but the grilled cheese and tomato 🍅 basil 🌿 soup were a hit!
Add an old fashioned 🥃 or three 🥃🥃🥃 to the energy of the pool area and 💤 let The StayCation Begin.

Austin’s Amazing Staycation Gym

This Gym was the biggest I’ve seen in Zaza Hotels. (Then again I kind of skip the Gym when on staycations ) but this one was huge!

But There’s More For You To Explore At This Austin Staycation Vacation.

We had to get back to providing the best detailed, personal touch Austin Downtown Cleaning Services so we missed a few things on our visit. We didn’t get to dine downstairs at Perfect Strangers and we didn’t partake in the spa services.
So we are leaving the rest up to you to relax, renew and refresh while we provide cleaning services in Downtown Austin and beyond.

SPECIAL SHOUTOUT TO JORGE VIVES. HOTEL ZAZA AUSTIN CONCIERGE THAT PROVIDES A PERSONAL EXPERIENCE WORTH COMING BACK TO.
HE’S A GEM 💎

To the lady with the bumper sticker “I Love Labradoodles” that also loves picking her nose at pump 6 at the HEB  in Austin, you inspired this blog so thank ya.  What a coincidence that the peak time of  the flu season is also the holiday season time. With so many more people traveling for family and fun, germs tend to mix and mingle in. 

So let’s settle some hand washing facts and myths before we touch another thing today.

Is Soap Or Hand Sanitizer Better?

Nothing beats actually using water to lather soap to wash hands, but sometimes water and soap isn’t always accessible. If you’re choosing to use a ​hand sanitizer, make sure it is at least 60-70% ethyl alcohol based. If choosing hand soap, go with an antibacterial soap.
It’s all about the level of dirt on your hands. I mean if your hands are visibly dirty then nothing beats soap and water method. If you however have just touched the ⛽️ gas pump, then alcohol based 60%-70% hand sanitizer will do.

How long should you take to wash your hands

Most of us can recall the old saying to sing the Happy Birthday song twice to actually get your hands clean. This still sings true to this day. 😉 Keep in mind that the song shouldn’t start till you’ve got the water and soap lathered together to work….. now sing 🎤 for 20 seconds and rinse.about:blank

Hot warm or cold water to wash your hands

Germs stick to our hands because of the natural oils our skin produces.
Hot water is going to remove oils from your hands better than cold water. It is however not proven if either hot water or cold water is best.
Either way we know that water is a must at removing any dirt and warmer water always helps remove dirt faster so I’m going to stick with hot (water) not scalding.

How long does hand sanitizer last on hands?

Shocking fact that hand sanitizer only lasts about two minutes. You also have to make sure you’ve applied enough to actually make your hands wet and not just damp. Seems like a short amount of time, but a lot can be passed in two minutes. You touch the gas pump of someone who has the flu. Then you touch your door handle. That’s usually less than two minutes, so why not take advantage of a few dabs of hand sanitizer.

Air dryers in bathroom

Run from air dryers in the bathroom. Hot air dryers blow all sorts of germs back onto your hands. Just think 🤔bacterial 🦠 splatter in a hot area. Yuck. Paper towels are your best friends as to not spread or reapply germs.When we provide cleaning services in Austin we always make sure to wear our gloves, but that doesn’t stop the spread of germs at all.  I try to keep small hand sanitizers in each company car but that doesn’t stop germs either.  We can’t stop the spread of germs but we can at least be mindful, especially during the holiday season of hand washing etiquette. 

I’ve got a cleaning tip for just about anything anyone throws at me to help them, or so I thought. On Monday September 30th all of those tips went blurred when I personally
was hit with the most tragic personal news I have ever received. Monday being the start to a new week, and then the tomorrow Tuesday October 1st being the last quarter of the business finance goals for 2019, I planned to finish strong.

Death

Over the last month I had lost an old friend Gentry Mason, a client and friend Cedric Benson, and another person close to me Mrs. Terri Long from Longs Vacuum and appliance in Austin. From health reasons to a motorcycle tragedy, I cried, and celebrated every memory of their life I could to move on to work the next day to be strong. But on Tuesday October 1st, my planned strong end to the last business quarter of our Austin Cleaning Service failed and it was my first time experiencing a time in my professional career that I didn’t know how to handle the next day.

Life

Having employees and clients that rely on your strategic planning to make everything go smooth as can be was the last thing on my mind. My youngest brother Jeremiah had lost his battle with depression. I had no words, tips, answers to emails or voicemails to offer. My business life for 23 years has been to push forward through raising children, a divorce, sicknesses and death, but this loss left me without a will to push for business and focus on family. I often let my Dallas employees take over our social media pages but I do monitor it, so I started to think maybe I could have them take over, but the more I thought, the more I cried so I stopped.

The Pause

Stopping and pausing were two of the hardest things I had to deal with during the next few weeks of loosing my Brother. I tried to stay busy and attempted to work on Wednesday after I received the news. It was the hardest and strongest half day of my life. Pushing through tears while pausing to connect with the family for immediate arrangements all the while trying to work was a disaster. While standing in my clients home to do a final walk through of the RoundRock cleaning services that were provided, I paused and then stopped. My clients sons name is Jeremiah and he is at the age that his name is still on everything in his room. I tried to hold back my emotions then realized that my push was too much and I had to pause for my own mental health.

Push Forward

The days went on and we planned a Memorial service for that Saturday. I pushed work off on others and paused what I couldn’t handle without letting most know what I personally was going through. Being a small business owner involves wearing many hats. Most don’t need to know what hat I have on at certain times of the day but all hats at this point were pushed away on the scale of importance and it cost me more than money. I lost a client of 9 years due to me attempting a reschedule that didn’t work for her. I looked at our client notes and noted every time I rescheduled for them and every time I made a last minute adjustment for them and realized that I had to push past the personal and pause for myself.

The Personal

Death has a personal side that most don’t see that attend the funeral or memorial services. The cleaning of your loved ones personal possessions in whatever state they have left it in and wherever it may be is the most personal thing you can deal with in the end of someone’s life.

1. Don’t do it all alone.
2. Pause and reflect at your own pace, even if it means taking as much time as you personally need.
3. Think of others that loved your loved one. There may be something memorable to them that they would like to personally have.
4. Therapy is needed.
5. Be personal with work so that people can understand your pause.

The hardest thing that anybody would have to clean in their life is the leftover possessions and last movements of a loved one.

IT’S NOW FRIDAY OCTOBER 25TH AT 9:41 PM AND I’M GRATEFUL FOR EVERY PERSON THAT REACHED OUT AND EVERY CLIENT THAT PAUSED WITH ME THROUGH THIS LIFE MOMENT.
MY BROTHER JEREMIAH WAS 23 YEARS OLD BORN ON THE 4TH OF JULY. HE GAVE THE MOST AMAZING HUGS THAT YOU FELT IN YOUR SOUL.
I LEARNED THAT JEREMIAH COLLECTED ROCKS OF ALL SIZES AND SHAPES. THEY WERE IN HIS JACKET POCKETS, PANT POCKETS AND AROUND HIS ROOM THAT WE WENT THROUGH AFTER HIS PASSING. I NEVER GOT A CHANCE TO ASK HIM WHAT THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE ROCKS MEANT TO HIM.

💚💙

Can someone tell me what’s up with Austin’s New Hot Spots not placing

the name of the business in big bold print for you to see? I didn’t notice the small two signs on both sides of their very large wood-paneled entrance until I literally got out of the car to look. Yes, that is steam in the photo as well. I didn’t know that I made a reservation at DipDipDip Tatsu-ya for a meal and a facial but it happened at no extra charge. 💰

Reservations Only Austin Restaurant

As I waited outside for my girlfriend to arrive, (they will not seat incomplete parties) I watched at least 6 people be turned away for not knowing you had to have a reservation. It was hot, and we were kind of all cramped in an area waiting to enter the beautiful wood 🚪 door. Water would have been appreciated for sure!

Thanks Goodness For An Austin Outside Bar

I was trying to figure if the music outside was from the Taco place next door because it was a little shocking. However, once inside I realized it was directly from the restaurant. I’m a hip hop lover so that was cool, 😎BUT they have an ice cream 🍦 place that is adjacent to the dipdipdip Tatsu-ya 🥢which attracted families with children 🧒. I don’t think “Shooting at her blankety blank blank blank outside the club on some fuzz ish is appropriate for outside music where ice cream is served in a cute colorful child friendly looking zone. 🎶
Instead of offering anyone water as we waited they offered their menu which had their few cocktails and wine list. I saw a few peoples cocktails with more ice than liquids so I passed for wine 🍷. Very small wine with a few buy the bottle options. But I’ll quote my friend Erin here and say “At least they have bear and Sake” 🍺

Entry Into Austin’s Hottest New Restaurant Beyond The Big Wood Door 🚪

After waiting outside for your reservation to be called, the big wood door opens and you are immediately greeted with a loud chant from the staff in Japanese which I later found out meant Welcome! You are then brought into the very dim lit cozy area and seated at a very unique seating arrangement.
Cool 😎 Idea 💡that your chair swiveled around and the menu was in a pocket on one side and your under the seat was an open area for personal items. 💚💙 It swiveled with you when you were seated so your purse is hidden. 💎
After being given an introduction by Michael, our very polite quiet spoken server, we both felt lost 🧐. If you have never had a shabu shabu meal before you got crash courses in 39 seconds. I had been to a place similar in NYC but it was a tad bit different and I wanted more than a quick crash course and GOOOOOOO ❗️

You Become The 👨‍🍳 Chef

We both went the easy route and ordered off the already paired menus which had three options. House, Tatsu-ya, and Baller. My girlfriend Cheryl (who recommended the spot)💚💙 had visited before, so she gave me the inside scoop that The Baller was too much food for one. We opted for the Tatsu-ya for two. (I should have got the Baller because I’m a 🐖 that loves to eat.

After we ordered our choices of broth, and pairings, another waiter comes over and gives us yet another 39 second crash course on which meat to shabu shabu and which meats to let sit for 3 minutes. 👀 (There was a cute cheat sheet stuck to the table to remind us and also a sand timer ⏳ for you to remember to use. (Four glasses of wine in and I don’t think 💭 that was priority ⏳and I forgot a few times.) don’t shame me in the 4 glasses🍷🍷🍷🍷. They were 3 oz each🤦🏻‍♀️ maybe

The Shabu part is taking the 🥢 and swishing your meets two to three times in the boiling broth. The Dip part is the three smaller bowls. We had two dips to choose from, then you set your meat on the rice 🍚 to soak in flavor, and eat. Repeating this process as your rice or noodles get the flavors of the shabu and dip. 💚💙👨‍🍳about:blank

The Extras that Made Up for The Not So Good Choice

Everything was delicious minus one thing… the Pot Pockets raclette and mushroom 🍄

I regret even eating that one but there was also a Al la carte menu that they pushed by in the tiny spaces between tables for us to choose from. We chose oysters, and I’m glad I did, to remove the taste of the pot pockets.

The Dessert

One offering was offered and it tasted better than it looked. Kind of like Melon flavored Italian ice. Delicious enough for me to want more!

I PURPOSELY DIDN’T COVER IT ALL IN THIS BLOG BUT GAVE YOU SOME INSIDE SCOOP SO YOU CAN SCOOT ON OVER AND MAKE A RESERVATION. OH BY THE WAY, THE RESERVATIONS ARE WEEKS OUT IN ADVANCE. DON’T FORGET TO TRY THE ICE CREAM 🍨 SPOT THAT IS ADJACENT TO THEM. YOU ORDER ON A SCREEN! I’M LACTOSE INTOLERANT AND WITHOUT A LACTOSE PILL SO I PASSED.

I’LL BE BACK BECAUSE THERE’S BETTER THINGS TO DO OUTSIDE OF PROVIDING AND AUSTIN CLEANING SERVICE EVERY DAY SO WE EAT. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Let’s be real honest here..No one wants to clean their own house so it takes a special person to want to clean other people’s homes for a living! After being in business for over 23 years, I’ve gotten to know many households and many housekeepers. No one thinks how hard it is to keep staff wanting to clean and deal with so many other people’s dirt. I’ve got the inside scoop on who, what, why, and how the Invisible Worker feels, and what they deal with. Since the customer is the Boss, it’s usually an unspoken truth within a person that ends up making or breaking a housekeeper.​​

It’s Personal Beyond Your Dust and Dirt.

Although we try to make every customer feel personally special, you are not the only client they have! In our business, we send out two ladies that are to care for up to 4 homes a day. That’s four different homes filled with personalities and needs that they have to personally cater to in one shift. Now we may not meet the people in person, but cleaning after someone will tell you about their personality. Imagine having 4 spouses and 4 families 😵. So if a housekeeper you usually see has now come and gone, it may be a personal issue with them, or another house they care for that made them leave the job. Cleaning is personal to the housekeeper once they establish a routine and relationship with the client’s home, pets, and belongings.  It’s O.K to be personal with the person touching your personal things.  Saying Hello and Goodbye, thank you and I appreciate you will help all relationships, especially this one.  ​​​

Why You Should Cancel Your Routine Cleaning Appt.

Being sick costs more money than anyone wants to spend on missing work. Please alert your housekeeping company if someone has been 😷 sick (minus allergies as that’s way too common in Texas), had 👀👱🏼‍♀️ lice, or a pet 🐕🐾had fleas. Now let’s go back to the thought that you’re not the only client! There’s not enough disinfecting 🛑any housekeeper can do to stop the immediate spread of untold illnesses.We want to disinfect the next home and not infect the next home

Pets Don’t Like Vacuums! 🐾

Our pets are part of our family and we all take up for them as if they wouldn’t harm a fly. What needs to be considered is that pets are territorial. 🐾 Nearly everyone’s home has pets and your housekeeper is carrying the scent of the last home (including the pets of that home) all over them. So please introduce your pets to the housekeeping company before handing the dirt over. That way they have been properly introduced by you the homeowner to let them feel peaceful about the people with the vacuums.​

The Client Is The Boss And They Can Fire Everybody!

Here’s a quote that comes to mind for this one. “Cleaning the house with people inside of it is like brushing your teeth while eating Oreos”. Since you are pretty much the housekeeper’s Boss, imagine if your Boss was around while you were working on a project with a demanding deadline! If it’s a must that you are home to work, be courteous to personally state where you will
be working to stay out of their way while they are also working. While providing Home Cleaning in Austin, we have many clients that do work from home. We make sure to give them a routine as to how we will clean their home so that we can work safely and efficiently out of each other’s way. It’s all in the communication and respect of each other’s jobs.

Extra Costs Extra

Life gets hectic, and that’s usually the reason you hire help! There are however times of bathroom explosions that occur or messes that you just didn’t have time to pick up and that’s just life. A kind tip with a personal note of appreciation goes a long way when someone walks into an extra mess with no extra time being paid to clean it.
“A person who feels appreciated will always do more than what is expected”
This quote could also be told backward. A person who is expected to do more but is not appreciated will usually do less…

The Housekeeping Industry can be a very high turnover field fueled by some of the reasons above.
Its very intense daily, and housekeepers are the Invisible Workers that are expected to do more but appreciated less.
Being a housekeeper first, before I was a business owner, helped me empathize with everyone I hire in our RoundRock home cleaning service.
I personally hire individuals that need a little push to their next phase of life. 
I also learned awhile ago that I actually don’t own a Cleaning Service, I own a mentorship program for people to grow through. I help our staff in areas of their life outside of cleaning that can help them grow to the next level.

​Cheers!