The Times They Are A’changin’

Alison Palmer • Mar 04, 2017

Think Back 25 to 30 Years When Custom Maid began in 1985 things were quite different than they are now.  Ronald Reagan was president.  The Cosby Show debuted  and phones hung on the wall and had cords.  At that time we ran into much different things while doing a routine house cleaning.  We used to […] The post The Times They Are A’changin’ appeared first on Custom Maid.

Think Back 25 to 30 Years

When Custom Maid began in 1985 things were quite different than they are now.  Ronald Reagan was president.  The Cosby Show debuted  and phones hung on the wall and had cords.  At that time we ran into much different things while doing a routine house cleaning.  We used to have to take extra time to empty and clean ashtrays in probably 50% of our clients’ homes.  Nowadays we probably don’t have more than a handful of clients who smoke in their own homes.  Of course cigarettes meant extra time scrubbing brown nicotine off appliances, mirrors etc.  First time cleanings were always especially challenging.

Faucets in many houses were separate: one for hot and one for cold, not the swivel models we have now.  Furniture polish was our customers’ cleaner of choice for fine wood furniture.  Many even had us use lemon oil.  Ick!   Now we use microfiber cloths for dusting.  They are manufactured with millions of tiny “scoops” that actually pick up and hold dust and debris rather than just spreading it around.  We had all been sold a bill of goods by the chemical manufacturers that products like Mop ‘n’ Glo actually cleaned a floor without rinsing.  Where, exactly did we all think the dirt was going?  We ended up with nice, shiny dirt!

Kitchen counter were made of laminate.  Now we have learned to care for granite, marble, soap stone etc.  These surfaces are very expensive and must be treated with special care.

get a professional maid for spring cleaning in Norfolk

Professional Spring Cleaning in Norfolk VA

 Now There All Kinds of New-Fangled Things to Clean

In 1985 almost no one had a microwave and those few that did had a special kitchen rack to hold the behemoth.  The interior trays were rectangular and did not move.  TVs were really big chunky boxes and took up a lot of room.  Now TVs hang on the wall.  Stereos were great big component systems with matching great big speakers.

Of course the biggest difference between those times and now is computers.  Absolutely no one had a home computer in 1985.  I don’t need to tell you that now we seldom find a single room without some kind of electronics.

We have grown with the times.  In 1985 we (and all of our colleagues) cleaned for appearance.  Now we use science and we clean for health with another new-fangled idea: green cleaning.

We train our house cleaning technicians to clean all types of surfaces properly.  You can trust your home’s fine furnishings to Custom Maid.  Just call us at 499-8568 and we will be happy to assist you!

Request an Estimate

Editor’s Note:  We published this article in May 2014.  We have edited it for freshness, accuracy and comprehensiveness.

 

The post The Times They Are A’changin’ appeared first on Custom Maid.

By Susan Helms 23 Jun, 2022
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