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Spring is here, and it is time to do some overall cleaning. We admit there is nothing glamourous about cleaning, but when you have the help of Town & Country Window Cleaning you can rest easy knowing your windows in your home will be taken care of and checked off the list!

Do you know why it can be important to have your windows professionally cleaned? There are multiple reasons why hiring a window cleaning company instead of doing it yourself can be beneficial for you!

1. Glass is porous and collects dirt! Acid rain, sea spray, over spray and hard minerals can begin to ruin the structure of your glass and windows. Our thorough cleaning of your windows guarantees that none of these hazardous particles are left behind and your glass is protected.

2. It may seem hard to believe, but dirty windows can cause a heat efficiency in your home. Particles on the surface and in the pores of the glass simply reflect more UV light, preventing the sun from warming up your home the way it naturally would.

3. Windows can significantly affect the way visitors see the credibility of a business! Subliminally or completely consciously, the majority of people will pay attention to the cleanliness of your glass front when visiting a store. Dirty windows will testify careless attitude and represent a business as less trustworthy and attractive overall. Clean windows, on the other hand, attract more visitors to the stores.

Let Town & Country Window Cleaning give your home or business the fresh start it deserves. Check out our list of services we offer here and feel free to contact us with ANY questions you may have!

Finding the right company to keep your home looking great can be difficult! We know how important it is to make sure that you’re finding the right people you can trust to take care of your home. Here with Town & Country, we are dedicated to giving you the best quality care and attention to the windows in your home.

Town & Country Window Cleaning is ALWAYS looking for areas to improve in, please take a moment to tell us how we’re doing. It is crucial for any business to know from every direction how things are going, good or bad. Here are a few helpful links to get you going, we look forward to hearing from you!

Yelp - Yelp can be an extremely helpful place to look for home maintenance, make sure you leave a review here so others can see what a great experience you had!

Google - The first place we almost all search for help! Help make Town & Country office shine on Google!

Angie’s List - Angie’s List has boomed since its start up and has helped thousands find the right services they need, make sure they see how great we are here!

Facebook - Give our facebook page a like and don’t forget to let everyone else know how good we’re doing!

Now that autumn is here it is a great time to do some maintenance on your home to withstand the coming winter. One of the tasks people avoid or put off most often is cleaning their gutters and downspouts. Although it is not the most pleasant of work, it plays a very important part in protecting your siding and landscaping and keeping your foundation in its best possible condition. A damaged foundation due to a downpour in ill kept gutters could set a homeowner back by $10,000 or more in repairs.

Gutters should be cleaned at least once a year — twice a year or more if you have overhanging trees which can deposit leaves and other debris. Also, gutters often clog after big storms. It is a good idea to examine them after a heavy rain to see if they are clogged or need attention. Clogs often occur where downspouts connect to the gutter system — you will want to check these areas closely.

If you are venturing out to check or clean your gutters, take the necessary precautions. Dress appropriately by wearing rubber gloves, long pants and a comfortable long sleeved shirt or jacket. Cleaning can be dirty and messy so you want to make sure you are protected.

Also make sure you have the proper tools: a sturdy, quality ladder capable of reaching the necessary height, a gutter scoop or small shovel, a tarp where you can dump your debris (rather than your lawn) and a high quality garden hose. After you have cleaned out all the dirt, flushing the gutters and downspouts with a hose is a great way to see if you have any leaks or other issues.

Another option for dealing with chronically clogged gutters is to outfit them with gutter covers. These include mesh screens, clip-on grates, and porous foam.

If cleaning clogged gutters or maintaining them is something you would prefer be done professionally, Town and Country Professional Window Cleaning is a smart choice. They have over 40 years of experience working with windows and gutters and can take care of all your needs.

They can be reached at 847-256-5140.

Don’t wait until the snow flies, get your gutters inspected today!

You may be thinking – wow, what a hot summer we just completed. The heat and humidity were really something and I cannot imagine the cold drafts of winter being anywhere around the corner. Although this may be true to a certain extent, it is also a fact that cold air will once again be in our forecast in the not too distant future. It happens every year, right?

So instead of waiting until the last minute, right now is the best time to think about getting your windows free of leaky drafts before you have your house filled with Thanksgiving or Christmas guests. (Remember, the only cold drafts your guests want to speak of are mugs of holiday brew)!  In fact, it has been estimated that on average, 10 to 25 percent of a home's heat escapes through its windows. So by repairing these leaks, not only will you and yours be able to live in comfort but you will also be able to reap the savings to your fuel bill.

In many instances some of this work can be completed fairly easily by purchasing some caulk and weather stripping from your local hardware store.  A stiff bladed putty knife can be used to remove peeled paint from around the outside frame of your window. Then just dip a scrub brush in some soapy warm water, apply to the surface and dry with a cloth.

You will then want to dabble some fresh caulk around the outside of the window, making sure to create a continuous wind-blocking seal between the window frame and any siding. Always make sure the caulk is intended for the exterior surface of the window before using. Then go inside and use your weather stripping to seal up the window around the sash. When completed, this simple procedure should go a long way in eliminating any drafts and keeping your home very comfortable.

Of course there are times when we cannot do the work ourselves due to time constraints or other issues. If this is your situation and you reside in the Chicago area, Town and Country Window Cleaning is there to help. They will fix or replace any nagging window problems that you may have and make sure your home is ready for winter. Call Town and Country today at 847-256-5140

The dog days of summer are nearing their conclusion as we notice the ever shortening hours of daylight and more frequent bouts of cooler, breezy weather. This can only mean one thing – like it or not, autumn (and then winter!) will soon be here in full force, along with some necessary maintenance to your home for the change of seasons.

Before we get too far along into Halloween, homecoming games and football mode, it is a great idea to consider what work needs to be completed for your home.

A great first chore to tackle (especially if you’re into football!) is to clean all your windows and screens. Washing windows with warm, soapy water and a soft rag and quality drying towel are all that is required. Unfortunately there really is no quick and simple method for cleaning screens for the windows, but it is definitely worth your time to clean up all the grime that accumulates during the warm weather months. You can clean the screen by using the brush attachment of your vacuum cleaner. It will then be much easier to remove the dirt simply by using a hose or wet rag. Rinse well, remove all soap and you will be amazed at how much better your windows and screens look!

To keep screens in their best possible condition, remove them from the outside of your home and store them in a dry place until spring arrives. Of course, if you discover any holes or punctures in a screen it is advisable to get it repaired now so you will not have to deal with it six months down the line.

Other tasks, such as cleaning out your gutters, having the chimney swept and getting your furnace checked before the cold winds of November and December set in are also essential to surviving the colder months in the most possible amount of comfort.

By completing these common chores your home will look its best and inviting for trick-or-treaters, holiday visitors and all your friends who may be coming to your Super Bowl bash!

Visit TownandCountryWindowCleaning.com today to schedule an appointment and discover all the useful and important services they provide to keep your windows looking their very best!

One of the house cleaning services we provide at Town & Country Professional Window Cleaning is known as power washing. This is one of our most comprehensive cleaning services in which we leave nothing unwashed or unprepared for the harsh fall and winter ahead - especially in the Chicagoland area.

Summer is the perfect time for power washing because it's sunny and bright outside, allowing us to see every possible nook and cranny around your property that could use a thorough cleaning. Here is how we approach power washing and why you should consider making an appointment for one today!

Steps behind power washing

First, we evaluate your home and tease out any areas normally hidden to the human eye. We assess what type of dirt and build-up is on your home so that we can determine what type of power washing equipment will be most up-to-task for the job.

Then, we go ahead and start power washing using our high-powered hoses. We don't use any harmful chemicals in our power washing, ensuring that cleaning your home doesn't result in an allergy-inducing mishap.

We'll wash the main exteriors of your house and garage (if present), then tackle your porch, deck and wherever else dirt and algae can accumulate on your property.

For the average-sized Chicago area home, we can typically complete power washing in about a day, or longer for larger homes.

Why you should go with a professional

You may have seen power washing equipment at popular home improvement stores, or even seen ads for power washing equipment rentals. It may be tempting to try power washing on your own, but here are some reasons why that may not be a wise choice.

• Safety equipment - Power washing can be dangerous if you don't have proper safety equipment, from gloves to certified eye protection. Purchasing this safety equipment can be expensive, whereas we have everything we need for each job.
• Determining water pressure - If you use too much pressure you can end up harming your property's exterior; and not using enough pressure could result in a lackluster clean. On the contrary, our seasoned pros have an eye for what water pressure is necessary.

Order your professional power washing today

Has it been more than a year since you thoroughly cleaned the outside of your property? Is the side of your how so dirty and dusty it's begun to change colors?

If so, don't wait any longer and set up an appointment for your property's power cleaning today. It's easy - give us a call at 847-256-5140. You can also visit us at TownandCountryWindowCleaning.com or use our scheduling page to set up an appointment.

Now that summer is underway, we’re entering one of the most humid times of the year. If you live near Lake Michigan or other lakes in the Chicagoland area, your home’s humidity levels are likely to be the highest they’ll be all year this June.

Unfortunately, strong humidity can promote the growth of mold – a sometimes-visible, sometimes-not allergen that can cause a lot of unfortunate health problems for you and your family. Mold thrives on moisture and humidity, and since colder air can hold less moisture and warmer air can, summer will leave your home especially vulnerable.

Mold and your health

Mold spores in the air are odorless and invisible. They are a natural part of indoor living, unless there are more mold spores than there should be. However, mold can be visible when it grows on surfaces or food or liquids. It may be in the form of small black spots, a white fuzzy layer on a surface, or orange, purple or green when growing on walls, furniture or other surfaces.

When exposed to excess amounts of mold, you and your family can suffer a variety of allergic reactions or other health problems. Common allergic reactions to mold include issues with breathing, red and itchy eyes, runny noses and skin rashes. Those with asthma or other existing allergic reactions may be especially vulnerable to mold.

Preventing mold growth

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, the key to preventing excess mold from growing is addressing moisture in your home.

• Make sure you’re cleaning up any standing water or moisture throughout your home whenever it’s present. In the bathroom and kitchen, this means damping up standing water from inside and around sinks when using the facets.
• Another way to control moisture in the home is to use your air conditioning appropriately. First, make sure there isn’t mold growing on or inside your air condition vents. Then, run your air conditioner during the summer months at a moderate temperature, making sure to keep your windows closed and sealed.
• Use the exhaust fans in the bathroom and kitchen when showering or cooking.

You may also want to purchase and monitor a humidity detector. If your indoor humidity is regularly above 60 percent despite taking efforts to control moisture, you should seek professional interior cleaning help.

Get help getting rid of mold

Pumping and cycling in fresh, clean air is the best way to ensure your home is fresh and allergen-free. But to do that, you need windows and screens that are clean and free of allergens themselves. They also need to be able to fully close and seal when you need to run your air conditioner to dehumidify the air.

Are you ready to make sure your windows and screens are clean and functioning properly? Give us a call at 847-256-5140, visit us at TownandCountryWindowCleaning.com or use our scheduling page to set up an appointment with us today.

Winter is finally, finally over – Spring has been in full swing for more than a month and summer is on its way. Unfortunately, a long, sprawling winter has not done our homes any favors. That includes both inside and outside.

If you’ve kept your windows closed shut during the winter months with insulation, your home has been on air lock-down for more than four months or so. That means that all the potential inside allergens – dust, mold and more – have been building and festering with nowhere to go. It’s time to let the fresh, spring air in and take all the yucky, inside-winter air out.

Air refresh

Over time, dust forms on nearly every surface of the home. It’s formed from dirt; skin particles; bits of fabric from clothes, carpet and furniture; and pets if you have them. Contained within dust are bacteria that can cause smells (that long, cold winter smell) as well as allergens that can cause skin and eye irritation, respiratory issues and illness.

Luckily, winter has a negative effect on another indoor pathogen – mold – if you’ve been blasting the heat all winter long. Mold thrives when the indoor humidity rises above 50 percent. However, if you’ve been using humidifiers to combat this effect and improve your skin, you could have created mold spores throughout the home without realizing it.

That’s why now that it’s spring, you should burst open all the windows throughout the home for as long as you can. Introducing outside air throughout the home can create a sort of internal funnel that can take away these built-up allergens. Since it’s not summer yet, it’s not too hot outside that this would be a nuisance. (Just close your windows if it rains, though!)

Why you should keep your windows open

If you haven’t already, remove all insulation from your windows and allow them open freely – you’ll need to let some of that fresh spring air into your home.

Since we spend more and more time indoors, it’s a good habit to keep the windows open whenever you can. This ensures that indoor pathogens are cycles out of the home and fresh, clean air cycles in.

Getting professional help

Now, are you ready to refresh your home’s air, but don’t know where to start? Schedule an appointment and visit TownandCountryWindowCleaning.com to learn about our services!

What started the "spring cleaning" trend - and why is it in spring?

When you think about it, it's odd that as a nation we would single out one season of the year for when we clean and organize the entire house. You'd think this is something we'd want to do at the start of any season, not just one of the four!

But alas, with less and less time spent in the home and more and more time spent at work and commuting, it makes sense that we'd put off on placing our full efforts into cleaning and organizing until one point in the year. Regardless of how the trend started, here are some tips to make sure you make the most of out this year's spring cleaning.

Make a checklist

One of - if not the - most important parts of spring cleaning is to make a checklist of everything you plan to do. If you don't make a checklist, there are two potential bad outcomes, both tied to the fact that you aren't keeping track of how much you've already cleaned and organized:

1. You stop spring cleaning prematurely and left key areas dirty and unorganized
2. You do too much spring cleaning and have no energy left to clean again until next year

Stick to one room or one activity at a time

To help cope with the enormity of the task of cleaning and organizing an entire home, it's often best to stick to a one-at-a-time approach.

If your house has fewer rooms but larger ones than average, it may make most sense to clean one room at a time since you'll be able to sprawl as you clean. However, if you have more rooms and they are smaller than average, it may make more sense to do things one task at a time - such as tackling all the floor first, then all the dusting, then all the organizing, and so forth.

Choose your chemicals wisely

If you plan to incorporate the kitchen and bathroom into this year's spring cleaning - which you should - make sure you have the right cleaning agents for the job.

• For the bathroom, you should make sure to use cleaning agents meant for tile, porcelain and mirrors. If using bleach, make sure to take any necessary precautions to avoid inhaling too much of it and exposing your skin and clothes to it.
• Make sure to incorporate the right chemicals for mopping kitchen floors; don't use something too abrasive but don't use something too mile either.

Don't forget the windows and doors

Then, of course, comes the windows, doors and exteriors of the house. It's time to whip out the hose, the towels and window cleaners. But for this task - if you haven't for any others - you should really get some additional folks to help.

Ready for a 360 window cleaning?

You can only rely on nature for so much. When you're ready to have all sides of your windows cleaned, schedule an appointment with TownandCountryWindowCleaning.com to have professionals take care of the dirty work for you!

We’re not quite fully out of the doldrums winter yet – but some of the signs of the upcoming spring and summer months are already here. You’ll begin to notice this late March and early April that days are longer, the skies are bluer and snow is turning more and more into rain.

These are great signs that things are about to get a lot brighter outside as well. That’s why now is a good time make sure your home is getting as much natural light as possible.

Keeping them clean

To make sure you’re getting the most out of nature’s lightbulb – the sun – the first step is to ensure it can even get into your house in the first place.

• If you’ve sealed off your windows for the wintertime, consider about mid-March as a good time to unseal them. By this point, the coldest days are long past; and while it won’t necessarily be warm enough to crack the windows open all the time, allowing a little incidental air in won’t hurt too much.
• Next, get ready to do some window cleaning – and a lot of it – to remove all the snow, dirt and other buildup from winter’s onslaught. Don’t forget to get all the windows around the house, from those on the very top floors to smaller ones in entrance doors if you have them.
• If you have skylights, you should make sure to pay special attention to them once spring fully arrives. As their name implies, their primary purpose is to let in light from the sky, so try and make sure you aren’t preventing them from doing so!

If that all sounds intimidating, you need not worry – you can have us do the task of cleaning your windows for you! Schedule an appointment today.

The health benefits of sunlight

It may not be immediately obvious, but getting sunlight every day is a key part of health and wellness. First, sunlight that hits the skin allows your body to produce Vitamin D – an essential nutrient that helps keep your bones strong and your muscles working properly.

Second, using natural light to do things like read, watch TV and use the computer are better for your eyes than using artificial light; but, with the caveat that the natural light you use provides a sufficient amount of intensity and coverage.

Getting natural light is also an important part of your mental health in the long-term. Spending too much time cooped up indoors using only artificial light can have an unintended effect of making you feel cooped up and separated from the rest of the world.

Don’t worry – you don’t need to do it alone!

As you can see, getting enough natural light in the house is an important part of your health. Schedule an appointment and visit TownandCountryWindowCleaning.com to learn about how we can ensure your windows are letting in as much natural light as possible.