MEMPHIS, TN – BUSINESS WIRE

Depending on where you live, it may or may not feel quite like springtime yet, but after a long winter spent indoors, it’s definitely the right time to start freshening up your living space with a good spring cleaning. Not only are you sure to enjoy a clean, uncluttered home, but there’s a good chance you may even enjoy some mental health benefits, too.

According to a recent survey from Merry Maids, one of the nation’s largest home cleaning services and a ServiceMaster (NYSE: SERV) company, more than three-quarters of Americans say they feel stressed when their home is messy.

To make it even easier to get started – and make a clean sweep – here are four smart spring cleaning tips from the experts at Merry Maids:

1. Make sure you have the right tools. If your idea of cleaning involves paper towels, a broom and an old-school mop and bucket, you’re in for a very long, unproductive spring cleaning. Merry Maids’ simple rule of thumb to remove dust or dirt: If it’s not microfiber (or a vacuum where it makes sense), you’re going to leave a lot of dirt and debris behind. Microfiber is affordable, machine washable, available online in bulk and can likely be at your doorstep in days…just in time for spring cleaning.

2. Create your own cleaning solutions. Use elbow grease sparingly. There are easy, homemade solutions that will help loosen grease and grime, so when it’s time to apply some manpower to cleaning, it’s more of a gentle wiping vs. intense scrubbing. For example, lemon can be used to clean your microwave, baking soda and vinegar can remove residue from glass stovetops and bleach can rid shower curtains of mildew.

3. Involve the family, and make it fun. There are many different and fun ways to bring the entire family in on spring cleaning, and make it worth their while. Assign each person a task you know they’ll put their all into. Whether it’s organizing, vacuuming or cleaning the baseboards, make it fun. You can turn it into a game, create a music playlist that you can sing and dance to while cleaning, or reward the family with a fun outing once it’s complete.

4. Treat yourself. If you’ve been cooped up all winter and can’t imagine spending a second more indoors looking at dirty baseboards and dust bunnies, call the professionals and let the local Merry Maids cleaning experts take this task off your to-do list. Merry Maids’ cleaning specialists create home cleaning plans customized for each household’s needs to ensure a consistent, reliable and thorough cleaning every time.

To find the nearest Merry Maids location or receive an online quote, visit merrymaids.com.

About Merry Maids

Merry Maids is the largest home cleaning franchise network in the United States. Merry Maids provides services in 48 states and the District of Columbia. The company also provides home cleaning services in Canada, Ireland and the United Kingdom and has licensing arrangements whereby licensees provide these services in Hong Kong, Japan, South America, South Korea, Southeast Asia and Australia. Through its company-owned and franchise locations, Merry Maids employs more than 8,000 home cleaning professionals who service homes on four continents, including more than 200,000 homes in North America every month. Merry Maids is a business unit of Memphis-based ServiceMaster Global Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: SERV), a leading provider of essential residential and commercial services. Go to MerryMaids.com for more information about Merry Maids or follow us at twitter.com/MerryMaids and facebook.com/MerryMaids. Merry Maids is the Official Home Cleaning Provider of Minor League Baseball™.