Crisp autumn days are the perfect time to open windows and doors and give your home a clean sweep. To clean your home faster and have more time for the things you want to do, schedule your cleaning as if you were hiring a professional cleaning service.

Set aside a Saturday morning on your calendar, and stick to it. Eliminate TV shows, email or another distractions that will waste time. Instead, crank up your favorite music or an audio book to boost your energy. If it’s still warm and humidity is still high outdoors, turn on your air conditioner’s “auto fan” setting to help you stay comfortable by reducing moisture indoors and saving energy.

If you can’t commit an entire day to cleaning your home, then decide to spend a shorter span of time cleaning the bathrooms on Saturday, dusting the living room on Sunday and so on. Finish each task before calling it quits each day so you’ll avoid having to pull out the necessary cleaning gear more than once.

Here are some other tips to help you speed clean your home:

• Clear the clutter before you start. Since you’re treating your cleaning session like you would that of a professional service, do yourself the favor of clearing countertops, floors and other surfaces of dishes, appliances, kids’ toys and clothing. You’ll move faster if you don’t have to stop to move junk out of your way. And if even the clutter seems overwhelming, picking up big items first will give you a quicker sense of accomplishment.

• Assemble all the other tools you’ll need before you start. Buy a good-quality mop, and make sure you have everything you need with you before you start – toilet brush, cleansers, cleaning cloths and trash bags at hand, and vacuum cleaner and mop waiting down the hall.

• Purchase a divided plastic tray to carry cleaning products, rather than carrying them in an apron that will weigh you down. You can streamline your tray and get by with just four cleaning products to clean your entire home:

A glass or multi-surface cleaner
Heavy-duty degreaser
Powdered abrasive cleaner
Tile cleaner
• Streamline your movements, as well as your cleaning products. Move around each room only once, and use both hands to clean. Start by standing in front of the bathroom sink. Now, spray the mirror with one hand, and wipe it with the other. Use a cloth or sponge in each hand to scrub the sink and counter. Spray and polish the fixtures before stepping away. Clean everything in front of you before moving on.

• Wipe down shower curtain liners regularly to control mold. If mold is an issue in your home, avoid using rugs in floors below ground level, where moisture can accumulate. Installing a dehumidification system helps maintain recommended moisture levels between 30% and 60% to reduce mold growth.

• Fill a plastic trash bag with clean terry and lint-free towels to carry with you for dusting, and add a second plastic bag for carrying towels after you use them. Include a large trash bag for emptying the trash, and another trash bag for items that can be given away to a thrift store. Installing a HEPA filtration system can help capture dust, dirt and pollen by completely filtering your home’s air many times a day.

• As you dust, move furniture towards the center of the room to vacuum behind it. Consider buying a 25-foot extension cord for your vacuum cleaner so you won’t have to unplug the vacuum when you move from room to room.

• Clean from the top down: That means from ceiling to floor, and top floor to the basement. You’ll avoid dripping cleanser, and dragging equipment over freshly cleaned floors. Move in one direction, left to right, through every room, cleaning window sills, picture frames and bookshelves as you come to them.

Want more tips on enjoying a cleaner, more efficient home? Head to Lennox.com to download dozens of comfort tips in a hurry.

For more details on Lennox® products or to locate a Lennox dealer near you, visit us online at www.lennox.com.

© 2010 Lennox Industries Inc.

Top 10 5-minute money-savers

10. Reprogram your home’s thermostat for cooler weather. Using a programmable thermostat to automatically lower the temperature to 68°F in the evenings or weekends can reduce your energy bill by 10% or more.

9. Check registers or air returns to be sure they’re not blocked by draperies or furniture. Your heating system will work more effectively.

8. Vacuum your refrigerator’s condenser coils to save energy. If coils are mounted on the bottom of the unit, use a long, narrow brush to clear away dust.

7. Next time you go shopping, buy a season’s worth of furnace filters. Installing a clean filter once a month allows your furnace to work more energy efficiently.

6. Replace your five most-used, incandescent light bulbs with compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs. The more energy-efficient CFLs burn cooler and are designed to last longer.

5. Install low-energy nightlights in hallways, the bath and kitchen. When fall’s holiday guests spend the night, they’ll stay safe without leaving wasteful lamps on.

4. If you have a fireplace, close the damper when it’s not in use. Open dampers can let in cold drafts.

3. Check your ceiling fan for a switch that will reverse the direction it spins.Running the fan clockwise on the lowest speed helps force warm air down from the ceiling.

2. Clean your home’s thermostat every few months to keep it working accurately. Remove the thermostat cover and gently dust inside with a soft cloth.

1. Call to schedule a professional inspection of your home’s ducts and heating system. Do it before the weather turns chilly to avoid a waiting list.

For more details on Lennox® products or to locate a Lennox dealer near you, visit us online at www.lennox.com.

© 2010 Lennox Industries Inc.

How can I clear the cobwebs?

Even though Halloween is approaching, your home doesn’t need to look like the set of a horror movie. Here’s how to be rid of the stuff that’s driving you batty.

First, break out your broom. Turn off power to your HVAC system and sweep around the outdoor unit to remove dirt, leaves and debris that can clog the condensing unit and waste energy.

After you’ve made a clean sweep outside, it’s time to clear away musty odors that can bedevil you indoors. Use exhaust fans in the kitchen and bath, and set an open box of baking soda in the kitchen to eliminate cooking odors. Avoid scented deodorizers or air fresheners that simply mask odors, as they may contain toxic chemicals.

Creaking doors? Dead houseplants? These are signs that there’s too little moisture in the air, a significant problem during the heating season. To correct humidity levels, set a heat-resistant bowl of water on a wood-burning stove, leave the bathtub filled with water for evaporation or add a whole-home humidifier to your home.

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust: If there’s so much dust in your home that it appears your ancestors have come back to stay, vacuum your home’s heating vents every time you vacuum your carpet. Unscrew the grates and clean inside with a hose attachment before replacing them.

Use a dryer sheet to dust knickknacks and flat surfaces to help eliminate static that causes dust to cling. If someone in your home has allergies, consider adding a ventilation system to filter out small particles.

Finally, if you can’t escape that feeling of icy fingers up and down your spine, it may be time for a new heating system. If your HVAC system is more than 15 years old, it may be just a shadow of its former self, and it’s most certainly an energy sucker!

Energy Tips: 2 ways to save $1,000 or more

When is it the right time to replace your old heating and cooling system instead of getting it repaired? Conventional wisdom says when the cost of repairs approaches 50 percent of the value of the system, it’s generally time to replace it.

A newer system will almost always reduce the cost of heating your home, due to increased energy efficiency. But if you install a new Lennox® home comfort system before November 30, you can pocket up to a $1,000 rebate.

Plus, you can receive up to a $1,500 tax credit on your 2010 income taxes when you install a qualifying system. See Lennox.com for details about qualifying systems, and talk to a Lennox dealer about additional rebates that may be available from utility companies in your area.

See more ways to save now.

Plus,
See how much a higher-efficiency furnace can cut your utility bills with Lennox’ Energy Saving Calculator
Learn more about saving energy costs with award-winning Lennox systems such as the Dave Lennox Signature® Collection G71MPP variable-capacity gas furnace and the iComfort Touch touchscreen thermostat.

As always you can find more information on our website www.jjmclellan.ca with direct links to Lennox on our PRODUCTS page. Click HERE