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What Will You Do This Weekend If We Clean Your Home This Week? Here’s Some Ideas!

February 17, 2023 by Illinois Valley Clean Team

Are you tired of spending your weekends cleaning your home or office? Let Illinois Valley Clean Team take care of it for you!

Visit Hegeler Carus Mansion: The Hegeler Carus Mansion is a beautiful example of the Second Empire architectural style. Visitors can take a guided tour of the mansion and learn about the Hegeler and Carus families, who were instrumental in the development of La Salle and the surrounding area.
Explore Lock 16 Visitor Center and Museum: The Lock 16 Visitor Center and Museum is located in the historic Lock 16 canal boatyard, and offers interactive exhibits on the history of the Illinois and Michigan Canal. Visitors can take a mule-pulled canal boat ride or explore the exhibits in the visitor center.
Go fishing or boating on the Illinois River: The Illinois River is a great spot for fishing and boating. Visitors can rent a boat or bring their own to enjoy the scenic beauty of the river.
Take a hike or bike ride on the I&M Canal Trail: The I&M Canal Trail is a 61.5 mile long trail that follows the path of the historic Illinois and Michigan Canal. Visitors can take a leisurely bike ride or a long hike along the scenic trail.
Play a round of golf at Senica’s Oak Ridge Golf Club: Senica’s Oak Ridge Golf Club is an 18-hole championship golf course that offers beautiful views of the surrounding countryside.
Check out the La Salle Farmer’s Market: The La Salle Farmer’s Market is held on Saturdays and offers local produce and artisanal goods from area farmers and producers.
Visit the historic Reddick Mansion: The Reddick Mansion is a historic home that dates back to 1858. Visitors can take a guided tour of the home and learn about the history of the Reddick family and the surrounding area.
Take a guided kayak tour of the Illinois River with Kayak Morris: Kayak Morris offers guided kayak tours of the Illinois River, which are a great way to explore the natural beauty of the area.
Visit LaSalle County Historical Society and Museum: The LaSalle County Historical Society and Museum is located in a historic school building and offers exhibits on the history of the area, including Native American artifacts, agricultural tools, and military memorabilia.
Take a tour of the historic LaSalle Power Plant: The LaSalle Power Plant dates back to 1906 and is still in operation today. Visitors can take a guided tour of the plant and learn about the history of electricity generation in the area.
Enjoy a picnic at Rotary Park: Rotary Park is a beautiful spot for a picnic or a game of frisbee. The park offers a playground, picnic tables, and scenic views of the Illinois River.
Take a trip to Starved Rock State Park: Starved Rock State Park is located just a short drive from La Salle and offers hiking, boating, and camping opportunities. Visitors can explore the many trails that wind through the park, including the popular St. Louis Canyon trail.
Visit the Lock 14 and 15 Observation Deck: The Lock 14 and 15 Observation Deck offers scenic views of the Illinois River and the surrounding countryside. Visitors can watch as barges pass through the locks, or just enjoy the peaceful setting.
Take a horseback ride at Cedar Creek Ranch: Cedar Creek Ranch offers guided horseback rides through the scenic countryside of La Salle County. Visitors can enjoy the natural beauty of the area on horseback, and even take a ride through the creek!
Enjoy a beer at Tangled Roots Brewing Company: Tangled Roots Brewing Company is a local craft brewery that offers a wide selection of beers and ales, as well as a full menu.

At Illinois Valley Clean Team, we take pride in our work and are committed to providing excellent customer service. We strive to exceed your expectations every time we clean your home or office. We understand that trust is essential in this business, so we are fully licensed, bonded, and insured to protect your property and give you peace of mind.

Don’t waste your valuable time cleaning when you can leave it to the experts. Contact Illinois Valley Clean Team today to schedule your cleaning appointment and experience the benefits of a clean and organized space.

Spice Up Your Life With These Delicious Homemade Pizza Recipes

January 21, 2019 by Illinois Valley Clean Team

Pizza is one of the most popular dishes in America, and it’s not surprising considering how it runs the gamut from a gourmet meal to comfort food and everything in between. But when was the last time you felt the pleasure of making your delicious pizza?

We’ll show you how some delicious and easy homemade pizza recipes from scratch, starting with a basic dough recipe and then adding different sets of toppings. Let’s get right to it!

Basic pizza dough

What you’ll need:

1. 1 tbsp of sugar

2. ¼ ounce packet of active dry yeast

3. 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, and extra for brushing the dough

4. ½ tsp salt

First, you’ll have to whisk the sugar in a bowl with one ⅓ cups of warm water, while sprinkling the yeast on top. Set aside for 10 minutes or until foamy, then stir the olive oil in. In a separate bowl, whisk the flour and salt, then make a little well in the center of the mix to pour in the yeast mixture you did before. Stir with a wooden spoon until a rough dough is formed.

Transfer the dough from the bowl into a lightly floured surface and knead until it’s smooth and elastic (this should take no more than 5 minutes), and further fust with more flour if necessary. Separate into two dough balls and set aside. Brush two large bowls with olive oil and add a dough ball into each one. Coat them with more olive oil all around and wrap the bowls in plastic.

Let the dough double in size, which should take about 1 and a half hours, then spread out and voilá, homemade pizza dough recipe.

Homemade Margherita pizza

What you’ll need:

1 dough ball
2 finely chopped roasted garlic cloves
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup of your favorite pizza sauce
8 ounces of mozzarella cheese, sliced
2 of your favorite tomatoes, sliced
Fresh basil
Fresh ground pepper to taste

Preheat your oven to 475°F (246°C). Mix some olive oil with chopped garlic and brush over your rolled out dough. Push dents into the dough with your fingers, and top with pizza sauce, mozzarella slices and tomato. Bake for about 15 minutes until the crust is lightly browned or the cheese is bubbling.

Remove the pizza from the oven and top with fresh basil and pepper. Slice and serve hot!

Salami, arugula and mushrooms pizza

As before, here’s what you’ll need:

1 dough ball
2 finely chopped roasted garlic cloves
1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup of your favorite pizza sauce
8 ounces of mozzarella cheese, sliced
⅛ cup of grated parmesan
9 ounces of cherry tomatoes, sliced or halved
2 flat mushrooms, sliced
6 ounces shaved mild salami
⅓ cup of fresh arugula

As with the last recipe, you start by preheating your oven to 475°F (246°C). Repeat the same olive oil and chopped garlic mix that you’ll brush over your rolled out dough, then create dents into the dough with your fingers. Top your pizza with sauce, but before adding the mozzarella slices, sprinkle your grated parmesan evenly over the pizza. Now you can top with mozzarella and cherry tomato. Finish your toppings with shaved salami and mushrooms, then bake for about 15 minutes until the crust is lightly browned or the cheese is bubbling.

Remove the pizza from the oven and top with fresh arugula and pepper. If you don’t particularly enjoy arugula, you can also use basil. Slice and serve hot!
There you go! These are super simple recipes that even the most rookie pizza chefs can make and enjoy for their next pizza night. If you’re just starting, it’s OK to make a little mess, just have someone ready to clean it up the next day.

How Much Time Should Your Kids Spend Online?: A Guide for Parents

January 7, 2019 by Illinois Valley Clean Team

The advantages that smartphones, tablets, smart TVs and other such devices give us are undeniable, especially for kids, who stay socially active and develop their motor skills through them, but it’s also true that they have some worrying drawbacks concerning the time kids are spending on them.

There are different types of “screen time,” which means how much screen time does the average child get to spend online depends on what they’re spending it on.

Take these four categories defined by the Common Sense Census: Media Use by Tweens and Teens:

Passive consumption: watching TV, reading, and listening to music
Interactive consumption: playing games and browsing the Internet
Communication: video-chatting and using social media
Content creation: using devices to make digital art or music

As you can see, different areas of their lives are affected directly by each category, so it stands to reason that not all of their online time should be seen as a single, monolithic block to be taken away altogether. Many studies show that it’s not necessarily the length of time kids spend online, but the nature of it, what really matters. The key is to find a balance between the different uses for their online presence with equally positive offline activities.

Being realistic is the first step towards finding this online-offline balance since many of the activities and life experiences that were common in our generation are now fairly different or have adapted to a permanently online world. Communication, then, is an absolute necessity, because your kids should understand that these limitations are implemented to foster a healthier development for them, instead of arbitrarily set by parents who “just don’t get it”.

1. Set realistic, clear limits

Depending on the age of your kids, their need for a laptop or a tablet for schoolwork might seem like an obstacle to setting clear online time limits, but that just means you have to monitor their usage more closely and to set more fluid conditions for internet usage.

Does it make any difference if you allow three periods of 20 minutes or 1 of an hour? Remember, it’s not so much the time, but the quality of it. Whatever time you allow, make sure your kids consume age-appropriate media always. You can start by making a schedule, which would in turn, allow you to better monitor your children’s online time.

For example, try this:

No screens before homework is done, then some free time, a screen-free dinner, some more free time, then chores, some family time, and they can’t take their screens to the bedroom.

There are no set times because, as we mentioned earlier, it’s better to be fluid when limiting such a common part of modern life. Mix their free time with homework and chores, or if you’re having someone over for cleaning, make it into a screen-free family outing.

2. Be a proper example

It will be hard for your kids to listen to you if you don’t practice what you preach. Just being an adult does not excuse us from using the internet responsibly. This does not mean, however, that you should hide every time you need to check your inbox, just make it clear that you have a purpose for picking the phone up: “Let’s check the weather for tomorrow,” “I need to order some groceries,” etc

If you make a habit out of these practices when they’re still young, that will help mold their expectations of how much online time is normal into a more realistic amount.

3. Teach them to prioritize

Future technologies will be more advanced than we can even imagine, so being thoroughly restrictive about screen time with our children might leave them at a disadvantage when they are adults. They should understand that breaking the rules carries along consequences and that you will enforce them, but merely taking the device away with a “because I say so” attitude won’t help your cause.

Help your children understand that, rather than just limiting their time, you want them to learn how to properly prioritize their own time, which will make their lives easier once they take on different responsibilities as they grow older.

Illinois Valley and Chicago Events to Get You in the Holiday Spirit

December 3, 2018 by Illinois Valley Clean Team

There are a number of massive and great events in both the Illinois festivals 2018 and the Chicago area, with a superb schedule of festivals, concerts, and conferences throughout the year. Get out and enjoy family-friendly, holiday, snowy and exciting events throughout the state.

Here are some of Chicago and events in Illinois this weekend to get you in the holiday spirit!

Illumination At Morton Arboretum

You won’t see any usual Santas or Rudolph because mother nature is the star of this show. Illumination: Tree Lights at the Morton Arboretum is designed with interactive features that allow trees and lights to “react” to motion and sound. The mile-long kaleidoscope of color is a blend of nature, technology, and holiday spirit.

Choose to stroll the main path that offers hands-on fun or a clear trail and view around the lake. Experience the sights of the Crown of Light, which is a five-piece sculpture from a Smithsonian-featured arts collective. You can also step into Woodland Wonder where a grove of trees envelopes the rotating points of light.

Zoolights At Lincoln Park Zoo

This annual ZooLights holiday tradition has been going on for 24 years. The joyful experience has offered free family-oriented holiday celebrations featuring bright displays and incredible seasonal activities.

You can take photos with Santa and enjoy warm spiced wine and frosty beers. You can also indulge in gift shopping and holiday snacks; listen to carolers, and musical light shows at the Winter Wonderlawn. Then grab your 3D specs for the individual displays, and stroll Candy Cane Lane and more than 100 giant, themed exhibits.

Joffrey Ballet’s “The Nutcracker”

The Joffrey Ballet’s beautiful rendition of The Nutcracker will make you squirm in delight. Reimagined by Christopher Wheeldon, a Tony Award-winning choreographer, it has been the city’s highlight of World’s Fair since 1893.

As it returns on December 1-30, 2018, the magical production opens in Chicago on Christmas Eve and take audiences on otherworldly visits to the Fair’s attractions.

Annual Holiday Cookie and Bake Sale

On December 7, 2018, unleash your baking skills. Zion UCC will hold our Annual Holiday Cookie and Bake Sale at 3:00 pm until sold out. A different kind of cookies, baked goods, and candy will be available. Not only will you showcase your talents, but you can also help others, too. Proceeds will benefit kids that are going to the camp and provide support to various local organizations.

Chicago Jazz Festival

One of the significant musical events is the free jazz festival, attracting big names and newcomers to the outdoor stages at Grant Park and Millennium Park. You and your family can sit on the lawn and enjoy the tunes, and if you’re a real jazz fan, you should be on the lookout for hot after-hours jazz sets at the city’s top clubs and bars.

Chicago International Film Festival

The Chicago International Film Fest is America’s longest-running competitive film festival since 1964. There are more than 100 flicks in all kinds are screened at theaters all around the city. There’s a great emphasis on international films which will be bringing some rare treats from around the globe to the city’s screens. Famous directors and actors also make debuts at premier events.

Chicago Thanksgiving Parade

Chicago Thanksgiving Parade commenced in 1934 and is one of America’s oldest Thanksgiving Day parades. Illinois has more floats, balloons, and marching bands. The show plays up State Street for several blocks as 350,000 people watch on the sidewalks in the nippy November air.

Illinois Valley and Chicago come alive in winter with holiday celebrations, snowy festivals and more. So pull yourself away from home and bundle up for an outing—you don’t want to miss these exciting events. While you’re out enjoying these events, hire a professional house cleaning service.

Best Parks for a Family Trip in the Illinois Valley and Chicago

November 5, 2018 by Illinois Valley Clean Team

Chicago and the Illinois Valley region have a lot of places you can go to with your family. You can enjoy Chicago’s sleek, skyscraper-filled skyline, but this fertile land is also filled with fantastic nature scenes and high-quality dining experiences. Get ready and grab your phone’s camera and explore rolling hills, forests, and wetlands. Why not get into the fall spirit and enjoy the precious moments of what you have left with a wholesome trip to these places?

Here are the best places to go within Illinois Valley and Chicago!

Millennium Park

Its completion in 2004 made this park an instant hit, and it became the top attraction in the Midwest as well as being one of the most-visited tourist sites in the country. You’ll see attractions like Frank Gehry’s Pritzker Pavilion, Jaume Plensa’s Crown Fountain, and Anish Kapoor’s Cloud Gate. In the summer months, you should take a look at this fountain which has an array of the resident’s faces that blows water every five minutes. It’s Lurie Garden will wow you with monthly garden walks and a year-round flower displays.

Matthiessen State Park

Visitors come to a delight when they see canyons, prairie, forest, and streams here at Matthiessen State Park. Its location is in central LaSalle County, which is approximately four miles south of Utica and three miles east of Oglesby. This park is a paradise on earth for those people who are in love with geology and recreation.

You can expect to see abundant vegetation and wildlife as well as rock formations. There are also picnic facilities for a special outing with your family. Its geological features are unusual and beautiful. These rock formations make your trip to Matthiessen State Park a fun educational experience.

Garfield Park

As one of Chicago’s more prominent parks, Garfield Park offers one-of-a-kind facilities for boxing, baseball, tennis, swimming, and basketball. Your children will also enjoy the playground, and as for the adults, you can go to the fitness center and lagoon. You’ll also find the paths for walking, biking, and jogging wonderful. One of its well-known attraction is the Garfield Park Conservatory that has 120,000 plants which represent some 600 species as it occupies 1.6 indoor acres and 12 acres of outdoor gardens on the summer.

Adams Playground Park

If you want your kids to enjoy, you can take them to Adams Playground. It’s a hidden gem that is loved by the neighborhood and is located off Seminary Avenue in Chicago. Its name came from the former Congressman named George Adams that donated this land to the city in the early 1900s. Then the city turned it into this great community space for kids with playgrounds, sand court, and an ice rink for ice skating in winter.

You can spend your quiet afternoon with your family here as well as a perfect place for a picnic. This park provides massive opportunities for excellent family fun. Beat the heat at the waterpark in the summer, or you can sign up for activities that they offer in the field house.

Grant Park

It’s considered Chicago’s front yard and spans 319 acres on the shores of Lake Michigan. Grant Park can be considered a group of smaller parks, which include Maggie Daley Park, Millennium Park, the Museum Campus, and Buckingham Fountain. This is where Barack Obama and almost a million people celebrated his victory on election night 2008. And it’s also where thousands more attend the Lollapalooza and Taste of Chicago festivals.

Oz Park

From the creative mind of a native Chicago reporter, Oz Park is a public park located in the North Side of Chicago. It contains several statues modeled after characters from The Wizard of Oz. In the 1950s, it was constructed following an effort to revive the area and fans come here to reminisce about the old park.

Now the park features a biking or walking trail a little over a half mile long, and also contains a playground for children and gardens. It features four statues created after the beloved book characters like The Cowardly Lion, The Tin Man, The Scarecrow and Dorothy & Toto. You can also stop by and watch some of the free outdoor movies offered in summer, as well as a fall festival and Art Therapy Connection Chalk Festival. You can bring your child, or enjoy reliving childhood memories yourself!

After a long day of walking and playing, you’ll have plenty of opportunities to reward yourself with a quality cocktail or delicious meal afterward. If you want, you can let the professionals take good care of your home while you’re away. So you can come home to a relaxing and clean house.