House Cleaning Tips

We had a great Christmas holiday. I hope you all did too. Some of you may keep your decorations up until after the New Year and some of you might jump right in – right after the holiday. (Hmm, I’ve heard of that.) This may not be one of the most exciting times, but you’ll feel relieved and refreshed for the beginning of a new year with a clutter free home. Ideas for Storing Holiday Decorations Christmas Lights Recycle a piece of recycled cardboard out of the recycle bin. The size will depend on the amount of lights you have. If you have many, you may want to use a couple. Carefully take the lights down and wrap around the cardboard to keep them from getting tangled. Store in storage container until next year. If you use tons of lights, you might want to think about purchasing Christmas light storage reels. Storing Small Extension Cords Use old toilet paper tubes to store your extension cords. Bundle the cord and slide it in the paper roll. This works for one extension cord each. St...

I love clothes. What girl doesn’t? I have clothes that have never seen the light of day with the tags still on. Maybe that’s a sign I should find the receipt, take them back, and buy something new? It’s not that I shop frivolously but there are times when I just can’t pass up a good deal. You know when they have stores like TJ Maxx and Ross just about everywhere, it’s easy to do. As another point of fact – I will most often return the clothes; new, still in the bag, price tags still on, because I need to clean the closet and get some serious organizing go on. If you’re like me, read on and see if our suggestions help you out of a pile of clothes or two. Ready, Set, Time to Go Alright then, one of the first things is to have a go time. Pick a day when you don’t have anything going on. A not so perfect day always works best for me, this help me from getting side tracked. Plan on the afternoon or possibly longer, depending how badly in need of organizing and cleaning needs to be done....

Some of the small spaces I’m thinking of are studio apartments, small condos, small eco-friendly homes – those kind of small spaces. Spaces where you might need to get a little creative in how you think about what you buy and how it can be used. Here is a list of items you may find useful in your small space. The more creative you get, the more original and unique your space will be. Storage Ideas Shelving Units Shelves can be bought with three, six, nine, and twelve cubbies. Storage can be used for shoes, books, photos, knick knacks (if you must), dishware, clothes, purses, keys, food, and you can even add small hooks and use one for jewelry. Re-purposing Items for Shelves If you are someone, like me, that likes to recycle and re-purpose items, look to apple crates. I love these especially if you can find the old ones in good condition. Stack them as high as you need them and connect them with brackets. These can be used anywhere in the home and are great for getting your things ...

How many of you have glass shower doors? And how many of you have looked at those shower doors thinking – how can I get them sparkling clean again? Well don’t think you have to put the rubber gloves on and use some over powering cleaners because you don’t have to. There’s no need to use chemicals that stay in your hair and nose follicles. In a weird sort of way that last sentence kind of reminds me a little of the My Favorite Things song from the Sound of Music. Weird, I know. Anyway there are easy ways of cleaning chemical free. Keep reading to find a better way to clean your shower doors. News Flash! Fabric Softeners Are Not Just for the Dryer Go to the laundry room and get one of the dryer sheets. When you’re back in the bathroom, moisten it a little and start swiping away those hard water stains. When you’ve finished, use a paper towel to wipe the door down and you’ll be amazed that you can see through the shower door again. Yippee!! Vinegar White vinegar is non-toxic and can a...

Time fly’s, doesn’t it? Where I live summer came late, it almost seems like fall never left. And now it’s here again. It’s also the beginning of the flu season. Our kids will go off to school and some will bring the flu home with them. We go off to work and bring the germs home with us. It’s a cycle that happens no matter how healthy you try and keep your family. There are things you can do in an effort to keep the germs at bay and your home or office clean and sanitized. Wash Your Hands This is something we learn at a young age. Wash your hands regularly. This is especially true when you come in contact with someone who is not feeling well, or you are coughing and sneezing. If you are not somewhere where you can wash your hands, keep hand sanitizer handy. My daughter keeps a small container in her sons backpack as well as some sani-hand wipes. Wipe Down Surfaces Whether you are at home or at the office, keep those high traffic surface areas wiped down. • Light switches • Doorknobs...

I literally have bad luck with pens. Seriously, I can put a pen down, come back later, pick it up, and the darn thing has exploded, leaked, whatever they do when this happens. Sometimes it’s minor and I don’t notice until I see the stain on my clothes, face, or fingers. Maybe it’s Murphy’s Law, maybe it’s the brand I buy? If this happens to you, don’t replace the item that’s ink stained, try removing it first, there should be a cleaning solution below that will work for you. Remove an Ink Stain from Washable Clothing Here is a list of materials that can be cleaned with this method. And remember to check the tag and make sure it’s washable. • Acrylic • Cotton • Linen • Nylon • Olefin • Polyester Back in the 80s, I had “big hair” (remember your big hair days!) and I used a lot of hairspray. Well, hairspray is good for more than just your hair; it can help to get rid of an ink stain too. Spray the ink stain with hairspray and then set it aside to sit for a few minutes while you gathe...

So you’re tired of washing your money down the drain with all those expensive cleaning supplies. And maybe you have become more environmentally conscious along the way and you want to incorporate a better way to clean into your daily or weekly cleaning. I don’t blame you; I encourage you to make the change. Among other things, we use baking soda. It's a natural deodorizer, slightly abrasive and can be used for cleaning many surfaces – including your skin, and can be added to the laundry to kick your detergent up a notch. Here are 10 great uses for baking soda. I know you’re going to like them as much as we do. And for those of you that already use baking soda, maybe there is something here you haven’t tried. 1. Laundry We do a couple of loads of laundry each day. I add 1/ 2 cup baking soda to each load of laundry to help clean and whiten clothes. At least once every two months, I also add a couple of cups to a hot water wash cycle (no cloths) for deodorizing. 2. Quartz Counte...

My daughter was the worst when it came to keeping her electronic files organized. She was always looking, never finding, and completely redoing letters, resumes, and other documents. I tried for the longest time to get her to use an electronic filing system, but for some reason - it took her forever to do it. I think when she lost some of her kids pictures, she finally realized she needed a better way of putting and finding things. There are a couple of issues with not having an organized electronic filing system. When you redo a document time and again, you may leave out something important, if you are running a business you can’t afford to have multiples of the same documents floating around with different information. Many documents won’t take up a lot of hard drive space and with hard drives getting larger and larger you may not need to worry about it, but I like to keep things organized and know right where to go to get what I need and get the right information the first time....

I love a new piece of jewelry. Especially gold jewelry. I’m a handy kind of gal and the rings I wear on my fingers and bracelets on my wrists has to be tough and fairly scratch resistant. Plus I think gold jewelry is more striking and stands out better than silver jewelry. And I like the way gems sparkle against the gold! Over time the everyday wearing of jewelry; handy kind of person or not, can leave your jewelry dull, dirty, and looking like it needs a pick me up. Cleaning your gold jewelry isn’t hard, but some of you may still opt to take it to the jewelry store where you purchased it. For those of you do it yourselfers – below are a few cleaning methods. Keeping your jewelry clean will enhance its longevity and protect the value and you’ll be proud to pass it down through the generations. I will typically clean my pieces at the same time to save time. So gather up what gold jewelry you need to clean and place them on a clean, soft cloth, I use a microfiber cloth. Pick the Cle...

What pet owner doesn’t have pet stains? If you don’t – I envy you! What Do you do? I have two Ragdoll cats, sweet as can be; one wants to over indulge herself and would vomit quite a bit, the other likes to watch her girlish figure. For the most part, we solved the overeating issue by putting a golf ball in their food bowls. And no matter what we do, they both cough up occasional hairballs. I love my cats and a cleanin’ up after them I will do. What else can you do? To remove vomit stains follow these simple tips. We’ve given you a few options to try. Oxyclean Oxyclean works great to remove vomit stains. 1. First you want to remove as much of the vomit as you can. 2. Then mix 2 tablespoons Oxyclean with 16 ounces of water. 3. Apply just enough of the solution to saturate the stained area. Let sit for 5 minutes. You don’t want the mix to dry. 4. Use a clean, white cloth and blot the stain, working from the outside in. 5. Rinse the area with clean water and blot with another clean cl...

Summer and warm weather, you gotta love it. I know I do. I was a tomboy when I was growing up. Riding the mini-bike, horses, climbing, you name it, and we were doing it better than the boys were. Of course, doing these things also left my Mom with quite a lot of dirty laundry, sometimes I’d scrap or seriously scratch an arm or leg leaving my clothes a bloody mess. My mother was none too happy. Now I know how my Mother felt. After having 3 children (2 daughters and 1 boy), I've removed my share of blood stains and I'd say that qualifies me as a stain removal expert. Keep reading and you’ll be one too! The old fashioned, tried and true methods remove blood stains on clothing, sheets, blankets, and furniture. Remember Time is of the Essence If you can, get to the stain before it dries and has a chance to set in the fabric. A fresh blood stain is easier to remove. Use Cold Water Always use COLD water. If you use hot water on a blood stain, you will literally cook the blood bind...

Hard water stains are tough, no doubt about it. Hard water contains minerals like lime and calcium and magnesium that can stain the bathroom surfaces, faucets, the coffee pot, and cultured marble surfaces. Cleaning hard water stains is something we come up against in our client’s homes time and again. Below are a few things you can do to remove hard water stains from the surfaces in your home. Removing Mineral Deposits from the Inside of the Toilet Tank Water sits in the inside of the toilet tank so it’s not a surprise that this will be one place hard water deposits will form. Empty the water from the toilet and add only white vinegar to the top of the overflow tube. I know it’s a lot of vinegar but it’s worth it. When you’ve added all the vinegar you need, put the cover back on the tank and let it sit for 12 to 24 hours. And don’t let anyone use it! After letting the vinegar sit the allowed time, scrub the tank clean, flush, and voila! This same method can be used to clean the ins...

Removing stains doesn’t have to be rocket science or become a scene where you’re shouting expletives. If it’s summer and you have kids, you have stains. Maybe Dad’s out in the back practicing baseball with junior and he slides for home base or the kids are riding bikes or skateboards and one falls and scrapes themselves up. These things happen all too often, leaving you to clean up. Below are some easy, non-toxic ways to get some of the most common kids stains out! Blood Stain Removal First off, don’t use hot or warm water. This can lock in the stain and make it a permanent stain. Hydrogen Peroxide This handy multi-tasker works great on blood stains. Put a piece of plastic wrap under the stain, then pour the hydrogen peroxide right on the stain. Cover with another piece of plastic wrap then a towel (hp turns to water when exposed to light). Check the progress after a few minutes, repeat as necessary. Rinse with cool water. Ammonia This can be used on most fabrics and it won’t damag...

No one ever really likes to hear the word “Oops!” It typically leads to something having to be fixed or cleaned and time taken away from whatever it was you were doing. In this case we’re talking about carpet stains. Maybe someone spilled on the carpet or a stain was brought into the house from the bottom of dirty shoes, or a nice little mess one of the animals made. Removing carpet stains is essential, especially if you have little ones crawling around. A Few Tips to Keep in Mind Before Starting • Blot stains don’t rub or scrub hard. You don’t want to spread the stain further into the carpet or damage carpet fibers. • In most cases you will work from the outside of the stain towards the center. • Don’t use an excessive amount of water or cleaning solution. You want to get the liquid out of the carpet and not have it soaking through the carpet pad. • Test new cleaning methods in an inconspicuous spot first. • Use clean terry towels or white paper towels to blot up stains. • Use pr...

Most of us do a pretty good job cleaning the kitchen and some of us might just be diligent about sanitizing surfaces and saying good-bye to germs. The kitchen is one of those places in the house where germs like to hang out. Think about it; food left lying out on countertops, chopping vegetables, getting uncooked meats and other food items for the evening meal ready, the sink gets used a lot and can breed bacteria due to the moisture, and the foods we touch then get transferred to cupboard doors, counters, handles, etc. You may have heard this before but most kitchen sinks have more germs than a toilet seat. I don’t know about you but I find that a bit unnerving! Homemade Kitchen Sanitizer Here is a pretty basic cleaning and sanitizing recipe that can be used throughout the kitchen to kill bacteria and germs. In a large bowl or container, combine: • One gallon of cold water • One tablespoon of unscented, liquid chlorine bleach Get your cleaning cloth, dip it in, and wipe down your ...

Glass tile surfaces are beautiful, durable, and easy to clean and care for. Many people use them as a backsplash in the kitchen and bathrooms and others use them to line the wall of their shower. Glass tiles will dazzle you with their beauty for years after you’ve had them installed. Cleaning Glass Tiles in the Shower Glass tiles are very easy to care for and because they don’t absorb water, they are resistant to bacteria and mold and mildew. But – just because they are so easy to care for doesn’t mean they don’t need cleaning. Like any other surface in your home, glass tiles do need to be cleaned on a regular basis. Clean with Vinegar and Water You shouldn’t have any problem using your regular bathroom cleaner on glass tiles surfaces. You can also clean them just as easily by taking a more natural approach – make a mixture of a 50/50 mix of water and white vinegar. Mix this in a spray bottle, spray the glass tiles, wipe down the surface, rinse well with clean water and dry. Heavy ...

Summer Gatherings and Barbecue Stains It’s that time of year, my favorite time – Summer. Longer days, talking walks, working in the yard, and being outdoors playing croquet and having a barbecue with friends and family. Having a barbecue is part of summer fun, eating wonderful foods, and ultimately getting barbecue stains somewhere. When this happens we’ll help you with the tools to get those stains out. As is true with most stains, getting to it early is key for the best chance at getting the stain removed completely. I’m not saying if you get to it later (because you didn’t notice it) it won’t come out, it can, but it’s always easier on a fresh stain. Removing Barbecue from Fabric Use a dull knife or other product to scrape away as much of the barbecue as possible. You want to be careful not to rub it into the fabric more than it already is. Run the back of the stain under cold water. This will force it back out. Use a mild liquid detergent. Blot onto the stain and allow it to s...

You spend a lot of time looking on line and walking through stores to get a piece of furniture you think will look best in your living room, family room, outdoor patio space, etc. When you buy a piece of furniture to expect it to last years, unfortunately spills will happen and furniture left outside will need cleaning. Wicker Furniture Wicker furniture is very attractive, making your space feel calm and special. It can be used in the home or outside on a patio. If you're thinking of purchasing wicker furniture , don’t deprive yourself just because you think it’s going to be hard to clean. It isn't that bad. If you have purchased some wicker furniture and it needs cleaning, here are a few tools you will need for getting the job done. * Toothbrush. * A paint brush with short bristles or you can take a regular paint brush and cut the bristles about half way. * Cleaning rag. * A medium stiff bristle brush. Cleaning Wicker Remove the dust and/or debris by vacuuming it first...

Let’s face it, this is something most of us neglect to do and is probably not high on the list of chores to be done. Some of you probably don’t even think about cleaning your curtains, it just doesn’t cross your mind. Curtains accumulate a lot of dust; they may even harbor a spider or two, dead bugs, and they can get pretty dingy looking when not cleaned. When you take this, and the fact it isn’t good for anyone with allergies, into consideration you see why it’s important to clean your curtains on a regular basis. Cleaning your Curtains Weekly Weekly cleaning can help you get a lot of the dirt and dust off your curtains. When you’re vacuuming the house, take a little time to do the curtains as well. It’s best to vacuum first then dust. • Start at the top and work your way down. • Get the hems and folds as most of the dust will accumulate in these areas. • It’s easier to leave your curtains hanging when you clean them. Hold the curtains taught to vacuum them. • Be sure to vacuu...

Before I drag out the vacuum and start vacuuming, I do a quick walk through and pick up toys, throw rugs, blankets, office supplies, anything noticeable on the floor that needs to be picked up and moved. This way I’m not going to have to worry about damaging my vacuum cleaner when it sucks up a paperclip or some other small object. Vacuuming is the last thing I do. Not only do I want to pick up stray items, I also dust, shake out and air out floor rugs then put them back when I'm done. Before you start, also check the bag and make sure it isn’t full. A full bag is not helpful to efficient cleaning. It just doesn't suck enough dirt out of the carpet. Not all vacuums will butt up to the edge of the wall to pick up dust bunnies, little pieces of paper, etc. Here are a few things you can do: • Before you vacuum a room, use the wand and get the edges first. • For carpeted areas you can also use a stiff broom to run along the edges then vacuum the mess. • For hard surface area...