House Cleaning Tips

If you’ve been reading my blog for a while, you may already know that vinegar has a ton of uses around the house. Maybe you’re like me and keep loads of it around. Even our cleaning crews use it when cleaning houses, so we keep gallons on the shelves at work, while I keep gallons at home. Besides all the proven uses of vinegar in the home, did you know that regular old vinegar is also an effective weed killer? I have a patch of garden where I haven’t planted anything for quite some time, and the weeds get totally out of control. I thought I’d save myself some backbreaking work and use a vinegar solution (recipe below) to kill the weeds. It works really well and when the weeds are brown, dried, and dead, I’m a happy camper—it makes cleaning them up a bit easier! Vinegar Weed Killer Recipe 1 gallon white vinegar (regular household strength) 2 tablespoons Dawn liquid dish detergent 1 cup salt Add the salt and vinegar to an empty sprayer, the garden variety kind. If you don’t have one ...

Are you one of those people stuck in the house on Saturday morning cleaning before you can get out and enjoy the day? Maybe its summer and you want to take a trip to the zoo, farmers market, or the movies, but first you feel compelled to get the house picked up and cleaned. I can’t say I blame you—I absolutely hate coming home to a dirty house. On the other hand, who wants to clean their house first thing in the morning? There have been times when we’ve left a messy house to go enjoy our day, then walked back into that same messy house hours later. Then, it’s like all that great adrenaline and giddiness from all the fun we just had has been taken away in one fell swoop! Darn. We have to clean! When I come home from an outing, all I want to do is kick back, relax and talk about what we did. But no, if I didn’t get the house clean earlier - I gotta get it clean or the mess will drive me nuts. Is this the way you feel too? Why not consider hiring a house cleaning service? It can defin...

New homes or old, picture windows can add such a dramatic statement and just scream look at me! I love them and the varying degrees of light that comes streaming through. If you’re a home owner who has beautiful picture windows, I know how proud you are of them. If you’re a home owner remodeling your home, thinking about getting picture windows, what a great option. If you’re a do-it-yourselfer looking to clean the windows, all you need is a few supplies and you’ll be cleaning like the professionals. A professional window washer can cost up to $200 plus dollars depending on how many panes of glass you have. Windows should be cleaned at least twice a year; it could be more depending on weather conditions and how clean you like your windows. With the initial cost of purchasing window supplies – you are saving money already! Supply List This is a suggested supply list: •    Bucket •    Squeegee. If all you have are large panes of glass, a regular squeegee ...

What is it about laundry that makes it one of our least favorite chores? I mean, it’s fairly easy to put the clothes in the washer and then transfer those clothes to the dryer, right? We can pretty much walk off and do other things while they are washing and drying but— what is it ? Is it because doing the laundry is boring and takes up too much time? Is it because of all the sorting, pre-treating, too many products to choose from, ironing and folding? Could it be there are articles of clothing someone in the family doesn’t want to go in the dryer because their yoga outfit or favorite sweater could shrink? What if you don’t remove them from the dryer right away or you completely forget they are in the dryer in the first place? You turn the dryer on again to fluff the wrinkles out before folding—then hopefully it doesn’t get forgotten about again. And what if you forget they are even in the washing machine until you go to do another load of laundry? You have to rewash the forgotten ...

No matter where you are in life—college, the business world, divorced, just getting out on your own, etc.—you may have reason to share your living space with a roommate or two. A roommate offers many benefits. Aside from the financial freedom you can gain, having a roommate means that you don’t have to come home to an empty house, someone will be there if you go out of town on business or for a vacation, and there is someone to share the household chores. But what happens if you’ve got a roommate that’s sloppy? You didn’t see that coming: she said she was a doer, liked it neat, and was willing to pitch in. When the relationship was new, the place was clean, dishes and food were put away, and her room and bathroom were tidy! Then one day, you start to notice you’re doing more than your fair share of the chores. It started with a dish or two and a few towels in the hallway. Then it progressed to food not put away, fruit flies, and—What is that smell? Ewww. Well, maybe it’s not that b...

For most of us, we just can’t wait until the warmer weather gets here. I know how much I look forward to the warmer months. There are many things to look forward to: the green grass, the warm sun and blue skies, picnics, concerts in the park, enjoying the night sky, and so much more. Most often many of us will do summer cleaning in the spring, but sometimes – time gets away from us. So if spring rushed by you, no problem, you can still get your maintenance checks and repairs done this summer and wrap up the end of winter. Inspecting Outside Areas It’s a good idea to take a walk around the exterior of the house and check exterior walls, patio, deck, sidewalks, windows, gutters, etc. A good time for these inspections are mornings before the sun comes up (it’s easier to spot areas of concern before the bright summer sun comes up) or later in the afternoon. You’ll be looking for trouble spots. Here’s a list of things to keep an eye out for: Checking the Exterior of the House Check the ...

If you're the unlucky recipient of an ink stain don't toss the garment or cover the chair until you've given our cleaning methods a try. You just might find some success trying one of the techniques below. Before cleaning ink stains, you’ll want to keep the stain from spreading to a larger area. This will make your task much easier and if you've ever tried to clean an ink stain before - you know how it can spread. Make a Mixture to Contain the Stain For this step mix together a 50/50 mix of regular non-scented ammonia and 3% hydrogen peroxide. Depending on the size of the ink stain you can start with 1 teaspoon each to 1 tablespoon each or more depending on your needs. Ammonia is strong, use in a well ventilated area and don’t mix with chlorine bleach. Containing the Stain and Creating a Barrier To contain the stain, use a dropper or a spoon and start with just enough to wet around and into the ink stain. Don’t get rid of the extra because you will want to keep the...

Maybe you're thinking - Hmmm? What are some of the most common carpet stains? Well for me and others in my household they happen to be: Blood Stains Ketchup Stains Chocolate Stains Mud Stains Throw Up I know I'm guilty of at least two of these stains. Kids - quite a few and my husband, well he's no innocent guy either. What to Do Or Not to Do Before removing a stain, (if necessary) clean the bulk of it up first with a spoon, dull knife, old toothbrush, etc. Whatever you have handy that won't damage the carpet. Never rub the stain. Blot or dab so the stain doesn't get any bigger than it already is. Work from the outside of the stain towards the center. No need to unnecessarily create a bigger stain. Only use enough water or cleaner to get the job done. Test first in an inconspicuous place to make sure the cleaning method is safe for your carpets. When you're done and the stain is gone and dry, vacuum the area completely. Getting Rid of a Ketchup Stain In our ...

Stainless steel, sleek and beautiful but hardly ever stain-less or fingerprint proof. Right? How many of you have followed right behind the kids with a kitchen towel wiping off the fingerprints? I know I’ve been guilty of that and my kids look at me and say “Mom – It’s just a refrigerator.” Well, maybe it is just a refrigerator, but keeping it clean really adds a pop of shine to the room, don’t you think? That’s why I clean mine on a regular basis. Regular Cleanings For regular cleaning, all you need to do is take a damp cloth, wet it with warm water, wipe down the appliance then dry and polish with a clean dry lint free rag. Personally, I like to use white vinegar. I’m disinfecting as I’m cleaning and when I dry whatever appliance I’m cleaning, it dries faster. I put the white vinegar in a spray bottle and spray my cleaning rag rather than the appliance. Then I wipe it down with a microfiber cloth. Here’s a little tip for larger appliances: Work in sections. Clean and dry a sectio...

Want to know a secret? I’m not perfect. Just because I clean for a living doesn’t mean I’m immune to something getting dirty. I’ve been known to spill a little coffee, and my laundry basket isn’t full of clean clothes – I have a few kids, a husband that loves to barbecue, and a large family that comes over to gather around the holidays. Stains do exist in my house just like they exist in yours and I’m here to tell you, you can conquer the stain! I love my coffee and stain here and there isn't going to make me stop drinking it. So let’s get to removing a coffee since we all have slopped a little over the years. One of My Coffee Stain Stories I' sure this story is a familiar one to many of you. I was out meeting a friend of mine for lunch one day and when she got to the table and I reached over to take her hand, I bumped my latte, it spilled a little, and I got a little coffee on the end of my shirt sleeve. I knew I was going to be out for a few hours, so instead of getting u...

Many newer homes today don’t have the kind of attic spaces as the homes our grandparents or great-grandparents had. Maybe you're thinking of making your attic space into a bedroom? Cool! If you have a home with an attic, and you know you have to get up there and clean, why not clean with the intention of making a little money too? While you’re cleaning, think about the stuff laying around you don’t want. Wouldn’t you like to make some extra money off your old junk? I would! And if you’re like me and like to make an extra buck or two, here are some ideas for you to make some easy cash! Cleaning out the Attic We’ve all been to that place where we have been in need of a little extra cash. Having a garage sale is one such place to bring in the cash. Have a Garage Sale While you’re cleaning the attic, take a look with a critical eye as you go at what you might be able to contribute to a garage sale. Your attic could very well contain a treasure trove of old junk, but it could also ...