House Cleaning Tips

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...