Let's face it, the holidays are approaching, money is tight, and you need to get the house cleaned quick. Thankfully, you don't need to run out to the store and purchase expensive, toxic cleaners. You can clean, sanitize, and deodorize with many of the most common household products. Vinegar, baking soda, old toothbrushes and more are all cheap and effective ways to get your house clean and sparkly!
For many areas in the kitchen, especially you don't want to spread around toxins and other harsh chemicals where your food is, start with some club soda and baking soda. This is a great tool for stuck on crumbs, juice or tomato sauce around the kitchen. Baking soda, also, acts as a pretreatment for stains. Use an old toothbrush as a little scrub brush and get to work. Baking soda is great for deodorizing carpets- sprinkle, let sit 20 minutes, and vacuum.
Vinegar is an amazing cleaning agent that kills 90% of bacteria, mold and mildew. It's great for glass surfaces including vases, windows, and mirrors as well as counter tops and stainless steel. It's safer than ordinary glass cleaner and I find it rarely streaks. Mix three to one, water to vinegar in a recycled spray bottle. Use the same mixture for cleaning out the fridge to deodorize safely. Put in an open box of baking soda in the fridge and change monthly to maintain that freshness.
Using lemons wedges and citrus peels to freshen and clean is also cheap and easy. Use dried fruit in your kitchen cabinets to eliminate "musty" smells. Lemon juice is incredible at removing stuck on food, bathroom scum, and toilet bowl rings. It adds a naturally fresh smell everywhere you use it!
Monday, November 22, 2010
Monday, November 8, 2010
Your House is Clean...Or So You Think!
So, the bathrooms are disinfected, the furniture is wiped and polished, and the carpet’s clean…you’re done right? You’re sadly mistaken my friend. Look a little closer at your sparkly, clean house. There’s dirt lurking in every corner, literally. There are many more areas that are loaded with dirt and bacteria that are too often overlooked.
1. Vents- look at the place your air is coming from, if that’s not clean how could the air be? Exactly, wipe the vents with a damp cloth to prevent the dust from flying around back into the air.
2. Ceiling Fan Blades- if you’ve never cleaned this area before, you’re going to be shocked, disgusted, and horrified at the dirt accumulating on these things. Get a chair and check them out….GROSS. Again, use a wet wipe or damp cloth to carefully wipe from center to edge with each blade.
3. Garbage Cans- you put all the nastiest, grossest things you find in your house into the garbage can…but do you ever take the time to clean out the can, the lid, the handle, the inside. Some of the nastiest “things” I’ve ever seen have been in and around garbage cans. Lysol, Lysol, Lysol and wipe. If you can, take the lid off and wash in the sink
4. Light Fixtures and Switches- my biggest peeve is looking at the dirt that hangs onto the white light switches. Think about it, everyone in your family touches these daily, night and day. They’re gross! Windex, vinegar & water are great spray and wipe
5. The Stove Hood- All the oil you have ever cooked with is now sitting on your stove hood; well that’s what it looks like. Have you ever wiped this area with your finger…DON’T, it’s gross. However, it becomes really noticeable if you have pets with a lot of hair. My dog’s hair flies around the house and a good majority ends up stuck to the grease on the stove’s hood. Goo Gone is an amazing product for areas like this.
6. The Dish Dryer- while we’re in the kitchen, let’s take a look at the dish dryer. Now, you put your clean dishes here to dry, so how would you feel about that areas being filled with bacteria? Get cleaning, if you can, it’s so easy to put in the dishwasher, otherwise put in the sink with a litte Clorox and let soak. Wipe and scrub where needed.
7. Shower Curtains- Have you ever been in a hot, steamy shower washing your hair when all of a sudden…it touches you! The cold, gross shower curtain brushed against your arm! Ewww you should always make sure this is clean! Most are machine washable so unhook that baby and stick it in the washer. If you cannot, I suggest spray bleach or Clorox- stand on one side of the tub with the curtain closed; spray the curtain from top to bottom saturating it. Let it soak for a half hour then go back, un hook it and scrub inside the tub.
8. Mirrors- Bathroom mirrors are especially gross, they have hairspray, toothpaste splatter and worse stuck all over them! I like vinegar and water in a spray bottle for these areas, if it’s especially gross; you may want to use the spray Clorox first.
9. Walls- You may not notice, but the walls in your house can get pretty filthy, especially if you have white walls. Oxyclean and water in a bucket or the Magic Eraser will work well here. The dirtiest area tend to be walls close to outside doors, staircases, near toy boxes, and kitchens
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