I just emerged from my bathrooms after doing a shower scrubbing with my favorite cleanser, baking soda and water. Besides costing pennies, I forgot how wonderful it is to stay in the bathroom to get the job done instead of leaving every few minute to breathe. Even better, I found a new reason to love cleaning this way.
Before, when I would do the showers, it would be with a variant of a bleach type formula because that was what was needed to power through our 6-person accumulation of residue. So, not only would it cost more healthwise, it would cost double because of the cleaner cost plus the clothes I would invariably ruin. Call me lazy, but I don't have a day set aside to clean, or even a few hours; it comes when I cannot stand it any longer and I am able to put something else off a few minutes. Because of this time constraint, there is no way I am changing into 'play' clothes and back again. BUT, I pay for that because I end up with droplets of bleach stains in the weirdest places, no matter how careful I am.
Today, I am happy to say, that though I found droplets of cleaner on my shirt and pants again, I just brushed them off! No residual or permanent stain! Woohoo! Score one for the lazy girl! Baking soda and water rocks!
I also found a use for the /back/body shower brush that has seen better days. I am a shortie and this came in handy to reach the top tiles and generally made the scrubbing part even easier. The whole job seemed to go by faster this way. Because I had about 1/2 cup of the cleaner and some minutes left over, I went to my kitchen sinks and did a quick scrub with the rest.
I will go over everything with homemade disinfectant from the first post and everything will sparkle. Ps, toilet bowl cleaning update....pour 1/2 cup of any of the following into the toilet bowl before bed and let it sit overnight.... borax, baking soda, vinegar, or lemon juice. This site has some info for using just vinegar on the toilet with much more detail.... http://www.howtocleanthings.com/bedandbath/how-to-clean-toilet.htm
Speaking of vinegar, I just read that there is a difference between supermarket vinegar and the kind you can purchase at the feed store. Whaddya know... the supermarket one is watered down and not as strong. Something to think about and check out next time you visit the local feed lot :)
Showing posts with label cleaning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cleaning. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
More things that work in the laundry and kitchen
I wanted to submit some ideas, but didn't have enough today for one particular category, so here is a smattering of some great things that have worked best...
Laundry:
Cheap/dull/used razors. Any of the above will do... Before you throw them out, 'scuse me... recycle them...use them as sweater shavers next time you have a 'pill' problem. Works awesome! Note: Rusty ones work as well, but use caution on light colors.
We can never find a lint brush when we need it, but always have duct tape or postal tape laying around. We wrap our four fingers with it, sticky side out. No more lint or hair!
Static- do not waste money on static spray. If you lightly rub your legs with damp hands before you put on your skirt or pants, the static will be diminished or disappear. Hairspray also works.
Kitchen-
There was a traveling salesman in one of my stores today that made me have a v-8 moment. He was highlighting one of my favorite tools. You've heard them called TV knife, Ginsu, or Forever Knife. I personally have the TV knife. Bought my first one 20 years ago at an identical demonstration. Thought I might have been a sucker, but I have used that knife almost exclusively for EVERYTHING. Yes, even PVC pipe, plastic bottles, and wood when I was in a desperate moment. They really do last as long as they say. I replaced mine for free about 10 years ago and I was chewing my nails in anticipation of its return because it was sorely missed. Low and behold, it came back, brand new and I still have that same one. I could return it again, but it still works great, and I am not sure I could do without it again, even for a little while. Bottom line, the cost is worth it!
Another purchase I have not regretted is glass storage containers. We switched from plastic last year for health reasons. It has since saved me many rolls of plastic wrap and aluminum foil and the leaching of chemicals they are known for. Best yet, you can store food, duh, freeze food, BONUS, and cook food in them, DOUBLE BONUS. I really like multipurpose :) When you purchase them, make sure they are oven, freezer, and dishwasher safe. Otherwise, you will not get the most use, and savings, from them.
Laundry:
Cheap/dull/used razors. Any of the above will do... Before you throw them out, 'scuse me... recycle them...use them as sweater shavers next time you have a 'pill' problem. Works awesome! Note: Rusty ones work as well, but use caution on light colors.
We can never find a lint brush when we need it, but always have duct tape or postal tape laying around. We wrap our four fingers with it, sticky side out. No more lint or hair!
Static- do not waste money on static spray. If you lightly rub your legs with damp hands before you put on your skirt or pants, the static will be diminished or disappear. Hairspray also works.
Kitchen-
There was a traveling salesman in one of my stores today that made me have a v-8 moment. He was highlighting one of my favorite tools. You've heard them called TV knife, Ginsu, or Forever Knife. I personally have the TV knife. Bought my first one 20 years ago at an identical demonstration. Thought I might have been a sucker, but I have used that knife almost exclusively for EVERYTHING. Yes, even PVC pipe, plastic bottles, and wood when I was in a desperate moment. They really do last as long as they say. I replaced mine for free about 10 years ago and I was chewing my nails in anticipation of its return because it was sorely missed. Low and behold, it came back, brand new and I still have that same one. I could return it again, but it still works great, and I am not sure I could do without it again, even for a little while. Bottom line, the cost is worth it!
Another purchase I have not regretted is glass storage containers. We switched from plastic last year for health reasons. It has since saved me many rolls of plastic wrap and aluminum foil and the leaching of chemicals they are known for. Best yet, you can store food, duh, freeze food, BONUS, and cook food in them, DOUBLE BONUS. I really like multipurpose :) When you purchase them, make sure they are oven, freezer, and dishwasher safe. Otherwise, you will not get the most use, and savings, from them.
Monday, January 28, 2013
Cleaning Part 2
It's still January, so I just made it to add another resolution: a way to stay on top of my house cleaning. With my new found cleaning solutions in hand, I went back to an old faithful system that has my favorite motivators, lots of tools and gadgets!
Flylady.net has garnished a lot of attention since I first discovered her a few years ago, so you may already know about her and her systems. I read her sink book and it revolutionized how I approached housecleaning. That is, when I approached it at all.. Like the weight loss and exercise apps I found recently, her system asks only 15 minutes a day and helps to get into a mindset of clean-as-you-go before bed and planning at the start of a day; basically staying on top of everything before it becomes a monster. She has way too many helpers and lists and ways to go about this to go over here, but in reality, it is very simple: stay in one area/room of your house for a week in addition to a once over (basics) for about one hour a week. You get to everything you might in a spring cleaning fling or so, but in manageable chunks that won't make you go hide under the covers. Within about 1 month, if you are buried like me, you will have a 'moment's notice' clean house that you won't mind having company drop in on. Ask my family... I have a heart attack at the mere mention of it and rush the 'fake house.' Honestly, I am sick of the fake house and want a sigh of contentment when I walk into my house from work and wake up feeling good about it as well.
Another great thing is that she has recently collaborated with Cozi to produce an online calendar that syncs everyone's activities and appointments as well gives the ability to add school calendars and sports practice itineraries directly into it. Every family member can access this online and from the phone. All family members can add events or items to grocery lists, send notes to each other, and get reminders. I had an online calendar that worked, but the best part is that the flylady schedule is right on my daily things to do. Before, I would have to jazz myself up to get on the website and figure out what 'zone' I was supposed to be in and then find the lists and missions separately. They are now right on my calendar! I just click on it and there's my 15 minute activity.
Did I mention it is all FREE??? C'mon, you should know me by now ;) The signup is here
Flylady.net has garnished a lot of attention since I first discovered her a few years ago, so you may already know about her and her systems. I read her sink book and it revolutionized how I approached housecleaning. That is, when I approached it at all.. Like the weight loss and exercise apps I found recently, her system asks only 15 minutes a day and helps to get into a mindset of clean-as-you-go before bed and planning at the start of a day; basically staying on top of everything before it becomes a monster. She has way too many helpers and lists and ways to go about this to go over here, but in reality, it is very simple: stay in one area/room of your house for a week in addition to a once over (basics) for about one hour a week. You get to everything you might in a spring cleaning fling or so, but in manageable chunks that won't make you go hide under the covers. Within about 1 month, if you are buried like me, you will have a 'moment's notice' clean house that you won't mind having company drop in on. Ask my family... I have a heart attack at the mere mention of it and rush the 'fake house.' Honestly, I am sick of the fake house and want a sigh of contentment when I walk into my house from work and wake up feeling good about it as well.
Another great thing is that she has recently collaborated with Cozi to produce an online calendar that syncs everyone's activities and appointments as well gives the ability to add school calendars and sports practice itineraries directly into it. Every family member can access this online and from the phone. All family members can add events or items to grocery lists, send notes to each other, and get reminders. I had an online calendar that worked, but the best part is that the flylady schedule is right on my daily things to do. Before, I would have to jazz myself up to get on the website and figure out what 'zone' I was supposed to be in and then find the lists and missions separately. They are now right on my calendar! I just click on it and there's my 15 minute activity.
Did I mention it is all FREE??? C'mon, you should know me by now ;) The signup is here
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Cleaning the Bathroom, and everywhere else!
Since my last post addressed the shower, I thought I'd stay there and talk about my next discovery that wowed me. Homemade cleaners was another infatuation of mine last October, but I never got around to actually mixing them up until November. Up to this point, I had used a combination of bleach based or bubble-type cleaners to get off the soap scum that repeatedly crept up the sides of my tubs and shower walls. I used what was effective, even if it made me gasp for air every few minutes and make my throat feel like I was in a smokey bingo hall for an hour afterward. While they were effective, it was not a long lasting solution as my bathrooms tend to get icky the minute I walk away.
I don't have a lot of time and I hated the chemicals, so I sought out other options after watching Chemerical one night. I looked up recipes online (free) and made up a paste of baking soda and water to scrub my shower walls, tub, and sink. Yes, this took a bit more elbow grease than usual, and I got say goodbye to some calories, but not many more than with the usual bubble stuff. This gets rinsed with plain water. Next, I mixed up a bottle of rubbing alcohol, vinegar, water and essential oil to disinfect the outside of the toilet and polish the fixtures.
The positives: Cheap, natural, and left a super sparkly bathroom behind that lasted what seemed like FOREVER. The negatives: none, unless you count burning some calories, but with my new year's resolution- no problem. There was no bad air, no cost (since I had all these things already), no having to do it again right away, and no guilt. The alcohol cleaner is one that I use everywhere around the house, not just the bathroom, and it shines things beautifully. I believe it is 2 oz of alcohol, 2 T white vinegar, fill the rest with water and some drops of essential oils; I used wintergreen and lavender.
I was thinking about moving to a hydrogen peroxide base next time for everything except mirrors and glass/fixtures to see if I can smell my oils better (alcohol smell is strong) and it disinfects just as well. The only thing I have not finished researching yet is to find a good natural toilet scrub recipe or process for the interior of the toilet. Still have to use the store stuff until I get a good lead, hint hint ;)
I don't have a lot of time and I hated the chemicals, so I sought out other options after watching Chemerical one night. I looked up recipes online (free) and made up a paste of baking soda and water to scrub my shower walls, tub, and sink. Yes, this took a bit more elbow grease than usual, and I got say goodbye to some calories, but not many more than with the usual bubble stuff. This gets rinsed with plain water. Next, I mixed up a bottle of rubbing alcohol, vinegar, water and essential oil to disinfect the outside of the toilet and polish the fixtures.
The positives: Cheap, natural, and left a super sparkly bathroom behind that lasted what seemed like FOREVER. The negatives: none, unless you count burning some calories, but with my new year's resolution- no problem. There was no bad air, no cost (since I had all these things already), no having to do it again right away, and no guilt. The alcohol cleaner is one that I use everywhere around the house, not just the bathroom, and it shines things beautifully. I believe it is 2 oz of alcohol, 2 T white vinegar, fill the rest with water and some drops of essential oils; I used wintergreen and lavender.
I was thinking about moving to a hydrogen peroxide base next time for everything except mirrors and glass/fixtures to see if I can smell my oils better (alcohol smell is strong) and it disinfects just as well. The only thing I have not finished researching yet is to find a good natural toilet scrub recipe or process for the interior of the toilet. Still have to use the store stuff until I get a good lead, hint hint ;)
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