Hi, everyone! Like Erin said, I'm from Ames, Iowa, and while I'm a mom to two daughters, my other day job is writing for magazines. I'm finishing up a story for Woman's Day about dealing with those awful cleaning problems that just never really go away, and my editor really wants me to include some ideas from the real experts: you. (Yes, you.)
Of course, no one really adores cleaning, but you've probably got at least a few tricks up your sleeve to make things easier and faster. I'd especially love to hear how you tackle the following:
- Kitchen messes
- Pet hair
- Soap scum
- Spills and stains
- Crumbs and cobwebs
- Stinky smells
Thanks so much for sharing your hard-earned expertise. I appreciate it.
Me again. I've always wanted my name in a magazine! And hey, if you have ideas the rest of us can use, it will make all of our lives much easier. Thanks for your help!
42 people wanted to leave a comment:
Clean up spills and splatters on the stove before you've put dinner on the table. The stove-top is still warm so the spills are still wet. Even grease will wipe away with nothing more than a spray of your favorite window cleaner and a paper-towel. Spaghetti sauce Too!
Erin-
I just wanted to thank you for your kind comments and e-mails. You real don't know how much they mean to me. It is so amazing to know that women that I only know in the blog world care so much!! I feel blessed to have "met" you!!
I pretty much use baby wipes to clean up everything (stains on the carpet, cleaning baseboards on my walls, etc.) They work wonders. Also, my mom used hydrogen peroxide to take a mustard stain out of a pink shirt and it worked (and didn't ruin the shirt).
Sorry it's been a while since I have commented on your blog. You are so awesome with your every day blogging!
A little fabric softener and water takes off those hard hairspray spots on the walls and floors.
Dishwasher detergent dissolved in warm water gets out pen stains on clothes.
I put a cup of water in the microwave for a few minutes and then just wipe out any forgotten messes...the steam from the water softens everything up.
I know this isn't normal but I'm willing to admit it here for Erin. (big breathe) I like to clean.. (Calm down, I said like not love)
Kitchen messes-one trick I like is putting a glass of water in microwave and letting it come to a boil for 5 minutes, then the backed on crunchies just whip right off.
Pet hair- Drop the pets off at pet smart and never pick them up..Waaaaaaaaaaaallllllllllllllllll
Soap Scum- I found this and life has not been the same. Try scrubbing the bathtub with a mr clean magic eraser. It is just magical.
For Windows. I always use a mixture of ammonia,water and dishsoap, then wipe it on or spray and squeegee off.
To remove wallpaper with less work, score the wall paper and then apply a mixture of equal parts water and fabric softner. Let soak for about 10 minutes and the wallpaper will come right off. Works on full wall paper and on the small applique wall paper.
Sorry I forgot something but I love to do it. When I feel like the place is smelly, I put fabric softener sheets in all the heat vents and leave them for a few days, whenever the heater comes on it smells so yummie
Don't have any on the spot clothes cleaner? Carpet cleaner will work as a stain remover on your clothes too.
Find your laundry has those grease stains on them that won't go away? Pretreat with liquid dishwashing soap and then wash as normal and te spots will go away.
I don't have any magic solution, but I'm a big fan of Oxyclean and the Magic Erasers.
TO clean the microwave, I put a small amount of water with a couple drops dishsoap and put in the microwave. I microwave it for about 10-15 seconds. When the timer dings the mess will wipe up easily and no scraping is necessary.
Last one...maybe not a cleaning tip, but helpful...
To rid your kitchen of fruit flies, put a small bowl of apple cider vinegar on the counter. COver with saran wrap. Punch a handful of holes in the top no bigger than a pen top and wait. The fruit flies are attracted to the vinegar and will fly in. HTey will get in but will not know how to get out. In a few days drain and refill and the fruitflies will be gone.
I can't live without my Clorox Anywhere Hard Surface! It helps me feel like my daughter is safe from bacteria.
To keep smells out of your garbage can, I've done two things: Put dryer sheets in there, or sprinkle some baking soda.
For lime and scum build-up around your sink, I love using vinegar and baking soda, form a paste, then use a little brush (old toothbrushes work great). Apply paste, let it sit a bit, then scrub away!
For smells in your laundry, add 1/2 cup vinegar to your wash. Stop your wash and let it soak for 30 minutes, then continue the cycle.
my email is fashionarchaeologist@yahoo.com
My number one tip is HOT water. I soak a cloth in it, and dribble the water onto the crusty dried on food bits on my dining room table and kitchen counters. Leave it for a few minutes, then the food wipes away super easy. Spares my poor elbows all the grease, as it were.
vinegar works even better than fabric softener to remove wallpaper. and its ALOT cheaper!
A solution of equal parts vinegar and water sprayed onto scored wallpaper and allowed to soak in for 2 or 3 minutes will take that paper down fast!
Two cleaning products I can't live without: Mr. Clean Magic Eraser and Baking Soda.
The baking soda is best for smells. I burned popcorn in our microwave, popped in some baking soda in a little container, and it soaked the smell right up.
The Magic Eraser is great for soap scum, and stubborn marks that won't come up.
I'm also a big fan of baking soda to get smells out.
A soapy dish sponge works wonders on walls - even crayons.
I'm all about Lestoil for grease stains.
Rubbing alcohol for pen stains on clothes.
Grind an orange peel in the garbage disposal - smells fantastic.
Vinegar for sinks.
Washing windows with newspaper is much better than paper towels - no lint.
I wipe down plant leaves with just a tad of mayonnaise - it leaves the plant super shiny and dust-free. Lasts for at least a month.
Salt takes just about anything out of carpet - even wine and spaghetti sauce. Just sprinkle with salt and let it soak it up. Dry vaccuum it up.
For burn stains on pots and pans, let soak in a paste of baking soda, vinegar and water. Gets the black right out.
And ... I'm out of weird tips.
Great tips. Adding to the microwave, I heat a cup of water with lemon juice to loosen gunk.
I LOVE CLR/Lime Away for the shower rust.
I run vinegar through the dishwasher to clean it.
I use my vacumn host for cobwebs.
Used dryer sheets for dusting - works great and gives another purpose before going in the trash.
Just wanted to stop by and thank you for being such a sweetheart! Have a great weekend!
Just dropping by to let you know I have a super give-away contest running this week (and every week) on my LDS blog at Not Entirely British
This time, the prize is a copy of Josi S. Kilpack’s new culinary mystery, Lemon Tart.
Windex is great for cleaning carpets!
When you want children to clean their rooms, get an egg timer or something that dings. Give them 1 minute to clean up all of the blue things, then a minute for all of the red things (or anything with red on it etc., then yellow etc.
Games make everybody "come clean"!
Windex is great for cleaning carpets!
When you want children to clean their rooms, get an egg timer or something that dings. Give them 1 minute to clean up all of the blue things, then a minute for all of the red things (or anything with red on it etc., then yellow etc.
Games make everybody "come clean"!
I never know how to clean anything hard. ANd I don't care about being famous ... but it's sure nice to read your blog again.
Make a paste out of baking soda and water to remove crayon.
I have a microfiber dust mop with telescoping handle. It works great for not only washing floors, but also for cleaning walls and ceilings. I use it dry to get to the dust and cobwebs. Since I can throw it in the wash, I don't have to worry about a dirty broom spreading dirt everywhere when I clean up a cobweb.
I don't know if this is a cleaning tip, but I use a clear hanging plastic shoe holder on the inside of my laundry room door in lieu of a junk drawer. Since the pouches are clear, you can see everything and things that belong together get put together (screws, tools, buttons, pins, etc) I don't have a messy drawer to clean out.
I bought a super fancy Dyson, and pet hair is no longer a problem (because I LOVE using my super fancy Dyson). Two products I cannot live without:
- Swiffer Dusters with Fabreze Scent (No yucky smells if you use those every day, even for very small jobs)
- Bleach for everything (stinky but also makes things sparkle)
I don't have any tips, but I use Shaklee cleaning products because regular cleaning products stink and make me cough too much.
What great tip ideas, Anything that makes cleaning a little easier is definitely worth sharing.
One thing that I have found is using air freshener to clean your mirrors and windows seems to leave less streaks and it smells great too!
These tips are great. Now I have a question too, how to keep up with messy two-legged male creatures?
Wow Erin these tips are all amazing.. I don't know any of these tricks.. great post!!
Hi Q-T! It was so fun to meet you today! I just wish I could have sat by you and got to know you even better :) We should get together again for lunch sometime! You are a sweetheart! ♥ Hugs :)
I went online the other day to find a way to remove mustard, that has set, from a white cotton sleeve cuff.
Just take one part rubbing alcohal to 3 parts liquid dishwashing soap, and dab it on the mustard AFTER first scraping off any dried excess. Be sure and put an absorbent towel under the area being treated so it doesn't soak through. Let sit for 10 minutes or so, but don't allow it to dry completely. Rinse the affected area, and re-treat if necessary. I did this to a stain that had been sitting for about 3 days with almost complete removal. If I had done it 2 days earlier, I'm sure the results would have been perfect.
:~D
PS I love 'Love Your Days' tip about getting kids to clean their rooms!
Hey thanks for talking to me today. Consider yourself blogstalked.
I don't actually have any advice pertaining to the post... I make my husband do the cleaning. And it generally doesn't happen. I do, however, keep clorox wipes handy for the kitchen/bathroom counter. That's about as far as my cleaning goes.
Wow, I've got nothing, Erin. My vacuum and Oxiclean are my best friends when it comes to cleaning.
However, it would be great fun to see not only your name, but all of the other great bloggers' comments in print. I am thinking of something along the lines of "How If You Give a Mom a Moment and Her Posse Keep it Clean" as a title for the article.
I won't even ask for royalites on that one. It's free!
-Wenda
It was great to meet you yesterday! I'm so glad you came.
I'm bummed we didn't get to talk more. I was hoping to get to know you a little better.
We'll have to do it again. Maybe next time I come down south, we'll get together!
Hmmmm, I have no clue! I usually get my best ideas from googling things, like how to get puke out of a white shirt and blood out of a white carpet!!
Super clean - no water spots shower: clean your shower then wipe all the walls down with Lemon dusting oil. It repels the water and stops water spots. Besides it smells nice too.
Major dirty crusty caked on dishes: take a dryer sheet and soak it in the pan with soapy water. They use the dryer sheet to wipe the pan clean. Works every time.
Really dingy clothes: throw some dishwasher detergent in your washer with your whites. It helps get them sparkling clean. (so does oxyclean)
disposal: toss ice cubes in your disposal to sharpen the blades and then an orange to make it smell good.
I can't think of anymore, but if I do, I'll come back!
Sorry I missed you yesterday! I heard it was a BLAST!
I found that if you've got kids who like to color on walls with crayons, take the blow dryer and heat up the spot and it'll wipe right off. Also to get the kids to clean up really good. I'll hide a couple of mini candy bars somewhere in the room and they have to clean up to find them.
It was so great to meet you at the blogger lunch yesterday! I can't believe you came all the way up! (Okay, so you had other things too, but I'm going to pretend it was JUST to come to lunch with us.) :)
Here's my favorite cleaning tip:
If you have spills in your oven (let's say a casserole bubbled over and is burning on the bottom of your oven) cover the "glob" with salt and continue to bake as normal. The salt immediately stops the smoke and the smell. Then when your oven is cool the crusty salt-covered spill can be swept right out!
Hey Erin, it was good meeting you Saturday! I'll have fun blogstalking you. Um, as for cleaning tips, I've got nothing exciting. I use those Clorox wipes for just about everything because they make cleaning up a mess really easy.
I'm not a good housekeeper so I have no little tips or tricks.
It was so nice to finally meet you on Saturday! I wish we could have had a chance to talk a little more. Maybe next time!
I thought of one: to get the baked on stained crud off of the top of your stove, use mr.clean magic erasers! It even worked on my grates (I have a gas stove).
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