mamaclean.blogspot.com

Oh christmas tree fake christmas tree, how dusty are your branches!!!

2011-11-29T12:57:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you, but in a small apartment with a baby and a dog, getting a real Christmas tree every year (along with the hauling it up and down the stairs) just isn't a financial sound or clean option. so we, like many families, have an artificial tree. As the end of the week approaches and the first day of December (which is the first day the hubby will let me bust out the many items we own to deck the halls) I want to fill you all in on how this clean mama cleans the fake tree.

Turns out, there are several ways to clean a tree (who knew?)

first of all you can vacuum it, which I like because it sounds quick and simple

simply use the hose with the upholstery brush. put a sheet around the bottom of the tree to catch any falling dirts. Hold the brush 1 or 2 inches away from the needles, vacuum the tree. Begin at the top, work your way around the top section and then move down to next set of branches. If your vacuum cleaner is a smaller model, you might be able to brush the branches without damaging the tree. When you've vacuumed the branches, move on to the trunk and base. Once you've cleaned the trunk, turn off the vacuum and carefully remove the sheet from beneath the tree.Take and shake outside!

the second most popular way is to blow it clean with a blow dryer on the cool setting, use a sheet around the bottom as stated above or take it outside and just blow the dust away! simple

third and the one I wont do but you can is to take a cloth and spray it with a 1:10 soap and water ratio solution (ie: 1tbs soap to ten tbs water) and then wipe down the tree and go over again with a clean damp cloth.

so there you have it, may your tree be merry and shiny clean and bright.

happy cleaning and happy holidays

oh the blogging world.

2011-11-28T12:34:00.000-08:00

it's hard to write a blog when you don't feel the support for it but writing this blog has been a great outlet for me and it has made me feel like I'm helping people which is what I love to do!

today I'm going to talk to you guys about post holiday stress clean-up.

I know things get messy over the holidays with all the people running in and out and all the gifts, food, kids, and general mess makers involved with holidays. I hope that my tips for thanksgiving day helped but lets go over what to do when the holidays are done and so is your energy.

first off I'd say, start small with something that will encourage you for the next task. For me it's cleaning the sink out, something about a shiny clean sink makes me feel like, soon, all will be right with the world. I know for our featured writer, Belinda from This Vintage Mommy, it was the look of a vacuumed floor. Whatever it is that makes your home feel instantly cleaner to you, do that first.

second, start small and stick to it. If you try to move the mountain as a whole, it seems impossible. Take 15 minutes and dedicate yourself to one task or area in your home and clean every bit of it that you can before the time is up. After that sit down and be done. The mess will still be there later there is no need to over-work yourself trying to do it all. Studies have shown that people who tackle one problem at a time actually get more done than people who try to push themselves to handle it all at the same time.

third, and this is important, enlist the help of the people sharing your space. you all have to live there and you all helped make the mess. Assign each person a 15 minute task. you'll get less grumbling if you pose it as only 15 minutes of work. and you can make a game with your kids and even the hubby. the kid who cleans the fastest gets to pick what you have for dessert that night or whichever adult gets the biggest space cleaned in 15 minutes gets to pick what you do on your next date night. they say a family that plays together stays together, well the same is true for a family that works together on a task and you are teaching your kids to clean and appreciate it when mom does it for them all the more.

happy cleaning and happy holidays

DISCLAIMER

2011-11-23T16:09:00.000-08:00

I did not start this blog to earn money and I haven't. This blog is not a business. I have never received any free items from any contributing authors or from products that I have blogged about. This blog is to help moms who may be experiencing the overwhelming stress of being a mom and running a home. It's here to help people, to provide ideas and tips to help solve problems in less time. I do not receive any income from ads or endorsements and I will continue to ensure that I do not. This blog is not for profit. That being said, I have some freedoms that non profit blogs have as well as some limitations. If you have any questions, comments, concerns, please leave a comment here or send me a message on the mamaclean facebook page

during thanksgiving, uses for that left over aluminum foil

2011-11-23T14:47:00.000-08:00

yesterday I shared with you how to clean your space using minimal toxins after your holiday feast. As promised, I am going to fill you in on the many ways you can use (or re-use) that aluminum foil.

I favor aluminum foil to plastic wrap partially because I hate having to uncling the plastic wrap every five seconds, and partially because aluminum foil is less harmful to the environment, and has so so many other uses!

First off, and this should be an obvious one, you can cook in aluminum foil, wrap a chicken breast or a potato in aluminum foil and you can toss it straight into your campfire!

you can use it to wrap up leftovers, or even regular sandwiches as I'm sure we've all seen TV moms doing.

here's one you may not know, you can use aluminum foil to soften your brick of brown sugar. Wrap your brick of brown sugar in aluminum foil, then pop it into the oven for five minutes at 300F. Soon you will have softened brown sugar for all of your baking needs.

you can use it as a pie crust protector. a small amount aluminum foil folded over the crust of a pie will keep the crust from browning and blackening and eventually falling off before the rest of the pie has cooked sufficiently

Oh boy oh boy do I love this one: You can protect your oven from spills by placing a few sections of aluminum foil beneath something that might bubble and trouble all over the floor of your oven. Don't place foil on the actual floor of the oven, as that could cause a build-up of heat and can warp the bottom of your expensive appliance. Instead, lay some foil over the rack just beneath whatever it is that might erupt and create a mess. Instead of scrubbing , you can just ball up the soiled foil and recycle it.

and whoopie!!! as a scrubber!, with a little bit of crumpled aluminum foil, I can scrub off tough messes. This works anywhere you might find yourself scrubbing unusually hard.

Polishing silver... (say what?!!) easily remove any oxidation residue with SCIENCE! (And aluminum foil.) Just lay some foil down in a shallow, flat pan. Pour in some hot water and add a dash of salt and baking soda (love it!). Plop your silver items into your dish, making sure that they're touching one another and resting on the foil. Watch the tarnish disappear! If your silver is no longer recognizable as silver, wait about five minutes. After their bath, run some cool water over your silver forks and spoons and gently buff them dry with a soft towel!

you can use aluminum foil to de-static and basically do what a dryer sheet does...though I do love the extra uses for dryer sheets. Just put a ball of aluminum foil in with your laundry and let it run, your laundry will be un-static-y and you will save roughly $2 in the difference between a box of foil and a box of dryer sheets.

you can speed up ironing time by placing aluminum foil on your ironing board which acts as a heat reflector basically cutting in half your ironing time

and of course protecting your brain from mind control!!! wasn't it the movie Signs where the entire family was wearing aluminum foil hats? The government and super-advanced alien races (especially considering that they are probably in cahoots) shouldn't be able to read or control those thoughts. To combat telepathic control techniques that rely upon radio waves, you can fashion a protective helmet out of aluminum foil. Berkeley engineers have tested the wave-blocking power of aluminum foil and discovered that an aluminum foil deflector beanie actually magnifies extraneous signals beamed into a subject's head at certain frequencies. I dunno, it's probably propaganda.

more reasons to be thankful

2011-11-22T14:47:00.000-08:00

Our coffee maker broke, and for me, as I have noted in earlier posts, this is a huge problem because I am a regular coffee drinker. My reason to be thankful is this: I can buy the exact same coffee maker for ten dollars cheaper than it was when I got the first one, or I can buy the next level up for the EXACT same price on sale and we have the hookups for an additional discount so our new coffee maker will be $20 cheaper than the original one we purchased and it will be nicer... that's a reason to be thankful in my eyes.

back to thanksgiving clean-up. today I'm going to tell you how to keep it green, that is, free of toxic chemicals that are probably not something you want your kiddos to be taking in (or other kiddos at your house for the holiday)

The tips are these:

Though you may believe differently, your dishwasher uses about half the energy, 1/6 of the water, and way less soap than you might use during hand dish washing. If you have lots of dishes to wash, load your dishwasher with an eco-friendly detergent and air-dry the dishes rather than heat drying them.

It is amazing how a company can toss around the word "green" as a marketing tool and still have just as many toxins as "non-green" products. For the low-down on the green scene, check with green seal, which evaluates products as an independent third party and can give you some amazing green products!

Again, if you're going to go plastic, go biodegradable. eco products has lists and an online store full of earth-friendly serving and tableware.

re-use shopping bags as trash bags for your bathroom trash can, or as bags for people to take home leftovers.

did you boil water for deviled eggs, or to cook noodles? Sounds gross, but dump that hot water over your soaking dishes. Most of the "cleaning" that happens while you're cleaning is from heat, soap, and from the friction you create by scrubbing things, so if your water is "re-used" it wont at all affect the "cleanliness" of your dishes.

Please, don't use plastic wrap to wrap up your leftovers. Besides being a pain to get off the roll, it contains PVC which causes harmful environmental consequences. Instead, use aluminum foil because it can be recycled and rinsed off after the food is gone. And, there are TONS of household uses for aluminum foil which I will share with you tomorrow!!

HAPPY CLEANING and happy holidays

the week of thankgiving, after our week of thanksGIVING

2011-11-21T13:10:00.000-08:00

taking a break from our week of thanksGIVING, to focus on the week of thanksgiving. Of course, I am thankful for this blog and for the faithful readers who follow it, but I am also thankful for the ability to close the laptop and walk away. This past week while doing some dutiful promotion for the hosts of the blog giveaways, I ran into the bloggers worst nightmare: negative feedback. And today I am thankful for my brother who offered these very logical and helpful words, "Anonymity breeds jerks." well I paraphrased, but the thought is still the same. For some reason, some people get behind a computer screen and use their internet feed as a venting ground for the things in this world that they don't like. While we have all been known to "vent" from time to time, for some people, venting takes the back seat and the comfort of having a screen in between you and the person you are talking about unleashes a beast of resentment and fury fueled by the courage they get from knowing that there is little to nothing you can do about it. So, for all of you people out there writing a blog, take heart, it is not only you who receives negativity. Though, I hardly thought a cleaning blog that took a week off to allow small home owned businesses a shot at some extra publicity was something people would get the knickers in a twist about.

Back on topic, this week we finish out the contests we started last week and I go back to blogging. So lets focus on the reason that we all get together to stuff seven helpings of turkey and mashed potatoes into our bellies and allow me to give you some tips for the aftermath of the big day.

I cannot say it enough when it comes to thanksgiving, please use plastic. Most plastic wear companies have begun using biodegradable products as well as coming out with a "china" line which looks unbelievably similar to the real thing, in fact my husband and I used plastic for our wedding reception and do not regret it for a second. Besides, if the food is good, no one cares what they're eating it off of.

My second piece of advice is rinsing and soaking. We all know the day is busy and you're hardly thinking of clean-up as you're carving the turkey but you can save yourself hours of scrubbing after the last stuffed person leaves your home by rinsing everything as it gets emptied and by soaking things during dinner. An extra tip for this is that if you place a dryer sheet in the water with your soaking dishes, they will clean MUCH easier (the reason is this: the softening chemicals in dryer sheets help loosen food particles stuck on pots and baking dishes)

if your food is stuck on, for pans or the like if you'd prefer, you can fill them with white vinegar and baking soda then bring the mix to a boil, turn oven off and let it sit overnight and the food should come off with just a wipe or two!!! And of course it helps if you have a dishwasher that isn't you!!!

Happy cleaning and happy holdiays

Check back tomorrow for ways to clean your house for the big day, with minimal effort

a week of thanksGIVING!!!! with rings on our fingers and Pookies Bows in our hair!

2011-11-19T22:48:00.000-08:00

Today I am positively elated to continue the week of thanksGIVING with a post from the fabulous Pookie, of Pookies Bows which has been an instant online hit and whose products I proudly wear myself! they are fantastic as is pookie!!! but with this overnight success, some would get overwhelmed and behind on their household duties, so let's find out how Pookie gets it done!

I’m a full-time Nanny, full-time student, fiance, daughter, friend, small business owner, and a Pookie; Pookie is what my future step-son calls me. I balance all of these things at once and some how I am still able to smile. Some ask me “How do you do it?” My answer is always the same “Lists!” Being organized is my number one secret and my list’s are what make it possible. Some days it gets over whelming and it feels like I can’t keep up this pace, but I always keep in mind that the positives, always out weigh the negatives. The amount of time, energy, and self that I put into everything that I do, is well worth it. I have an amazing job, I am getting a phenomenal education at California Baptist University, I have the best family and friends and my business, “Pookie’s Bows“, keeps getting more and more rewarding as days pass. So if you are doing even one of these tasks on a daily bases, you know how straining it can be. Just remember to stay positive, be organized and always trust that the Lord has a plan.

Pookie’s Bows started about 2 years ago, as a hobby and has grown into a very special part of my life. As I mentioned, my step-son calls me Pookie, so when thinking of a business name, I thought "what better name then the one he gave me?". I now specialize in hand-crafted bows, flowers, headbands, bow-holders, tutu’s and wedding accessories (including, hair pieces, boutonnieres, bouquet’s, garters, flower baskets, ring bearer pillows and much more). I currently sell my product through Facebook, small local events, and, just recently, started to sell my product in a local store (Puddle Jumpers, located at 12 North 6th St, Redlands, CA 92373).

With the coming holidays I want to offer you and everyone out there a few specials.

1.From now until December 17th, any order over $20 gets FREE shipping!!!

2. Has a special Thank You for reading this blog, when you place an order, if you mention the blog, you will receive a FREE SURPRISE Christmas Bow or Flower.

3. When you add me to your friends list on Facebook, tell your friends to add me also, then have them comment on my page “Sent by ______” At the end of the contest, whoever sent the most “friends” will get $25 in FREE “Pookie’s” products!

Happy holidays, Pookie

a week of thanksGIVING!!!! marvelous mommy-to-be Belinda from Max Toto and Busy B.

2011-11-18T12:43:00.000-08:00

My name is Belinda O'Brien, 30 (about to be 31...), a wife, daughter, sister and soon to be Mama! My husband and I are expecting our first little baby March 7th, 2012.

I am the owner of a very small home business called, Max Toto and Busy B. I specialize in making paper-crafts such as pennant banners for any occasion, gift tags, personalized cupcake picks and cards. I also take special orders for parties for anything the customer has in mind. I have a Bachelors Degree in Communications and have always wanted to own my own business and also be a wife and mother.
My husband is currently a full time student with Academy of Arts University online, majoring in animation, which means he is home all day with me...for the most part a good thing :) But for the rest of the time he is leaving school supplies, paperwork and other 'trails' of his stuff around the house...
I try to keep up with cleaning, making room for baby, cooking and making an organized and serene learning area for my husband. We live in a one bedroom apartment in Southern California so I normally would have one full day of cleaning, but since being pregnant that one day has been split into two. I clean the bathroom, mop the floors, vacuum furniture (we have a furry little animal that lives with us and her name is Snickers, she is a terrier mix mutt), windex and dust, etc...This is usually done midweek so that the house is still clean if we have company over the weekend or if we go out I don't come home to a disastrous house!
The rest of the week I spend about an hour or so everyday picking up those trails my husband leaves around...filing papers away, sorting through mail, keeping up with laundry...easy things. I have a few baskets throughout the house so that he has a place to put his "stuff", does it work all the time? No, but it makes me feel like I'm trying. By having a couple days of deep cleaning I feel less of a need to get down and dirty with sponges and bleach! Clorox wipes are my favorite thing to use all the time and they make it so easy to clean and disinfect quickly!

So where do I find time to create for my shop? Usually late afternoons and evenings. Once I get going in my creative mood, I do not want to stop!
You can take a peek at some of the things I've created on my Facebook page at and also at my Etsy Shop

Go to my Facebook page and 'LIKE', Max, Toto and Busy B., your name will be entered in a drawing and on November 28th I will draw 5 names and those people will win 5 assorted handmade holiday gift tags! 5 tags each to the 5 winners! Also if you mention "Mama Clean" in an order message to me on Etsy you will get a 10% discount until December 31st 2011.

If you have any special orders or questions, feel free to email me at maxtotobusyb@yahoo.com.
Thank you all for reading and checking out my pages!
Happy Holidays!

a week of thanksGIVING!!!! a giveaway from the egg-celent margaret

2011-11-17T09:04:00.000-08:00

Margaret and this cleanmama have been friends since before we were compulsive cleaners, since the time where we told our mothers "why do I have to clean my room, no one is going to see it?". She's been here for my bad girl days and my good girl days and the days mommy and wife-y busyness. I am so excited to feature her and her amazing business on the b-log! So, WHO WANTS TO WIN?!?!?!?!

Hello! My name is Margaret and I am a 24 year old wife, student, and home business owner. I have a small business making Christmas ornaments out of real eggs, am a full time anthropology student, and also sell Scentsy.

Currently, my husband and I live with my parents and younger brother since we recently moved to California from Missouri. I am, admittedly, very OCD about cleaning and living in a house with a 12 year old boy isn’t always easy. I do a lot of the household cleaning and tidying as a way of saying “Thank You” to my parents for letting us live here rent-free for as long as we need to.

I have found that having a regular cleaning schedule is the easiest way for me to stay on top of cleaning this household of five. Most of the day is dedicated to doing homework and, recently, to making egg ornaments, but Fridays are my deep cleaning days. It helps me to relax about the small stuff throughout the rest of the week. On Fridays I vacuum the whole house, dust, and clean the bathrooms. As any of you with boys in the house know—boys are messy bathroom-users, and being OCD made it hard for me to deal with that. But, now I know that on Fridays all the small, cumulative messes of the week are going to get cleaned and it lets me focus on other things the rest of the week.
Also, since we all know there are messes that can’t wait for Friday, I make sure to clean the rest of the stuff as it happens! Dishes get done immediately after dinner which saves me time having to scrub dried food from them later. Counters get wiped down and the stove gets a good once-over. My brother takes out the trash after I am done cleaning the kitchen and everyone is free to do their thing within 20 minutes of dinner being done. The dishwasher gets started when I get up in the morning and gets emptied at 3 pm every day. Simply put, having a schedule has saved me from myself. I know I don’t have to worry about cleaning all the time because there is a time for that and the rest of the day is for more important things!
Your readers can check out my “Egg-cellent” Christmas ornaments (teeheehee) on my Etsy page: and can get a 20% discount on any order of 2 or more ornaments by sharing it on their Twitter or Facebook and sending me an email to margaretmedill@yahoo.com.

I will also be giving away a personalized ornament in a random drawing of those who email me!
All the ornaments are handmade by me and my Etsy page is more or less a sample—I like to make them special for each person and can make them in all kinds of colors and with names or whatnot.

giveaway ends 9:00pm PST 11/25/11

Have a Happy Thanksgiving everyone, and thanks for reading!

a week of thanksGIVING aka: another mamaclean giveaway!!!!

2011-11-16T12:05:00.000-08:00

EDIT! This giveaway has ended hope you enjoyed it!

I have so many wonderful friends who also have wonderful businesses, and this week, in honor of thanksGIVING, mamaclean is going a week of giveaways thanks to the supportive sponsorship of my friends with their very own businesses, but enough about me, today you will hear from a good friend of mine and you can enter to be a part of her giveaway too!!!!

mamaclean has taken a few moments to herself and asked me to fill in for the day... My name is Ashley and I own my very own Mary Kay business! I'm also a full-time Nursing student (about to graduate- meaning more school craziness than usual), I'm a high school leader at my church, oh and I clean a couple of houses for my spending/ "fun" money. If that doesn't sound busy to you, trust me it is!!
Mamaclean asked me to write a little bit about how I keep my life clean in all the chaos… honestly, it isn’t always so clean! My room stays clean mostly because I live out of my car… kidding! I keep clean by staying organized.
I have a home office that is very organized and flows well. I begin by tidying up when I start to notice that I can’t find the things I need. And I do my best to clean once a week. (I take about an hour out of my day to put everything in its proper place and sweep/vacuum.) The tip I would give you is time-management!! I know that sounds nuts but I plan everything down to the minute and that includes the time that I clean. It really works if you teach yourself to stick to your schedule.

Seeing as I am a Mary Kay Lady, I’d love to be a part of the giving in Thanksgiving!! I’m giving away a Hydrating Lotion… it’s my favorite and I know you’ll love it too! But make sure to hide it from the husband and kids because they won’t give it back.

How do you win??
1. Become my friend on Facebook…. www.facebook.com/nurseashleybonn
2. Then go to the Mary Kay Foundation or Mary Kay fan page on facebook, you may like them if you choose… (you can watch any of the videos or read anything there to help you get to know the ever improving Mary Kay)
3. Post on my wall something that you learned about Mary Kay or the Mary Kay Foundation; and if you’ve tried our product tell me which one is your favorite! (I can also answer questions.)
4. Comment on this blog with what you learned or if your thoughts about Mary Kay have changed from the little old ladies with blue hair to the young hipsters that we are now (there are still those adorable ladies with blue hair too!!).

the winner will also be chosen by random.org
this giveaway ends 9:00pm PST 11/20/11

Wanna win?!?!?! a mamaclean giveaway!

2011-11-15T13:13:00.000-08:00

This giveaway has now ended, congratulations to winner: Stephanie!!!!!

I, the marvelous mommy who writes this helpful b-log, have a verrrryyyyyy small home business, that occasionally keeps me busy and as an act of Christmas charity, I will be giving away one boutique wipes case!

I can't even begin to tell you how useful having sanitizing wipes with you everywhere is! I use them constantly! unfortunately the packaging leaves a lot to be desired so I thought I would start a home business to make being a mommy a little prettier!

So, WHO WANTS TO WIN?!?!

The Rules:

1. to win you MUST be a follower of my blog, simply go to the top of the page and click the follow link or click here
2. go to my business facebook page and like and comment here that you did
3. in your comment, tell me which wipes case you like best!
4. that's it! winner will be chosen using random.org which means there is no special treatment it's all random!

EDIT: this contest will end 9:00 pm PST 11/19/11

Featured writer!!!!!! Marvelous mommy, Courtney from Button Props

2011-11-14T13:32:00.000-08:00

A few days ago, we heard from a feature writer who owns her own home business, and today I am pleased to have another featured writer Mrs. Courtney from ButtonProps you can visit her etsy site here. Today she's going to share her tidying tips that help keep her organized with two kids under 5. The trick with kids that are a little older is that while they're more independent, they also get bored a lot easier. Not being a mommy who supports the "only boring people get bored" response, and I know Mrs. Courtney isn't either, staying at home with kids this age becomes a lot less homemaking time and a lot more craft and teaching time. Courtney still maintains a rather tidy and organized household and I know you'll all benefit from her fabulous mommy wisdom!

here are three tidy tips from Courtney for all of you to store and use!

1. Always do the dishes first. When you clean a larger house with at least 5 rooms, you must always start with the kitchen. Do the dishes and work your way to the sweeping, and counters. Then start in the farthest room and work your way through each room. Going back and forth as you find things, is both distracting, and takes too much time. If you focus on one room, putting away things in the room they belong, and going back to the spot you were in is a big time saver.

2. Laundry: do all of your laundry as you clean, as everyone does. however, instead of sitting and folding it as you go, put it in a spot where you can spread it out to avoid wrinkles,and come back to it while the children are napping. This is what i do to avoid feeling guilty when i am tired, and need a break. I will put on a little show, and "rest" while still doing "housework".

3. Last but not least my little trick, is Sanitizing wipes. There are a few different brands, some need to be rinsed on food surfaces, others are fine. but those babies are a life line. ESPECIALLY, having boys. Little boys have wandering minds, and this is including when they go to the bathroom. I have often walked into the bathroom only to find my youngest son, has completely missed the toilet because he was looking at a "bad guy" on the ceiling, or a bug, on the other side of the toilet. These wipes work in a cinch, EVERYWHERE.
Also, it allows strict mommy's to relax a little and "sticky" hands aren't as much of a big deal, because we can wet wipe, the walls, the coffee tables, TV, everything. they sanitize, while cleaning the mess.

amazing uses for dryer sheets!!!

2011-11-13T22:07:00.000-08:00

while we wait to hear from another feature mommy, I thought I would share with you some amazing uses for another product we all have!

ten amazing uses for dryer sheets, some you know some you might not:

1. Freshen smelly shoes. Insert a dryer sheet into the offending pair and let sit overnight.
2. Remove static from clothing, hair, TV screens, and computer monitors. Wipe the surface with a sheet.
3. Clean pet hair from the floor or furniture. Rub a dryer sheet over the spot where Fluffy left her fur.
4. Replace a sachet. Keep a dresser drawer smelling fresh and clean by placing a dryer sheet on the bottom of it.
5. Loosen caked-on food from a pan. Place a fresh sheet in the bottom of a dirty pan, fill with lukewarm tap water, and let sit in the sink overnight. The pan will be easier to clean in the morning.
6. Tackle suitcase and gym-bag odors. Place a dryer sheet in your suitcase or gym bag so your clean clothes won’t take on the odors of the dirty ones.
7. Prevent old books from smelling musty when in storage. Stick a dryer sheet between the pages of your beloved copy of Pride and Prejudice.
8. Wipe up sawdust after working in the garage. Rub a dryer sheet over the fine wood particles.
9. Prevent thread from tangling when sewing. Run a threaded needle through a dryer sheet right before you begin your handiwork.
10. Dust venetian blinds. Close the blinds, then wipe up and down with a dryer sheet.

FEATURE WRITER: Belinda from This Vintage Mommy

2011-11-11T21:57:00.000-08:00

today I have a contributing writer, a fellow mom, and a very busy bee. Belinda owns her own home business: this vintage mommy, and she is an amazing mommy as well as being amazingly creative, but more than that, she also has a home to clean, so she's here to share how she does it

My name is Belinda and I’m the owner of This Vintage Mommy. I’m a WAHM with two little troublemakers, a 20 month old and a 2 month old. Some days I don’t know what I was thinking! My son Ellis can stir up a mess just in the time it takes for me to brush my teeth! How do I keep my sanity, orders flowing out on time, and the house clean for my family? I’ll let you in on my little secret: 15-minute sessions.
You would be surprised what you could get done in just 15 minutes when you push yourself! Three times a day I set the timer on my phone and get as much done as I can. At noon it’s picking up toys and throwing laundry in the wash (I have to do at least two loads a day otherwise we’ll have a serious problem, but that’s a whole other monster!) I always ask my husband to give me a thirty-minute warning before he walks in the door at night. This is where the two other sessions come in. The first session is for trying to get as much sewing done as possible! The second session is for the dishes that inevitably pile up during the day, picking up toys (again!), and vacuuming. I am a firm believer that a vacuumed room looks clean every time, even if I couldn’t pick up all the clutter. With these sessions, my house isn’t impeccable. I don’t think there’s a mother out there with a perfect house! But, it is ready for guests within a half hour every time. I still have to clean the house once a week- but it makes cleaning that much faster so my son has a fresh slate to “redecorate”.

Readers can order a custom clutch for 20% off until December 2nd. They will need to write my secret (15 minute sessions!) in the notes of their purchase so I know they are your reader ☺

your wishy washy kitchen

2011-11-09T22:05:00.000-08:00

I am sure that most of you do not have your washer and dryer in the kitchen, but for those of you who do, and those of you who don't, today I'm going to walk you through the super simple way you can deep clean your washing machine and then maintain it for the future.

I have no idea why, but in both apartments that my husband and I have shared together, the washer and dryer have been in the kitchen which, for me, makes this an easy segue from clean kitchen to clean washer. You may be saying to yourself, "why do I need to deep clean a machine that cleans things?" For one, if you have a top loading machine like I do, water only goes so high in the tub and often a soap scummy substance can build up there. For two, if you have children, as I do, your washing machine has more than likely seen it's share of pee-soaked sheets and possibly and disgustingly, some poo residue in there too (if there's been a stomach bug or if your kid turned out to be lactose intolerant like mine did). If you have kids that are a little older, the stomach bug thing can turn out a whole new set of disgusting laundry, such as kids who are sicky and don't get to the bathroom or bucket in time or a whole other heap of gross disgusting laundry that can leave gross disgusting residue in your washer. For three, maintaining your washer is a lot easier and cheaper than fixing or replacing it. so all in all, it's important to know how to clean and sanitize you machine.

The only product needed to sanitize is bleach.
Bleach is the only product that can adequately kill viruses, germs and bacteria. There is a reason the hospitals rely on a 10:1 concentration of bleach. It’s extremely effective when used in the correct concentration.
When diluting bleach, using bleach, or handling even a closed container of bleach (because we all make mistakes and lids can be on the wrong way or there can be a manufacturer error and it's best to be safe), wear gloves and dilute it in a well-ventilated area. NEVER USE OR HANDLE BLEACH WHILE A CHILD IS PRESENT BECAUSE ACCIDENTS CAN HAPPEN wait for your child to take a nap or until another adult is around to supervise your child. Bleach may seem harmless since it’s a product all of us have on our shelves at home. But be extremely careful – it can be caustic and can seriously hurt your airways, skin, eyes and mucous membranes. Don’t ever use bleach casually – always be extremely cautious and alert.

Bleach must be in a 10:1 concentration to be effective in killing germs. 10 parts water to 1 part bleach. In a well-ventilated area while donning gloves, measure 10 Tablespoons of water to 1 Tablespoon of bleach or 5 cups of water to 1/2 cup of bleach. The concentration is important here, so be careful when measuring. You can store this in a spray bottle that is clearly marked with the solution concentration. Don’t assume everyone knows what’s in the bottle or that you’ll remember what solution is in there. Even if you live alone it is necessary to label hand-mixed solutions, I will never forget thinking that a soap and water mixture was the water I kept to dampen my hair, which made for a messy sticky soapy situation and thankfully it was only soap!

Using your 10:1 bleach solution, spray down the inside of the washer. Make sure you spray down the agitator also (that cylindrical thing in the center). Let the solution sit a few minutes to loosen the grimy areas. leave the washer door open while this happens, any time you use bleach all areas must be well ventilated. be sure you do not use ANY OTHER CLEANERS WHEN USING BLEACH A MIXTURE OF CHEMICALS CAN CAUSE TOXIC FUMES. I have stories of people who literally died because of toxic fumes while cleaning you do not want to mess with this.
Use a dishcloth that to scrub the inside of the washer. Your washer either has a stainless-steel drum or one coated in enamel. If it is coated in enamel, be extremely careful not to scratch it. Once scratched it will rust and rust on clothes is a whole 'nother issue.
Scrub every surface of the inside tub and agitator and respray your bleach solution as needed. Scrub up under the lip of tub, just like your toilet, around the lip of the rim is where it gets the least cleaning daily and where the gunk just loves to live.
When you have scrubbed the entire inside of the washer, move onto the lid of the machine. Spray down and wipe everything – inside, outside, lip of the lid.
Close the lid. use a paper towel and windex to wipe down the outside of the washer. do not use a bleach solution here because little hands can touch your washer and if you have improperly diluted your bleach, this could cause serious skin irritation. If you are able to remove the knobs, you can rinse those in warm, soapy water. Once you look at it closely, you’ll see that there is probably more gunk on there than you realized. It’s easy to spill a drop or two of detergent and those few drops make things sticky in a hurry.
Finally, you need to run a regular wash cycle in your machine using a cup of bleach and hot water. It may seem wasteful, but set the water level on the highest setting. You want as much of the inside drum to be ‘washed’ as possible. You can even throw in your rag/scrubber that you used to clean your machine.

to maintain your washer after you have done this deep clean, you should run the final step of a one cup bleach and hot water wash cycle one a week and do a deep clean once a month/every other month depending on how much gross stuff gets tossed into your washer

then sit back and enjoy the feeling of knowing that all those yuckies are being washed away!
Join me tomorrow as I share more quick and helpful cleaning tips!!!!

~have a happy and clean day! (p.s. you can now follow me on twitter for quick cleaning tips mamaclean1)

your electic kitchen

2011-11-08T22:28:00.000-08:00

yesterday I shared an amazing tip on cleaning oven grates in a quick and simple process that would allow you to wipe away the grime. However, electric ovens are not that simple. I should know, I have one and before I was the fabulous cleanmama, I was befuddled by the crazy workings of the electric stove.

so, to clean the burners you will want to

Remove the completely cooled burners (don't tackle this project right after cooking kids)

    Once the burners have completely cooled, remove them from the cook top area. Most burners unplug from the main part of the stove. Look for the socket that the electric burner plugs into. Grip the outer edge of the burner coil as far from the socket as possible. Lift the coil up an inch above the edge of the drip pan. Pull gently away from the socket. Rock the coil gently back and forth until it releases.If you have more questions about how to remove your burners, refer to your manufacturer's instructions for best practices.



    Begin with dish soap and water.
    Use a cleaning cloth and a mild dish soap and water to try to remove residue at first. Because the burner coils cook off most food that comes into contact with them, a mild wipe down is often all that is needed. Don't submerge the burners or any electrical portion in water, this is hugely important because water and electricity DO NOT MIX!

    Remove stuck on food.

    If mild dish soap and water wouldn't remove stuck or burnt on food, try making a baking soda and water (miraculous baking soda!) paste to gently scrub residue off of the electric burner coil. Really tough stains may benefit from allowing the baking soda paste to sit on the burner for up to 20 minutes, before scrubbing. Be sure to rinse thoroughly.

    Clean the drip pans.

    If your cook top has removable drip pans, this is the time to remove and clean those as well. Dump out any charred remnants of food. Wipe them down and replace them before replacing the burners. if there are any stains or really difficult to remove grime repeat the same process for cleaning the burners from yesterday.

most important, Maintain the burners.

    For regular maintenance of electric coil burners, just wiped down the burners at the same time you wipe down the top of the stove.

Kitchens strike again!!!!

2011-11-07T21:57:00.000-08:00

Since the last posts on here were about cleaning your kitchen I think today we should talk about many people's kitchen nightmare: cleaning the burners.

here is a quick, simple, and cheap burner cleaning tip that will have you going into your kitchen at night to stare lovingly at your burners.

if you have an electric stove, this will not work for you and I will post tomorrow about how to clean those babies.

for most of you, you cook. You have oil and grease spatter, which gets heated and reheated and then pretty soon you have a disgusting coating that will not. scrub. off. ever.

so stop scrubbing it! As a general rule, you shouldn't scrub the stove grates anyway, because you can leave tiny scratches in the surface of the grates or burners, which will be a snugly little home to all that oil and grease spatter and will make it harder to remove. Stop scrubbing and follow these instructions:

get yourself some ammonia, and for this we're going to use real live cleaning grade ammonia, not Windex though if you would prefer, there is a Windex option which I will share.

put two tablespoons of straight undiluted ammonia into a one gallon Ziploc bag and place your stove burner inside, don't shake or "cover" the burner in the ammonia, just place it in the Ziploc. Set on a cookie sheet or flat surface making sure the Ziploc is extra sealed. Leave for 12hrs/overnight and in the morning, remove the burner and wipe off yuck and grime with a damp washcloth. and that's it folks. Works every time. If you have oven cleaner spray and would rather use it or Windex, cover the burner in a nice liberal coat of oven cleaner spray or Windex, place in Ziploc, leave overnight and wipe down. Badda-Bing you have clean burners, so shiny you can see your beautiful face in them!!!!!

tomorrow I will tell you how to make those pesky electric burners clean and shiny too!!!

Ten things not to say to your friends with kids

2011-11-03T15:33:00.000-07:00

I read an article yesterday about things not to say to your child-free friends and it has bothered me until today because I find, that those who are most insensitive to the whole "children" issue are people who don't have them. I get offensive and rude comments all the time about things that are completely beyond my control, or unsolicited advice that is first rude, and second unnecessary.

#1 "oh you're a stay at home mom, didn't you want a career/to get an education/ your life must be so easy"

this one drives me crazy and I get it all the time in every form. I know that there will always be time for work later but my children will only be children for so long and that statistical proof for the benefits of at home parenting far outweigh any benefit of me working until my child is in school. I did get an education, thanks, and I'm smart enough to know what is best for my child. If you think parenting is easy go have a talk with your parent because my job is 24/7 there are no lunch breaks, no sick days, no vacation days, no end of year or Christmas bonuses. in fact I read a wonderful quote that I totally agree with, "mother: someone who does the work of 20 people for free.

#2 "you must love/hate changing diapers"
I was a nurse before I had my son and I'm going to share a secret, everybody poops! and weather you're 8months or 80 some people need help with that, if I had a disabled son would you say that?

#3 "why can't you just get a sitter?"
Because responsible trustworthy people are not just falling out of thin air onto my doorstep begging me to let them watch my kid so I can attend your party. As if I would leave my child with just anyone so I can do what YOU want.

#4 "when are you going to have another?"
this one is just offensive, some people have trouble conceiving in between kids. My son wasn't even a month old before we started getting this one and the decision to go through another round of sleepless nights hormonal highs and lows, and a child's absolute dependence on you and you alone has been a difficult and heart-wrenching decision which is mine and mine alone to make and you have no right asking about it, and if I weren't a pastors wife what I would love to say is, "we're gonna go try to conceive now wanna come cheer for us?"

#5 " why is your baby crying?"
Good question, but since he is unable to express himself in any other way, your guess is as good as mine until I try a few things.

#6 "didn't you want to travel and see the world before you had kids?"
guess what, I did travel and see the world before I had kids. I've been to italy and sung in st. Marks basilica, I've been to australia and performed in the Sydney opera house and you know who was right beside me on every one of those trips, my parents. Having kids doesn't preclude you from seeing the world, it means you have more traveling buddies

#7 " you should/shouldn't (insert unwanted advice here)"
you should not give people advice on kids that don't belong to you. I witnessed a woman telling a young lady at walmart today that she should have dressed the kids warmer and didn't she care that they were going to get sick, to which the young lady responded, well since I'm a pediatrician, yes I do know illness risks for children and it being cold outside isn't one of them. You have no idea who the person you are giving your advice to is or who their kids are.

#8 "why can't some people discipline/control their kids"
My son threw a fit today in walmart because the line we were in took us a half an hour to get through and he missed his nap. This is completely beyond my control and I'm not leaving a store I had to drive 20 minutes to get to and waited a half an hour to buy my groceries at just because you don't like that my kid is crying. I am doing all I can to calm him but sometimes you have to wait out the storm. as far as disciplining a child, I've watched people call CPS on parents for smacking their kid when the grabbed for something unsafe in a store so there is no winning this one and honestly, as a parent, sometimes you're too angry/frustrated to be disciplining your child, you should never discipline a child out of anger, only out of necessity.

#9 "why can't you just bring him/her"
because your house, party place isn't childproofed, or there will be a lot of people and I wont feel that it's safe enough for me to let him walk around, or the restaurant you picked isn't child friendly, or it's during his nap time, or he's teething and especially fussy and I'm trying to spare those who don't like kids or their crying, or it would take me two hours to get there with a kid who doesn't like being strapped into a carseat, or I'd have to bring his portable crib and his highchair and a change of clothes and diapers and it's really not worth the effort. Pick your reason, I can't just drop everything to be where you want me.

#10 " I totally understand how hard parenting is"
No. you. don't. if you want to try, go talk to your parents

today is my birthday.

2011-10-30T21:31:00.000-07:00

but that doesn't mean that things don't need to be cleaned. Thankfully, because of my cleaning schedule, my home is so clean that I can take a day off and the only thing I miss is doing laundry. I strongly urge you all to have a cleaning schedule and to keep it, it will make your like less stressful! The big perk in my day, having dinner with my extended family and a surprise visit from my army-cousin who is on leave!!!! Happy birthday to anyone else who had a birthday today. Sit down, rest and let yourself eat cake!!

the kitchen monster!!!!!

2011-10-28T23:04:00.000-07:00

My husband took me out to the one place I asked him to take me for my birthday, IKEA!!!!! Yes it is a sickness, but it helped me with today's blog.

Yesterday, I gave you some quick and simple cleaning tips to get your kitchen super shiny and clean on the quick!!! so let's top off the clean kitchening by organizing all the junk in our kitchen drawers. Our kitchen can become a veritable junk drawer in itself, and to counter that trend in kitchens I'll share some secrets from my kitchen.

First, your counters, as I said yesterday, you need to de-clutter your counter tops. Nothing should be stored on your counters unless it is used DAILY or is absolutely essential to the decor or flow of your kitchen. take my counters for example;

there is nothing there that isn't used everyday, with the exception of the 2qt pot and it was only out because I was cooking when I took the picture. Everything has it's own place on the counter and it's never too cluttered. all of our daily tools have a place and are displayed as nicely as I can get them on a limited budget. The scissor holder is a mod-podged formula can, the spoon holder was a big birthday splurge at $5.99 at ikea!!! The old spoon vase we had was just that, a vase, and because of it's height, it corralled all of the spoons together at the top which made it hard to put one in or take one out, this has a short body and wide top that allows all of the spoons and spatulas to breathe easy, and makes them all handy and tidy looking!!!

We used Command hook on the back wall to put the pans that the hubby uses every day within easy reach and to fill that space a little. I'm big on baking so we used more command hooks to hang the measuring cups/spoons in a handy dandy location and the oven mitts so my mitts stay safe, the only thing that is ever on our stove unless we are cooking are our salt and pepper shakers which we keep readily available lest we need something to season with, our s&p shakers are princess house. we keep the dog food bowl out of reach from the munchkin because he likes to sample the flavors.

again, another command hook to hold our dish scrubber and bottle brush, and a lil decor, some sunflowers (which were actually my bridesmaids bouquets from our wedding) and our dish drainer which is used every day. and then stacked up underneath that cabinet you see nearby. the teal things on the dish drainer are my rubber gloves and then there's the lil munchkin's rubber duck that got a rinse today!

now for a look inside the cabinets and drawers!!!!

of course our top drawer by the sink is for cutlery and so to keep it all together we have a cutlery tray, which we got at target when we were first married (that's how essential it is!)we keep our steak knives at the top but one day soon we hope to own this which would really help keep our serrated knives from rubbing together making them...not serrated

the drawer below that has all of our baking/cooking tools, we corralled the little stuff together in a rubbermaid storage box and then put all of the parts to our blender in an ikea food storage tray. Of course, the things we use daily are the most easily accessible like our cheese grater.

the bottom drawer has been divided using cardboard cut from an old diaper box (neat idea!) to divide our towels, place mats, and trivets/ cookbooks

I really hated our old sponge dish which not only looked awful, would drain onto the counter and leave a mess, so we went to ikea, and got us this dish, which is technically a soap dish but the drainage designed for wet soap works just as well on a wet sponge

What?!?! yes those are dishes in my sink but that's a view of our sponge storage for excess sponges, dish plugs

across the kitchen, is our spice drawer, cookie tray drawer and knick nack drawer, all well organized with a spice tray from ikea and some dipping bowls from target

just above our spice drawer is out "pantry" we have a small casa so this is about it, everything within reach, labels out and most frequently used items well within reach!

This is by far my favorite cabinet!!!! Ii got this plate organizer at the container store and the bowl stacker at lakeside trading co. and voila, all of the frequently used dishes well at hand and the infrequently used ones at the back so I don't have to "go around" them to get to the ones I use most...which are plastic because of the kidoo

We got this handy dandy plastics dispenser at ikea and basically with the exception of a few drawers that are organized very similarly to the first (this is becoming one loooonnnnnggg post) that's about it

so there you have it, utilize boxes and tupperware you already own to corrall things and when in doubt shop places that are CHEAP, or DIY, join me tomorrow for my bathroom under-sink overhaul!

Clean yo kitchen! quick and easy tips

2011-10-28T00:22:00.000-07:00

so it's been a few days and we're going to do a two day thread on cleaning yo kitchen! day one is the cleaning and day two, organize that mess!! My kitchen is always clean (as is ninety percent of my house because it's truly a sickness) but also because we make our food in there and my son plays on the floor in there and it's important that what we eat and where he plays are all clean!

today is the one day I will suggest doing floors anything other than last, you should always do floors last but we're soaking the sink after this and once it's clean we don't want to make it grimy again, so follow my three step foot mopping from my tips for bathrooms and then fill your sinks as described below (unless you have hardwood floors which you should always use hardwood cleaner on and a gentle mopping device!!!!)

for your sinks, you're going to start by doing a bleach bath (of course after you've done the dishes and put them away), nothing makes me happier than a shiny clean kitchen sink because when I see it sparkling up at me every morning I can't help but smile!!! So fill your sink with warm water and add one cup of bleach. let sit for an hour.

while that is happening go around the counters and put EVERYTHING that is not essential and used everyday, or has a storage container on the counter (like spoons and spatulas in a storage cup like this:
after you have done this, spray your counters with windex and happily wipe away the grime and yuck that has been collecting on top of them with a paper towel, do not, however, use windex on your cooking surfaces because if you fail to rinse them the heat from cooking can release some nasty fumes into the air. I strongly suggest a magic eraser type sponge which if anyone cares is simply melamine foam that you can buy in bulk from amazon.com, melamine foam is also used in sound proofing, thought you should know. use your melamine sponge to wipe away all the yuckies on your stove and, voila, your kitchen is almost done!!!! if you haven't cleaned your burners you can clean them with a mix of vinegar and cream of tartar. who knew?! or if you don't have those products i personally use, especially on tough super grime, bar keepers friend.

to clean out your microwave, and they can get gross, put a bowl of vinegar and water in the microwave, and cook on high for 3 minutes. Wipe down with a clean cloth and you're finished!

you can do a super simple scrub in your fridge with a mix of kosher salt and club soda, fyi kosher salt and regular salt are not the same thing, kosher salt is more coarse and works better for the scrubbing of your fridge, sea salt is too coarse and may scratch the surfaces of your fridge.

if you do coffee daily like I do, clean your coffee maker by running a mixture of 1 part water to 1 part white vinegar through the brew cycle, rinse and run two rounds of fresh water, or until the vinegar smell disappears. also, make sure you are washing your coffee pot daily after you have finished the coffee because mold loves the dark warm and moist bottom of a coffee pot!

you will finish this all hopefully long before your sink has finished it's soak so rest mama you're doing great!!!!

once your sink has finished it's soak, remove the plug with tongs or with glove covered hands, bleach eats away at the top layer of your skin when it comes into contact with it which is why your skin feels slimy when there is bleach on it, also it dries the layers out too so best to be gloved or use tongs. once the water has drained rinse your sink, scrub with a baking soda water paste, comet, or bar keepers friend, and rinse again Clean your garbage disposal with a cup of baking soda, followed by a cup of vinegar, let sit for five minutes, then pour in a kettleful of boiling water. rinse once again and dry with a paper towel then spray with windex and wipe out with a paper towel!!!

the more you clean the faster you clean and the easier it is!

so daily you should :

Wipe countertops and stovetop
Scrub sink
Sweep floor and do a light foot mop
Rotate dish towels
wash your coffee pot
wipe out the microwave

weekly you should:

do a real mop on the floors
flush the garbage disposal
clean the coffee maker (only if you don't use daily, making coffee daily runs enough water through that you can do this monthly)
wipe down the appliance

and monthly you should:

Wipe cabinetry
Clean oven (run an auto self clean or scrub the inside with borax and white vinegar)
Clean fridge interior
Clean coffee maker (if you are a sporadic coffee drinker and do not use it daily)
Clean toaster (empty the crumb trap and scrub with a toothbrush if necessary)
Scrub garbage can and deodorize with baking soda!

yay your kitchen should be crystal clean and Gorgeous!!!! join us for day two where we organize that mess

the importance of being earnestly organized

2011-10-22T21:41:00.000-07:00

I don't know of a single organizing or cleaning website or blog that doesn't stress the importance of having a home binder. This is a place where you keep your daily cleaning schedule, important information, budgeting sheets, grocery lists, etc. some of my favorite places to get my binder ideas and sheets, (credit where credit is due because I do NOT have the technology to create these brilliant forms) are iheartorganizing.com and The Good Wife, these two ladies are marvelous organizers and I use both of their printables every day.

the biggest reason to have a cleaning schedule, in my opinion, is to be up to date on things that need to be cleaned every day, like kitchen sinks and counters, because honestly, if you clean it every day, it becomes easier to clean, as with your bathroom floors, if you do a light mop every day the "real" mopping once a month will only take you about two seconds. I use a cleaning schedule every day and my total cleaning routine takes me under an hour for my entire house. This isn't a deep cleaning, we deep clean a different thing each month, this is those things that need to get done everyday so that you're able to have a chaos free home and the ability to invite anyone over and nearly any time. another great place to organize your cleaning is to get the motivated moms 2011 app for iphone and android. you'll be "scheduled to do certain things every day and you can add or delete from the list which will keep your home tidy and manageable!!!

Happy cleaning!

Wrath of the Great Baking Soda the final chapter, cleaning

2011-10-19T21:59:00.000-07:00

This is where my heart really melts, cleaning!!! I haven't always been a neat freak but one of the ways I manage my time is by having a clean house that I don't need to stress over, so here you have it, the cherry on top, uses for baking soda in cleaning:

If the denture tablets aren't your thing, or, like most people, you already have baking soda; add a cup to the toilet, leave it for an hour, and then flush. It will clean the toilet and absorb the odor.

I know I already shared this in our clean bathroom blog but you can use it to scrub sinks, showers, plastic and porcelain tubs, baking soda becomes a non abrasive scrub when mixed with water which is why it wan be used on just about anything from babies to toilets to hands

similar to the idea about cleaning wall paper with baking soda by dipping a dampened sponge into it, spray it on walls, mirrors, and countertops, wipe off with a moist rag, or, if you're not looking to clean brush off after it has dried to give your room a clean smell.

we all need this, add a spoonful to your dishwasher to make scrubbing dishes easier.

or if you're the dishwasher, remove grease from pots and pans by adding some to your dish water, did this today and helped with our "bacon pan".

you can "Dry clean" carpets and upholstered furniture by sprinkling baking soda over the fabric and gently brushing it. Leave it for an hour or overnight, then vacuum.

I've already shared this one but you can boost your laundry detergent’s cleaning power by sprinkling a handful on dirty clothes or into the machine when you add soap.

I love this, I do this on my sink fixtures every day! Combine baking soda with water to make a paste for polishing stainless steel and chrome.

If you have kiddos like me, remove scratches and crayon marks from vinyl floors and walls by rubbing them with our baking soda water paste.

Clean your shoes with it (and sprinkle some in to absorb the smell).

Clean garbage cans with it, again this is that baking soda water paste, you can go a step further by adding a teaspoon of white vinegar.

If you are a cloth diaper user, use it to wash diapers, baking soda removes stains and smells and is gentle on baby.

Clean the fridge with it (this is that miracle past again) leave a box in there too to absorb the smell but remove it after 30 days.

soak brushes and combs in a baking soda solution, you can also soak them in ammonia and rinse them in a baking soda solution if you are a super neat freak!

Mix it with water to wash food and drink containers and to remove the smell of whatever they had in them, we all know that container, the one we stored chili in, that has that red ring and smells faintly of cayenne pepper.

Put three tablespoons of baking soda to a quart of warm water, then use the mixture to wash marble-topped furniture, this is wonderful because marble is so delicate and needs tlc!

another tip for finicky counters, absorb it with a damp sponge, then clean Formica countertops with the sponge.

you can use it to get rid of stale odors from cooling containers and thermos bottles.

this was a God send, run your coffee maker with a baking soda solution, then rinse. Especially if someone before you has made a roast darker than yours or with a contrasting flavor

For all you clean mamas, combine with hot water to clean baby bottles.

Sprinkle it on barbecue grills, then rinse it off.

Baking soda is a super grease fighter, scatter it on your greasy garage floor, scrub the floor, and rinse.

Remove burned-on food from a pan by soaking it in a baking soda solution for 10 minutes before washing (or add a dryer sheet to the water and soak over night instead of baking soda!).

Clean your ashtrays with a baking soda solution (or kick the habit).

you can keep your drains clean by putting four tablespoons of baking soda in them each week. Flush it down with hot water. this works similarly to drano and is much less toxic, one fingers worth of drano can do long term damage to your child!!!

We shared before that you can clean your shower curtains by soaking them in baking soda and water and every time they are not in use pull closed to keep water and mildew from building up in the creases

Put it on a small brush to rub canvas handbags clean or diaper bags!!!

like using baking soda as toothpaste, use it to clean your retainers and dentures.

Make a thick paste of baking soda and water, and used it to scrub enameled cast iron and stainless steel but be sure to use a plastic bristled brush or a wash cloth, never use the scrubber side of a sponge on any non- stick cookware or stainless steel or serrated knives for that matter!.

if your oven self clean setting melts your counter tops like mine does, mix four tablespoons of baking soda with a quart of warm water, and use it to clean the inside part of an oven.

Use it to unclog gas stoves (I have an electric so disclaimer is I have not tried this).

that's all for the great baking soda, what a half-week!!! Over 70 uses for a $2 product, some amazing, some unheard of, and some a little gross. Tune in tomorrow when we talk about scheduling time to clean that will actually save you time on cleaning!!!!

Revenge of the Great Baking soda, uses in cooking

2011-10-18T12:58:00.000-07:00

Alright, on to more amazing ways to use baking soda, today, in an area where we all already use it, cooking.

I love tips like this because I am not always able to run out to the store to buy some ingredients, you can use baking soda as a substitute for baking powder by mixing with it with cream of tartar or vinegar.

you can wash fruits and vegetables with it.

I don't know who this might be helpful to (maybe someone on a farm?) When boiling a chicken(a whole chicken, like the entire bird!!!), add a teaspoon of baking soda to the water. Feathers will come off easier, and the flesh will be clean and white

Soak dried beans to a baking soda solution to make them more digestible (because these days regularity is a big deal).

again, not sure who would use this but maybe for all you hunting mamas, you can remove the distinctive taste of wild game by soaking it in a baking soda solution (then it has that distinctive baking soda taste that we all love).

crazy! Make a sports drink by mixing baking soda with boiled water, salt, and Kool-Aid

Remove the fishy smell from your fillets by soaking the raw fish in a baking soda solution for an hour inside the fridge or be like me and don't eat fish).

this one I love, use and have made part of my cooking bible, make fluffier omelets by adding half a teaspoon of baking soda for every three eggs used.

and you can reduce the acid content of your tomato-based recipes by sprinkling them with a pinch of baking soda.

besides all of that there are TONS of recipes which include baking soda from bagels to cookies. My fav way to use baking soda in the kitchen is to boil home made bagels in a baking soda water solution before I cook them in the oven, hardens the outside and leaves the inside fluffy as a pillow!!!!

The Great baking soda revisited! uses in your home

2011-10-17T12:21:00.000-07:00

so yesterday we shared some AMAZAZING uses for baking soda for your health and today I am going to share with you some general uses for baking soda in your home that I personally use and some that I've just discovered:

did you know you can keep cut flowers fresh longer by adding a teaspoon to the water in the vase. depending on the flowers, they can last up to a week longer!!

baking soda can be used to put out small fires on rugs, upholstery, clothing, and wood, if you have curious kids in the pre-teen stage, you may need this, most home fires that are not caused by household appliances are cause by kids! scary news

I'm sure we all know this one, put an open container of baking soda in the fridge to absorb the odors. but be sure to write the date on the box and rotate every 30 days or it could contribute to the funk in your fridge!

you can get rid of icky smells by sprinkling it on your ashtrays to reduce bad odor and prevent smoldering although, you should really quit smoking especially if you have kids see this site for tips and help if you are trying to quit : no fail guide to kick the habit

Sprinkle it on your slippers, boots, shoes, and socks to eliminate foul odor, you can also use baby powder for this purpose if you have more of that than baking soda!

Turn baking soda into modeling clay by combining it with one and 1/4 cups of water and one cup of cornstarch, this one I had NEVER heard of but it's awesome and I happen to have cornstarch around for when I make the most amazing vanilla pudding, find the recipe here: yummy vanilla pudding (I don't add the vanilla bean)

After feeding your baby, wipe his shirt with a moist cloth sprinkled with baking soda to remove the odor, no lie, my son is a crazy messy eater and this one comes in handy because I just can't change him every time he eats.

this one is helpful because that rain off stuff is some kind of expensive: Wipe your windshield with it to repel rain

similar to the use of putting baking soda in your washing machine , improve the smell of dishrags by soaking them in baking soda and water

don't spray your house with dangerous toxic bug spray, put baking soda under sinks and along basement windows to repel cockroaches and ants

if you are a gardener like I wish I could be, scatter baking soda around flowerbeds to prevent rabbits from eating your veggies or sweeten your tomatoes by sprinkling baking soda on the soil around your tomato plants.(who knew?!?)

obviously, sprinkle it onto your cat’s litter box to absorb the bad odor, but litter boxes are the main reason why we don't have a cat but for dogs, sprinkle it on your pet’s comb or brush to deodorize their fur and skin

that's it for today, I assume most of you have gone out and stocked up your cupboards with baking soda but if you haven't yet, tune in tomorrow for even more extraordinary uses for baking soda!!!