Naturally Maid Cleaning

Free House Cleaning Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 20:54:00 +0000

It's time for another giveaway! We are offering a Free House Cleaning to two winners! Winners will be announced on Thursday, January 19, 2012. This giveaway is open to residents of the United States but the home to be cleaned must be located in within our service area which includes the following Florida cities:

DeLand, Deltona, Orange City, Debary, Osteen, Lake Helen, Sanford, Lake Mary and Longwood.

The cleaning will comply with all of our usually customer and company guidelines. You may visit our Frequently Asked Questions and Cleaning Checklist for more information.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Naturally Yours,

Removing Rust Stains from Tubs and Sinks

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 02:14:00 +0000

Recently, our family relocated to De Bary, FL. For those who aren't local, De Bary residents have well water. Not just any well water, mind you. We have that well water that provides us with an extra special touch of iron/rust. We lived here back in the 1990's and I dealt with it as best I could at the time. I made sure there was salt in the softener and purchased a lot of rust remover. Granted, it worked fairly well but it was expensive and toxic.

Jump ahead to 2011. We're back in De Bary. I moved into a house which needed a move-in clean but I really had no time to do that prior to moving into the house. Here I am, 10 days later, just now finishing the last of the packed boxes and tackling the cleaning job bit by bit. The first thing I wanted to deal with is the rust in the tub and sink. I'll admit that rust removal (caused by well water) using only natural ingredients is a first for me. So I did some research last night. I found recipes calling for a scrubbing cleanser and other things. This is what I ended up doing for my sink.

Sprinkled Bon Ami and Cream of Tarter in the sink.
To create a paste, I sprayed Hydrogen Peroxide onto the mix.

Then I took a no-scratch pot scrubber to the surface and off came the rust! Mind you, everything I found in my research said to let the mixture stand for 30 minutes. I didn't. Even so, in the 2 minutes I was "scrubbing", the sink's appearance changed

from this...

..to this!

Imagine if I had actually let it soak? Or perhaps if I had put some real elbow grease into it?!

Later I will try those things. I was just so very pleased at the quick results that I wanted to share it with you.

Do you have any tips or recipes for dealing with rust naturally? If so, please share! If you decided to try what I did, please come back and share the outcome with me.

Naturally Yours,

Laundry Tips

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 06 Jul 2011 15:47:00 +0000

Although laundry may very well be the most "hated" chore in the house (Not for me.. I LOVE laundry!), there's not much we can do to eliminate it from our lives. We may as well do the best we can and that means cleaning naturally! Here are a few natural cleaning laundry tips:

Armpit Stains on White Shirts: "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." as the saying goes. The best prevention is to use a natural deodorant (I choose The Crystal.) However, everyone is free to choose their own deodorants and antiperspirants. For those, the yellow stain battle can be conquered. Add one tablespoon of vinegar and one tablespoon of lemon juice to a cup of water. Use this to pre-treat those stains. If you can let it soak overnight, this is the best idea.

**Note: This is acidic. Delicate fabrics such as silk, linen, acetate, and dyed clothing may become damaged from this pre-treatment.Wash in cold water. (Heat sets stains in permanently, so avoid hot water and do not toss into the dryer until you know the stains are gone.)

Musty Odors: Whether the laundry sat in the hamper too long or you've forgotten to switch your laundry over to the dryer, they can develop musty odors. I've found the 1 cup of vinegar in the wash will resolve all of these issues. If you're in the habit of leaving laundry in the washer for a while, a few drops of lavender oil in the wash will prevent the musty odor from developing in the first place due to the antibacterial properties of lavender oil.

Honey, I shrunk the.... : Ever shrink something in the wash? Who hasn't!? Well rather than donate your your clothing item to the landfill, try this helpful little trick. (This will not work if the garment was shrunk in the dryer.) In a large pot, combine two quarts of water with one quart of vinegar. Bring to a simmer. Add the shrunken garment and let sit for 20 minutes. When the time is up, drain the pot and let the soaked garment cool to a temperature that can be handled. Be sure not to rinse the garment. When it has cooled, dry the garment by rolling it in clean towels. Once the excess liquid has been removed, lay the garment on a clean towel and gently reshape it. Don’t worry, the vinegar scent will go away as it dries. Let the garment air dry and it should be back to its normal size!

If you've tried these tips (or if you do try them), I'd love to have your feedback! Leave a comment below!

Naturally Yours,

10 Green Cleaning Tips for Your Home

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Thu, 21 Apr 2011 17:40:00 +0000

Today, I thought I'd share with you top 10 list designed not only to make your cleaning more "green" but also to save a bit of green! Remember that using natural cleaners made with ingredients from your kitchen is far less expensive than purchasing toxic cleaners.

#10: Throw out those ammonia-based window cleaners! Your windows can be effectively cleaned with vinegar. You could use 50/50 water and vinegar in a spray bottle. I like to put 5-10 drops of lemon essential oil. Then when the sun heats the window, the scent fragrances and purifies the air! Another recipe is to use 4 tablespoons lemon juice mixed with a half gallon of water. Use a microfiber cloth to keep your glass lint-free!

#9: Can the furniture polish! Furniture polish is just as toxic/dangerous as drain cleaner, so I don't recommend it in your home. We use 2 parts olive oil with 1 part lemon juice as a wood polish. It gives furniture a nice scent and leaves a wonderful shine! If you're battling water stains, mix 1 part olive oil with 1 part vinegar. The vinegar dries out the water and the olive oil re-moisturizes the wood leaving a beautiful shine! For both recipes, apply using microfiber cloths.

#8: Replace your metal polishes. Metal polishes, such as those for brass, copper, stainless steel, and chrome, contain ammonia and acids. To give your brass or copper lots of shine, make a paste using equal parts of vinegar, salt and flour. Use a soft cloth to rub the paste onto the metal surface. After covering the entire surface, let it dry for about an hour. Use your microfiber to wipe off the paste. VOILA! Beautiful shine!
For lightly tarnished surfaces, dip a slice of lemon into salt and rub the item with the lemon. Rinse and dry.

#7: Reduce Clutter. What does clutter have to do with green cleaning? Often cleaning leads to throwing out items that are no longer wanted. Filling the landfills with useful items is not exactly earth-friendly. If your items are still usable, consider joining your local Freecycle group to pass them along to someone who can use them. Or donate them to your local thrift store. Also, by de-cluttering your home, you are reducing your workload during future cleanings (less stuff to clean!).

#6: Clean up the air ducts. Most of us maintain our homes on a daily basis with some tasks occurring weekly. Perhaps twice per year (spring and fall) we do a big clean. But what about your cooling and heating ducts? The federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recommends that a professional heating and cooling contractor inspect your air ducts and heating and cooling systems. Research has shown that the quality of indoor air is usually up to 10 times worse than outdoor air. A contractor can detect signs of mold, dust and other contaminants. Also, keeping the air ducts clean reduces energy consumed by your heating and cooling system.

#5: Clean and disinfect your home naturally. It's easy to replace those toxic, petroleum-based products.
For stains, mildew or grease streaks, spray with vinegar. Vinegar is an excellent disinfectant.

#4: Carpet stains can be handled by sprinkling baking soda and then pouring vinegar onto it. Watch the color fizz right up and out of your carpet! (This works for pet messes as well..and takes the odor with it!) For deodorizing rooms/carpets, sprinkle baking soda then vacuum! This will also freshen your vacuum cleaner.

#3: No more drain cleaners! Get those clogged drains moving along by pouring 1/2 cup of baking soda into the drain and chase it with vinegar (as much as it takes until the fizzing stops and whatever 'gunk' breaks up or comes out). Chase that with a few cups of boiling water. As maintenance, when you're doing your weekly cleaning tasks.. do the baking soda-vinegar treatment to prevent clogs in the first place.

#2: Love your Oven: Mix a thick paste of baking soda and water. Spread it over the inside of the oven and leave it overnight to loosen grease and grime before scouring the next morning.

#1: Stock your natural cleaning kit:

Baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) -- scrubbing agent, reacts with acidic products such as lemon and vinegar
Borax -- disinfects, whitens and deodorizes
White vinegar -- disinfects and loosens grease and grime.
Lemons or Lemon juice -- disinfects, cuts through grease and freshens air.
Olive oil -- picks up dirt, polishes wood
Castile soap -- all-purpose cleaner

Naturally Yours,

Recipe: Eucalyptus-Mint All-Purpose Cleaner

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Mon, 28 Feb 2011 16:13:00 +0000

This recipe is an all-purpose, disinfecting soap for use in your kitchen and bathroom. It can be used for washing dishes, cleaning floors, refrigerator, stove, sinks, bathtub and even as a hand soap! It's very mild to the skin but a very effective cleaning product as well.

Eucalyptus and peppermint are disinfecting and if you have ever smelled this combination, you know that it's a wonderful scent! Also, these oils will keep away crawling insects, fleas and flies.

5 cups grated castile soap

1/2 cup baking soda

1 teaspoon borax

6 cups hot peppermint tea

1 teaspoon eucalyptus essential oil

Place grated soap into a 3-quart stainless steel saucepan and add hot tea. Simmer for 15 minutes. Add baking soda, borax and eucalyptus oil. Store in a plastic jug or spray bottle (be sure to label it!). Shake before using.

Naturally Yours,

Green Cleaning "How-To" Video Series: Bathroom Vanity

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 22 Dec 2010 09:34:00 +0000

As promised, we've begun our much-requested green cleaning video series! Today's video shows how quickly and easily even the dirtiest bathroom vanity can be cleaned using only natural cleaners and microfiber.

What would you like to see in this series of green cleaning videos? Leave comments below.

Happy Cleaning!

Green Cleaning Tip: Keeping Your Drains Unclogged

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Thu, 16 Dec 2010 06:49:00 +0000

We're all about keeping toxic chemicals out of the home. So what about a clogged drain? How do we handle that? It's as easy as pie. No, wait, it's easier.

Suggestion:
Keep your drains cleaning by pouring a cup of baking soda and a cup of white vinegar down the drains weekly. However, should your drain somehow become clogged anyway...

Solution:
1 cup of salt
1 cup of baking soda
1 cup of vinegar

Pour the salt and baking soda into the drain and follow it with vinegar. You may add baking soda and/or vinegar as you see fit. There will be fizzing. This is what pulls out the hair, tissue or whatever is clogging. (I actually got gravel to float up from our clogged sink. It was then that we realized there was a septic tank problem. But the point is that it worked!) Allow to stand for 30 minutes. Flush with 2 quarts of boiling water. Repeat if necessary, follow the above weekly routine, this should work the first time.

Do you have any tips for unclogging drains without the use of toxic chemicals? Please leave in the comments.

Naturally Yours,

Natural Cleaning: Bleach Alternatives

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 07:00:00 +0000

Many of us have grown up with chlorine bleach as a standard product for cleaning our homes. Therefore, we believe it's safe. After all, the government wouldn't permit harmful products to be on the store shelves, right? Wrong.

Today I want to share a few facts with you about chlorine bleach:

Chlorine was the first agent of chemical warfare in WWI.
When using bleach in the workplace, (Occupational Safety And Health Administration), which regulates the safety of the work place, requires that mask and gloves be worn.
Exposure to chlorine has also been strongly linked to breast cancer.
Bleach doesn't clean. It bleaches. There's a difference.
Bleach must remain on a surface for 30 minutes before it truly begins to disinfect.

This list could be much longer, but you get the point. So how do we clean our homes without committing chemical warfare against our own bodies? Here are some ideas which are healthier, easier and certainly more economical.

Cleaning
Soap and water. Sounds almost too easy, doesn't it? But how do you get your body clean? Certainly not with bleach or Mr. Get-You-Clean! Get yourself a gallon of Dr. Bronners or other castile soap you have what it takes to clean your home.

Disinfecting
We all worry about germs in our kitchen and bathroom. So get yourself a gallon of vinegar and a spray bottle. Make a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water to create all the disinfectant you'll need. Don't worry that your home will smell like italian dressing all day. Give it a few minutes to dry and the smell will be gone. I promise!

Mold
Tea tree oil will kill even toxic and black mold. Just use 2 teaspoons of tea tree oil mixed with 2 cups vinegar in a spray bottle.

Laundry
Sunshine: Line drying your clothing is more energy-efficient, economical and the sun naturally whitens clothing.

Peroxide: Use your standard 3% formula which can be purchased at the drug store. Pour ½ cup of your hydrogen peroxide into your bleach dispenser. If you have no dispenser, pour the peroxide into the washer as it fills. Allow the washer to agitate a few times before tossing the laundry into the machine. Peroxide removes blood and grass stains and disinfects. Great for cloth diapers! ***NOTE: This is a bleaching agent. Test a small inconspicuous area first!

Vinegar and Baking Soda: Pour 1 cup of vinegar and ¼ cup of baking soda right in with your laundry. The mixture fizzes. This fizzing action on the part of the baking soda pulls dirt and stains out of the clothing and the acidic vinegar "eats away" at them. Pretty great team, right? The great things is that this mixture can go into all the laundry, whites, colors.. you name it!

Your home should be a place which is safe, healthy and clean. Natural cleaning methods can help you to achieve that goal with minimal cost and no health risks.

Naturally Yours,
Michelle Cannon

Benefits of Cinnamon and Peppermint Essential Oils

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 07:37:00 +0000

Nearly everyone enjoys the scents of cinnamon and peppermint in the wintertime. They're scents we associate with warmth, family gatherings, foods and keeping warm near a fireplace or feeling the brisk winter air against our face. But did you know that cinnamon and peppermint essential oils are great for cleaning your house, too?

Cinnamon oil is has antibacterial, anti-fungal and anti-microbial properties and is a comforting, warming scent. Peppermint oil, in contrast, is vitalizing, refreshing and cooling and offers antibacterial properties (thus its use in mouthwash and toothpaste!) These properties make them excellent for cleaning your home.

All of these things.. the warm scent of cinnamon; the refreshing scent of peppermint and the disinfecting properties of each... are why December 2010 marks the 5th year that Naturally Maid Cleaning is offering to use these essential oils in the cleaners used in your home. Each customer has the option of having their house cleaned, disinfected and scented with their choice of peppermint or cinnamon cleaners!

What are some of your favorite scents of the season?

Naturally Yours,

Coming Soon: Video How-To's of Green Cleaning

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 07:20:00 +0000

Ever wonder what's so great about green cleaning? Have you wondered if it would be more difficult than using conventional products? Completely lost on where to begin or what to use? Then you're in for a treat!

This week I will begin posting a series of how-to videos. In these videos I will show you what to use, how and on what. You will see exactly how well using natural cleaners works on even the worst housecleaning jobs.

Stay tuned..and tell your friends (we have friendly little SHARE button below..)

Naturally Yours,

When Green Isn't Green

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 04:42:00 +0000

Natural cleaning is an age-old practice which is being rejuvenated by the "green" movement that is sweeping the world. Many are seeking to join this movement but aren't sure where to begin. There are many products on the market which are promoted as "safe" or "green". The sad truth is that many of these products aren't truly safe and/or aren't truly supporting the green movement. But how can a person tell which products are good to buy and which aren't?

Follow the Dollar
Our motto is "follow the dollar". If a company is selling products which are "green" but continue to produce products that are toxic, their integrity should be questioned. Are they truly working for the greater good? Or are they making a buck off of the popularity of the green movement? A company which is truly in support of a safer alternative and a healthier planet will sell only natural/green products. If, however, a company is selling "green" products while still producing toxic products, they are disingenuous at best. Whether to lend financial support to them should be strongly considered. More importantly, it's time to ask what ingredients may be in their products, having come from factories producing toxins.

Ingredient List
Look at the label of the product you're considering. Can you read the ingredients? Are the ingredients even listed? A company with integrity and true dedication towards a healthy world will list their ingredients. They have nothing to hide. You should be able to pronounce these ingredients.

Cost
While cost isn't necessarily an indicator of lack of integrity or toxicity of product, it is a consideration to most of us. Many people will choose a toxic cleaning product simply because they believe the alternative will be more expensive. Cost can be a major factor in whether a person decides to "go green" or not. As "green" has become more popular, the prices have become more competitive (supply and demand!) and therefore more affordable.

Keep It Simple
So what other options are there? How can a person "go green" and be sure that the cleaners they choose are truly safe? The answer is simple: Open your cupboard. There you'll find most of your green cleaning kit. The rest of your kit is almost as simple. There is no need to spend a small fortune or rack your brain deciding which products to purchase. You have most of the ingredients in your home already! You simply need someone to help you pull it together.

Check out some of the recipes and cleaning tips we have here at Naturally Maid Cleaning.

What do you consider the best product or ingredient for cleaning your house?
Naturally Yours,
Michelle Cannon

How Can Natural Cleaning Benefit You?

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 16:06:00 +0000

Have you ever wondered about the benefits of natural cleaning? Here are some reasons why you may wish to switch to natural cleaning in your home.

Health Benefits
Look on any the container of any cleaning or personal care product and you'll find a list of seemingly unpronouncable ingredients (if they list the ingredients at all): Parabens (butyl-, ethyl-, methyl-, propylparaben), sodium laurel sulfate (SLS), sodium fluoride, propylene glycol, padimente-O, octyl-methoxycinnamate, D&C colors, FD&C colors, formaldehyde (embalming fluid) or fragrance, just to name a few. The effects of these toxins are listed here. Also, you can visit http://www.scorecard.org/health-effects/ to see a list of ingredients. In fact, you'll find 19 pages of carcinogens there!

According to the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency-produced “The Inside Story: A Guide to Indoor Air Quality”: “A growing body of scientific evidence has indicated that the air within homes and other buildings can be more seriously polluted than the outdoor air in even the largest and most industrialized cities.”

Obviously, if the products on the shelves are the cause of cancer, asthma and other health issues, then they are certainly not healthy. That is the #1 benefit of natural cleaning. Using safe, natural products is going to improve your health.
Cost
Products in your home such as baking soda, vinegar, and lemons are far less expensive than purchasing toxic chemicals. Americans spend 69.1 billion dollars each year on cleaning products. How much do you spend per week? Per month? My family of 6 spends $6.57 per month to clean our home. Mind you that's counters, floors, tubs.. everything. I have not included personal care or laundry in with this figure. My weekly cost for laundry is 50 cents. Yes, you read correctly.. 50cents. It's something to consider, isn't it?

Earth Friendly
Using natural products which are safe (I specify "safe" because natural doesn't necessarily mean "safe". Consider flouride and chlorine for instance.) is earth friendly. Washing toxic chemicals down your drain endangers aquatic animals. It also pollutes the water and land it with which it comes into contact. Also, when using those products, much water is needed for rinsing as much of the toxic residue off as possible. Natural cleaning reduces the need for so much water. For instance, when using a bottle of 50/50 water and vinegar along with a microfiber cloth, there is no need to rinse most of the time. Both evaporate and leave nothing toxic behind to cause health risks or endanger the earth.
Reduced Cleaning Time
One of the big benefits that should appeal to anyone is that natural cleaning reduces the amount of time spent cleaning. The average American woman spends 2.6 hours per day on household activities. Of that, 1.5 hours is spent cleaning. That's 90 minutes per day cleaning. In our household of 6, that has been reduced to 15 minutes twice per day (after breakfast and after dinner).

My personal experience with switching our cleaning service from toxic to natural cleaners was that a house which took us (2 people) 4 hours to clean now takes approximately 45 minutes. Consider our extensive checklist and you'll appreciate how productive we are in our cleaning. How does natural cleaning reduce work time? The answer is simple: Natural cleaning products work harder thereby lessening the time we must spend working.

Those are only a few of the many benefits of natural cleaning. Not only does natural cleaning benefit your health and well-being, but it saves time, money and the earth.

Naturally Yours,
Michelle Cannon

Summer Party Cleanups

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 23:25:00 +0000

Summer brings with it good times.. A family reunion or backyard barbeque; perhaps a June wedding or even a sleepover for the kids. Planning an event can be a stressful time, so why be bothered with yet another stress-- CLEANING!

Whether your event is held at your home, a small clubhouse or a large banquet hall, Naturally Maid Cleaning would love to take that stress off of your shoulders. We do pre- and post- party cleanup. We even offer discounted packages if you use us before and after the party!

Naturally Yours,
Michelle Cannon

Free House Cleanings & Discounts

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Mon, 17 May 2010 05:37:00 +0000

Summer begins on June 21. The warmer weather promises sunshine, days at the beach, hanging out with our children, gardening and any variety of activities. Why be bogged down trying to keep up with the housework when there are so many fun things to do? Naturally Maid can help you with that one. We have a few special promotions to help you get started with your summer!

Free House Cleanings All Summer!
Start your weekly or bi-weekly cleaning service with Naturally Maid Cleaning in May and we'll give you every 5th cleaning FREE all summer long (June-September 21)!!

15% Competitor Discount
Show proof of existing cleaning service and we'll beat their price by 15% (New customers only)

It pays to "Go Green"!!

Naturally Yours,
Michelle Cannon

New Cleaning Rates & Estimate Methods

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Sat, 03 Apr 2010 01:27:00 +0000

I just wanted to post a note that Naturally Maid Cleaning has, in view of the hard economic times through which we are all struggling, lowered cleaning rates.
You'll still receive the great, highly-detailed cleanings using only natural, eco-friendly cleaning products and methods that we've always offered. The only difference is that we've lowered our prices to make our services more affordable for everyone. Feel free to call us or email us for a free estimate.

Also, we are now offering quotes by phone or email rather than upon inspection of your home. We feel this not only saves you the time of waiting for an answer, but is reduces the usage of gasoline on our part. Not only do we find this to be more earth-friendly but it also allows us to pass the savings on to our customers.

Naturally Yours,

Michelle Cannon

Home Organization Part II: The Plan

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 06:49:00 +0000

"Failures don't plan to fail; they fail to plan."

~Harvey Mackay~

As we discussed yesterday, in our General Overview, the first step towards a maintained and organized home is planning. The easiest way to create a cleaning plan is to divide the tasks up by how often they need to be completed. I've found the best way is to create Daily, Weekly, Monthly and Seasonal tasks lists.

Planning Your Checklist
Creating a cleaning checklist for house cleaning is easier than you may think. The greatest advantage to creating your own list is that it will be perfectly suited to your household's needs. Here are some points to ponder:

What tasks need to be accomplished daily, weekly, monthly and seasonally? Consider your family structure and activities. If, for instance, you have very young children, mopping the floor may be a daily task. However, if you live alone, this obviously won't be the case.

Consider your busy days. If you spend all day Thursday running kids to soccer and piano practice after you've homeschooled and done volunteer work, this would obviously not be the day for your weekly tasks!

Streamline your errands. Set aside one day per week for running errands. This not only saves time and money, but also is more eco-friendly. Do not drive more than necessary.

Create the Schedule
After considering your family's needs, schedule, etc, you're ready to make your schedule!

Either take 4 sheets of paper to create your DAILY, WEEKLY, MONTHLY and SEASONAL lists. Or draw 4 columns on one sheet of paper (eco-friendly!) and do the same.

Pull out your weekly schedule and decide when you can do which tasks. Personally, I use 15 minutes in the morning and evening for "chores". Saturday is set aside for weekly task. But perhaps you work weekends, your "Saturday" may be on a Monday.

Still Need Help?

If creating your own schedule is an overwhelming thought, you may view our household schedule.
Daily Schedule
As you can see, we spend 15 minutes in the morning (sometimes less) and 20 minutes after dinner cleaning.

Weekly:
Due to work schedules, our grocery day is Thursday. So..
Wednesday: Create menu and shopping list. Menu posts on refrigerator. Clear old food stuffs from fridge and wipe down using 50/50 vinegar spray and microfiber cloth.
Thursday: Errands at 2pm (bills, groceries, etc.)
Saturday morning we take 1 hour to use our cleaning checklist on our home.
If you stick to your plan most of the time, then those times when schedules get thrown by the wayside for a day won't be such an dreadful situation. Your home should be a place of peace and relaxation. You work hard to have your home, why not enjoy it?

Most Importantly: KEEP IT SIMPLE! The more detailed your list, the more overwhelmed you'll feel. If you keep your eye simple, the job at hand will be far easier and you will be more relaxed about it!

Home Organization Part I: A General Overview

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Sat, 23 Jan 2010 18:25:00 +0000

"Home, sweet home; for there the heart can rest,” said a poet. But for many people, home is a place of unrest and frustration because of its condition and appearance. Organizing a household can be a rather frustrating task even for those who may otherwise consider themselves organized.
Maintaining work and family schedules seems quite enough without adding what seems to be a full-time job of organizing, decluttering and picking up after people. But there are benefits to being organized!

Being well organized gives you time to do things you'd rather be doing. One study shows that “by using an improved method of doing the daily cleaning, a 53 percent saving of time was effected.” Good organization cut work-time in half!
An organized home helps bring stability to one's life. Well organized homes ease the frustration of not being able to find things and the embarrassement of having guests pop in unexpectedly to a messy home.

Organization Requires a Plan

Planning does not mean that you must schedule each hour of the day, although there are people who do that. Instead, create daily, weekly, monthly and seasonal lists. Set aside 15-30 minutes each day for the daily tasks. Try assigning 1 hour on Saturday for weekly tasks. Choose a day of the month to set aside 2 hours for monthly tasks and finally perhaps "ring in" each new season with one day set aside for seasonal chores such as gutter-cleaning and washing the patio furniture.

While planning your cleaning, consider taking steps which prevent "do-overs". Cleaning top to bottom will prevent needing to repeat a task. For instance, cleaning blinds, ceiling fans or the tops of door frames before dusting will prevent the need to dust twice. In fact, dusting should be left in your last 3 tasks..dust, sweep, mop. In this way, you'll save yourself time and aggravation.

Planning your meals saves you time and money. It is far more expensive to "run to the store" each day to pick up a forgotten item or entire meal than it is to purchase your groceries weekly. Plan balanced meals on a menu, create a shopping list and purchase only what is on the list. (By the way, the day you're planning your menu and shopping list is the perfect day to clear out the refrigerator! So set aside a certain day for these.)

Laundry is another area of time consumption. Some set a certain day to do laundry weekly. If this is necessary, by all means, assign it the time. However, in many cases it is easier to do "a load a day". If everyone in the house is gone to work and school during the day, throw the load in before leaving. Upon returning in the afternoon, switch it over to the dryer. While dinner is cooking, fold it and put it away. If, however, mom stays at home during the day, she could start a load before or after breakfast, do the other chores and return to switch it over to the dryer. Just before or after lunch, fold it and put it away.

Organization Means Arrangement

Does it really make that much difference how you arrange things? Recently I wrote an article on kitchen organization. I pointed out the necessity of streamlining. One study showed that when a kitchen was rearranged..using the same space, appliances and countertops.. there was “a saving of 2,191 steps and 1 hour and 3 minutes of time each day.”

Work Methods

Carrying a caddy which contains your cloths, cleaners and other tools makes more sense than running room to room grabbing things, using more valuable time. Using eco-friendly cleaning methods saves a great amount of time as well! Why spend an hour scrubbing something if you can spray it, wait 5-10 minutes and wipe? Yes, it's that easy. And so, method does matter. Method can be the difference between srubbing until your arms ache and having a sparkling clean tub in 5 minutes.

Having an organized home requires a plan, streamlined arrangement and a good cleaning method. Tomorrow we will discuss the "how to's" of developing your plan.

Green Cleaning Explained

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 05:58:00 +0000

There is still some confusion, I think, about what it means to be "green" in our cleaning habits. At Naturally Maid Cleaning, we've learned through trial, error and education exactly how to be green, natural and leave a home disinfected and spotlessly clean. So how exactly do you "green clean"?

What It Means to Be Green

Being green means that we consider our environment. Certainly we must concern ourselves with our home. That is our first environment. Is it clean? Are we leaving toxic residue on our floors, walls, countertops, dishes, etc? Are we taking care to ensure that we're not polluting the air we breathe inside that home? After all, inside air quality fares far worse than outdoor air with its factories and cars. That should tell us something is seriously wrong in our homes! Cleaning with toxic cleaners is the cause of indoor air pollution.

Next, we consider our effect beyond those walls. When we rinse our cleaning cloths and dump our mop buckets, the water goes somewhere. Once the water arrives into the streams, is our cleaning product having a negative impact on aquatic animals? Are we killing fish and harming birds? If I pour the mop bucket outside, what impact does that have on the ground, the plants and the water sources? It also means reducing our use of water and other natural resources.

It's Easy Being Green

Reading through those questions and considerations, you may feel a bit overwhelmed at the thought of being "green" in your cleaning! No worries. It's a lot easier than you think. If you make a habit of the following techniques, you'll be helping your environment and not taking a lot of time to worry about how to do so. Also, you'll greatly diminish the time that you spend cleaning and I think we can all appreciate that!

1. Microfiber: Using microfiber cleaning cloths offers you a variety of benefits.

First, they hold dust and dirt better. This improves air quality because, obviously, the dirt and dust are not being "kicked up" into the air. This is great for everyone but especially those with allergies!
They retain water (and lots of it) better. This reduces trips to the sink which saves time and water.
Because they can be used without cleaning products, this is a great benefit to the environment and your family.
They're reusable, therefore not being thrown into a landfill.
They clean better. Plain and simple. I've never seen chrome and stainless steel shine better than when I use microfiber!

2. Use natural products. I won't go into a long explanation of green washing, but know that a few key ingredients around your home will prevent you from having worry about whether a product is or isn't "green". I have several articles containing green cleaning tips and natural recipes. If you'd like to stick to the basics, vinegar and baking soda cure all that needs to be cured in a home.

3. Cleaning with vinegar and other such ingredients eliminate the need for rinsing thereby saving water. There is simply nothing dangerous left behind if you don't rinse. Everything sparkles and is disinfected by vinegar.

4. Use dish cloths, not sponges. Did you know that salmonella bacterial split (multiply) every 20 minutes or so? That means if one bacteria cell is on a sponge, in 4 hours you'll have 4,096 of them on your sponge! If it came with a few hundred friends, then in that 4 hours, you'll have approximately 1.23 million potential killers on your sponge. So ditch the sponge! Instead:

Purchase 12 dish cloths and put them in a drawer or basket near your sink.
Place a small pail under the sink with water and vinegar in it.
Wash your dishes and IMMEDIATELY toss the cloth into the vinegar and water. (The vinegar will inhibit the growth of mold)
Place a new cloth on the sink decoratively for the next load of dishes.
When you wash towels, dump the pail (vinegar and all!) into the washer.

5. Keep a spray bottle containing 50/50 water and vinegar in each bathroom and the kitchen. This will save you time as it's always handy and you can do a daily spray and wipe thereby reducing cleaning time overall.

6. Ditch papertowels and use your microfiber for wiping spills. Use cloth napkins in the same manner as the dish cloths .. just use and toss into the bucket.

These are your basics of green cleaning. You will be amazed at the time and money you save in your efforts to be kind to the environment and your own health!

Toilet Cleaning: Quick and Easy

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 07:04:00 +0000

Toilet cleaning doesn't require toxic, harsh chemicals. Neither does it require much time. Here are some natural, green, cleaning methods to help you out.

For regular cleanings:

1. Pour some baking soda and vinegar into the toilet. Let it fizz.
2. Take your spray bottle of 50/50 vinegar and water (maybe 5-10 drops of an essential oil if you please) and spray the tank, seat, under the seat, sides, etc.
3. Grab your microfiber cloth and wipe it all to a shine!
4. Grab your toilet scrubber and swish around the toilet.

VOILA! You now have a totally disinfected, shining, pleasant smelling toilet!

What about those yellow mineral stains?
Those are easy too. (Yeah..can you believe I'm saying that?)

1. Turn off water to toilet. Flush to drain it as much as possible.
2. Pour some table salt in there.. maybe up to 1/2 a cup. You need it in there.
3. Now grab a pumice stone and use it like an eraser.. just erase away the stains.

Easy, quick and eco-friendly and inexpensive.

Fall Cleaning in 12 Easy Steps

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 04:38:00 +0000

Cooler temperatures. Crisp breezes. Kids in school. All are indications that Fall is settling in for a visit. What better time to get your house into tip-top shape?
You can open the house up and let nature freshen your air naturally. I find the cooler breezes to be inspiring and uplifting. Fall cleaning is the counterpart to spring cleaning. Like Spring Cleaning, it takes you into another season and gives you a fresh start. Fall cleaning will also make your weekly cleanings easier.

If you're not a person given to cleaning fits such as I am, you may find the task overwhelming. My motto: Keep it simple. If you have children and a spouse, the work can be shared. If not, you can still spruce your home without it being a task of drudgery.

Outside the Home

Clean out your garage. Have a yard sale, donate items or gift them on Freecycle. Hose the summer grime out of the garage.
Wash your windows inside and outside.The summer leaves windows just as grimy as winter. It's a simple way to make a big difference and it will make spring window washing easier.
Before storing your patio furniture and children’s outdoor toys away for the winter, wash them down with vinegar and water, then cover them.
Drain and store garden hoses if you live in colder areas. If you have an in-ground sprinkler system, have it professionally blown out and winterized. (again..colder areas)
Check debris from gutters and downspouts.
Check the caulk, seals and weather stripping around all windows and doors and repair if needed. Wipe down window wells and ledges. Wipe down exterior doors.

Inside the Home

Change your filters for cleaner air and a more efficient heating system.
Have your fireplace and chimney inspected and cleaned.
Change the batteries in your smoke detectors and other home safety devices.
Schedule a professional carpet cleaning (preferably from a green carpet service!)
Flip your mattresses.
Clean behind refrigerators, washers and dryers. Clean out the exhaust portions of dryers to prevent lint fires. Brush off refrigerator coils.

I hope this comes in handy and don't forget that you can use our cleaning checklist for weekly cleanings.

Happy Green-Cleaning!

Michelle

When Life Hands You Lemons... CLEAN!!!

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 06:04:00 +0000

Everyone loves that "lemony fresh" scent that the toxic cleaner manufacturers promise in the commercials. We love that scent because it is an uplifting scent (aromatherapy) and motivates us to get moving. But did you know that lemons provide antibacterial and antiseptic properties which make them ideal as a cleaning agent?
Their natural acidity make them perfect for cleaning soap scum and hard water stains. (Not to mention no chemical cleaner can beat the "lemon-y freshness" of a real lemon!!!)

Laundry (whites)
Add 1/2 cup of lemon juice to your laundry rinse cycle when washing whites. You’ll notice the difference!

Lemons can be used to remove fabric stains. Dab salt and lemon juice onto the stain, place in sun to dry, then rinse well and wash as normal.

Furniture Polish
Mix one part olive oil to one part lemon juice, then rub the liquid in with a soft rag. The same mix will also give shine to those wood floors

Glass and Windows
1 qt of water plus 1/4 cup of vinegar and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice will not only shine up the windows but freshen and purify the air.

Countertops
Bleach those stains with undiluted lemon juice. Rub countertop with lemon juice and let sit for a while then rinse. **Do not do this with granite or marble!!**

Cleaning doesn't have to be expensive nor does it need to be a drudgery. A little lemon can wake us up, get us moving and put some zing into cleaning.

Green Cleaning: Hydrogren Peroxide

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 22:27:00 +0000

Hydrogen peroxide is another natural cleaning ingredient that is inexpensive to purchase and makes a great cleaner. Besides saving money, hydrogren peroxide makes a great all-purpose cleaner and bleach and is eco-friendly. It will not harm the environment or cause your dog to grow 4 more legs.

Hydrogren Peroxide is antibacterial and antifungal and kills mold and mildew. Your average 3% hydrogen peroxide (yes, the same stuff you get at the pharmacy) will do this without causing danger to your or your environment.

Hydrogren peroxide must be kept in a dark bottle. If you simply put a sprayer into the original bottle, it can be used that way for treating mildew, mold, bloodstains, and such "spot" cleaners. If you choose to use it full strength on hard surfaces such as countertops, be sure to rinse afterwards. However, you can simply mix the peroxide half-n-half with water into a dark spray bottle and eliminate the need to rinse.

For laundry:
Remove blood stains on clothes. Just pour on the stained area.

Add one cup to a load of diapers to disinfect, deodorize, and whiten them.
Add one cup of peroxide to whites as a bleach.

Remember, too, that this is a bleach. Test on colors and darks before using!!!

I've mention the benefits of vinegar in a previous article. I'd like to mention here that vinegar and peroxide are perfect compliments to one another. They have opposite properties with regards to their antibacterial properties. Many times I simply spray one, wipe, then spray the other and wipe. I do this on areas such as counter tops and places where meat has been cut, sinks where staph and salmonella germs can thrive, and toilet seats.

It can also be used to disinfect:
Toilet brushes
Toothbrushes
sponges (although we do not consider sponges to be eco-friendly)
items from a sickroom such as thermometers
dental retainers

And the list goes on. Hydrogen peroxide is certainly an economical way to "Green Clean".

Microwave Cleaning Made Easy

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 00:07:00 +0000

Cleaning a kitchen isn't always a pleasant thing. For me, it's a task to be avoided like WalMart on Black Friday. I simply don't like cleaning kitchens! Cleaning certain items can bring new meaning to the word "chore". The microwave that has been neglected can certainly prove to be one of these dreaded tasks if one doesn't know how to make it quick and easy. While I personally do not use microwaves, as the owner of a natural cleaning service, I have cleaned more than my fair share.

As with anything, prevention is worth a pound of cure. Wiping spills as they happen will save you endless amounts of elbow grease in the end. Unfortunately getting everyone in the house to comply with this rule may be easier said than done. Whether the blame can be put on kids, employees, or even our own lack of motivation to stay on top of the matter, a microwave can become a tomb of dried splatters and odors. So what about that pound of cure?

The truth is that cleaning a microwave can be made into a fairly simple task and you can do it in an eco-friendly way. All you need is a few very simple household ingredients:

Water
Vinegar
Lemon or lemon juice
20 minutes of your time

For a regular maintenance clean:

Put 50/50 water and vinegar (and maybe lemon juice for your own uplifting scent and increased grease-cutting power). Spray, allow to sit for 2-3minutes. Wipe.

For that really grimy, neglected microwave:

Place 2 cups of water and 1/2 cup of vinegar in a microwave-safe bowl. Turn on HIGH for 3-5 minutes. (The water must boil. If not, add a few more minutes until it does.) Then allow it to sit for another 5 minutes or so. This will allow the steam and vinegar to loosen the grime and food. Grab your micro-fiber cleaning cloths and wipe clean! Clean the top, bottom, sides, window, door, door seals and seams.

What about Odors?

The use of vinegar in the above recipe should rid your microwave of odors. But what if you didn't need to clean a grimy microwave? What if you just need to rid the microwave of that never-ending buttery-popcorn smell? Simple enough! Place a thick slice of lemon on a paper towel (or 3tbsp of lemon juice in 1 1/2 cup of water in a bowl) in the microwave. If you throw a few cloves in there, that's even better. Set on HIGH for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes. Allow to sit for 10-15 minutes or longer. Then wipe clean. Leave door open to air it out a bit more.

The next time you're facing the dreaded task of cleaning your microwave. Remember these few tips for natural, Eco-friendly, low-cost way of cleaning and freshening your microwave oven.

Organizing Your Kitchen

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 00:03:00 +0000

Clutter can be the downfall of any well-run house. Not only is it overwhelming to the mind, but clutter can give the impression of "dirty" to even the cleanest home. It is also a big time-killer.

According to the American Demographics Society, "Americans waste 9,000,000 hours per day searching for misplaced items."

The Wall Street Journal reports, "The average U.S. executive wastes six weeks per year searching for missing information in messy desks and files. (That translates into one hour per day.)"

. I've found a somewhat complex way of organizing my house which completely simplifies my life. I will not share that lengthy process here today. I'm simply going to share a few tips for removing clutter from a kitchen.

1. Knick-knacks are great! But they're only great in moderation. If you find that they collect dust faster than you can clean them; or that you have no room on your counters for the completion of normal kitchen tasks, then they need to go. I suggest a garage sale or joining your local FreeCycle group as a way of sharing your wealth and removing clutter from your kitchen.

2. Plants are great! However if the vines from your spider plant are dropping their sprouts and dirt all over the counters or you can't see through the window, trim them up or move some to another part of the house. Creating less work for yourself eases the burden of cleaning.

3. Utensils are great (and necessary)! One container sitting next to the cooking area is perfect. Or perhaps hang your utensils above your stove. Utensils thrown together in various drawers or even one over-crowded drawer is a time-waster because you must go digging about to locate them.

4. Streamline, streamline, streamline! I can't stress this enough. As a former waitress, cook and currently the owner of a cleaning service, this is weighs in heavily with me. Streamlining means cutting down steps to save time. One study showed that when a kitchen was rearranged there was “a saving of 2,191 steps and 1 hour and 3 minutes of time each day.”

It makes no sense to travel to the north side of the kitchen for a cup when the coffee maker is on the south side! Put your coffee maker beneath your cup cabinet or near your cup tree. The filters can be placed in the drawer beneath the coffee maker. Do the same with all coffee-related things.

Then do this with your dishes. Do you serve your food from the stove directly onto plates which are then taken to the table? Perhaps the best place for your dishes is in a cabinet near the stove. However, if you set the entire table with dishes and bring the food to the table, another cabinet closer to the table would make more sense.

What about your food preparation area? Is it near the food? The utensils? What about your canisters of flour, sugar, cornmeal? Are the sitting on the counter that you prepare baked goods? I'm sure you get the point. Streamlining reduces the number of steps your travel and helps you accomplish your tasks in a more efficient manner.

5. Organize your food cabinets. Cans, boxes, pastas, breads, etc. Again..coordinate this to where you will be using them.

Kitchens can be a great place for family time, having coffee with the neighbors, or studying. Why not spend more time enjoying those activities and less time feeling overwhelmed by the clutter. Clutter is the #1 enemy to any organized home.

The Virtues of Vinegar

noreply@blogger.com (Michelle) — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 18:07:00 +0000

While most people recognize that vinegar is a top-notch window cleaner and can be used to clean a coffee maker, mention using it for the entire house and you're certain to be faced with some funny looks! The fact is that vinegar can be used as a mainstay in your home cleaning supply kit. In our home and natural cleaning business, vinegar is the one ingredient we always have on hand. Even if we should run out of just all other cleaning ingredients or products, we can still manage to the do the job effectively and professionally if we have vinegar.

Vinegar cuts through soap scum, polishes chrome, disinfects and freshens the air. It's great for getting rid of mold and mildew as well. Vinegar also has powerful disinfecting properties. Vinegar has been shown to kill 99% of bacteria, 82 percent of mold and 80% of viruses. "But what about the smell?" someone may ask. The good news is that as vinegar dries, the smell evaporates with it leaving the air clean and smelling fresh. Can chlorine bleach claim that?

Can I add other ingredients?

Yes! Combine the vinegar with other ingredients and you've created some top-notch cleaning products. Add salt, and chrome not only shines, but lime scale deposits vanish. Add some baking soda, and you've got a wonderful scrub for shower doors, sinks, toilets, and more. Mix baking soda and vinegar in the toilet to for a chemical-free, toxin-free, septic-safe product for getting rid of any clog (works in sinks too!).

Add essential oils and not only have you created some wonderful fragrances but they have their own disinfecting and healing properties as well. Lemon or Orange oil will not only clean your kitchen but give you an "uplifted" spirit. Add eucalyptus to your vinegar and water and you've go the world's best grease cutter! Mix a few drops of eucalyptus, rosemary and tea tree oil to rid your home of the cold or flu germs!

What about laundry?

In the laundry, vinegar helps clean and disinfect clothing. Toss in some baking soda and/or borax and you've created a highly effective laundry booster! Add vinegar to the final rinse for softening and freshening the clothes. I've even removed water stains from wood using vinegar and olive oil.

Vinegar has at least 100 uses that I can think of.. From gardening tips to removing the smell of cat urine from carpet; treating a cold or sinus infection to taking the burn out of a sunburn. This could be a book really (and probably already is!) but suffice it to say that you can clean cheaply, effectively and thoroughly without ever purchasing another toxic cleaning product if you simply keep vinegar in the kitchen cabinet.

by Michelle Cannon
Owner of Naturally Maid Cleaning