If you have crusty gunk on your shower head, all you need to clean it is a plastic baggie and some vinegar. Voila!
Dust Be Gone
Dust drives my allergies crazy, plus it’s also kind of gross. Did you know that dust is mostly made of your dead skin cells? Ew! No one wants that in their home. Instead of constantly battling it with swiffers and furniture polish, there are ways to simply prevent having a dusty home (or at least, that will help you dust less often). Check out these tips by Carl and Jennifer at How to Build it for tips:
-Wash pillows, blankets, and other linens regularly
-Replace your air filters
-Get rid of excessive décor items that only gather dust
-Vacuum couch cushions and beat rugs
-Turn the “fan” on your thermostat when cleaning to help filter all the dust you’re kicking up.
How To Get Nail Polish Out Of Anything
I live in a house of women. Me, my sister, my mom, and my grandma all live under one roof with my dad. Even all our pets are females. I also love painting my nails, and have a pretty impressive collection of nail polish, if I may say so. Needless to say, accidents happen. I’ve spilled nail polish on carpets, sheets- basically no surface is safe. That’s why I depend on articles like this one by Taylor at Stain Removal 101. Here’s how to get rid of nail polish stains from any sort of fabric:
Washable fabric and clothing: Blot the fabric with acetone. Rinse with cool water. Repeat as needed until no more nail polish comes up. Then pretreat the area with a stain remover and throw it in the washer.
Upholstery: Blot off as much as you can without further spreading it. Apply acetone using an eyedropper. Immediately blot with a paper towel or white cloth. Repeat as needed. If more remains, use a dry cleaning solvent.
Friday Fun Video: How To Clean Stainless Steel
Give your kitchen and bathroom an extra shine with these tips.
Cleaning For Home Sellers
Imagine you are going to look at a house that you might buy. Now imagine that there are dirty dishes in the sink, piles of laundry everywhere, a visible litterbox, and unmade beds in every room. Of course, it’s normal. It’s lived in. Most people’s houses look like that on a day-to-day basis, unless you have hours to devote to housekeeping every day. But would you buy a home that looked like that owner didn’t even lift a finger to get it guest-ready? No. When you’re selling your home, your home isn’t really yours anymore. Your Realtor will be dropping by regularly, and strangers will be walking through your home, maybe on a daily basis. That’s why you need to step up your cleaning! Check out this post by Becky at Cleanmama for cleaning checklists for home sellers! (They are also printable! How cute!)
DIY Toilet Cleaner
I’m a huge fan of making my own household products. Usually, the ingredients are very cheap and you can make the products in large batches. An added bonus is that you know exactly what you are putting into them. That’s why I love this post by Sara McFall at My Merry Messy Life! Here is their recipe for all natural homemade toilet bowl cleaner:
1/4 cup liquid castile soap
1 3/4 cup water
2 tablespoons baking soda
1 teaspoon of essential oils to kill bacteria and freshen
Mix all ingredients in a 16 oz. or larger squirt bottle and gently shake or swish.
Squirt in the toilet bowl and use a brush to scrub it clean.
Maintenance Tasks To Complete When You Move In To A New Home
So, you just bought a new house. Once you’ve made the offer, closed the deal, packed up, and moved in, your work is done….right? Well, not really. There are a few maintenance tasks that everyone moving into a new home should complete. It will make your house safer, cleaner, and just more comfortable over all. Check out this post by Courtney Craig at House Logic for tips:
-Change the locks
-Check for plumbing leaks- even if your inspector already did this, you should double check.
-Steam clean the carpets
-Wipe out and sanitize all cabinets and surfaces
-Call in a pest removal service- to get rid of bugs and rodents
Places To Clean (That You’ve Forgotten)
After I had lived in my apartment for almost a year, my roommate had the bright idea of vacuuming the big vent for the AC in the living room. After a year, we had all just sort of figured that the vent was a grayish black color. Lo and behold, after he vacuumed the thick layer of dust off of it, the vent underneath was white. Pretty gross. It’s not pleasant to think about, but there are areas like that all over your house. Places you see every day but don’t even think to clean- places that get really, really dirty. Read this post at Life As Mama for a list:
-Remote controls
-Your steering wheel
-Pop up sink toppers
-Air conditioning and heating vents (told you!)
-Kids’ toys
-Knife block
-Bath Mat
-Toothbrush holder
Dishwasher Cleaning Tips
If your dishwasher is full of icky bacteria, it’s not going to do a very good job of getting your dishes clean. It’s easy to forget about, but it’s extremely important to clean your dishwasher periodically. But, how do you do it? You’d think that just running it would take care of it, but that’s not always the case. To kill bacteria and get rid of built up food and grime, read this post by Cheryl at Tidy Mom:
-Start with an empty dishwasher. Remove all parts
-Use paper towels to remove debris and gunk
-Using paper towels, remove debris and food gunk (I’ve even found hair??) .
- Use a damp rag that’s been wet with vinegar water to wipe down inside and edges of door, use a toothbrush or q-tip to get in tiny places.
-Add 2 cups of white vinegar to the bottom of the dishwasher and turn it on to Energy or Low Wash. Stop the machine in mid-wash, so the vinegar can set on the bottom and work. Let it stand for about 20 minutes, then turn on to finish cycle.
The Best Way To Wash Windows
When you have dogs and kids running around your home, keeping your windows clean is extremely important. I can’t tell you how many wet-nose-marks and sticky kid finger prints I’ve cleaned off of my glass. Sadly, many times the windows end up being even worse looking when I’m done with them. I’m absolutely terrible at wiping them down, and I always leave streaks everywhere. But, after reading this post by Chaotically Creative at Hometalk, I know I’ll never leave streaks again:
-Dishwashing liquid
-Bucket
-Scrubby pads
-Squeegee
-Scrub windows with the soap and water
-Squeegee it off
-Dry!