Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Spic and Span


Reader's Digest, when was the last time you picked one up? Honestly, it's been years for me but there was a time when I was growing up that it came into our house monthly and was read cover to cover. Lots of information in there- health articles, in depth interviews on current events, funny jokes and even a few recipes. Mom took Better Homes and Gardens and Ladies Home Journal, I can remember her sitting reading a magazine in the afternoon... her version of a coffee break. She was a typical 50's housewife who got up before everyone else, made breakfast and then woke us up, fed us and got us off to school. The rest of the day revolved around household chores, cleaning, laundry and cooking. Her chosen career was family, she never worked outside the home. That's not to say she didn't work hard, her days were long and unglamorous, but she took great pride in her home and making our lives content. I can never remember a time when the bathroom didn't sparkle or the kitchen sink was full.

When I got married she gave me some very good advice... she said you only need a few products to clean your house. Her favorites were ammonia, bleach and Ajax. With those in her cupboard and rags to clean with, she could tackle anything! She wasn't one to use paper towels, the very idea of throwing something away was against her religion!

I asked a Facebook friend the other day for some advice on cleaning our wood floors. She owns a cleaning company and I couldn't resist picking her brain for the best products. She highly recommended Glitsa floor cleaner over the Murphy's Oil Soap that I've been using. Also she said a steam mop will make quick work of hardwood floors, but spring for the professional quality one instead of the cheaper model. She knows her stuff, I had bought the low end Shark and didn't like it. I love my Don Aslett microfiber mop that I ordered from QVC. It takes all of 10 minutes start to finish to mop my wood floors. When I'm done they shine like glass until Ben drools or we track in something on our shoes! I like it clean though, so I mop often.

Twitter feed had these 'Housekeepeeper's Little Known Cleaning Tips" from the current issue of Reader's Digest. It's still pumping out the articles we love to read!

"The best way to dust blinds: Close them, then wipe up and down with an old dryer sheet. It'll create an antistatic barrier that helps prevent dust from building up again.
The Mr. Clean Magic Eraser is your friend. It will cut your cleaning time in half for bathtubs, sinks, countertops, and dirty walls.
To clean glass and mirrors, use coffee filters, not paper towels. They leave no streaks or lint — and they're cheap.
Vinegar and water is a great deodorizer for a musty bathroom. Spray your shower down as you're getting out. It really absorbs the odors, and the smell of vinegar goes away in an hour.
A wet pumice stone will clean a dirty oven faster than any spray-on product.
Vacuuming bathroom mats is a nightmare. Toss them in the wash every week or two instead.
To damp-mop wood floors, use plain water or a water-based floor cleaner like Bona. Don't use vinegar. The acid in it will pit your polyurethane finish, can void your warranty, and may reduce shine over time.
Seventh Generation dish liquid diluted with water is a great nontoxic all-purpose cleanser. Just put two squirts in a spray bottle and fill it with water.
Our biggest secret weapon? A powdered product called Bar Keepers Friend (amazon.com). We use it on everything. Its active ingredient is rhubarb powder, which really cuts through grit and grime. It cleans glass-top stoves, counters, toilets, porcelain and more. Your sink will never be shinier.
To clean your microwave oven, microwave a cup of water with some baking soda in it until it's boiling. That eliminates odors and makes it super easy to wipe away all that stuck-on stuff.
Clean cobwebs with a yardstick covered by a tube sock. That also works for cleaning under stoves and refrigerators.
Shine your bathroom tiles with lemon oil. It also helps prevent mold and mildew.
To eliminate that ring in your toilet, drop in a bubbling denture tablet, and leave it for at least 30 minutes or overnight. The stain will come off with just a few swishes of the brush."

10 comments:

  1. This was very true of my Mother also Joycee. The 50's were a lovely time to grow-up. These are fantastic cleaning secrets! Thanks for sharing....also a QVC friend!

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  2. I am heading to Wal Mart today to pick up some of the products mentioned here.

    I already discovered BarKeeps Friend.

    My favorite product for the bathroom is the generic citric acid one like Lysols only half the price.

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  3. Now that is a shinny floor!! Wow almost afraid to walk on it. Great tips:)

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  4. It depends on what kind of floors you have. There are so many kinds of different wood now you have to be careful. To much water on some of these wood floors will cause damage or take the finish off. They have engineered wood floors you spray or use their special applicator on. On these floors especially if it is a large area I use a large professorial mop ( blue head mop head). This mop won't leave any fuzz. Wash it on gentle let it dry through not all the way over night and spray floors down with spray and mop.

    On the other new floors I dry mop. I use very little cleaner. I wring all the water out of the mop. And mop. I have another sifter type mop that is commercial with several
    era
    Different replacement clothes that I dry the floor with. On the brand new wood floors you don't want to put hardly any water on it can cause them to pop up or damage them. I very seldom use steam.

    I never use Murpphys on anything. It leaves a oiy film after awhile and it is very hard to get off.
    I have very old floors that are real wood. I use a neutralized cleaner. I also rinse my floors and dry them with a slider mop that has clean clothes that I can replace.

    It is very important to know what kind of wood floors you have to be able to clean them. It is no longer one size fits all.

    I also have half my house in tile. I burn wood and wanted something burn proOf. I know that the sealer you. Use for grout is important. My sealer has to be redone once a year. I use a neutral ear cleaner on these floors also. Very little cleaner and I also rinse these floors after I am done. I steam clean the floors once a yr. with a commercial steam cleaner you can rent. Then I reSeal the floors I use a spray and reveal them three times.

    I do commercial cleAning. I have done this for over 25 years. It is very important as expensive as things are to make sure you clean without creating Early wear and tear or damage that costs a lot to repair.

    Cleaning granite counter tops you don't need fancy cleaner. Use 1 cup of alchol and a few drops of dish soap and fill the rest of a spray bottle with water. You don't need fancy sprays it needs to be a neutralizer. Spray and dry your tops. This is a natural stone cleaner. Peroxide will take stains up use it as soon as you see the stain.
    I. Hope this was okay to post. If you want to know anything else I might be able to help on cleaning. If not just tell me to stop. Thanks

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  5. My mother was a stay at home mom too,and I know I benefited from that. I have laminate floors,and they are very hard to keep clean. I enjoyed your post and helpful hints,I will remember them,thanks,and another thank you for the follow! Blessings Jane

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  6. gonna have to try the dryer sheet w/ the mini blinds. mine need it badly!

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  7. I detest out mini blinds just because of the dust they collect, so I might be trying the dryer sheet thing soon. Also, I haven't ever use the Bar Keepers Friend. May be looking for that.

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  8. Hi, my name is Heather! Please email me when you can, I have a question about your blog!

    HeatherVonSJ[at]gmail[dot]com

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  9. You would not believe how many Reader's Digest I have saved, from years gone by! Loved them.

    Since I can't use bleach, ammonia, or Ajax, vinegar is a great friend!

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  10. Great post girl! I love my steam mop too! I wish I could keep my floors spiffy all the time. Seems as soon as I get it pretty then one of the critters or the family come tromping through. Doesn't help with me coming in from feeding critters too. Never ending but I do try. Yours looks lovely so shiny and pretty.
    Debbie

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