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."