Start by setting up all your outdoor furniture outside on the lawn, then brush off all of the excess leaves, dirt and grime that have settled. Next hose down all the furniture to rinse off easily washed away dirt.

Use warm, soapy water and a tough brush to scrub away all signs of stuck dirt. Instead of soap, you can also use a mixture of white vinegar and water.

Get a special polisher or protector for metal outdoor furniture, to remove any signs of rust. Wooden outdoor furniture can be easily repainted or sealed for even more protection.

Canvas coverings for outdoor furniture washes easily in the washing machine, but remember to put it back on the furniture while it’s still wet so that it keeps the correct shape.

Now that your outdoor furniture is sparkling clean, you can sit back and enjoy.

Great Mother’s Day breakfasts in bed can be as simple as eggs, toast and bacon, french toast, oatmeal or yogurt and granola. The food itself isn’t all that matters. Try putting some flowers and other decorations on the tray along with the breakfast.

To make this breakfast in bed extra special, try waiting until the mother of the house wakes up on her own before bringing her food. Breakfast in bed is very exciting, but so is sleeping in late!

Happy Mother’s Day.

Unless you spend your winters in Florida, your grill has spent the past few months gathering grime and dirt. For scraping off all that grime, we recommend purchasing a grilling stone. Wire scrapers and brushes are not as effective as grilling stones, and they are worth purchasing.

After scrubbing off most of the major grease, many grills can be cleaned similar to self cleaning ovens. Just run the grill for half an hour at a high temperature. This burns up most of the stuck on goop, and after the grill has cooled down, another scraping with the grill stone will leave your barbeque as good as new, or almost new.

Get a good product, like Stainless Steel Magic, to clean the outside of your grill. By the time you’re done your barbecue will be so shiny you won’t let anyone else touch it.

Burger anyone?

Start by running a lime around the edge of each glass. Fill a saucer with kosher salt, and then dip the wet glasses onto the saucer so that the rim of each glass has salt stuck to it.

Next, place the following ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.
½ cup fresh lime juice
¼ cup tequila
1 ½ tablespoons Cointreau
3 tablespoons sugar (or agave nectar to cut down on calories even more)
12 ice cubes

Poor the mixture into glasses, and enjoy!

This year, celebrate in style with this great low calorie margarita recipe.

First, take the clothes outside and brush off any visible mildew. Doing this outside keeps the mildew from spreading in your home and the sunlight also helps kill mildew.

Bleach is the best way to get mildew out of clothes, but make sure you use the right kind of bleach. If possible, use chlorine bleach and wash with the hottest water possible. Oxygen bleach is safer for most fabrics, so if you can’t use chlorine bleach soak the clothing in oxygen bleach and super hot water for half an hour before washing.

Sun dried clothing is rough on the skin, but it’s worth leaving your clothes to dry in the sun after washing to kill any remaining mildew. When the clothes are almost dry, running them through the dryer for a few minutes will soften them.

Don’t let mildew ruin your summer wardrobe.

The odor that penetrates your work out clothes is the result of the bacteria that feed on sweat. To keep work out clothes clean, try using a laundry detergent that’s anti bacterial as well.

Also, high heats kill germs, so be sure to wash your work out clothes in the hottest water possible. Adding half a cup of baking soda, or some distilled vinegar, will also help keep your work out clothes clean and odor free.

Most people don’t have time to do a load of laundry every time they go to the gym. Try keeping gym clothes in a separate laundry basket, and sprinkle them with baking soda to help remove odor. Sprinkling baking soda inside your gym back will also help cut down on odors, and prevent your work out clothes from getting stinky before you even wear them.

A lot of work out clothes are made with quick drying material. If you’re worried about not having enough work out clothes, or you prefer not to leave smelly laundry hanging around, quickly hand wash work out clothes.

A quick soak in a bucket of hot water with baking soda and vinegar, or some detergent, will rinse away sweat and odors. Just hang the clothes to dry and you’re ready to go.

These woven mats look totally different than a standard rug, because of the way the bamboo is woven. Bamboo is a grass which grows up to 10 feet a year, and new growth starts the minute the stem is cut!

Not only are bamboo rugs good for the environment, but they are wonderful for allergy sufferers. Regular area rugs can capture dirt beneath the surface, and need to be cleaned regularly. On the other hand, bamboo rugs have nowhere for dust and dirt to hide so they are easy to clean.

Bamboo rugs are very sturdy, and add an interesting touch to any room. If you’re looking for something environmentally friendly, new and interesting, then it’s time to look to bamboo.

There are a few easy ways to clean and disinfect toys, without using harsh chemicals.

Distilled white vinegar is the organic cleaners best friend. Not only is white vinegar a great disinfectant, but it also removes odors and stains. Mix a solution of equal parts white vinegar and water, and viola!

Place the mix in a spray bottle and use it to wipe down your child’s toys.

And don’t worry about the vinegar smell, that will go away quickly, much faster than the smell of bleach!

For any type of toy that doesn’t contain wood or batteries, simply tossing them into the dishwasher will work perfectly.

Teething rings and plastic toys can also be washed with the dishes, in hot, soapy water. Remember not to soak wooden toys as they will grow mold.

Most stuffed animals can go through the washing machine on a gentle cycle, and dried on low. If the toy is already well worn, place it inside a pillow case before putting it through the machine.

With a few simple tricks, it’s easy to clean your child’s toys without using harsh chemicals.

Fill a pot with one liter of water, 1 tablespoon of baking soda, a dash of table salt and a piece of aluminum foil. Bring the mixture to a boil and then add silver pieces to the water. Only add a few pieces at a time, and it’s very important that the silver touches the aluminum foil. They should touch for about 10 seconds, or more if the silver is very tarnished.

This method of cleaning silver uses science to return the silver sulfide (tarnish) back into metallic silver. While this method works wonders, some people claim that it works too well. Antique silver looks pretty with dark tarnish highlighting designs in the silver, and this cleaning method will remove that tarnish as well. However, regular silver polishes will scratch wear down silver, whereas this method keeps your silver brand new.

This is a super easy, organic way of cleaning silver at home.

Hand Wash Only: This symbol shows a hand reaching into a small basket with water inside.

Machine Wash: Small basket partially filled with water. Sometimes it will have a number written in the basket which indicates water temperature.

Machine Wash Delicate: This symbol also shows a small basket partially filled with water and two horizontal vertical lines under the basket.

Chlorine Bleach (Or any other kind of bleach): If you garment has a white triangle symbol, you may use chlorine bleach to treat and wash the item.

Do Not Use Chlorine Bleach (Or any other kind of bleach): A black triangle with an “X” running through it means that you should NOT use chlorine bleach on the item.

Tumble Dry: For an item that can go in the dryer, you will see a small square with a circle inside. The number of dots will indicate the proper dryer temperature: 1 dot = low heat, 2 dots = medium heat, 3 dots = high heat

Hang Dry: A small square with a half circle at the top (which kind of looks like a drooping clothes line) indicates that hang drying is highly recommended (especially outside in the sun and wind).

Ironing: If ironing is acceptable for the garment you will see a small iron on the tag. Again the number of dots (like with the tumble dry symbol) will indicate the proper heat.

Do Not Iron: If ironing is not acceptable or recommended for the garment, you will see an iron crossed out with an “X.”