Sharing is Caring, Especially When It Comes to Cleaning

How to Disinfect Toys

April 17 by

Most websites will tell you to clean baby toys with a mixture of water and chlorine bleach. Personally, I don’t like the idea of my child putting anything covered in bleach in it’s mouth, but how else can a toy be disinfected and still safe?

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.

Filed Under: House Cleaning Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Polish Your Silver Using Aluminum Foil

April 9 by

You don’t need to buy expensive silver polish to clean your candlesticks and silverware, just use a little bit of science instead. Make sure that whatever you want to clean is real silver, as this method only works on real silver and not stainless steel.

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.

Filed Under: House Cleaning Tagged With: , ,

Decoding Your Laundry

April 8 by

Have you ever wondered what those tiny symbols listed under care instructions mean on the tags of clothing and textiles? For all of you who wonder, enjoy this little explanation on those rather important and super vague symbols. May you never go confused or ruining clothes, again.

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.”

Filed Under: House Cleaning Tagged With: , , , , ,

Spring Into Family Fun

March 26 by

We all know spring cleaning the house requites help from more than just one set of hands, so follow some of our tips on how to turn spring cleaning into a fun experience of the whole family.

Start with a family meeting. Confirm a definite date and time for your cleaning extravaganza. Triple check all schedules to make sure you don’t overlap or conflict any commitments or events. Once you set a time, keep it.

Pre-shop. Buy and gather all supplies at least one day before your spring cleaning event. This keeps you organized and prepared for the big day. Breaking the momentum to run to the store can really put a damper on every one’s attitude.

Tourney time. Divide the cleaning and organizing chores evenly and then create even teams of your family members. Create team names, mascots, colors and cheers. First team to finish gets a special prize at the end of the day.

Tune-age. Have each family member give you their top ten favorite songs and create a mixed CD to keep you cleaning, singing and grooving through the day.

Time outs. Schedule breaks with snacks and down time. Serve your family favorites snacks along with some healthy choices to keep energy and blood sugar levels stable.

Photo opportunities. Let each team designate one photographer to take pictures of the days events. Create a scrap book or photo collage for the house. You never know what your kids will use as great family memories for their children.

Everyone is a winner. Treat everyone to a prize at the end of the day. Whether you order a pizza or head to the movies, make sure you have something fun, relaxing and rewarding to share with your family.

Filed Under: House Cleaning Tagged With: , , , , ,

How to Get Sticky Stains Off Your Sofa

March 6 by

Finding gum, candy and other sticky substances on your sofa doesn’t mean that your furniture is ruined. Knowing the right way to remove sticky stains will help you restore your upholstery, without expensive cleaners.

Cleaning sticky things like gum, candy and chocolate all starts with a common household item: ice. Just rub an ice cube over the stain until it becomes hard. Next, use a blunt edge tool like a butter knife to chip the gum or candy off the fabric. Be gentle on the fabric, scraping too hard will rub in the stain and could scratch your sofa as well.

Before using any upholstery cleaner, be sure to test it on a part of the sofa that’s not visible. If the cleaner is safe for your sofa, go ahead and apply a small amount of cleaner to the area with a clean, white rag. Gently blot up the cleaner with a dry, clean, white rag. Continue this process of applying and removing cleaner until all the gum is gone.

Next time you find a sticky mess on your sofa, don’t despair. Cleaning up is super easy when you know what to do.

Filed Under: House Cleaning Tagged With: , , , , ,