Sharing is Caring, Especially When It Comes to Cleaning

Make Your Own Pumpkin Spice Latte

September 19 by

Pumpkin Spice Latte | Flat Rate Carpet BlogWith the cool autumn breeze comes the delicious desire for warm drinks. It’s time to toss aside the ice coffee and move on to fall delicacies like pumpkin spice lattes. This fall flavored coffee is super easy to whip up at home, and will save you a bundle by making it yourself.

Ingredients:

  • ¼ cup espresso or half a cup of very strong coffee
  • 2 cups milk (non fat, whole, soy – any kind you like)
  • 2 tablespoons canned pumpkin
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons sugar (more or less depending on your taste)
  • ½ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Directions:

Mix together the milk, sugar and pumpkin in a medium sized sauce pan. Then cook the mixture over a medium heat until it starts to steam.
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the remaining ingredients.
Either blend the mixture for a few seconds, or mix by hand using a wire whisk. (A blender will make the mixture more foamy.)

Now just pour everything into a mug and enjoy!

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Back to School Organizing Tips

September 10 by

Back to School | Flat Rate Carpet BlogIt’s back to school season, and your home is probably cluttered with notebooks, pens and new clothes. If your house is a back to school mess, get clean and organized with these simple back to school cleaning tips.

Start the school year right with a designated area for back packs and homework papers. Not only will it keep your house organized, but it will help the students in your home stay organized with their school work.

Get a clip for the refrigerator for any papers that need to be signed, or notices for parents. If there’s always a special place to put important papers, they are less likely to get lost or forgotten.

Is there a mountain of sports equipment, musical instruments, or other after school equipment piling up by your door? Make sure each has a place of it’s own.

Having a large family calendar in a place where everyone can see it (on the refrigerator or by the front door) is the perfect way to make sure important activities aren’t overlooked. If everyone’s schedules are clearly written out, it’s easier to organize rides and make sure everyone gets where they need to be, on time and without multiple trips around town.

Get a jump on the school year by getting your house organized for the school year!

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Toxin Free, DIY Dishwasher Detergent

August 15 by

Believe it or not, you really can find a highly effective and powerful, all-natural, home made cleaning solution for everything in your home.

Traditional dishwasher detergent uses some pretty scary sounding chemicals to keep your dishes clean and sparkling. With this recipe, you get the same high quality clean and shine but without all the unpronounceable and toxic chemicals.

  • 2 cups borax
  • 2 cups washing soda
  • 2 cups Lemi Shine
  • 1 cup kosher salt

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and transfer to a storage container. Fill your dishwasher soap well to the line with your mixture, close the door, and hit start every time you run your dishwasher.

To fight off residue, fill the rinse well in your dish washer with distilled white vinegar.

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Home Made Gifts For Father’s Day

June 12 by

Crayons | Flat Rate Carpet BlogIt’s obvious that your six year old didn’t go out and buy Dad the brand new watch he’s getting for Father’s Day, but that doesn’t mean that she can’t give him something just as valuable. Home made Father’s Day gifts aren’t just for little kids either, teenager and even broke college students can make some creative gifts that Dad will love for la reasonable price.

Leave the cards made with painted noodles to the little kids, and let’s move on to more advanced arts and crafts. If you know how to sew and your Father uses handkerchiefs, get him a new pack and embroider his initials in the corner.

Does your Father love to read? Make him a personalized book mark with photos of the whole family.

Father’s work extra hard to take care of the home and family. Thank your Father with a helping hand, by giving him coupons for chores that he hates doing. Coupons are easy to make, and for those of us that are less crafty, you can easily print out coupons off the internet. Even better, get up early, mow the lawn and wash the car before he even wakes up.

Home made Father’s Day gifts are inexpensive, and great for kids of all ages.

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How to Remove a Coffee Stain

May 29 by

Coffee & Cookies | Flat Rate Carpet Blog

No matter how careful you are, the only way to prevent a coffee spill in your home is to avoid drinking coffee.

For the rest of us, coffee stains are inevitable. Knowing how to remove a coffee stain from fabric right away can keep a minor spill from becoming a major disaster.

Your first step is to, very gently, blot the stain with a white towel to soak up any leftover liquid.

Although the cleaning isles are full of stain removers and spray cleaners, the most important stain remover in your home is usually found in the food isle. White vinegar mixed with a some white water (mixture of 1 part vinegar and 2 parts water), is a safe, effective and inexpensive stain remover.

You can spray the mixture onto the stain and gently blot with a clean towel. If you don’t have an extra spray bottle handy, dampen a towel with the mixture and blot the stain.

If the stain is treated quickly enough, it should come up easily. For older stains, or stains that just won’t come out, call the professionals.

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