Archive for the ‘clean it’ Category

I am against dirty… I really am.  It’s just that my Mom has been staying at my sister Cam’s home this week.  And Cam lives just a few minutes away.  And I know I am making excuses… but since my Mom has been in town, there has been no time to clean.

It’s not like my Mom lives that far away, only about 40 minutes North, in the “big” city.  But having her this close has been an excuse for us to spend some quality time together.

Quality time with my Mom means visiting every quilt shop within a 50 mile radius and a little sewing thrown in for good measure.  (The picture above is the skirts we worked on a bit for the girls.)  We have had such a great time.

We visited American Quilting, where I loved their great selection of Civil War fabrics.  I also saw a wonderful handmade bag by Nanette from Freda’s Hive, and heard about a great new (for me) blog called Diary of a Quilter.

We also visited Broadbent’s Store in Lehi, Utah… one of my all time favorite places.  They have chickens out back and the most wonderful fabrics within.  I really enjoy their selection of old fashioned toys like pop guns, jacks and even Cupie Dolls.  Visiting Broadbent and Son’s is like stepping back in time.  They have been family owned and operated since 1882.  And that’s old in this part of the country.

Then we stopped by the new quilt shop, Just Sew in Highland Utah… just a few minutes from my house.  Yeah!   We finally have a few places to eat and a quilt shop… my little hometown is really coming up in the world.  Now I just need a good bookstore close by.

But the bad news was… the whole time we were out having fun my bathrooms at home looked like this:

I should be super embarrassed to share this with you… and I am.  Did you notice the dirt running down the wall?  That’s what you get when you have kids and mud and sand.  Well, at least they washed their hands.

But why am I sharing my dirty little secrets?  I am hoping to inspire you, of course.

A few years ago I started switching over my cleaning supplies to more earth friendly products.  I immediately fell in love with the  Method line… you know, the “People Against Dirty.”  Their products smell great and for the most part I have really liked they way they clean.  But, there is one tiny little problem with them… they are so expensive.

I set out in search of earth and budget friendly solutions to clean my home.  And am happy to report my success.  The two best all-round cleaning products I have found are baking soda and white vinegar.  They are cheap, non- toxic and clean really well.

After a fun day of sewing with my Mom today, I decided I better clean at least one of my bathrooms… just in case a neighbor dropped in and I really embarrassed myself.

Here’s how I cleaned the sink… I sprinkled a little baking soda into the sink and scrubbed it with a sponge.  Baking soda works just as well as any product I’ve ever used.  To take care of hard water deposits and to disinfect, I poured a little white vinegar, let it sit for a few minutes and then wiped the surface down.  The vinegary smell went away as soon as it was dry.  Using vinegar and baking soda doesn’t take any more time than using other cleaning products.  And I feel a whole lot better about them than the toxic products I used to use.  Anything that can make great cookies and salad dressing and then clean like a champ is just awesome in my book.  And check out the sparkle… and to any of my neighbors:  You are welcome to drop in now.

Every Spring, the urge to clean becomes a irresistible force.  Suddenly everything in my house seems dingy and dirty.  I want to air it out and scrub it deep.

One of the first things I want to clean in the Spring is my windows.  We live near open fields and the mouth of a canyon.  We get some fierce storms and winds through the Winter.  Come Spring, my windows are grimy.

This time of year the window cleaning companies knock on the door wanting to clean our windows.  But they charge a near fortune.  And Drew and I are “do it yourself” kind of people.  We always do our own windows.  Drew cleans the outside, I clean the inside.  Several years ago we invested in a rectangular bucket and a squeegee from Home Depot.  The squeegee has a removable/washable scrubber on one side and the other side is the actual squeegee.  It can be screwed onto a painter’s pole to reach the high windows.  This makes the job a lot easier.

Last week, my mom called me with a new window washing tip.  She was really excited.  My mom is one of those rare people who gets really excited about cleaning.  Her dear friend and neighbor, Bonnie Rae Larson had just given her a “Make it Do” recipe for cleaning windows.  Bonnie Rae is a meticulous homemaker and also knows the value of thrift.

The next day, my mom cleaned every window in her house using Bonnie Rae’s simple formula.  Her windows sparkled.

Here’s her recipe:  Mix two quarts of warm water with 2 Tbsp. of rubbing alcohol.  For hard water stains on the windows she rubs the spots with straight vinegar.  It’s just that simple.

Here’s how we clean our windows:

For the outside:
1.    We try to clean the windows first thing in the morning, before they are in direct sunlight.
2.    First remove the screens.
3.    Drew hoses off the windows to remove some of the dust and dirt.  He also sprays the sills.  That way you don’t make mud or scratch the windows.
4.    This year we are going use Bonnie Rae’s formula in the bucket.  He works from the top of the window and works down, scrubbing the entire window.
5.    Then he uses the squeegee in a pattern working from left to right.  In between each stroke he wipes the squeegee off with a clean towel.
6.    Before putting the screens back, I cover the picnic table with an old sheet.  We scrub the screens gently with a brush and soapy warm water.  Then I hose them off and let them dry.

For the inside:
1.    Start by pulling up the blinds and vacuuming the sills.
2.    I usually use Windex and paper towels… but I just tried Bonnie Rae’s formula in a spray bottle and it worked beautifully.  So instead of going through a bottle of Windex, I will use a little bit of inexpensive diluted rubbing alcohol.
3.    I also just tried using newspapers instead of the paper towels.  It’s a great way to “Use it up.”

Cleaning the blinds has always been one of my least favorite housekeeping jobs.  As a result, I don’t clean them until they are so dirty, I have no choice but to take them down and clean them in the tub.  That is not fun.  And it’s not good for the cords.  Then my dear friend Cherie’ gave me a great tip. Vacuum your blinds first if you have a wand on you vacuum cleaner.  Or dust quickly with a duster.  Then wipe your blinds with Clorox wipes.  The wipes clean really well… even the dirtiest blinds in the kitchen with food splatters.  You do go through a lot of wipes and you have to clean each blind one by one… but it is a lot easier than taking them down.  I don’t typically use products like Clorox Wipes, but they work better than anything I’ve tried… so the blinds get the special treatment!  Cherie’ uses this technique on her wood blinds and my blinds are faux wood.

Sparkling clean windows are sure to brighten your day.  You never realize how dirty they were until they are clean!

Egg Carton Seedling Update… The kids are a twitter… they see green.