Make a Donation

The other day I posted an article about spring cleaning... which is a great segue to my latest topic of conversation. More spring cleaning!

I for one am a huge fan of organizing and down sizing... it is the best kind of clean. And one of the best places to do both of those things is in the closet. While swapping out your winter wardrobe for spring/summer clothing, take some extra time to look for items you can donate. Everyone has clothes they keep and never wear so ask yourself this question: "if I saw this today in a store would I buy it?" If the answer is no, put it in the donate pile, chances are if you wouldn't buy it... you won't wear it either.

Once you've filled a few shopping bags decide on an organization to bring your donations. Or you can have them come to you. I regularly request pick ups from the Military Order of the Purple Heart. They are a congressionally chartered veteran's service organization and will accept donations of many kinds from clothing to electronics. They'll even schedule a pick up day with you and send a truck to collect your donation... how much easier could it be?

Last time I cleaned the closet Jared even joined in and between the two of us we must have donated eight large shopping bags of clothing. Most of it was really nice clothing that we just don't wear anymore (or in my case, all of my old shirts that were super short... exposed belly, not so much).

If scheduling a pickup isn't your thing, try looking for drop boxes in your area. Salvation Army has these set up in various parking lots and accepts shoes and clothing. It can simply be an extra stop on your way to the grocery store.

Another organization I have found success with is Habitat for Humanity. They will collect larger items like furniture. I discovered that some places do not accept furniture anymore but Habitat will gladly send a truck to pick up most pieces for their ReStores, which are retails stores that sell anything from furniture to appliances. Last week I had them pick up the "monster"/TV armoire that I have been itching to ditch for months. It's finally gone and we are on our way to redecorating our room off of the kitchen.

One last place I'll mention for taking donations (or recylcing old stuff) is Home Depot. Last time I was at HD I noticed a tall drop orange box near the entrance. These boxes are for two things; recycling old electronics like cell phones, and disposing of CFL bulbs (energy saving light bulbs should not be thrown out with household trash as they can release harmful toxins into landfills.) Technically this isn't really considered "donating" but it is helping the environment and if you're cleaning out closets you are bound to find stuff that needs to find a new home.

Don't forget to ask for a receipt after you make a donation. Save it in a folder for tax purposes next year. You'd be surprised how much you get back for donations. Helping yourself and helping others... it's a wonderful thing.

Spring Cleaning: 10 Hot Spots

I apologize in advance because parts of this post are going to gross you out... but when I read "Wipe Out the 10 Worst Germ Hot Spots" (courtesy of Alyssa Shaffer, of Prevention at MSN.com) today, I had to spread the word. And when I say spread... I mean fast, faster than the laundry list of bacteria that are multiplying in my house as we speak. I can't get home fast enough to start cleaning!

For those of you who don't feel like reading the nitty-gritty, here's a run-down of the 10 Hot Spots that you must tackle when you start your spring cleaning this season:

• Kitchen Faucet - namely, the metal aeration screen where the water comes out... full of germy germs that continue to live as a result of the constant moisture. Clean with a diluted bleach solution once a week, or as often as you feel necessary.

• Garbage Disposal - the rubber stopper, seriously, we all know this is just teaming with unhealthy stuff. Clean with a diluted bleach solution since hot water and soap can't handle this kind of germ-i-ness.

• Welcome Mat - the first things these mats welcome are bacteria from your shoes, which includes fecal bacteria, which makes me ill. If you've had your welcome mat for a while, you might want to think about replacing it. Or if it's new and you want to clean it, try a disinfectant spray that is safe for fabrics.

• Vacuum Cleaner - you might think this is like a bar of soap, self cleaning... wrong. Think about all of the places your vacuum cleans, chances are the bathroom floor is one of them. Need I say more? To clean your vacuum, Alyssa suggests replacing the bag often or using an antibacterial bag and cleaning the bag cavity with a bleach solution. I have a tendency to be a germaphobe, so every once in a while I actually soak the attachments in a bucket of diluted bleach. Be sure to let them dry completely before running the vacuum on carpets, you don't want to accidentally bleach your rugs, etc. (Of course, don't soak any moving parts just in case.)

• Dish Towel - basically these can contain a type of staph infection, which you know isn't good for anyone. So try to use them only to dry clean pots and dishes. Replace them often and launder frequently. To wipe up counter top spills, stick with paper towels.

• Car's Dashboard - mold spores and bacteria can cling to the dashboard, yuck. I'm assuming your steering wheel is just about as dirty so you might as well clean them both with disinfectant wipes whenever possible.

• Soap Dispensers - this one seems pretty obvious, it's the first thing you touch when you wash your hands... therefore it's the last place for bacteria before it's washed off. The article suggests that you use hot, soapy water to get your paws good and clean. I'd take it one step further and use a disinfectant wipe on the soap pump too.

• Restaurant Ketchup Bottle - Luckily this isn't on my list of spring cleaning items so I'll skip the details.
  

• The Refrigerator Seal - In a survey of 160 homes, 83% of refrigerator seals contain common molds which can be spread every time you open the door. Ewww! Double eww! To clean, wipe seals with diluted bleach (once a week if possible but who has that kind of time, or memory?)

• Your Cell Phone - This one might be a surprise to some... or an obvious one. For most people, cell phones are almost a permanently in our hands, so germs are inevitable. But just so you know, they can harbor bacteria that causes skin, eye, and stomach infections. To clean, wipe your cell phone down with a disinfectant wipe once a week.

Starting to see a pattern? Constantly clean items that are frequently touched or often exposed to moisture with diluted bleach or disinfectant wipes. Happy spring cleaning!

Self Cleaning: Is it really that Easy?

Ok, this might make you want to laugh or just gross you out... but I haven't cleaned the oven in our house... like...ever. I think, maybe, it was cleaned the week before we moved in by Jared's mom (thanks MIL!), but I haven't even thought about cleaning it myself until now. Two years later.

Before you get grossed out though, just know the only time we use the oven is a) to bake our Costco pizza on our weekly "Pizza Fridays," b) to bake cookies or brownies, and c) ok just a and b mostly. The point is that we don't use it that often and it doesn't really look dirty, but I just figured after two years it might be time to learn how to clean an oven.

It says "SELF CLEANING" but that just sounds too easy. So here's what I discovered that includes:

• Remove wire racks


• Lock the oven door


• Start self-cleaning cycle


• Let oven cool after cycle has completed


• Wipe interior clean with damp cloth or sponge

According to HowStuffWorks.com, a self-cleaning oven basically gets really hot (up to 900 degrees Farenheit) and burns off stuck-on spills and residue from baking. To save energy, start your self-cleaning cycle after using the oven while it's already hot. Be aware of the fact that the high temp may cause the residue in your oven to smoke, but don't worry, that's normal. What isn't normal is the fact that some ovens may contain teflon-coated items and during this process they may release harmful toxins into the air. (Something about killing small birds?)

Eeesh, that's scary. Which leads me to an alternative to the self cleaning cycle:

An Earth-friendly alternative is to create a paste using baking soda and water. Using this paste, coat the interior of your oven being careful to avoid the heating elements and let sit overnight. Then remove residue with a spatula and wipe clean with a damp cloth or sponge. (See Marth's DIY tips.) As for the wire racks, just soak them in soapy water and wipe clean. So, while the self cleaning cycle will do most of the hard work, you will still need to bust out the rubber gloves and get in there too.

Sounds easy enough, but I think I'll wait until next weekend!

Put Down the Windex - It's Time to Clean

After a long week at work I wake up on Saturday morning and suddenly realize my house is a mess! So as soon as I’ve had enough coffee to jumpstart my energy, I set to work putting things back into their places and cleaning every surface in the house. (Ok, sometimes I only do the necessary surfaces, ie: kitchen and bathroom, but I'll get around the the others later.) Typically I grab my handy cleaning bucket filled with Windex, 409 Cleaner, rubber gloves, you know - the staples - and get busy.

Not today! Today I am going to try using a few cleaning supplies found in the pantry. I Google search my way to a great resource, the DIY Network, and learn a thing or two about “greener” ways to clean using items you’re sure to have in the pantry or kitchen.

If you have laminate counter tops, copper bottom pots, or a bread board with a stubborn stain, you must watch this short video. Who knew that a little lemon could go such a long way? I think I’ll start buying them by the bag, not only can they clean; they also look nice in a fruit bowl or large glass jar on the counter top! (Talk about double duty).

Ok, so at this point in my research I have come across a woman called, “The Queen of Clean,” more than a few times. So naturally I’m thinking, ‘who is this woman and who died and made her queen?’ Well, as it turns out, Linda Cobb is her name and she is certainly the undisputed Queen of Clean. Check out her website where Linda shares tips and tricks for keeping every room in your house in tip-top shape.

Here are a few items from the pantry that Linda recommends using next time you clean:
Using Natural Cleaners:

Natural cleaners are less expensive and much safer to use—especially with children in the house.

• Flour is a wonderful buff and polish for stainless steel sinks. Sprinkle a little flour into a dry, clean sink. Buff well with a soft cloth or paper towel. Then, just push the flour down the drain. You then put a little cooking oil on a towel and rub the sink with the oil.

• Dry Mustard removes odors. Sometimes plastic food containers will retain odor from whatever type food was in them. So, to nix the odor, fill the plastic container with warm water and add a few shakes of powdered dry mustard. Soak overnight, rinse, dry and the odor is gone. Dry mustard is also good for removing the odor from your cutting board. Wet the cutting board and just rub dry mustard on the cutting board and let it sit for a couple of hours.

• Potatoes are great for removing mud from pants. Rub a cut potato over the mud on the pants prior to laundering. The starch helps to remove and break down the mud. Also, to polish white shoes, like baby shoes, just rub the shoe with the cut side of the potato. The starch in the potato helps the polish go on smoothly.

• Apple peels are good to use on stained and discolored aluminum pans. Fill the pan with water and then use your apple peelings to clean it by tossing the peels in the water and bring to a boil. Simmer for about 30 minutes. The acid in the apple peels will remove the dark discoloration on the inside of the aluminum cookware. If you do not have apples, you can add a tablespoon of cream of tartar to the water—it will also bleach the stain out of the aluminum.

I've already tried using lemons on the countertops (works everytime) and sprinkeling flour into the sink for an extra polish (you'd be surprise at what a difference this makes.) I'll be on the lookout for more ways to incorporate organic cleaning tricks into my routine and of course share them with you.