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Tag: spring cleaning

Spring Clean the Tools that Clean for You

#SpringtimeCleantime #CleanFreakClean

You probably all know how much I love Spring Cleaning. It’s probably one of the topics I talk about most, at least during this time of year. Have you ever thought about Spring Cleaning your appliances? They work hard all year long to clean for you, it’s time to give back and spring clean the tools that clean for you.

Get a Lemi Shine Coupon

I recently came across Lem Shine products and knew I was going to love them. Citric Acid is a fantastic natural cleaner, but I have a hard time cutting up a lemon and using it to clean instead of eating it in say, a nice tall glass of Lemonade. Lemi Shine is powered by 100% natural citric extracts, making their products both effective and safe to use.

See, in my house, I have a lot of spring cleaning helpers. There’s my kids of course – 4 of them. They are fantastic little cleaners….well, I like to believe they are at least. We’re working on it. For sure they can help with the dishes, so they often get put in charge of rinsing the dishes and filling the dishwasher. They are OK with this chore as long as I let them put in the soap.

Find Lemi Shine near you

Truth is, with Lemi Shine products I could put the kids completely in charge of spring cleaning the whole house and I wouldn’t have a single worry. I could sit back with that glass of Lemonade and really enjoy myself! I’m a Mom that leads by example, though, and have a tendency to be a bit of a clean freak when it comes to the deep spring cleaning. I want everything done just right so I can leave it alone until next year.

I get down and gritty with cleaning the grease spots on the undersides of cupboards, the window screens and tracks that have picked up all that winter grime, and it’s the perfect time to make sure my appliances are in tip-top shape. Lemi Shine Dishwasher Cleaner and Disposal Cleaner are my go-to kitchen appliance cleaners. They get in the spots that I can’t reach to make sure my everyday cleaning is actually clean.

Have you tried Lemi Shine yet? Tell me about your #SpringtimeCleantime in a comment.

May 2, 2016
Spring Clean your Closet

Spring is here, and in this home it means spring cleaning of all kinds! Today I want to talk about spring cleaning your closet.

I’ve been slowly working my way through Marie Kondo’s The life-changing Magic of Tidying Up. One of the key messages I’ve taken from it, is that things we own should spark joy. If it doesn’t bring us joy, and it doesn’t serve a useful purpose, we should get rid of it!

I decided the best place for me to start applying this would be my closet. It wasn’t quite spring, but the weather around here has been pretty nice. So the windows came open, and I started pulling all my clothes out and stacking them on the bed. Unlike a lot of people I know, I don’t really own a lot of clothes already, but the ones I do own were not sparking joy. Very little joy was sparked when opening my drawers actually.

Spring Clean Your Closet

Wash everything.

Start by washing everything! The worst thing to do when spring cleaning anything is doing it in shifts. You don’t want to go through your clothes and then add items back in that you haven’t had a chance to go through. I know it’s easy to say you’ll just do it as you wash them, but I’ve been there, done that. It doesn’t work nearly as effectively.

Pull it all out.

Once everything is clean, pull it all out! Lay it on your bed, couch, middle of the floor – as long as it’s clean – so you can see it all. Go ahead and grab your shoes as well! You know you’ve got some you don’t really love.

One at a time.

Don’t worry about sorting the clothes into tops, bottoms, dresses, jackets, socks, etc. Just dive right in! Pick up one item. Hold it up. Inspect every inch of it. Try it on if you need. Then ask – does this spark joy? Does it make you feel like you, the real you when you wear it? Does it fit? Are you holding on to it for memory sake, or because maybe one day it might fit again?

Separate.

After asking yourself all these questions, you have one last question to make. Do I keep it, or get rid of it? Then separate it into it’s respective pile. Have a box or bag handy so the “get rid of” pile, as we call it here, can be taken out as soon as you are done. The more it hangs around the house, the more likely you’ll have a hard time really letting go of it.

I had ordered a Clean-Out Bag from ThredUP, so once I was done I nicely folded my clothes, placed them inside the bag, and sent them off to ThredUP. Out of about 20 items I sent, they were able to resell 4. Not too shabby, and I knew that would probably be the case. What I love is that the rest of the clothes I sent will be given to textile recycling companies so nothing will end up in landfills.

Try ThredUP on me! Sign up and get an automatic $10 to spend! It will also give me $10 to spend, so you know, help a girl that’s lacking in cute clothes out.

Now that your closet is cleaned out, you can buy a few new pieces that DO spark joy! What will you buy? Are you inspired by the flowers in bloom, or does you closet contain more neutrals?

This post is part of a blog hop from Blogs & Business: Moms Who Do It All. Check out some of the other awesome blogs participating:

Daily Momtivity | The Art of Better Blogging | The Jessie K | Fighting for Fitness | Building Butterflies | Forty by Forty Fitness | A Kreative Whim | Women Winning Online | Hometown Betty | Champagne and Cheerios | B is for Bookworm | Aileen Cooks | A Cotton Kandi Life | Beyond Mommying | Home Maid Simple | Tot Tot Goose | Thrifty Guardian | Diary of a New Mommy | Mrs and Momma | Blue Eyed Babies | The Little Tourist | From Designer to Diapers | Mommy, Memories and Mouse Ears | Redmond Kids | Cheer and Cherry

March 15, 2016
Spring Cleaning the Car

I admit it. This is what my van looked like yesterday morning, and for quite some time before that. Disgusting right? I keep asking myself why I didn’t clean this sooner, and then I wonder how in the world we haven’t all been extremely sick. Riding around in a vehicle so extremely dirty, the kids putting toys and drinks in their cup-holders; it actually makes me almost sick thinking about it.

So when Mark needed to take the van to pick up some wood for our bathroom remodel, I made a decision. When he got back, I wouldn’t put the seats back in until I had the car clean. Really clean. It took a few hours, and a lot of 409 and Lysol, but I finished it. When I was done, I told Mark all I want for my birthday is the carpets and seats professionally shampooed. Not your normal birthday wish, but it’s mine.

When was the last time you really deep cleaned your car?

Family trips this summer will be so much nicer if you start with a clean car.

May 30, 2013
Springtime Giveaway Hop

Welcome to the Springtime Giveaway Hop

hosted by Weidknecht.com

I can’t believe I’m late getting this post up! I’ve been pretty excited to share this giveaway with you! See over the last year, I’ve slowly collected items from events, reviews, and free samples that I was getting a little overwhelmed. I knew I needed to do a giveaway, but wasn’t sure when to do it. While Spring cleaning the last few weeks, I realized right now is the best time. So of course I joined a hop, so you can keep hopping around and enter a bunch more giveaways as well.

What do I have for you? Well let’s take a peek shall we?

I kid you not! This is no April Fools joke. One very lucky reader will win

– Bratz Cloe Fashion Boutique

– Bratz for Nintendo 3DS

– 2 packages of Deo Perfume Candy

– 3 Toothbands

– Tidy Tots, toilet training seat liners

– All Beach Ball

– Game Rating Foam Dice

– 2 Pine Bros cough drops

– Coupons for toddler formula

– and other product info and swag items.

Of course you’ll get to keep the Home Maid Simple Tote as well

Now to the nitty gritty details:

Fill out the Rafflecopter form to enter. This giveaway is open to US and CA.

All entries will be verified, so please make sure you did them before claiming.

This giveaway will end at11:59PM on April 7, 2013.

Don’t forget to hop on to the other bloggers for more giveaways! Linky is found under the rafflecopter.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

April 2, 2013
Spring Cleaning Day 5 – Bathrooms

You made it to Day 5! Congrats!

Today our focus is solely on the bathrooms. I put these last, because I dread cleaning bathrooms. Give me anything to clean, but please not the bathroom. Fact of the matter is, they need the most deep cleaning.

Print off your checklist, then read on for my deep cleaning routine.

Gather Cleaning Supplies

You don’t want to be running back and forth to where ever you keep your cleaning supplies, so gather them up and take them to the bathroom with you. I love this carrier my mother in law bought me years ago. It keeps everything organized and is easy to carry around.

You’ll want to grab 4-5 cleaning rags. I find the worst part about cleaning the bathroom is the lack of ventilation, mixed with the different chemicals. You don’t want to mix your rags with different chemicals – it is dangerous! (I am truly hoping this isn’t the first you’ve been told that though).

As I’ve mentioned throughout the week, when Spring Cleaning, I go deep. It’s more than just a surface cleaner, so I do tend to use harsher chemicals this time of year. You don’t have to, you can still keep it green and safe. This is just what I prefer.

I use Comet on the bath, toilet, and sink. Windex on the mirror. Ammonia and hot water on the ceiling, walls, and floor.

Wet Bath and sink. Spray with cleaners

Spray down the bathtub/shower and sink area. I find it’s easier to clean if the surface is slightly wet first. Once they are wet, I grab my Comet and sprinkle it over the sink, in the toilet bowl and in the shower. Let it sit for a couple minutes.

Scrub the bath/shower areas

I like to start with the bath tub and shower since once they are done, they will stay clean. Jump in if you have to to get a good scrubbing. An old toothbrush is also a handy tool for cleaning the grout. Don’t forget to clean the faucets as well.

Clean the Toilet

After the shower I rinse my rag out in the sink. Do not clean the sink yet! Move onto the toilet. I personally find toilet brushes disgusting. Having kids that used them as toys did not help either. So I have gone back to the old fashioned way of hand scrubbing the toilet. I find it more effective as well. This would be a great time to invest in some rubber gloves.

When cleaning the toilet, start with the outside. Wipe down the tank, and down the sides, right to the floor. Last clean inside the toilet bowl. Now that the toilet is done, you’ll want to switch rags.

Wipe down Ceiling and Walls

Fill a bucket (or the sink) with steaming hot water. Add a capful of Ammonia. With a new rag, wipe down the ceiling and walls. Bathrooms are notorious for growing mold. Especially if there is a lack of ventilation.

Clean Out Medicine Cabinet and wash Mirror

Pull everything out of the medicine cabinet. Using the ammonia water, wipe down the inside of the cabinet. As you put items back in, check expiration dates on medicine, and think about the last time you used it. A good rule of thumb – if you haven’t used a medication in the last 2 years, you’re probably safer to throw it out.

Once the cabinet is cleaned out, wash the Mirror. You can use a new rag for this, or grab some newspapers for a streak free cleaning. I use windex on the mirror, so once again – don’t mix rags!

Wash Sink and Vanity

I like to save the sink and vanity for last since I use it to rinse out my rags and wash my hands between cleaning products. Go ahead and give it another spray/sprinkle of cleaning products if you’ve rinsed the first layer off with all the rinsing of rags and hands.

Clean out the under sink cabinet. Treat it the same as the medicine cabinet. Wash down shelves and drawers, and then put everything away – tossing out anything not being used, or expired.

Sweep and Mop

Finally, sweep and mop. I again use a bucket of hot water and ammonia, and a new rag. If you didn’t get it with the toilet, make sure you really get around the toilet edge. It can get pretty gross there.

You’re done! Add a candle for a nice smell after all the chemicals, and enjoy using a clean bathroom.

We’ve had a great week Spring Cleaning! Thanks to all who joined me. Remember is you’ve already done your spring cleaning this year, joined us this week, or are going to Spring Clean next week – you can grab extra entries into the Affresh Giveaway. It has been extended for another week, so there is still time!!!

March 22, 2013
Spring Cleaning Day 4 – Toys and General Clutter

Welcome back to Day 4 in the Spring Cleaning Challenge!

Today we are going to focus on toys, and the general clutter that every home seems to collect. I made another fun printable checklist. Print it off, and get to work!

Gather 2 Boxes (or trash bags)

Label, or designate one box for donations, and one for trash. Spring Cleaning is all about starting fresh. Let’s stop stepping over broken toys, or staring at toys that never get played with.

The Floor

Now I know we did a general pick up and put away on Day 2 with the Living Spaces, but if you have kids, 2 days is plenty of time to mess it all up again with toys. Don’t bother putting things away right now. Just start picking up and making decisions. Is it broken? Trash. Do the kids play with it? Donate if they don’t. Create a Keep pile if they do. Just designate an area for toys being kept.

The Toybox

Now that the floor is cleaned off, head to the toy box. One effective way is to dump the whole box out. Then as you sort through it, you can move your keep pile into the toy box. Do not put anything back in that is broken! Just don’t! Have your children help, if they are old enough to understand what you are doing. My 6 and 5 year old are pretty good (sometimes they want to donate every single toy they own), while my 3 year old can often just be in the way as she rearranges the piles.

One Drawer at a Time

Great, you’ve done a lot already! I think it’s safe to say, we don’t just have 1 toy box. We have a couple different areas we keep toys. So after I go through the main toy box, we move onto all the other toy storage places. Treat it like the toy box. Dump it out, and one item at a time decide – Trash, Donate, or Keep. Put them away, and move onto the next one.

Clean and Sanitize

Unless a toy has been puked on, they don’t get cleaned all that often. Periodically I’ll find the kids “bathing” their dolls, but even then it’s not a good deep clean. Now that you have your piles sorted – put your donate in the car, and take the trash outside.

Grab a bucket of hot water, and your favorite cleaning agent. Since we’re cleaning toys here, I like to keep it safe, and use something I know won’t harm the kids if they stick it in their mouth – because you know it’s going to go in a kids mouth at some point! A small amount of ammonia mixed in a large bucket of hot water is my personal favorite cleaner, but switching the ammonia out for distilled white vinegar will be safer on the toys. Have a decent pile of rags on hand, and get to work scrubbing the toys down. At this point, you can involve all your kids! It will teach them responsibility for their stuff, as well as hard work. Plus, you get to spend a little extra time with them while getting housework done.

General Clutter

If you no longer have kids at home, or you didn’t spend your whole day cleaning toys, this is a good time to take care of the general clutter. Clean off your dressers, office area, junk drawers. The places in your home that attract clutter and never let go of it.

Wahoo! You’ve finished Day 4!

Go grab your extra entry into the Affresh Giveaway.

March 21, 2013
Spring Cleaning Day 3 – Clothing

Welcome to Day 3 in the Spring Cleaning Challenge

How are you doing? We started out strong in the kitchen, so today I’ve got an easy and fun challenge for you. Don’t be fooled though, you are still going to accomplish a lot today!

Today’s challenge is going through every one’s clothing. You’ll have everything washed by the end of the day, a pile to donate, a pile to toss, and drawers full of clothing that fits!

Here is your checklist

Gather and Sort

Hallways are a great place to sort laundry, and remember to do it. Go through your house and find all the dirty clothes. Check bathrooms, closets, under the beds, in the car (yes, I find dirty clothes in our van…mostly socks). You don’t want to miss anything!

Start a load right away. You’ll be going back throughout the day to get all the laundry washed, dried, folded and put away.

Fashion Show

This is where the fun begins!

In the central gathering place, create space for 3 piles – one for donation, one for garbage, and one for storage. Clothes that no longer fit, and can’t be passed onto another sibling, add to the donate pile. Stained and holey clothes – garbage. Clothes that will fit another child by next spring – storage pile.

After you have these 3 piles established – create a space for each persons Keep pile.

Have everyone put on an outfit, and gather in a central room. As mom, check to see if things fit right. Are the pants/shirt long enough? Check the shirt sleeves. How easy was it to get on?

Next check for stains and holes. Is it too far gone? Make an executive decision, and send everyone back to put on another outfit.

With little kids, you’ll want to help them to make sure the clothes they tried on get brought back to the central space and put in the appropriate pile. Continue your fashion show until all clothes have been tried on.

Stored Clothes

As the mother of 3 girls, I have held onto every article of clothing from one child to the next. Most parents I know have done the same, as a just in case for future children. Now that you’ve gone through the dressers and closets, it’s time to pull out the stored clothes, and have another Fashion Show! Before jumping into it though, you might want to take a moment and put the Keep piles away. Start with a fresh keep pile from the stored clothing, and continue adding to your donate, garbage and stored piles.

Finish Laundry

Don’t forget to keep an eye on the washer. Keep it moving as the fashion show is going. As the clothes come out of the wash, don’t bother folding them yet. Put them on a clean couch (because hey, you did just clean your couch yesterday). Once the last 2 fashion shows are done – start another one with all the clean laundry. You don’t want to put clothes away that no longer fit.

Finally check underwear, socks and shoes after the fashion show is done.

Clean the Washer and Dryer

Once all the laundry is clean, and the Fashion Shows are over. Run your washer one more time to clean it. This is spring cleaning after all. Give your washer and dryer some love and clean them. Affresh has a Washer cleaner that is simple to use, and leaves your washer cleaned out. We just bought a really nice, but used HE washer. Who knows what kind of laundry had gone through this before we bought it. After I used Affresh, I felt better about sticking our clothing inside. Pretty though, right?

Don’t forget your dryer as well. Along with behind the fridge, your dryer is a huge fire hazard if not cleaned out! They sell brushes for the lint drawer, to remove any lint stuck inside. Also, take the lint trap and run it under hot soapy water. If the water is not running through the trap it is DIRTY, and very unsafe. Products like dryer sheets leave a build up on the trap that should be removed regularly for safety. Don’t let your dryer be the cause of fire!

You did it! Day 3 is done.

Grab your entries into the Spring Cleaning Giveaway!

*I received product for my honest review. All thoughts and opinion are 100% my own.

March 20, 2013
Flirty Apron Flash Sale

I love how cute I can look in an apron. While cooking in the kitchen, or Spring Cleaning my home – my clothes stay clean, but I don’t lose any style.

Flirty Aprons has a Flash Sale on their New Damask Aprons in Red or Black right now!

From now until tomorrow 3/21 you can get 35% Off and FREE shipping on the Damask Aprons.

Use code: NEWAPRON35

*This post contains affiliate links. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

March 20, 2013
Spring Cleaning Day 2 – Living Spaces and Windows

Welcome back for Day 2 in the Spring Cleaning Challenge!

Today we are headed to all the living spaces, and your windows. We’re going to get a lot done today. The list is smaller, but the work is bigger.

Go ahead, print off today’s checklist. After you’re done, make sure to come back and enter the Spring Cleaning Giveaway.

I always like to start with something that can finish itself. By starting with all the drapes in the wash, they can get clean while you work on the rest of the list.

Pick Up and Put Away

Don’t just put stuff somewhere. Give it a place. If it doesn’t have a place, make one, or throw it out. This is the time to get rid of the junk that we let overtake our lives.

Wash Walls and Dust

At this point, make sure you’re getting up in the corners, and removing any cobwebs. I remember growing up, we had these really high vaulted ceilings. It was never until spring cleaning week that we’d even notice the cobwebs, but they were always there.

The best way to removed spiderwebs is with a broom. You can just use the broom as is, or attach a cloth to the bristles.

When dusting, don’t forget the light fixtures, and ceiling fans. This would be a great time to replace any burnt out light bulbs as well.

Wash Windows & Blinds

Blinds are the bane of my existence. We always end up with the flimsy little things that collect dust and fingerprints like crazy. I think a great way to clean them is with an old unmatched sock (you know you have some!). Put the sock on like a glove. Soak your sock gloved hand in hot soapy water, and with the blinds closed start rubbing it across. After you finish one side, turn the blinds and do the other side.

I’ve posted before on how I like to wash windows, but here you go again. Newspapers. They don’t leave streaks or little fuzzies behind. I’ve also found brown packing paper to be effective. Don’t forget to head outside and get the other side of the windows.

Lastly, we get to the window tracks. These collect dirt and bugs pretty well too. I would start with using the hose on your vacuum. Suck out as much dirt as possible. Then go in with a rag, or toothbrush. Make them shine! This right here, will completely change to mood in your whole house. No kidding. Something about cleaning the dirt out of those window tracks, just changes the outlook on the rest of the house.

Vacuum

Now that you’ve finished all the above ground jobs, take to the floor. Vacuum everywhere you would on a normal vacuuming day. Then move the furniture, and vacuum behind and under where it normally sits.

Before moving the couches back though, go through the cushions. Have a garbage bag nearby to toss away garbage. Use the hose on your vacuum and really get under those cushions clean. Then move the furniture back.

Now that you’ve finished the living spaces, and windows, you can enjoy sitting on clean furniture, and looking out fresh windows. Doesn’t it feel great?!

March 19, 2013
Spring Cleaning Day 1 – Kitchen

Welcome to Day 1 of the Spring Cleaning Challenge!

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to Deep Clean the Kitchen.

Begin by printing off this checklist.

Before I can ever get to Deep Cleaning, I have to do the surface cleaning. Any towels and dishrags I toss in the washer, then I take all the dirty dishes (you know there are always some dirty dishes), and either hand wash, or stick them in the dishwasher.

Then clean off your table. You’ll use it for storage while you deep clean the rest of the kitchen. Move any appliances you keep on the counters to the table. Next is the real deep cleaning.

Cabinets and Cupboards
I suggest a ladder or tall step stool. Or if your kids are tall enough they can stand on the counters. Start with the very top of your cabinets. Of course if you’re lucky enough, your cabinets reach to the ceiling and there is no space up there to clean. If you’re like me, though, you’ve got some cleaning to do! From there, you want to move down the cabinets. Start with one cabinet, and move everything out to the table, or another side of the counters. Start with the top shelf and wipe down, moving any crumbs from the top to the bottom. Finish one cabinet, and move to the next. Once the cabinets are finished, wipe down the countertops and the walls behind them. Finally move to the cupboards. Do the same thing, pull everything out, wipe down top to bottom. Finish off the cabinets and cupboards by wiping down the doors.
Before putting items back in the cupboards and cabinets – check expiration dates. Toss out any bad food. This is also a great time to go through your Tupperware. Any lids without bottoms toss. Bottoms without lids can be tossed or re-purposed for organization in the pantry.

Along with the counter tops, clean off the top of the stove. If you have a glass top, a product like Affresh Stove Cleaner is amazing! It’s made specifically for glass top stoves and cleans them beautifully!

The Oven
Now that the brunt of the work is done and the top of the stove is clean, go for the oven. If you have a self-cleaning option I suggest using it. Open up all the windows and turn your heaters down as well. It’s going to get hot!

In a disposable bowl, pour 1 cup of ammonia. Set it in the oven and let sit all day long (or overnight). Then wipe the grime away. For hard burned on food, you can also try baking soda and vinegar. It’s an easy, safe way to clean (and works on virtually everything).

Fridge and Freezer
Now the fun part! Again let’s work top to bottom. Start with the freezer. If you have a deep freeze or second freezer somewhere, move everything from your kitchen freezer to that one. If you don’t have that option – work fast. Take everything out of the freezer, and set on the counter. Don’t bother going through it at this point. Once everything is out, use some hot – very hot- soapy water to wipe the inside down.
Once it’s wiped down begin putting the food back in. As you do this, check for expiration dates, and freezer burn. Toss anything out that is bad.
Then move onto the fridge. Once the food is out, wipe down the shelves. Remove the cooler drawers and give them a good scrub. Don’t forget to wipe out the bottom of the fridge before putting the drawers back in.
Next get a strong person or two, and move the fridge and oven from the wall. Sweep and mop behind them. Behind these two large appliances are some of your biggest fire hazards! Don’t skip them!

Now, make tonight leftover night. You want to start spring off with a fresh fridge full of fresh food.

Dishwasher
Now that you’ve emptied a bunch of dishes, you may have a full dishwasher. Run it! Once your dishwasher is empty of clean dishes, run another cycle with a cleaner. Since it’s deep cleaning time, I suggest using something like Affresh Dishwasher Cleaner.
Now that the counters and dirty dishes are all taken care of, move all the appliances back to the counter. Wipe them down as you go. My appliances tend to get pretty dirty on the outside, but don’t always get a good cleaning.

Floor and Garbage
We’re at the end of the day. Take out the trash, wipe down the inside and outside of the garbage can. Put in a new bag.
Last thing to do is clean the floor. Move out chairs, table, microwave stand – anything that moves. Sweep and mop. My favorite way to mop is on my hands and knees, with a bucket of hot soapy water. I add 1 capful of ammonia to 2 gallons of hot water. On my knees, I can see every spot, reach every corner, and really get spotless.

You Did It!

I’m also going to suggest at this point, using paper products the rest of the week. We’ve got a lot more Spring Cleaning to do, and keeping the kitchen looking nice will keep your motivation up through it all.

March 18, 2013