Don't get me wrong, I love a clean house, but spending hours scrubbing and fetching various bottles of cleaner and high tech tools is not my priority. I want to get the job done as quickly and efficiently as possible! I would rather be out playing with my son, hands in the garden or out for ice cream with my family! So, I bring to you a list of simple "go to's" that I have acquired from research. Get ready to clean ladies (or gents!).
Deep cleaning your top loading washer machine: Washer machines collect so much gunk and residue, not to mention mildew. They need to be washed at least once a year. And if you are like myself, we have sulfur water, thus our washers need to be cleaned at
least three times a year. And how you may ask? It's easy.
Simply start by filling your washer with HOT water on the LONGEST cycle. As it fills, add 4 cups of bleach. Once it has filled and starts to churn (wash cycle), pause. Let it sit for an hour. Once the hour is up, allow the cycle to run its full course (wash, rinse,spin). Repeat the first step, filling the washer with hot water set on the longest cycle, this time adding 4 cups of vinegar. Let that sit for an hour. Once the hour is up, dip a sponge into the vinegar/water solution and wash the basin of the washer, including the top inner rim and any space you can really get to with that sponge. If your fabric softener basin pops off, as well as the bleach dispenser, gently remove them and place them into the water/vinegar solution. Clean as much as you can within the two compartments that hold the fabric softener and bleach. Give a good cleaning to the softener basin and the bleach dispenser, then put them back where they belong. Once you are done, allow the washer to run its full cycle (wash, rinse, spin). And you are DONE!
What a difference eh?! Good job :)
Deep cleaning your micro-fiber couch: The micro-fiber couch is great for those who have little kids since they are pretty resilient to stains and wear. BUT if you spill any kind of liquid onto the fabric, the "water" stains are atrocious and just look nasty. For the longest time I was taking out the bulky shampooer and spending an hour or two scrubbing away and it could get pretty messy. Not to mention having to fill, empty and refill the water basin and empty the nasty water. I was super duper happy to come across a much simpler way of tackling the couches and it
really works!
You will need your rubbing alcohol, a spray bottle, your white/cream sponge (as to not transfer color onto your couch) and your scrub brush. Fill the spray bottle with your rubbing alcohol. Simply spray each area of the couch, using your sponge (and muscles) wipe/scrub the couch. I did have a little bowl of water with a squirt of Dawn in it to rinse the sponge out as I went along, thought the instructions did not call for this. It still worked its magic! I almost used an entire bottle of rubbing alcohol since I have a kid and a dog, so I went to town. Once you are finished scrubbing and re-scrubbing areas where you may see that the water marks haven't fully dissipated, you are done and allow the couches to dry. Since rubbing alcohol evaporates pretty quickly, the drying time is less than half the time you would wait if you shampooed. If you feel as though the fabric is a bit stiff, simply use your scrub brush to scrub (or fluff) it back to life.
Mopping your floors: I have laminate wood flooring throughout the majority of my home, which I love! I am not a big fan of carpeting, since I feel it can never truly be 100% clean. And I am not a fan of the Swiffer Wet Jet when it comes to cleaning because I do not feel that it gives a true cleaning. I like to use it for quick spot cleaning, but that is about it. What I do like and use is the
Hurricane Spin Mop , which was gifted to me from my parents and I
swear by it! It's basically the old school mop, yet it spins dry, thus less of a mess. Grab your mop bucket and let's get to cleaning!
You will need your bleach, vinegar and Dawn soap. Fill your bucket with hot water. I add a 1/2 cup of bleach, 1/2 cup of vinegar and hefty squirt of Dawn dish soap. There you have it! I swear by this concoction,. Not only do I feel that my floors are truly clean, but they feel amazing and the house smells incredibly
FRESH! Of course if you want to add to that fresh clean smell, add a few drops of lemon essential oil to the the water before mopping :)
Scrubbing the tub: My least favorite chore. As I stated earlier, we have sulfur water,which is nasty. It smells horrible, it tastes disgusting and it leaves a nasty yellow film in the tub after time. In the past in order to get the tub truly clean and back to white-
ish (never ever
white) I would have to purchase expensive nasty smelling cleaners specifically used to get the sulfur and lime off of the tubs surface. Until my little sister, who cleaned homes for a living, let me in on a
big secret that changed my life forever (hahahaaaa the
drama, but seriously, it did/has) The Works Toilet Bowl Cleaner (*
not tile and tub cleaner, the toilet bowl cleaner is much more potent). And where might you be able to find this fabulous bottle of magic? The dollar store. You will thank and love me later spare the gifts (but if you must, a bottle of wine would be nice!). Let's begin darlin's!
First off, make sure the room is well
ventilated and
wear gloves! This cleaner does have some pretty aggressive chemicals, which includes, but is not limited to, hydrochloric acid. So use caution. Have a sponge handy. Once you are ready to begin, squirt the cleaner directly onto the tub's surface. At first you may be a little befuddled because where you squirt will be left with pure white streaks where the cleaner streams down. DON'T FRET. Using your sponge, gather some of the liquid and continue to scrub away. Repeat the process until you start to see the results you like. I am telling you now, you will weep with unadulterated joy as you see your tub transform into a brand new sparkling white vessel! The stuff is amazinggggggggg! And it doesn't stop there. I use it on metal surfaces, such as the faucets and the kitchen sink. They will gleam with pride!
Again, use with caution and make sure, once you are done, to rinse or even use soap to wash any leftover residue.
Cleaning the fridge: The fridge can bestow some funky smells at times. I am here to show you how to maintain a fresh smelling place to hold our beloved foods and how to maintain clean shelves.
You will need a bowl of warm water, your sponge, baking soda and Dawn soap. I haven't ever measured how much of said ingredients I add, I typically just eyeball it. Eventually you will get to know your products and how much feels right to you. If it's a super tough job, I will even sprinkle baking soda directly onto the sight. Taking all of the items off the shelves, or I just start from the top of the fridge working my way down, emptying as I go, wipe the shelves down with your concoction using your sponge. Once I am done, I finish by filling a small bowl of fresh baking soda and adding about 10 to 12 drops of lemongrass essential oils and placing the open bowl on a shelf where it won't get knocked over. This will help absorb any funky smells, and every time you open the fridge door you will be welcomed with a whiff of clean lemongrass. Nice, eh?!
Wiping down the walls: This is typically a spring cleaning chore I do since we have a wood-stove in our living room which I love, but it creates such a mess with the black "dust".
You will need a bucket of warm water, a little bit of baking soda and Dawn soap. Using your sponge simply wipe your walls down. This does the job quite well!
Dusting: I use the same exact method above, nix the baking soda. Otherwise you will have a film left behind. Simply water and soap will do! No fancy dust cleaner here.
Additives to your laundry soap: Whatever laundry soap I use, I always add 1/2 cup of baking soda and a 1/2 cup of vinegar to the water as it fills the washer. I feel it helps to clean a little better and maintain that fresh smell. I have a small boy and a husband who is a contractor, which means very soiled clothing. So whatever I can add to help get those clothes clean is a big YAY for me!
And there you have it my friends!!! Of course my only other advice is to turn on your favorite tunes while cleaning and maybe even enjoy a glass of wine..anything to make it as fun as possible!
I would love to hear your cleaning tips!!
Resources:
Thank you to the following blogs that contributed to this post. Upon my frenzy in searching for the best ways to clean effectively, I happened upon these gems:
551 East: How to Clean Micro Fiber Couch
Practically Functional - How to clean a top loading washer machine
