Get A Clean Sink with Scour Off

Time to get her done. First take out all the dishes. Then rinse it out. Grab your Scour off and a wet sponge and get to work. I like to rub around in circles all over the place. Then I rinse and if I really wanted it to look good I dry it too.
Now it’s your turn.

 

 

Don't forget to get your Scour Off Paste

Here’s an exclusive scouring cleanser that sets a new standard.

It’s a paste, so it doesn’t form dust clouds, yet it gently removes stains other cleansers can't and is great for cleaning tubs, ovens, sinks, and tiles and it will even remove rust,

and is great for cleaning these surfaces: copper, grout, cement, ceramic, and imitation marble.

 

Comparable to Ajax® with Bleach Powder Cleanser and Comet® with Bleach in the removal of kitchen grease and grime.*

• Natural ingredients remove the toughest dried-on splatters and spills, burned-on grease, baked-on food, and sticky messes without hazardous chemicals or toxic fumes.
• Scour Off is made from natural mineral abrasives and biodegradable cleaning agents. It does not contain chlorine, bleach, or dye.
• Scour Off gently removes stains other cleansers can’t and is great for cleaning tubs, ovens, sinks, and tiles.
• It will even remove rust, and is great for cleaning these surfaces: copper, grout, cement, ceramic, and imitation marble.
• Wide-mouth jar makes it easy to use.

Clean Credentials

• Nontoxic
• Natural abrasives
• No harsh chemicals
• Biodegradable surfactants
• No phosphates

ORDER YOUR SCOUR OFF TODAY!!!!!

Cleans
tubs
ovens
sinks
tiles
stove tops

Also consider Shaklee's Super Micofiber Dish Sponge. Use for cleaning surfaces or washing dishes. One scrubber side is great for nonstick surfaces. For dish washing by hand and surface cleaning. Machine washable, air dry or low to medium heat in dryer. No fabric softener or bleach. Don't buy those crappy sponges from the grocery store. Order 1-2 of these and simply toss them in the wash when needed. No more wasteful throwing out of sponges!!!

And for tough jobs try Shaklee's Miracle Scrubber Pad. Its called the miracle pad for a reason- it tackles even the toughest scrubbing jobs!!!

Organic Gardening Tips

Hi All.

Been busy with life and doing some home spruce-ups around the house.

When it comes to gardening and other yard stuff as you guessed I pretty much want to do it as organically as possible- NO CHEMICALS!!

So the sprucing up we did was as chemical-free as we could be. First we don't put anything that is NOT organic on our lawn. Those chemicals are too scary!!!!

1. CUT the lawn, but leave it long. Longer grass shades the weeds and kills them.
Check out Organic Lawn care for the cheap and lazy for more tips on organic lawn care.

2. WEED- Get down on your hands and knees and pull out those weeds in you garden beds. We also pulled out some overgrown/dead bushes and uprooted a small oak tree that was growing on its own through a bush in front of a window- we transplanted it to a better location in the yard and we hope it takes. I think less is more, we were pretty overgrown in areas, but I preferred it more sparse than overgrown. For areas where grass and weeds are growing where you don't want anything growing try grabbing the large gallon bottles of vinegar from the grocery store. Pour the vinegar on the roots and in several days it will start to die. Only use in area like walkways, driveways, etc.

3. MULCH- this inhibits the weeds from growing and makes your soil better. We had 4 yards delivered from a local guy. If you need to weed a large section that you plan on mulching over try laying newspaper down first and then mulching over, the newspaper acts as a cheap weed barrier that with eventually deteriorate.

4. PLANT- we planted a few new bushes. If you don't have much $ to work on a spruce up I would spent it on perennials. If you get some great flowering bushes like hydrangeas you get the best bang for your buck. It will bloom and grow every year and you can budget to add some more perennials each year. Annuals have to be replaced each year so I would only bother with those when you have a well established garden.

5. FEED your plants and grass. Some inexpensive ways to feed your plants are using banana peels and used coffee grinds. Save those used coffee grinds and add to the soil around plants, this works really well for hydrangeas, roses and camellias. It also acts as a deterrent for slugs so sprinkle it around the base of plants they love. Save those banana peels and plant those at the bas of your plants, the potassium nourishes your plants.

6. WATER those plants and grass. If you have a sprinkler system, don't rely solely on it for your plants. You may need to water them additionally. Keep and eye on them on those hot summer days.



Shaklee's Basic H2 works great in the garden too. Here are some suggested uses:

Soil Preparation

For new vegetable or flower beds, and new lawn areas Mix 1/2 pint Basic H2 to 3 gallons water for an area of 1,000 sq. ft. (20 feet x 50 feet). Wet down with sprinkler or till in immediately. Using a hose applicator, set the dial to 7 Tablespoons to 1 gallon water.

Lawns

For growing lawns in the spring and fall, using a spray applicator, set the dial to 7 Tablespoons per gallon. If using an Ortho sprayer, fill the bottle with 1 Tablespoon Basic H2 and water, and spray evenly over the lawn. Repeat until the entire lawn is treated.

Transplanting

For transplanting flowers, vegetables, trees, shrubs Mix 1/2 oz. Basic H2 to 1 gallon water.

 

Plant Feeding

For house plants Mix 2 drops (a little less than 1/16 teaspoon) Basic H2 to 16 oz. water.  Mix 2 drops (a little less than 1/16 teaspoon) Basic H2 to 1 quart water. Water plants every other week.Mist plants with a mixture of 1 drops Basic H2 to 16 oz. water.

 

The Gardener’s Friend

The Invisible Glove Rub Basic H2 full strength on your hands, and allow to dry. You can work without gloves, and when the task is done, rinse all the grime away under the spigot. Basic-H will coat your skin, and won’t come off until you add water.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!

 

Please follow directions carefully. When in doubt, less is best. User assumes all risk.

These recipes, tips, and uses have been compiled from the Field, and are not endorsed by Shaklee Corporation.

Spring Cleaning

Its that time of year when we start to feel the slightest bit of freshness in the air, its warming up a bit, the birds are chirping and everyone is getting spring fever.

Well where I am, there is still plenty of snow on the ground and although it is warming up and starting to melt, it is still a little raw outside, which means its the perfect time to start Spring Cleaning so that when the weather does get nicer, I can go out and enjoy it knowing that the inside of my house is clean.

I posted my spring cleaning schedule last year where I went in depth into each room. Then at the end I compiled it all together in my Spring Cleaning 101. If  you missed it then, here it is again-

Spring Cleaning 101

FALL Cleaning Tasks

 

Ahh! The crisp cool smell of fall is in the air.

While the days are still warm and sunny it is snugly weather at night- which I LOVE!!!

The trees are still green, but some are starting to turn their brilliant autumn shades.

When you look around you will notice all the little critters start to prepare for winter-

so let's take a cue from them and start our Fall Cleaning Tasks.

 

Here's what I do each FALL

• Make appointment to have oil burner cleaned and inspected  before the Winter (I call in September for an appointment in October)
• Make an appointment to have Sprinkler System winterized and turned off (I call in September for an appointment in October)
• Close the swimming Pool (September)
• Steam Clean all the rugs in my house
• Remove Air Conditioners in windows
• Close up and winterize wall Air Conditioner
• Wash and either rehang or swap out curtains in all the rooms
• Wash all Window Screens
• Check all Windows and Doors- re-caulk if necessary
• Flip all mattresses
• Wash all Bedding and pillows
• Give each room a good deep cleaning, by moving big pieces of furniture and dusting/vacuuming behind/under them.
• Change out every one's clothes for Fall and Winter (when weather warrants it)
• Clean out Fridge
• Clean out Freezer
• Clean out Pantry
• Clean Over and Toaster Oven
• Clean Microwave
• Wash outside of kitchen cabinets
• Clean inside of kitchen cabinets
• Turn OFF outdoor water hoses and store hoses (once temps at night start to teeter around the freezing mark)
• Clean and store all patio furniture
• Test Smoke alarms and Carbon Monoxide Detectors- change batteries if necessary
• Rake and clean yard
• Check and clean out gutters
• Go through toys for donations- I usually do this in November to make room for the massive influx coming at Christmas!
• Try on all winter coats and gloves and purchase new if necessary
• Clean out the inside of all vehicles
• Wash outside of all vehicles
• Start buying salt every other week or so to stock up for winter to put down to melt the ice
• Winterize lawn- cut it and put down and fertilizer needed
• Bring shovels towards front of garage and start the snow blower to test it before we need it

Happy Fall Cleaning! What else do you do in the fall to get ready for winter?

 

 

You Might also like:

Kid-friendly Coat Solution

How I Clean Naturally

Spring Cleaning 101

How to Dust



 

THE REAL DIRT ON CLEAN

 

ARE YOU LIVING IN A HEALTHY HOME?

You know that good, healthy feeling you get when you’ve just cleaned house? Sorry to spoil it, but you may have just made your home dirtier.
Think of it this way. You wouldn’t let your kids play with toxic chemicals, so why would you let the baby crawl over a floor that’s just been wiped with them? That’s much more dangerous than the orange juice that was just there. How dangerous? Just take a look at these statistics.

• Over 90% of poison exposures happen at home.
• Common bleach is the #1 household chemical involved
  in poisoning.
• Organic pollutants, found in many common cleaners and
  even air fresheners, are 2 to 5 times higher inside your home than out.
• A person who spends 15 minutes cleaning scale off shower walls could inhale three times the “acute one-hour exposure limit” for glycol ether-containing products set by the California Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment.
• Common cleaners give off fumes that have been linked to
  increasing the risk of your kids developing asthma, the most common serious chronic childhood disease.
• 1 in 13 school-aged children has asthma. Rates in children under five have increased more than 160%from 1980 – 1994.
• Children are highly vulnerable to chemical toxicants. Pound for pound of body weight, children drink more water, eat more food and breathe more air than adults. The implication of this is that children will have substantially heavier exposures than adults to any toxicants that are present in water, food or air.
• If your home is anything like the average U.S. home, you generate more than 20 pounds of household hazardous waste each year (the EPA designates toilet cleaners, tub and tile cleaners, oven cleaners, and bleach as hazardous waste).

 CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE THE GET CLEAN LINE OF NONTOXIC CLEANERS.

How I save $100 a year on Dish Soap

This stuff is like liquid gold!! Not only does it clean my dishes with one tiny drop, but it gets them cleaner than any other dish soap AND one bottle LASTS for like TWO MONTHS!!!

Besides its cleaning power it is biodegradable, safe for the environment, gentle on your hands and non-toxic. Other soaps would make my eczema flair up when I washed dishes, NOT Shaklee.

 

The Clean side was with Shaklee Dish Soap and their Miracle Scrubber Pad.

If you join Shaklee as a member, the dish soap costs only $6.90 and I go through one bottle roughly every two months. I was using one bottle of Dawn foaming dish soap every week/week an a half before I switched at around $5.80 a bottle. So you do the math! OK... I'll do it for you; let's be conservative and say I went through one bottle of Dawn every two weeks that would be roughly $11.60 a month, with Shaklee Dish soap at the end of the month I still have about 1/2 a bottle left, but even if I used the whole bottle I have already saved $4.70, using half the bottle for the month means you spent $3.45 a month on dish soap giving you a savings of $8.15 a month. $8 a month adds up to just under $100 a year.

Pair it with Shaklee's great Reusable Microfiber Sponges or their excellent Miracle Scrubber Pad for those tough jobs and toss out those toxic Brillo pads!

So get yours today and start cleaning healthy and saving!!

10 Reasons to Love Basic H

Get yours today!!!

You might also like how I clean naturally

Spring Cleaning 101

Here it is!!! My Spring Cleaning 101.

All the how-tos put together in one place and

grouped by room for you to easily access.

1. I always start with The kitchen- it is the heart of the home.
Here's how to Spring Clean the Kitchen

2. Then it's on to the next dirtiest room- The Bathroom.
Here's how to Spring Clean the Bathroom

3. Then it's onto the Linen Closet.
Here's how to Spring Clean the Linen Closet

4. Next it in onto The Bedrooms.
Here's how to Spring Clean the Bedroom Closets
How to Clean Curtains
Spring Clean the Bedrooms
How to Dust
How to Clean Your Pillows

5. Now we move on to cleaning the Windows.
Here's how to clean your windows from inside

6. Then we move to the Living Room and/or Den.
Here's how to Clean the Living Room and Den

7. Now we clean The Dining Room
Here's how to clean that dining room

8. Now we attack The Laundry Room and or Mud Room.
How to Clean your Dyson Vacuum
How to Clean Your Washing Machine
How to Clean your Dryer
Enjoy having a clean house!!

How to Clean your Dryer

OK so we just cleaned our washing machine. Now it is on to the other important machine in our laundry room. The dryer.
A few weeks back I made a post about how to get the musty smell out of your towels because I was having a smell issue with my dryer that I thought was the towels. Fast forward to last week and I was hid with a rancid smell when I walked into my laundry room. Now I had not done laundry in a few days and it had not smelt when I had removed my last load, so what was the problem?

1. First I cleaned the inside with my trusty vinegar. Now if you don't have a smell, you should still do this every so often to clean the machine. Simply spray the inside and wipe dry.

2. Then I emptied the lint tray. Here is where I noticed the smell getting stronger. So I unscrewed the trap and vacuumed it out well. Also a good idea to do twice a year even if there is no smell. Lint can collect over time and cause the machine to catch fire so maintenance is key.

3. Then I unscrewed the tubing at the back of the machine that vents out the wall to outside. BINGO! The smell was very bad there. We had found the source of the smell!!! So we ended up replacing that tubing as it reeked. Now we had some major storms pass through the week before and we are not sure if water came inside the vent and went down the tubing from outside or if the lint collected in the tubing and got moldy. You don't need to replace your tubing if there is no smell, but occasional vacuuming of the tubing will help with the lint from backing up.

 

Happy Laundering!!

How to Clean Your Washing Machine

OK, say what? Clean my washing machine? But... isn't that what it does? Isn't a washing machine's whole purpose to clean things? Well.... yes and no. Yes it cleans our clothes, but to keep it smelling fresh and doing its job properly and prolong its life- you really should clean it periodically.

Now depending on whether you have a top loader (which I have) or a front loader will depend on HOW OFTEN you need to do this. Front loaders can get moldy around the door and in all the rubber seals around the doors (I know, I had a front loader that I replaced because of mold- YUCK). Front loaders should be checked and washed more regularly and also try to leave the doors open (if you can) or at least dry the rubber seals with a towel or paper towel when you are done using the machine.

Now first step is to open the washing machine, spray the inside with your favorite cleaner. Vinegar works fine for this, but my favorite cleaner to use is my Organic Basic H just spray well and scrub. Then pour 1 cup of distilled white vinegar into the washing machine and run a load on HOT on the longest setting. If you do this regularly say like 2-4 times a year you should only have to just run it, if this is your first time washing your washing machine or you have not done this in a while I suggest let it fill up and then let it sit for an hour before letting it finish the cycle. Once done wipe the inside down again to make sure you get any grime off and happy laundering!


I use the Shaklee Get Clean Laundry Line and it helps keep my washing machine cleaner longer.
Anyone who’s struggled with sudsy buildup in their high-efficiency, energy- and water-saving washer will love the fresh thinking found in the New Fresh Laundry Concentrate HE Compatible formula. Its suds-controlling formula is kind on your washer. Its triple-concentrated formula saves money, water, energy, and space in your laundry room. Its formula is kind on your skin. Plus it’s a two-in-one cleaner: an incomparable pre-spotter and laundry cleaner.

When used as a stain remover, 46% more effective than OxiClean® Versatile Stain Remover and 33% better than Resolve® Max Laundry Stain Remover, and when used as a liquid laundry concentrate comparable to Method® 8X Laundry Detergent, all® small & mighty® free clear, Tide® Free & Gentle, and Whole Foods 2X Concentrated Laundry Detergent.*

• HE Compatible Formula!
• Also ideal for use in standard washers
• Available in Regular Scent or Fragrance Free
• Superconcentrated – one small bottle cleans 32 medium loads, the same number as a 100 ounce bottle of conventional liquid laundry detergent.
• Super performance in a small package – enzyme-activated natural cleaners deliver a powerful clean that rivals leading brands.
• Two-in-1 product.
• Small bottle is easy to carry, pour, and store – small size fits on your shelf.
• Extra natural enzyme power boosters for color-safe whitening.
• Formulated to help prevent dyes in colored clothes from transferring from one garment to another during wash.

Clean Credentials

• Biodegradable Surfactants
• Concentrated
• Hypoallergenic
• No phosphates
• No chlorine

How to Clean Your Dyson

Hi All! Just Cleaning out my laundry room and got my vacuum particularly dirty (post on spring cleaning laundry room coming soon) and had to clean it before I would even think of using in on the rest of my house, so I thought I would share how I clean my Dyson.

First of all, let me say, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my new Dyson. I had one previously but after having allergies and asthma diagnosis in the house I wanted to get a HEPA filter vacuum. The old Dysons are not HEPA (and that is the ONLY reason I decided to get a new one- old was was still working great after 5+ years), but they have new ones that are. Here is my Dyson.

As you can see from the picture above...pretty yucky! First I emptied the canister (outside) then I took  the filters out (there are two)and rinsed them in the sink.

Next I took all the attachments and canister and rinsed them out in the sink with warm water. Then I sprayed those with my favorite new cleaning product, by trusty Organic Basic H and rinsed them again.

Yuck!! See all that gunk!

 

 

Then I cleaned the vacuum itself by spraying with my Basic H and wiping down with a cloth.

 

 

 

Just in case you aren't grossed out enough.. here's more yucky pics.

 

I turned the vacuum upside down and attacked all the hair that was caught up in the brushes.

 





I let all the parts dry for like 48 hours and then I put in back together. All ready to do some more cleaning!!!!

Spring Clean: The Dining Room

Moving onto the Dining Room. OK I will be honest- this is my least favorite room to clean! Mainly because it it rarely used and therefore when I do clean it- it takes a long time!!!! So I try to do this cleaning twice a year and I will time it to go along with a major holiday like Thanksgiving and Easter. Because if you are hosting that holiday, let's face it...it needs to be done! So as you can tell, since I am cleaning in June, that I did not host Easter this year! LOL!
-First start by dusting from the top to bottom; ceiling, light fixtures, top of cabinets and/or hutches, walls and pictures.
-Empty out hutches and/or cabinets- take everything out and put on the table.
-What can go in the dishwasher gets put in and run through- this may take several loads as I don't overload it when I have expensive china in it. Speaking of china that is my pattern Charleston by Lenox (it's retired)
-Then hand wash the rest of the items (like glass and crystal).
-While this stuff is being washed/dried clean out cabinets/hutches with a damp rag.
-Reorganize what you have and decide if you need ALL those bowls, servers, etc.
-Make sure to clean your silverware.
-Dry everything well before putting it back in.
-Now that you can see your table top again clean it and throw any tablecloths and cloth napkins in the wash (or hand wash any delicate lace you have).
-If you are not hosting a holiday all linens can be stored, if you are hosting get out your iron and board and gets those linens ironed.
-Give the chairs a good dusting along with any other knick knacks on display.
-Give a good vacuum.

Now enjoy your clean dining room for like 5 minutes before you have to start cooking!

Spring Cleaning: the Living Room and Den

OK so now we are onto the den and or living room.

As always start from the top and work your way down.

1. Remove all curtains and wash them.
2. Start dusting from the top down.
3. Move all furniture and dust behind it. (you'll be amazed at how much dust accumulates back there.
4. Now is a good time to empty out cabinets and drawers, wipe them down with a rag and go through what you want to keep/toss.
5. I toss all throw blankets in the wash to refresh them.
6. Sprinkle the couches and carpets with baking soda, let sit for 15 minutes and then vacuum it up to freshen them and remove odors.
7. Wash the windows.
8. Then rehang your curtains.
9. Enjoy your clean room.

How to get the Musty Smell Out of Your Towels

Well if you have been following along it will come as no surprise that my secret weapon will once again be Vinegar!

I recently went in to my dryer to get a load of laundry out and it smelt like the laundry had been in there for days and I know that it hadn't. So I rewashed the load, sprayed the inside of my dryer with vinegar and wiped and then ran a towel dampened with vinegar through a dry cycle. When it no longer smelt and the laundry was washed I redried them and they smelt fine. Now several days went by and I opened the dryer, this time to a load of towels and I smelt the musty smell again. This time the answer was staring me in the face- the towels!!! So I put them in the wash, this time after adding the laundry detergent I added roughly 1 cup White Vinegar (I eye-balled it) to the load. This time they came out with no smell and when I dried them the dryer didn't smell- YEAH! So the moral of the story- always wash towels in HOT water and add 1 cup vinegar to keep them smelling clean!
Happy Laundering! :)

How to Clean Windows

For the purpose of this post we are strictly speaking about cleaning your windows from the inside.
First grab your trusty spray bottle of... you guessed it.. VINEGAR!

Spray the entire inside of the window with vinegar and wipes with a paper towel. I bring a small garbage bag with me and toss dirty towels in there so I don't get things messy as I go. Use a Q-tip for any tiny, hard to reach spots.

If your window has the capability to open in for cleaning then follow the same directions as above and clean the outside of the windows while you are inside. If not then you'll clean the outside when you do outdoor spring cleaning.

Spray the window sills last and wipe clean.

Once a month, especially in Spring and Fall when insects seem to want to invade, you should spray all around the window openings with vinegar on all your windows and doors and then wipe dry. The Vinegar smell deters them.

How to Clean Your Pillows

Did you know that your pillows can hide dust mites???!!! YUCK!!! So it is very important to clean or replace your pillow periodically. Now most soft fiber (synthetic or down) filled pillows can be washed in the washing machine- check the washing instructions on the pillow tag. The squishy contoured foam ones can't be washed, but their covers usually can.

To wash your pillow, put in the washing machine on a gentle cycle with a mild detergent on hot water to kill germs and mites. It is a good idea to do two pillows at a time to keep the washing machine balanced. I always run it through another drain/spin cycle to make sure all the water is wrung out from the pillows. Then put in the dryer, be sure to follow drying instructions for your pillow and be sure it is completely dry before using it again as if it is damp it can mold.

Pillows should be washed at least twice a year. If you or a family member had a dust allergy, it is a good idea to do it more frequently like four times a year. Purchasing a dust mite cover is a good idea as well for allergies.  And you shouldn't go to sleep with wet hair as this can cause your pillow to get moldy.

How to Dust

The correct way to dust is from the top down, this way you don't get dust on areas you just dusted. And then vacuum the room after dusting.

1. Get out your Swiffer (or other duster) and start with the ceiling- ceiling fans and light fixtures.

2. Then do the crown moldings.
3. Dust walls from top down.
4. Dust lamps and decorative items.
5. Dust the tops, sides, fronts and also behind furniture.

6. Then dust the baseboards.

7. Follow up by vacuuming and you're all done.

TIPS: I use the Swiffer for ceiling, walls, reaching behind furniture and baseboards. To dust decorative items and furniture I use a damp cloth to collect the dust.

Spring Clean: The Bedrooms

OK so we have cleaned the bedroom closets and have washed the curtains. Now it is time to deep clean the  bedroom.
Start from the top and work your way down:

• dust ceiling fans and  fixtures.
• dust crown moldings.
• dust curtain hardware.
• dust walls.
• dust furniture.
• dust all decorative items and picture frames.
• dust lamps.
• wash all bed linens.
• wash pillows.
• move all furniture (that you can) and dust and vacuum  behind.
• vacuum room.
• go through all drawers and organize items- get rid of items you no longer need or want. 
• hang cleaned curtains.
• enjoy!

Here's the correct way to dust

Spring Cleaning- Washing the Curtains

Before I deep clean a room I like to take the time to wash the curtains before I  start to dust.

For instance I pick a day to I know I can get the cleaning of all the bedrooms out of the way. Before I start to clean I take down all the curtains in the bedrooms and bring them to the laundry room. Curtains can really collect a lot of dust, you should really wash them at least twice a year, if not more. If you or a family member has a dust allergy you should wash them more frequently.

I short them into two piles each for their own load- one for sheers and the other for drapes. My curtains happen to be in the same color family somewhat- sheers are cream or white and drapes are light blues, greens and yellows so I can get away doing two loads. You may need to separate yours more by dark and light colored drapes if needed.

I toss mine in the wash on COLD on the HANDWASH or DELICATE cycle. Choose the gentlest cycle your machine has. If they say dry clean only, then follow the directions, unless you are willing to gamble and see how they turn out. I only buy draperies that say I can machine wash (personal preference, as I HATE dry cleaning).

When they are done in the wash I move them to the dryer and put on AIR DRY/FLUFF, NO HEAT, whatever is the gentlest cycle you have. If they are not drying I sometimes put them on LOW HEAT and do like 5 min intervals and keep checking them until they are dry.

If you don't like ironing, like me, then you need to take them out IMMEDIATELY when dry and hang them right back up. They may be a little wrinkled but they will fall out in a day or so. If a few wrinkles for a few days doesn't bother you, go this route. Otherwise iron before putting back up.

Just be sure to CLEAN THE ROOM BEFORE putting them back up as you don't want dust all over your freshly cleaned curtains!

Spring Cleaning: The Closets

Today it is onto the Bedroom Closets. I always start the Spring Clean of bedrooms with the closets because it can be dusty in there so I don't want to clean the room and bring dusty stuff out and make it dirty again.


Here's a before shot of one of our closets-

 

Not too too bad. But definitely in need of a cleaning and makeover.

The shelves were plastic and rickety and not working for us.

We needed more storage space.

 

 

Here's the after version-

 

We didn't need that much space to hang clothes as this room has several dressers, what we needed was toy storage so I purchased this cubby system and some cloth bins. It fits perfectly, but my hubby did have to build it in the closet as it would not have fit it once built- we measured first!

 

To Clean the Closets:

1. First take everything out.

2. Dust the ceiling and wall- yes I said dust the closet. Start from the ceiling, do the walls

and any shelves. This is good to do because sometimes you may find a spider or two in there as a nice, warm cozy closet is a good place to hide and not get bothered.

3. You may need to clean the walls if your closet has a musty smell- mix a little baking soda and warm water and dampen a sponge or rag and wipe down the walls.

4. Vacuum the floor and, if needed, clean it as well.

5. Now that the closet is clean, it is time to address the STUFF that goes back in.

6. Go through the clothing and decide what you wear and don't wear, for a kid's closet you need to address what doesn't fit any more and what they are growing into.

7. Decide what type or organizing is needed; more room to hang stuff? more storage like a dressers or drawers? need more shelving?

8. If its a kids closet you may want to have a bin for clothes as they outgrow them. When you find an item that doesn't fit anymore stick it in there and when it gets full it is time to store them for the younger ones or donate them.

 

 

TIP- if your closet still has that musty closet smell try sprinkling some baking soda

in your shoes- as shoes are usually the culprit.