Hard water sucks

As I sit here waiting for my bathroom floor to dry I figured I'd share one of my favorite Pinterest cleaning tips.

When we bought this house the bathroom sink had terrible hard water buildup. I tried a bunch of different things, including rubbing the enamel off in certain spots!

I came across a pin that said to soak paper towels in vinegar so I figured why not.

This is a during picture, you can see the brown crud to the left of the faucet. (I always forget to take before pictures)

That first time took a few soaks but it worked! I do it about once a month now. I usually just soak it for about 20 minutes while I clean the rest of the bathroom.

Now I need to find out how to get crazy glue out of the sink!

Take a peek at:
Heir to the Hovel ~ my mommy blog.
Recipes from the Hovel ~ my recipe blog.

Totally awesome laundry pre-wash - not so awesome

So I heard from 2 different people that Dollar Tree had an amazing stain remover.

Having a young son & a hard working husband I decided to give it a try. 

As luck would have it the day I bought it my son spilled chocolate milk in his bed.

1. It stinks! & I don't have a window in my laundry room.

2. It doesn't work, I think it even made the stain worse! I threw the entire bottle right in the garbage.

Luckily Zout took care of it.

What are some of your favorite stain removers?

Organized recipe books

I used to keep my recipe books here but it was a cluttered mess

Now I keep them here & each space holds similar books 

Laundry room supplies

I didn't get a before picture but this is what I used to keep my laundry supplies in -

It wasn't too sturdy but I couldn't find anything I liked beside the $600 vanity that I really wanted so it did the job.

I was visiting a friend & she had this little piece of furniture in her garage waiting for the trash so I brought it home.

Besides it being white & matching my laundry room it also fit perfectly behind the door.

This small change has made me so happy 😃 I still want the $600 vanity but I don't mind waiting.

Making your home sing Monday 10-11-10

Making Your Home Sing! Monday is hosted by Mom's The Word I love to hear

I took a toothbrush to my bathroom grout yesterday. About a month ago I told hubby it was starting to bug me that it looked so grubby; I asked how I could clean it he said re-grouting would be best. Yesterday it finally got to me. I started with a Mr Clean eraser which worked pretty good but it made little lumps as it disintegrated. Then I put some vinegar  baking powder in a cup & went to town with my (old) toothbrush. 

This is a perfect example of how thankless being a housewife is & how not to clean for other people. The only reason hubby noticed is cause he happened to come up as I was doing the last 2 tiles. While he was teasing me I got to tease him since we redid his bathroom a few weeks before we did mine so his grout is older :-P Is anyone going to come over & say "wow, look at your grout!" no, but I don't care, it looks good to me!

Take a peek at:
Heir to the Hovel ~ my mommy blog.
Recipes from the Hovel ~ my recipe blog.

Making your home sing Monday 10-4-10

Making Your Home Sing! Monday is hosted by Mom's The Word I love to hear

I got a few house things last week...

My new shower curtain. (now I new different curtains LOL)

 

This toilet paper holder is in hubby's bathroom -

The lazy suan I'm still iffy about. It's on my table but it's a little darker looking in person & it's putting a curve on my napkins.

Take a peek at:
Heir to the Hovel ~ my mommy blog.
Recipes from the Hovel ~ my recipe blog.

Making your home sing Monday 9-26-10

Making Your Home Sing! Monday is hosted by Mom's The Word I love to hear

Bleh, I'm a little behind. Last Monday I began to fallify my house. This is a word I made up for fall decorating. I had my new pumpkin candle burning while I changed my outdoor flag, bathroom carpets, tablecloth, oven mitts & all my towels. Fall is my favorite season & I probably have more fall themed stuff than any other.

Tomorrow I'm planning to make some apple things. So far on my list is Apple Spice bread, I'll add the recipe some other time. I'm thinking of applesauce too, we'll see. When I went shopping Friday I misread the supermarket flyer & thought the bags of apples were 99 cents so I grabbed one. They were actually 99 cents a pound so thank goodness I only grabbed one bag that was close to 7 pounds.

Make & use a price list

About a year ago I decided  to start a price list & keep it in my homemaking journal. Yes, I have one of those but it's still a work in progress; actually when my printer crapped out I was printing some stuff to put in it.

Anyways, back to the price list. I mainly started it to see which items I could really save money on by buying larger sizes. I was pretty surprised when I found an average of 20 - 60 cent price difference in my 2 stores. I live pretty rural, the local supermarkets are about 15 miles in opposite directions from my house. Each of them carry some stuff I use but not all so I go to both pretty regularly.

I do the Walmart thing every couple of months, like yesterday. I can get a 10 pound bag of rice for like 6 dollars meanwhile the supermarket charges about 5 dollars for the 3 or 5 pound bag - it's been so long I don't remember. It seemed like I was always buying rice now I just buy it & forget it. Plus I bought the prettiest canister to hold it in LOL

 I don't take my list with me, after a while I just started to know where to buy what.

The price list also helps me remember where I get certain stuff. I haven't updated it for a while so it took me a month to re-find the aerosol can of Shout that I fell in love with.


Check out my new blogs:
Heir to the Hovel, all about kids.
Recipes from the Hovel, all recipes.

Homemaking 101 - Master cleaning list

Here's part three of my homemaking series.

There may things on here that apply to me but not you or vice versa, plus there might be things that I forget so just use this as a guideline.
Also the frequency may be different for you. I vacuum a lot more now that we have a baby. Before the baby I could get by with once a week, now I vacuum 3 to 4 times a week; once he's crawling it will probably be even more.

Dust
vacuum
sweep
mop
laundry
dishes
clean bathroom
clean kitchen
make beds
straighten up bedrooms & living areas
wash windows
wipe don walls & baseboards
wipe down appliances
wipe down cabinets
trash, recycling, compost
change lines, curtains, throw rugs
clean furniture, blinds, curtains
clean closets, drawers


Daily

• make beds
• wash dishes
• wipe down counters & tabletops
• wipe up any spills - the quicker the better & easier clean up!
• Swiffer vac (sweep)
  
• put clothes and shoes away
• general straightening up

Bi-weekly

• Vacuum carpets
• Swiffer wet (damp mop)
• Take out trash, recycling, compost
• laundry - clothing
• clean chair seats
  

Weekly

• wipe down appliances
• dust
• change & wash sheets
• change & wash towels
• wipe down mirrors & inside windows
• run Swiffer duster over baseboards, corners, fans, lamps
  
• wipe down switch plates, door knobs, remotes, telephones - daily if someone is sick!
• clean bathrooms
• shake, vacuum or change throw rugs, entrance mats, bath mats
• wipe down inside of fridge & freezer - do this on the day you grocery shop so there's less stuff to move around. Also give the top of your fridge a good wipe too.
• Wipe down fronts of cabinets
• sweep porches
• vacuum steps
  

Monthly

• vacuum furniture & drapes
• spot clean furniture & carpets
• change shower curtains/liners

Seasonally

• clean out closets
• sort out drawers
• clean gutters
• wash windows - outside
• change curtains
• wash pillows

Did you know the average for weekly cleaning is 10 hours a week?
Did you know that chores average about 15 minutes?

Next weeks topic will be scheduling.

Homemaking 101 - Organizing

If you missed part one, Homemaking 101 - Introduction, you might want to read this post.

Organization is your best friend when it comes to having a neat home. If all of your stuff has its own place it will be easier to find/use/put away. First make sure your stuff is as near as it can be to where you use it. Then decide how/where you can store it best. An example, I don't have a lot of storage in my bathroom (I can't wait til we redo it!) but my linen closet is right next to it so I keep my cleaning supplies & extra soap, toilet paper, etc. on the floor in there.

Smaller places call for creative storage - when we lived in our studio apartment I kept my linens under the bed in plastic storage containers, I had wire shelving in the few cabinets we had & a portable closet became my pantry. Use a bookcase for a makeshift pantry or to store linens. If you don't have a linen closet use a dresser. Put shelves anywhere & everywhere.

Let's start with entries. Make sure you have a closet or at least some hooks for jackets & bags. If you have children place a rod or hooks at their level so they get in the habit of hanging up their stuff. You should also have a table or some other flat surface for packages, purse, keys. If you have a large household buy small bins or baskets for each person so they'll know where their stuff is. Then add a shelf or 2 for hats & gloves; a dresser or cabinet here could probably serve both purposes.

Since you just came in there is a good chance you have mail. First separate out the junk, do this before you even close the door. Then place everyone's mail in their basket. Put the junk immediately into the shredder, fireplace, whatever you use just get rid of it!

Family/living rooms are probably the easiest to get messed up. Try o have separate areas for each use in the rooms. Our living room is more 'formal' than our family room so dog/baby toys are limited in the living room. Bigger toys go in the family room, this is also where we have our vcr, dvd, music, computers & bookcases. Make sure you have cabinets for tapes, cd's, toys. Storage benches/ottomans can be a good idea since they provide seating as well as storage.

Bedrooms - for ours all we have is our dressers, bed, a hamper & my make-up table so the only real mess is hubby's dirty clothes on the floor. Closets should have shelves, rods & hooks. I have 2 upper shelves for purses, hats & bulky clothes. I have some floor shelves too where I keep shoes. We have a double hook on the back of the door for our robes.

Bathroom - I keep a sponge & glass cleaner under the cabinet since I use those the most. I also keep a bottle of Shout in there so I can pre-treat stains (my laundry room is downstairs so this is a time saver)

Kitchen - pots & pans go under the cooktop, the cabinet next to the sink has cutting boards, colanders, my chopper. The drawers above these cabinets hold my utensils; flatware in one, serving/cooking utensils in another, miscellaneous stuff n a third (veggie peeler, potato masher, skewers etc) I keep my glasses in the cabinet next to the fridge & my dishes next to that. The cabinets & drawer above & below my stove is where all my baking stuff goes...cookie sheets, cake pans, flours, sugars, etc. I have smaller canisters on my counter for every day stuff...sugar, coffee.

Next week I'll be posting a master cleaning list as well as a break down of when certain chores should be done..

Homemaking 101 - Introduction

I am hoping to do a little series on homemaking with a week at the most between posts so keep checking back for more. I will be sharing my tips, methods & secrets.

Homemaking to me is everything related to running & keeping up your household; cooking, cleaning, shopping, decorating, gardening. Some people love it (like me) & some people hate it but it's stuff that has to be done. I think that's why some people hate it - it can be a monotonous, thankless burden. There are ways to make it easier though, really!!

Want your home to be perfect? Get rid of all your stuff, never live with anyone, don't have kids, & don't have pets. Seriously now, the first thing you have to do is figure out your style of living; don't compare your home to someone else's! You might have a small apartment, limited time, a different standard of neat/messy. Next think about who/what else lives with you & their style of living. The next step is figuring out what's important to you & not so important, then coming up with a compromise.
I am neat & organized, my hubby is messy & disorganized, my dog can be pretty messy & the baby is starting to take over my neat & organized world. Hubby has his own areas that he can mess where I won't yell, nag or clean. In common areas (his standards are different than mine but...) he knows he has to be fairly neat, like not taking his shoes off in the kitchen, he can throw his dirty clothes on his bathroom floor but not on the living room floor. On weekends I don't make the bed, I just fold the covers down so I don't get mad when he takes a nap on my freshly made bed. It's all a compromise.

Here's where I'll lose everyone - do not have 'a cleaning day', it might work once in awhile but really, who wants to spend the whole day cleaning? You'll waste your whole day, be tired & not looking forward to the next cleaning day & your house will probably be a disaster for 27 days afterward. You must maintain your home every day, yep EVERY day. But it's really not as bad or as hard as it sounds. Take a few minutes here & there throughout the day to do stuff. Try this the next time you go to the bathroom - take a piece of toilet paper or a tissue & give the top of the tank then the rim a quick wipe before you sit down. Then use your soapy hands to wipe down the sink. See? That wasn't hard was it? How much time was that, 3 minutes? Multi-tasking is a must - the next time you're brushing your teeth give the mirror a quick wipe with some glass cleaner & wipe down your counter top.
Doing little things like this helps between cleanings & will make your actual cleaning easier & faster.

7 Tips for beating clutter forever - tip 7

Be a good gatekeeper. Think twice before you bring home something new. Ask yourself: do I really need this? Where will I put it? Becoming a more conscious consumer goes a long way toward cutting clutter. Also cancel unwanted catalogs and switch to online bill paying.

from expert Donna Smallin, January 2009 Better Homes and Gardens

7 Tips for beating clutter forever - tip 6

Declutter daily. It's easier to keep up than catch up, so establish a daily routine. Grab a laundry basket and make the rounds, tossing in anything to be put away. Also purge periodically. As you sort through off-season clothing get rid of what you didn't wear. Clean out filing cabinets at year's end.

from expert Donna Smallin, January 2009 Better Homes and Gardens

7 Tips for beating clutter forever - tip 5

Deal with clutter hotspots. You can't hide all clutter but you can contain it. Look at where it collects and set up attractive ways to deal with it, like a large bowl on the kitchen counter to collect keys, or a big basket by the door for shoes. Discount stores and office supply houses have everything from patterned folders for storing bills to wicker, fabric, and leather boxes to match your decor.

from expert Donna Smallin, January 2009 Better Homes and Gardens

7 Tips for beating clutter forever - tip 4

Give yourself permission to let go. If you had only 10 minutes to evacuate your home, what would you grab? Make a decision to surround yourself with only beloved and useful objects and let go of the rest. have a garage sale, donate or post items on freecycle.com, an online exchange.

from expert Donna Smallin, January 2009 Better Homes and Gardens

7 Tips for beating clutter forever - tip 3

Give everything a home. A big reason why clutter accumulates is because items are homeless. A good home for an item is one that makes it easy to retrieve and return. Oven mitts for example, are ideally stored in a waist-height drawer near the stove, but the best home for a roasting pan might be in the garage freeing up cabinet space for more regularly used items.

from expert Donna Smallin, January 2009 Better Homes and Gardens

7 Tips for beating clutter forever - tip 2

Set small goals. Say to yourself: today I'm going to clean out my junk drawer and then stop. Or set a timer for 15 minutes and go to it. You'll be amazed at what you can accomplishin these mini decluttering sessions. Seeing each project through gives you confidence for the next one.

from expert Donna Smallin, January 2009 Better Homes and Gardens

7 Tips for beating clutter forever - tip 1

Start with the easy stuff.
Go through your home room by room in search of trash. Grab a recycling bin and toss outdated coupons, flyers, calendars, old newspapers, magazines and catalogs. Shred paid utility bills and other statements not needed for tax purposes. Fill bags or boxes with clothing and linens to donate.

from expert Donna Smallin, January 2009 Better Homes and Gardens

Buying food for your freezer

How long can you store stuff in your freezer?

• cooked chicken breast -4 months
• cooked meat dishes - 3 months
• uncooked poultry - 1 year
• uncooked beef (roasts & steaks) - 1 year
• uncooked pork (roasts & chops) - 6 months
• uncooked ground beef - 4 months
• frozen fruits & vegetables - 1 year
• bread & tortillas - 3 to 6 months
• butter - 6 months

-from Better Homes and Gardens January 2009

I try to buy family packs whenever I can & then re-package it into smaller portions.
Make sure you label your foods & rotate, like the butter, or else you'll waste money in the long run when you have to throw stuff out.

Clutter Control from Better Homes and Gardens January 2009

Daily - set aside 20 minutes in the morning to walk through the house & tidy up so you come home to a welcoming space.
Weekly - devote one afternoon to set housekeeping goals for the week ahead. Put chores in your calendar.
Monthly - go through kids school/art work. Save special items & toss the rest.
Seasonally - donate clothing you haven't worn in a couple of seasons.
Twice a year go through toys & donate what is no longer needed.

Now that I'm looking at this it doesn't seem extremely helpful but maybe it can give someone a start so I'll leave it up.
My personal tip is try to teach everyone to put things back where they get them from. If everything has it's own 'spot' it's less likely to get lost or make a mess somewhere.