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Basic Tips to Keep in Mind on Laundry Day

August 26, 2016 by

Laundry day is likely your least favorite day of the week, but it doesn’t have to be quite so difficult. By attacking your piles of laundry with a bit of pre-planning, you can make laundry day much more manageable. Here are a few tips to keep in mind.

  1. Separate lights and darks ahead of time. To avoid the tedious task of separating lights from darks, separate them as soon as you toss your dirty clothes in the hamper. Invest in a double-sided hamper that does the separating for you.
  2. Invest in good detergent. Using the wrong detergent (or a cheap brand) can make your clothes come out dull and dingy. Instead, choose one detergent designed for washing dark clothes in cold water, one for keeping colors bright, and a separate stain treatment to put on spots.
  3. Treat stains as soon as they happen. The most important thing you can do to remove a stain is catch it as soon as it happens. You can even rub in a stain treatment and toss your clothes in the laundry, leaving the stain to deal with on laundry day.
  4. Turn clothes inside out. Avoid fading and shrinking by turning your clothes inside out before washing them.
  5. Fold right away. To eliminate the need for ironing, prevent wrinkles by folding your clothes as soon as they come out of the dryer.

Laundry 911: Color care basics [She Knows]
How to Care for Your Clothes [How Stuff Works]
Laundry Basics – Sorting it Out [For Better Living]

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Refinish a Well-Loved Wooden Cutting Board With These 4 Tips

August 4, 2016 by

Is your wooden cutting board looking a bit worse for the wear? With all of the slicing and dicing that goes on on your cutting boards, it’s no surprise that they need a bit of refurbishment every now and then. Use these simple tips for breathing new life into an old cutting board.

  1. First, disinfect your cutting board (especially ones that you use to cut meat) by diluting one teaspoon of bleach in two quarts of water. Dip a scrub brush in the solution and scrub the cutting board in small circles, and then wipe the surface with a damp paper towel and buff dry with a cotton cloth.
  2. Next, buff out any deep cuts using a very fine grade sandpaper. You may even want to choose two types of sandpaper so that you can buff out the cuts with one, and then smooth the surface with the other. Don’t leave behind any scratches, as these can collect bacteria.
  3. Condition your cutting board with mineral oil on a soft cloth. Don’t use vegetable or olive oils, as these can turn rancid with exposure. Buff the oil into the board using a thin rag, and make a note to retreat the board at least 3 or 4 times a year as needed.
  4. Once your cutting board is clean, keep it fresh after each use by cutting a lemon in half and rubbing it all over.

How to Clean a Cutting Board: 7 Effective Treatments [Reader’s Digest]
How to Restore and Maintain a Wood Cutting Board or Butcher Block [HGTV]
How To Clean, Deodorize and Condition Wood Cutting Boards Naturally [Apartment Therapy]

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Speed Through Household Chores With These Cleaning Shortcuts

April 22, 2016 by

The faster you get your cleaning done, the more time you’ll have to spend time with friends and family. The trick to quick cleaning is to have a system and to stick to it. Set a time limit for each room and you’ll be finished before you know it. Follow these tips for quick and efficient cleaning!

  • Keep up with daily cleaning tasks to help maintain your home's tidiness. By doing simple tasks every day, the cleaning will be much easier and not be so overwhelming.
  • Use a tote or bucket to keep all your cleaning supplies in. You can bring this from room to room and you won’t need to waste time searching for the supplies you need.
  • Use a vacuum to clean all of your floor surfaces. You should also use an extension cord for the vacuum to allow you to reach multiple areas without taking the time to keep plugging it in.
  • On your shower walls and door, use a squeegee after every use. This will prevent soap scum and water spots later on.
  • Focus on what you are cleaning and cut out anything that might distract you, e.g., your phone and the TV!

13 Tips to Help You Speed-Clean Your Home [Better Homes and Gardens]
Clean Your House in Less Than an Hour [Woman’s Day]
Speed Cleaning: Tips For Fast & Efficient Housekeeping [The Inspired Room]

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Here Are 4 Uses for Mayonnaise Beyond the Sandwich

January 22, 2015 by

Whether you like the taste of mayonnaise or not, you should add a jar to your cart the next time you’re at the grocery store. This basic condiment is incredibly useful on things other than sandwiches, from your face to your furniture and everywhere in between. If you want to learn how mayonnaise can help you save time and money around the house, check out these creative tips.

  1. Give yourself an at-home manicure. To get salon-quality soft hands right from your own bathroom, soak your fingers in a bowl of mayonnaise before painting your nails. It will soften cuticles and make them easier to trim.
  2. Create a DIY facial mask. It may not smell as pleasant as your typical facial mask, but mayonnaise works wonders on the skin on your face. Leave it on for 15 to 20 minutes to soften dry patches and encourage healthy, glowing skin.
  3. Remove water stains from wood. If you have pesky rings on your coffee table from cold drink glasses, remove them in just a few minutes with some mayonnaise. Simply rub the mayo over the water-stained area and wipe it away with a clean towel.
  4. Fix a squeaky door. Use some mayonnaise to fix a door that sticks or squeaks. Rub just a bit on the door’s hinge and it will instantly remove the squeaking noise.

20 Uses for Mayonnaise [All You]

11 Home and Beauty Uses for Mayonnaise [Reader's Digest]
9 Surprising Non-Cooking Uses for Mayonnaise [Every Day]

10 Unexpected Home Uses for Mayonnaise [Wise Bread]

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Five Uses for Baking Soda

December 18, 2014 by

You likely already know that you can use baking soda to freshen your refrigerator, but there are a wide variety of other uses for this kitchen staple. From cleaning your home to washing your body, baking soda can replace a number of more expensive products in your life. Here are just a few simple ways to use baking soda.

  1. To keep flowers fresh. Add a few sprinkles of baking soda to your flower vase to lengthen the lifespan of fresh flowers.
  2. As a deodorant. Simply apply baking soda to your underarms with a powder puff to use it as an all-natural deodorant.
  3. As an antacid. Baking soda is great to help relieve heartburn, sour stomach, or acid indigestion. Check the instructions on your brand's package to determine the specific measurements.
  4. To soothe irritated skin. Whether you have insect bites, athlete’s foot, or just seasonal dry skin, baking soda can help soothe skin irritation. Just add 1/2 cup to your bathwater and settle in for a long soak in the tub.
  5. To scrub counters. Instead of using harsh, potentially harmful bleach to clean your kitchen surfaces, create a baking soda soft scrub. Sprinkle some baking soda on a damp sponge, then scrub the grime from counters, tile, and sinks. Be sure to rinse the residue thoroughly afterward.

75 Extraordinary Uses for Baking Soda [Life Hackery]
31 Baking Soda Uses [All You]
51 Surprising Uses for Baking Soda [Care2]

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Green Meets Clean in These Recipes for All-Purpose Cleaners

October 16, 2014 by

With all of the chemicals and hard-to-pronounce ingredients in commercial cleaners today, it’s no surprise that many people are opting to make their own cleaners instead. Here are two effective—and surprisingly simple—recipes for homemade cleansers made with only natural ingredients.

All-Purpose Vinegar Spray [greencleaning.about.com]
This simple, aromatic spray is incredibly easy to make, and it can be used on just about any surface in your home. Vinegar offers powerful disinfecting properties that are on par with any store-bought cleaner on the market today, and it smells a whole lot more natural, too. Simply combine it with water and your favorite essential oils, pour it all in a spray bottle, and you’ll instantly have a versatile cleaner that you can really feel good about.

Glass Cleaner [Good Housekeeping]
You don’t like the laundry list of chemicals on the back of your name brand glass cleaner, but it seems like making your own just won’t produce the same results. This simple recipe is here to prove you wrong. By using only water, white vinegar, rubbing alcohol, and some essential oils to mask the strong scent, you’ll get the same streak-free shine on every window or mirror in your home. Best of all, all of the ingredients used are environmentally friendly and safe for pets and humans.

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Pre-Party Cleaning: The Short List

April 5, 2013 by

So, you just found out that company is coming Saturday afternoon — and it's already Friday morning. Instead of flipping out, refer to Apartment Therapy's "Stress Free Plan" to pre-party cleaning must-dos to keep you sane, and ensure your home is looking it's best, without having to spend a ton of time. Here's their short list of things to clean just before hosting a party, which you can accomplish in about an hour:

  • Clean the floors: dust, mop, or vacuum depending on the surface.
  • Clean counters, tables, and other surfaces.
  • Clean the bathroom for your guests.
  • Clean the kitchen.
  • Tidy up clutter.

Want to learn more about how regularly to clean your home? Click here.

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