Wednesday, November 30, 2016

December Odd Holidays

DECEMBER

2nd - Eat a Red Apple Day
2nd - National Pie Day
7th - National Cotton Candy Day
8th - National Brownie Day
12th - Poinsettia Day
13th - Ice Cream Day
16th - National Chocolate Covered Anything Day
18th - Bake Cookies Day
20th - Go Caroling Day
25th - National Pumpkin Pie Day
28th - Card Playing Day
28th - National Chocolate Day

Make it a great one!



Daughter, Sister, Friend, Wife - in our 18th year of wedded bliss, Stepmother to 2 adult children, Mother - (G16, G15, B12, G10, B9, B5, G4, & B1), StepMother-In-Law to 2, StepGrandmother to 4 precociously precious little boys! Blessed, Happy & Satisfied!

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

Tip Tuesday: Cleaning your Floors

No matter the kind of floor that you have, chances are it can get a build up on it that sucks out all the pretty shine. Which is too bad, because if your floor is shiny and pretty it makes your entire home look sparkly clean.

I have a few tips for getting that sparkle back - just in time for the Holidays.

Tips for Cleaning your Flooring:

1) If you have carpet - getting the professionals in is a good thing to do at least once a year. 
          2) Make sure you wick up spills as soon as they happen
 
          3) Baking soda sprinkled liberally over the top of spots will remove any odor.

For All Other Floor Types:

1) Make sure your entire floor is swept, vacuumed, and free of all debris. If you leave particles on your floor, then when you mop you won't have a lasting clean because those particles can scratch your floor in the mopping process or keep your cleaning agents from reaching the surfaces that you need it to.
2) Once it is clean, thoroughly wipe down all stains and spots with a rag and your elbow grease. This will save you having to scrub at it with your mop, later and makes the mopping go faster and easier.
3) Once you have it clean, get out your vinegar and ammonia or pine-sol. Follow the directions on the cleaners - You can use a strength of 1 part cleaner to 4 parts water and get a wonderful clean. If you don't have enough water you can end up with a sticky floor. Which you will then have to rinse off until you get it un-sticky.
4) if the Pine-sol/Ammonia didn't clean up all of the residue on your floor then it is time to pull out the vinegar. Again, 1 part vinegar to 3-4 parts water. With the vinegar you do not need to rinse and the 'salad' smell will dissipate within an hour or so.

Once you have let your floor dry you can put all your chairs, furniture, etc. back in place. I have also, heard that just a couple drops of vegetable oil or olive oil in your water will add a nice sheen (with out being slippery) to your floors.

It is a good idea to make sure that at least 1 mop a month you use something to pull up the residue left behind from your everyday cleaner or else just move to using the vinegar on a regular basis.

Good luck!

BellaOnline Cleaning

Make it a great one!



Daughter, Sister, Friend, Wife - in our 18th year of wedded bliss, Stepmother to 2 adult children, Mother - (G16, G15, B12, G10, B9, B5, G4, & B1), StepMother-In-Law to 2, StepGrandmother to 4 precociously precious little boys! Blessed, Happy & Satisfied!

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Tip Tuesday: Kitchen Cleaning: Dishwasher

We have incredibly hard water where we live. This wreaks havoc on my dishwasher. The children load dishes into the dishwasher. This also wreaks havoc on my dishwasher. They aren't always good at removing food particles and this can easily jam up the drain and filters.

Here is a dishwasher detergent alternative that can save you money.

Dishwasher Detergent

1 box Borax (215 kg)
1 box Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (55oz)
2 Lemmi Shine
3 cups Epsom Salt
Mix together and store in a cool, dry place. 1 tbsp detergent and 1 tbsp  vinegar in each load of dishes. If you don't add the Vinegar you will more than likely have spots. The vinegar acts as a deodorizer and as a spot remover. If you don't have hard water or you have a water softener, you will may not need the vinegar. 


Another one you can try:

1 cup borax
1 cup washing soda
1/2 cup citric acid
1/2 cup kosher salt (for scrubbing action)
Mix this together and store in an air-tight container. It makes about 24oz of detergent. Just use vinegar as your rinse agent.


You need to make sure that you clean your dishwasher regularly. We have crazy hard water, like I said earlier, and I have to do it once a month or else the dishes start getting crazy. I run it empty and HOT, HOT, Water on the Pots and Pans cycle. I can add vinegar to it or baking soda and it really makes a huge difference!

For the outside of the dishwasher I like to use a solution of 1 cup Ammonia, 1/2 c white vinegar, 1/4 c baking soda, 1 gallon boiling water. This is great for keeping the outside clean. I try to regularly wipe down the front and then just once a week I use the solution on it. This keeps it looking fabulous. This same solution is great for wiping down the interior - sides and bottom of the door as well.

No matter your circumstances, you can make your dishwasher last longer, work harder and better just by a little bit of care every day. I know when I take the time to take care of my dishwasher, it works better for me, as well!!


Good luck!

BellaOnline Cleaning

Make it a great one!



Daughter, Sister, Friend, Wife - in our 18th year of wedded bliss, Stepmother to 2 adult children, Mother - (G16, G15, B12, G10, B9, B5, G4, & B1), StepMother-In-Law to 2, StepGrandmother to 4 precociously precious little boys! Blessed, Happy & Satisfied!

Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Tip Tuesday: Cleaning Main Areas of the House

Have you ever needed to do some major deep cleaning, but didn't have the space to remove everything to do it? Read on for some tips and tricks...

One of the first things you need to decide on is what you are doing where and in what time frame. This kind cleaning is usually good to do on a yearly basis. This is the big, heavy-duty cleaning that needs on a regular basis. After you have decided on what and where and how it is time to get started. I like saving the most used areas of the home for last. This enables me to get the other jobs done in less seen areas more efficiently.

We are going to specifically discuss cleaning the family room area. We have 7 children at home right now. Let me tell you that they are great at achieving new strides in 'stuff-a-bility' on just about everything. We usually have to declutter surfaces in the family at least one time a week. It is amazing what stacks up. So, first thing you will want to do is put things in piles (give away, storage, by area of the house). Once you have it all sorted, take the time to get it put away right then. Don't wait until the cleaning job is done or else it will be easier to procrastinate it!

Next, you will want to vacuum or sweep. What makes this different is you are moving all of the furniture that you can possibly move and getting it cleaned up underneath everything. It is amazing what treasures you will find lurking in least expected places.

I like to vacuum out our couches and fabric covered furniture. I use a damp, lightly soapy cleaning rag and wipe down the exterior of our leather furniture. Once the furniture is cleaned up I focus on the windows. Vacuum out the sills and wash the windows are both key steps. Cleaning the blinds and/or washing draperies is another key step.

This is a great time to paint or shampoo carpets, steam clean floors, etc. The fun part is bringing in storage bins and containers that make your room more useful and keeps it looking clean and attractive!

I have moved furniture completely out of a room, but usually you can just move furniture around to get underneath and around them completely. However you choose to clean your most used areas, make it work well for you and your family!


Good luck!

BellaOnline Cleaning

Make it a great one!



Daughter, Sister, Friend, Wife - in our 18th year of wedded bliss, Stepmother to 2 adult children, Mother - (G16, G15, B12, G10, B9, B5, G4, & B1), StepMother-In-Law to 2, StepGrandmother to 4 precociously precious little boys! Blessed, Happy & Satisfied!

Tuesday, November 08, 2016

Tip Tuesday: Winter Cleaning

Ever wondered what types of things you can focus on in the Winter for cleaning your living space?

Here are some ideas to help get you in gear for some Fun in the Cold:

1) It is an excellent time to get your outdoor grill cleaned up, maintained and propane filled and charcoal built back up. Really spend time getting the grates all clean and making sure all of the hoses are in good working order
2) Sometimes our living spaces can feel 'stuffy' in the winter. A great thing to clean are any fabric drapes and blinds. Even if you take them outside and give them a good beating with a broom, you will be amazed at what a difference it will make.
3) If you are able to 'fumigate' well, you can do touch up painting around your space. If you can't open windows, then you better wait until Spring. 
4) Cleaning out all of your air ducts and vents. Changing out your filters and washing down the vents is vital to keeping your a/c and heater in great working order. It is also a great time to get your a/c a check up by a professional so it is in proper working order when you need it most.
5) Going through closets - this is a great time of year to go through your closets and remove unwearable clothing - donate it or make needed repairs. It is also a great time to go through your children's toy boxes and get rid of broken and unused toys. Organize as you go!
6) Get your winter accessories cleaned up - scarves, gloves, coats and sweaters all need some TLC. Whether you opt to clean them your self or take them to a professional - it is totally up to you! Some good saddle soap will work miracles on the exterior of leather goods. Using Woolite or other gentle laundry soap can do wonders for the interior of gloves, etc. Make sure you read labels and follow the manufacturers advice. Before the winter season is over, take time to clean up all of your winter items, including your boots!
7) Cleaning out the inside of your dryer lint. This is something that can be very important in preventing fires! 
8) Carpet cleaning - winter is a great time to do the carpets, especially after the Holidays and guests leave!
9) Laundering all of the comforters, pillows and storage blankets. 

No matter what you decide works best for you - remember that some good old fashioned Winter Cleaning might be just what you home (& wardrobe) ordered!

Good luck!

BellaOnline Cleaning

Make it a great one!



Daughter, Sister, Friend, Wife - in our 18th year of wedded bliss, Stepmother to 2 adult children, Mother - (G16, G15, B12, G10, B9, B5, G4, & B1), StepMother-In-Law to 2, StepGrandmother to 4 precociously precious little boys! Blessed, Happy & Satisfied!

Tuesday, November 01, 2016

Tip Tuesday: Cooperative Cleaning

Do you have big projects to take care of? Perhaps you are a single Mom with children and you need help. Perhaps you are older and climb as high as you used, too. Perhaps you just enjoy the company of others so much that it makes the work go by faster. Perhaps . . . well, it doesn’t actually matter what your situation is, does it? Sometimes that old saying, “Many hands make heavy work light” is good enough. Here are some suggestions to making it work more smoothly for you, plus a bonus Baby Wipe Recipe at the end of this article!

If you have some large projects that could go faster with more hands, you might want o think about setting up a Project Co-Op. Set it up so that people sign up to help, say for 6 months. Every weekend (or every Month depending on how many people sign up) you work at one persons home fulfilling their work needs. It could be anything from painting a room, weeding a garden, shampooing carpet, organizing a room, stripping and painting cupboards, etc. Whatever projects you have. You can even co-op the babysitting that might be needed for each of these project days.

With your co-op you will need to decide what people will need to furnish for their month. IF you set up clear rules at the beginning then things will run much more smoothly. Will the host person need to rent the equipment or can they ask for volunteers. If you co-op’ed the needed machinery and the labor projects could be completed at a very discounted rate. This works well for everyone involved. You will also need to be specific on the time frame that people are committing to. For example, if you are helping someone with their projects you will need to carve out 2 hours of time. You want it long enough to accomplish things, but not so long that people get pooped out after the first effort!

Beware of the people that sign up but never show up to help and still want their work completed.  It WILL happen. Count on it. Just be prepared to play nice and let it roll of your back. Then for your next Co-Op sign up, just remember to not let them sign up again.

The last thing you should think about is what projects you have that can the most beneficial to use a co-op for. Here are a few more suggestions: Organizing a spare bedroom, cleaning out a storage shed, basic landscaping, power washing the exterior of your home, painting outside, setting up for painting, etc. You might find that you have some very talented people in your neck of the woods that can help your projects get done quicker.

Whatever you decide to get accomplished, you can be successful at planning, setting up and following through with your Neighborhood Co-Op.


BellaOnline Cleaning

Make it a great one!



Daughter, Sister, Friend, Wife - in our 18th year of wedded bliss, Stepmother to 2 adult children, Mother - (G16, G15, B12, G10, B9, B5, G4, & B1), StepMother-In-Law to 2, StepGrandmother to 4 precociously precious little boys! Blessed, Happy & Satisfied!