Tip Tuesday: More Cleaning Tips and Tricks

Some tips an tricks to help you make the most of your cleaning time!

Kitchen:

Cleaning residue off of appliances -  Mix 1 tbsp Cream of Tartar with a few drops of water. Rub it into your appliance. Scrub with a sponge/cloth and then wipe clean with a damp paper towel. 

Outside:

Cleaning your Front Door - Mix 1 cup of vinegar with 1 tbsp of Dawn Dishsoap and 3 cups of water. I regularly clean my front door so I never need to 'scrub' it. If yours has a build up you might spray it with your hose first, then clean it. If you still have some tough stains, feel free to boil the water with baking soda!

Bathroom:

Toilet Bombs - Wear a medical mask to protect yourself from the fumes.  Mix 1 1/3 cup baking soda and 1/2 cup of citric acid. Put 30 drops each of Lavendar Essential Oil, Peppermint Essential Oil and Lemon Essential Oil into a spray bottle. (if you think your mixture needs to be more wet add just a few drops of water into the spray bottle.) You will spray a little at a time into your mixture. You don't want it too wet or else all your fizz will leave. Put mixture into your silicone molds and let dry for 4-6 hours. The dryer the better. Store them in a container (this batch makes 24) with a lid. 

LEATHER:

Leather Cleaner/Conditioner - (do not use on suede or unfinished leather! Make sure you do a SAMPLE test on a small, inconspicuous area). Mix 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1/2 cup of white vinegar and 10 drops essential oil (lemon is great!) together. You can just mix it in a jar. Dampen a cloth with the mixture and clean the entire piece of furniture. Use a different cloth to dry off the remaining oil. Don't saturate the leather - just use it to clean.

Leather Spot Cleaner - Protein based spot or stain cleaner just mix 1/4 cup lemon juice and 1/4 cup of cream of tartar. This will remove blood, mud, food and much more. (again use in a discreet spot first!!)

Leather ink/pen stains - Mix rubbing alcohol, hairspray, non acetone nail polish remover or cuticle remover together. A tbsp of each. Equal parts. Dab it on the stain and let soak in for a few minutes. Wipe it off with a clean cloth. Rinse with soapy water and then dry.

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!

Tip Tuesday: Emergency Cleaning

If you have children, chances are you in a constant of flux with different scenario's being thrown at you pretty regularly. Whether it is urine on mattresses, scrapes that bleed or things that need stitches - I have some tips to help you see things clean again.


For mattresses:

If you have a child (or pet) that urinates on mattresses, the easiest way to clean up it and freshen your/their mattress again is by using a spray solution of baking soda and peroxide. Not only will this mixture remove the stain, it will leave your mattress smelling fresh and clean - not chemically. Just use a quarter cup of baking soda and a cup of peroxide. Stir until dissolved. Add water to fill spray bottle or leave in its more powerful state. Adding water for a larger area will be cost efficient for you, but you can leave it more concentrated.
You can use this mixture on a carpeted area - but it will remove ALL stains and dirt from that area leaving you a 'whiter' area then you may desire. Carefully choose an area in a location that no one can see before you try it out on the middle of the floor.

Blood Stains:

For ANY removal of blood stains with out fear of damage to fabric - use Hydrogen Peroxide. Just that. No need to rinse - unless you want to just dab at it. This is great for removing blood stains from clothing, mattresses, any fabric - in your vehicles, couches, etc. This will remove blood stains without damaging fabrics. I have used it when we take our dog to the vet and he had to have some work on his paw. He ended up bleeding all over my brand new car. Peroxide was actually recommended by our veterinarian, and amazingly, it works perfectly! From bloody noses, split lips and medical emergencies peroxide is a wonderful arsenal to have in your cleaning repertoire! It is fairly inexpensive and a little bit goes a LONG way. 

What is YOUR secret cleaning weapon?

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!

Tip Tuesday: Cleaning Tips & Tricks For Your Home

Here are some tried and true tips and tricks that will help you make the most of the time you need to devote to cleaning your home!

Kitchen:

Cleaning your stove top - Whether you have a glass cooktop, gas or electric oven, you have probably had troubles getting all of the greasy stains off of your stove top. This is a fast and super easy trick that I love to use. Just sprinkle some baking soda directly onto your cook top. All you have to do now is get a wet cloth and rub the baking soda into the surface. You will know if you have enough depending on how easy the residue comes up. Once you have it all rubbed in all you have to do is wipe it off. Your stove top should totally look spectacular! (repeat as needed)

Stainless Steel Cleaner - just use vinegar! No need to dilute. Just spray on and wipe off. Optional: essential oils

Bathroom:

Unclog a drain - Pour about a 1/2 box of baking Soda in the drain. Then pour in a cup of white vinegar. Let it sit for about 15 minutes. Then pour 4 quarts of boiling/hot water down the drain. (not to be used in a toilet!)

Laundry Room:

Stains - Use 1 part Dawn and 2 parts Hydrogen Peroxide. If it is a really stubborn stain or you need 'grit' to help remove it add some baking soda. Just let it set on your stains for 10 minutes (or more) then wash as usual. 

Fabric Softener - Just use plain old vinegar. About 1/2 a cup per load. Feel free to add essential oils or a conditioner but those are completely optional.

Homemade Oxi-Clean Detergent -1 part hydrogen peroxide, 1 part baking soda, 2 parts water. Mix and use as a spot cleaner or as a pre-soak. Shake before each use. This is great for whitening your whites!

Other Living Spaces:

Hardwood Floor Cleaner - 1/2 cup white vinegar, 1 gallon of warm water, and 2-3 drops of essential oils. Mix and use. Remember with Hardwood floors you don't want to over saturate the floor with water. 

Floor cleaner - 3 tsp white vinegar, 16 ounces warm water, 1-2 drops essential oils. Mix and use. Feel free to add baking soda but you will need to boil the baking soda in the water for it to not leave a film on your floor.

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!

Tip Tuesday: Cleaning your Fans

Have you ever had your house completely clean, had guests over and then notice that your fans were not cleaned? Whether they are ceiling fans or stand alone fans, having them looking clean and fresh makes a huge difference in the 'feel' in your home.


For ceiling fans, if they are too high to reach just by standing on the floor, I definitely recommend purchasing one of the fan cleaning rods - you can pick them up fairly inexpensively (probably less than $10) and it will make the job so much easier. I like to use my vacuum wand end on our fans (& blinds). It pulls the dust off AND keeps it trapped inside the vacuum so it isn't floating around the room as badly. Even if you vacuum the blades of your fan, they really need to be wiped down to get of the remainder of the debris that is left. Small dust particles will magnetize other dust particles much faster if they aren't completely removed. Using a damp cloth is best for wiping of the remainder.


For stand alone fans - whether they be big or small - it is a good idea to take the cover off (maybe once a year) to really deep clean it. On in between jobs it is best to take it outside and use a blower on it (easy peasy) or you use one of the compressed air-spray canisters that you use on a keyboard of the computer to blow out the dust. You won't be able to wipe it down, necessarily, but at least your fan will be dust free!


Having your fans in tip top condition at the the change of each season is really best. Unfortunately they get dusty whether you use them or not. So, keeping them on your quarterly "Things to Do" list will serve you well. Make sure you really give them a good, deep clean at least once a year - even ceiling fans. Just vacuuming or wiping away the dust/debris won't always keep it away - but a good wipe down with a damp cloth will hep keep it debris free a bit longer.


No matter the season, take time to look at your fans and get them cleaned up. It will really make your room sparkle!

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!

Tip Tuesday: Garage Cleaning

This is a great time of year to get your garage in tip top condition. I like to get it done right after the big Holiday rush. It helps the whole living space feel organize and clean!

One of the first things we decide is what we are keeping and what we are getting rid of. If we haven't used it in the last 6 months then it is time to get rid of it (unless it is a seasonal item). A lot of times the clothing the children have grown out of has been bagged and left in the garage. This is a great time to donate items to a NON-PROFIT organization. I like to make sure that our items are going for the benefit of others and not at a profit for a person or company. Once we have our piles we set aside time (either this same day or one VERY soon) that we can take the items and donate them.

For any of our larger trash items - we try to set up our cleaning close to the time when our city has it's neighborhood pick up. This way our items don't stay on the street for very long. We just make sure everything is bagged and sorted in an organized way so we don't get confused on the "keeping" and "trash" and "donating" piles.

Having lots of shelves in your garage will greatly benefit your being able to keep it organized. Training your family to put things away from WHERE THEY GOT IT will be even better. Label things and either have the children come out and help get everything organize (our choice) or else make sure you have an 'orientation' with them so everyone knows where everything goes. One of the biggest problems for organization that most people struggle with is putting things back correctly. If you can get in the habit of using it and then putting it right back you will stay organized! Training young children to follow this simple rule will make their lives simpler, too.

Once we have like items with other like items and labeled accordingly, we generally use the blower and just blow out all of the dirt. We make sure that there isn't trash or debris floating around - we sweep that stuff up first. Be mindful when you use your blower that you don't get your trash and debris in your neighbors yards or in the road.

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!