Tip Tuesday: Whitening and Disenfecting Your Toilets

If your bathroom is completely spotless and smells wonderful but you lift the lid on your toilet and it is a bit grubby - it just makes your entire bathroom seem dirty and unkempt. If you have children and are trying to teach them how to clean the bathroom, this might be the one area that seems entirely impossible for them to tackle correctly.

Here are some traditional and some not so traditional ideas to help your toilet bowl glisten:

Pumice Stone:

  Flush your toilet to make sure there is only clean water in the bowl. Wet your pumice stone and then scrub (gently) to remove the stain. You may need to follow the pumice scrub with a scrubbing with green scrubby.

  *** Caution *** 

Do not use a pumice stone on plastic or enamel toilets.

White Vinegar:

   Yes, vinegar is a great stain remover for your toilet. You will need to shut the water off and flush the toilet to remove the water from the bowl. Soak several paper towels (or old rags you want to throw away anyway.) in the vinegar. Then place the towels on the stained area. Allow it to sit there for several (2-3) hours. Then you will come back with your green scrubby or toilet brush and scrub at the area to remove the discoloration. Rinse the bowl with clean water prior to turning the water back on and flushing again. 

 Another use is to pour a quart of vinegar directly into the toilet bowl water for routine spot cleaning.

Bleach:

  Pour 1/2 cup of liquid OR powdered bleach into bowl and let sit for an hour. Scrub then flush.

Borax Powder:

  Sprinkle 2 tbsp into your toilet and let sit for about 30 minutes. Scrub it clean and then let it sit for another 30 minutes prior to flushing it away.

Coca Cola:

   Pour entire can of coke into bowl and let sit for an hour. Scrub then flush.
You can also turn off the water and empty the bowl, add an entire 2 liter of coke, let it sit over night (good for really tough stains) and scrub it in the morning and rinse then turn water on and flush.

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser:

   Using gloves, scrub stains with the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. If you have eraser leftover - rinse out and put in baggy that is CLEARLY MARKED TOILET USE ONLY! 

Comet:

  Use 1/2 cup to 1 cup of comet and scrub, scrub, scrub.

Hydrochloric Acid:

   Use only for very stubborn stains, this caustic chemical is very powerful and can tackle stains as old as 40 years but be very careful in its usage and do not leave for it for any longer than the directions say, as it can eat away at the porcelain itself, thereby causing surface roughness that will make the toilet stain even quicker in future. 

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: How To for Laundry

I hate it when our white clothes are yellow or not as bright white as when we originally purchased them. It is so frustrating! At least until I figured out that Hydrogen Peroxide could be my new BFF for Laundry Purposes! Here are a couple of easy recipes to help whiten YOUR white laundry. May we live yellow/dingy free forever more!


Dishwasher Detergent:

  If for some reason you don't have vinegar or baking soda on hand, but you DO have a dishwasher and the detergent for it - try adding 1/4 cup of dishwasher detergent along with your regular detergent. This is a great whitener!

Hydrogen Peroxide, White Vinegar or Baking Soda:

First you will want to set your machine on the hottest temperature that your fabrics allow. Add in the normal amount of laundry detergent for your load size. Just pour 1/2 cup to 1 cup of white vinegar, peroxide or baking soda to the water as it is filling up. Pre-treat stained white clothing before washing by spraying them with vinegar. LOVE THIS!

Lemon Juice Soak:

You will want to fill a large soup pot with water. Slice up one lemon and place the slices into the water. Bring the water and lemon slices to a boil and then remove the pot from the heat. Add the clothing you want whitening, allowing them to soak for at least an hour. Then wash as you normally would.

You can also try adding 1/4-1/2 cup of lemon juice to your washer along with your laundry soap as an alternative. Remember to get the water on the highest heat level that you can for the fabric you are washing. 

More Traditional:

   1. 1/2 cup of ammonia into the washer with your regular detergent
   2. Mix a tsp of bluing agent with 1 quart of water and the mixture to your wash water or final rinse.
   3. Pour 3/4 cup bleach in the wash cycle BEFORE adding laundry - NEVER put bleach directly on your clothing.
   4. Wash whites regularly and in COLD water
   5. Do not mix bluing agents and bleach
  

Sun:

Hanging your clothes outside will also be a natural way to brighten them. The sun is a natural brightener of white clothes!

How do YOU whiten your laundry?

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 Mess under Stress

Think back over your life. . . have you had an experience in your life that has brought a great deal of anxiety and stress into your daily routine? Let me share some tips with you of things that might help you in the future, because we all know that those times come around fairly regularly.

Somethings that help me and our family when we are in these type of situations:

1) Make menu's for EVERY meal and snacks - this relieves the pressure of not having an idea of what you have in stock and what you can use to prepare meals. This also gives you a chance to know in advance what grocery items you will be needing. We try to do Monthly Menu's every quarter. This saves the extra stress of spending unnecessary money and wasting things that you already have in your refrigerator or pantry.
2) Write in your journal - whether it is one sentence, one word or pages and pages - the more you can verbalize (in writing) how and what you are feeling, the more you are able to stay in control of your feelings. Plus, it is handy to have to look over and see what changes you can make or what you can do to improve your situation. Sometimes you don't have enough time to really do a journal 'justice' - just a few keywords will jog your memory.
3) Take care of yourself. This is when you need to spend more time on yourself - take a relaxing bath even if you only have 5 minutes. Do what will rejuvenate you. It is different for everyone. Try to make sure you look your best, even if you don't feel your best.
4) Think positive thoughts. The more positive reinforcing thoughts you share with yourself the more capable you will feel in taking positive steps in your stressful situation.

Cleaning Tips:

When you are in a stressful situation that is going to be long term or even fairly long term you can try focusing on the clutter and not the deeper cleaning issues. Keep the clutter put away and you will feel more in control of your situation. There is a time and a place for deep cleaning and when you are right in the middle of something emotionally big - that isn't the time to get rid of things. You need to wait until you are in control - fully - and have stepped away from the situation before you start discarding things. This is the best tip I can give you.

Don't forget when you are in the middle of a crisis that the deep cleaning can wait. Focus on the little clutter that comes in and don't try to get in to the whole sort and discard routine. Save those when the crisis has been resolved and you have all of your thinking capabilities at your service. 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!

October Odd Holidays

OCTOBER

Adopt a Shelter Dog Month, Cookie Month

National Pizza Month, National Popcorn Popping Month

4th Sunday - National Mother-in-Law Day

5th - Do Something Nice Day

7th - World Smile Day

10th - National Angel Food Cake Day

13th - World Egg Day

16th - Dictionary Day

30th - National Candy Corn 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!

Tip Tuesday: Cleaning the Interior of Vehicles

There really is nothing worse than going somewhere and your vehicle is 'trashed'. At least, there is nothing more embarrassing. For those of you that don't have a Honey-Do that "do's" it for you, hopefully these tricks can help.

One of the first things you need to do is gather like things together: trash, toys, books, etc. You need to put those away ASAP or else they will more than likely take up unnecessary space somewhere else. Having a garbage can close by is a real time-saver.

A nice tip is to have a basket or tray that you can carry in the house and keep all of the 'necessaries' in - so that you can tote it in and out every time. Too much chance of thievery to just leave in your car all of the time. Or maybe the temperature isn't moderate enough to leave things in (too hot or too cold). Whatever the reason, it is a good idea to have a 'landing spot' for things that you need in the house but that you have to take with you the next time you leave the house.

I always start by vacuuming the interior of the vehicle. Once that is done then I can go around and wipe down (using just water or a cleaning product of your choice) all of the leather/dash/plastic/metal areas. Once these are cleaned then it is so easy to clean the windows inside and out (if you already washed the exterior).

Sometimes it is great to use a product on the dash to keep it looking fresh. A good way to prevent cracks in the dash is to get a dash cover. Otherwise you will need to keep it wiped down - but not with a product that will attract the sun.

Once everything is clean then you can bring back the floor mats and the other things that you regularly keep in the vehicle - sometimes it might be attention-keepers for the children (ie: crayons, coloring books, books, snacks, etc) or even things for yourself to do when you are picking up/dropping off children. Best to have something for those moments when you are 'waiting'.

Keep a look out for future articles on cleaning products for the car!



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 When You are Sick

When you (or a loved one) are sick it is hard to clean, much less WANT to clean. Unfortunately, you will regret it if you do nothing.

Here are a few tips that might help. Simple but effective.

1) Keep trash bags or garbage bags near someone with Tissue Issues. You won't believe what this will save in time in the long run.

2) Keep your needed medicines (room temperature ones at least) in a bucket so they are kept together and you ALWAYS know where they are. If possible have duplicate over the counter medicines upstairs AND downstairs.

3) ASK for help. You have family and friends that will help you. Don't deny them that opportunity. Ask family members to pick up your share of chores. If you live alone, ask a friend to help. They don't need to do DEEP cleaning, but basic things will be really helpful and keep your living space running smoothly

4) Keep to the basics. Keep dishes going in and out of the dishwasher. Or better yet, invest in paper plates and flat ware for the duration.

5) Eat simply and clean up is a breeze. Think Raw veggies and yogurts and yummy food like that. ;)

6) Keep Lysol or other disinfectant handy for toys or bathroom - where most of the germs keep breeding! Don't be afraid to spray and let things soak. 

7) Don't do more than you are able. Seriously. If you CANNOT leave your couch because you are feeling that badly - STOP WORRYING ABOUT IT! Stressing yourself out only makes you feel worse! That is no good!

8) Make sure you keep wiping down your phone and computer - easy places for germs to spread.

9) If you are in a long term situation - you need to call a maid service or a local friend that would be willing to help out. It will save you so much headache in the long run. Especially if you live alone!

Whatever your needs are - make it work for you. Don't make yourself crazy worrying about everything. There is a time and place for EVERYTHING and when you are right in the middle of a crisis of illness/giving birth/sickness it is time to 'let go' and share the load.

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!

Visiting Teaching handout for September

Here is the Visiting Teaching message for this month. This message can be tricky if you have sisters that are divorced or widowed or single, etc. But it is an important message. It is definitely one to be prayerful about what to share with your sisters!
VISITING TEACHING MESSAGE

Parenthood Is a Sacred Duty

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Prayerfully study this material and seek for inspiration to know what to share. How will understanding “The Family: A Proclamation to the World” increase your faith in God and bless those you watch over through visiting teaching? For more information, go to reliefsociety.lds.org.

Faith, Family, Relief

Our Heavenly Father established families to help us teach correct principles in a loving atmosphere. President Thomas S. Monson said: “Give your child a compliment and a hug; say, ‘I love you’ more; always express your thanks. Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved.”1

Susan W. Tanner, former Young Women general president, taught: “Our Father in Heaven exemplifies the pattern we should follow. He loves us, teaches us, is patient with us, and entrusts us with our agency. … Sometimes discipline, which means ‘to teach,’ is confused with criticism. Children—as well as people of all ages—improve behavior from love and encouragement more than from fault-finding.”2

“If we faithfully have family prayer, scripture study, family home evening, priesthood blessings, and Sabbath day observance,” said Elder Quentin L. Cook of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “our children will … be prepared for an eternal home in heaven, regardless of what befalls them in a difficult world.”3

Additional Scriptures

1 Nephi 8:37; 3 Nephi 22:13; Doctrine and Covenants 93:40; 121:41

Living Stories

“I was reading the newspaper when one of my young grandsons snuggled up to me,” said Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. “As I read, I was delighted to hear his sweet voice chattering on in the background. Imagine my surprise when, a few moments later, he pushed himself between me and the paper. Taking my face in his hands and pressing his nose up to mine, he asked, ‘Grandpa! Are you in there?’

“… Being there means understanding the hearts of our youth and connecting with them. And connecting with them means not just conversing with them but doing things with them too. …

“We must plan and take advantage of teaching moments. …

“… The more I live, the more I recognize that the teaching moments in my youth, especially those provided by my parents, have shaped my life and made me who I am.”4

Consider This

Why is the gospel best taught by the language and example of love?

Show References

Here is the handout we used with our sisters:

Email me and I will send you the pdf of 4 to a page and my Visiting Teaching lesson handout as well. :) Enjoy!

Make it a great one!

 Daughter, Sister, Friend, Wife - in our 18th year of wedded bliss, Stepmother to 2 adult children, Mother - (G16, G15, B13, G10, B9, B6, G4, & B2), StepMother-In-Law to 2, StepGrandmother to 4 precociously precious little boys! Blessed, Happy & Satisfied!