Tip Tuesday: Cleaning your Windows & Sills

Once a year I like to work on our windows, sills and curtains. I don't do every room in my house at the same time but break it up throughout the entire year. This makes it completely doable and easier. This doesn't mean that I don't do window washing the rest of the year, but this is the deep cleaning that needs to get done. Once I figure out which rooms for what month (write it down!!) I set to work. A good schedule for me is downstairs windows in the warmer months and upstairs windows in the cooler months. I have also done it where the rooms that will be used around the Holidays are the ones that I want to do closer to that Holiday time.


If I have fabric curtains or sheers, this is when I pull them down and wash them, dry clean them or beat them with a stick outside - depending on the fabric and it's care. My blinds are wide and I like to get those completely cleaned. Each slat gets a wipe down (or a vacuum) and the strings as well. The tops of the blinds or the crown molding get washed down. Usually I just dust with a damp cloth. A microfiber towel would work well, too.


Once I get the blinds and curtains washed and cleaned I work on the sills. I like to vacuum them out fairly regularly (especially if they are in a common area and can be seen). I wash the outside of the sill (or the window ledge) and make sure I get the sill vacuumed out. Use the attachment on your vacuum to get all the bits that like to hide in there. Also, feel free to do any nearby cobwebs that might be hanging out by your windows.


After vacuuming, I like to wash the windows inside and out. This is a great time to wash off the edges of the windows and get them clean. You can take off the screen (downstairs windows) and really get those windows clean. I like to use a mixture of rubbing alcohol, drop of blue dish detergent, and water to wash my windows. It works fabulously!!


Once everything is ridiculously clean, just start putting it back together: curtains in place, blinds open, windows sparkling in the sun. It always makes me feel like the whole room is more vibrant and clean!

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 up after the Holidays

If you have children cleaning up after the Christmas Holidays can really be daunting. Here are some tips and tricks to help you break it down into manageable pieces.

Pre-Holidays - 

It is a good idea to go through your childrens (& your own)toys and belongings. You know that the Holidays brings more 'stuff', so making room ahead of time can be a real life saver!

Trash -

Christmas creates a lot of trash. Making sure you keep things separated for recycling can be helpful. All the wrapping paper and boxes and bags  need to be gathered together and bagged. Keep it all together in a certain place. Don't wait to collect paper cups and plates, etc. Make sure you are vigilantly keeping things garbaged without making yourself crazy!

Decorations - 

It is a great idea to go through your decorations and get rid of broken or unused items. This will save you space and time next year. If you didn't use it this year, chances are you aren't going to use it next year. Unless it is a Keepsake - get rid of it! Outside decorations are no exception. Make sure it is going to be used if you are keeping it. If some lights on the strand don't work then it is time to either fix it or use it for something else or donate it.

Miscellaneous - 

For all of your other Holiday paraphernalia making sure you keep things labeled will help you keep things put away in a clutter free way. Labeling is a sure way of finding it next year so that it can be used. Keeping your storage space organized will help you in future Holidays because you will easily be able to locate the things you need. Make it a goal this year to label your things as you pull them out to use. You don't have to make a huge fussy job about it. Just get it done as you use the items in your storage. Once you have your storage space (for us it is our garage) organized you will feel better and it will make your life so much easier! You won't have to dig through everything to find that one thing that you can find. Everything will have its place and its own home and you will know exactly where to find it!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!

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!