Super Simple Homemade Grout Cleaner ... It Works!!

I wasn't sure this grout cleaner would work because it was so simple to make with ingredients I had on hand in my pantry ... but it worked like a CHARM!!!  No more expensive grout cleaners for me!!!

7 cups water, 1/2 cup baking soda, 1/3 cup lemon juice and 1/4 cup vinegar - throw in a spray bottle and spray your floor, let it sit for a minute or two... then scrub.

A Clean Home is a Healthy Home - Spring Cleaning Idea

It is that time again ... SPRING CLEANING ... I have been doing well keeping my personal system (my body) cleansed and healthy ... now its time to deep clean the house.  A friend sent this chart to me from The Fresh and Organized Web Site. If you go to the site, you can actually download and print out this chart.  I like it because you only have to do one thing a day and by the end of the month you have deep cleaned your whole house!

The 31 Day House Cleaning Routine

Feb 27, 2013

Cleaning can be such a chore! Excuse the pun, but it's true that keeping a clean house can be an overwhelming experience -- especially when you're used to living in a smaller place like an apartment.

My husband and I usually try to deep clean our house once a week, but after reading (and pinning) this article on Apartment Therapy called, 'How to Clean Your House in 20 Minutes a Day for 30 Days,' I was inspired to try this method. Basically how it works is that instead of doing everything in one day, you follow a schedule where in addition to your typical household chores like doing the dishes, you do a 20-minute (the use of a timer is encouraged) cleaning task per day. The schedule has a list of rotating cleaning tasks to do and by the end of 30 days, you start over on day 1 and by doing this, your house should be nice and clean.

Since I enjoy making printables, I decided to come up with my own version of the schedule and here's what it ended up looking like:

Click Here to Download This Free Printable!

• Instead of the 30 day schedule, I named it the, "31 Day House Cleaning Routine," so the list can be used for months that have up to 31 days.

• On the left of the page are the 31 days and next to that I can write the first letter of the corresponding day of the week. For example, since March 1st is on a Friday, I would just write in the letter F, right next to the number 1.

• For the cleaning tasks themselves, I pretty much followed what was on the schedule in the Apartment Therapy article, with just a few minor tweaks.

• Since my husband and I share some of the cleaning tasks, I added a 'Who' column so we could write the name of the person who would be doing each particular task.

• Finally, on the far right of the page are checkboxes for checking off all the tasks that have been completed.

Why You Should Take an Epsom Salt Bath

I was reading some cleansing tips and one of the suggestions was to take Epsom salt baths.  I had heard that Epsom salts were great for soaks when you sprain and ankle, but I began to wonder how they helped in the detoxing process.

According to the Epsom Salt Council, Epsom salts contain sulfates and the sulfates help to flush toxins and heavy metals from the cells.  .

Our skin is a very porous membrane.  If you add the right minerals to your bathwater, they trigger a process called reverse osmosis, which actually pulls salt out of your body, and harmful toxins along with it.

But how does it work?  Imagine your body as a party with lots of people -- both those who were invited and those who weren't. When the party's over, usually at least some of those uninvited partygoers are still sticking around. It's late, and you're trying to figure out how to politely send them on their way. When you take an Epsom salt bath, those "uninvited" pollutants are told to leave your body. That message is delivered by none other than magnesium sulfate.

A little more about Magnesium Sulfate:  Magnesium helps keep your bodily functions running smoothly, including some of the pathways that lead toxins right out of your body. Sulfate helps to strengthen the walls of your digestive tract so that it's easier to release toxins. As a compound, magnesium sulfate also raises the amount of digestive enzymes in the pancreas.

Epsom Salt Baths: If you're ready for an Epsom salt bath, consider your tub size and water depth before you begin pouring in the salt. More salt isn't necessarily better. The Epsom Salt Council suggests that a common formula is to add a cup or two (about 0.25 or 0.5 liters) of Epsom salt to warm water in a standard-size bathtub. If your bathtub is bigger or smaller than most, you may want to adjust the amount of Epsom salt you add.

The water you use in an Epsom salt bath -- and any bath, for that matter -- should be warm, not hot. Warm or tepid water is best for your skin because it doesn't strip away as much protective oil, and it helps to dissolve the Epsom salt. Before you climb into the bath, make sure that all of the salt has dissolved so that it can be more easily absorbed into your skin. Any salt that hasn't dissolved in the water may dry on your skin as an opaque white powder. If you see this residue on your skin after the bath, don't worry; excess salt should be harmless and is easily rinsed off.

The Epsom Salt Council recommends soaking in an Epsom salt bath for about 15 minutes up to three times per week.

Cautions and Contraindications: Despite the benefits, Epsom salt baths generally aren't recommended for people who have conditions such as heart problems, high blood pressure or diabetes. If you aren't sure whether an Epsom salt bath is safe for you, consult your doctor first.

 Epsom salt has been a cure-all for generations: It has been used to soothe aches and pains, and more recently for softening skin, preventing wrinkles and detoxifying your body.  As an example, soothing baths, Epsom salt baths can be incorporated into your beauty routine as a way to exfoliate, as an at-home facial when mixed with a cleansing cream and as bath crystals when mixed with a fragrance.

Now … take some pamper time for yourself, draw a warm bath, swirl in some Epson salts, light some candles …. And relax!!

Don't throw out your Microwave just yet!!!

I have felt a little uneasy about using my microwave for cooking and reheating food ... but I found some other uses for this controversial kitchen machine on www.realsimple.com:

Sterilize sponges. Your dish sponge smells like last night’s dinner, and detergent won’t help. Time to toss it, right? Wrong. Pour a dash of white vinegar or lemon juice in a bowl of water, soak the sponge, and then heat it in the microwave on high for a minute. The heat will deodorize and disinfect the sponge—even after wiping up raw egg or chicken.

Clean the cutting board. How can you tell if you’ve washed the cutting board thoroughly enough after preparing raw meat? Eliminate the guesswork by sterilizing it in the microwave. Wash it first, rub it with lemon, then heat on high for one minute.

Soften sweeteners. Hardened brown sugar and crystallized honey don’t need to be thrown away, they just need to be heated. Sprinkle a bit of water into the brown sugar bag and heat the whole thing on high for 20 seconds. To return honey to its liquid form, remove the lid and heat the jar on medium for 30-60 seconds.

Speed up bread baking. Bread bakers know that yeast dough can take at least an hour to rise. Cut that time down to 15 minutes by proofing the dough in the microwave. Put the dough in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Position a cup of water at the back of the microwave before placing the bowl inside. At a low temperature, heat for 3 minutes, pause for 3 minutes to let the dough rise, then heat for another 3 minutes. Allow the dough to rise for another 6 minutes or until it doubles in size.

Relieve aches and pains. Warm up gel or herb-filled heating pads to soothe sore heads and tummies, and to reinvigorate tired muscles.

Surprising Uses for Tea

Since I have given up diet pop, I have starting drinking a lot more tea, especially green tea.  I saw this article on Shine, and I thought I would share it for you.  I have tried about half of the suggestions and they really work!!

1. Clean carpets: Clean up musty, dirty carpets by sprinkling dry, used green tea leaves on the carpet. Let them work their magic for about 10 minutes, then vacuum them up. Delicate Persian and Oriental rugs can also benefit from a sprinkling of tea leaves. In this case, sprinkle nearly dry, used whole tea leaves on the rugs, and gently sweep them away.

2. Shine wood floors: The tannins in black tea can help shine and color hardwood flooring. Follow your regular floor cleaning routine by carefully rubbing some brewed tea into the floor (don’t use too much water on hardwood flooring) and letting it air dry.

3. Polish furniture: Brewed tea also can help clean and shine wood furniture. The tannins in tea will re-color light spots and scratches in wood surfaces. Dip a soft cloth in a small amount of strongly-brewed tea, and use it to wipe down scratched tables, chairs, and more. Woodworker Jim McNamara suggested using "regular orange pekoe (Lipton's) or other dark tea" in Woodworker's Gazette.

4. Clean mirrors and windows: Tea can remove stubborn, greasy fingerprints from glass, and make it sparkle. Simply rub a damp teabag on the glass or fill a spray bottle with brewed tea.

5. Clean toilet stains: Rumor has it that used tea leaves can magically remove stubborn stains in the bottom of the toilet bowl. Just leave them in the toilet for several hours, then flush the toilet and brush the bowl.

6. Soothe a sunburn:  Tea can soothe sunburns and other minor burns. Dr. Oz suggests sponging sunburned skin with "cooled chamomile tea" for it's anti-inflammatory effect. Don't try this if skin is broken.

7. Soothe tired eyes: Warm, wet tea bags can reduce puffiness and soothe pain around tired eyes — and tea bags on your eyes look a little less ridiculous than cucumber slices.

8. Soothe bleeding gums:  After a tooth extraction or when an older child loses a tooth, try putting a cold, wet tea bag in the mouth where the tooth was lost and bite down on it. According to the Cleveland Clinic, "The tannic acid in tea helps healing blood clots to form (blood clots function similarly to a scab on an open wound). It can reduce bleeding and soothe pain."

9. Shine dry hair: Brewed tea makes a good conditioner for dry hair. Rinse with (unsweetened) tea and leave to dry for a while, then rinse again with water.

10. Improve skin:  The Mayo Clinic suggests that herbal tea ingredients chamomile and calendula can help soothe dermatitis when prepared as a topical cream. Consult with a qualified health practitioner before using these remedies.

11. Soothe acne: Some acne sufferers swear by washing their faces with green tea because of its mildly antiseptic properties. Dr. Andrew Weil suggests washing with calendula flower tea as a natural alternative to benzoyl peroxide.

12. Tenderize meat: Marinate tough meat in black tea to make it more tender.

13. Add to compost: Pouring strong tea into a compost bin will help speed up the process and encourage more friendly bacteria to grow, improving the compost.

14. Help houseplants: Occasionally use brewed tea instead of water to feed ferns and other houseplants that like rich, acidic soil. Spread used tea leaves around rosebushes, then add mulch and water. The tannic acid and other nutrients will benefit the plants. A few used teabags in the bottom of a planter can help the soil retain water, and adds valuable nutrients.

15. Dye fabrics: Green and black teas have long been used in dyes for fabric and paper, particularly for generating a beige, faux-antique look.

Video from National Geographic: Safer Cleaning Solutions

Hi!!  To follow up with my post from yesterday I found a great video from National Geographic that discusses safer alternative cleaning solutions.  Kim talks about the eight basic natural cleaning products: baking soda, borax, distilled white vinegar, hydrogen peroxide, lemons & lemon juice, olive oil, vegetable based liquid castile soap and washing soda.  She also give a recipe for a natural glass cleaner.

National Geographic Video: Are you making a cleaner home or a dirtier environment?

Going Down the Drain .... The Natural Way!!

Here is my GREEN tip for unclogging slow or plugged drains the natural way using Baking Powder & Vinegar.

Recently I purged the whole house of caustic/dangerous/non-green type cleaning products.  So when my sink plugged up I needed something that would unplug it .... but was safe for me and the environment.  I found something really kewl!!

Remember the old volcanoes we used to make in grade school? To create that fabulous "erupting" volcano, we used baking soda and vinegar. We are going to use the same products to unclog our drains.  Pour one cup baking soda and one cup of vinegar down the plugged or slow drain (be sure the water is out of the sink or tub first!)   Then plug the drain (or drains if it is a double sink). When the foaming is done, you should have faster moving drains.

This natural solution replaces Sodium Hydroxide (caustic soda or lye).