The super-fantastic-can't-live-without-it CLEANING toothbrush

Ok.  It is obvious I get pretty excited about cleaning products.  Anything that makes my life a little easier?  Who wouldn't be excited?  Well, I have been using this lovely cleaning toothbrush for years . . . and I am still in love with it!  Maybe you already use a toothbrush for cleaning in the nooks and crannies that seem to collect all kinds of grossness.  It is pure genius!

This little tool has become priceless in my cleaning routine.  You can't believe how much easier it has made my life!  It can get into the tiniest of places and after just a little bit of agitating, most crud comes up with ease.  I'm not even kidding!  This past weekend, I realized how disgusting the kitchen faucet had become.  You know, hard water yuckiness and other grody junk that had set up permanent residence (there is a reason I didn't take a photo of it for my blog - ewwww!  No one should see that up close.  I promise.).  Just a little Lime Away and my handy dandy toothbrush made it a breeze!  Ok . . . not a breeze . . . but it was a much easier task than it might have been is my pre cleaning toothbrush days.

So, here is a link to my favorite ever cleaning toothbrush.  I order it from The Clean Team.  And they last for a super long time.  Seriously, mine have lasted for years.  And I am pretty hard on them!  I love the fact that you can tell they are different from a normal toothbrush.  I can't imagine how tragic it would be if you or one of your kids accidently mixed up your teeth toothbrush with your cleaning toothbrush.  Nasty!  This way, you will never ever have that problem. 

Some of my favorite uses:  yucky faucet handles (obviously), stovetop scuz, toaster muck, skuzzy light switches, filthy window tracks, toliet rottenness, grody door handles, refrigerator crud . . . you get the idea.  Pretty soon your kitchen (and everywhere else) can look just as spiffy as this lady's. 

Try it!  You'll like it!  :) 

And of course, undeniably, clean feels good!

Whiter whites! I swear!

I consider myself a laundry professional.  I know, I know, the word professional would imply that I get paid to do laundry.  Well, not exactly.  But sometimes I pay myself with Cold Stone.  Shhhhhh . . . don't tell my husband though.

BUT here is my point.  I am pretty darn good at laundry.  And I am willing to share my very favorite laundry tip with you, my faithful blog readers. 

Here it is:   CASCADE (yes, the dishwashing kind . . . the powdered version)

Have you wondered the best way to keep your whites their whitest?  Cascade is the answer.  I swear.  I read about this tip on a blog years ago.  I wish I knew where so I could give credit where credit is due.  But really, this has improved my laundry results in a noticable way. 

Here is what you do:

1.  Add 1 cup of powdered Cascade Dishwasher Detergent to your load of whites.  If you have a high efficiency front loader, you can still do this - just add it to your clothes, not where you add your detergent.  That is what I do, anyway.

2.  Add laundry detergent, as you normally would.

3.  Soak load overnight.

4.  Rinse as normal.  You can even do an extra rinse cycle if you want. 

I love the results!  You won't necessarily notice a big difference the first time you do this, but you should notice a significant improvement by the third or fourth time.  My boys wear WHITE shirts everyday for their school uniform, and their shirts really do look pretty darn great, if I do say so myself.  And these are seriously rough and tumble, get crazy dirty, laundry nightmare-ish, stain after stain after stain kind of boys.  But they look great as they head out the door in their white shirts!  Really, they do!

Try this . . . and let me know what you think!  I love the results. 

Because, believe me, clean feels good!

Clog Schmog

Note:  This is not my bathroom.  But I kind of wish it was.  I'm in the mood for a redo!

So, we have this sink in our bathroom that always seems to get clogged.  I don't know why, and I'm not even sure I want to know why!  But it is definitely clogmatic. 

And I just hate to buy Drano - which just seems so, well, toxic. I feel like I have to wear a Hazmat suit just to protect myself.  So, I went in search of a safter, greener option, that would make me feel oh so much better about unclogging my nasty drain problem. 

After a quick google search, I found this:



Isn't she lovely?  And her idea really works!  I tried it . . . and SUCCESS!  And best of all, she used environmentally safe products, that I always have on hand -- baking soda, vinegar and water.  YAY for the cute lady with the hot pink gloves! 

So . . . if you don't want to take the time to watch the 1 minute, 34 second video, here is what you do:  (and I know, I know, every minute is precious - please don't have guilt about not watching this youtube beauty)

1.  remove drain stopper if you can (I skipped this step)
2.  pour 1/2 cup baking powder directly down drain
3.  pour 1/2 cup vinegar directly down drain
4.  pour a kettle full of boiling hot water directly down drain

And that's it!  And I swear it works!   This made me happy for a few reasons . . . this option is cheaper than Drano OR a plumber AND maybe it will prevent my husband from spending a Saturday unclogging our dang sink. 

And with all the time you've saved, you can take the time to watch this youtube video.  Because it is just oh so worth it!  Seriously, have you seen it?  Amazing!



And really, it is true! . . . clean feels good!

I'm in love!

That's right, I'm in love with the new Pledge Multi Surface Cleaner.  Ahhhhhh, this stuff just makes me happy.  Smells good, easy to use, and you only have the need for one cleaner as you make your way through the house in your cleaning freenzy.  And best of all, it works great!!!

You can read all about it here, if you are interested.   But what I would really recommend is just buying it and trying it!   I especially loved using in on the dreaded chore of blind cleaning.  Brilliant!

Thanks, Jen, for introducing me to my new favorite thing!  It has changed my life in so many ways.  I love you and I love my new Pledge.  Thank you, thank you, thank you. 

It just feels so great, because clean feels good!

Just give me 10 minutes of your time....

I used drive my kids crazy with what I like to call The 10 Minute Tidy. Maybe it is my high pitched voice that I use when I am just about to lose it - because there is crap all over the family room.

But I've learned over the years . . . and this is a solution that really works for us!    And even my family would agree.

Now when I see a growing disaster area I've changed my ways.  For me I had to just learn to calm down. Take a deep breath. And enlist the troops. For my family of five, if I get them all involved on a room (and usually it is the family room or kitchen that needs the most help) - that is like cleaning for almost an hour! 

All we do is set the timer, and clean like crazy.  For just 10 minutes!  And my family has learned that no one is going to die from taking 10 minutes away from Hannah Montana, Facebook or the favorite Wii game of the day.  It's only 10 minutes.  And that is all it really takes! 

Trust me.  You will love the difference that just 10 minutes can make. 

And you know it's true, clean feels good!

I am not a clean freak....

Although I could be. There is a part of me that would love to live in a dust free house that smells like bleach all the time. I would love vacuum lines to stay in the carpet and always have windows that sparkle. Really, that would make me happy on so many levels.

BUT, I live in a house with other people. Male people. A husband and three boys. So my idea of a clean house is not in any way a reality. So I am just doing what most everyone else is doing. Just trying to get by the best I can.

SO, here is my brilliant cleaning tip for the day.

Chill out.

This is obviously a reminder for yours truly, that my house can't stay clean all of the time. That is why we actually have to clean it. So, when I get overwhelmed (like I am right now) I just need to remember to relax. I'll get to it eventually. I always do! And the thing is, all of those cleaning and organizing projects always wait for you.

And you know, clean feels good!

Have you ever stepped on a Lego?

Well, I have. And it hurts.

So, why do I insist on having a collection of Legos around, just so they can make it to the floor? Just so I can step on one in the middle of the night?

Because they are sooooo worth it. I would venture to guess that they are one of the best toys ever to contribute to the creative minds of their owners everywhere. My cute nephew Caleb loves to bring one of his precious Lego creations over to show me each time he visits me house. And his creations really are incredible!

My sister, Jen, is likely to win Mom of the Year due to the collection of Lego's she has at her house. It really is phenomenal. And even better, she bought a TON of them on eBay. Especially since those little things can get oh so expensive! And knowing that someone else's kids had their possibly unwashed fingers all over the Lego's she turned to the internet for tips on Lego cleaning.

Place Legos in a pillowcase. Put pillowcase in washing machine. Wash on low setting.

Easy . . . and it works! 

Now if we could only just find an easy way to get our kids to clean them all up when they are done!   All of them.  That would sure be nice.

Because, of course, clean feels good!