Search Results for: blog clean house

Home School Blogger Spotlight: Giving Up on a Clean House

I must say that I love the title of this blog. The title, Giving up on a Clean House, is not a statement of the state of her home but a reflection of her state of mind. The mindset that says children and family are more important than dishes in the sick or the socks on the floor. Stacy keeps her head above the piles of laundry (not to say she has piles of laundry) by slowing down a keeping life simple. That simplicity is the focus of her blog which reflects family. She says “I have slowed down, committed … Continue reading →

The Best Way to Clean Baby and Toddler Toys

Have you ever wondered how sanitary your baby or toddler’s toys are? Most toddlers have the ability to grab toys and put them into their mouths. This is especially true for babies and toddlers that are teething. Keeping toys clean can help prevent illness from spreading. Does your baby or toddler use a teething toy? Good Housekeeping recently reported that a popular toddler teething toy called Sophie the Giraffe has the potential to grow mold inside it. Some parents, who cut apart Sophie the Giraffe, discovered that the inside was coated with black mold. Carolyn Forte, the Director of the … Continue reading →

Homemade Cleaning Recipes: Wipes

Make your own laundry detergent; prepare some homemade cleaners; make your own baking mixes.  Whatever it is that you currently buy at the store to keep your home running, from baby wipes to toilet cleaner, chances are that there is a homemade version that will save your money, be gentle on your cleaning surfaces and your family. Non-toxic cleaners are healthier and easily made. Plus, who doesn’t like saving money in the household budget? I’ve gather some of the best and complete homemade cleaning recipes and make your own blog posts on Families.com. Bookmark these posts, so you can come … Continue reading →

Homemade Oxygen Cleaner

With three children, laundry is always a challenge. First there is the hunting through the house for stray socks, finding wet towels wherever they land, and digging through the bottom of the hall closet for dusty jackets and sweatshirts that fell from the hangers. After the laundry is gathered and sorted, anything with a stain needs to be addressed, which probably accounts for at least a third of the children’s clothing in any given week. I have my arsenal of tools. The stain pre-treaters, the better powdered detergent I swear by, the utility sink for soaking. One tool that works … Continue reading →

Housework and Cooling Costs

Keep cool, get your housework done and save on cooling costs all at the same time. Today is going to be  scorcher! Even though it is only May, the temperatures are in the high 80s with high humidity. It makes things very uncomfortable, and the air conditioning will need to go on if we don’t want to all melt into little puddles on the floor. When the days get like this, the housework rules have to change a bit to accommodate the heat and humidity. Because our window air conditioners take up a lot of energy, I have to be … Continue reading →

Staging Your House for Less

Something about spring makes me start watching all of those home shows. You know the ones where couples and sometimes singles look for the perfect house, fix up and put their homes on the market or just do some renovations. Maybe it is because spring is the most popular time of the year to list a house and get a buyer. While the housing market has promise of turning around, there is still quite a lot of “stock,” houses on the market. This means that in order to make yours sell, it needs to shine. One thing that helps house … Continue reading →

Fire Your Maid Service and Get Your Family Cleaning

Admittedly, I wouldn’t say no to maid service, if it was free that is. Since it isn’t I have to rely on myself and my family to do the cleaning. Getting three kids to clean is a chore in itself, even when just has to do with cleaning up after themselves. Still, I’d rather have train the family to clean than pay for a maid. Plus, this way, my kids get some valuable real-life lessons, thrown in. Routine is Everything Establish some cleaning routines, and cleaning won’t take up so much time. It is easier to do a quick wipe … Continue reading →

Is Cleanliness Next to Godliness?

Is it really true…is cleanliness next to godliness?  Well for some housekeepers it is!  I tend to have a mixed view on this. While I want a clean home, I don’t want it to feel untouchable.  And I certainly don’t want it to become more important than the relationships that happen inside. I really hate that when my children were younger, I oftentimes made them feel that the state of my home was more important than they were.  Obviously I never truly felt that way but it was the message I sent more times than not. Complaints were always coming … Continue reading →

Speed Cleaning

Have you ever received that last minute call, “Guess who’s coming over for dinner tonight honey?”  Or you suddenly remembered that so-and-so was stopping by to go over notes for an upcoming meeting. Maybe you have family coming by but you got lost in a good book.  Suddenly you look at the clock and realize you have an hour before they arrive. All of these scenarios can leave anyone feeling overwhelmed and unprepared.  But this is where speed cleaning comes in. Speed cleaning requires fast movement.  In fact, you need to set a timer so that you have a deadline … Continue reading →

Supplies for Maintenance Cleaning

Today I am wrapping up the three types of cleaning.  We have already covered seasonal cleaning and deep cleaning.  In my last blog I talked about maintenance cleaning and how to develop a plan.  We finish up maintenance today by talking about the supplies you will need. You already know that I am a fan of Clorox or Lysol wipes (whichever is on sale).  Let me explain why. They are already moistened, so all it requires is grabbing one from the container and it’s ready to go.  I am big on saving time.   In fact, sometimes I will sacrifice price … Continue reading →