Cleaning around the holidays can be such a chore. We're all still working our regular schedule, taking care of the kids and all the homework. Trying to maintain the daily routine, AND we're planning all of the stuff involved in holiday parties. Who has time to clean?
I've put together a few helpful tips so you can keep it clean and green without taking too much time away from the important stuff.
1. To clean a ceiling fan, hang an umbrella upside down from the fan mount or blades while dusting so the dust falls into the umbrella and not on the bed or floor.
2. To ease the pain of cleaning your fireplace, sprinkle a few dashes of salt into the fire each time you use it. The salt will keep the soot loose in the chimney making it easier to clean.
3. Baby spit up on your couch or your clothes? Sprinkle baking soda onto the stain before it sets in and then wash as usual. For extra cleaning power, add club soda or vinegar to the baking soda after shaking it on the stain. The baking soda will break down the proteins and neutralize the odor.
4. Hard to remove stains on your grout or tile floor can be removed with an old toothbrush and toothpaste. The toothpaste is a mild abrasive and works wonders! (This also works on jewelry and diamonds)
5. To clear a smoky odor, whether its cigarettes or a burned dinner, boil a saucepan of vinegar and water. The vinegar will neutralize the odor.
6. For that hard to clean microwave, boil a bowl of water and lemon juice for 5 minutes This will loosen the debris making it easier to just wipe clean.
7. To clean your iron, sprinkle some salt on the ironing board and run the hot iron over the salt. Ironing over the salt will help loosen anything stuck to the iron plate.
8. To shine up your stainless steel appliances, use a microfiber and a little olive oil, apply in circular motions.
9. To clean the inside of your decorative bottles that you just can't get into, mix warm water, a few drops of dish washing detergent and crushed eggshells or small pieces of pumice, swirl and shake vigorously until the residue comes off the bottle; then rinse with clean water.
10. Have a copper sink that has stains? Use a crumbled piece of aluminum foil and gently rub the surface of the sink then rinse with water.
There you have it! These tips will save you lots of time so you can get back to wrapping presents and planning the holiday seating arrangement. Uncle Milton, you know the one who always likes to point out the fact that you haven't cleaned up to HIS standards, will never know!
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