Tubs/showers

If you are like me, you can never keep your bathtub or shower as clean as you want to. Scrubbing and scrubbing to no avail?
I have found that a magic eraser once, and a monthly wipe down with a dish soap solution does the trick well.
First step, wipe the whole place down with a magic eraser. Walls, tub, tile whatever and wherever.
Next, rinse it ALL down.
Finally, mix a spray bottle with 1/4 cup dish soap, 1/4 cup vinegar, fill the rest with water. Use this mix to spray the shower down once a month and rinse away the residue.
This should keep it fresh and clean with no scrubbing on a regular basis.
Happy Cleaning!

Windows and glass

Fingerprints no more! Tired of the fingerprints and streaks on glass surfaces and windows? Well the solution is here! Windex and other glass cleaners clean down to just the glass, so stubborn fingerprints, oil spots and streaks don't always go away. Vinegar is helpful, but it smells terrible and lingers.
Solution: a gallon of water to 2 drops of dawn dish detergent. It cuts through the grease and powers through the tough window grime. For an added layer it protection apply a miniscule layer of pledge to your windows with a swiffer,  coating them evenly. This gives the glass a protective layer against grime and water spots so you won't have to put in the time so often.
Happy cleaning!

Laminate wood floors are terrible

So, as the title would suggest: Laminate wood floors are no fun. They show a lot of dirt, the grooves catch everything, just mopping never cleans completely. They just take a lot of effort to maintain and keep clean. Having said that; the best thing to clean them?
[Besides a steam mop]

Citrus based cleaners. . . I know that doesn't sound like a lot, but couple the citrus with a degreaser  (like Dawn dish soap) and you have a powerhouse of a cleaner that is already formulated to be safe. If you dilute your mixture, it will minimize the suds and keep your floors residue free. (That way your won't be adding to the mess)

On top of the citrus cleaner, if you have the umph to scrub, your floors will look brand new. If you have a massive amount of laminate wood flooring, rent a power scrubber. [Trust me, after 234 Sq. Ft. Of hand scrubbing, I know you'll want a power scrubber]

The citrus also makes your floors smell great. No need for air freshener after you get done.

Let's Start With Carpets

Well, what can I say? I have jumped on the band wagon for blogging and sharing what I know with anyone that wants to know it.
I have learned through trials, errors, stories, and science some great tricks to the "housekeeping" trade.
I want to share that information with you. I will be doing my best to post new tricks often.

So, my first (ever) trick is: carpets. They never really stay clean lines, and stains and spots seem to grow over night.
Carpet cleaners (i.e. rug doctors) seem to spread the stains about. If it's just a spot (not the whole room) a spray bottle, cotton rags, and some household "chemicals" is all you need.
1. Oxyclean [if you have it] is the best thing I've found that is safe for nearly every carpet [or home: if you have young kids, pets, etc] It rinses out of the carpet well and it pulls all that dirt and grime out quickly (relatively speaking) and efficiently.
2. A mix of peroxide and vinegar. In a spray bottle [32oz] (or a squirter bottle) mix appx. 1/8 cup vinegar and equal parts peroxide. Then fill the rest with water. Spray (or squeeze) mixture on to spot and pat dry with COTTON rags. **vent well to avoid the strong smell.

With both practices, use cotton rags (or towels) to pull the moisture from the carpets. Pat dry, dotlnt wipe it, for best results. Letting the towels sit will help pull the moisture up,like and not rub it further into the carpet.
If the spot is stubborn, use a brush to loosen up the dirt before placing the rags or towels over the spot.


I hope you find this to be as useful as I have. The vinegar mixture has worked wonders.

*BONUS: A little bit of Oxyclean added to a shampooer helps to draw the dirt from deep in the carpet.