Borax, Where Have You Been All My Life?

So when I ventured out to make my own laundry soap, I came across something I had never used before...borax. It is a huge box and I was done with my laundry soap, so I wondered, "What else could you do with this stuff?" My awesome friend, Jessica, is all about organic living and she told me that she uses it for cleaning purposes such as bathrooms.

I decided to give it a try today when I cleaned my kids' bathroom. Now I hate to admit that it was pretty dirty. It needed a good scrubbing. So I got out the borax and put some in the toilet bowl per Jessica's recommendation. I scrubbed and the toilet bowl was flawless. I put some on a sponge and scrubbed the old yuckiness and it looks brand new again. WOW! I love that especially living in a house full of boys if you know what I mean. I decided to try it in the bathtub also and the tub looks brand new.

I am in love and his name is Borax. :)

Do you guys have any ideas for using borax?

Cleaning the Bathrooms

Here is another installment in my "Cleaning by Room" posts. Cleaning bathrooms. Some people hate cleaning bathrooms. Really, what is there to love about it? LOL! I really don't mind cleaning the bathrooms as a whole, I just don't enjoy scrubbing the shower. It's a little awkward and takes some muscle and time.

That all being said, here is how I clean my bathrooms:

Step 1 - Remove everything from the surfaces (stuff on the sink, the back of the toilet, the tub, the shelves in the shower, and the floor mats and other things on the floor.

Step 2 - Vacuum the bathroom. I actually take the vacuum and do the floor, the tub, the shower floor, around the toilet, and even the top of the sink. If you get the dust and hair up, when you go to clean, you aren't rubbing dust and hair everywhere.

Step 3 - Put toilet bowl cleaner in the toilet to sit for 10 minutes.

Step 4 - Spray the sinks down and scrub.

Step 5 - Scrub the toilet with the scrub brush and spray down with cleaner and scrub the entire thing.

Step 6 - Scrub the tub. I usually can get away with just bathroom cleaner and a sponge, but if it needs it, I'll use soft scrub and a scrubby tool.

Step 7 - Scrub the shower. Again, I can usually use bathroom cleaner and a sponge for everything but the floor. For the floor I use soft scrub and a scruby tool. A tip for cleaning the shower. You can do it while you are taking a shower. Get in there and scrub before you clean yourself. I've heard if you do that a few times a week, you won't really have to scrub it too much.

Step 8 - Glass clean the windows and other things that need glass cleaning. Here's a tip - I like to take the paper towels and wipe the bathroom down so it is dry after cleaning everything.

Step 9 - Mop the floor.

Step 10 - Empty trash.

Step 11 - Refill everything.

Step 12 - Put everything back (including fresh towels).

Step 13 - Launder the dirty towels.

I know there are a million ways to clean a bathroom. This is just how I do it. I think vacuuming up the hair first is the best tip. It makes cleaning up so much easier.

How do you clean your bathroom? Any tips?

Cleaning the Powder Room

I started a series a long time ago on how to clean each individual room. I am going to pick that back up now and hope to keep it up until each room is done.

Today's room is the powder room or the bathroom that guests use when they come over. In this case I am going to assume it just has a sink, toilet, and mirror.

Here is how I detail clean my guest bathroom:

Step #1 - I take everything off of the surfaces (toilet paper rolls, tissue box, soap dispenser, etc).

Step #2 - I put toilet bowl cleaner in the toilet (that way it starts working while I clean other things).

Step #3 - I spray bathroom (or all purpose) cleaner all over the sink and toilet.

Step #4 - I use the toilet bowl brush to scrub the toilet bowl and surrounding areas.

Step #5 - I take a sponge and scrub the sink and toilet until it is sparkling.

Step #6 - I use glass cleaner and a paper towel and clean the mirror. I take the somewhat used paper towels and wipe dry the sink and toilet to make it useable and look even cleaner.

Step #7 - I refill everything (soap, tissues, toilet paper, etc) and change the hand towel.

Step #8 - I empty the trash.

Step #9 - I sweep and vacuum the floor.

Step #10 - I mop the floor.

Cleaning the powder room is really important because this is where people will be using the bathroom when the visit your home. I like to keep an eye on this room throughout the week and if I notice it looks dirty, I will run a Lysol wipe on the sink and toilet and use some glass cleaner and paper towels to clean the mirror. I also like to empty the trash as needed (especially if I know people are coming over). I like to keep it fully stocked and even like to keep feminine hygiene products in there in case a guest needs it.

I would love to hear how you clean your powder room.

Dishes Dishes Everywhere

Unless you eat out every meal, dishes are inevitable. It's amazing how quickly they can pile up if you don't tend to them after each meal and snack or if you don't unload the dishwasher when it is done. Those are my first tips: always unload the dishwasher ASAP and wash and load the dishwasher after each meal or snack so they don't pile up.

Here's my next set of tips:

Just like everything else in my house, I have a system for dishes. We have a dishwasher and disposal (thank God). That sounds funny, but I have been lots of places that didn't have one or the other or both and it makes it really challenging to do dishes. With a dishwasher and disposal, dishes are simple.

We have a two-sided sink. The side with the disposal and the counter next to it is for dirty dishes only. This makes it easy on Luke because he knows where to put a dirty dish. We don't let him put them in the sink (it's too deep and we would get broken dishes). The side without the disposal and the counter next to it (which just happens to be above the dishwasher) is for clean dishes only. The clean side of the sink is where things that don't go into the dishwasher (frequently used things - peeler, knife or bulky items - pots, pans, mixing bowls) are put to dry.

With this system, it makes doing dishes super easy. You go to the dirty side and either rinse and load the dishes into the dishwasher or scrub, rinse, and put them on the clean side to dry. When the dishwasher is done and ready to be unloaded, you just put it all away (that is when I put away the dishes on the clean side as well). It makes it really easy and pretty quick.

My dishwasher tips:

Yes, I load my dishwasher in a very anally organized manner (and Lee follows it). I figured I would share my system in case you wanted some ideas. Trust me, it takes just as much time to load it specifically versus just putting things in and saves a ton of time when unloading.

Bottom rack:

Utensil holder: Each side has 3 places for utensils. One side is for silverware. We put spoons in one, forks in one, and knives in one. On the other side, we put steak knives in one (the one next to the knives) and kitchen tools (big spoons, measuring cups, etc) in the other two. It makes it really easy when you go to unload. I grab a handful of the same thing and can put it away really fast.

Around the edges (where it is wide): This is where bowls go.

Inside: We line up dinner plates on one side and salad plates on the other. It makes it really easy to unload because you grab a handful of similar plates and can put them away in seconds.

Upper rack:

We have a row for tall glasses, a row for smaller glasses, a row for sippy cups, a basket for sippy cup lids, a row for ramekins (really small bowls), and a row for tupperware and car cups (water bottles, etc).

I hope this helps. :)

Cleaning the Living Room/Family Room/Den

Here's the 2nd installment in my detailed cleaning posts. Whatever you call it, the living room, family room, or den, it's one of the rooms that needs to be cleaned the most, as you "live" in it the most (outside of your kitchen). I have a few rooms that have to be clean/organized in order for me to function - my kitchen, living room, and guest bathroom (all 1st floor).

Here's how I clean and keep clean my living room:

Step #1 - Straighten up
Go around and put things (magazines, books, remote controls, blankets, toys, pillows) away. If you find things that don't belong, put them where they go (or at least in a basket to take back soon). You can't clean until everything is straightened up.

Step #2 - Dust
I like to grab my Swiffer duster or a cloth and dusting spray (if it is bad) and go from top to bottom around the living room.

Step #3 - Glass clean
I go around with glass cleaner and paper towels and get the mirrors, windows, and anything else that has glass.

Step #4 - Vacuum
I start with the main carpet area and then take the hose and do the couch, followed by taking the edger and doing the edges, baseboards, and window sills.

It takes very little time to get the living room clean.

How to keep it clean:

If you get stuff out, put it back. Keep things straightened up. Vacuum when it needs it (just the middle of the room). Have a weekly time to dust, glass clean, and deep vacuum.

Cleaning the Kitchen

So if you have followed my blog for any extended period of time, you know that on Mondays I clean my first floor. That includes the living room, powder room, dining room, and kitchen. I thought that I would write a post completely devoted to cleaning the kitchen today. I am thinking about doing a series where I write about how I clean each room of my house.

Here is how I clean my kitchen:

Step #1 - Take anything and everything that doesn't belong in the kitchen and put it where it goes
If you guys are anything like me, your kitchen table and adjacent areas can become a dump zone for mail, papers, kids' work, etc. If you go through and put all the stuff where it needs to go, it will clear the way for cleaning.

Step #2 - Unload your dishwasher if it is full and needs it
This is definitely a task that can be overlooked and can cause a major pileup in the kitchen. It's pretty crazy how it happens. No one unloads the dishwasher so no dishes can go in, so the sink starts overflowing to the counters. I can say that this happens at least once a week at my house (usually over the weekend as I don't clean as much on weekends). It only takes a handful of minutes, but is a big help.

Step #3 - Wash all dishes and load dishwasher (run again if needed) or dry them and put them away
Dishes make the kitchen look so dirty. They clutter the kitchen and mind. If you get them into the dishwasher or cupboards, it really makes the kitchen easy to clean.

Step #4 - Wipe down every surface
I go around with a cleaning wipe or cleaner and sponge and clean from cleanest area to dirtiest (ie less used counter space to more used counter space to stovetop). If you need to wipe cabinets and your kitchen table/chairs, this is the time to do it. I also like to wipe down the exteriors of my appliances.

Step #5 - Wipe out appliances
I go around with a cleaning wipe or cleaner and sponge and clean from cleanest area to dirtiest (ie microwave to fridge to oven).

Step #6 - Sweep floor

Step #7 - Mop floor

Now if you need to do a deep cleaning of your refrigerator (I do this every few months unless it gets really dirty as I am a freak about throwing stuff out and wiping my refrigerator down a lot), here's a great way to do it.

Step #1 - Go through and toss out anything that needs it.

Step #2 - Work one shelf/area at a time and pull everything out, wipe down, and put everything back. If it is dirty enough, pull out the shelf, take it to the sink, and give it a good scrubbing.

To me having a clean kitchen is my #1 priority as so much in our lives centers around our kitchen. Most of us cook at least one meal a day in there, not to mention snacks, drinks, etc. If your kitchen is dirty, it really affects everything. I know that if I have to go in there and clean before meal prep, I get annoyed (even though it is at myself) and think, "Pizza sounds good tonight." ;)