A Few Money Saving Tricks

 

     We all look for ways to save money even in better economic times. Snagging a new pair of panty hose is enough to bring on the tears. Brush the tears away and save those panty hose.

 

      Long Live the Pantyhose: When you bring them home saturate them good in water and place in a zip lock bag - please make certain it does not leak. Put that in a plastic bowl and freeze it solid for a full day. Thaw at room temperature. Freezing hardens the fibers so they don't run. Then once a month after you wash them, refreeze them.

 

      Don't Toss Them Reuse Them: When you do get those runs, cut off the leg drop a bar of organic soap into the toe and tie that around an outdoor faucet. It's an easy way to wash your hands outside. Use the panty portion to polish your shoes.

 

     The War with Broadleaf Weeds: Rather than buy toxic and expensive weed killers, grab a bottle of food grade distilled white vinegar instead. Dig the weed first. Grab a food baster and pull some vinegar into the tube. Squirt about 2 tablespoons of vinegar directly on the root and it will never come back. Vinegar will also kill the surrounding grass so don't go overboard with the vinegar.

 

     For the Love of Vinegar: When you dilute a concentrated cleaner like Mary Moppins EPA registered CleanEz add two tablespoons of food grade distilled white vinegar to the mix and use less CleanEz. Vinegar boost the cleaning ability of the cleaner so you don't need as much.

 

This article may only be rewritten giving full credit to Mary Findley and her website www.goclean.com. Copyright 2010 all rights reserved worldwide.

Window Cleaning Tips

 

     If you are like me, I would rather darn socks than clean the windows. Here are a few tips to make this job a bit easier.

 

     1) Grab an old barely damp rag and place it around the Mary Moppins Cleaning head. Run this around the window and across the top ledge to dust for cobwebs. The end of the mop head glides along the upper edges of the window to thoroughly and quickly clean the entire window.  NOTE: Please do not use our precious water to hose off windows. 

 

     2) Remove the screen and clean it with a dry sponge. Guess what? No sloppy buckets of water. You'll find dry sponges at pet stores. They are used to remove pet hair from fabric furniture. I carry them as well. When they soil sand them with a light grit sandpaper and keep on going. 

 

     3)  Next use a 1 1/2 inch paint brush to clean the tracks of the window frames. Every few years these clean the tracks with a metal polish to remove the black oxidation so your windows slide easily.

 

     4) Windows are the only surface where it's safe to use microfiber. So grab a bottle of my streak free Benya and one of the courser microfiber pads as it will easily scrub the bug juice off the windows. Our Benya will put a super shine on the windows. Another NOTE: Please do NOT use paper towels or newspapers to clean windows. We need our precious trees.

 

     5) If you are seeing streaks after cleaning the windows, then grab a dry eraser used for dry erase boards and wipe the smears away!

 

This article may only be reprinted giving full credit to Mary Findley and her website www.goclean.com. copyright 2010 all rights reserved worldwide.

Bacteria Laden Soap Dispensers

 

     Clean Link, a Jan San industry ezine just reported that studies found large amounts of bacteria coming from soap in public restrooms.  "We were surprised to learn that the soap from one in four bulk dispensers is contaminated with an average of more than three million bacteria, many of which are known to be opportunistic pathogens," said Carrie Zapka, microbiology scientist, GOJO Industries. "Exposure to such high levels of these organisms can be a significant health risk to individuals with compromised immune systems – estimated to be at least 20% of the population. In contrast, soap from sealed dispensing systems was free from contamination."

 

    This means that if the soap is dispensed from a sealed bag and replaced each time the soap runs out, the soap is not contaminated. If you are washing your hands and the soap dispenser itself is refilled each time, that soap contains high amounts of bacteria. Look closely at the dispenser. If you see a plastic bag inside, the soap is safe to use. If not then wash your hands using hot water only. Carry a tub (not a bottle because bottles spill) of hand sanitizer in your car. Then use them when you return to your car rather than washing your hands in a public restroom. And here we thought we were combating germs by washing our hands with soap and water. It turns out the soap contains the harmful bacteria in a restroom.  

 Quick & Easy Spring Cleaning Tips

 

      First of all re-read my early 2009 Blogs for a more thorough Spring Cleaning Guide. Here are a few green cleaning tips to make your spring cleaning just a bit easier. Use a Dry Eraser to clean window screens and fabric window shades as well as flat lampshades and fabric furniture. They do a great job removing pet hair from furniture. Find them at Bed Bath & Beyond or pet stores if you are not placing an order with Mary Moppins. Clean by sanding them outside with very fine sandpaper.      

     Window Pains: Speaking of windows, don't use paper towels or newspapers to clean your windows. They are made from wood pulp and the pulp will scratch glass. Mary Moppins carries some wonderful Lint Free Towels or use old cotton t-shirts. Remember to get your bottle of streak free Benya!

     Wood Floor Scratches: Remove some scratches in wood floors (not laminates) by sanding them very gently with 0000 steel wool pad dipped in paste wax. Call the store where you purchased your flooring to find the best paste wax. Flooring finishes change from day to day. What was good to use yesterday may not be safe today.   

     Remove Scuff Marks: Crayons, heel and scuff marks generally come off linoleum floors by rubbing them with a bit of toothpaste. Did you know you can remove some scratches from CDs by rubbing the surface with toothpaste and a very soft cloth like an old cotton tee shirt? Don't use toothpaste that contains baking soda. Rinse it with water and dry well. Be sure to work in circles or you will leave worse scratches. Toothpaste also removes black cutlery marks from fine china.

     Gutter Cleaning: There are excellent gutter scoops available at hardware store and worth the money. Otherwise grab an old gunny sack and tie it around the end of your down spout. When you hose the gutter, the leaves collect in the gunny sack and can then be hauled to the composter. You do have a composter right?

This article may only be reprinted giving full credit to Mary Findley and her website at www.goclean.com. Copyright @2010 All rights reserved worldwide.

Caution about Floor Heating Vents

 

     Folks I have read on several website to put screening inside floor registers and vents. It prevents small items from dropping down the vent or register. It's a great idea with small children but there is a down side to this trick. The screens actually inhibit the air flow. As a result you will see a marked increase in the cost of your heating and air conditioning bill. And the collection of dust on those screens blowing back into a room is hard not only on your heater but it's also not healthy for you. 

Car Cleaning Tips for Lasting Beauty

    

Washing your car: 

     Automotive stores contain shelf after shelf of cleaning agents. A variety of cleaners, wax, sealants, wax and wash products all beg for your billfold. Yet there isn't an owner's manual that gives advice on how to properly care for your vehicle. What Frank next door has used for years on his car may not work for your brand new vehicle since finishes are frequently changed by the manufacturer. Besides if it foams, it's toxic to our environment.

 

Let's take a look at some easy solutions and toss in a few quick tips.

 

·        Paint manufacturers recommend washing with soft 100% Lambswool Mitts. Lambswool will not scratch like some brushes and sponges.

·        Use mild soaps like Mary Moppins EPA certified Clean Ez. Most people use liquid dish soaps or harsh cleaners which deteriorate the shine and ruin the finish.

·        Wash early in the morning or evening to avoid water spots. Add one-half cup of food grade distilled white vinegar to your wash bucket. Vinegar neutralizes the alkali in water to prevent water spots.

·        Start with the roof and wash by section drying each section as you clean to avoid water spots. Once water spots form on a car or truck you have but one or two days to remove them. Water spots etch into the surface becoming difficult to remove.

·        Use a concentrated organic cleaner like Clean Ez to remove oil and grease. Remember give your product time to work. Rinse immediately.

 

     Windshields and tires present an entirely different set of problems when you clean. Glass is porous so water spots etch in quicker than they do on the body of a vehicle. If you see those nasty spots before your eyes, wipe on boiling vinegar in the evening. Keep applying every 5 to 6 minutes for about 30 minutes. For windows or windshields, scrub with a white scrub pad. Use a soft cotton cloth when working on the body of a vehicle.

 

Below are a few handy tips for working with windshields to make your view a bit clearer:

 

• Clean windshield wiper blades frequently to remove the oil buildup, which causes them to smear the windshield.
• Scrub window gaskets twice a year with a stiff bristle brush to remove the oxidation.

     For streak free windows try Mary Moppin's Benya, which even removes the film from the inside windows.

 

Tire Care: Scrub tires four times a year with an organic cleaner or CleanEz and a tire cleaning brush to avoid problems. Rubber naturally oxidizes and can leave the tires looking cracked. Scrubbing removes this oxidation. Sos pads work quite well removing dirt and grime on whitewall tires. Scrub and wipe with a shop towel then rinse. This prevents the SOS suds from going down the drain and into your streams and rivers.

 

     Think twice before using a tire treatment. If your tire should blow out and the tire manufacturer determines a tire treatment caused the blowout they will not honor the warranty. Warranties only cover manufacturing defects and tire treatments are not a defect. Most tire treatments contain petroleum distillates, which deteriorate rubber and over time can cause a blowout. Although one treatment may not affect the tires, a blowout on a major highway is not the place to find out.

 

Wax, protect or seal

 

There is a large selection of products made for protecting the finish of your car or truck. Let's first look at the difference between wax, protectants and sealants. All three usually contain petroleum distillates, which binds other chemicals together in a product.

 

     There are different kinds of distillates. High quality distillates may not damage the clear coat finish. Low grade distillates deteriorate the sealant leaving you with an oxidized vehicle.  

 

     There is a fail proof method to determine whether or not your vehicle is oxidizing. If you are applying a protectant three to four times per year and the paint is still coming off on your buffing rag then your wax contains the wrong kind of petroleum distillates. Changing products should correct this problem. If you are applying a protectant only once or twice a year then a more frequent application is needed.

     

     Here are guidelines to follow when purchasing a wax or protectant:

 

• Wax is made from Carnuba, which seals the pores of fiberglass and yellows most white or off white paint. 
• Protectants like Mary Moppin's Advantage are made from polymers, which do not seal but sit on the surface to protect against UV damage.
• Products containing silicone are certain death for your car. Over time, silicone slowly deteriorates the finish causing it to oxidize. Unfortunately silicone cannot be completely removed. Paint will not adhere to silicone so it peels leaving the car in a disastrous state.
• Sealants remove damaging oxidation, scratches and water spots. The bottle will read for heavy duty waxing or oxidation removal.

This Article may only be used or rewritten giving full credit to Mary Findley and her website www.goclean.com   copyright@2010 all rights reserved world wide.