The Creative Edge

 

     People often ask me where I get so many ideas for using one tool to do a job for something entirely different. It is much like asking a craftsperson where they come up with ideas. Often times we get "stuck" in our thinking and see things only as they are and not allow the creative side of us to visualize other uses for an item.

 

     A broom to an adult is for sweeping but in the hands of a young child it can be a horse, the center pole of a "blanket" tent or a rail to line up dolls. Take the wire cubicals you put together in various shapes to hold anything from shoes to toys. Using two thin nails attach one to your bedroom wall. Decorate it with dried flowers or whatever hits your fancy and you have an excellent holding rack for earrings - if you have kept the earring holder. It will also hold your necklaces and scarves etc.

 

     I use them to dry my herbs by leaning one against a wall and looping herbs through the slots. Potatoes must have air circulating around them or they quickly rot so when I dug my potatoes this summer I placed the racks on top of  the cartons I get from vegitable farms. My spuds are content and holding up nicely. The rack provides that airing space and it was quite inexpensive.

 

     So get creative with things you have around your home. You will be surprised the number of uses you can find for things that were not designed for that job.

 

This article can only be reprinted giving credit to Mary Findley, co-author of "The Complete Idiots Guide to Cleaning" and her website www.goclean.com. All rights reserved world-wide.

 

CLEANING TIPS USING BORAX

 

One of the recent RV rallies I attended had a "flea market" where the attendees brought in different items they could sell. Among them was an old book titled "They Used To Say." Originally published in 1890 by Household Cyclopedia it has not been updated but was brought back out again in 1983. This book has more old time wisdom than you could ever find on the Internet. Many of the cleaning products recommended I would no longer touch but their suggestion on your health cleaning, cooking and general home care are priceless.

 

USES FOR BORAX

 

I have always known Borax was a good cleaner but here is a list of things it will do:

1) Softens hard water for washing clothes and whitens them without caustic bleach.

2) Soak your linens and lace tablecloths in it to remove any yellowing.

3) Make a paste and put over fruit or vegitable stains on tablecloths or clothing.

4) Clean your pots and pans to get them really shiny.

5) Soak your silver in a hot solution of it so you don't "cleanse it laboriously half so often."

6) Remove finger marks and dirt from wood-work.

 

Mary's Tip: Mix 1/2 cup Borax and a small amount of CleanEz in a bucket of warm water. Clean your awnings and patio furniture before putting them away for the winter.

 

The article may only be used giving credit to Mary Findley, co-author of "The Complete Idiots Guide to Cleaning"  and her website www.goclean.com

 

Fall Cleaning Tips     

 

    Be sure to pick up a copy of Woman's Day magazine Sept 12^th issue that is now at the stores. They have a wonderful article called "Our 50 All-Time Top Tips." Yours truly is in the magazine with several of my tips.  

    

Dirt on clothing left hanging in a closet

     Recently a woman wrote in asking how to get rid of the "dirt" marks that collected along the top of a few garments that had been hanging in the closet for several years. She had lost weight and now fit back into these clothes and was elated to be able to wear them again. Only they live in a dusty area and the shirts and blouses gathered dirt along the area where they came in contact with the hanger.  

     She purchased a bottle of my CleanEz and away went the dirt along with the soap residue on her shower walls a several stains in her carpet.

Storing Clothing   

    If you are going to be storing clothing for any length of time, it is far easier and safer to purchase the "space bags" that you find in places like Bed Bath and Beyond. Easy to use, the clothes can be stored without worry of bugs or dirt getting into the bag. Use them for storing little used or seasonal items such as Christmas and Thanksgiving linens. They fit quite nicely under a bed to stretch storage space.  

Fall Cleaning Tips

    Fall is the best time to do those cleaning chores we all tend to ignore. Next time you shower remove the shower curtains and toss them into the washer with the floor mat or a few towels. The towels or mat will help "scrub" them. Dry by simply hanging them back up.

    Remove your bed spread or cover then launder it along with the mattress cover if it can be laundered – do read the directions. They collect dust and dust mites. Dry the bed spread until it is about half dry then finish outdoors draped over your outdoor furniture or a fence. That fresh outdoor smell will linger a long time.  Vacuum the mattress after removing the cover. This is an excellent time to flip the mattress and then pull the bed out to thoroughly vacuum under the bed. Yes we all tend to ignore this part of our housecleaning including myself. Yet we spend more of our time on our beds than on any other piece of furniture in our homes.

     Remember it is wise to flip or turn your mattress each time you wash your sheets. I know the manufactures say to do this monthly maybe for the first six or seven months but for long wear, flip and turn each time you wash sheets.

Clean your Curtains and Drapes    

     Next on your list is to remove your curtains and launder them if they can be washed. If they are dry clean only and don't need cleaning grab a friend or spouse and take them outside for a good old fashioned shake down. You will be amazed the amount of dust that comes flying from the crevices and corners.  

     Now that you have pulled the furniture away from the wall to remove the curtains it provides a wonderful opportunity to run one of our dry sponges along the baseboards to clean both the baseboards and edge of the carpet. I know you vacuum this area regularly but a vacuum just does not collect all the dirt in the crevice between the baseboard and carpet.

This article may only be reproduced giving credit to Mary Findley referencing her book "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cleaning" and her website www.goclean.com. All rights reserved worldwide.

 

 

 

Dusting Furniture

 

Dusting never was one of my favorite cleaning activities until one day I had a cotton tube sock pulled over my hand darning the thing. It dawned on me that it might be a nifty dusting tool. So off I went - well the sock had a hole in it and really wouldn't a new sock be better? This was so much easier and faster. The sock left no lint either. Please make sure the sock is clean! The sock made fast work of our wooden blinds as well.

 

For those of you who love dust cloths, we are now carrying the wonderful 100% cotton diaper material. It is lint free, and works as remarkably well applying wax to cars as it does to polishing silver. It is not on our website yet so order the Swifter towels - I'll send you one free and in the comment section ask for the cotton diaper material. They are $2.50 each or 5 for $10.

 

This information may not be copied without referencing Mary Findley and her website at www.goclean.com. All rights reserved worldwide.

 

 

 

 

Tackling cobwebs

 

When you are cleaning your home tuck a one and one-half inch paintbrush into your back pocket. Outside of my mop for removing those remarkable works of art designed by our spider friends from the ceilings, a paintbush is the handiest tool for catching the webs around door hinges, windows and dusting into the nooks and crannies I often miss mostly because I'm busy in the garden and if I don't see the dirt I don't clean it. Best way to clean a room is to walk in and sweep it with a glance!

 

Mary Findley
http://www.goclean.com

Dirt Buster

   Dirt under your fingernails that is after you have been out in the yard or garden. That dirt stuck under your fingernails can be a bit more than troublesome to remove. Set your pressure washer to a strong stream and aim underneath your fingernails. It blows the dirt right out of there. Now remember my tips about cutting off the bottom half of a pair of ruined panty hose. Slide a soap sliver down into the toe part and tie the whole thing around the faucet. It's so much easier to wash your hands outside than having to clean your sink as well as your hands inside.

 

This tip may only be reprinted giving credit to Mary Findley and her website at www.goclean.com. All rights reserved world wide.

Cleaning vinyl boat seats

 

     I'm going to veer off my usual home cleaning tips and get into some boat cleaning tips for my boating enthusiasts due to the numerous questions being asked about vinyl seat stains. Actually this applies to anyone with vinyl seats whether in your car, truck, RV or boat, whatever and where ever.

    Remember "one" of my main rules on cleaning and care of anything is prevention. Stains become tremendously more difficult to remove when vinyl or leather is allowed to become dry. Dryness eventually leads to cracking, which leads to expensive replacement.

     You must be apply a leather/vinyl conditioner to any leather or vinyl seat, chair or couch at least twice a year and boat seats three to four times a year. This is especially important for boat seats that tend to become moldy and dry more quickly due to exposure to the elements.

     Just remember after you remove a stain if you are using a general cleaner or something I recommend below, you must condition the seats afterwards or they will dry which will only lead to more difficulty later in cleaning them.   

     Some common boat stains involve: tree sap or leaves from trees; swimsuits or towels that have left a dye on the seats; spilled drinks, grease or oil and mold or mildew.    

1)      For tree sap or leaves; grease and oil including fried food or Fido's slobbering on the seats and heavy dirt. Usually most of these stains can be removed with foaming tub and tile cleaner either that made by Lysol or Dow. No I do not like this stuff in the shower or bathroom. It's completely useless there and an expensive way to clean. But for some reason those little foaming bubbles seem to remove these kinds of dirt and grime.

If you are dealing with oil or grease from perhaps your engine then try a foaming shaving cream. The gel won't work but sometimes the 3 kinds of alcohol in the foaming shaving cream will zap that stuff off without damaging the vinyl.

2)      Dye from swimsuits, towels, red dye from food or drinks: I don't know that these stains will come out. Try pouring some baking soda on the stain then spraying that with hydrogen peroxide – a fresh bottle please. It will bubble and fizzle which helps sometimes to remove a stain. Do not leave this on longer than 10 minutes and rinse thoroughly. If that does not remove the stain leave it alone as anything else strong enough to remove the stain will "burn" the vinyl.

3)      Mold and mildew: My CleanEz will kill mold and mildew to prevent it from worsening. However, once mold or mildew has been allowed to get a strong hold in either vinyl or leather, the stain itself usually will not come out. Try the method in #2 but I doubt if you can remove the stain. 

4)      Dirt and grime: Try a foaming tub and tile cleaner then condition with Leather/Vinyl Care is the best you can buy for cleaning and conditioning vinyl or leather.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                

    

This article may only be reprinted giving full credit to Mary Findley and her website at http://www.goclean.com. Copyright @2007 All rights reserved worldwide.

 

 

DULL Utility Knifes

 

     Anyone who has cut a piece of cardboard lately with a utility knife lately has undoubtedly run into the same problem I encounter. Utility knives are manufactured in such a manner that they dull by the time you get to the middle of the box forcing you to change blades to finish the job. Gratefully these folks from Dull Town anywhere USA don't make razor blades. Or do they? Hum my razor blades seem to dull just as quickly.

 

     There is an easy solution: shapen the blade using a honing stone. It takes but a minute but will save you a considerable amount of money and time.   

 

This article may be reprinted but credit must be given to Mary Findley and her website www.goclean.com. All rights reserved world wide.

 

 

Two ways to alleviate a sore back when mopping your floor.

 

Both men and women ask how to avoid a sore back when damp mopping their floors.  Sore backs can be nearly eliminated in one of two ways.

 

1) If you are taller than 5 foot 5 or 6 inches then give some thought into obtaining an extension handle that will reach to your head height. Leaning over a too short of a handle will cause back and neck pain. Leaning over while cleaning your floor also takes you far longer since you not only fight the dirt on the floor but your cleaning equipment as well.

 

2) Change the way you hold a handle. Most people grab a handle with their thumbs on top of the handle and their fingers underneath. This hand position automatically pulls your back over. Switch your hand position so your thumbs are underneath the handle and your fingers are on top, much like you are playing a flute. This  keeps your back erect, eliminates back pain - most of it anyway - and you will find you clean faster and more effictively.

 

If you find you need to use any pressure at all on your mop to mop your floor, then it is time to find an efficient mopping system. Cleaning floors should be as easy as dancing across the floor when you are using terry cloth towels. If not there is something wrong with the system you are using.

 

This article may only be used referencing Mary Findley and her website www.goclean.com. All rights reserved worldwide.

Removing red food coloring or red wine from carpet.

 

Gently blot what you can. Refer to my stain removal guide for blotting and general stain removal instructions.

 

Mix a 50/50 solution of a fresh bottle of hydrogen peroxide and water. Spray on the spot sufficiently to saturate the spot, wait 10 to 15 minutes then blot with 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar per quart of water. Then again with plain water. Wait 24 hours and repeat if needed.

 

If your dog or cat leaves red stains in your carpet after eating, switch food. It's the red dye in their food that causes the problem. Dogs and cats are color blind. Switching to a neutral color food eliminates that problem.