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.

 

Spring Cleaning Your Car

 

     Spring may be a month away yet for many Midwest or Eastern states. When the next warm day comes your way be ready to do that all important spring cleaning and inspection of your car. Dirt, salt, sand, ice and snow all take their toll on the exterior of your vehicle. Here are a few tips to keep in mind so your car doesn't melt away with the last spring thaw. For more detailed information visit my website at www.goclean.com/go-clean.php. Click on the car, RV or boat for further discussions. 

 

Check weather-stripping: Inspect weatherstripping around windows for any mold, cracks or brittleness and replace them if needed. Silicone will help water bead away rather than seeping into the window. However do not use a silicone spray. Look for a libricant and wipe on with a cotton swab. A silicone spray will drift onto the windshield and the car itself. Silicone is very difficult to remove and leaves a film. That film can cause visual problems.

 

Check the underside for rust. Use a high intensity trebel light to check the underneath of your car. Sand, salt and ice do cause damage. Unless you work on cars, take your vehicle to a mechanic for repair. Look for rust issues on brakes, clamps, tailpipes or holes forming on mufflers. It is wise to have the steering and suspension systems insepected for winter damage. The last place you want to find out about winter car damage is driving 65 mpg down the highway.

 

Cleaning the locks: If you have issues with keys sticking or being difficult to work, spray a bit of graphite lubricant on the key then insert it into the lock. Be sure to clean the key with an old cloth. Spray door and trunk hinges with a small amount of petroleum-based lubricant to deter rust and squeeks. Be sure to hold an old cloth around the hinge to prevent the lubricant from overspraying onto carpet or other surfaces that will discolor from the lubricant.

 

Be careful out there and come back to learn how to properly clean your vehicle.

 

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.

TIRE WARNING!

 

     This post is not about cleaning but contains important information I felt very strongly that everyone should know. On this news clip from ABC news there may be a short commerical at first so please don't turn it off. This video talks about people who have been killed or in serious accidents because their tires are old even though they may be brand new tires. Please watch the entire video and don't turn it off until you get to the end where you are taught how to read the codes to check for the date of your tires. This is the most important part of the video and literally could save your life or someone elses if your vehicles goes out of control from a tire blowing. Then please pass it on. This is information everyone should know about.  

Click on this link :   http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=4826897

Earth Friendly vs Human Friendly

Let's continue our last discussion concerning the benefits for you and Mother Earth when we make a few life style changes. Earth Friendly, Eco Friendly, Green Cleaner what is the difference and why should you care? Let me start by saying that a cleaner like my CleanEz is both Earth Friendly - because it is concentrated, and a Green Cleaner - it's EPA certified. A cleaner may be Human Friendly because it's certified. But if it comes with a sprayer then it's ready to use and not Earth Friendly.

One quart of CleanEz dilutes to make 32 quarts of cleaner. When you purchase any ready to use cleaner you must purchase 32 bottles to obtain the same amount of cleaner that one bottle of concentrated cleaner offers. Let's bump this up a notch. Say one million people buy a ready to use cleaner and one million people buy my CleanEz. The folks buying ready to use cleaners must purchase 32 million bottles to one million of my CleanEz. When you keep in mind that plastic is made from our precious oil, you begin to get the scope of the problem with ready to use products.

Now consider cleaners are packaged 12 bottles per case. If you do a little math it means that one million bottles of Clean Ez require 83,333 case boxes to ship. It takes a staggering 2,666,666 cases of cardboard boxes to ship 32 million bottles of ready to use. You have just cut down an entire forest just to ship ready to use cleaners. Not very earth friendly.

Next consider the tremendous amount of oil and fuel needed to ship 2,666,666 cases of ready to use product versus 83,333 cases of concentrated. Understand that two trucks are required to get products to the store. One semi-truck takes the shipment to a distribution center then a second truck to the store.

Still not convinced to make the switch? This next fact might get you moving. Say you order a ready to use cleaner online and millions of folks do. Ready to use products average $5 a bottle. One bottle of CleanEz is $25. Because you must continue to buy ready to use cleaners it means for every bottle of Clean Ez you buy for $25 you must spend $160 for a ready to use cleaner. You pay $10 in shipping for either product but 32 bottles later and you have spent $320 to ship a ready to use product and only $10 for CleanEz. Total cost for ready to use? A whopping $480 rather than $35 for one bottle of CleanEz.

When you purchase products, look for products that are not only human friendly but Earth Friendly as well. Purchase bulk whenever you can to eliminate packaging. Take your own reuseable bags to the stores. Become a Mary Moppins Greener Cleaner by visiting my website www.goclean.com for more earth saving tips and walk gently on Mother Earth.

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

Longer Lasting Razor Blades

 

     My son told me several months ago that water is the reason razor blades dull so quickly because the alkali in water wears the blade down. He said he has been using the same blade for a year now where before he was buying a pack of ten of them every few months. Jason has a heavy beard so he is a good test and he is right. One blade has lasted me 3 months so far and it's still quite sharp. Rather than rinsing off my blade I just pound it against the sink then wipe the blade dry with my towel. I also leave the cap off to make sure the blade doesn't build up moisture from shower steam. If you have small children be sure to tuck your blade in a drawer and not leave it on the counter where they can cut themselves. I purchase the more expensive blades as I found cheap ones nicked me and lasted about 2 shavings if that much. 

 

    Now just think of the savings to Mother Earth. One person does make a difference. With the number of mops I've sold so far, I've kept over 125,000 mops out of the landfill so far. When you multiple a pack of razor blades every six months by the say 100 million people who probably use them,  it's easy to see the savings to Mother Earth. Just this one small step reduces power wastage for manufacturing; packaging material including trees being cut down for shipping boxes; toxic ink used to print the packages and finally fuel for shipping to the distribution centers then again to the stores. Let me put it this way. If each person is buying a pack of blades every six months multiplied by 100 million people that is 2 billion - yes 2 billion razor blades a year that are not being thrown into the landfills. And that is just one very small way each of us can have a huge impact on Mother Earth plus save a bundle of money. I'll give you more sustainable living tips in future blogs.

 

     For more green cleaning tips be sure to visit my website www.goclean.com. Mary Findley copyright @ 2010.

   First Step to a Clean Home

 

     I started out the New Year determined to post daily memos on a step by step process to clean your home from top to bottom this year. I am now finding my tips posted on other websites without giving me proper credit. My content is copied word for word so I'm forced to stop this series. Instead I'll write a downloadable ebook. It will take time to complete but I promise I'll get it done. In the meantime read my book "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Green Cleaning." It will give you a good start.  

   

    The very first step before you start any cleaning job is to refresh your cleaning supplies. Do you have a tote tray or are you trying to use an apron? Please stop using aprons. Triggers on bottles do get bumped and the spray damages furniture. Besides the additional weight around your neck slows you down and is literally a pain in the neck. Don't use them.

     If you don't know where or how to start putting a kit together this is the time to consider my Precision Cleaning Kit. This kit comes complete with various towels for dusting, cleaning windows, bathrooms, kitchen and floors. It includes my CleanEz concentrated all purpose cleaner, Benya, my streak free window cleaner and a signed copy of my book. Come Feb 5th, the kit prices go up. My free shipping will also go from a $100 purchase to $125. 

    Plus on my site you will find a list of the rest of the items you need for your kit, which are cheaper at the grocery store. Click on my website the click "my system" at the top. Clicking on the Precision Cleaning Kit above will also get you there.

     Now that your kit is ready to go, start by reading my blog from January 1^st forward to learn the beginning steps to cleaning your home. Don't put this off any longer as the weather will be warming up and the call of the sun will beckon you outside.    

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.

A Proper Finish for Closets

I hope you have been doing your push ups and pumping iron because it takes a bit more muscle to haul those heavier boxes out of the bottom of closets.

Pull the boxes or whatever out of your closet, one box at a time. Start with whatever is closest to the door. Okay so your closet has sliding doors so which door am I talking about right? With sliding doors clean the closet like you do a room and that is from left to right. Whatever has been hiding in those dark corners get it out and go through it. Go through boxes and things with the GTS - not GPS but GTS. That is my acronym for Give, Toss or Sell idea. Anything that hasn't been used for 5 years goes - unless like I said earlier, it is high quality and could become tomorrow's antique.

As you pull out boxes, wipe down the carpet next to the baseboards with a damp cloth. If you live in a humid or rainy area get nose to nose with your carpet and sniff for any signs of mold or mildew. If you do smell mold or mildew you must find the source of the moisture and resolve the problem before you have major mold infestation. You might need to clear everything out of the closet and pull the carpet back to treat the carpet backing as well as the floor and carpet. Usually a good dousing with undiluted food grade distilled white vinegar will kill mold and mildew. Never use bleach.

For those of you fortunate enough to live in a drier area, after you have pulled out the first box or grouping of "things" then pull out the next batch. Remember the GTS as you work your way around the closet. Once you have everything out of the bottom of the closet and have wiped the baseboards and carpet next to the boards, vacuum and return what you are going to keep. Step back and give yourself a pat on the back. Better yet, give yourself a bigger boost and get down on the floor to stretch. Those boxes were heavy and your muscles need the stretch.

Your "home"work for the next 3 days is to finish the other closets. I'm still pretty swamped with getting information together for these magazine articls but I'll try to drop back in for a boost of encouragement.

This article may only be copied giving full credit to Mary Findley and her website at www.goclean.com. Copyright 2010 all rights reserved world wide.

More on Closet Cleaning

It's already time to tuck my tail and make a confession. I promised I would post a blog everyday to keep you encouraged on your house cleaning adventures. As you can see it's easy to get behind. Even being tired and having 2 author signings in the past 3 days and information to get ready for a couple of articles is no excuse to sluff off this project and ignore you.

After you finish cleaning the top shelf, it's time to tackle the bottom shelf or shelves. Continue pulling everything off those shelves and discard, give away or put in a garage sale anything you no longer need. If you have the top shelves done and don't have any other shelves in your closet to do then take this time to tackle your linen closet. Yes that has to be done too.

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

Third Day of Closet Cleaning

Be prepared with the dust masks because today you pull down what is on the shelves of closet number one and the dust is going to fly. Have an old rag handy sprayed with my diluted CleanEz or your all purpose cleaner. Start with the top most shelf then the next shelf down. As you remove boxes, clean the lids, sides and wipe down the shelf. People tend to wipe down shelves after they have been completely cleared. Stop that. All you achieve is to scatter the dust on that shelf to your clothing or the floor. Who wants dust mites on their clothes? Hopefully not you. Wipe off the shelves.

Go through these boxes and take to Goodwill what is no longer useful and toss anything that can't be taken to Goodwill. If any of your closets contain used computer equipment take that equipment to a company in your area who recycles computers. Many communities have them now. Just make sure your computer has been totally erased. Replace the boxes and move to the next shelf if you have two shelves in the closet.

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

CLOSETS CLEANING CONTINUED

Today your goal is to go through the second closet and remove little used clothing. Yes it seems like I'm bouncing around but if you have picked up the clutter on the floor chances are a good part of that clutter is clothing. Thanks to New York City Mold removal for pointing out in their post that clearing out unusedcloset items makes room for the clutter you just picked up.

It may seem a bit strange that I'm not having you go through one closet at a time to thoroughly clean it. There is nothing that motivates me more than to walk into any room of a home and see progress. It's easy to visualize the overall picture of how your home will sparkle when we complete our year of duty if you see progress in every room. Besides if you focus on just your bedroom closet, the kids are going to whine when you get them started on theirs if they have to work on them every day. This way they have a few days break between their bedroom chores making cooperation a bit easier to gain. Yes I know the kid's rooms should be their private space. So give them the choice of them doing it all by themselves or having your help. The excess goes and the clutter gets picked up. Period.

This article may only be reprinted referencing Mary Findley and her website at www.goclean.com. copyright 2010 all rights reserved worldwide.

Clean the Closet

A clean home doesn't happen haphazardly. There is a method to cleaning and that means starting at the back of rooms and cleaning your way out the door. What good does it do to clean a bedroom then tackling the closet later. You end up pulling the dirt from the closet onto your clean bedroom floor and scattering dust and dirt everywhere.

So today you get to go through all those old boxes and clothes you haven't worn for the last 5 years and give them to Goodwill or hand them down. Remember if you have fine clothing they could be tomorrow's antique. Eye what you give away carefully. It's going to take a couple of hours per closet to get them thoroughly cleaned out so we'll do this a step at a time. After we do the first closet I'll post small notes like I did on clutter cleanup days to give you time to plow through all your bedroom closets. We'll do hall and pantry closets later. So for today, rummage through your clothes that are hanging up and pull out the discards.

Remember to pick up a copy of my book "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Green Cleaning" to learn my Precision Cleaning tips and to have access to the best stain removal guide ever. My book is your guide to becomming a Mary Moppins greener cleaner.

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

Air Freshener Warnings

Do you have the clutter under control? I have a confession to make. Although the rest of my home is tidy, my home office looks like - well you really don't want to know do you? The guilt started setting in as I typed my first three messages of our year long love affair for a totally clean home. After only a couple hours sweating, papers are filed, old books taken to Goodwill and my desk saw daylight for the first time in two years. Hey, I even fixed part of my bookcase that had broken.

As I was tossing things out I ran across an air freshener I used once for a seminar presentation. Folks kick the air freshener habit and get rid of those toxic things. Most of them work in one of two ways. They either numb your sinuses so you can no longer smell odors or they cover odors with toxic fragrances. Either way they are not healthy and probably causing a multitude of health issues. Switch to an enzyme based air freshener like Pure Ayre. Better yet sprinkle just a little cinnamon in your carpet and open the window.

Tomorrow we start tackling projects like closets so if your clothes are strung around the bedroom - get moving!

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

Pillows and Sinus Problems

Time for confessions. How many of you have cleared the clutter out of at least 2 rooms and hopefully 3 to 4? Not even started yet? Even after I talked about the health issues including sinus problems caused by dust mites, mold and mildew? You have today and tomorrow to get that clutter out of your home. After that we start other heavy duty cleaning jobs. This is a full year of a boot camp cleaning regime and at the end you will have one clean home.

Speaking of sinus congestions - are you suffering from a stuffy nose or headaches? Try switching pillows. It wasn't until I went to the Midwest to care for my parents for a month and a half this past fall that I realized my pillow was causing severe sinus congestion. I was gone long enough that my sinuses cleared up. After I was intentionally hit head on 7 years ago, I bought one of those latex foam pillows with the high bumps that supposedly supports your neck. Either the latex foam caused the sinus problems or the height of the pillow was pushing my neck into such a contorted position that my sinuses could not properly drain at night. It was probably a combination of the two. I switched pillows and my sinus problems vanished. Before you consume any more sinus medication, take a serious look at your pillow. If it's older, then dust mites might be the culprit. People are allergic to latex so that might be your problem or it could be that the pillow has your neck out of whack. Switch pillows for a month and see what happens.

See you tomorrow!

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

Why Clutter Control?

 

     When was the last time you were around a two year old? Mommy why does a cat meow? Why do we have toes on our feet? After my first post yesterday you may want to ask why you have to clean up the clutter.

 

     My purpose in spending the next 5 or 6 days pumping you full of information like this is to give you time to get the rest of the clutter picked up in each room of your home. If I continue to give you cleaning projects each day, you won't have time to pick up the rest of your home so you'll end up quitting my 365 day regime to become a Mary Moppins greener cleaner. I like success stories and you are going to be one of them. So here's the down and dirty of clutter.  

 

     Clutter is not just unsightly but it's a breeding ground for dust mites. Ever wonder why you get headaches or a stuffy nose at home? Clutter could be your culprit. Mold and mildew also love growing in dark damp places like under clutter. And you wonder why your carpet smells. Sniff no further for the answer. Now why are you sitting at your computer instead of clearing out a room? Get moving!

 

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

Greener Cleaner Home

My first post of the year promised daily short tips on turning you into one mean, green, speed cleaning machine. Okay so that was 13 days ago and I'm just getting started on my New Years resolution. I ended up Jan 2nd on a long road trip to do a trade show and typically got behind in my postings. Does that sound familiar? You meant to get the kitchen cleaned up and you ended up sidetracked by other matters? So am I forgiven? No? Well hang on because you are in for 365 days of pure cleaning mania.

Day one: So we all get sidetracked - get over it and I mean that literally. Learn to stay focused. For the next 20 minutes your goal is to stay focused on just this one task. Grab a large box or three if the boxes are small. Trash bags will do but boxes are faster to stuff so you can pick up clutter faster. Set the timer for 20 minutes and go pick up the clutter in the most cluttered room in your home.

Keep a fast pace. Working quickly is good for your heart and doubles the amount of clutter you pick up. Fudging, whining and stopping to read a magazine or watch TV is not allowed. Cram all the clutter you can into that box during the first 15 minutes. The last 5 minutes you will put away, give away or toss everything in that box. You must use the full 20 minutes.The idea is to establish the habit of tackling one chore for a set period of time. If one room only takes you 8 minutes then go to the next room. The important step here is to stay focused for the full 20 minutes.

See you tomorrow - I need to go pick up the clutter I left in the garage after getting home from this trade show.

If you are just beginning to read this series please see my post of Feb 3rd.

This article may only be reprinted by referencing Mary Findley and her website at www.goclean.com. All rights reserved world wide.

SIX STEPS FOR AFTER HOLIDAY CLEANUP

 

     This year I have vowed to post a short blog each day to help you organize and do little daily tasks to keep you ahead of harder cleaning jobs. And you'll learn easy ways to gently on Mother Earth. Toss in a few tidbits about improving your health and you have your New Years resolutions written for you. Not only am I going to post every day on my blog but I've resolved to get the rest of my articles posted on my website by the end of Feb. So stay tuned.

 

      Okay so what does all this have to do with a bad case of post holiday cleanup blues? Well I never was a great fan of blues music – give me Salsa and make mine hot. So put on some spicy music and let's get the decorations down and the dust bunnies tamed.  

    

     When you take down your Christmas tree surround it with plenty of plastic or old sheets. Most trees are cut so early they have to be spray painted to keep the color green. Unless you are Irish or like green, cover your flooring or the dye from these trees could stain.

Here are six quick tips for post holiday clean-up:

1) Stay focused – distractions double your work time. You have my permission to let the phone ring. And leave the cup of coffee as a treat for finishing the job.  

2) Set a goal. If you know it takes an hour to dismantle the decorations in the living room, set your timer for 50 minutes and go.  

3) Keep your cleaning tote tray with a diluted bottle of all purpose cleaner - you'll find a good one on my website at www.goclean.com and a terry towel near you. Don't forget the trash bag. Then when you come across a missed stain or an unexpected mess you are ready, without wasting time running to the garage for your cleaner or to dispose of trash. Eliminate trips.  

4) Work a room left to right and top to bottom. Tackling a room haphazard wastes time. Any accumulated dust from wall decorations or pictures tumbles downward. So remove decorations and dust top to bottom. The one exception is the tree. It has first place on your to do list.    

5) Yes dust and vacuum at the same time you take down decorations. Tuck a 100% cotton towel like a baby diaper dusting cloth  into your back pocket. Spray it with a wood care product and you have a fast easy way to dust your furniture. Got glass? Then spray a lint free towel with our Benya and tuck it into your other back pocket to quickly clean any glass you come across.

6) Get the entire family involved. I'm a huge stickler for insisting the kids help. Even 2 and 3 year olds can put away decorations and help pick up trash. As a grandparent I don't hesitate to hand my 5 year old granddaughter a dusting cloth and ask her to dust the living room or put the broom handle in the grasp of my 3 year old grandson and show him how to do the kitchen floor. He turns it into a galloping horse but the floor still gets swept.

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.

Cool Tools Post

 

Many thanks to Katie Bretsch for her post about my mop on the wonderful website Cool Tools. You can read her review here. http://www.kk.org/cooltools/archives/004132.php

Cut Heating Bills

 

     The cold weather found me picking up the phone to get an idea of prices for the newer energy saving windows. The furnace was running continuously even set at 67. The temperature dropped to 9 degrees and I was shivering against the cold draft coming through the windows. The cost of new windows is just not affordable right now and besides they can't be installed in the Artic climate that hit our area.  

 

     Super insulator: Knowing cardboard is a a super insulator and having an abundance of it in my attic for shipping purpose, it took about 30 mintues at no cost to cover the windows. The temperature in the rooms immediately rose 5 degrees ane the funace quieted it's motor for the first time in a month.  

 

     It looks like I'm living in an igloo in the far northern stretches of Alaska and the cardboard is not my favorite cjhoice for window covering, but it's working. I'm warmer, my wallet will thank me and Mother Earth is smiling with the additional energy savings. If you live in a cold area and need some extra winter warmth, head out to find large sheets of the heavier weight cardboard and tuck those behind your blinds in the windows. Large shipping boxes from stores like U-Haul are ideal. They are heavier and one box, cut in half length-wise covers most of a window or sliding glass door. 

 

     Do the kids need something to keep their fingers busy since they house bound from this recent snow storm? Grab the crayons and let them have a ball coloring or making up their own board games on the large sheets of cardboard. 

 

This article may only be copied giving full credit to Mary Findley and her website Mary Moppins at www.goclean.com. Copyright @2009