Thursday, March 25, 2010

Top 5 Cleaning Tips

One thing that newlyweds can frequently argue about are household chores and cleaning duties. At least that seems to be a topic of occasional disagreement in our household. We can't be the only ones, right? Right?

Although I do have a passion for home organizing (more on that next week), I really don't love cleaning. And neither does the Mr.



But cleaning is necessity of life (until that magical day when we get a cleaning lady) and we've found ways to split chores when we do our Saturday morning cleaning sprees. So in honor of spring cleaning and Kelly's Korner, I thought I'd share our Top 5 Cleaning Tips that have helped us to keep a happy, sane, clean home.


1. Use Bar Keepers Friend.

I've shared my love for Bar Keepers Friend before. I have no idea how we could deal with cleaning all of the modern stainless steel appliances in our condo without it.

We use it on stainless steel faucets/ sinks to get out water spots, on pots and pans to remove burn marks, on shower doors to remove residue, and (BEST of all) on our stainless steel fridge that always seems to get water marks and finger prints on it. Knowing how easy it is clean stainless steel with BKF has definitely helped us avoid fights. And the price (about $3) means we can use as much of this as we want.





2. Buy a Dyson vacuum.

We love our Dyson. It's so easy to use that it makes vacuuming fun. The attachments makes cleaning floors, ledges, couches, and more so easy. We don't even own a broom because of our Dyson. And emptying it is an absolute snap. We love our Dyson so much that on cleaning day we both want to vacuum. Ha!


3. Carry Tide Pens and keep Wine Away on hand

I’m embarrassed to admit this, but I am a huge klutz. Mostly in the realm of spilling stuff on myself and others. It got so bad at one point that Mr. would make me stand/sit at least two feet away from him if I am drinking a colored liquid (such as wine).

That is why I always carry a Tide Pen in my purse and keep Wine Away on hand. They both do wonders for stains. With these I can nip a stain in the bud - which saves the Mr from yelling at me that moment and makes stain removal easier when we have do laundry.




4. Use a Magic Eraser to clean walls

This little foam pads really are magic. I guess the secret behind them material known as melamine foam. With just a little water, melamine foam can dig in and destroy stains that other products can't touch. Scuffs on the wall? Gone in seconds! No fighting about having to repaint. That is magic.


5. The easiest way to clean granite is with gentle dish soap and water.

We used to waste money buying expensive granite cleaner because you can't use harsh cleaners on granite. Then we found out that you can just use our regular gentle dish soap and water. It's inexpensive, easy, and actually makes the granite look great. That's one less product that we have to spend money on, which means more money left in our fun budget!





What are your "must have" Spring Cleaning products? What cleaning tips do you have?


Note: None of the products or companies that I shared about in the post provided me with any monetary or non-monitory compensation. I have no professional or personal ties to any of these companies or products. The products simply are my favorite products for keeping a clean and happy home.

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

I use Windex alllll over our condo. My most ingenious use is to clean the stainless steal appliances. Ten or so squirts across our four appliances, and a minute and a half later, they shine like new and I'm finished!

I'm a new fan of the antibacterial wipes, like Lysol. My husband is on kitchen clean-up duty after dinner, and I could not get him to clean our granite counter tops for the life of me (which I have always cleaned with palmolive & a paper towel). But I keep these on hand now by the sink, and voila, he cleans them. Whatever gets the job done!

Katie said...

I would love a dyson!

Bonnie @ House of Grace said...

Great Tips!!! I saw you on Kelly's Korner. I love my dyson too!I am your newest follower. Please check me out when you can!
Bonnie
http://creatingahouseofgrace.blogspot.com

GUAMtastic said...

Fabulous tip (from my mother, of course): if you have any copper, cut a lemon in half, sprinkle salt on it, and use that to clean. Your pots will SPARKLE!

Wish they sold BKF in Guam :(

Ashley said...

I LOVE my Dyson too!! I also heard through the blog hop that you can use Dawn to clean your bathtubs....I might have to try that one too! Thanks for sharing!

Rachel said...

I am dying for Dyson animal and have been for the two years since I got my dog. My husband on the other hand thinks it is a waste of money. Maybe he needs to read your blog :)

Ange said...

I am drooling over your Dyson!
I made up a batch of my own cleaners after having my daughter 9 months ago and I feel really good that I've reduced our chemical use. It's a simple vinegar & baking soda mix and it works fab!

Kate said...

Thanks for the tip about Bar Keepers Friend for stainless steel appliances. My fridge and dishwasher always look so spotty. I'll have to give it a try!

Mrs. Lopez said...

We have a couple of scuffs on our walls from moving stuff. I think im gonna try those magic eraser pads! For my granite countertops I just use Clorox wipes.

Belle said...

Ya'll are definitely not the only ones who argue over the houshold chores. It is a bone of contention for the two of us quite often!

Great tips! Although we don't have stainless appliances, I may have to try BKF for other household cleaning like the shower. Have a great weekend!

Beth McC. said...

Thanks for the tips!! I love my Dyson too!! Worth every penny!!

Happy Friday!

Beth McC. said...

Thanks for the tips!! I love my Dyson too!! Worth every penny!!

Happy Friday!

Perfectly Imperfect said...

I can't live without good old Febreeze dusting spray. I love the smell and I HATE dust. I seriously dust almost every day. And wet swiffers. They're perfect on our hardwood for quick touch up spots.

Sara said...

I love Bar Keepers Friend. We used to have a porcelain sink that was white and it worked wonders on it. Now, we have stainless and it's still great.

Also, before we got granite I was worried about what to use to clean it, but I just use regular soap and hot water and it's fine. I think there's all this myth about granite when sealed granite is quite easy to clean.

Also, I would love to have a Dyson when our current vacuum expires.

Tillie said...

i love magic eraser!!!! such a lifesaver in my house!

I totally want a dyson!!!

the BLAH BLAH BLAHger said...

We are living parallel lives (sorta), as I use all of those things...but I know my limits. A few years ago, I broke down and hired a housekeeper and it's been the BEST investment I've ever made. ; )

Crazy Shenanigans-JMO said...

Those magic erasers are a god send!

BeickerFamily said...

Great tips!!! I have one suggestion though. We own a granite countertop business in South Texas and we tell all of our clients just to mix 1/3 vinegar to 2/3 water and pour into a spray bottle and clean with that. Works great!!!

In This Wonderful Life said...

I too have used most of these things and think they are FANTASTIC! I've not tried bar keepers or the wine stuff but i definitely need to get them!! thanks for sharing :)

Sonya said...

I love Bar Keeper's Friend! We use it for our stainless steel sinks and it works wonderfully on our bathtub too.

Claire said...

Thanks for the BKF tip!

Cxx

Carrie said...

Great tips! You will be well prepared when you add some little ones to your life! Visiting from Kelly's!

Sara McCarty said...

Great products! Thanks for the tip on Wine Away...I could really use some of that!

chelsea said...

LOVE my Dyson!! LOVE IT!!! Can I say it again? LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE

And Bar Keeper's friend just found itself on my Alice shopping list. YAY!

Maggie said...

I'm not a clean freak my any means, but I ADORE Bar Keeper's Friend, the Magic Eraser, and Tide Sticks!

Kelly said...

These are very good and useful tips but I still hate Cleaning :S

cleaning process is a very tiring process .... I also hate the dust :/

I also think that applying these tips needs time .. sometimes u need to save time as well as money... last March I needed to clean my house and I dealt with princess maid services company and I think it is also money saving , they did very good work and I didn't have to pay too much money. But even if you are worried that it requires some additional costs, you can think about that the other way - you can use that time that you would spend for cleaning working and making some extra money, more than you would pay for the cleaning service.

Thanks again for your tips ... keep the great work up

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