Oxi Clean to the Rescue

  I know this seems like a strange thing to comment on, but I am finding more and more people who have NEVER tried Oxi Clean for the clothes or other purposes yet.  I thought I would share this now because I have a new baby now and quite frankly, babies are messy and are pros at staining clothes.  This is my first and probably only girl so of course I want to get the most out of the cute clothes she has.  Oxi Clean has been AMAZING, not just on her stuff, but all of our clothes.

 

   I first started using it about 6 years ago.  I purchased my first container of powder to help with stains we had in our carpet.  I worked SO WELL, I bought the spray to try on laundry.  I first tried it on a blood stain I had gotten while at work (I am a nurse).  It fascinated me when it bubbled up on the blood which vanished almost immediately.  I could literally see it working.  I started using it on every stain I could see and also threw in some with every load of laundry (I use about 1/4 scoop each time).  We moved to Alabama which has red, horribly staining dirt.  I could not get it out with anything else, but it came out with Oxi Clean every time.  Now with my beautiful baby girl, it has saved so many outfits, I can't even count it.
   We were out of town for almost 2 weeks and I forgot to bring any spray with me so her clothes and stains sat there for many days. I even washed them along the way using things like Shout or Zout that were available. The stains did not come out with those.  When we got home, I sprayed all of the clothes and let them sit for about 30 minutes and threw them into the wash.  I was nervous that the stains would not come out since they had sat for so long and had already been washed and dried, but EVERY SINGLE stain came out.  I just had to share it.  
    It has also worked on the stains I have always had trouble getting out: chocolate, pizza sauce, grape juice. It has worked for all of them.  If you haven't tried it already, take a small challenge and buy a bottle of the
spray or a container of the powder and just see how it goes.  You can often find coupons to help save money on it!  You can also find it in many of the laundry detergents now too!  Hope you love it like I have!

~Stacy~

Spring Cleaning- Outside Edition

   We just posted the "Inside Edition" on things we were going to Spring Clean inside our homes, this one will be strictly on our to do lists for the outsides of our home to get ready.  Here are some ideas for your own yards!

*  Trim shrubs, trees, bushes.  If you are not familiar with the area, plant, or just gardening in general one safe thing to do is watch for the people around you to start trimming the same kinds of plants.  Watch especially for professional landscapers to be doing it since they will be most likely to know when it is appropriate.  For example, when Stacy moved to Texas, she had never been around Crepe Myrtle trees and had never done anything with them.  She just waited until she saw people trimming them along the sides of the roads (all professionally landscaped) and then did the same at home-all was well, everything came up full bloom that year!

*  Aerate your lawn.  If you live in an area with clay dirt or your lawn has heavy traffic on it, this is a great thing to consider.  Heather does this to her lawn every year and her lawn looks AMAZING every year too!    If you have Bermuda, Zoysia, or St. Augustine grass, it is best to do this from April to June.  Fescue, Bluegrass, and Rye are best to be done August through October.

*Fertilize!  The local stores in your area will have the fertilizer grasses common for your area needs and most will have an expert if you have questions on how and when to apply.

*Insect and Bug sprays, pellets, repellents   These also can be found at local stores and you can ask what the best products are for the particular pests in that area.  Ex:  Fire ants in Alabama- there were a lot of products out there but there were some that were far better than others.  We would also find out when our neighbors were going to spray because it really did no good if we sprayed and then 2 weeks later they did, it would just cause the left over bugs to come right back to our lawn, so try to coordinate with them!

* Mulch flower beds!  Clean out old or dead plants, plant your new ones and then mulch around everything! It not only looks amazing, but it helps keep the weeds out and helps keep the moisture in better for the plants you do want there!

There are probably things we have forgotten and definitely things are different throughout the country so one more suggestion would be to check with your local nursery and see if they have a nice "Honey-Do" list specific to your area.

~The Sissies~

Spring Cleaning- Inside Edition

  We are all getting so excited for SPRING and the warm weather it brings!  We realize it is already warm (Like 90's already in Arizona--Stacy and Michelle), warming up in other places like the South, and still cold enough to be snowing (Like the sisters in Idaho and Utah last week!), but most of us have been itching to do some spring cleaning.  We have been sharing ideas with each other for what we are doing, what we have done in the past, or what we would like to try this year.


WHOLE HOUSE
*  This is one I am going to do for my grout!  Using 7 cups of water, 1/2 cup baking soda, 1/3 cup lemon juice, and 1/4 cup vinegar you will spray this combination onto a small area your grout at a time.  Let it sit for a few minutes, then scrub.  Have a bucket of warm water and a cloth with you so you can rinse your scrub brush out and wipe up the dirt you scrub up.  It will also leave a residue, be ready to do a light mop after.  (It really does work and will amaze you how much stuff comes up from it).

Before








After





*  Vacuum window blinds and curtains.  Some curtains you can even wash in your washing machine once in a while to avoid getting a large dust build up on top of and down them.  (Especially important for those with allergies in the home!)

*  Wash windows inside and out.
          -For the inside, after washing go over again with a newspaper to diminish streaks. 
               ~Another idea is to dry horizontally inside and vertically outside  (or vice-versa) so you can    
                 see if you had streaks on either side or if one side needs more cleaning.  
          -For outside, we recommend using a bucket of soapy water and a squeegee.  Use either a cloth to  
           wash the window or a squeegee like you would use to wash the car window.  To dry, however, 
           use a straight squeegee like this:  
           Something like this can be purchased at Home Depot or similar for around $10.00 but will last a
           really long time.  This will keep the streaks from forming and your window gleaming!

*Dust top to bottom.  I have one of the "feather duster" type dusters that can extend it's arm out and I go from top to bottom in every room, getting all corners (with spiderwebs) clear down to the floor.  After I do this through out the whole house I vacuum thoroughly and then clean the carpets and couches.

*Check and change batteries in smoke detectors.

*Wipe down walls.  Again, I take a bucket of warm water and vinegar and a rag and go from room to room wiping down all the walls.

*Light switches.  I am sure that you all have the same problem I do with the light switches, maybe not, but mine get all gross and grimy.  I give my kids Clorox Wipe and assign them a section of the house.  They then clean the light switch and all around it.  There is always so much dirt and grim around them when they are cleaned it looks like a totally different light switch!  Gross!!  (Do the same thing with door handles.  Kids also like this job.)

*Clean baseboards.  This is a great job for the kiddos.  I fill an ice cream bucket with warm water and vinegar an old sock and a section of the house.  They think it is pretty fun (now).
       *** a little tip*** When socks get a hole in them, keep them.  They are great cleaning rags.  I slip one over my hand and go to town dusting.  I also use them for almost all of my cleaning projects ... cleaning the bathroom sinks, baseboards, walls, chicken eggs.  I have an ice cream bucket that I keep full of them and replace when they start looking yucky.

*Take rugs outside and beat with a broom handle.  You won't believe the dust and dirt that comes out of them!!




LIVING ROOM

*  Wash your couches.  If you have a cloth couch that has removable covers for the cushions and you feel comfortable, you can try running them through your washing machine.  I would suggest only trying one on the delicate cycle.  (Stacy tried this with her extra cushion first to make sure it would not ruin it before trying the rest of the couch).  If you are uncomfortable trying this, you can us a steam cleaner with the hose adapter.  Do not try this if the couches are made of micro-fiber or leather!
         -You can also wash the throw pillows for the couches with cloth material.
         -This always makes the couches look and feel fresh and they smell GREAT!
If you have leather couches, this is a good time to apply the leather conditioner.  I also go and apply it in my vehicles at the same time.
*  Steam clean your floors.  It is always good to do this in the spring and fall.  If you don't have a steam cleaner, you can always rent one for very cheap at most stores like Walmart, Target, Home Depot, Lowes, etc.
           -Try spraying Oxiclean pre-wash on the big stains prior to cleaning
           -Also, either use one of the cleaning products with Oxiclean added or add about 1/4 scoop to
            each load of water/cleaner.


KITCHEN
*Deep clean Fridge and Freezer.  This is a great time to defrost your freezer too before you start stocking you on the great fresh fruits and vegetables that will be ripe soon!
*Deep clean your stove top and oven. I usually pick the first nice day outside to do this.  That way I can open my windows throughout the house and the smell from the cleaning will blow out.  Plus, my oven tends to set off the smoke detectors if the windows are not open. (I guess I would know if my smoke detectors were working or not)
*Clean the fronts of the kitchen cupboards and the hood for the stove.
*Clean and organize pantry.


BATHROOM
*Clean out and organize medicine cabinets.  Throw out all medications that are expired (or empty that you just kept the bottle for sentimental reasons, right?  Why else would I have 5 empty childrens' tylenol bottles in there???)
*Organize bathroom drawers.  No matter how hard I try to keep them neat and organized, they always get messy.  Throw out anything you don't use.
*Wash shower curtains.  I like to buy the shower curtains that are fabric and washable.  If I have a liner I usually replace it in the spring (after I have deep cleaned the shower).

BEDROOMS
*Organize kids closets.  I do this 2 times a year, once in the spring and once before school starts.  I have a donation box and a tote for all nice clothes to pass on to siblings or cousins.  We pack away anything that does not fit and make a list of things we may need to get for the upcoming season.
*Organize my closet.  That is not as much of a task as the kids, but I do try to get clothes out of my closet that I don't wear or like anymore.  I also go through mine and my husbands t-shirts and such and refold/make them look nice. (mostly my hubby's, he is not so neat when it comes to his clothes)



Now we know that this is not going to get your whole house, because everyone has different homes, but this will at least get you started.  Make yourself a list of things you would like to accomplish and get to work.  Do one Spring cleaning job a day (or more if you catch the spring cleaning bug) and you will have a sparking home in no time!!

After you have your home all clean here are some tips to keep it that way.

Some more great tips can be found at this website.

~Rachel~