I don't know about you, but in a small apartment with a baby and a dog, getting a real Christmas tree every year (along with the hauling it up and down the stairs) just isn't a financial sound or clean option. so we, like many families, have an artificial tree. As the end of the week approaches and the first day of December (which is the first day the hubby will let me bust out the many items we own to deck the halls) I want to fill you all in on how this clean mama cleans the fake tree.
Turns out, there are several ways to clean a tree (who knew?)
first of all you can vacuum it, which I like because it sounds quick and simple
simply use the hose with the upholstery brush. put a sheet around the bottom of the tree to catch any falling dirts. Hold the brush 1 or 2 inches away from the needles, vacuum the tree. Begin at the top, work your way around the top section and then move down to next set of branches. If your vacuum cleaner is a smaller model, you might be able to brush the branches without damaging the tree. When you've vacuumed the branches, move on to the trunk and base. Once you've cleaned the trunk, turn off the vacuum and carefully remove the sheet from beneath the tree.Take and shake outside!
the second most popular way is to blow it clean with a blow dryer on the cool setting, use a sheet around the bottom as stated above or take it outside and just blow the dust away! simple
third and the one I wont do but you can is to take a cloth and spray it with a 1:10 soap and water ratio solution (ie: 1tbs soap to ten tbs water) and then wipe down the tree and go over again with a clean damp cloth.
so there you have it, may your tree be merry and shiny clean and bright.
happy cleaning and happy holidays
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Monday, November 28, 2011
oh the blogging world.
it's hard to write a blog when you don't feel the support for it but writing this blog has been a great outlet for me and it has made me feel like I'm helping people which is what I love to do!
today I'm going to talk to you guys about post holiday stress clean-up.
I know things get messy over the holidays with all the people running in and out and all the gifts, food, kids, and general mess makers involved with holidays. I hope that my tips for thanksgiving day helped but lets go over what to do when the holidays are done and so is your energy.
first off I'd say, start small with something that will encourage you for the next task. For me it's cleaning the sink out, something about a shiny clean sink makes me feel like, soon, all will be right with the world. I know for our featured writer, Belinda from This Vintage Mommy, it was the look of a vacuumed floor. Whatever it is that makes your home feel instantly cleaner to you, do that first.
second, start small and stick to it. If you try to move the mountain as a whole, it seems impossible. Take 15 minutes and dedicate yourself to one task or area in your home and clean every bit of it that you can before the time is up. After that sit down and be done. The mess will still be there later there is no need to over-work yourself trying to do it all. Studies have shown that people who tackle one problem at a time actually get more done than people who try to push themselves to handle it all at the same time.
third, and this is important, enlist the help of the people sharing your space. you all have to live there and you all helped make the mess. Assign each person a 15 minute task. you'll get less grumbling if you pose it as only 15 minutes of work. and you can make a game with your kids and even the hubby. the kid who cleans the fastest gets to pick what you have for dessert that night or whichever adult gets the biggest space cleaned in 15 minutes gets to pick what you do on your next date night. they say a family that plays together stays together, well the same is true for a family that works together on a task and you are teaching your kids to clean and appreciate it when mom does it for them all the more.
happy cleaning and happy holidays
today I'm going to talk to you guys about post holiday stress clean-up.
I know things get messy over the holidays with all the people running in and out and all the gifts, food, kids, and general mess makers involved with holidays. I hope that my tips for thanksgiving day helped but lets go over what to do when the holidays are done and so is your energy.
first off I'd say, start small with something that will encourage you for the next task. For me it's cleaning the sink out, something about a shiny clean sink makes me feel like, soon, all will be right with the world. I know for our featured writer, Belinda from This Vintage Mommy, it was the look of a vacuumed floor. Whatever it is that makes your home feel instantly cleaner to you, do that first.
second, start small and stick to it. If you try to move the mountain as a whole, it seems impossible. Take 15 minutes and dedicate yourself to one task or area in your home and clean every bit of it that you can before the time is up. After that sit down and be done. The mess will still be there later there is no need to over-work yourself trying to do it all. Studies have shown that people who tackle one problem at a time actually get more done than people who try to push themselves to handle it all at the same time.
third, and this is important, enlist the help of the people sharing your space. you all have to live there and you all helped make the mess. Assign each person a 15 minute task. you'll get less grumbling if you pose it as only 15 minutes of work. and you can make a game with your kids and even the hubby. the kid who cleans the fastest gets to pick what you have for dessert that night or whichever adult gets the biggest space cleaned in 15 minutes gets to pick what you do on your next date night. they say a family that plays together stays together, well the same is true for a family that works together on a task and you are teaching your kids to clean and appreciate it when mom does it for them all the more.
happy cleaning and happy holidays
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
DISCLAIMER
I did not start this blog to earn money and I haven't. This blog is not a business. I have never received any free items from any contributing authors or from products that I have blogged about. This blog is to help moms who may be experiencing the overwhelming stress of being a mom and running a home. It's here to help people, to provide ideas and tips to help solve problems in less time. I do not receive any income from ads or endorsements and I will continue to ensure that I do not. This blog is not for profit. That being said, I have some freedoms that non profit blogs have as well as some limitations. If you have any questions, comments, concerns, please leave a comment here or send me a message on the mamaclean facebook page
during thanksgiving, uses for that left over aluminum foil
yesterday I shared with you how to clean your space using minimal toxins after your holiday feast. As promised, I am going to fill you in on the many ways you can use (or re-use) that aluminum foil.
I favor aluminum foil to plastic wrap partially because I hate having to uncling the plastic wrap every five seconds, and partially because aluminum foil is less harmful to the environment, and has so so many other uses!
First off, and this should be an obvious one, you can cook in aluminum foil, wrap a chicken breast or a potato in aluminum foil and you can toss it straight into your campfire!
you can use it to wrap up leftovers, or even regular sandwiches as I'm sure we've all seen TV moms doing.
here's one you may not know, you can use aluminum foil to soften your brick of brown sugar. Wrap your brick of brown sugar in aluminum foil, then pop it into the oven for five minutes at 300F. Soon you will have softened brown sugar for all of your baking needs.
you can use it as a pie crust protector. a small amount aluminum foil folded over the crust of a pie will keep the crust from browning and blackening and eventually falling off before the rest of the pie has cooked sufficiently
Oh boy oh boy do I love this one: You can protect your oven from spills by placing a few sections of aluminum foil beneath something that might bubble and trouble all over the floor of your oven. Don't place foil on the actual floor of the oven, as that could cause a build-up of heat and can warp the bottom of your expensive appliance. Instead, lay some foil over the rack just beneath whatever it is that might erupt and create a mess. Instead of scrubbing , you can just ball up the soiled foil and recycle it.
and whoopie!!! as a scrubber!, with a little bit of crumpled aluminum foil, I can scrub off tough messes. This works anywhere you might find yourself scrubbing unusually hard.
Polishing silver... (say what?!!) easily remove any oxidation residue with SCIENCE! (And aluminum foil.) Just lay some foil down in a shallow, flat pan. Pour in some hot water and add a dash of salt and baking soda (love it!). Plop your silver items into your dish, making sure that they're touching one another and resting on the foil. Watch the tarnish disappear! If your silver is no longer recognizable as silver, wait about five minutes. After their bath, run some cool water over your silver forks and spoons and gently buff them dry with a soft towel!
you can use aluminum foil to de-static and basically do what a dryer sheet does...though I do love the extra uses for dryer sheets. Just put a ball of aluminum foil in with your laundry and let it run, your laundry will be un-static-y and you will save roughly $2 in the difference between a box of foil and a box of dryer sheets.
you can speed up ironing time by placing aluminum foil on your ironing board which acts as a heat reflector basically cutting in half your ironing time
and of course protecting your brain from mind control!!! wasn't it the movie Signs where the entire family was wearing aluminum foil hats? The government and super-advanced alien races (especially considering that they are probably in cahoots) shouldn't be able to read or control those thoughts. To combat telepathic control techniques that rely upon radio waves, you can fashion a protective helmet out of aluminum foil. Berkeley engineers have tested the wave-blocking power of aluminum foil and discovered that an aluminum foil deflector beanie actually magnifies extraneous signals beamed into a subject's head at certain frequencies. I dunno, it's probably propaganda.
I favor aluminum foil to plastic wrap partially because I hate having to uncling the plastic wrap every five seconds, and partially because aluminum foil is less harmful to the environment, and has so so many other uses!
First off, and this should be an obvious one, you can cook in aluminum foil, wrap a chicken breast or a potato in aluminum foil and you can toss it straight into your campfire!
you can use it to wrap up leftovers, or even regular sandwiches as I'm sure we've all seen TV moms doing.
here's one you may not know, you can use aluminum foil to soften your brick of brown sugar. Wrap your brick of brown sugar in aluminum foil, then pop it into the oven for five minutes at 300F. Soon you will have softened brown sugar for all of your baking needs.
you can use it as a pie crust protector. a small amount aluminum foil folded over the crust of a pie will keep the crust from browning and blackening and eventually falling off before the rest of the pie has cooked sufficiently
Oh boy oh boy do I love this one: You can protect your oven from spills by placing a few sections of aluminum foil beneath something that might bubble and trouble all over the floor of your oven. Don't place foil on the actual floor of the oven, as that could cause a build-up of heat and can warp the bottom of your expensive appliance. Instead, lay some foil over the rack just beneath whatever it is that might erupt and create a mess. Instead of scrubbing , you can just ball up the soiled foil and recycle it.
and whoopie!!! as a scrubber!, with a little bit of crumpled aluminum foil, I can scrub off tough messes. This works anywhere you might find yourself scrubbing unusually hard.
Polishing silver... (say what?!!) easily remove any oxidation residue with SCIENCE! (And aluminum foil.) Just lay some foil down in a shallow, flat pan. Pour in some hot water and add a dash of salt and baking soda (love it!). Plop your silver items into your dish, making sure that they're touching one another and resting on the foil. Watch the tarnish disappear! If your silver is no longer recognizable as silver, wait about five minutes. After their bath, run some cool water over your silver forks and spoons and gently buff them dry with a soft towel!
you can use aluminum foil to de-static and basically do what a dryer sheet does...though I do love the extra uses for dryer sheets. Just put a ball of aluminum foil in with your laundry and let it run, your laundry will be un-static-y and you will save roughly $2 in the difference between a box of foil and a box of dryer sheets.
you can speed up ironing time by placing aluminum foil on your ironing board which acts as a heat reflector basically cutting in half your ironing time
and of course protecting your brain from mind control!!! wasn't it the movie Signs where the entire family was wearing aluminum foil hats? The government and super-advanced alien races (especially considering that they are probably in cahoots) shouldn't be able to read or control those thoughts. To combat telepathic control techniques that rely upon radio waves, you can fashion a protective helmet out of aluminum foil. Berkeley engineers have tested the wave-blocking power of aluminum foil and discovered that an aluminum foil deflector beanie actually magnifies extraneous signals beamed into a subject's head at certain frequencies. I dunno, it's probably propaganda.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
more reasons to be thankful
Our coffee maker broke, and for me, as I have noted in earlier posts, this is a huge problem because I am a regular coffee drinker. My reason to be thankful is this: I can buy the exact same coffee maker for ten dollars cheaper than it was when I got the first one, or I can buy the next level up for the EXACT same price on sale and we have the hookups for an additional discount so our new coffee maker will be $20 cheaper than the original one we purchased and it will be nicer... that's a reason to be thankful in my eyes.
back to thanksgiving clean-up. today I'm going to tell you how to keep it green, that is, free of toxic chemicals that are probably not something you want your kiddos to be taking in (or other kiddos at your house for the holiday)
The tips are these:
Though you may believe differently, your dishwasher uses about half the energy, 1/6 of the water, and way less soap than you might use during hand dish washing. If you have lots of dishes to wash, load your dishwasher with an eco-friendly detergent and air-dry the dishes rather than heat drying them.
It is amazing how a company can toss around the word "green" as a marketing tool and still have just as many toxins as "non-green" products. For the low-down on the green scene, check with green seal, which evaluates products as an independent third party and can give you some amazing green products!
Again, if you're going to go plastic, go biodegradable. eco products has lists and an online store full of earth-friendly serving and tableware.
re-use shopping bags as trash bags for your bathroom trash can, or as bags for people to take home leftovers.
did you boil water for deviled eggs, or to cook noodles? Sounds gross, but dump that hot water over your soaking dishes. Most of the "cleaning" that happens while you're cleaning is from heat, soap, and from the friction you create by scrubbing things, so if your water is "re-used" it wont at all affect the "cleanliness" of your dishes.
Please, don't use plastic wrap to wrap up your leftovers. Besides being a pain to get off the roll, it contains PVC which causes harmful environmental consequences. Instead, use aluminum foil because it can be recycled and rinsed off after the food is gone. And, there are TONS of household uses for aluminum foil which I will share with you tomorrow!!
HAPPY CLEANING and happy holidays
back to thanksgiving clean-up. today I'm going to tell you how to keep it green, that is, free of toxic chemicals that are probably not something you want your kiddos to be taking in (or other kiddos at your house for the holiday)
The tips are these:
Though you may believe differently, your dishwasher uses about half the energy, 1/6 of the water, and way less soap than you might use during hand dish washing. If you have lots of dishes to wash, load your dishwasher with an eco-friendly detergent and air-dry the dishes rather than heat drying them.
It is amazing how a company can toss around the word "green" as a marketing tool and still have just as many toxins as "non-green" products. For the low-down on the green scene, check with green seal, which evaluates products as an independent third party and can give you some amazing green products!
Again, if you're going to go plastic, go biodegradable. eco products has lists and an online store full of earth-friendly serving and tableware.
re-use shopping bags as trash bags for your bathroom trash can, or as bags for people to take home leftovers.
did you boil water for deviled eggs, or to cook noodles? Sounds gross, but dump that hot water over your soaking dishes. Most of the "cleaning" that happens while you're cleaning is from heat, soap, and from the friction you create by scrubbing things, so if your water is "re-used" it wont at all affect the "cleanliness" of your dishes.
Please, don't use plastic wrap to wrap up your leftovers. Besides being a pain to get off the roll, it contains PVC which causes harmful environmental consequences. Instead, use aluminum foil because it can be recycled and rinsed off after the food is gone. And, there are TONS of household uses for aluminum foil which I will share with you tomorrow!!
HAPPY CLEANING and happy holidays
Monday, November 21, 2011
the week of thankgiving, after our week of thanksGIVING
taking a break from our week of thanksGIVING, to focus on the week of thanksgiving. Of course, I am thankful for this blog and for the faithful readers who follow it, but I am also thankful for the ability to close the laptop and walk away. This past week while doing some dutiful promotion for the hosts of the blog giveaways, I ran into the bloggers worst nightmare: negative feedback. And today I am thankful for my brother who offered these very logical and helpful words, "Anonymity breeds jerks." well I paraphrased, but the thought is still the same. For some reason, some people get behind a computer screen and use their internet feed as a venting ground for the things in this world that they don't like. While we have all been known to "vent" from time to time, for some people, venting takes the back seat and the comfort of having a screen in between you and the person you are talking about unleashes a beast of resentment and fury fueled by the courage they get from knowing that there is little to nothing you can do about it. So, for all of you people out there writing a blog, take heart, it is not only you who receives negativity. Though, I hardly thought a cleaning blog that took a week off to allow small home owned businesses a shot at some extra publicity was something people would get the knickers in a twist about.
Back on topic, this week we finish out the contests we started last week and I go back to blogging. So lets focus on the reason that we all get together to stuff seven helpings of turkey and mashed potatoes into our bellies and allow me to give you some tips for the aftermath of the big day.
I cannot say it enough when it comes to thanksgiving, please use plastic. Most plastic wear companies have begun using biodegradable products as well as coming out with a "china" line which looks unbelievably similar to the real thing, in fact my husband and I used plastic for our wedding reception and do not regret it for a second. Besides, if the food is good, no one cares what they're eating it off of.
My second piece of advice is rinsing and soaking. We all know the day is busy and you're hardly thinking of clean-up as you're carving the turkey but you can save yourself hours of scrubbing after the last stuffed person leaves your home by rinsing everything as it gets emptied and by soaking things during dinner. An extra tip for this is that if you place a dryer sheet in the water with your soaking dishes, they will clean MUCH easier (the reason is this: the softening chemicals in dryer sheets help loosen food particles stuck on pots and baking dishes)
if your food is stuck on, for pans or the like if you'd prefer, you can fill them with white vinegar and baking soda then bring the mix to a boil, turn oven off and let it sit overnight and the food should come off with just a wipe or two!!! And of course it helps if you have a dishwasher that isn't you!!!
Happy cleaning and happy holdiays
Check back tomorrow for ways to clean your house for the big day, with minimal effort
Back on topic, this week we finish out the contests we started last week and I go back to blogging. So lets focus on the reason that we all get together to stuff seven helpings of turkey and mashed potatoes into our bellies and allow me to give you some tips for the aftermath of the big day.
I cannot say it enough when it comes to thanksgiving, please use plastic. Most plastic wear companies have begun using biodegradable products as well as coming out with a "china" line which looks unbelievably similar to the real thing, in fact my husband and I used plastic for our wedding reception and do not regret it for a second. Besides, if the food is good, no one cares what they're eating it off of.
My second piece of advice is rinsing and soaking. We all know the day is busy and you're hardly thinking of clean-up as you're carving the turkey but you can save yourself hours of scrubbing after the last stuffed person leaves your home by rinsing everything as it gets emptied and by soaking things during dinner. An extra tip for this is that if you place a dryer sheet in the water with your soaking dishes, they will clean MUCH easier (the reason is this: the softening chemicals in dryer sheets help loosen food particles stuck on pots and baking dishes)
if your food is stuck on, for pans or the like if you'd prefer, you can fill them with white vinegar and baking soda then bring the mix to a boil, turn oven off and let it sit overnight and the food should come off with just a wipe or two!!! And of course it helps if you have a dishwasher that isn't you!!!
Happy cleaning and happy holdiays
Check back tomorrow for ways to clean your house for the big day, with minimal effort
Saturday, November 19, 2011
a week of thanksGIVING!!!! with rings on our fingers and Pookies Bows in our hair!
Today I am positively elated to continue the week of thanksGIVING with a post from the fabulous Pookie, of Pookies Bows which has been an instant online hit and whose products I proudly wear myself! they are fantastic as is pookie!!! but with this overnight success, some would get overwhelmed and behind on their household duties, so let's find out how Pookie gets it done!
I’m a full-time Nanny, full-time student, fiance, daughter, friend, small business owner, and a Pookie; Pookie is what my future step-son calls me. I balance all of these things at once and some how I am still able to smile. Some ask me “How do you do it?” My answer is always the same “Lists!” Being organized is my number one secret and my list’s are what make it possible. Some days it gets over whelming and it feels like I can’t keep up this pace, but I always keep in mind that the positives, always out weigh the negatives. The amount of time, energy, and self that I put into everything that I do, is well worth it. I have an amazing job, I am getting a phenomenal education at California Baptist University, I have the best family and friends and my business, “Pookie’s Bows“, keeps getting more and more rewarding as days pass. So if you are doing even one of these tasks on a daily bases, you know how straining it can be. Just remember to stay positive, be organized and always trust that the Lord has a plan.
Pookie’s Bows started about 2 years ago, as a hobby and has grown into a very special part of my life. As I mentioned, my step-son calls me Pookie, so when thinking of a business name, I thought "what better name then the one he gave me?". I now specialize in hand-crafted bows, flowers, headbands, bow-holders, tutu’s and wedding accessories (including, hair pieces, boutonnieres, bouquet’s, garters, flower baskets, ring bearer pillows and much more). I currently sell my product through Facebook, small local events, and, just recently, started to sell my product in a local store (Puddle Jumpers, located at 12 North 6th St, Redlands, CA 92373).
With the coming holidays I want to offer you and everyone out there a few specials.
1.From now until December 17th, any order over $20 gets FREE shipping!!!
2. Has a special Thank You for reading this blog, when you place an order, if you mention the blog, you will receive a FREE SURPRISE Christmas Bow or Flower.
3. When you add me to your friends list on Facebook, tell your friends to add me also, then have them comment on my page “Sent by ______” At the end of the contest, whoever sent the most “friends” will get $25 in FREE “Pookie’s” products!
Happy holidays, Pookie
I’m a full-time Nanny, full-time student, fiance, daughter, friend, small business owner, and a Pookie; Pookie is what my future step-son calls me. I balance all of these things at once and some how I am still able to smile. Some ask me “How do you do it?” My answer is always the same “Lists!” Being organized is my number one secret and my list’s are what make it possible. Some days it gets over whelming and it feels like I can’t keep up this pace, but I always keep in mind that the positives, always out weigh the negatives. The amount of time, energy, and self that I put into everything that I do, is well worth it. I have an amazing job, I am getting a phenomenal education at California Baptist University, I have the best family and friends and my business, “Pookie’s Bows“, keeps getting more and more rewarding as days pass. So if you are doing even one of these tasks on a daily bases, you know how straining it can be. Just remember to stay positive, be organized and always trust that the Lord has a plan.
Pookie’s Bows started about 2 years ago, as a hobby and has grown into a very special part of my life. As I mentioned, my step-son calls me Pookie, so when thinking of a business name, I thought "what better name then the one he gave me?". I now specialize in hand-crafted bows, flowers, headbands, bow-holders, tutu’s and wedding accessories (including, hair pieces, boutonnieres, bouquet’s, garters, flower baskets, ring bearer pillows and much more). I currently sell my product through Facebook, small local events, and, just recently, started to sell my product in a local store (Puddle Jumpers, located at 12 North 6th St, Redlands, CA 92373).
With the coming holidays I want to offer you and everyone out there a few specials.
1.From now until December 17th, any order over $20 gets FREE shipping!!!
2. Has a special Thank You for reading this blog, when you place an order, if you mention the blog, you will receive a FREE SURPRISE Christmas Bow or Flower.
3. When you add me to your friends list on Facebook, tell your friends to add me also, then have them comment on my page “Sent by ______” At the end of the contest, whoever sent the most “friends” will get $25 in FREE “Pookie’s” products!
Happy holidays, Pookie
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About Me
- cleanmama
- Hey all, I am a young mom of one for now, who is a self-diagnosed neat freak. I love to clean and better yet I love to organize and clean with stuff I already have in my house! I am the wife to an amazing husband and the mom to an amazing son and the maid to a pretty awesome lil apartment!!!