Now blogging at THIS SIMPLE HOME.
At This Simple Home
-
Homemade Magic Shell - I remember having Magic Shell once as a child. The chocolate syrup drizzled over my ice cream magically turned crispy hard. Mmm... So I was rather excited t...
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Cleaning Confessions
I am not a good house cleaner. We have lots of clutter around the house. I like my piles. Part of my clutter problem is that sometimes I just don't clean up after myself (like in the spare bedroom where I sew and do some paper crafting). Unlike a lot of women, I can go to bed with unwashed dishes and toys on the floor. Shameful, huh?
I guess I was never really taught how to properly clean (in my teenage years I lived with my bachelor dad), and it's just not a priority for me, though I do value when we have company and the house is clean!
In my mind, I'd like to start doing a cleaning task (other than dishes/laundry) on a daily basis. I figure I have to start some where. And it seems like if I plan for something daily, maybe several days a week a cleaning task will be accomplished. I've been pretty good at vacuuming on Mondays (though I often vacuum a second time in the week, too).
This weekend when I was cleaning the bathrooms, I realized that I could use some help choosing cleaning products. Will you help me?
Soap Scum- What's the best cleaner and method (brush, cleaning towel, or scrubbie pad) that works for you?
Toilet Bowls- What's the best cleaner that works to remove stains? Though we've been in our new house for only a year, and I clean the toilet bowls on a regular basis, they are still stained!
Vinyl Floors- I don't mind using vinegar and water, but if you have a suggestion, I'm all ears!
OTHER?- What else do you suggest for me? I have tried Fly Lady, but it just did not work for me. Thanks for your thoughts!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
This Simple Home (The New Blog)
-
Homemade Magic Shell - I remember having Magic Shell once as a child. The chocolate syrup drizzled over my ice cream magically turned crispy hard. Mmm... So I was rather excited t...
Follow This Simple Home
 |
 |
 |
 |
10 comments:
I have been taking a more natural approach to cleaning lately, which means buying apple cider vinegar by the gallon. :) It works so well for just about everything.
When I do buy cleaning products, I had been buying Clorox Green Works. They are supposed to be more earth friendly with less chemicals. They have floor cleaner/multi-purpose, window cleaner, dish detergent, etc.
But our Walmart has stopped carrying them.
CRL(calcim,rust,lime) cleaner works awesome on stained toilets. Ours are all stained from our hard water and now they look like new.
Be VERY careful with the stuff though, it's noxious!
I am so much like you. I make piles and we have too much clutter. I'm going to check back here to read the responses.
I'm struggling with the same things right now. I feel like I can find ANYTHING to do other than clean.
I have clorox disinfectant wipes in every bathroom and in the kitchen. I also like the disposable toilet wands. I have those in each bathroom. A little pricier but they work well and are convenient and the thought of putting a toilet brush anywhere besides the garbage grosses me out.
CLR (the powder version I think) cleaned up our stains when we moved in.
Good luck!
This is a great question and I am excited for others answers. I really like green works for my kitchen counters and sinks. For our (yucky old bathrooms) I use clorox for pretty much everything I think it cleans them the best but I hate the smell. Then lysol for the toilets. I am also not good at cleaning so this will be some great info.
I am completely aghast with your uncleanliness. My house is ALWAYS the picture of perfection. ;)
I'm a FlyLady convert, though not following at the moment. I honestly didn't have a clue how to clean before her, and I'm still not totally together.
I use Scrubbing Bubbles and a sponge with scrubber on one side for the tub (soap scum).
I pour a capful of bleach into the toilet, swish, and let it sit a while. I try to do it every day, but don't always get to it. Sometimes I use a squirt of body wash or something that I'm trying to use up instead... :)
On the floors, I use dish soap in a bucket of warm water. When I'm in the mood, I'll really scrub it with a sponge scrubber; otherwise, the dirt marks don't come totally clean.
Hee hee, I like Jenny's comment. :) Our toilet becomes stained very easily too and I've tried everything. The best thing I did was buy a pumice stone (check a hardware store) and rubbed it on the stains - it takes a little elbow grease, but it worked better than anything else I tried. And pumice is safe for porcelain. It sounds like it's scraping, but it's just the pumice crumbling and taking off the stain. Vinegar (esp. apple cider vinegar) for soap scum, or the pumice stone again if it's bad, then vinegar to keep it clean. Pumice is safe for tile too! Good luck!!
I'm a lot like you when it comes to cleaning.
Last year I asked the question about what to use to clean toilets on a website and got several responses. The thing that ended up really working the best is called "The Works". I have found it at Wal-mart and also at some dollar stores.
I was at the point where I thought I wanted to replace the hard-water stained bowls and "The Works" saved the day.
If it's just hard water stains, putting full strength vinegar on them, and letting it sit for a few minutes should take them off. I'm not wholly into the "green" thing. I want CLEAN!
Aunt Merna
I have the same issues you do! I also tried Fly Lady, and have just not been able to keep it up. I love the concepts, but can't stick to it. There's a book I read many years ago called "Speed Cleaning" that not only has wonderful, doable techniques and plans, but also suggests specific cleaning products and equipment. It's worth reading. Good Luck!!
Post a Comment