Challenge Du Jour -- Clutter Grab

On your mark, get set ....and go!

:) It's our first challenge du jour for slobs -- a clutter grab. As soon as you've finished reading this message, off you go.

It's easy -- just grab 20 things and deal with them. Meaning - get rid of them, organize them, give them away. Whatever -- just go and tackle 20 cluttery bits and get rid of them dear slobbo! 20 might sound like WAY too much to do, but you'd be surprised by how easy it is to find twenty unnecessary things just cluttering up your home. (And how we slobs LOVE to collect cluttery things. :) We can hardly help ourselves, it's just our nature.)

Post a comment if you DO this challenge and tell us whatever interesting things you found, how you felt - or anything else you'd like to share.

Hugs to you,
Christina (who is having a rather marvelous sun-shiny Saturday)

P.S. If you do more than 20 - BRAVO! You're a Happy Slob extraordinaire! This mini challenge is to get our organizing engines revving for Monday - when we're having a big, bad DECLUTTERING CHALLENGE. Watch for it...

General Cleaning Hints: Lemon Garburetor Trick

Love your fun way and all the info you send my way.

Thought you might like this tip. To keep your garburretta(?) smelling clean and fresh cut up a lemon and drop the pieces down.
Hugs,
Georgie


==========

Thanks for the tip, Georgie! I think you mean a garburetor (I probably spelled it wrong too!). I've also heard that throwing some chunks of ice down there gives it a good freshening up too. Hmmm...add the lemon and some ice and it sounds like that garburetor is enjoying some lemonade, doesn't it? hehe

Aww shucks...I love sending info and goodies your way. Thanks for writing in!
Christina

Yay - I feel so 'in touch' with you guys again :)

Hey slobbos,

:) I'm pretty excited about switching from Bloglet email updates to feedBlitz. Now all of you who did sign up for the email update service will actually GET those updates again! Bloglet doesn't appear to be working at all anymore, so this should work out much better. This way you'll get your daily dose of the Happy Slob!

Take care,
Christina

Cleaning Floors Hints: Easiest Touch Ups for Floors

I discovered an unusual and really EASY new way to touch up spots on the floor that have gotten messy in between mopping. (Which my awesome husband usually does! hehe) If you have a small floor, this might work easiest to clean the entire floor, period.

At the dollar store I purchased some of those new static cleaning gloves. I think it's Swiffer that put out the brand name product, but I got mine at the dollar store for (you guessed it!) $1! They don't have any chemicals or anything on them - they're basically just light cotton cleaning gloves used for dusting.

What I tried was drenching the glove with my Very Vinegar cleaning spray, and then popping it on my hand and scrubbing at the messy bits of the floor.

Because the glove fits so easily on your hand, it seems that the job is a lot faster! You could also do this with an old pair of regular mittens or gloves and then just wash them after you've used them. :) Put one on both hands and you can really clean that floor fast! This is another one of those FUN CLEANING hints for kids -- they'll have a ball doing this...

Still don't have YOUR copy of the Happy Slob's Guide to Housecleaning? Get Yours today!

General Cleaning Hints: Music Makes it WAY More Fun

Sometimes even I forget how important music is when you're doing, let's say, a cleaning burst . Especially if I'm feeling cranky or irritable (YES, that does happen to me too) I just think: "OH, it doesn't matter that much. I'll just quickly get this cleaning done. Grumble, grumble, grumble."

:) But, today is a gorgeous spring day here and it reminded me of one very essential thing: using all of our senses makes anything more fun, and definitely easier and more enjoyable. So, instead of hauling yourself around miserably to do the cleaning, add a spark of excitement to it with some funky, groovy music you can boogie to. I'm serious! Give it a try if you haven't already, and you'll find that adding music to the mix makes your cleaning way more fun!!

Are you guys up for another DECLUTTERING challenge?

:) I know I sure need a good bout of decluttering. That first time round, stampindoc was about the only one who really stuck to the challenge (as far as I know.)

So, how about it slobbos ? Are we ready for the next great DECLUTTERING CHALLENGE? If so, post a comment and we'll get all hyped up and set to start! Do we need some sort of incentive to really get us going? Tell me what you think!

Hugs,
Christina

How often do YOU vaccuum?

Yep, it's one of those scary personal questions! How often do YOU vaccuum?

:) And, how often do we need to vaccuum? You know, I think once a week is perfectly okay. I have two cats, so I often do a little touch up here and there in between. But let's keep the Happy Slob motto in mind: "Lots of little efforts equals great results!" and "We are SO NOT about perfection."

This is one of those household cleaning chores that you can oh so generously present to another family member or a roommate. If ALL they have to do is a bit of tidying once in a while, and they are appointed Ms. or Mr. Vacuuming Professional -- that's not really too much to ask for is it?

While we're talking about delegating tasks -- just remember not to nag. Nagging doesn't make YOU feel better, doesn't make the listener feel great, and it doesn't accomplish much. But, when your huband/kids/roomie does a fabulous job cleaning, make a big deal about that! Offer rewards, praise - all sorts of lovely things so that they want to repeat that action. Positive feedback like this is what works - not being an old nag. :)

Bargains, Bargains and more Bargains

Did I mention bargains? :) Oh yes, I believe I did. You guys should know by now how much I LOOOOOOOVE a great deal. It's in my blood - my parents are to blame, if the truth be told.

Anyhow, over on my Happy Slob's Bargains Blog today I have some really exceptional accessories bargains for you to behold. Such as: great handbags and retro messenger bags (I love those - they carry all my slobbo stuff with ease) and a big old pair of sunglasses for any of you fashionable slobbos out there.

Okay, off you go to check out the bargains. :)
Hugs to you,
Christina

P.S. One more thing -- if you love chocolate and coffee as much as I do, please drop by my OTHER blog: for an amazing Coffee Bean Chocolate Truffle Recipe . I can seriously barely type that without drooling all over the keyboard! They are rich and uber decadent -- you'll love them!

Cleaning eBook -- Need Affiliates

I wanted to mention that I'm working on an affiliate program for my book - meaning that if YOU have a website, you can sell it on your site too! It's an easy way to make a little money, and if you love The Happy Slob's Guide to Housecleaning then your visitors probably will too.

:) If you're interested in being placed on my affiliate waiting list, please contact me right away at christina @ happyslob.com.

Thanks you guys!
Christina

Grab Some Clutter - Organizing Decluttering Hints

I was just doing a cleaning burst yesterday, when I realized something important. Decluttering doesn't ALWAYS involve massive organizing efforts. Sometimes, it's as simple as grabbing a few things here and there that have piled up and dealing with them, instead of letting that pile get even bigger.

I think that we stop noticing clutter around our homes. That pile of old papers due for recycling has been there SO long that it looks part of the decor. Or, that collection of old kitty litter containers becomes a piece of nouveau art. (Haha, if that's the case, I'm a real artiste.)

Today, make an effort to notice where stuff in your home is piling up - and then just deal with a few things at a time. A huge project can seem entirely overwhelming, but dealing with clutter a bit at a time makes it a lot more manageable!

Hugs,
Christina

Even More Vinegar Hints from Roberta

:) I love it! Vinegar is the best thing ever! What a multi-multi-multi (you get the picture) purpose cleaning tool it is...

• Deodorize a wool sweater: Wash sweater, then rinse in equal parts vinegar and water to remove odor.
• After a hem or seam is removed, there are often unsightly holes left in the fabric. These holes can be removed by placing a cloth, moistened with distilled vinegar, under the fabric and ironing.
• Unclog steam iron by pouring equal amounts of vinegar and water into the iron's water chamber.Turn to steam and leave the iron on for 5 minutes in an upright position. Then unplug and allow to cool. Any loose particles should come out when you empty the water.
• Clean a scorched iron plate by heating equal parts vinegar and salt in a small pan. Then rub the solution on the cooled iron surface to remove dark or burned stains.
• A mixture of salt and vinegar will clean coffee and tea stains from chinaware.
• Vinegar can help to dissolve mineral deposits that collect in automatic drip coffee makers. Fill the reservoir with vinegar and run it through abrewing cycle. Rinse thoroughly with water when the cycle is finished.
• Clean the dishwasher by running a cup of vinegar through the whole cycle once a month to reduce soap build up on the inner mechanisms and on glassware.

More cleaning tips all the time at http://www.happyslob.com

Two Goodies for Gardeners

P.S. I forgot to mention that on my Happy Slob Bargain Blog today I have two fun things for you to check out. One is a fun item for gardeners, the other one that will enhance your garden (AND make you popular with neighborhood birds!)

Wacky Bath and Tile Cleaner

I love finding alternate uses for stuff we use everyday, and one of my favorites is to use BUBBLE BATH or BODY WASH as a bathroom cleaner! You can use whatever scent you love, and this stuff is a great, mild cleaner for the bath and shower, and really gets tiles clean too.

I found a great little scrub brush contraption at the dollar store that has a little holding tank for cleaner - so I fill it up with lavender bubble bath (no laughing! lol Oh, okay I laughed at it too...) and use that to scrub the tub and tiles. :) Works great, smells dreamy, and is milder than harsh chemical cleaners. Give it a try!


Cleaning Recipes Galore for when you want to make it yourself instead of buying it!

Cleaning up after pets...

We adore our pets, but cleaning up after them isn't always such a wonderful thing! When I had first started the Happy Slob newsletter, Carol wrote in with a heartwrenching request for help. Her sick dog was peeing on the floors, and the situation was getting pretty bad. Look at all the Helpful Hints and Suggestions Happy Slob readers sent in to her...

Another Coffee Filter Use

Just found another handy household hint for using paper coffee filters. This one was from an old issue of Everyday Food Magazine (which I happen to be addicted to.)

Use a paper coffee filter OR a flimsy cheap quality paper plate to protect your nonstick pans when you stack them up in the cupboard. It will provide a bit of protection to keep that lovely nonstick coating from scratching! Just layer one filter or paper plate in between each of the pans. (Yes, it's better to use cheaper flimsier paper plates for this...they're more flexible.)

Have you guys checked out my Household Hints page? There are loads of hints there too!

Have a great Monday...
Christina

My theme song is...

Your Theme Song is Beautiful Day by U2

"Sky falls, you feel like It's a beautiful day Don't let it get away" You see the beauty in life, especially in ordinary everyday moments. And if you're feeling down, even that seems a little beautiful too.

What's Your Theme Song?

What are these FOCUS ROOMS you talk about?

:) In the world of Happy Slob Housecleaning lingo there are a few terms you newbie slobbos might still be unfamliar with. One is FOCUS ROOMS. While it may be self-explanatory to some, I'd like to give you a brief review of this term. Ooh...sounds like school, doesn't it?

Focus rooms are those rooms you spend a little extra time and attention on every day. Or most days -- I realize better than anyone that life happens and some days you just can't devote as much time or energy to cleaning.

Here is how I describe focus room cleaning in my book - the Happy Slob's Guide to Housecleaning : Focus rooms are just that - a room everyday in which to keep your focus on cleaning! 10 minutes a day in one specific area adds up quickly. The first thing to do is to create your Focus Room Cleaning Chart...

Wnat more info on that and ALL of my BEST cleaning secrets? :) Then you'll just need to head over and buy the book won't you? :) Trust me, it's worth every single penny! You can read Testimonials from Readers to feel confident enough to buy your own copy too!

Crazy Cream of Tartar

Have a bottle of this stuff in the cupboard, seemingly useless? Nope. Cream of tartar mixed with some fresh lemon juice until you have a nice thick paste is a fantastic scrubby cleaner AND more importantly -- it really works great at getting out stains from your white clothes. Cool, huh?

You can even try this: mix up the cream of tartar and lemon paste, slop it on the offending stain, and set it out in the sun. :) A perfectly natural, pretty darn cool way to naturally bleach out stains without using bleach! Then just pop it in the laundry as usual.

If you try this, please leave a comment letting us all know how it worked for you!

Hugs,
Christina (who has a LOT of clothing stains to try this on...urm, let's just say I'm a clumsy slob!)

Cleaning with Club Soda

We often think of club soda as a stain remover...and yes, it absolutely is! (in fact, keep some around just to deal with spills on carpets and fabrics BEFORE they become set in nasty old stains.) But, it's also a fabulouso stainless steel cleaner - I love using this stuff (fresh or stale, doesn't matter at all) in a spray bottle to get those surfaces shining.

:) So, do you need club soda in your cleaning arsenal? YES, yes, and YES! Keep a bottle around all the time. We slobs LOVE this stuff!

Can't get enough cleaning tips? Us neither! Check out Happy Slob cleaning Tips for all sorts of lovely tips -- all laid back, in true Happy Slob style.

Cleaning Those Floors

A chore most of us really HATE to do is to clean the floors! Here are some helpful recipes & tips on cleaning different types of floors, all found on my happyslob.com site :)


How to Clean Laminate Floors

Cleaning Hardwood Floors

Homemade Carpet Steam Cleaning Solution

Vinegar Uses - Household and Cleaning

As promised, here are more vinegar household and cleaning tips, as sent in by Roberta. :) I knew I loved vinegar, but even I didn't know all of these uses for the marvelous stuff. And yes, this is generally talking about plain old white vinegar. One reader once suggested using pickling vinegar instead, to do the really tough cleaning jobs, as it's even stronger than regular white vinegar. :) I just generally use white vinegar, however.

Now, here are those tips!

• Remove perspiration stains from clothes by applying one part vinegar to four parts water, then rinse.
• Deodorant and anti-perspirants stains may be removed from clothing by lightly rubbing with distilled vinegar and laundering as usual.
• Cotton and wool blankets become soft, fluffy and free of soap odor if 2 cups of distilled vinegar are added to the rinse cycle of the wash.
• Clothes will rinse better if a cup of vinegar is added to the last rinse water. The acid in vinegar is too mild to harm fabrics but strong enough to dissolve the alkalies in soaps and detergents.
• When dyeing fabric, add a cup full of distilled vinegar to the last rinse to set the color.
• Nylon hose will look better and last longer if 1 tablespoon of vinegar is added to the rinse water when washing.
• To obtain a sharper crease in your knit fabrics, dampen them with a cloth wrung out from a solution of 1/3 distilled vinegar and 2/3 water.

Join our FREE Cleaning Newsletter

Have you joined our newsletter yet? Our house cleaning newsletter is FILLED with even more tips & hints and cleaning recipes just like you find here on the blog. :) I thought I'd let you blog readers know that there IS a free cleaning newsletter to join - I call it the Happy Slob Gazette and it is (if I do say so myself) a fun read. :)

Handy Vinegar Cleaning Tips from Roberta

Check out these new ideas using vinegar - all sent from Happy Slob reader, Roberta from Nebraska. As you guys know, I LOVE vinegar for cleaning! Roberta sent so many fabulous ideas in that I'll share them with you over the next week or so - so stock up on a big bottle of plain white vinegar and try some of these uses:

Since I do in home daycare, the state inspects my house and all cleaners must be put up...out of reach. Since then I have started using vinegar for everything. It works great! Try it!

• Use in laundry to cut soap.
• Get rid of lint in clothes. Add 1/2 cup of vinegar to the rinse cycle.
• Prevent lint from clinging to clothes: Add one cup vinegar to each wash load.
• Keep bright colors from running. Immerse clothes in full strength vinegar for 10 minutes before washing.
• Freshen up the washing machine. Clean the hoses and unclog soap scum.Once a month pour one cup of vinegar into the washing machine and run the machine through a normal cycle, without clothes.
• Brighten fabric colors. Add a 1/2 cup vinegar to the rinse cycle.
• Take grease off suede. Dip a toothbrush in vinegar and gently brush over grease spot.
• Remove tough stains. Gently rub on fruit, jam, mustard, coffee, tea stains. Then wash as usual.
• Get smoke smell out of clothes by adding a cup of vinegar to a bath tub of hot water. Hang clothes above the steam.

Start a Cleaning Business

Ever thought of starting a cleaning business? A cleaning business can be an easy and lucrative business to start! If you found this blog through a search for cleaning business info, I can recommend the Start a Cleaning Business Blog and the Suze & Ev's Cleaning Business Guide as two helpful places to start. :) And yes, even SLOBS can clean for profit.

Household Uses for Paper Coffee Filters

This is from the manufacturer of Mr. Coffee coffee filters - but obviously, you can use any brand! I love the tip on using them for covering food in the microwave (cool, huh?) and to clean mirrors and glass!

Separate your good dishes by putting a Mr. Coffee Filter between each dish.
If you break the cork while opening a wine bottle, filter the wine through aMr. Coffee Filter.
Mr. Coffee Filters are lint-free so they'll leave mirrors clean andsparkling.
Mr. Coffee Filters make excellent inexpensive covers for microwave cooking.
Place a Mr. Coffee Filter in the skillet to absorb moisture and preventrust.
Ball up a Mr. Coffee Filter to apply shoe polish; they're lint free.
After frying, strain oil through a sieve lined with a Mr. Coffee Filter.
Mr. Coffee Filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods like tacos.
Line a plant pot with a Mr. Coffee Filter to prevent the soil from leakingthrough the drainage holes.
Poke one or two holes as needed in a Mr. Coffee Filter, insert a Popsicleand let the filter catch the drips.

More Organized Baking - Organizing Cupboards

If your baking supplies & spices are a disaster, try this:

- organize spices, herbs, and mixes all together in small plastic storage containers: I like buying bulk bags of spices and then transfer them over to plastic baggies where I can write the contents on the bag. This makes it easy to see what needs to be bought the next time you go to the store.

- If you want to be UBER organized: try putting all of these spices, herbs and mixes in ALPHABETICAL ORDER. :) If that freaks you out, don't do it. Personally, I would feel a bit weirded out if I started alphabetizing my cupboards. Next I'd be donning white gloves to check for dust...yikes!

- Inside your spice cupboard, either tape a piece of paper or you can even get a cheapo white board with a marker attached - you just need somewhere where you can jot down needed supplies as they are used up.

- Organize all of your BAKING SUPPLIES together in one large box. Put all of the supplies you use the most often together, so that whenever you bake, you just grab that box and a few other extras and you're ready to go. This box can include: essentials like flour, sugar, baking power & soda; a set of mixing bowels; a set of measuring cups & spoons...etc.

- Do your kids like to bake? Set up mini baking boxes (as described in the last tip) for them! They'll feel like the chef du jour when they have their own funky baking box, compete with supplies just for them!

Looking for recipes? http://www.kitchencraftsnmore.net is the sister site of Happy Slob and has 1000s of recipes to try - everything from old favorites to bath & beauty formulas!

Uses for the MAGIC ERASER (Cleaning)

In the last newsletter, I asked you readers for ideas on using the Magic Eraser - a cleaning product that so many of you love! Here are some ideas Deanna sent in to get us started...

Uses for magic eraser.............
Takes crayon off walls
Takes magic marker off wall
With some elbow grease it even removed red marker from my hardwood floors
Cleans bathroom and kitchen walls and cupboards.........
cant think of any more sepecific ones at the moment,but it works on almost everything!!!!

Get Your Fresh Coffee Here...

:) Yup, I've gone and started a coffee blog. I just couldn't help myself!
Check it out at: http://coffeecreations.blogspot.com