Tuesday, December 26, 2006

An Interesting Source to Get Ink Stains out of Leather

Not sure what to do about that scary ink stain on your leather sofa (or leather jacket)? Check out my new ideas on the topic at: Getting Ink out of Leather.

PS. It's a source of help you'd NEVER have guessed!

Monday, December 25, 2006

Amazing Bargains on Cozy Throws, Funky Bathroom Accessories...and more

Did you know that I'm a REAL bargain hunter? For instance, look at these bargains I just found for other frugalites like myself:



Enjoy, fellow bargain hunters!


Sunday, December 17, 2006

A Recycled Scrubber...Or, Does Your Scrubby Have a Strong Scent?

Weird title line, right? :) I've got to keep you guys guessing!

I had one friend tell me that she keeps and re-uses her ---wait for it--- mesh onion bags as a scrubber!! Sure, she's even THRIFTIER than I am, but I gave it a try and lo and behold - the thing actually works.

Just bunch it up and use as is, or use a rubber band or twist-tie to keep the mesh-bag together and ready to use. Worked well as a scrubber on my kitchen sink and the few dishes I had left waiting to do.

Have a crazy, cool or downright weird cleaning tip to share with the Happy Slob? Don't be shy - send it on in! And then I'll share it with slobbos from around the world...just email it to me at christina@happyslob.com

Saturday, December 16, 2006

And - the Medicine Cabinet Basic that will Clean Tough Spots in the Fridge

Oops - found one more great posts about fridge cleaning that I had to share:
http://happyslob.blogspot.com/2006/01/surprising-cleaner-to-try-today.html
It's a surprising cleaner that I love using on the really tough, stuck-on spots in the fridge.
Give it a try, slobbos! :)

My Fridge Looks FAAAAABULOUS...How About Yours?

I know, fridge cleaning ranks up there with toilet cleaning and colonics (oddly related, as it happens.) So NO - it's not our favorite chore around the house. BUT, after doing a cleaning spree on the fridge, you'll be so pleased with yourself and your gleaming new kitchen appliance, that you'll likely spend long, loving moments just glancing in for no reason at all - just to see the sparkling surfaces.

So, how do you get your fridge clean? Here's what I just did, and it worked fantastically well:

  1. Clear out the sides first, and spray VERY liberally with our Very Vinegar spray. (Just a healthy splash of either regular white vinegar or apple cider vinegar in a clean spray bottle with a variety of mist settings. I'd say about 1/4 vinegar and the rest regular tap water. You can add a squirt of nice liquid soap in there for good measure if you like. I've been doing that lately, with very good results...I like natural grapefruit or orange liquid soaps.)
  2. Now head on over to the main part of the fridge, and clear that out as well. While you're dealing with the middle, the sides are getting scoured clean with very little effort by the Very Vinegar spray you already doused all over it. :) See how this works? I like as little effort on our part as is humanly possible! Spray the shelves of the fridge and the sides.
  3. While that's doing its work, you can spray the outside of the fridge, and make sure to clear off the top of the fridge too. If you're anything like me, it becomes a cluttered collecting area for mish-mash and junk...I'm still unsure how all of those things get there, but they're naturally drawn together apparently!
  4. Go back in with a scrubby sponge and scrape away the gunk and grime. I like using a clean dry towel or paper towels to make sure I get it really clean. Wipe up the outside of the fridge too, now that the Very Vinegar cleaning spray has also done its magic out there.
  5. Put all the food back in the fridge. In about 10 minutes - or about 2 commercial breaks between your favorite TV show - you'll have a sparkling clean fridge. For an extra nice touch, add an open box of baking soda to keep things nice and fresh longer.

Want MORE Fridge Cleaning Tips...Here are some of my favorite blog posts on the topic at hand:

Saturday, December 02, 2006

Help for Sara's Fridge Cleaning Problem

I wasn't sure if everyone reads the comments on posts, but one reader - a mysterious and anonymous one at that! - wrote the following:

Use lemon pledge (or a generic version). Either will work wonders.

Signed,
A professional housekeeper

Neat, huh? I thought that you'd love to hear this Sara - let us know how it works out, okay?

Getting Organized - Who KNEW That Glass Jars Could Make Us So Happy??

Today at work, a lady came in with a fantastic idea that she told us she'd heard about on Martha Stewart - to use an oversized glass jar to store powdered laundry detergent in her laundry room. She also got this fantastic metal scoop to store inside, making it easy to get detergent out AND making her newly organized laundry room look fantastic at the same time.

Lately I've been using more and more Mason jars to store kitchen essentials such as sugar, flour, oats, flax seed, etc. I love using jars like this, because everything is so easily organized - it looks great, tidy, and you know at a glance what it is in the jar. (For items that look similar - like salt and sugar - make sure to label! Or else that'll be one awfully SALTY cake...)

But, these types of oversized jars can be used in all sorts of places. Besides just the laundry room, try using one with the same scoop for storing large bags of cat or dog food. They'd also be an easy way to store your kids' blocks, or small toys. And in the bathroom one of these oversized glass jars would look fantastic filled with plain white bars of soap, or rolled up face cloths.

I'm a huge advocate of using glass jars to store things - they make everything look so neat and tidy, and unlike other types of storage units, you'll always know just what it is that you stored inside them.

The cheapo in me says...if you know anyone who works in a restaurant, ask what they do with oversized glass jars when they've finished with them. They might even want to just give them away, or ask a very small amount for a bunch of them!

Otherwise...get yourself some amazing jars, by looking through my list:
___ My Favorite Jars ___
Here's the best of the best - the jars that will REALLY get you organized around the house...nice jars like this will also inspire you to keep working on getting more organized. I swear, even we Happy Slobs can DO this!
  1. The Biggie - 2 Gallon Jar with Tight-Sealing Lid -- This is exactly the jar the lady today at work purchased! She seemed thrilled...it would be ideal for her laundry storage idea OR to use for storing flour on the kitchen counter. 2 Gallon Jar with Cover

  2. 1/2 Gallon Old-fashioned Candy Jar - LOVE this idea. A few of these lined up on the kitchen counter would look so cute. It absolutely looks like old-fashioned candy jars from the candy store. Great for baking essentials - or hey - even office supplies in a home office! 1/2 Gallon Penny or Candy Jar with Cover
  3. Large Rosendahl Glass Kitchen Storage Jars - This is just stunning. Who knew a jar could look so creative?? For you Happy Slobs with astonishing senses of style...Rosendahl Glass Kitchen Storage Jar - Large




Do you have a great organizing tip to share? Please send it in to me & I'll post it here on the site at http://www.happyslob.com. I love hearing your ideas! Yes, even we slobbos CAN learn to love cleaning and organizing...well, at least we'll love the results!