A New Way to Clean Soap Scum

Yick...you know that icky mucky mess that coats the tub and shower and just makes everything look matte and UN-clean. Soap scum! Here's a new (and ironic, if you ask me) way to try cleaning the gunky goop off...

In a clean spray bottle, pour in a few capfuls of plain shampoo. (Nothing fancy, nothing expensive. Any cheapo brand will work nicely here. I also use cheapo shampoo sometimes as a frugal bubble bath! Oops, should I have admitted that??) Top up the bottle with plain old tap water and give it a gentle shake. Spray wherever you have soap scum and let sit for a few minutes before wiping off with a moistened cloth.

This really works! :) You can keep a bottle in the tub/shower and use this whenever you're showering - just spray it on and let the steam action of the shower help make it easier to clean...

http://www.happyslob.com is where Happy Slobs around the world meet for cleaning tips!

A Funny Housecleaning Sweepstakes by Greased Lightning

Lorrie, a Happy Slob, sent this in to me, thinking that some of us might want to enter to hopefully win some maid service! hehehe Sounds good to me!

Greased Lightning WANTS TO HEAR YOUR Filthy Confessions!

National Online Sweepstakes Can Mean Big Prizes for Your Big Messes

Lawrenceville, GA (June 14, 2006) - People across the nation are logging on to the hot new site www.filthyconfessions.com. They’re not only dishing out their own dirt, but digging up other people’s dirt too. It’s all part of a twelve-week national sweepstakes from the multi-purpose cleaner and degreaser, Greased Lightning. Each week one lucky winner will receive free maid service and the Grand Prize winner will receive a Travel Vacation.

“Filthy Confessions” takes you on a confession adventure, revealing your deepest, dirtiest secrets. You can finally tell the world about the mess you left at your mother in-law’s and blamed on her sleepwalking sister. Or, come clean about the time you ruined a date’s jacket and bribed a busboy to take the fall. Once the weight of the confession is off your shoulders, Greased Lightning takes care of the rest cleaning grease, grime and mildew, where other cleaners can’t.

“We wanted to do something fun that would let people really get involved,” says Melissa Hickman, Brand Manager of Greased Lightning. “Filthy Confessions allows people to confess to messes they’ve made in a humorous way.”

Posting a “Filthy Confession” online also gives you the option to enter into a twelve week sweepstakes, where each week someone wins a free “Merry Maid” service worth $100. The grand prize winner will receive a Travel Vacation for two people worth $3,000.

Greased Lightning Multipurpose
The Original Greased Lightning Multipurpose Cleaner and Degreaser is an amazing product from HomeCare Labs that will help consumers conquer even the toughest stains and can be used throughout their homes. This concentrated cleaner is time-tested for superior cleaning and stain-fighting power. Greased Lightning works well on tubs, showers, sinks, fiberglass and tile in the bathroom. In the kitchen, it will effectively clean stove vents, ovens, refrigerators and microwaves. It can be used as a laundry pre-treat for tough stains including grease, grass and ink. It will remove soap scum, mildew stains, mud stains, pet stains, make-up, blood, wine and food stains.

For more information and to enter the sweepstakes log on to www.filthyconfessions.com or www.greasedlightning.com or mail self addressed stamped envelope to 1878 East Ave. Rochester, NY 14610.

Media contact: Jennifer Jones 404-720-8149 jajones@fletchermartin.com

Tammi's Microwave Cleaning Tip: Kitchen Cleaning Hints and Tips

Here's an email from Tammi. :) Awww shucks, I love being called the Queen Slob. hehehe

Dearest Queen Slob:) lol

Doesn't the microwave get totally disgusting??
Use a medium sized microwave safe bowl (preferrably plastic-so you don't burn your fingers), fill it with at least 2 cups of tap water, microwave on high for at least 5 minutes, may need longer depending on your microwave-but the water doesn't have to be boiling. Leave the bowl of water in the microwave for at least 1 hour WITHOUT opening the microwave door. The steam will soften all that icky stuff and it will wipe right off with some paper towels. Now there's a cheap cleaner:)

http://www.happyslob.com

Organic/Natural Gardening with Diana

:) I had to share this blog with you, because Diana is such a kind soul - and a fellow Happy Slob! She's an expert on organic gardening and her blog is over at http://dianasorganicgarden.blogspot.com/ .

Not only is she a kind, wonderful, and knowledgeable lady - but she was a real comfort to me when my friend died earlier in the year. Big hugs to you Diana - hope your blog becomes uber popular!

P.S. One more tips about Toilet Cleaning - Use a Pumice Stone

:) I had meant to add this to my last entry, but one more way to remove the MOST stubborn toilet ring stains is to use a pumice stone. It's normally used to get rid of crusties on the heels of your feet, but a moistened pumice stone is also excellent at getting rid of toilet rings.

And please, don't use the same pumice stone on your feet as in your toilet. :) It stands to reason that that would be plain old nasty. I mean, we're HAPPY SLOBS, not DISGUSTING PIGS.

Down and Dirty: Cleaning Toilet Rings

What I love most about my blog is the glamorous topics I get to explore. Exotic travel? Um...no. The most divine chocolate creations? Oops...afraid not. No, I get to talk about cleaning your toilet. :) And not even JUST plain old toilet cleaning - but the nastiest of all toilet cleaning. Getting rid of the dreaded (scary music here please) TOILET RING.

I'm just teasing of course! I love helping you guys discover lovely new ways to make cleaning challenges a breeze...and with TOILET RINGS (sounds like jewelry, but you and I know it's not) it's not as hard as you might think. Once again - VINEGAR comes quickly to the rescue.

Now, here's what to do:

1. Flush the toilet. See, that wasn't too hard.
2. Dump in about a cup or two of plain white vinegar. You can also use bleach for this -- but I never recommend bleach. It's hard on some people's lungs AND can be really hard on septic systems. (I'm sure that you AREN'T supposed to use harsh cleaners if on a septic system.)
3. Give the thing a good scrub with your handy dandy toilet brush.
4. Leave it to sit, WITHOUT flushing again. Let the vinegar do it's work. It'll likely take a good half hour or longer.
5. Come back and add a bit of baking soda to the end of the toilet brush and scrub the whole thing -- the ring should come off.

Hope this helps slobbo darlings!

http://www.happyslob.com - A Happy Online Kingdom for Cleaning Klutzes like Me

Happy Slob Cleaning - What If You Hate Vinegar?

I received a very interesting email recently from Steph, a devoted Happy Slob:

"Hi Christina,
I love all of your vinegar cleaning ideas, but the smell of vinegar is absolutely nauseating to me. I read about adding EOs like orange or other citrus oils, and that sounds like the answer for me - but I was wondering if adding the oils, adding degreasing capabilities and making the vinegar solution better for some things, might decrease the cleaning power of the vinegar solution itself on other things. In other words, can I add the EOs to my Very Vinegar solution and still use it on anything I would normally use the VV on?
Thanks!
Steph"

What a dilemma! A newly converted Happy Slob, who hates the smell of vinegar. :) Okay, so maybe I DO go on and on and on about the virtues of the fabulous stuff...but I also realize that some people - like Steph - really cannot stomach the scent of it. What's to be done? Is there a solution?

Of COURSE there is! You COULD try to mask the scent of vinegar with EOs like orange (which I love by the way) but let's be honest. Vinegar is really potent - I just can't see the scent being easily masked. Try these other ideas instead...

• When you clean Happy Slob Style, it's not always about WHAT you use, it's about that you DO it at all. :) So, feel free to visit your local health food store to find groovy new natural cleaners. They'll likely smell a lot nicer than plain vinegar does.
• Or...if you still prefer to make your own cleaners at home, baking soda also makes a great all-purpose cleaner. I have a simple Baking Soda All Purpose Cleaner Recipe on my site.
• Essential oils such as tea tree oil and lavender are natural disinfectants, and are therefore great in homemade cleaning products. You could try this other recipe on my site: Homemade Lavender Spray It was originally designed as a home air freshener, but lavender has cleaning properties too - you could use this instead of our Very Vinegar spray and end up with a FAB smelling home.

Steph, I hope this helps. :) And don't forget -- good old soapy water is still one of the best cleaners we can ever use. If in doubt, give THAT a try - and it's dirt cheap too, which we cheapo slobs REALLY appreciate.

Hugs to you,
Christina

Time to Grab Your Trusty Mop...Cleaning the Floors

Look down if you dare.

Yikes! That floor is definitely helping us maintain our Happy Slob nickname. About once a week or so, you should grab your trusty mop and clean those mucky floors. A spray bottle full of our favorite all-purpose cleaner (about 1 part vinegar to 4 parts water) and a sponge mop should do the trick nicely.

Get to it slobbos! Those floors are just SCREAMING for some attention. :)

P.S. Scuff marks? One slobbo recommended a tennis ball -- just rub it on the scuffed part of the floor and scuff marks be GONE.

http://www.happyslob.com - Happy Slob Central - Visit Today

Cleaning Grout - Easy Bathroom Cleaning Hints

Grout Remover

To clean icky grout, pour hydrogen peroxide on grout, and watch it bubble. After about ten minutes all the gunk will be loosened and will wipe away. And you don't have to be exposed to fumes or irritating and highly toxic chemicals. You can also use vinegar and baking soda, but this is easier.

Bathroom Cleaning - Cleaning Tough Toilet Stains

Yeah, not exactly a YUMMY topic, but hey those toilets NEED a good cleaning. Especially if they have stains. Here's a great tip on how to remove them:

Toilet stains may be removed by first flushing to wet the sides of the bowl, and then applying a paste of borax and lemon juice. Leave for two hours and scrub.

How to Clean a Glass Coffeepot

Here's a sneak preview of some great new cleaning tips I'll be using in the newsletter tomorrow - some tricks on how to clean a glass coffee pot. (Those get SO dingy and icky looking...)
http://www.happyslob.com/coffeepot.html A couple of the hints are from waitresses who KNOW what they're talking about. :)

Have another cleaning tip to share? Send it on in to me at christina @ happyslob.com and I'll gladly use it on this blog, on the site or in the newsletter!

Tip for Pets with Fleas: Brewers Yeast Helps

Not exactly a cleaning tip, more of a household tip I guess. :) I've heard that brewer's yeast in either powdered or tablet form is a helpful and natural way to fight fleas on your pets. With the powder brewers yeast, you can actually add it right to their food. Have any of you tried this?

Bathroom Cleaning Tips - Shower Stalls

http://www.happyslob.com/showerstall.html has handy hints from fellow slobbos on how to get the shower stall in your bathroom SPARKLING clean. :)

Let's Clean out that Nasty Refrigerator - Cleaning Hints

Ready? This is one of those tasks we SHOULD (don't you just HATE that word?) be doing about once a week or so. :) I certainly haven't cleaned out MY fridge in a while, and it really needs it. So, let's make this our focus room/area of the day and get to it.

Here are some tips to help make cleaning the grungy icky fridge easier:

1. If you can - turn the fridge off while cleaning it.
2. Remember - top to bottom cleaning. That way, you'll end up with all the mess at the bottom and you'll just wipe it away and be done with it.
3. Baking soda and our Very Vinegar cleaner (about 1 part vinegar to 4 parts of water in a spray bottle; shake it up and you're good to go) are my favorite cleaners for this. Not only are they cheap as dirt, but they're non-toxic. So if a bit lingers, it won't be scary to contemplate eating that apple or pear.
4. Scrubby sponges ROCK for this task -- they help make it easier to get rid of the nasty grunge that collects, especially at the bottom.

Now, let's clean the fridge! Yay! Wahoooo! (Okay, I'm not all that excited either. :) But think of how proud we can be when we're all done. Turn on some fun music to help.)

1. Remove all items from the fridge. Yes, everything. That's the only way you can get the critter cleaned out properly, right?

2. Throw away as you go. Moldy spinach and jars of mustard you had when you were in 8th grade AREN'T cute and quirky. They're icky and must go!

3. If you can remove the shelves of the fridge, go for it. They can soak in a soapy mix in the bathtub and be dealt with at the end. If you don't have time for this step, or just can't be bothered, don't worry about it. :)

4. Saturate the entire inside of the fridge with your Very Vinegar spray and close the door of the fridge for a few minutes to let it start to de-gunk stuff from all of the fridge's surfaces. Meanwhile, wipe down the outside of the fridge, paying particular attention to the handles - a lively little germ community.

5. Open the fridge again and sprinkle a bit of baking soda on a moistened scrubby sponge. The vinegar spray will have started to loosen the mess inside and combined with the scrubby sponge action, you should be able to get that fridge sparkling clean. Rinse the sponge and wipe down. The Very Vinegar cleaning solution is also a handy shiny cleaner - you can give it another light spray inside the fridge and use a paper towel or cleaning towel to shine it up. (P.S. The baking soda also helps to deodorize.)

6. Replace the shelves (if you moved them in the first place) and turn the fridge back on. Put all the food back inside, close the door and do a dance of joy and pride for all that hard work. :) Think how shocked your family will be when they see the gleaming surfaces inside!


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Daily Reminders: Do a Cleaning Burst!

Here's a friendly Daily Reminder for Happy Slobs from a Happy Slob. :) Turn on that music, grab your handy dandy cleaning kit, and set your timer for the amount of time you can afford to spend. (No, 30 seconds ISN'T quite enough.)

Remember to clean your High Impact Areas first - those areas that people (including you) see the most often. Remember - a cleaning burst is a quick fast burst of cleaning, nothing too in-depth or thorough at this point. But, you'll find that all these cleaning bursts really add up to a much cleaner home. And, you'll therefore feel less stressed about cleaning in general.

Aim for one cleaning burst a day - in the morning - and then work your way up to 2. If you live in a small apartment (I live in one too) then you might get along just fine with only one cleaning burst a day.

Get to it, slobbos! Me too - I've been away on vacation, and the cats apparently didn't clean up while I was gone like they had agreed. (Sigh.) Ooops...I'm turning into a lady that not only talks to her cats, but expects them to reply!

Cleaning goodies all the time at http://www.happyslob.com
Free for the taking! (As long as you're a happy slob, that is...)

Homemade Bug Killer Spray - Household Recipes

Just posted this on the website - bugs be gone! (I got stung by a bee on vacation. First time since I was about 7 years old...I sort of felt bad for the poor chubby little bee. I had sat down on him with my knee. Man, did THAT hurt. :) Think it hurt HIM even more!)

Enough about me...more about bug spray and how to make your own with natural stuff like cayenne pepper and garlic at:
http://www.happyslob.com/bugkillspray.html

Some natural house cleaning products YOU need

You guys know I LOVE to use natural cleaning stuff around the house. Here are a few of the most essential elements to keep in YOUR cleaning kit. (Don't have a cleaning kit yet? Make one up today with stuff around the house - go to http://www.happyslob.com/cleaningkit.html for instructions on how to do it.)

• Baking soda - can be used in so many ways! As a scrubby cleanser to replace other cleaners like Comet or Ajax. It's a great deodorizer too - I use it all the time in the cat litter box. You can even dilute it in a bit of water and add a few drops of delicious smelling essential oils (if you want to) and make an odor neutralizing spray for the bathroom. Give it a good shake before each use.
• Vinegar - is the other powerhouse when it comes to natural cleaning. Use it to descale and clean coffee pots or clogged up showerheads. Use it diluted (about 1 part to 4 or 5 parts water) as an all-purpose household cleaning spray. Vinegar is a strong natural cleaner and is also great for cleaning carpet stains, or as an alternative fabric softener in the wash. (You can use it right in those little blue Downy balls - makes it very easy.)
• Borax - is one of my favorite little secrets for getting the tub and shower clean. It even gets rid of the nasty hard water gunk that we have here in Calgary. Also great in all sorts of natural cleaning formulas.
• Essential oils - such as tea tree oil (great disinfectant) and lavender oil (YUMMY smelling and another disinfectant) plus citrus oils such as orange and lemon are handy to have around.

Have any tips to share? Send them in to me at christina @ happyslob.com or just post a message here and I'll read it!

http://www.happyslob.com - the Happy Slob's Guide to Housecleaning

What is your biggest house cleaning challenge?

In order to help you with the often overwhelming task of housecleaning, I'd like to know what your specific cleaning challenges are. Do you hate cleaning the bathroom? Is the laundry what you dread? Or how about dishes?

Please let me know! :)
Christina
http://www.happyslob.com

What is your biggest house cleaning challenge?

In order to help you with the often overwhelming task of housecleaning, I'd like to know what your specific cleaning challenges are. Do you hate cleaning the bathroom? Is the laundry what you dread? Or how about dishes?

Please let me know! :)
Christina
http://www.happyslob.com