Linda's Helpful Cleaning Tips Using Avon's Skin so Soft

I received a wonderful email the other day from a No Hassle Housecleaning reader named Linda. She had some tips to tell me about, and she gave me permission to pass these tips along to all of you. Some of them involve using Avon's Skin So Soft for cleaning, and one is a great tip to remove stubborn odors from your home.

Enjoy, everyone, and huge thanks to you again Linda. :) Your emails always make me smile.

Here's a link to my other website which has a listing of over 100 uses for this amazing stuff: http://www.kitchencraftsnmore.net/skinsosoft.html P.S. Please post a comment and let all of us know how YOU use Skin So Soft! I'll try to post it on the Skin So Soft page.

NOW...LINDA'S HELPFUL HOUSEHOLD HINTS

1. Add a nicer scent to your Skin So Soft -- Linda is a lavender fanatic, too! "One of my other favorite things is Avon Skin-so-Soft, the original fragrance. I have a little spray bottle of it, too, that I refill from the large bottle, and although I love the fragrance, I add some lavender to it, too."
2. Dust your furniture with Skin So Soft - "I've been using is to use it on my wood furniture, as it dusts, cleans, and makes it smell good. I don't use the one with the lavender, though, on my wood, as I'm afraid it might hurt the finish on the wood." Lavender oil (the real essential oil, not an imitation fragrance oil) should be safe on most wooden surfaces. However, always test a little area first to make sure you don't damage your beloved furniture pieces.
3. Use it on Formica - "I use it on my formica with the oil--no, I don't hate granite, but I do have one formica that looks like marble with grain in it! Using this really makes the formica shine and the room smell good, especially in the bathroom."
4. Use ammonia to rid burnt smells from microwave - "You may know this hint, but I was making some hummingbird food for my feeder, and my husband called me outside for a minute--out of sight, out of mind, until I smelled this horrible sweet smell and ran back into kitchen filled with smoke and SWEET smell! I called an environmental cleaning place to see if they could help me with a "home remedy," and the lady told me that she had just had her microwave catch on fire a few weeks ago, so she put out bowls of ammonia all around the room, and it just absorbed the odor! I tried it in my kitchen, den, and dining room, all one big room, and in about 3 days the smell was GONE!" You guys know I'm not a huge fan of bleach due to the ammonia contained in it. BUT, if you really need to get rid of odors, it appears that this will do the trick. Just make sure to keep the rooms well ventilated, and don't try this home remedy if you have athsma or other breathing problems. Otherwise, try open containers of white vinegar. (P.S. Linda also says it's wonderful for getting rid of powerful smoke odors.)

Oooops...there goes the timer! Have to grab some lovely, fresh smelling clothes from the dryer. Have a fabulous Wednesday everyone, and as always feel free to contact me at christina@happyslob.com with your helpful tips, questions, or ideas. I love your emails. Au revoir for now! (I'm trying -- trying -- to learn French, so you might have to bear with me and my silly attempts for a while. hehe)

John's Creative Way to Clean the Coffeepot

You readers are geniuses - and here's more proof. John has come up with a clever new way to clean the coffeepot for all of you Happy Slobs who don't mind using bleach:

Christina-

Always fought with this problem until a moment of creative laziness. Figuring that if regular cleaner (like Fantastic) wasn't doing the trick, then maybe switching to address the problem as organic made more sense. Sprayed the coffee cup with Mildew remover and all evidence of having held coffee melted down the sides of the pot (glass or stainless) and any mugs.

And as mildew remover is nothing more than regular household bleach at 6 to 10 times the price, just dilute bleach from a jug by half, spray the coffee or tea item, and you'll have "brand new". A little soapy water to get rid of the bleach, and you're on your way without a scrub, and with better results.

JB

Thanks for the great tips, John! Creative laziness is a fantastic thing, isn't it? Any of you can send me in your funky, quirky or otherwise amazing cleaning tips to share with Happy Slobs all around the planet. Just email them to me - christina@happyslob.com

P.S. I think that using regular strength white vinegar might also do the trick, if any of you (like me) are not thrilled about using bleach to clean. :)

Another way to De-Fog (Anti-Fog) Your Bathroom Mirrors

Here's a great tip from Ange, a Happy Slob Housecleaner:

"Hiya! Just wanted to let you know of another way to keep bathroom mirrors defogged: shaving cream! Spray it on, wipe it off with a paper towel, and voila!"

Thanks Ange. :) I'll give this a go and see how it works!

Take care,
Christina

Epsom Salt Uses - Use it for Cleaning Curtains - Reader's Tips

Hi Christina,

Here's what I use Epsom Salts for......

I have beautiful lace curtains in my home (some are
full length panels). When I take them off of the
windows to clean them, I put them in my washer on the
delicate cycle. When finished, I take them out of the
washer and place them in a large dishpan in my kitchen
sink that I have filled with water and about 1/2 cup
of epsom salt. I soak the curtains and valances in
the mixture for about 5 minutes. I wring the curtains
out gently and place them in my dryer. I spin them in
the dryer on the Air cycle for only about 10 minutes -
just long enough to get the excess water out of them.
I then rehang them on the windows. I shape the
curtains (arrange the folds, etc) and I'm done! The
curtains dry on their own and they have a beautiful
crisp finish that lasts until the next wash. Note* I
have been using the same lace curtains for 10 years!
They look as fresh as when I first bought them. Can't
do without Epsom Salt.
Thanks for letting me share my favorite Epsom idea.
Renee

Thanks so much, Renee. :) This is a fantatic idea, and I'm sure many will want to give it a try.