Fess up, happy slob housecleaners...what housecleaning chore do you HATE the most? I can't wait to read your comments!
~Christina~
Monday, January 05, 2009
Cleaning and Household Hints - Removing Black Scratch Marks from Plates and Dishes...
So, you just went and bought yourself a beautiful new set of dishes...and after the first use you see all sorts of nasty greyish black marks left behind - from your cutlery! Aarrgh!
Before you freak out entirely, there are a couple of ways to remove these black scrape marks from your dishes. These tips might even help remove old marks left behind on old and much loved dishes - thus revitalizing them, and making them seem as good as new!
Before you freak out entirely, there are a couple of ways to remove these black scrape marks from your dishes. These tips might even help remove old marks left behind on old and much loved dishes - thus revitalizing them, and making them seem as good as new!
- Bar Keepers Friend Cookware Cleanser & Polish
- I love this stuff! This amazing all-purpose cleaner does just about everything you can imagine - it cleans pricey All Clad pots and pans (or any stainless cookware - All Clad just happens to recommend it), porcelain, copper, brass. It's fantastic in the bathroom to clean stubborn stains from sinks or tubs or tiles. But, in this case, Barkeepers Friend is pretty adept at removing those nasty scratch marks on your dinner plates, bowls or mugs. Just make a paste of Barkeepers Friend (which is a very fine powder cleanser) and water, and use a soft cloth to rub the stain marks out. Often, these aren't actual scratches - just marks that CAN be removed. - Scotch-Brite Scrub Sponges
Online I found an expert who suggested this as another way to remove these marks. Just moisten the scrubby pad and use it gently to rub away the marks. I guess using this together with the Barkeepers Friend would be an unbeatable solution!
Wedgwood China suggests Barkeepers Friend to remove the 'pencil marks' that are sometimes left behind due to minerals rubbed off of inexpensive cutlery. They also recommended tooth powder as a cleaner for these marks! (If I can find some...I'll give it a go and let you all know how it turns out.) Otherwise, I suppose regular paste toothpaste (not the gel type) might do as a cleaner for these marks as well.
Another tip - generally, dishes with a shinier finish will have a tendency to leave these scuff marks behind. If you want to avoid this problem, choose dinnerware with a matte finish - it helps prevent these marks.
Hope this helps everyone renew their old dishes!
Thursday, January 01, 2009
What I'll Remember Most About 2008...
When I think of 2008 I’m sure the memory that will pop into my head the most frequently is that it was the year that I signed my first book contract. And I’ll always remember that amazing evening when I got an email from an editor that said she was ‘very impressed’ with the content of my ebook, which she had recently purchased…and then she asked me if I was still shopping the book around to agents and editors. I sat looking at the monitor with a sense of shock, and then (if I’m to be completely honest) I realized that tears were streaming down my face. And then I kept telling the monitor, "They want my little book, they want my little book!" As you might have expected, my monitor didn't reply.
You see, my website and this blog came about because I've always wanted to get my ebook published as a real book. You know, the kind you can curl up with – even if the topic is house cleaning. Since, curling up with even a laptop just isn't the same...I wanted it to be the sort of book that people would connect with, care about, and use to make their house cleaning easier, and a lot less stressful. So, this editor’s email (now she’s MY editor!) was the end result of a lot of dreaming, a lot of hoping…and some stubbornness, I suppose.
The book will be available in bookstores in October, 2009 (Yay, I can finally say THIS YEAR) and is being published by F+W Publications. I haven’t talked a whole lot about this, because I like to focus on what is more important, and that’s the ideas in the book that can help people to create more comfortable and more livable living spaces. Nothing perfect, nothing unattainable.
But…all of this journey was and continues to be a dream come true. I have about one month until my final deadline, and much of the work on the book (and a couple of other writing projects) has kept me sufficiently busy so that I haven’t been blogging as much. But today I just wanted to share with you loyal readers what’s going on in my book world. Thanks for continuing to support me!
You see, my website and this blog came about because I've always wanted to get my ebook published as a real book. You know, the kind you can curl up with – even if the topic is house cleaning. Since, curling up with even a laptop just isn't the same...I wanted it to be the sort of book that people would connect with, care about, and use to make their house cleaning easier, and a lot less stressful. So, this editor’s email (now she’s MY editor!) was the end result of a lot of dreaming, a lot of hoping…and some stubbornness, I suppose.
The book will be available in bookstores in October, 2009 (Yay, I can finally say THIS YEAR) and is being published by F+W Publications. I haven’t talked a whole lot about this, because I like to focus on what is more important, and that’s the ideas in the book that can help people to create more comfortable and more livable living spaces. Nothing perfect, nothing unattainable.
But…all of this journey was and continues to be a dream come true. I have about one month until my final deadline, and much of the work on the book (and a couple of other writing projects) has kept me sufficiently busy so that I haven’t been blogging as much. But today I just wanted to share with you loyal readers what’s going on in my book world. Thanks for continuing to support me!
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