Give the Kitchen Cupboards a Scrub - Cleaning the Kitchen

Want an easy, quick and inexpensive way to freshen up your kitchen, pronto? Give your kitchen cupboards a scrub! For most finishes, the following will work just great:
 * Pour a splash of white vinegar into a bucket, along with a squirt or two of your absolute favorite dish soap. Fill up with warm water.
* Use a scrubby sponge, or other favorite scrubber to give the kitchen cabinets a good cleaning. The vinegar will help to naturally scrub through the accumulated grease and gunk.
* Wipe down with a moistened cloth and let dry naturally.

Seriously -- this little step will freshen up and clean up your whole kitchen. And hey, don't be shy -- get the whole family involved and your kitchen will thank you.

P.S. If you don't have the time - or frankly, the inclination - to do the entire regiment of cupboards in one go...just put on your faithful timer for the amount of time you can afford, and then just accomplish the bigger task in little chunks over a week or so.

Easy Decluttering: Just Count to 10 and You're Done!

Decluttering. Does that very word make you shudder? Let's all take a soothing, deep breath and then read Declutter by Counting to 10. Ten a day, and your piles and clutter will be dealt with in no time. Less stress, now that is more like it!

PS. Post a comment - what are YOU currently trying to declutter? For me, it's my basket of 'catch-all' mail, bills, flyers, and other assorted papers. Off I go to tackle just 10 for the day...

An easy, steamy way to clean the microwave

Microwaves are workhorses for many families - from popping corn, to heating up coffee, or leftovers - we all rely on our microwave ovens in our day-to-day life. So, it's no wonder they get pretty dirty and gunky after a while. Today, let's clean our microwaves!

1. Let the steam do the work for you. In a large, microwave safe mug, throw in either a splash of white vinegar, or a couple of slices of fresh lemon. Fill the mug with water. Heat on high for 3-5 minutes - until good and steamy. Then, this is the trick: DON'T open the microwave door! Set your kitchen timer for at least 10 minutes (I usually leave it for 20 minutes).
2. Scrub the gunk away. Using a scrubby sponge or a favorite scrubber, scrub the gunk away. Remove the revolving glass bottom and give it a good rinse off. If you need a little extra scrubbing power, just sprinkle on a little baking soda onto your cloth or scrubber.
3. Dry the interior with a microfiber cloth, towel, or paper towel.
4. The outside matters too. Using our favorite Very Vinegar Cleaner, spray down the outside of the microwave and give it a good wipe down, too.

And, voila! You have a gorgeous, gleaming, sparkling clean microwave. Your family just might not recognize it. ;)