Spring Cleaning Time - Tips and Hints for Slobs

Hi all,

I haven't forgotten about you! April is just an exceptionally busy month for me, and I've barely been on the computer at all. :) I can tell, because it feels like even my typing speed has slowed down considerably!

It's April, and that means that our minds turn to...well, besides lovely things like tulips and singing birds - to spring cleaning! Today's challenge for you should help you to tackle a few big cleaning tasks around your home that you might not ordinarly get to.

Take a good hard look around your home, and see what gunk has accumulated over the long, dreary days of winter. Some obvious cleaning tasks you might want to tackle are:

• Cleaning out the old winter clothes in your closet and packing them away to make room for your nice, light spring and summer clothes
• Washing the windows
• Washing down the outside of your house (I live in an apartment, so I don't worry about things like this one!)
• Starting to tidy the yard and get it summer-worthy

Make a list of extra tasks you'd like to work on, and try to do one a week on your Clean-for-All day!

Apart from that, keep up your good routines of daily cleaning bursts and focus room cleaning and you'll be happily surprised by the great results you get from (even small amounts) of regular cleaning.

Happy cleaning to you!

Christina

http://www.happyslob.com

How to Clean Stainless Steel Appliances - Cleaning Tips and Hints - Happy Slob

Okay, now here is a great question that I know many of you might wonder about, sent in by Marlene:

"Hi Christina,
Does anybody know how to clean, stainless steel stoves, fridges and dishwashers.
My neighbour has just bought all three appliances. Other than the small amount of cleaning stuff that they give you, with the stove, is there something that can be used, using something that we would already have in our cupboards?
I know that the cornstarch and water works really well for glass top ranges. Would it do the same for stainless steel?
Thanks, Marlene."

Hey Marlene,

:) Thanks for the email. I have one very favorite product for all stainless steel cleaning, and in fact at my part-time retail job (in a kitchen shop) we sell out of this stuff really quickly - because it works just that well.


Barkeepers Friend cleaner comes in either a powder or a liquid cleanser form, and it's fantastic at cleaning your stainless steel appliances. In some cases, it can even remove scratches from the surface of the stainless steel! You can also use it for cleaning your stainless steel sink, and pots and pans. (It works amazingly well at getting out those really OLD stains in stainless steel pots and pans that you thought would NEVER come out again! It really rejuvenates old cookware.)

Let us know how it works out for you! You can get your Barkeepers friend by either clicking on the links in this post OR just check your local stores. :) Many will likely carry this popular cleaner.

Cornstarch Cleaning Tip from a Happy Slob Reader - Free Cleaning Tips

Before I go ahead and answer the question that Marlene sent in, I thought I'd give her credit for a great cleaning tip she sent to me:

She recommended using a cornstarch and water paste for cleaning glasstop ranges (stoves). :) She also has a question about cleaning stainless steel appliances, which I'm going to answer in the next post. For now, if you have a glasstop stove, give her suggestion a try! It's a very Happy-Slob kind of idea...

P.S. If you DO try this idea, please post a comment below to let us all know how it worked out.