I Had an "Eek" Moment - Cleaning out the Fridge Reminder

So, we're going away to visit family on Friday, and I've been on a tear to get our apartment ship-shape before we go. (Or, you know, as ship-shape as can be, keeping in mind our No Hassle Housecleaning sensibilities.)

I'd been putting off one particularly nasty household chore. Cleaning out the fridge. Never a favorite chore of mine, especially when it's really overdue and the produce has had ample opportunity to morph into some other biological form. (THAT was my "eek" moment I described in the title...I'm pretty sure that black blob had been half an onion at some earlier point in its existence. I will not describe it any further except to say that it prompted me to say things like: "Ugh," "Blarech," "Repulsive!" and other murmured noises of disgust.)

Now It's YOUR Turn
Okay...grab that trusty timer and set it for about 10-15 minutes to allow ample time to remove everything, get rid of the morphed produce, and long forgotten Rubbermaid containers of leftovers, and spray the inside down with Very Vinegar cleaner. If there's hard to remove gunk on the bottom, use a generous sprinkling of plain baking soda and a scrubby sponge. It should wipe away with a little elbow grease. Wipe everything down, put back the good stuff into the fridge - and voila (hey look, more French!) - a gorgeous fridge that you actually want to open. Your family and friends will be amazed at your domestic abilities, my friends!

Have a few extra minutes to spend?
Okay then, you brave souls. Take those few extra moments and declutter the surface of the fridge. I end up with photos of friends and family, recipes, coupons all posted to the front of the fridge. Having a few mementoes is nice, but when you can't see the surface of the appliance any more, well, you know it's time for a quick and painless decluttering session. You can also give the outside of the refrigerator a good wipe down while you're at it. There! Look at all you've accomplished today.

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)

The Simplest Cleaning Formula You'll Ever Make: Squirt Squirt Cleaner Recipe

Ahhh, yes...making your own cleaners. It sounds like a real 'mother of the earth' type project, doesn't it? But, making a simple homemade cleaner is a breeze. This is the simplest of all cleaning recipes, so give it a try to replace chemical-filled cleaners. The Squirt, Squirt Cleaner is basically a good all-purpose cleaner for around the home.

Squirt Squirt Cleaner - No Hassle Housecleaning Recipe
* Distilled water (or tap water, in a pinch)
* A natural dishwashing liquid soap (the link I chose is a lavender type - hurray! I have a wee addiction to the purple stuff.)
* A plastic spray bottle (that has never contained chemicals or other nasty stuff)
* Optional: lavender or tea tree essential oils.


Quite simply, add a squirt of two of the liquid dishwashing soap, and then fill nearly to the top with the distilled water. Gently shake to combine (gently now, or else you'll be overcome by bubbles.) This is a mild and effective soapy cleaner that is really easy to use, easy on the health of your family, and easy on the wallet, by George!

You can get a little fancier with your homemade cleaning creation by adding a few drops of either lavender or tea tree essential oils. You probably already know that I'm a lavender freak, so that would be my fave, but both of these oils work well to add an extra dose of cleaning fortitude. So, give it a try!

Money saving tip o' the day: Buying essential oils online is almost always cheaper than heading to your local health food store.