Krazy Kitchen

  Since the bathroom tutorial was a hit, I figured the next area to tackle would be the kitchen. It is probably dirtier than the bathroom and yep, we make food there. 

You will need: 

·        Common Sense

·        Rubber Gloves 

·        Surface appropriate cleaner, polish  or disinfectant

·        Magic Eraser 

·        Cleaning cloths

·        Glass cleaner

·        Toothbrush 

·        Dobie

  Begin by decluttering the counter tops. Mail, coupons, notes, these things do not belong here! Use a junk drawer, desk area or better yet, throw the garbage away. Last option is my favorite. 

  

1. Again, work in a left to right top to bottom manner. Spray your counter tops with your surface cleaner and microwave with the glass cleaner to give it time to loosen things up. Use the magic eraser to wipe/scrub the counter top and wipe it clean with a cloth. Work in small sections, that way you are less likely to miss things. As you wipe clean the sections, thoroughly wipe down any appliances or knick knacks in them.  Be sure to reach down and take care of the front of your dishwasher as you come to it. Same when you come to the fridge, clean what you come to.  Clean any glass with glass cleaner. Other cleaners will make it streak. Yes you have to tell some people this.

2. The Microwave. What fun. If you don't use a paper towel to cover dishes now, you will after you clean a dirty stained microwave. As said in step 1, it is important to pre-spray the microwave. It makes wiping it out so much easier. Make sure to use glass cleaner in there. Work from the inside out. Most microwaves are above the stove, so if debris fall, it’s no big deal. If the microwave is not above the stove, you would want to clean it out first before cleaning the countertop below it.

3. The Stove.  This is my least favorite, I must admit. It can be very difficult to cut through the grease and dirt that gets on a stove. Even after you clean it, it will streak and look awful.  Many companies make very specific stove top cleaners. I would shop around, but there is always dish soap.

   So, apply whatever concoction you use on your stove and use a magic eraser or a dobie to scrub it like crazy. You need thick suds, unless you are using a creamy base cleaner. Scrub for a good thirty seconds to a minute and don’t just get areas where you saw spills.

   Rinsing can be tricky and cause a mess itself. I recommend getting a wet cloth or sponge to water down the scrubbing . Then dry and polish. You may need a few rags for this. Do your best. Polishing with vinegar works well. Use with a coffee filter and your flat top will sparkle!

4. Details, details, details. When you have more time to spend, these things are completely necessary. Empty the crumb tray from the toaster or toaster oven. I do this almost everytime, It just keeps things from getting backed up.

  Wipe down your cabinets with a decent wood oil or green cleaner as to not harm wood. So much dust, food splashes, finger prints and more are happening on your cabinets. Show them some love.

  Take a toothbrush and scrub the edge of where the counter meets the back splash. Yummy. Also, toothbrush the drains and around fixtures by the sink. You can also use it to detail the knobs of the stove, which should be periodically removed and washed.

  Baseboards light switches and door frames. Wipe them. They’ll love you for it.

5. Scrub that sink! Bon Ami and a dobie works best. If you don’t have Bon Ami, Bar Keepers will do. Rinse and dry, making sure to shine the chrome on fixtures.

6. Make sure to vacuum or sweep your floor before you mop or hand wash. If you have tile with grout in the kitchen, I recommend getting a mop with removable parts so that you can screw on a scrub brush. Grout gets so nasty.

   Go about your mopping business and have a ball. Another option here is to mop the whole house if you have hardwood everywhere and do all of your cleaning at once.

7. The time has come for double checking. Get eye level with your counter tops! I CANNOT STRESS THIS ENOUGH. Bend down and look at them as if you were going to lay on them! A good percent of the time you will have missed a hardened food spill or crumb.

Well look at that….you did it! 

For Josh

You are a fantastical human being Josh "Broseph" Bowdler! Here, I got you these cupcakes.

So You Want To Clean Your Bathroom?

 So today has me cleaning, bustling about my own home and thinking of ways to simplify the way we live. One way to save time and frustration is to spend time on keeping things clean. We all differ in the way that we clean, what products we use, ect. I'm going to share what I think is the best way.  ;) Today's topic. . .the bathroom. Hair, dirt, moisture. Yuck.

You will need:

• Common Sense 
• Rubber Gloves
• Glass cleaner 
• Magic eraser(s)
• Method All Purpose Cleaner ( I prefer the mint scent) 
• A disinfectant
• Cleaning cloths 
• Toilet Brush    

Extra Helpful Items:

• Toothbrush
• Scrub brush 
• Elbow Grease 

Time: Depending on the size of your bathroom, around 20 minutes

1.Turn on the lights. Seriously. Even if you have sun light streaming in. Remove rugs, shake outside, vacuum or throw them in the wash. Empty trash. Vacuum or sweep the floor with the broom. You want to do this first because it makes things easier when you actually wipe or mop the floor. Dirt and debris sticks to water, and water is sure to splash while cleaning and get on the floor. It will make sweeping pointless, and can ruin your vacuums motor.

2. (Though optional, now would be the time to pre-spray all the bathroom pieces, including the vanity, tub/shower and toilet. ) Begin with the vanity and scrub the sink. I use a magic eraser and Method products on the vanity, since they are green and not murder on my lungs. Thoroughly clean the vanity before cleaning the mirror. If you clean the mirror before the vanity, you risk splashing on your clean mirror. Dry the vanity.

Tip: Shine your chrome and toothbrush around the faucets/fixtures and drain! Details like this make a room look so much nicer!

3. Remove shampoo bottles/soap/products from the shower area. You want to be thorough. So much builds up under those things!  Scrub your tub or shower in a top to bottom left to right manner. It saves time and ensures that you wont miss a spot. If you have a shower combination, scrub all the walls first before focusing on the tub. Rinse with HOT water and check with your finger for soap scum. If it's still there, it's not clean. You may need to re-scrub a spot or two. This is normal. Put products back in their places after you've wiped them off.

Tip: Toothbrush or scrub brush in the grout every so often even if you don't see mold or mildew. There are still tons of bacteria living in there. Toothbrush around the drain as well.

4. Moving on to the toilet. I recommend a mild disinfectant for the seat, lid and tank. You can use a stronger product in the bowl if you want. Use a curved toilet brush to scrub the inside of the bowl first, make sure to get under the lip of the bowl where dirt and mildew builds up. More detailed scrubbing with a toothbrush is necessary from time to time. Wipe the tank, toilet seat and base thoroughly. Flush.

5. You're almost done! Prepare a mop if your bathroom is big, or get down on those hands and knees. I love my hands and knees for the bathroom because you are getting closer to what is actually dirty. Do what makes sense. It's easier to see things. Spray a disinfectant on the floor and wipe. If you use a lot of hair spray, you'll want to use a scrub brush, or toothbrush any grout. That is the only way it's coming off. So much dirt builds up in those crevices. Start in a corner and clean your way out of the bathroom.

Tip: This is more of a command. Wipe behind the toilet!

6. Take a moment to check over and admire your work. You just improved your house!

  I can't stress enough the importance of details if you want things to truly be clean. Quick de-cluttering and straightening has it's place, but there must be time to focus on the nitty gritty. Not making time for these things just leads to frustration, poor air quality and bacteria build up. Next time we'll focus on the kitchen! Feel free to leave comments or link back. :)

Freaky Friday

  So the wind is crazy right now. A sign of the weather we are about to get. I hate sitting here waiting for the storms to happen. I wish very much right now that we had a basement. Our safe place in a storm is the hallway because you can shut all the doors and it becomes its own little room. People need to take this seriously. I can't tell you how many times people have told me that they aren't worried about storms, they sleep through them or they ignore them. Tuscaloosa anyone? HELLO. We need to have a healthy fear and respect of these storms. God sends the rain, and He can hold it back. He's kind of a big deal.
  I started to draw the outlines of the prom frames onto a card board moving box using a ruler. Harder than I expected, simply because making all sides even and the same is not really my strong point. I'm not good at making straight edges, or walking in a straight line. I roll the crooked way in life. I'm okay with it. To solve the problem I found some of my lovely scrapbook paper that is covered in cute frame shapes. I'm going to take that bad boy to the library or kinkos and blow it up, cut it out and trace it. Then I'll cut. Does anyone know the best way to cut into cardboard? I have a feeling I'm really not going to like that part. I feel silly asking questions on a blog. "Uh google it dummy...." says my brain. My bad, I like human interaction.
  Sorry for the shortness. I have to go love on my puppy.