For those of us who get the “spring fever”  and feel the need to scrub our entire house with a toothbrush to make it sparkle, you know how manufacturing companies have created “needs”, things we supposedly absolutely have to have or our dwellings are not clean. Obviously, this is a myth. It does not take $100 worth of products and “stuff” to make our houses sparkle. I do a major cleaning twice a year, towards the end of spring and the beginning of winter. Never have I spent more than $15.00 on cleaning products  to clean my home. New items like the Swiffer products are not necessary, convenient and time saving, yes; but not necessary. The chemicals in the cleaning solution on the swiffer and like items can actually be harmful, while the pads take up landfill space. These are all the items and cleaners that you need to spring clean your home.

Broom, dustpan, mop, bucket, rubbing alcohol, baking soda, all purpose cleaner or a bucket of mild soap and water, rags, and yes: a toothbrush.

Use the bucket of soap and water and the toothbrush to get into any cracks or small areas of furniture to clean away winters grime and dust. Rinse tootbrush with clean water and wipe any soap out of crevices. Use a rag to dry.

Clean all windows, glass, and mirrors with rubbing alcohol and a rag. They will really sparkle. If you worry about lint on these surfaces, use newspaper(black and white print only).

Use a bucket of mild soap and water and a rag or scrub brush to clean walls, base boards, floors, etc. For grungy looking wood furniture you can scrub the wood with mild soap OR my personal favorite, Murphy’s wood oil soap. Rinse with a clean, wet rag then use an oil like olive oil or linseed oil to make the wood shine again!

Use a paste of baking soda and water for “soft scrub”. Use on sinks, tub, and tile.

Don’t buy expensive smelly powders for your carpet. Just sprinkle your carpets with baking soda, let sit for 15 to 30 minutes and vacuum as usual.

Wash all washable rugs, curtains and table cloths in the washing machine. Curtains can actually be hung back up wet and let them air dry. The smell from the soap will make your rooms smell wonderful.

Sweep and mop all washable floors. Apply any floor wax treatments if you choose to do so.

Open your windows and let the entire house air out. Bacteria, dust, possibly mold, and other allergens build up in enclosed houses over the winter. Let them all out!

Following these steps will make your entire home smell and look wonderful! Don’t forget to declutter also! Most often we let mail, magazines, newspapers, old clothing build up over the winter. Recycle and donate whenever possible!

Thanks to all!

The Domestic Goddess

As we all face job losses, higher taxes and rising fuel costs for vehicle and home, most of us are looking for ways to cut expenses. We all have to pay for power and light usage, however there are ways to save in this area of our budget. 

Warm weather is here! Before you turn on your a/c try these tips. Maybe you will have more days a/c free, which will not only lower your energy bill, but reduce your carbon footprint, i.e. the impact you personally have on our fragile and failing environment

Some money saving ideas:

- During the summer keep your shades/blinds at least halfway closed during the hottest part of the day, usually between 10 am and 7 pm in most areas of the country. I like to keep  mine about 3/4ths closed with the windows open to allow the breeze to come into the house. At night keep as  many windows open as possible to allow the cool night air inside. If you have ground floor windows that have easy access for break-ins take that into consideration, of course. I would not want anyone to be unsafe. If you have 2 floors to your home, you could close the downstairs windows and leave the upstairs windows open, for example.

- Use fans in your home instead of the air conditioner or central air. This will not only cool your home but also uses much less electricity (saving money on your bill) and does not emit any gasses or use chemicals that damage our ozone layer.

- I discovered this trick last summer and was surprised to find it actually worked in my apartment. Fill a medium sized container, say a reused coffee can ( plastic or metal will work) and put in the freezer. When frozen set it in front of your fan. If you can find a way to elevate the frozen container to about the middle of the fan it will work best. If you are worried about the condensation on the outside of the container set on a plate or a towel. The air passes around the frozen container, reducing the air temperature and cooling that room more. It worked in my upstairs apartment. The rooms I used this idea in felt 5 degrees cooler.

- Keep lights off and as many appliances as possible OFF during the day. Lights and anything turned on, i.e. computers, coffee pots, televisions, etc, create heat. This heat is dispursed into your home which raises temperatures and makes you more uncomfortable.

- Don’t run your oven during the day in warm weather if you don’t have to. My crock pot is my best kitchen friend in warm weather. A practice that has been followed by all members of my family since my great-grandmother is to do any necessary baking either in the early morning or at night after the sun goes down. I usually do mine first thing in the morning ( before 7 am central time) or at night ( after 8 pm). This also goes for the stove top. Between my crock pot, microwave and bread machine (the microwave was given to me and the bread machine was a gift), I rarely use my stove at all in the summer. Using a grill is also an option for your main meals. I am also exploring the concept of a solar oven. I will do a piece on that sometime in the future.

- Go outside and sit in the shade. Bring a book, toys for the kids, plenty of fluids and enjoy the outdoors! In my state of Wisconsin in the summertime, inside is much hotter than outside.

- Take a cool shower before bed. This will lower your body temperature. The cool shower and a fan blowing around your bedroom ( with the window open if possible) is usually condusive to a good night’s sleep.

I encourage anyone to email me a tip or idea on saving money on energy costs. I welcome the knowledge! I will post your idea here along with your name. If you prefer to remain anonymous, just put anonymous at the end of your tip or idea.