Tips to keep your Home Clean

We have a sign in our restroom at our retail store that says "Clean as you go and everything stays cleaner."  I am one of those people that might be considered a "clean freak."  I like to keep things clean and I love time-saving tips to help me do this.  It has become second nature to me.  I thought I would share some of those tips with you.

• If you spill, clean it up right away.  The longer it stays, on your counter, on your floor, on your upholstery, the harder it will be to clean up. 

• Vacuum your floors and carpet regularly.  According to The Carpet and Rug Institute, "Removing loose soil while it remains on the carpet surface prevents dirt from being ground into the carpet pile and can help preserve the cushiness of your carpet."  It is also the best way to free your air of allergens.  When people are buying an Air Purifier due to allergies, we first ask if they have a good vacuum cleaner.  Vacuum, instead of sweeping wood floors, especially if you have allergies. Dirt and grit act like sandpaper and will scratch your wood floor.
• Keep a microfiber mop handy. We recommend the Bona Mop.   After you've vacuumed your hard surface floors, running a microfiber mop over it will keep it looking clean and shiny.  Get your microfiber completely wet with hot water and then wring out as much water as possible before you mop.  Unlike other mops, the microfiber attracts the dirt and does not re-distribute it on your floor.    
• If you splatter, clean it up right away.  Keep a microfiber cloth handy in all the usual places that this could happen:  near your kitchen counter, near the bathroom mirror.  Those spots on the mirror that happen after you brush your teeth are much easier to get off right after you do it.  If you get water on your bathroom counter, they won't spot if you wipe it up right then.
• Do regular maintenance.  Keep a squeegee in the shower for shower doors, shower walls and use it.  This prevents build-up and water spots.  We also keep Unique Pet & Odor Eliminator (yes, humans can use it to) mixed with water in a spray bottle.  About every other day, I spray the shower doors, floor, where they meet, shower walls with the mixture.  Next time you finish your shower, rinse it off and use the squeegee.  
• Keep a lambswool duster nearby.  If you see a build-up of dust, get the duster out and use it.  They don't spread the dust around.  Thousands of soft, dense lambs wool fibers act as a magnet to naturally attract and hold dust particles without the use of cleaning chemicals or aerosols.
• Keep clutter to a minimum.  It is easier to clean and better for your indoor air quality.  Clutter gets in the way, collects more dust and can affect our overall sense of well-being.  Use baskets or other containers to store the clutter that collects in your house and store those out of your living areas, like in a closet.  Also, keep an empty basket or two to gather up junk out of your living room to re-distribute it in its proper place.  
• A Place for Everything and Everything in its Place.  Make sure where you keep your items is close to where you use them.  I just did a reorganization of my kitchen because I realized how much time I was spending putting things away and that things stayed out longer because of this.  Re-evaluate how and what you use and keep the things you use frequently nearby and store lesser-used items in out of the way places. 
•  Replace disposables with reusable items.  We have eliminated paper towels in our house and retail store.  We keep a good supply of microfiber cloths for all jobs and have a designated hamper or bucket to keep the used ones until we wash them.  I even have old flour sack towels I use to soak up grease from food when I cook.  Washing them in hot water makes them able to be used again and again for that same job.  We no longer use paper napkins, replacing them, instead with cloth.  We use glass straws.  All this cuts down on the garbage we throw out, making less work for us and helping the environment at the same time.  Modern conveniences sometimes cost more time and usually take a toll on Mother Nature.  

I hope these tips help you keep your home cleaner and, as a result, healthier.  I would love to hear from you and know what your tips are.

Shop online at www.vacshack.com In the Oklahoma City area shop www.acleanerplace.com

Green cleaning

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Psychology of Cleaning out Your Closet

Much like hanging on to old resentments and hurts can interfere with our ability to grow and prosper, hanging on to old clothes and items that are no longer worth keeping can interfere with our ability to accomplish our daily tasks.  Cleaning out a closet can free you emotionally and physically. 

I was taught by my high school home economics teacher, DeAnn Pence, that you clean from the inside out.  She was right! This has so many applications in our life.  Keeping your closets and cupboards clean and organized can help your life be that way, as well.  If you are going to have impromptu guests and need to do a quick pickup/clean-up, it will be much easier if everything has a “home.”  That is why, in my house, I refer to where items “live.”  Likewise, if you are a busy person, getting ready in the morning is much easier if your clothes, make-up, accessories are organized in a way that fits with your lifestyle.

   

First step in cleaning out (your life or your closet) is to purge:

• Get rid of things you no longer need.
• If you can’t get rid of it, put in away in a spot that will not interfere with your daily routines.  
• Enlist the help of a friend if you just can't decide.
• Think about what clothes, resentments or past traditions are no longer useful or are holding you back.  

Be ruthless as you try on clothes that

• Don’t fit
• Aren’t in style
• You don't wear
• Are in disrepair and you either won’t fix or not worth fixing

Make three Piles:   Donate, give away, throw away.

After you get rid of some of the things that don’t belong in your closet, organize:

• If you are limited on space, organize your clothes by size.  If you have all your long items together, you will have floor space under short items to have drawers, racks, etc.
• Having uniform hangers takes up less space and makes it easier to get to what you need.
• Use baskets, bins, storage drawers to keep things organized. 

Just like with your life, take time as you go to clean up and clear out things, clothes, thoughts, resentments you don't need.  Getting rid of the old always makes room for some new.  But, before you get new, think about leaving some free space, it can make things simpler. 

Shop online at www.vacshack.com In the Oklahoma City area shop www.acleanerplace.com

Watch the clip talking about Kealey's closet and stay tuned for the "after".

Do you have a closet that you'd like made over?  Send pictures to acleanerplace@vacshack.com and we'll offer suggestions and/or give you a quote to makeover your closet.  

Clutter & Stress

I recently did an interview on a local tv station, KSBI-TV,  talking about how to de-clutter and de-stress.  You can view that segment by clicking on this link and then clicking on Monday, June 27.

I.                    Cluttered Surroundings = Increased Stress

II.                  Create a Clutter-Free Zone

III.                Make Bedroom a Relaxing Place

IV.                A Place for Everything & Everything in its Place

V.                  A Clean Home is a Healthy Home

VI.                Clutter Free→ Clean Home→ Healthy Body→ Healthy Mind→ Less Stress→ Peace of Mind

 

Ways in which clutter can lead to increased stress can include time wasted looking for things. Wasted time can lead to a lot of stress if you constantly have to look for things like your keys, or other essential items to start your day. If you misplace your bills and they don't get paid on time you can pile stress upon stress.  Clutter can also lead to fear that someone will stop by and see your mess.  You can also become overwhelmed by your clutter, to the point you can't get motivated to do anything because it all seems so much.  

A good way to begin to tackle your clutter is to create a "clutter-free zone.  If you can't seem to rejuvenate because of the amount of chaos in your life, try to establish an area or a room if you can, where there is no clutter.  Arrange or decorate it in a way that is pleasing to you.  You might keep flowers there, a favorite throw, a stereo to play your music.  The idea is to have a least a place to sit and reconnect with what is important to you.  A place to read, meditate, pray or just be alone with your thoughts.

The bedroom is the best room to start to de-clutter.  Most people leave their bedroom to last, or never get to it, because "nobody sees it."  So....you are willing to make other rooms pleasing to others, but don't get to your bedroom because "it's just you."  See something wrong with this picture?  If you are trying to get your serenity back, make your bedroom a serene place.  It is the room where you spend more time than any other and, more importantly, it is where you sleep.  If you have a lot of clutter in your bedroom, it may be interfering with your sleep.  If the last thing you see before climbing into bed is a beg pile of mess, then that may be what you go to sleep and wake up thinking about.  

When you start to tackle this issue of getting your house (or your office or workplace) in order, make a place for everything.  If you don't have a place for everything, then you may want to look at other solutions or get rid of some things.  Are there things you want to keep but don't use as often?  Maybe they can go into longer term storage, into containers and in the garage, attic or basement.  Maybe you need some shelving or cabinets to store some things longer term.  Another good rule of thumb is "don't bring anything into your home unless you take something out:  clothes, shoes, furniture, knick-knacks, magazines, you get the picture.  

If you want to be healthy and you want your family to be healthy, then you need a clean home.  From allergies to bugs to rodents; all can become a problem in a dusty, cluttered, unkempt home.

Clutter-free is necessary to be able to properly clean your home.  A clean home helps maintain a clean body.  Healthy Body helps contribute to a healthy mind.  A healthy mind and state of being can lead to less stress and can help you deal better with the little bumps in life.  Less stress can help lead to that peace of mind we all want.  

Good luck to de-cluttering your home, your office and your mind.  There's no time like the present to start this task. 

Shop online at www.vacshack.com
In the Oklahoma City area shop www.acleanerplace.com
To contact Jeanie for counseling, training, or speaking engagements www.jeaniejones.com

Cherry Limeade

I have loved Cherry Limeade since I was a kid.  In my hometown of Chandler, OK, there was a drive-in food place, Sprague's Drive Inn where they made the best Cherry Limeade.  One summer after my mom had surgery, I would frequently walk down there to get her a Cherry Limeade.  Braum's makes a pretty good one, but (maybe it's just a fond childhood memory) not like Sprague's!  I have loved my Soda Stream Soda maker since I got it and have loved experimenting with recipes.  See my previous post for a great Cream Soda Recipe I got from the Martha Stewart Show.  So, I got the idea to make my own Cherry Limeade!  The first one I made was with carbonated water, maraschino cherries and juice and fresh lime.  It was pretty good.  But this one, made with fresh cherries is the BOMB.  So, if you like Cherry Limeade, here it is:

Start with Cold Water and Use your Soda Stream Soda Maker to carbonate the water.

8 ounces Carbonated Water
Juice of One Fresh Lime
1/8 cup Cherry Syrup (recipe to follow)

Put the lime juice and one half the lime into the carbonated water and add the Cherry Syrup.  Stir, add your ice and enjoy!

Notes:  I found the Cherry Syrup to not make it quite sweet enough, so I added 1/2 teaspoon Splenda.  I think that it is a preference how sweet/sour you want yours, so don't be afraid to experiment.  You could also top it off with a maraschino cherry to add flavor, sweetness and color.

Cherry Syrup

2 cups fresh cherries (any variety) 
1/4 cup water 
3 tbsp. granulated sugar (I used organic turbinado sugar)

Insert a small paring knife into each cherry and cut around the hard center pit until you can pop it out, then discard the pit. (or use a cherry pitter) Wash your hands immediately with soap and warm water to prevent the cherry juice from staining your hands.

Add 2 cups pitted cherries into a food processor. Puree by holding down the "On" button for roughly three-second intervals until the cherries are completely blended, with no visible lumps. Continuously holding down the "On" button may make the cherries blend unevenly.

Place a large saucepan on the stove, then pour in the pureed cherries. Stir in 1/4 cup water and 3 tbsp. granulated sugar. Heating sugar and water produces a thick base known as a simple syrup.

Turn the stove to "high" and heat until the mixture starts to boil. Lower the heat to "medium" and cook the mixture for approximately 10 minutes so it can thicken.

Allow the syrup to cool for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until it's at room temperature. Pour into a jar and serve immediately, or store in the refrigerator for up to a week for the best results.

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In the Oklahoma City area shop www.acleanerplace.com

How to Clean up Pet Accidents

Do you have a pet? Does that pet sometimes have accidents? If so, we have a solution for you.

Pet odor and stain eliminator by Unique Manufacturing. If your pet has an accident on your carpeting, you need to first scrape up as much of the solid waste as is possible. Next you mix pet odor and stain eliminator 10 to 1 with warm water. Pour the mixture onto your carpet, upholstery, or other area that has been stained. Because you have mixed this 10 to 1 with water, the product goes a long ways, and you can use it very liberally.

Next, place a moist towel or cloth over the stained area, making sure to use a white or light-colored cloth if your carpet or upholstery is light in color. Leave the towel or cloth on the stained area overnight. The product will continue to work as long as there is any stain left in your carpet or upholstery. Because it is an enzyme product, it is completely safe to use around children or pets. If the stain does not seem to be completely gone you can repeat the above steps.  After it has dried completely, simply vacuum the area. 

Pet odor and stain eliminator by unique Manufacturing can also be used if your animal gets into a tussle with a skunk. Our dog DJ has had encounters with skunks and we use this product to eliminate the smell. Again, you mix the product 10 to 1 with warm water and pour it on animal’s coat. Because it is an enzyme product there is no need to rinse the product out. It will leave your pet's coat shinier than ever.

We love this product and it can be used on a lot more than pet stains.  It is made by a company in Arvada, CO and they have been making natural products long before it became fashionable.

Shop online at www.vacshack.com
In the Oklahoma City area shop www.acleanerplace.com