Tips & Ideas

Cleaning your home is a tough job. You have to deal with a large variety of stains and spots that seemingly require the assistance of some powerful chemical agents. However, this is far from the truth. With the help of science and a little bit of clever chemistry, you can clean your entire home without polluting the environment or coming into contact with any dangerous chemicals.

1. Use cloths instead of paper

In today’s eco-friendly climate, there are lots of easily-accessible ways to make cleaning better for the environment. Using sustainable cleaning supplies is an important step towards creating a carbon-neutral household. Nowadays, paper towels are considered an outdated and environmentally harmful way to clean up. Millions of trees are cut down from them every year, and they aren’t recycled as much as they should be.

Cloths are a much simpler and more efficient way to wipe away stains. They cost a lot less in the long run, considering the fact that you get to wash and reuse them as much as you please. Microfibre cloths are becoming increasingly popular, as their cleaning ability rivals various chemicals, even when they are only used with water alone. They’re a natural, safe, and eco-friendly replacement for paper towels that you won’t regret.

2. Clear the drains with simple ingredients

Kitchen sinks have the most commonly clogged drains. After all of the things that go down that drain, it’s no surprise. Most people refuse to call a plumber and instead take things into their own hands. This is perfectly understandable, as there are hundreds of different ways to DIY a clogged drain. However, not all of them are created equal.

Powerful drain cleaners are often made with chemicals that aren’t exactly good for you. First of all, you wouldn’t want them to come in contact with any of the dishes you use to eat. Second, despite the fact that they are used in kitchen sinks, they are no good for the environment. Even if you successfully unclog the drain, you’re flushing down a bunch of harmful chemicals into the water supply.

Baking soda and vinegar do the job just fine. What better way to clean the kitchen sink than with kitchen ingredients? Mixing them up in the drain will cause a chemical reaction that will often take care of the greasy clog and put your drain back in business, without introducing harmful byproducts into the environment.

3. Make the exterior shine

The exterior of your home is going to be tough to take care of. After all, the walls take the brunt of the beating from wind, rain, and hail. It’s inevitable for dirt and grime to build up over time. Arguably, it’s the most difficult cleaning job in your home.

Sometimes, the dust and dirt buildup will prove too tough to clean on your own, at least without making use of some powerful cleaning agents that could harm your health and the health of your pets. You would be better off finding exterior house washing services that specialize in natural and healthy ways of cleaning outdoor surfaces. Professionals would probably do a better job of taking care of the exterior while still keeping the cleaning methods safe and natural.

4. Consider citrus-fresh cleaning

Many essential cleaning supplies are made up of allergenic and caustic chemicals that can’t easily be washed off. Things like window cleaners, floor cleaners, and wood polish are great examples. You will often come into contact with the surfaces that you use them on, which makes them very inconvenient, despite their usefulness.

On the other hand, there are some perfectly natural substances that do the job just fine on their own. White vinegar mixed in with some citrus juice will leave your windows looking spotless, while also making them safe to touch. You could even eat off of them, in the unlikely event that you enjoy the taste of citrus-infused vinegar. It’s going to spare you the trouble of dealing with allergies and other negative reactions with chemical solutions.

Cleaning your home with eco-friendly and natural solutions isn’t all that difficult. There are a variety of natural alternatives available to homeowners, even within their own kitchens. With a bit of know-how and some professional consultation, you can keep your entire home spotless without having to deal with caustic and allergenic chemicals.

About the Author

Sarah Jessica Smith is a young blogger from Sydney. She is in love with life and all the things that can make her daily routine easier. She loves to write about home improvement, lifestyle, and all the small things that make life such a great adventure.

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It’s not easy for working parents to manage everything in their life perfectly. Being organized in every aspect can become tricky and challenging. Especially when it comes to a clean house. If your house describes your lifestyle, a clean house would portray a happy and comfortable life. Plus when your home is clean, you’re more likely to be motivated to tackle all your other projects as well and keep productive.

So what should you do in order to keep your home clean and your life easy? The following tips and tricks will not only make your cleaning easier but also enjoyable!

Photo by Milly Eaton from Pexels

Have a One-Touch Rule

This might seem like a silly rule but it will definitely come in handy! This means that you only touch things once before you put them away. Not only does this make you put things in the right places, but it saves you A LOT of time and effort that can be put into other more important things.

This can also help you from getting distracted mid-clean as well. You won’t be picking one item up only to put it down in another room and creating clutter somewhere else rather than just tidying it up completely.

Keep Your Cleaning Supplies Accessible

Instead of keeping all of your cleaning supplies in one place, try keeping them in every room. If that’s not possible, keep the cleaning supplies in all the main rooms. This way, you can clean up rooms when you’re in them, and you won’t need to go into another room only to be distracted by something else. As a result, you’ll save time, and it will also be easier to clean up your space fast!

Image by Pexels from Pixabay

Don’t Leave The Laundry For The Weekend

The reason why everyone dreads laundry so much is that we let it all pile up and leave it to the last day. A better way would be to do a little bit of laundry every day. You could put in the clothes in the morning before you leave the house, put them in the dryer when you come back, and fold them before going to sleep. This saves you a full day that otherwise would have been dedicated only to laundry. 

Involve Your Kids

Teaching kids the importance of cleaning is crucial, plus it helps you get the work done. To involve your children, you can divide up cleaning into categories. For example, chores that you can do with kids, chores that your kids should do themselves, chores you could do after you put your kids to sleep, etc.

To make it even easier, why not create a handy to-do list which you can then post on your refrigerator. That way everyone can check off when they’ve completed a chore. To add some extra fun, why not incorporate stickers too! This will be a simple way to ensure everyone is on the same page.

Image by LaterJay Photography from Pixabay

Automate Your Cleaning

Sometimes you do need help with your cleaning. Investing in a good robot vacuum cleaner can make your life easier! These vacuum cleaners now come with many different features – this means that you now have more time on your hands, and you can get things done! While they may not get every nook and corner, they still do a very good job at cleaning. 

Hire Cleaning Services to Help Out

Sometimes you can have a super busy schedule. Hiring a cleaning service for when you are short on time can be highly helpful. Everyone needs help once in a while, so contact your local cleaning services and let them take care of things when you simply don’t have the time to sort it out on your own.

This can also be especially helpful before big events like moving house. They’ll help you tidy up fast and thoroughly so you can focus on getting all the other important details sorted.

About the Author

Liam Smith is a young and aspiring Australian blogger with a passion for everything related to home improvement, wellness and lifestyle. He has a B.Sc. in Interior design and is an avid reader.

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When life gives you lemons, there’s a whole lot more you can do than make lemonade. These powerful citrus fruits are surprisingly versatile, and they can help a savvy mom like you tackle your toughest chores. Lemons might even help you accomplish things you didn’t think were possible. It’s amazing what a little lemon juice or peel can do for your home. The list of ways to use lemons in your home could go on and on, but we’ve compiled what we consider to be the most useful lemon hacks. 

Here are 11 ways lemons can make your home cleaner, fresher, and even more budget friendly.

1. Make Produce Last Longer

The life expectancy of fresh fruits and vegetables varies depending on where you live, the weather, and what you’re trying to preserve. Either way, wouldn’t it be nice if the produce we spend so much money on could last even a few days longer? Apples might grow on trees, but that doesn’t make them cheap! 

Lemon juice is perfect for preserving fruits and vegetables. A lot of fruits and veggies, like apples, pears, peaches, potatoes, parsnips, and artichokes, turn brown minutes after they’re cut. If you’re not up for eating the entire thing in one sitting, you’ll have to throw the brown and ruined fruit/veggie away. But if you have a lemon, you can make them last longer. Dip the exposed end of your cut fruit/veggie in lemon juice, and you’re free to enjoy it for a little longer.

2. Clean Produce of Pesticides

Even if your household is all organic, there’s still the chance of having sneaky, invisible toxins on your produce. A quick rinse can get the job done sometimes, but you and your family will be a lot safer if you take the time to wash your produce before eating. 

Thanks to the acidic nature of lemon juice, you can use a few lemons to make an effective and all-natural produce cleaner. Add lemon juice, a dash of distilled vinegar, and cold water into a spray bottle. Then all you have to do is spritz your produce and rinse it off.

3. Fight Fruit Stains

Aren’t fruit stains the worst? Fresh berries are notorious for staining both fingers and clothes. They’re too delicious to give up, and thankfully, there’s an easy trick for getting out those bright blue and red stains.

If your usual method of stain fighting isn’t quite doing the trick, try dripping lemon juice directly on the offending spot. Sprinkle a little salt and rub it all together. Rinse the garment, and hopefully, the stain is noticeably lighter. Repeat the process until the stain is either gone completely or light enough to be tackled with other stain removing methods. 

4. Make Your Home Smell Amazing

The smell of lemons is always associated with cleanliness. You can make your whole house smell clean and fresh without resorting to lemon-scented air fresheners. 

Homemade potpourri is made with lemon peels, lemon juice, and a few other choice ingredients depending on the season and what you want your house to smell like. Check out One Good Thing for a few great recipes.

5. Clean Stainless Steel Appliances

Stainless steel appliances look sharp in your kitchen, but they’re like magnets for every jam-smeared finger and wet dog nose in the house. Those smudges always stand out and make your kitchen look messy even when it’s not. Cleaning up is harder than it looks, because even wet rags and paper towels can leave behind nasty streaks.

To solve your stainless steel struggle, cut a lemon in half and rub the juicy side on your smudged surfaces. The juice will cut through grease and make it easier to wipe away the mess. If you want an even stronger solution, add a little baking soda. 

6. De-Stink Your Garbage Disposal

After pouring week-old leftovers down your garbage disposal, it’s no wonder it tends to stink. Your garbage disposal puts up with a lot of abuse, and every now and then, it’s a good idea to treat it to a nice lemon bath. Lemon juice will eliminate odors to make your kitchen fresh instead of funky.

For this kitchen hack, you have options. You can choose to dump a few lemon peels down the disposal and run the motor, or you can make vinegar ice cubes with lemon wedges frozen on the inside. The vinegar adds more cleaning power, and the ice keeps the disposal blades sharp and clean.

7. Clean Your Coffee Maker

When was the last time you cleaned your coffee maker? I’m not talking about rinsing out the pot or changing the filter. I mean when did you actually clean the inner workings of the machine? If you have to think about it, it’s been too long. Mineral buildup can block the mechanisms and even affect the taste of your coffee—gasp! Plus those stains make everything look dingy.

To clean your coffee maker the easy, cheap, and all natural way, pour a solution of half lemon juice and half water into the reservoir. Let the cycle run, and then run it again with nothing but cold water. Doing this every now and then will keep your coffee maker clean and in good condition.

8. Freshen Up Your Fridge

Old food, spilled messes, and mold can send waves of rancid smells into your face every time you open your fridge. Even if you recently cleaned it out, age can make some appliances take on what seems like a permanent stench. Before you admit defeat, try this lemon trick.

Soak a new sponge in lemon juice and put it in your fridge. The juice-soaked sponge will absorb odors and leave a fresh citrus smell in their place.

9. Clean Stained Cutting Boards

Once a plastic cutting board is stained, no amount of dish soap or scrubbing will get it back to normal. And thanks to the nature of cutting boards, you probably have a whole pile of stained plastic cutting boards taking up space in your cabinets. You can choose to toss them or deal with their less-than-clean look, but there’s a third option.

Lemon juice is great for lightening stains, and it works wonders on plastic. Cut up a lemon and drop the juice on your stained cutting board. Use the lemon peel to rub the juice on the stain, and make sure to get in all the little nooks and cut marks. Next, put your lemon-soaked board in the sun. Let it sit in the sunshine for as long as possible before bringing it in and washing it off. Your stains should be gone!

10. Stop Garbage Can Stink

It’s garbage…it’s supposed to smell, right? That may be true, but it doesn’t mean we want our kitchens smelling like trash because of an old garbage can. Even after you wash them out and change the bag, they can still stink. There’s a reason trash bag manufacturers now sell scented bags, but you can get the same (better) effect with only a few lemons.

Next time you change the bag, drop a few lemon peels to the bottom of the can. Put your new bag in over top, and the peels will help fight off both the stench from the can itself and whatever else you toss away.