Sunday, July 19, 2009

A Fresh Start to the Week

Well, blog buddies, it's Sunday, and anyone who knows me fairly well will tell you that this is typically my cleaning day. Sometimes I'm done in an hour, and sometimes it takes 5 or 6. Usually it starts when I wake up (without an alarm clock, thank you very much) and strip the sheets off the bed. A bit of concentrated detergent and a method dryer sheet do the trick quite nicely.

At some point after waking up and eating a bite, I start the dusting process. It's really pretty simple with these handy microfiber cloths. I found these at Target a few years ago, and you may be able to make out the logo. Vroom. I did some searching online back then and found that--surprise, surprise--this company was a subsidiary of method. I'm not sure that's the case now. At any rate, they work like a charm! Usually I don't even use a liquid cleaner; I just run the cloth over my desk, nightstand, dresser, monitor, etc. The dust is trapped by tiny, tiny fibers until you shake them outside or toss them in the washing machine.

Then I break out my EnviroVac by Eureka! I guess that's not really an exclamatory sentence, but the word eureka just brings it out. This model is bagless and uses 33% less energy than regular vacuums. And it's a really cool blue color. I run it over my carpets and every few weeks use the attatchment to clean my pillows, mattress, baseboards, and windowsills. I like to vacuum after dusting in case any extra dust falls to the floor.



Today I decided to run the hose along the ceiling and in the corners. I even got brave and wheeled the operation into my brother's room. Yikes. It was necessary, though, because he was bringing down the property value.

Then I tried a new home-y trick that I learned from Ideal Bite, which is a great eco resource, by the way. They send eco-tips and tricks by e-mail on Monday-Friday. Sometimes they're a little far-fetched, but I always learn at least one new thing. Check them out! I filled up a cheap spray bottle with vinegar and attacked the little weeds that pop up in cracks in the concrete outside. I am anxious to check back in a day or so and see if it works. Vinegar is great for cleaning, too. It's super cheap and does not hurt the environment...except for those pesky weeds, fingers crossed.


Right before bed I put clean sheets back on, and I always sleep like a charm. It's probably a combination of mild exhaustion and feeling extra clean and cozy. Do you have any cleaning tips to share?

5 comments:

  1. It's swiffer dusters and a hot pink vacuum at Chez Dawn. I love to clean, but only when it's not expected. I'm such a rebel. :)

    I haven't tried Method yet, but will be at a Target this weekend so I may look into it. I will certainly try the vinegar on the weeds. They are taking over my drive-way!

    So, when are you getting your crumber, Will?

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  2. love the vinegar idea...let me know if it works.

    my cleaning tip-
    clean the kitchen daily,
    clean the bathroom every other day,
    clean the bedroom daily,
    clean the living area weekly.

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  3. My best cleaning tip is to choose one chair to pile clothes in instead of piling my clothes on to 3 different chairs. It just makes my room look tidier.

    :)

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  4. Thanks for the comments and tips, everybody! It looks like the vinegar is working, although today has been pretty rainy. I will probably spray another time and then take a follow-up picture or two.

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  5. Hi Tommy, I'm going to have to try the vinegar tip too, I definitely like that is a more eco-friendly method than other weed killers. Although it isn't a cleaning method per-say, I have found that lemon juice does so much; happily, I discovered that you can use it as an ant killer instead of the other chemical stuff. Thanks for your comment today at Pink to Green!

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