Keep the tools in good repair

I know that I speak endlessly about my love for all cleaning things Shark, so when my Shark Sweeper appeared to die today I was shocked.  I knew it had plenty of charge, so what was going on...

When was the last time you did a cleaning or some maintenance on your vacuums and sweepers?  My Shark was full of my girls' red hair!  After a minor "surgical" repair, my Shark was back in business!

I can't be the only one right?  Perhaps your vacuums could use a little work as well?  It will certainly make that Spring Cleaning much easier to have working tools!

Next step in your Spring Cleaning

Are you ready to throw open those windows and enjoy the fresh Spring air? I am! Only problem is that the air might not be so fresh coming through filthy window tracks and door ways. If you think I am being overly OCD about this area, it may have been a while since you opened your windows and took a peek. YUCK!

First thing is to get out the best vacuum you have and get the smallest attachment. Take some time and really get out as much of the loose dirt that you can, it will make things MUCH easier when we start adding moisture.

While the vacuum and attachments are still out, use it on top of all doorways and door frames. Obviously if there is stuck on dirt, a clean rag or Magic Eraser will be necessary.

Now, getting the gunk and grime out of and off the window tracks and doorways does require some time and elbow grease, but it can be very rewarding.

If you have a Shark Pocket Steamer, this is my favorite place to use it! Shoot that steam right into the window tracks and entry ways and you will blast yourself to shinny happiness.

If you don’t have a steamer, you can still get it just as clean, just use more elbow grease. Get out your cleaning toothbrush, rags, and HOT water with cleaning solution and go to town.

While steaming out the tracks, also go over the screens. If you feel up to it, pop them out, and scrub them on the driveway like my mother used to do. That is a bit much for even me, though if you are up for it, more power to you!

My last touch on window trim and doorways may be a bit over the top for you, but it can really be the icing on the cake. Touch up/re-do paint on the trim, and re-caulk any necessary areas.

With a little effort you’re going to open up those windows and doors, and be greeted with the CLEAN Spring air.

Zarbees Update

Last week I told you about the blogging review that I went to for Zarbees all natural cough syrup.  I forgot to mention another product that they gave me to try, their new Natraflu Comfort Drink.  This is a powdered mixture that you mix with 1/4 of warm water to make a soothing night time drink.

My oldest had a cough last week, and we used the Zarbee's cough syrup during the day.  Now that the symptoms have disappeared during the day, she has had a lingering cough during the night.  I gave her this drink mixture before bed the past few nights.  She had so problem drinking the grape flavored drink, and with its added melatonin (an all natural sleep aid), my daughter slept through the night and was cough free! 

I love being able to review products that I actually use in my home and have had success with!

Clean In Your Sleep!

There are very few things that can clean themselves while you are sleeping, but here is one of them.  Have you ever cleaned your washing machine?  Not cleaning the top when it gets dusty, or the detergent dispensers when they have too much residue.  I am talking about washing the actual agitating parts, the ones that actually clean your clothes?

I had never really thought about it until I got my Whirlpool Cabrio washer several years ago.  I LOVE this washer, it was the largest capacity washer I could find, and it does an amazing job.  It has so many settings, and includes a setting to wash your washer! 

If you do not have this setting on your washer, you can just run it through a normal cycle, on hot, using only bleach.  It really does make a difference in your laundry cleaning, and you can run the setting while you are sleeping!

Zarbees Cough Syrup Product Review

I was invited to learn more about Zarbees cough syrup last week and to let all of you know what I think. I knew about Zarbees before it hit the mainstream market because the developers were in my neighborhood, and samples were shared!

After the FDA put the smackdown on the children's cough medication that most of us typically turn to, options were seriously limited. Zarbees does not fit into the traditional cough syrup mold because it is all natural.

A study done at Penn State (woo hoo!) showed that buckwheat honey was more effective than childrens cough syrup. Dr. Zarbock (a Utah based pediatrician) was lead to develop Zarbees, combining this honey benefit with natural vitamins to aid in the recovery process.

At a blogging event we were given a taste test of their various products, quite a site! Because this is a natural product, we could easily sample without any risk. The product comes in cherry, grape, and lemon. It is much thinner than I thought it would be, and easily went down. It is medicine, so I wouldn’t call it “yummy”, but certainly doable, even for my gag prone girls.

They have recently developed a night time product that combines a small amount of melatonin (a natural sleep aid) for your child to stop coughing and sleep through the night!

You can find their product at: http://www.zarbees.com/ , Walgreens, and Associated Food Stores. They are also on facebook: www.facebook.com/zarbees.

Amazingly they also have an “on-call” nurse for your pediatric health questions as well! You can find her on Twitter @ZarBeesNurse. Who doesn’t want to have their questions like, “my child had been coughing and had a runny nose for 7 days, is it time to go to the doctor (and pay the huge co-pay), or is this still viral and we need to tough it out a little longer?”.

Try them out the next time your child has a cough. It has worked well in our home, and may in yours as well.

WINNER!!!

The Wonder File Give Away is now closed, and the winner is ... Missy Lee!!!  Please e-mail me ASAP with your contact info. so I can ship you your brand new Wonder File!

Thank you to everyone who entered.  Stay tuned for more GIVE AWAYS during the month of December!

GIVE AWAY!!!

In the spirit of giving, I am doing a give away of one of my new favorite things!

This is the Wonder File, and has become a great solution for me dealing with the stacks of paper that we all deal with.  It folds very compact and is easy to carry.  It also opens up to allow you to see everything "on your plate" at a glance.  There are great pockets that allow you to divide your paperwork for what works best for you.

To enter to win you must do two things:
1.  Become a follower of Clear the Clutter.
2.  Leave a comment on this post telling what your biggest organization problem is.

The winner will have one Wonder File shipped to them on Monday, December 6.  These can be great gifts for teachers, or any busy person in your life, but they are also great to keep for yourself.  :)

Contest closes Saturday night, December 4 at 11:59 pm MST, and the winner will be chosen by random selection. 

Good luck! 

A FREE Christmas!

Well, almost.  I wanted to tell you about a great site that I have found.  I have ordered several items throughout the year, and have loved them all.  Most of these items I have saved for Christmas and I am really excited to see the reactions.

Have you heard of Vistaprint?

They are an on-line company that offers personalization of various products.  They also offer several products for FREE, you just have to pay shipping.  Several products you ask?  Yes, I just ordered Christmas cards, a banner, pen, letterhead, T-shirt, tote bag, and 100 postcards all personalized to my specifications and I only paid the shipping!  

Be sure you choose the cheapest shipping option.  They will tell you that it may take up to three weeks for delivery, but in my experience it usually only takes around one week.

What kind of gifts can you make?  I just made a T-shirt for my daughter's pre-school teacher (she does not know about my blog), that has my daughter's picture on it and says "I love Miss Jeri".  How cute is that?

Be creative, have fun, and you just may be able to knock off some of your Christmas gifts for free (or nearly)!  

Who doesn't need some magic?

Since this month includes a focus on deep cleaning, I thought I would tell you about one of my favorite cleaning products, Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser.

If you have marks on your walls and doors that have been bothering you and you don't want to do the touch up paint thing, this is what you have been looking for.  It does feel magical to have those marks erased, but one bonus that I have discovered, it takes marks off of white dress shoes!  Little girls look SO cute in their Spring/Summer dresses and white shoes.  All too quickly however, those white shoes have marks all over them.  This eraser is magic on those marks as well.

Try it out and see if it helps you to mark off a few "I've been meaning to..." items from your list!

Spring Cleaning in the Fall?

Deep cleaning isn't only for the Spring time.  The change of season is a great reminder to get to those areas that we don't get to that often.  The back pipes behind the toilet, the window tracks, the entrance grates, all can sparkle (at least for a little while).

I LOVE my Shark pocket steamer!

I will admit that I don't use all of the attachments, I prefer to use the nozzle and blast away. 

Be sure to vacuum out your area before you steam clean it (as necessary), it is so powerful that I have blasted dirt from the window tracks all the way up the walls.

If you have been meaning to get around to some deep cleaning, this might be a good fit for you.

Space Saver Bags!

What does your linen closet look like?  Do you open the door only to have mounds of blankets and sheets fall on top of you?  Often the items that are falling on top of us are those that we don't use that often (which is why we haven't found a good place for them). 

The blankets, pillows, sheets, and comforters that we use for company, or those that are great to have on hand but don't use frequently can all be "shrunk" to save a lot of room, and headaches.

I LOVE Space Bags!  I can put all of those items in one LARGE space cube, vacuum the air out, and neatly place it on the top shelf of my linen closet.  When company comes, I simply unzip the bag, and take the items out.  When I am done with them, I zip them back up and vacuum again.  They can be used over and over.  It really is amazing how much space you will save.

They are also GREAT at saving room with Winter coats, gloves, snowpants, etc.  I only get them out during the Winter, and they are sealed and minimized by my Space Bags the rest of the time.

I got mine at Bed Bath and Beyond, they sell for $39.99 for 7 bags.  I used my 20% off coupon and the 7 bags go a really long way.  You may want to split the bags with a neighbor or friend to save money and only use what you really need.  Enjoy!