Winner!

The Winner of the $50 Gift Card to Bed Bath and Beyond is....

Leslie!

We will be contacting you soon to send you your prize!

How to Clean a Pillow

I found out that we are supposed to wash our pillows twice a year- Who knew!

Here are the steps to wash and dry your pillows:

1. Check the tag on the pillow to make sure it can be washed- most can be.

2. Use LIQUID detergent, not powder.

3. Wash two pillows at a time to keep the washer balanced.

4. Run the rinse cycle twice.

5. For drying Down Feather Pillows, use the air cycle and make sure to dry fully since it might lead to mold issues if you pull them out still wet or damp. For drying synthetic pillows, use low heat and throw in some tennis ball inside of white socks to help refluff the pillow.

Don't forget to Clean this: Between the Stove Top and the Counter

Just take a kitchen knife wrapped in a slightly damp cloth and pull it through a couple times. If there is a layer of grease or gunk add dish soap to your cloth.

How to Get Rid of Rust in your Sink

Just 3 Steps to remove rust stains.

Step 1: Squeeze lemon juice directly on the stain.

Step 2: Sprinkle a liberal amount of salt on the lemon juice.

Step 3: Let sit for about 4 hours and then rinse with cool water. Get all the salt down the drain before you start scrubbing. Just use your soft sponge and a little dish soap to wash all the residue off. The stains should be gone!

Cleaning your Grout

We have tan grout but it can get dirty really fast. I invested $7 in a good grout brush and then made a vinegar/water/baking soda mixture to scrub it down. It worked amazingly.

Here's the cleaning mix:

Two cups Vinegar

Two cups Water

3 Tablespoons Baking Soda

Before:

After:

Bread Plate or Drinking Glass... Which on is yours?

Follow this tip to help you figure what plate and glass is yours?

Stylish File Folders

Upgrade your filing system with these stylish folders found at Paper Source. Check out the website for more designs.

Cost: $7.00 for a set of 6

Source: http://www.paper-source.com/cgi-bin/paper/item/Owl-File-Folders/3210.020/496716.html

Floating Book Shelf

Floating Book Shelf

The Secret: If you look closely, the bottom book slips over the flat metal ledge and then hooks onto the clips under the ledge. Simply stack books on top giving it a floating appearance.

Cost: $12.99

Available at: http://www.casa.com/p/umbra-conceal-floating-large-book-shelf-233800

Grout Brush

THE ULTIMATE GROUT BRUSH!

OXO Good Grips Grout Brush

You can get it from www.casa.com

Great Wall Organizer

This wall organizer is available on casa.com. I am getting one for the inside of my cleaning closet.

Source: http://www.casa.com/p/evriholder-magic-holder-wall-organizer-283252

Never Lose the Cap Again

We are ALWAYS losing the cap to the toothpaste. Today, I had enough and just glued it on with floss. Just take some floss and tie it to the toothpaste tip and glue (with hot glue) the other end to the top of the cap. It must be the top of the cap so when you twist the cap back on it won't get tangled. I know it might seem silly, but it really works for us.

Are you Feeling Lucky!

Enter to win

$50 Bed Bath and Beyond gift card

The Contest:

If you like to learn more about HomeKeeping tips and tricks and want a chance to refresh some of your cleaning equipment, sign up to follow this blog! You'll have a chance to win $50 to Bed Bath and Beyond. There will be more opportunities to win in the future- just make sure to follow so you'll know when to participate.

Rules:

All you have to do is sign up to follow the blog by 12:00am, March 31, 2012 and you will automatically be entered. Type in your email address on the right sidebar of the blog. A follower will be chosen at random to win the prize. If you win, it will be posted on the blog and you will be notified by email on April 1, 2012.

Thank you:

A big shout out to Bed Bath and Beyond for the gift card.

How to Clean your Kitchen Faucet

This is a really simple trick to clean the faucet head that I found on a ton of blogs/websites.

Supplies:

1/3 Cup of Baking Soda

1 Cup Vinegar

Zip Lock Bag

Rubber band or Clip

Directions:

Put the baking soda in the zip log bag. Then, SLOWLY, add the vinegar. Do this over the sink since it will bubble up (remember 3rd grade science). Pull the faucet out and dip in the bag. Use the rubber band or clip to hold the bag on the faucet head. Make sure the faucet head is fully submerged in the liquid. Wait about 1 hour then use a old tooth brush to scrub off all the yucky gunk.

How to Clean the Refrigerator's Water Tray

Put the tray in the sink and pour vinegar on it. Try to level the tray so the vinegar can pool in the ridges. After a couple minutes rinse the vinegar off and lightly scrub using a sponge and dish soap.

How to Clean Make Up Brushes

Products Needed: Paper Towels, Olive Oil, Baby Shampoo, Towel

Step 1: Rub Brushes in Olive Oil on a Paper Towel

Step 2: Wash Tips of Brushes in Baby Shampoo

Step 3: Rub them off on a towel to dry

Check out this You Tube video to see it done:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYz5MsoHqUM

Cleaning a Glass Cook Top

I tried this baking soda method to clean our glass cook top. Click on the link for step-by-step instructions.

http://behindthestudio.com/2011/06/15/how-to-clean-your-glass-cooktop/#.T2TMExGPV8F

It really makes it sparkle, but I had to use a razor blade to get some of the tougher stains off.

Great Organizing Notepads

Check out this website for some GREAT notepads or tools that help keep you organized. There are dozens of choices. They stick to the refrigerator, making it super helpful.

http://www.knockknockstuff.com/

Paper Towel Dust Pan

Whenever I use a dustpan, all the little dust pieces get left behind. Instead of using a dustpan try a wet paper towel. Then you sweep your pile onto it and wipe the rest up with the paper towel. This prevents any left over dirt.

Tip about picking up broken glass

My girlfriend told me about this tip for cleaning up broken glass.

After you sweep/vacuum there still could be micro pieces of glass left over. You can get a make-up cotton pad (found in most beauty sections in grocery stores) and run it all over the section picking up those last few that got left behind.

You can substitute normal cotton ball in for the make-up pads.

Bake, Don't Boil

Great for making a lot of hard-boiled eggs for Easter or a party, but also great for just everyday hard-boiled eggs since they turn out creamier.

Step 1: Put the oven racks in the center of the oven.

Step 2: Place the eggs parallel to the racks (extra large eggs work better since they stay on a little safer).

Step 3: Put a baking sheet on the bottom rack in the oven just in case one breaks.

Step 4: Bake at 325 for 30 minutes.

Step 5: When they are done, remove them and place in a bowl of ice water.

Step 6: Peel the eggs as soon as they are cool enough for you to handle. Then put them back into the bowl of ice water to chill.