Spring Clean-Up for Bathrooms - From Sarah Aguirre,

Your medicine cabinet is overflowing. You can't remember what color the tile in your shower used to be. An invisible person wouldn't be able to recognize himself in your dingy mirror. Have hope. This spring cleaning how-to will get your bathroom back in shape.

Difficulty: Average

Time Required: 45 minutes-1 hour

Here's How:

1. Follow the 15 Minute Bathroom Cleanup. This will get rid of trash and laundry, enabling you to deeply clean the room. Don't do the floors in the 15 minute cleanup. We'll do that in a later step.

2. Dust down the ceiling and corners.

Consider if the walls in your home need to be washed. Check here for information on how to clean some wall surfaces. Dust and clean all wall art. Be careful when cleaning framed art and photographs. Never spray cleaner or water onto the frame. The liquid can seep behind the glass and damage the pictures. Instead light wet a clean cloth to wipe the frame and glass.

3. Dust the vents and fans.

Dust the outside of vents and fans. You may need to use a gentle cleanser mixed with water and a cleaning cloth. Take down light fixtures and gently wash and dry them before replacing.

4. Take down draperies, curtains, blinds, etc, to wash or have cleaned according to the directions.

Dust down any blinds and other window treatments. Dust down and wash windowsills and corners. Wash the inside and outsides of windows. Take down and rinse off screens, before replacing.

5. Scrub the shower and tub.

Don’t forget fixtures. Launder or clean your shower curtain and replace the shower curtain liner. Clean shower doors. Dissolve soap scum buildup with commercial cleaner or natural cleaners. Do not use lemons and vinegar or other acidic cleansers on tile grout. The cleansers will eat away the grout.

6. Scrub down the toilet.

Don’t forget the handle, crevices on the outside, and underneath.

7. Wash the inside and outside of medicine cabinets, linen cabinets, etc.

8. Wash down the sink and fixtures.

Don’t forget mirrors. Try using newspaper to clean and dry the mirror. It minimizes streaks.

9. Shake out bathroom rugs.

Launder them and hang to dry.

10. Sweep and mop the floor.

One of the best ways to get a floor REALLY clean is to use a rag or towel while on your hands and knees. If this is not an option try going barefoot and scooting a large towel around the floor with your feet. It provides more contact and pressure with the floor. Press gently, and be careful and slow. Even though this is the last step, the floor is not the best place to rest.

11. Empty and wash out the trash can.

Lining the trash can will save time when it needs to be emptied, and help keep it cleaner longer. You can buy small commercial trash sacks, or use leftover grocery sacks and help recycle.

Tips:

Make sure to leave the window open to ventilate the cleansers you will be using.
If you like singing in the shower, try singing while cleaning it. It will help pass the time.

What You Need:
Dust mop (preferably with a long handle)
Step-ladder
Cleaning cloths
Small bucket with handle
Sponges or stiff brush
Cleansers of choice
Broom and mop or towel
Plastic sack to line trash can

Spring Cleaning A Complete Checklist - Lets Start in the Kitchen

A Spring Cleaning Extravaganza

The flowers are blooming, the birds are serenading, and our house still feels like it's stuck with winter blues. Spring cleaning is a tradition that allows us to freshen up our homes and get a head start on the hectic seasons of spring and summer. What do you need help spring cleaning?

Spring Cleaning Checklists By Room

These tutorials help with spring cleaning for any room. Each tutorial gives a list of steps, tools and supplies needed, and tips to help you get the job done.

Kitchen Spring Cleaning:

Cluttered cabinets, a dusty refrigerator top, and an oven that smokes every time you bake are not the components of an ideal kitchen. Revive this important room in your home with a step-by-step tutorial on Spring Cleaning the Kitchen.

Difficulty: Hard

Time Required: 1-2 hours

Here's How:

1. Begin with a 15 Minute Kitchen Cleanup.

This will clear out the clutter and dirty dishes, and give you room to do the actual spring clean up. Don't worry about cleaning the floors in the 15 minute clean up. We will do this later.

2. Dust down the ceiling and corners of walls. Determine if the walls need to be washed in dirty spots.

Spot wash, remembering air vents, doorknobs, doors, switch plates. Walls will likely need to be washed more often in this room than in others. You may not have noticed that the hand mixer or blender sloshed goop all over the wall. Take your spring cleaning time now to clean the grease, grime, and spilled food from your walls.

3. Dust and clean all art and photographs along the wall.

Be careful when cleaning framed art and photographs. Never spray cleanser or water onto the frame. The liquid can seep behind the glass and damage the pictures. Instead lightly wet a clean cloth to wipe the frame and glass.

4. Dust and clean the ceiling fan.

You may need to use a gentle cleanser. Take down any light fixtures and gently wash and dry them before replacing.

5. Take down draperies, curtains, and blinds to wash or have cleaned according to the manufacturer's directions.

Vacuum and clean windowsills and corners. Wash the insides and outsides of the windows. Take down and rinse off screens, before replacing.

6. Apply a green oven cleaner to the oven and clean the refrigerator.

Don't forget to vacuum the coils of your UNPLUGGED refrigerator. This is a great time to sweep and mop underneath it too if you can find some help to move it. Be careful of scratching your floor.

7. While the oven cleaner works, begin sorting through the freezer and refrigerator.

Throw out any expired food, mostly empty containers, and items that you bought and never used. Put the stuff to keep on the counter. Take out the refrigerator shelves and drawers. Wash them down, being careful with glass shelves. Wipe down the entire inside of the refrigerator and freezer before replacing shelves and food. Wipe down and clean out the oven according to the directions on the oven cleaner.

8. Take the knobs, burners, burner covers, and spill catchers off of the stove.

Follow your stove/oven owner’s manual for information on proper cleaning methods for your model. (The one you carefully filed, when you bought the stove, just for an occasion like this.) Some stovetops lift up to allow easy access to spills and crumbs. Wipe down the entire stove.

9. Wipe down and clean the toaster, blender, and other small appliances.

Wipe down and clean the microwave. If the spills in the microwave are fossilized, try bring a water-filled glass cup to boiling in the microwave. The steam should help loosen the gunk. If the microwave smells, boil lemon juice. Unplug all appliances first. Don’t forget the turntable.

10. Clean out kitchen cabinets.

Reline if needed. Remove mismatched lids and bowls. Take out anything that isn’t being used on a regular basis. Reorganize and wash down the insides and outsides of cabinets.

11. Run the dishwasher empty.

Try adding vinegar or baking soda to the empty dishwasher before running it. If your dishwasher has a food trap in the bottom, clean it out. Wash down the outside of the dishwasher.

12. Wash down the countertops in your kitchen.

Don’t forget backsplashes. Check here for ideas on cleaning different countertop surfaces.

13. Wipe down and clean out any drawers.

Organize your flatware. This is a great time to install drawer dividers to better organize your kitchen drawers.

14. Wash down the sink. If you have a garbage disposal now is the time to pour baking soda with warm water and/or a lemon peel down the disposal to freshen the drain. Put ice cubes through the disposal to sharpen the blades.

15. Sweep and mop the floors.

Don't forget baseboards. One of the best ways to get a floor REALLY clean is to use a rag or towel while on your hands and knees. If this is not an option try going barefoot and scooting a large towel around the floor with your feet. It provides more contact and pressure with the floor. Press gently, and be careful and slow. Even though this is the last step, the floor is not the best place to rest.

Tips:

1. Gather all of your supplies together first thing. Trying to sort through the pantry cabinet for your oven cleaner might make you frustrated enough to declutter the cabinet. It's easy to forget what your initial goal was.

2. Reward yourself by ordering in for dinner tonight. Forbid anyone to touch your spotless kitchen at least until breakfast the next morning. Any longer is probably cruel, but they can handle it overnight.

3. Listen to music, an audio book, or a foreign language tape. The time will pass a lot more quickly if you have an enjoyable atmosphere. This is a great time to commandeer the stereo for what you want to listen to. If anyone objects, offer to let them have a turn with the stereo and the spring cleaning.

What You Need:

Dust mop (preferably with a long handle)
Step-ladder
Cleaning cloths
Small bucket with handle
Sponges
Vacuum with attachment
All-purpose cleanser, dishsoap, or mild cleanser of choice
Oven Cleaner, shelf or cabinet liner and drawer dividers
Broom and mop or towel


HAPPY CLEANING!!

For Free Information on Going Green or Greener living click here.

Baby Lotions, Shampoos, Powders may Expose infants to Worrisome Chemicals

Baby lotions, shampoos, powders may expose infants to worrisome chemicals
Provided by: The Canadian Press
Written by: Lindsey Tanner, THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Feb. 4, 2008

CHICAGO - Baby shampoos, lotions and powders may expose infants to chemicals that have been linked with possible reproductive problems, a small study suggests.

The chemicals, called phthalates, are found in many ordinary products including cosmetics, toys, vinyl flooring and medical supplies. They are used to stabilize fragrances and make plastics flexible.

In the study, they were found in elevated levels in the urine of babies who'd been recently shampooed, powdered or lotioned with baby products.

Phthalates (pronounced thowl-ates) are under attack by some environmental advocacy groups, but experts are uncertain what dangers, if any, they might pose. The U.S. government doesn't limit their use, although California and some countries have restricted their use.

Animal studies have suggested that phthalates can cause reproductive birth defects and some activists believe they may cause reproductive problems in boys and early puberty in girls.

Rigorous scientific evidence in human studies is lacking. The current study offers no direct evidence that products the infants used contained phthalates, and no evidence that the chemicals in the babies' urine caused any harm. Still, the results worried environmental groups that support restrictions on these chemicals.

"There is an obvious need for laws that force the beauty industry to clean up its act," said Stacy Malkan of Health Care Without Harm.

The study's lead author, Dr. Sheela Sathyanarayana, a University of Washington pediatrician, said, "The bottom line is that these chemicals likely do exist in products that we're commonly using on our children and they potentially could cause health effects."

Babies don't usually need special lotions and powders, and water alone or shampoo in very small amounts is generally enough to clean infant hair, Sathyanarayana said.

Concerned parents can seek products labeled "phthalate-free," or check labels for common phthalates, including DEP and DEHP.

But the chemicals often don't appear on product labels. That's because retail products aren't required to list individual ingredients of fragrances, which are a common phthalate source.

The Food and Drug Administration "has no compelling evidence that phthalates pose a safety risk when used in cosmetics," spokeswoman Stephanie Kwisnek said. "Should new data emerge, we will inform the public as well as the industry."

The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the health effects in humans are uncertain.

"Although several studies in people have explored possible associations with developmental and reproductive outcomes (semen quality, genital development in boys, shortened pregnancy, and premature breast development in young girls), more research is needed," a 2005 CDC report said.

The new study, which appears in February's issue of the journal Pediatrics, involved 163 babies. Most were white, ages 2 to 28 months and living in California, Minnesota and Missouri.

The researchers measured levels of several phthalates in urine from diapers. They also asked the mothers about use in the previous 24 hours of baby products including lotions, powders, diaper creams and baby wipes.

All urine samples had detectable levels of at least one phthalate, and most had levels of several more. The highest levels were linked with shampoos, lotions and powders, and were most prevalent in babies younger than eight months.

John Bailey, chief scientist at the Personal Care Products Council, questioned the methods and said the phthalates could have come from diapers, lab materials or other sources.

"Unfortunately, the researchers of this study did not test baby care products for the presence of phthalates or control for other possible routes of exposure," Bailey said.

Air Fresheners - Natural dollars and scents

How we love a clean fresh scent – fragrance of lavender or rose petals wafting about the home or office. You can create your own air fresheners for a pittance. Not only do you save money, but the simple recipes below actually remove odors – not just cover them up. Become the Happy Alchemist and improve the air quality in your environments! It just happens to be good alchemy for the environment, too!
Getting Started
Decide if you want to buy an all natural product from the store or if you want to make your own. If you want to make your own freshener that neutralizes odours:
1) Get a mist spray bottle. Reuse one that you have in the house, or get one from a beauty salon or flower shop.
2) Pick a 100% pure essential oil fragrance. Go to a local health food store or similar to find a fragrance that you would like to use. Some of the choices include lemon, lime, spearmint, peppermint, etc.
3) Have white vinegar handy. This will be the main ingredient for the home air freshener. The vinegar won’t just cover up odors, it will actually neutralize them. The smell of vinegar disappears quickly, and with the use of an essential oil, the smell will be refreshing.
4) Create your own freshener. For every 8 ounces of White Vinegar use 1 to 1.5 ml (20-30 Drops) of essential oil. Mix into the mist bottle, shake before use, and you are ready to go. Play with the amount of essential oil depending on how weak or strong you would like the fragrance.

Focus on Health
Not only do natural air fresheners make the air seem fresher, they keep it that way - less chemicals sprayed into the air means better air for you and your family!
To note, always avoid breathing in air fresheners directly after they are sprayed, whether they are homemade or bought commercially.

Environment
Cut back on waste. More waste is used to make air fresheners than vinegar bottles. Consider reusing the vinegar bottles as well.

Reduce the use of chemicals. A natural product that is homemade or made without toxins is better for the environment.