Miraclean – 803.984.9383 | Tag Archives: clean

10 alternative uses for baby powder

Posted on June 30, 2014 by Kristin Posted in General Announcement .

‘Tis the season for fun in the sun, beach vacations, and lots of sand! One essential beach item is baby powder. It is perfect for getting sand out of…hard to reach places. It is also great when you want to put on your flip flops but don’t want to get your feet wet.

Here are nine other ways baby powder can help you around the house:

1.) Sprinkle the bed sheets to cool down before you go to sleep.

2.) Use it as a dry-shampoo for yourself and your pet!

3.) Rub it in your clothing to absorb grease stains.

4.) Sprinkle baby powder to help fix creaky hardwood floors.

5.) Spruce up your stinky shoes by making baby powder satchels to eliminate lingering odors.

6.) Use it to help detangle your necklaces.

7.) Clean playing cards in a plastic bag with a little baby powder and shake the bag.

8.) Freshen vintage books and moldy pages. Let the pages air-dry, sprinkle powder and let it sit for one hour. Dust powder off.

9.) Sprinkle over kitty litter for a quick refresh.

Do you have baby powder tricks? Please, share them on our Facebook page!!!!

Money-saving gardening tips

Posted on June 30, 2014 by Kristin Posted in General Announcement .

Last night my mom sent me this picture of her herb garden. I love that she said Take #1. Green thumbs don’t run in this family!

This week’s blog is for my mother.

Here are some cute and handy ideas for your garden:

1.) Use an old ladder as a growing support for cucumbers, beans, and tomatoes.

2.) Check out these cool plant potters! Use glow in the dark paint and place the potters around the edge of your patio or garden.

3.) Speaking of paint, paint a few rocks to look like strawberries. Place the rocks near your berry patch to chase the birds away. They hate pecking on stones and they will assume all the berries are hard.

4.) Use left-over coffee grounds to acidify the soil of acid-loving plants like azaleas, rhododendrons, camellias, gardenias and blueberries. A light sprinkling of a quarter-inch applied once a month will keep the pH of the soil on the acidic side.

5.) Another awesome use of coffee filters are to use them in the bottom of your potted plants to keep the dirt from leaking out of the drainage hole.

6.) Turn a rake or other long-handled tool into a measuring stick. Use a permanent marker and a tape measurer to write inch and foot marks on the handle. Perfect for those plants that need space!

7.) Create natural markers by writing the names of plants on flat faces of stones of various sizes and place them at the base of your plants.

8.) Keep your garden twine handy by placing it in a small clay pot and pull the end of the twine through the drainage hole and set the pot upside-down in the garden.

9.) Dry your herbs by arranging them on a sheet of newspaper on the seat of your car. Roll up your windows and close the door and they will be perfectly dry. Plus, your car will smell great!

10.) Next time you boil or steam veggies, let the water cool and use it to water your potted plants. You’ll be amazed at how the plants respond to the veggie soup!

Do you have tips to add? Tell us about it at www.facebook.com/Miraclean.

Are your boys statistics? New study finds men 2.5 times less likely than women to wash hands

Posted on April 9, 2014 by Kristin Posted in New Research .

I am a total germaphobe!

I cannot help it. I open public restroom doors with a paper towel. I flush public toilets with my foot. I use hand sanitizer after touching the gas pump. I cringe when I have to shake hands with someone, especially men, because I don’t know where their hands have been!

The other day, I received an email about a study that said men are less likely than women to wash their hands after using a public restroom because they “don’t feel the need.”

The survey, conducted by Bradley Corporation, states that 60 percent of men say they always wash their hands after using a public restroom, as compared to 74 percent of women.

Why the no hand washing, guys? According to the survey, men cited the lack of soap in restrooms, as well as dirty sinks, as the reason to not washing up. Women said they used hand sanitizer instead.

The best part of the survey is reading that I’m not the only crazy person out there! According to the survey, 64 percent of people prefer to flush the toilet using their foot; 60 percent use a paper towel to open the restroom door; 37 percent use a paper towel to avoid touching the faucet handles; and 48 percent open and close doors with their hip.

It’s nice to know I’m not the only person that avoid cross-contamination.

Keep in mind, the survey did not specify whether the participants properly washed their hands using warm water, soap and washing for a full 20-seconds.

Check out the survey results here.

I’ll leave you with a couple of gross facts. The restroom door knob has as much bacteria as a urinal. The sink has 100,000 germs per square inch, where the toilet has 100 germs per square inch. Keep in mind, with every flush of the toilet you send an invisible six foot radius of bacteria that lands on exposed surfaces. Lastly, if you are a fan of the Big Bang Theory, you know that hand dryers release more bacteria than paper towels alone. Paper towels decrease hand bacteria by 29 percent, a hand dryer increases it by 162 percent.

Check out more facts here.

So, what do you think? Do you agree with the survey? Voice your opinion on our Facebook page here! Don’t forget to “Like” us while you’re there.

10 ways a shoe organizer can keep you sane

Posted on October 23, 2013 by Kristin Posted in Cleaning Tips .

I’ve been in an organizing mood lately. I think it is because the weather is changing, so I am changing out my clothes in the closet, switching jackets on the coat rack, and pulling my boots from the dusty underneath of my bed.

Speaking of which, after I organize, I usually deep clean. Mostly because while organizing I notice how filthy everything starts to look. But, that will be a future blog post. Today, I wanted to show your 10 different ways to use the over-the-door organizers. I know I talk about these organizers a lot, but there’s a reason. You can use them to organize practically anything! There is no way you can have too many of these guys. So, let’s jump in!

Let’s start in the kitchen:

Do you have a cabinet full of these travel mugs and bottles? They are great for saving the environment, but do you worry that if you open the cabinet too far they will all come crashing down? Put an over-the-door hanger in your pantry and don’t worry about the leaning tower of travel mugs tumbling on you.

Organize your pantry by storing utensils, snacks, measuring cups, napkins, and more in an organizer.

Use the organizer to store beauty products such as make-up, nail polish, cosmetic tools, jewelry, hair bows, scarves and more! In fact, you can cut the organizers in half to store in cabinet doors, as well.

Do you need a place to store medicines and cold relief products? Try storing items like cough drops, kids’ medicine, menthol rub, aloe vera, etc. Make sure you do not store these or prescription meds in the bathroom. The temperature change like steam from a shower can dilute the effects of medicines. I store my medicines on the top shelf of my linen closet in the hallway.

Keep the cleaning products out of your child’s reach by storing them in an organizer in the laundry room. Keep everything from carpet freshener to Windex in one central location.

Are your child’s Barbie dolls getting out of control? Store them all neatly along with accessories! Check that out; a Barbie hub station.

Maybe your kid is a gamer? These pockets are perfect for storing video games, consoles, dvds, and remote controls.

Teachers can use these organizers in the classroom to keep things like scissors, colored pencils, markers, crayons and more in one area. This also gives easy visibility to see what crafts need to be replaced.

Do you have a mess in your garage? For example, are there cans of spray paint, tools, nuts and bolts laying on various surfaces?

And finally, you could always use them to store shoes.

Did we miss something? Let us know your organizing tips at www.facebook.com/Miraclean

Also, check out our organizing board at www.pinterest.com/miracleangreen Don’t forget to FOLLOW us!

Quick and easy way to make your own dryer sheets and save money!

Posted on September 9, 2013 by Kristin Posted in Cleaning Tips .

I wash a lot of laundry.

A lot.

My clothes, the dog’s stuff, towels that I use while cleaning homes, everything. The towels are probably the toughest because I have some that can’t go in the dryer and others that require certain attention. Terry cloth towels are tough, but they can get crazy static cling!

Once I decided to take the green plunge in my own house, dryer sheets were a big no-no. I started using balls of aluminum foil.

The problem was that they require a lot of aluminum foil to get the right size and they shrink in the dryer. (The girls would make fun of me as they started finding little aluminum balls in the clean towel piles.)

I needed something that would last, something I wouldn’t have to buy a ton of throughout the year, and something that would eliminate the static cling. And of course, the wonderful folks at Pinterest were ahead of me.

This is my easy-to-make, easy-to-use tip to saving you money in the laundry room!

Today we are going to show you how to make and use wool dryer balls.

These little guys are easy to make, they last for years, and they take static cling out of your clothes just as good as a dryer sheet. (of course they are natural and most dryer sheets are not). All you need is some Fishermen’s Wool.

Once you’ve got your felting Fishermen’s Wool, wind the wool around your fingers, and then pull off and wind around itself. Keep going in circles, winding and flipping the ball every now again. This should take about an hour, but you’ll never have to do it again.

Plus, here is your result, a 4 oz. wool dryer ball. Isn’t that rewarding?!

Almost finished! Tie the loose end of your wool dryer ball to another piece of yarn to prevent it from untangling because now comes the washing part.

The more dryer balls you have, the better it works. Six to eight is a good number. Put three balls in one nylon stocking, tying them off each individually. Then, put both sets of nylons in a pillowcase and tie the pillowcase shut.

Place in washing machine on HOT water. Wash whatever else you can with the pillowcase. Note: it may take more than one washing, but you really want to get the dryer balls felting.

LAST STEP! Gently remove the pillowcase and nylon from the wool dryer balls. Be careful because the wool fibers will work their way out of the nylon.

At this point, you can use a few drops of your favorite essential oil on the wool. The more dryer balls you have, the less static cling and they bounce around separating clothes which dries clothes faster.

How cute are these guys?!

I’ve only started using them, but they seem to work pretty well. Of course I’ll update you with my results after using them for a few weeks. Have you ever tried this trick? What are your laundry tips? Tell us at www.facebook.com/Miraclean.

I can wear white clothes again!

Posted on September 1, 2013 by Kristin Posted in General Announcement .

Oh, laundry day…it feels like every day is laundry day. I’ve got to wash the towels I clean my customers house with, plus my clothes, plus the dog’s bedding, plus my bedding. It never ends! I don’t even want to think what it would be like if I had children! (Big props to you Mommies out there!)

I know this may sound silly, but my pup is actually responsible for me being so picky as to what products I use to treat those stains that pop up. Capone is 7 years old. I’ve had him since I bought my house and I’ve also had his allergy issues, his surgery issues, and everything else that comes along with being a pet owner.

When he was a puppy, he had to have extensive (and costly) surgery due to a rope dog toy in which he chewed the pieces of rope off, swallowed them, and they somehow got wrapped around his stomach.

Ever since that day, I have to monitor EVERYTHING this cute booger does. He is on a strict dog food diet, he cannot have any rawhide bones (the vet is afraid the rawhide will prick his tummy), and on top of all that, he has very bad allergies, so I have to wash his bedding regularly.

His skin is so sensitive that if I use an off-the-shelf brand of detergent, he will be scratching all night, which means no sleep for either of us.

I debated making my own laundry detergent, but who has the time?! Sitting there shredding soap bars was not how I wanted to spend my weekend.

Then, I found it. MelaPower, an all-natural laundry detergent with no formaldehyde, no petroleum distillates, and no bleach! Could it be true? (Of course, because it is made by the awesome scientists at Melaleuca, an all-natural, wellness company that has been around for 28 years!) Ok, back to the point.

I have very sensitive skin, but my sensitivities are not as bad as Capone.

“Ok, so let’s try it,” I thought.

Wow! I cannot believe how well this detergent works! Just one or two pumps and I can do entire loads of laundry. That’s ½ a fluid ounce per load. Such a money saver! And, it leaves my clothes so soft with no strong scents. So, I decided to expand my laundry experience.

I bought the stain remover, fabric softener and dryer sheets! (Sidenote: did you know a University of Washington researcher found that scented laundry products emit hazardous chemicals? Researchers examined the air vented from dryer vents and found 25 volatile organic compounds, including seven hazardous air pollutants! It is no wonder we look for alternative products to use in our laundry!) All those air pollutants are being released in our homes! No wonder my pup was breaking out in rashes when I used the off-the-shelf stuff.

Now, we are a happy, healthy, itch-free family. He has a blanket that I call his girlfriend. He totes her all over the house and I have to wash her at least once every week. He snuggles with his blanket, puts it in his mouth, sleeps with it and we’ve had no problem.

My clothes are soft, they smell great and they don’t make me itch, either! Stains come out so much easier using the PreSpot than when I was using chemically-manufactured products. I found that with the other stuff I was spraying, letting it sit, re-spraying, scrubbing with a toothbrush, blotting with a towel, etc.

This PreSpot is amazing! All I do is spray the stain one time and you can already see it working!

Check out my little boo-boo I had during my fantasy draft party this year. I got a little barbecue sauce stain on the front of my white Cam Newton jersey (go, Panthers!), I got a lot of red wine spilled on the side and I even found a pen mark on the shoulder. (Seriously, why do I wear white?!)

But, I didn’t fear it. I came home after a five-hour draft party at a friends’ house, sprayed down my stained jersey, threw it in the dirty white clothes hamper, and forgot about it. This morning, as I’m cycling my laundry, I found the jersey and the stains were so faded you could barely tell they were there! I knew where to look, so they still visible to me. (My boyfriend said I was crazy because he couldn’t tell…silly boys!)

So here is it. The before and after. The stains were treated with PreSpot and washed with MelaPower. Amazing results, right? Especially since I waited one week to wash the dang jersey!

You can have these results too! I’m telling you first-hand these products have changed my life and made my cleanings so much better! I use the cleaning products, the laundry products, the hair care line, and next week I am ordering the tooth polish and mouthwash.

I only order a few items at a time, as I know I’m getting low on something. Last week, it was shampoo, conditioner, and body wash, so I ordered from Melaleuca, my products were here in two days and BAM I’ve got all-natural new products. I noticed I was getting low on deodorant, toothpaste, and mouthwash, so that is what I will be ordering next week and I cannot wait! It makes me feel so good knowing that I am taking a conscious stand on what I’m putting into my body and bringing into my home.

Come join me for a webinar or message me if you would like to try these products. Everything is backed by a 100% empty bottle satisfaction guarantee! There’s no risk. Get your home toxic-free with these all-natural products. Don’t forget, Melaleuca even has a men’s line, kids line, and vitamin and supplement line!

Oh, and who is a coupon clipper? You will love this! You receive Loyalty Points on every purchase that you can redeem for FREE products! New members will also receive $100 in FREE products! (Btw, I bought my deodorant with my Loyalty Points! If it’s free, it’s for me!)

What are your thoughts? Let us know at www.facebook.com/Miraclean

There is NO time!

Posted on August 28, 2013 by Kristin Posted in Cleaning Tips .

You are one person. How are you supposed to keep up with your job, being a wife, being a mom, laundry, and housekeeping?!

The easiest way…put it on a schedule. Get it in your calendar and get it done.

I’ve got my house on a rotation schedule. Sundays are my cleaning day. One week I will wipe down countertops in the kitchen and bathroom, clean the toilet and dust the living room. The next week is for bathtubs, floors, and vacuuming.

While I’m cleaning, I’m also doing laundry. It’s easy to keep everything moving once you get started. Are your weekends busy? Break up the chores. Try loading the dishwasher at night and unloading it in the morning. Throw a load of laundry in the washer in the morning. When you come home from work or running errands, move it to the dryer.

Another idea when dealing with kids and laundry is to assign each child their own laundry basket and their own day to wash clothes. Once the clothes are finished in the dryer have them fold and put away their laundry.

Need a cleaning schedule? Check out a few ideas we found to help you:

Share your tips and tricks on www.facebook.com/Miraclean

My favorite cleaning product

Posted on August 21, 2013 by Kristin Posted in General Announcement .

Do you ever get something new and try it on everything? Maybe it’s a new tool or maybe, if you’re like me, it’s a new cleaning product. Being the skeptic I am, maybe I want to see if it can really do everything!

As most of you know, I buy all of my all-natural cleaning supplies from a wonderful wellness company that use scientifically-proven natural ingredients to keep your home safe and clean. I recently decided to get the Value Pack, a gift basket of sorts with various top selling products.

One of those products was a heavy duty cleaner called Melamagic and a degreaser called Sol-U-Mel. Both products are made using tea tree oil, a natural disinfectant, deodorizer, and essential oil.

I googled a few recipes to get me started and I was on a roll. I decided to try a capful, yes a small capful, in a load of laundry. My towels came out smelling so fresh! I mixed up an all-purpose mixture of the two, again using a couple of capfuls each and filling the rest of the spray bottle with water.

I sprayed everything in the bathroom and wrapped the showerhead in a mixture I poured in a plastic sandwich bag and tied to the showerhead with a hairbow. I sprayed my countertops in the kitchen, then I got to my stovetop. A degreaser. Let’s try it.

So, I went a little crazy. I started with the top, then I opened it (my mistake there!), then I took the coils off and soaked the drip pans in a mixture I made, again with just a couple capfuls of each.

And it worked! With very little elbow grease, I might add. I couldn’t believe it. The stove is older than I am, so there are a few spots where you can tell I need to go back, but for the most part I sprayed, let it sit, and wiped it up with no problem. It even worked on the control panel, leaving this beautiful shine!

Want to play with all-natural products? Sign up with this fabulous company that produces over 300 products including a men’s line, kid’s line, gluten-free foods, laundry and more! Think of it as an all-natural Sam’s Club or Costco. Join me and millions of others who have made the switch!

Want to join in on a short 30-minute webinar to learn more about the products? Click here!

Three tricks to keeping your home dust free!

Posted on August 6, 2013 by Kristin Posted in Cleaning Tips .

Does it feel like your house is always dusty? Even after you JUST cleaned?

It takes dust particles, on average, 10 minutes to settle. Check out this picture. The picture to the left was taken immediately after I finished sweeping a set of stairs in a customer’s home. The picture to the right is exactly ten minutes later. All that dust had to land somewhere.

So, how do you keep your home cleaner, longer?

Try using a dryer sheet on baseboards, blinds and furniture. Since the dryer sheet banishes static, the dust will attach itself to the sheet, making dusting a breeze. The dryer sheet will also coat the surface as it cleans, forming a cleaning shield against dust. Not all dryer sheet brands are a natural way to clean, but they all can be used to make cleaning a breeze! You could use new or used dryer sheets. (Get another use out of it before throwing them away.)

After you’ve given your home a good dusting, try to keep it that way. Remember to change your air filters accordingly. Studies show that single occupants should change their air filters once or twice every year; family of two or more without pets should change their filters every 90 days; add a cat or dog and you should change them every 60 days; add more than one pet or allergies and you should change them every 30 days.

While dusting, flip your air conditioning unit/thermostat to fan.

After you’re finished cleaning, find new ways to keep your home dust-free. For example, paper causes a lot of dust, so keep files and papers in one central location. Pets cause a lot of dust, hair and dander. If you have pets, make sure you are vacuuming at least once every week. If you live on a dirt road or if there is a lot of construction around your house, keep your doors and windows closed.

What tricks do you use to keep up with the dust at your house? Tell us at www.facebook.com/Miraclean

Eliminate that ‘boy smell’ in the bathroom

Posted on July 31, 2013 by Kristin Posted in Cleaning Tips .

Last week, I posted a blog about how to keep your tile and grout clean. (Check it out here if you missed it!)

That stemmed a lot of bathroom questions from you, so I decided to answer those questions this week.

The most popular question was how to keep the ‘boy smell’ out of the bathroom. You know what I mean, right? It’s probably the main reason you avoid going into the kids’ bathroom. 😉 Well, let’s help solve that problem.

First, you guessed it; it starts with a deep cleaning.

Step 1: Mix a paste of baking soda and lemon juice. If you don’t have lemon juice you can use water but lemon juice is a great disinfectant and great for removing odors. The consistency of the paste should be about that of pancake mix.

Step 2: Spread the paste all along the bottom of the toilet {where it meets the floor}, the toilet seat, and any other area that gets a lot of over spray.

Let it set for about 10-15 minutes.

Step 3: When the timer expires spray the dried paste with white vinegar and let it fizzle. Once it is done fizzing wipe it up with a damp cloth.

It’s very important that you don’t forget about the walls and/or cupboards on either side of the toilet. It’s easy to remember to wipe the floor and the toilet but the walls and cupboards will also get sprayed and they will need to be wiped down regularly too. Spray them down with vinegar, let it for a few minutes and wipe them down.

Cleaning the toilet, floor and walls at least once a week, with these steps, will keep the smell at bay.

Another trick is making mini air fresheners and discreetly placing them in the bathroom cabinets, behind the toilet bowl, or on the top lip of the shower.

Use old baby food jars or small canning jars. Pour baking soda into jar until 1/4 to 1/2 full. Add 8 to 10 drops of your favorite essential oil(s). Poke holes in jar lid with an awl or ice pick. Decorate the jars with ribbon, fabric, or however you like. If you’ve lost the lid, cover top with several layers of nylon net, tie with ribbon, and voila! You’ve got DIY room freshener! (Add more essential oil as needed). Shake or stir it every now and then to freshen.

Another freshener trick is to place a few drops of your favorite essential oil in the toilet paper roll, as seen here. Your bathroom will smell pleasant with every roll.

As mentioned in last week’s article, keep antibacterial wipes under your bathroom sink for easy access when messes arrive. These are perfect for quickly wiping the toilet seat, cleaning globs of toothpaste, or a quick countertop wipe down before guests arrive.

Here’s a great recipe for making your own antibacterial wipes!

Use any type of old towel, rag, tshirt, etc. to cut into rags and finish the edges to make them wipe sized.

Next, fold the wipes and placed them in an old wipes container.

Mix:

1/2 cup water
1/2 cup vinegar
10 drops Peppermint Essential Oil

Finally, just pour the water/vinegar/essential oil mixture into the tub, completely saturating the wipes. It might help to flip the pile over one time so that the wipes on the bottom get completely soaked.

There you have it. A few tricks to getting rid of that ‘boy smell’. Did we forget something? What’s your trick? Talk to us about it on Facebook www.facebook.com/Miraclean