For That Tough Coffee Grime

Recently there's been this commercial that pops up whenever I watch TV. It's the Folgers coffee commercial where the whole story is told in a song about a woman who signs up for a dance class and then the morning of her class, she's groggy and tired. Then Folgers gives her the extra push she needs to go and have the most sunshiny morning possible. And while I'm not personally a Folgers girl, when Saturday morning Zumba class rolls around sometimes there is nothing that will revive me like a cup of coffee. So whether your a Kuerig kid or a Folgers follower, chances are you have relied on your coffee maker as a main fixture in your house, and it works hard. Those Kuerig machines can get temperamental after too much use and not enough TLC. So the best way to enjoy your morning, evening, or afternoon coffee? Keep your coffee machine happy.

As you make batch after batch of coffee, the inner portions of your machine can build up mold that makes your coffee bitter or just start collecting residue from the coffee grinds that can get in the way of the flow of your coffee into the pot. Now cleaning your coffee maker doesn't mean that you have to get down into the creases of the machine. To clean you are essentially going to go through the motions of one of the things you know how to do best, making coffee. Your ultimate weapon against inner coffee grime is Full Circle Coffee Machine Cleaning Powder. This all-natural biodegradable product hits that oily residue hard and will kill any mold that might make your coffee taste bitter. Just mix the powder with some water, pour it into the reserve in the machine, and then run it through as though you were making a nice cleaning brew. The mixture will come out dirty into the coffee pot. This is what it looked like when I used it. The water was completely clear when I put it in the machine. It really proves exactly how much grime your machine starts to accumulate.

After it's emptied you can clean the coffee pot out without even scrubbing it. This coffee pot had a film around it before. After going through one process of the Full Circle Coffee Machine Cleaning powder I didn't even need to scrub.

I recommend cleaning out your coffee machine once a week. It only takes the amount of time it would take you to make a cup of coffee, it requires no attention, and the quality of your coffee and the ease of your machine will be better. In fact, for those of you having difficulty with your Kuerig machines, this is bound to clear up those clogged passages that are inhibiting your machine from working properly. The best way to avoid mechanical problems is maintenance. If you take just a few minutes a week to keep your coffee pot running smoothly, not only will your coffee taste better, but your morning schedule will run better without the hassle of a rebellious coffee pot.

Tide - A Reminder of the Benefits of Green Cleaning

Some recent news has once again reminded us of why green cleaning is so attractive. When using green products or creating your own home cleaning products, you have the power not only to monitor exactly what is going into your home and coming in contact with your skin and lungs but also to eliminate anything that is deemed harmful or dangerous. There is no mystery when you combine all the ingredients by hand to make your own laundry detergent or when you use simple baking soda to get your cups white.

Recently it has been discovered that Tide Free and Gentle contains a chemical called 1,4 dioxane that has been linked to cancer. Not only is this chemical harmful but it also wasn't included on the label leaving the consumer oblivious. Tide isn't the only company who don't list all of their ingredients. If you're curious about the products you use, you can check out http://www.womensvoices.org/science/fact-sheets/dirty-secrets/ It's just a reminder that no matter how many strides commercial products take to promote themselves as safer and gentler, there is nothing more sure than the cleaner you make on your own.

How to Hand Wash

How grateful we are for the luxury of modern appliances. We rely on them for just about everything. Our plates come out of the dishwasher sparkling, leftovers can be reheated in the microwave with just a few presses of a button, and most of all our clothes come out smelling fresh and clean after simply loading the soap into the machine. But what about those few times when modern appliances simply won’t do the trick, when you read those seemingly troublesome words “hand wash only?”

Now this one simple phrase may have you thinking of the dark ages when women brought baskets full of soiled clothes to the stream or perhaps you might remember that washing board you saw in the antique mall, but hand washing does not need to be an ordeal. With a few simple tricks you can keep the process not only simple but green. First you should make sure your sink is clean, or designate a separate tub for hand-washing. The last thing you want is for your clothes to come out smelling like the remainder of the carrots you peeled into the disposal. Also you will want to stick with a cold or lukewarm temperature, never hot. Don’t mix your colors. Just like in a washing machine, the colors can bleed, so if you happen to have washed that one red shirt first, you’ll want to consider draining the sink and getting a new batch of water.

Next you want to ad the soap to the water before you put in the clothing. This way the soap gets distributed equally through the garment. When hand-washing, I use soap flakes. There are no enzymes, bleaches, or perfumes and it is created from palm and coconut oil, making it all around natural and gentle, perfect not only for sensitive skin but for those delicate garments that can’t be trusted in a washing machine. If you want to go with something closer to a laundry detergent, there are some options that I have in my book The Joy of Green Cleaning.

If your clothes are particularly dirty, you may want to leave them soaking overnight. You can treat any stains by going old-school and rubbing soap into the stain with a small brush, even on both sides if the fabric has the strength to take it. This combined with the soaking should eliminate most problems you may have.

So to finish the process you want to dry the clothes in the gentlest manner possible. Since wringing will only disfigure the garment beyond all recognition, and hanging will stretch out the fabric, the best thing to do is to lay it flat on either a white towel or netted drying rack. For those sweaters that hold on to a lot of water, you can first role up the sweater in a towel, get rid of the extra water, and then lay it flat. In the end you’ll have the joy of wearing that special garment once again without worrying about the fit.

Reasons to Make the Switch -Guest Post by Service Master Clean

This article was provided by Service Master Clean, providing
eco-friendly Austin commercial cleaning services.

Reasons to Make the Switch to Green Cleaning

There has never been a larger emphasis on cleanliness than there is today. From the spread of diseases to food bacteria, the daunting reality of germs are everywhere.  However, what we may have overlooked in our desperate war to kill every single living thing that may or may not actually be there was the reality that although these chemicals do a good job at killing germs, they may also be causing us more long-term harm than short-term good.

Most of us have felt the sting in our eyes and burning in our throats right after spraying down our shower with a bleach-based mildew spray, so it should be no surprise that these types of cleaners can be hazardous to long-term health. What you may not know is that some of the products we use everyday don’t just contain bleach, but a variety of other harmful chemicals that aren’t listed on the bottles. Shockingly, there is no law that forces these manufacturers to list every ingredient in their cleaning products. 

Butyl cellosolve, potassium hydroxide, sodium hydroxide, and a plethora of other hard-to-pronounce chemicals show up in products like window cleaners, certain all-purpose cleaners, and abrasive powder cleansers respectively. Some of these chemicals have even been linked to increased cancer risk and can pollute indoor air quality. This should be enough to make the switch to green cleaning solutions, but many common household cleaners also have negative effects on the environment with their plastic bottles ending up in landfills, and as you may imagine the residual chemicals that can make their way into water supplies.

Thankfully, there are a variety of green cleaning solutions made from natural, less-harsh chemicals available at your local retailers (http://www.shopgreencleaning.com/) as well as a number of online resources that can teach you how to use everyday household ingredients to make your own non-toxic cleaning kits. (http://www.greencleaningcoach.com/) If you have no choice but to use traditional cleaning products make sure to crack a window and create good ventilation to reduce the amount of indoor air pollution.

This article was provided by Service Master Clean, providing eco-friendly Austin commercial cleaning services.

HOW-TO Video on removing stains from cups and mugs

Coffee stains have a tendency to build up on the inside of mugs after prolonged use. Clean coffee stains from mugs in this free video clip. If you are having trouble seeing this video you can also go to this link: http://www.ehow.com/video_12212281_clean-coffee-stains-mugs.html

How to Clean Coffee Stains From Mugs -- powered by ehow

Thanksgiving Accident

After everyone has left and you have a few days to breathe - is when you find the little accidents that happened during your Thanksgiving celebration. I got a desperate call from Sally in the Berkshires, who found a large grease stain on her fabric chair.

 

Sally: "I tried some baking soda and white vinegar, but the stain is still there. What can I do?"

Me: "Let's start with one simple secret ingredient that cuts through grease. It will take some patience, but we'll see if we can remove it with this first."

What's the secret ingredient? It's rubbing alcohol! Alcohol breaks down the grease. You can try it on clothes and furniture. I even suggested it to a mom with a crayon stain on her couch. Just make sure you try it in a hidden place in case it may change the color of the fabric.

Sally called back after two applications: "It seems to be working, but I can still see the stain."
Me: "If it's working, lets keep going. You'll have to be patient, but it should come out."

The next day I got a very happy phone call from Sally:  "It worked! The stain is gone!"

Simple things can work! It just takes some patience.

A Simple "Cocktail" That Removes Ink

The other day I put on my favorite "skinny" jeans - at least that's what they called them at the store - and went off to work. On my way down the steps my daughter asked "what's that on your butt?" Oh course I thought she was being cute and ignored the question. "No, really mom, what's on your butt?" It was a huge ink spot from a pen I had left in my pocket! Usually this would mean the jeans are now going to be a rag - but I thought I'd try out my new Stain Lifter and a few green tricks and see if I could get the stain out. I knew this was going to be crazy as I had wash AND dryed the ink into the jeans.
I knew that the "secret" ingredient in hair spray and Dawn dishwashing detergent is alcohol which break down ink. But I didn't have any rubbing alcohol so I used the next best thing - VODKA!

 

I used the stain lifter with the vodka and worked them into the jeans in a circular motion. I left the stain lifter on the pants overnight. The next day I worked more of the stain lifter into the jeans and rinsed them. I let them air dry - which would keep the stain from setting even more than it had.

When I came back the large stain was totally gone and the small stain was so faint that you don't see it unless you know it's there. Simple old fashioned soap and vodka did the trick!

 

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