Thursday, March 03, 2011

Moring Living on Martha Stewart Living Radio


Maybe I'm crazy but I love talking about cleaning, no matter how early it is.Yesterday I got up really early to talk about green cleaning with Betsy Karetnick from Martha Stewart Living Radio's Morning Living Show. It was like finding my long lost sister! Betsy likes to talk "cleaning" too! Our plan was to talk about spring cleaning and how to get started. I recommended making a list - and as Betsy said - make sure it's on paper so you can CROSS things off it! Nothing feels better than crossing things off a list.  To start off your cleaning I think you should start with your windows. I gave Betsy one of my green cleaning recipes from my book.
Here is the glass and mirror cleaner:
2 tablespoons white vinegar
1/2 corn starch
2 liter bottle of club soda
You mix the corn starch in the club soda until it dissolves then add the white vinegar and put it into a spray bottle.

We also talked about using my favorite "tool" which is the Blue Cloth. This is a special microfiber cloth made especially for glass and windows.  All you do is wet it with water and wring it out really well and just wipe the window. You don't have to dry it - it will dry on it's own with no streaks, smears or lint. Betsy agreed that this sounded even easier than using the DIY recipe. I said that if you like to spray and wipe, just use a bottle of water and dry the window with this cloth. You will save time and money (no paper towels) with this one simple cloth.
Lastly we talked about how to clean the floors. I told Betsy about my system for cleaning floors without a bucket. Instead I use a microfiber mop and a few covers. Just wet the covers in the sink using hot water and wring them out so they are damp. Then just put a small amount of your floor cleaner in a spray bottle and add lots of water. It will be the same concentration as if it's in a bucket. Spray the floor with the cleaner and go over it with the microfiber mop. Replace the cover when you feel like it's full of dirt. Don't rinse out the cover, just place it in your washing machine and get a new clean mop cover from the sink. This prevents cross contamination! And your not spreading dirty water on your floor.

We wrapped up our 20 minutes by talking about how satisfying it is to look around see what you've accomplished. Cleaning can be fun - when you have the right tools - and someone you can share it with - right "sista"!

11 comments:

  1. Anonymous1:29 PM

    1/2 corn starch...do you mean 1/2 cup corn starch?

    Thanks for clarifying :)

    Great tips!

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  2. OOPS! Yes it is 1/2 cup. Thanks for catching that for me!

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  3. Hey... visiting from SITS. I'll ask you: What is the best way to clean tile grout? We have a lot of ceramic tile in our kitchen & it gets pretty dirty. The grout is my enemy. Thanks for any tips!!

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  4. White vinegar has many uses in cleaning. Thanks for the tips.

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  5. I heard you on Morning Living few weeks ago and you recommended a microfiber mop for floors. You described putting several clothes in hot water in the sink and keep changing them. So…. I see a link for a mf mop on your website in the store but it looks like only one cloth is pictured with it. I would probably need a zillion as I have so much square footage.

    Where do I get more cloths for the mop??

    Bridget

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  6. Thanks for pointing that out to me! We have lots of extra mop covers that each cost $6.99. I'll get them up on the site this coming week and you can purchase what you need. This mop really makes life a lot easier. Wait 'til you try it. Happy cleaning! (btw - how did I sound on the show- they don't tape it and I didn't get to hear it :-)

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  7. gosh, i really need the blue cloth! my apartment is in horrible need of cleaning! we had a cleaning lady coming once every other week (because i go to school and work 70 hrs a wk and my hubs 60hrs) but then my man lost his job and he moved to another state (till june when i get to move out there) and now all the cleaning is left up to me! :( i will be back!!

    thanks for the comment, have a great day!
    sharde

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  8. I'm delighted to become your newest follower! These tips are priceless, now if only I could get the energy up to do a really good Spring Clean right now...baby #3 is taking a toll inside me, I'm so exhausted as I grow this baby and take care of my 2 year old and my 1 year old....I need a stunt double!!!!

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  9. I think this tips work even on industrial o big scale cleaning
    Great post

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  10. BTW you sounded great on the show. Also inspiring. I have already tried to get on the green bandwagon and have bought some non toxic laundry soap and fabric softener.figured I had to do this in stages. Im going to get the mop and cloths and the green cleaning book on your site.

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  11. Great post, Thanks for the tips! Visting from SITS!!!!

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