S.L.O.B.S. TV - A Snippet Of Our First Show!!

Rachel is a full time mom and executive that has just hit overwhelm with her home. Watch as Leslie Reichert, The Cleaning Coach and her team put her back in control in only 8 hours.  Leslie's team includes a nurse, a professional organizer and the professional staff at the Container Store.
Please watch, leave a comment and like on YouTube. I'd also love it if you'd share it with your friends. I'm trying to show the networks that this would be a great show!!

Shadazzle - Product Review and Video

I’ve done a video review of Shadazzle to show you how it will work on your stainless steel pans, your kitchen sink and especially your glass topped stove. Let me know if you have any questions or comments. I’m here to help you!

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11 Dirtiest Areas In Your Home [guest blogger]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/abbamouse

11 Dirtiest Areas in Your Home

If you take pride in your home, you probably think that you know the key offending areas when it comes to dirt. In many cases though, you might be surprised!

Let’s take a look at the dirtiest areas in any home.

The kitchen

It’s no surprise that the kitchen is one of the dirtiest areas. One of the key problems here is that items such as clothes and sponges are used again and again without being cleaned.

Door knobs and handles

Regardless of where exactly in the home they are, knobs and handles are breeding grounds for germs and other nastiness.

Bathroom cabinets

Make-up brushes and applicators are notoriously dirty, and can harbor all kinds of dirt and grime. Make sure that you regularly change your brushes to avoid any health problems such as sore and infected eyes.

Office desk

If you regularly eat lunch at your desk, your keyboard could be one of the dirtiest areas in the whole home. It’s often neglected as homeowners simply don’t realize how bad it can get. You can find office cleaning in Wimbledon to Wembley if you feel that you can’t keep on top of things yourself!

Toilet flush

Most people know that the toilet needs to be cleaned regularly, but it’s easy to forget about the handle! It’s touched dozens of time each day with dirty hands, so requires some special attention.

Tiles

The grouting in between tiles can get really grubby if it isn't regularly cleaned. This applies to bathrooms, kitchens, and flooring.

Your toothbrush

Bacteria loves warm and moist areas, making your toothbrush the prime candidate for the spread of germs.

The fridge

Having lots of food in one place means that your fridge is a high-risk area. Try to make sure that the correct temperature is maintained at all times, and give it a regular wipe to get rid of germs.

Television remotes

Yet another one that people often forget about! Every member of the family touches remote controls, yet it’s rare that they get so much as a quick wipe.

The laundry basket

Even if you think you’re being super organised, keeping all your dirty laundry in one place means that it’s a concentrated area of dirt! Get into the habit of getting the washing done as soon as possible.

You!

Don’t forget that it’s usually human beings that spread dirt around! Always remember to wash your hands at regular intervals, especially while you’re doing the housework.

By taking action in these specific areas, you can be better placed for a cleaner home.

This article was brought to you by Ruth Smith on behalf of First Choice Cleaners, a professional company that provides domestic and commercial cleaning in London and further afield. 

You Can Repair Scratches With Just a Crayon!

Having children is hard on your furniture. I have a little (now bigger) boy that is always finding ways to destroy my furniture. And having the scratches repaired by a professional is very expensive. Instead I recommend this trick. The video is only 30 seconds... enjoy!

Cure Furniture Scratches With Crayons in 30 Seconds -- powered by ehow

Scary Halloween Stains Can Be Removed With A Few Simple Things

Halloween can be a big stain holiday!  On Clean Green Talk Radio we share tips on how to remove everything from chocolate to red wine. And you just need a few simple things to remove them. You’ll need an ice cube, white wine, rubbing alcohol and a few other simple ingredients. Listen in and find out how to have a very HAPPY Halloween.

Click here to listen to the podcast

What Kind Of A Cleaner Are You?

Recently in the WSJ, there was an article about "Speed Cleaners". They not only had a title for those that like to clean quickly, but also sub-categories!  It made me realize that we all have different ways of doing things - and that includes cleaning. My hubby calls me a Binge Cleaner - mainly because I'm so busy doing other things that when I get the time to clean- I go crazy.

http://online.wsj.com/article/
SB10001424127887324436104578579512507422472.html

What type of cleaner are you? I started asking and here are a few of the different types people called themselves:
The Faker - This person is really good at cleaning up before company. They get everything looking perfect and make it look like they live like this all the time. They are the ultimate fake cleaner.
Half-Baked - This person is really good at cleaning some things, yet doesn't do a great job on others. For example, the half-baked cleaner will be vigilant about doing the dishes every night, but won't bother with vacuuming for a week or two.
A Particular Day Cleaner - This person will only clean on a certain day of the week. Everything is left to cleaning day.
Clean It As You See It - This person is cleaning constantly - but in short little dabs and touch-ups. They are loving the new products designed especially for them.
It Can Wait - Do you like putting off your cleaning? You are an It-Can-Wait Cleaner. Just make sure you don't wait too long.

Here are some other types of cleaners that people shared with us today on Clean Green Talk Radio.
There was:

• Squeeze It In
• Type A
• Organized
• Fit It In
• Clean To A Fault
• Clutter Keeper 

What type of cleaner are you? There was one other type mentioned on my facebook conversation - DON'T. I'm not considering that answer as a type!

Nuts & Lavender For Your Laundry

I just wrote a new article for eHow.com about using bags of nuts and lavender to clean your clothes! Yep, that's right, NUTS! Once the article is posted, I'll add the link here so you can read it. One of the questions I know your going to ask is "where do I get these nuts", so I thought I'd let you know that you can purchase these totally organic soap nuts right at my store. The brand I especially like are Yore Organics. They are packaged  right here in New England by a mom who was trying to solve a family problem and ended up creating a business. http://www.backdoorvac.com/yore-organics-organic-laundry-soap-soap-nuts-1744.html

The other item I talk about in the article is using lavender in a muslin bag to scent your laundry. You do this by putting the lavender bag in the dryer. It makes the entire laundry room smell wonderful while the clothes are drying AND the clothes smell just as nice when they come out! All this and you are avoiding toxic chemicals in those dryer sheets. http://www.backdoorvac.com/just-bee-dryer-bags2.html

Four Tips for Keeping Your Bathroom Cleaner

http://www.housebeautiful.com/decorating/designer-bathrooms#slide-1

A question I received yesterday was "How can I create a schedule to keep my bathroom cleaner?"  Really what you need are a few routines to cut down your actual cleaning time. Here are a few tips for the bathroom:

• Swish the toilet every morning with your toilet brush. This will keep the bowl cleaner so you don't have to clean as often.
• Use an "eco-sponge" in the shower while you are in it. The sponge uses the technology of friction to clean off soap scum. It's great for glass shower doors too.
• "Dust" your bathroom every day with a dry microfiber cloth. This will keep the buildup to a minimum and make actual cleaning a cinch.
• Keep a small battery operated vacuum in the bathroom and run it every day on the floors. This will keep the hair and lint to a minimum.

Here is a quick video to help you clean your ceiling fans!

Little Cleaning Box~Review and Giveaway

Brittany from Blabs from a Scam reviewed my Little Cleaning Box and LOVED it! She what she had to say about it here:

Over the last few months I have weeded out all unnatural cleaning products in my house.  No more chemicals or harsh smells in my house now!  I got the chance to try the Little Cleaning Box a few weeks ago.    When I first made the switch I was nervous that they wouldn't actually clean.  This is a perfect way to try out green household products to see if they really do work.  My box included:

• Modern Mermaid-All Purpose and Glass Cleaner
• Mrs. Meyers Dish Soap in Lavender, Basil, Geranium, and Lemon Verbena scents
• Grab Green Laundry Detergent
• Skoy Cloth
• Just Bee Dryer Bag

The Modern Mermaid All Purpose and Glass Cleaner really does what it claims. I cleaned off our end table that is perpetually sticky from our daughter's juice boxes.  I also used it to clean off the windows behind our couch.  Anyone that knows what a dog's nose prints can do to a window knows how hard it is to clean.  It cleaned off the funk with no issues!  This is just as good as any non-green cleaner out there.




Up until recently, I only used the dishwasher to do our dishes.  But lately I have been washing my daughter's cup by hand.  So Mrs. Meyers Dish Soap was the first green dish soap I have tried.  I was curious about the different smells, fearing they might be overpowering.  But I found the scents mild and soothing.  The dish soap really works and it seemed like I didn't have to use that much soap.  

The Grab Green Laundry Detergent smells downright fantastic. I have never used a pod laundry detergent before and I really liked it.  You don't have to measure; just pop one in with the dirty clothes.  Really easy!  It got all our clothes clean with using any harsh chemicals. 






The Skoy cloth was my favorite thing I tried!  They are reuseable paper towels that can last for a full year!  You can throw it in the dishwasher or micromave to clean and disinfect it.  After a few washes they are better used as cleaning cloth or rag.  I absolutely hate using paper towels and this is a great, equally effective alternative.  I plan of buying a lot more of these!


I have never even heard of natural dryer bags before.  But man was I missing something!  These leave your laundry with a light but wonderful scent.  Each bags lasts up to ten loads of laundry.


The box is only $10 and is well worth it.  Unlike other higher priced boxes, this one is really a great value.  You get eight samples and they are samples you can use more then once!  If you find a product that you really love, you can order the full sized products on their website with free shipping.

Leslie Reichert is offering a free PDF copy of her book, The Joy of Green Cleaning, to anyone who purchases their own Little Cleaning Box!  Just let me know in a comment or email(britibee@gmail.com) that you made a purchase and I will have them send you the book!  

You can buy it here.

Also check it out on Facebook and Twitter.

Julia Child - Cleaning Up In The Kitchen

Everyone is writing, cooking and eating to honor the 100 birthday of the wonderful Julia Child. I have been a fan of hers from the very start of her TV career. I remember watching her TV show when they were being aired for the first time. Yes, that would be the early 1960’s and even as a  5 year old child, I loved her. I also remember what the Washington Post wrote about her style. “It wasn’t that she could do no wrong – it was that she made doing wrong so right!”  I love her!

So in honor of Julia’s 100^th birthday, I pulled out my copy of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and started to see if there was SOMETHING I could make so I could be a part of the celebration. It’s been three years since my husband bought me her book, hoping that someday I would get motivated and make something French for dinner. To date that hasn’t happened. I opened the book to the introduction and read her outlook on life. I especially liked the part about -  “have a good time!”  

I then started browsing through the forward and found her advice on cleaning:
“Use all the pans, bowls and equipment you need, but soak them in water as soon as you are through with them. Clean up after yourself frequently to avoid confusion.”  And again “have a good time!”

Who knew that Julia not only was an expert at cooking but also had great tips for cleaning. (Although if you watch her show she usually threw things right on the floor!) Really, every good cook has to clean up their own mess, unless of course you’re a celebrity chef and have a staff to do that.  Sometimes I think that cleaning up is the real reason I don’t like cooking!

As I continued into the pages of her book I found a “recipe” on page four under A Note on Copper Pans. Julia writes: … there is the cleaning problem, as copper tarnishes quikly. Ther are fast modern copper cleaners available. A good homemade mixture is half a cup of white vinegar and ¼ cup each of table salt and scouring powder. Rub the mixture over the copper, using steel wool if the pot is badly tarnished, then rinse in hot water.  Alias, the woman we celebrate for her cooking skills also knew how to clean and realized its importance.

So in honor of Julia’s 100 birthday, I suggest you mix up this copper scrub, find a pot that needs attention and get to cleaning! While you’re cleaning that pot, sing happy birthday to Julia! It will be a great way to avoid confusion and to have a good time!

Happy Cleaning, Julia! 

Dusting Tips on Martha Stewart Living Radio

If you missed Morning Living on Martha Stewart Living Radio today, this is what we discussed. 

Dusting or Polishing

There is a difference between dusting and polishing. Dusting is something that removes the dust from surfaces while polishing is actually treating the wood. We have tried to combine the two by using polishing sprays while we are dusting. What's happened is that we are doing a poor job of both.

picture from http://multimenage.webs.com/dusting.htm

Dusting should be done once a week with just a clean microfiber cloth and a touch of a light spray. I mix up my "light dusting spray" and put it into a spray bottle.(Never spray anything directly on the furniture). Then just go over the piece and remove the dust. This is easy and quick. The less oily polish you use the longer it will stay dust free. The oils collect dust and make it harder to remove it.

Polishing should be done every 3-6 months. This is a lot of work, but keeps the furniture looking new and also keeps the wood and finish moisturized. I use my recipe - Lemony Furniture Polish - when I'm going to polish the furniture. And make sure you use a high quality microfiber cloth.

How to dust

I always say to myself "top to bottom, back to front" because i always want to go to the dusty thing i see first. Instead, start as high up as you can reach and work you way down to the floor. Also work in a circle around the room and you'll never miss anything. Make sure you get the tops of door jambs and all the wood trim. You can use a feather duster to knock off some dust, but for flat surfaces - use a cloth. You can also use a lambswool duster - high quality ones are able to be washed in the sink with a touch of dish detergent

Other ways to dust

Removing dust from pillows - use your dryer

Removing dust from knick-knacks - use your dishwasher

Removing dust from tight places - use a stiff paint brush and a vacuum

Bucket-less Mopping

Using a traditional mop and bucket can leave you feeling a little bit like a scurvy pirate mopping the deck of a ship with some dirty sea water. The water in the bucket gets dirty, you have to lug the water wherever you want to clean, and sometimes the floor doesn't even look cleaner after mopping. However, all of the hassle and grind of using a bucket is unnecessary. To learn about a faster, easier way to mop your floors, follow the link below to the third part in my ten video series that will help you achieve a safer, greener, and cleaner home.

http://www.greencleaningcoach.com/ar/bucket-less-mopping