Home Cleaning

Tricks for Dealing With a Hairy Home
I have long, dark hair and lots of it. You’d know this if you went into my home even if you’d never met me because it is everywhere. Whether the hair in your home is your own or belongs to your pet, dealing with shedding hair is a challenge. Here, some tips on how to deal with it!Dust with a dryer sheet: Yet another use for the all-purpose dryer sheet! They’re a magnet for hair (the used ones work just as well as the new ones) plus they leave behind a fresh scent.
Abby Stone
May 6, 2019
Homekeeping Tip: Keep The Tops Of Your Cabinets Clean with a Kitchen Staple
Even though you rarely see the top of your kitchen cabinets, that doesn’t mean they aren’t busy getting dusty and dirty. Grease, humidity and general kitchen use can make this a tricky and icky spot to clean. Forget the hassle and bust out a pantry staple to do the dirty work for you.At some point in time everyone has bought a roll of wax paper. Maybe you thought it was parchment paper, maybe you only bought it because your mom always had a roll and you thought you needed it.
Sarah Rae Smith
May 6, 2019
Crazy Ideas to Make Your Life Saner
Don’t knock it ’til you try it, the saying goes, and in this case it applies. While some of the things I’m suggesting might sound a bit nutty (and too meticulous) they’re tricks that work, and hey, isn’t that really the bottom line? Keep a marker in the freezer: If you’re the type of person who cooks a lot and freezes the leftovers, or someone who likes to buy in bulk, keeping a marker in the freezer might mean the difference between “what is this?
Abby Stone
May 5, 2019
The Ultimate Used Furniture Cleaning Kit
With the season of flea markets and antique fairs now upon us, I’m prepping for the summer influx of secondhand furniture finds and putting together the ultimate used furniture cleaning kit. With most of these household items already in your kitchen, you’ll be ready to get any grimy piece sparkling in no time.  Baking soda. Mixed with water, baking soda forms a paste that polishes silver, lifts coffee and tea stains from ceramic and porcelain, and removes mildew and grime.
Tara Bellucci
May 5, 2019
How To Make Homemade Citrus Cleaner
I have been eating my way through crates of winter citrus, and recently decided to use some of the peels to make a homemade cleaner. I added orange peels to vinegar, and let them sit in an airtight container for a couple of weeks. The result: a powerful, inexpensive, natural cleaner.
Kate Legere
May 5, 2019
Homekeeping Hints: How To Clean, Fix & Maintain Tile Floors
You have a new tile floor, and it’s gleaming and gorgeous. Or maybe you have a 70-year-old checkerboard floor that could use some TLC. Either way, this list of tips can help you maintain your floor for years to come.  This may be common sense, but dirt can easily scratch tile surfaces so it’s important to keep your floor clean by regularly sweeping or vacuuming it. A little preventative manintenance goes a long way. Mop once a week.
Kathleen Luttschyn
May 5, 2019
Kill Mold Overnight with a Simple DIY Clove Oil & Water Spray
Is this the secret to chemical-free mold cleaning? I just had a root canal, which absolutely was not much fun, but it did gave me a few hours of recouperating time during which I discovered a new-to-me show from Australia on Hulu Plus called Lush House. During the course of watching a few episodes, I learned that getting rid of mold might be easier and greener than I knew.The host of the show (and one of my new housekeeping heroes – she’s so calm and helpful!
Janel Laban
May 5, 2019
Smart & Simple Homekeeping: Tips for Keeping Carpets Clean
That pristine wool carpet you just installed looks great. Keep it looking that way for years with these straightforward, easy tips. Vacuum regularly. Loop carpets like Berbers are more delicate and should be vacuumed only with suction. Pile carpets, like Saxony pile and textured pile, can withstand heavier cleaning and should be cleaned with a beater bar. Natural wool has a wax coating that keeps dirt on the surface, making it easy to keep clean by vacuuming. Stain treat immediately.
Kathleen Luttschyn
May 5, 2019
Before You Leave Home: A Pre-Trip Checklist
Coming home from a long trip can be a welcome reprieve: you look forward to sleeping in your own bed, raiding the fridge, and cozying up in front of the TV. That is, until you arrive to an overstuffed mailbox, fruit flies, and a fridge full of semi-liqified produce (not that I’m speaking from experience or anything).
Kim Lucian
May 5, 2019
The Best Snow Shoveling Tips & Tricks from Around the Web
On New Year’s Day 2014, I did my very first real snow shoveling, and let me tell you — that stuff is no joke. We had 1-2 feet of snow covering a driveway that’s larger than my last apartment, meaning I got a serious introduction to the world of shoveling. I found the work and the exertion exhilarating, but really had no idea what I was doing.
Tess Wilson
May 5, 2019
How To Wash Plastic Toys
As I mentioned recently in a post about cleaning stuffed animals, my somewhat psycho-rigid side prevents me from having too much fun with things like grime and dirt in general. Imagine my badly faked smile when a couple of weeks ago, my kids giddily brought up a box full of 30-year-old LEGOS from my parents’ basement! This brought up a mind-numbing cycle: the inventory of all plastic toys needing to be cleaned in our house and how to do it. Well, turns out it’s not that complicated.
Séverine Baron
May 5, 2019
Duct Cleaning: Myth Or Necessity?
I was hoping to sink my teeth into a juicy duct cleaning debate (possibly including scandals!), but it seems that the experts are unanimous: unless you see insect or rodent droppings in your ducts, or if someone in your household is having mysterious illnesses and/or respiratory difficulties, duct cleaning is unnecessary…and in fact can do more harm than good. Scandal! Let’s start with the big guns: The Environmental Protection Agency.
Tess Wilson
May 5, 2019
How to Clean Your Shower and Keep it That Way: 5 Quick Tips
Rebecca just showed us how to refresh our bathrooms, but let’s zero in on the shower for a minute. I’ll venture a guess that it’s the area that gets cleaned the least in all the bathroom. Here are five easy ways to have a sparkling shower all year long. Cover your shower faucet with bag of vinegar and secure with a rubber band. Leave it there overnight and you’ll have a clean shower head without all the scrubbing.
Dabney Frake
May 4, 2019
Home DIY Project Stress: 7 Things to Do When You’re Feeling Overwhelmed
Tackling home DIY and remodeling projects can be fun! Exciting! Stressful! Completely overwhelming. Money, exhaustion and pressure can all lead to a whole mix of emotions, positive and negative, when working on projects around your house. We’ve got seven tips to consider when you start feeling overwhelmed. 1. Acknowledge that you’re overwhelmed Allow yourself to feel overwhelmed. Say it out loud. Now remember you’re human and it’s totally okay to feel overwhelmed.
Adrienne Breaux
May 4, 2019
5 Strategies to Keep the House Clean (and Your Sanity Intact!) with Young Kids
I don’t know about you, but my kids are not the type to sit and play quietly on their own while I tidy up the house. My oldest daughter (soon to be four) is my constant shadow – if I’m not sitting on the floor playing princess or barn with her she likes to get involved in whatever it is that I am doing. Whether it’s cooking, putting the baby down for a nap, or cleaning – she’s there too.
Lauren Hufnagl
May 4, 2019
Take the Weekdays Off: The Complete Weekend-Only Cleaning Plan
Keeping your home clean is less about being born naturally obsessed with cleaning and more about finding the schedule that works with the way you live in your home. Though there are a number of methods to keeping one’s house clean throughout the week and month (like cleaning a little bit everyday, for example), this is a plan you can follow to keep your house regularly clean without lifting a vacuum or mop on the weekdays. How?
Adrienne Breaux
May 4, 2019
How To Lean Art (Without It Looking Like You Forgot to Hang It)
Along with looking super cool and casual, leaning art — instead of hanging it on a wall — also makes for a flexible home. You don’t have to whip out the hammer and nails every time you want to rearrange the look of your place. Folks whose art collections are growing out of control will appreciate having alternate ways to display, too. We’ve got ideas so it doesn’t just look like you’ve been too lazy to hang your art.
Adrienne Breaux
May 4, 2019
I Can Get You Addicted to Cleaning: Dopamine and the Checklist
Maybe I’m an addict. Like many list-makers, crossing things off my list makes me feel really good and makes me want to cross the next thing off my list, and the next. What’s really going on here? More specifically, how can we harness this reaction to make the sometimes arduous task of cleaning not only less irritating, but even downright tempting?
Shifrah Combiths
May 4, 2019
2 Completely Disgusting Reasons to Wash Before You Wear
A kids’ epidemiology book, its cover depicting an ominous microscope surrounded by an eerie sci-fi green haze, confirmed what my mother always told me: Wash your clothes before you wear them — or else. Or else what? Well, poisoning for starters. Seriously. In the medical mysteries book I read, a boy was slowly poisoned through his skin by his new jeans.
Shifrah Combiths
May 4, 2019
Clean As You Go and Other Smart, Simple Kitchen Cleaning Tips
As we all probably know from experience at one time or another, it doesn’t take much for the kitchen to get away from you. Especially if you cook at home a lot, have a particularly small kitchen, or share the space with family or roommates; it’s a room that can definitely develop a mind of its own. Here are some of our best tips for reigning in the beast without becoming a slave to kitchen cleaning: Clean as you go. This is a big one that we had to include prominently in the title.
Regina Yunghans
May 4, 2019
Drowning in Paper? What to Keep, What to Toss, What to Digitize
Paper is the bane of my existence — and probably yours, too. In preparing for tax season, I recently digitized a box of old receipts but also ended up clearing out a filing cabinet full of statements, warranties, and other papers that have sat forgotten for years, but looked like they could be important. When it comes to paper clutter, what should you keep and what’s safe to toss?
Linda Ly
May 4, 2019
Do or Don’t? Foil as an Electric Oven Liner
I’ve moved in and out of eight different rentals in the last nine years, which means I’ve done my fair share of post-move-out cleaning. The one task I always dread is cleaning the oven. I hate using toxic oven cleaner, yet it seems to be the only effective combatant against that hardened puddle of food crumbs, melted cheese, and pie juice from a year of careless cooking.
Stephanie Strickland
May 4, 2019
How To Get Rid of Bedbugs
A warning before you read further: this post will make your skin itch. A good friend of mine aptly pointed out that bed bugs are like the adult version of head lice. I never had head lice as a child, and I never imagined that I would have bedbugs as an adult, until it happened to me. I had heard about the great bedbug epidemic in New York back in 2010, but my personal nightmare with bedbugs began last fall.
Claire Bock
May 4, 2019
Search and Destroy: How To Get Rid of Sweater Moths
Usually the first sign you have a moth problem is when you pull out a sweater and discover it’s laced with tiny holes. Clothes moths are sneaky little pests. They like to lie low in dark corners, snacking on your best cashmere. They rarely take time out from feasting to flutter about your house, so before you start swatting at each and every moth you see, here is what you need to know. Tineola bisselliella and Tinea pellionella are the two most common types of clothes moths.
Rebecca Bond
May 4, 2019
Terribly Helpful: How To Identify Household Pests
Last spring, I celebrated sundress weather with some huge, blotchy bites on my calves. San Francisco is known for its lack of mosquitoes, so I did the sensible thing and panicked: BEDBUGS. Nope — it was spiders! In an effort to save you the same confusion, I’ve put together this list of tips for IDing your household pests. Bite in the night? Get yourself to a doctor.
Tess Wilson
May 4, 2019
How To Avoid Bringing Bedbugs Home from Hotels, Thrift Stores and More
Although they aren’t actually dangerous unless you’re allergic to their bites, bedbugs are pretty revolting. And, as we all probably know, infestations have been on the rise. Following are some ways to help ensure that these very unwanted guests don’t end up in your home. Here are a few ways you could unintentionally bring bedbugs home — and how to avoid them.
Shifrah Combiths
May 4, 2019
Rethink the Stink: 5 Odor Removing Products No Home Should Be Without
As nice as it would be to always keep a perfectly clean, perfectly smelling house — the truth is, bad odors happen. Whether it’s smelly upholstery from a great thrift store find, a pet’s potty training accident, or a party that needs a massive cleanup, funky smell are an unavoidable part of everyday life. With that in mind, here are the 5 products we’d recommend always having in the house to combat and remove odors. 1.
Rachel Wray Thompson
May 4, 2019
Tips & Tricks: How To Spot Clean Rugs
All rugs can use a good overall cleaning occasionally. But if you have a small stain or flaw that you want to address immediately without having the entire rug cleaned, spot cleaning is an important skill to have in your arsenal. Following are spot cleaning techniques for a few different scenarios: Get it while it’s wet. Once a stain dries, it’s much more difficult to remove.
Regina Yunghans
May 4, 2019
Emergency Cleanups: How To Remove Ink, Wine & Oil Stains
Spills are almost always unexpected, and always a pain. My mother clearly knew this: when I left for college she gave me a small, thick book called “Field Guide to Stains,” which I still have and reference more frequently than I ever thought I would. STAIN REMOVAL STAPLES I find the best way to deal with stains is to be prepared.
Emil Evans
May 4, 2019
In Praise of IKEA’s FRAKTA Bag
What’s big, blue, and one of my all-time favorites from IKEA? At $0.59, the FRAKTA bag is cheaper than a soft serve cone from the Swedish behemoth, and it just might be the brand’s most versatile product. What’s it good for? How much time have you got? Laundry – The FRAKTA is enormous and weightless, which makes it great for hauling dry cleaning and laundry. The flat bottom even makes it work for collecting clean folded laundry before putting it in its place.
Roni Shapira Ben-Yoseph
May 4, 2019
A Shiny New Shower & Tub: A Cleaning Regimen for Keeping them Perfect Forever
Alright, I keep telling myself, this is your one chance. You may never again have a bathroom with a brand-new bathtub and shower surround. Of the 10 bath/shower combos I’ve lived with in my life, none have been remotely new nor perfect…but soon all that will change. I’ve got one chance to do this right!
Tess Wilson
May 4, 2019
5 (Typically Weekly) Chores You Can Skip When You’re Busy
Give yourself a break when things get overwhelming and let go of that “I have to do it all” feeling. As long as you don’t let any extended cleaning breaks slip into a comfortable habit, there are some chores you can ignore every once in awhile. Here are five you can skip when you’re busy… Wanna know what we think are the chores you should never skip?
Adrienne Breaux
May 4, 2019
The Assassin Bug: Facts, Dangers & Prevention
Assassin bugs (or kissing bugs) get their names from their habit of biting humans on the face near the lips. (It’s true people: I can’t make this stuff up.) Here’s what you need to know about this not-so-nice insect. Assassin, a.k.a. kissing bugs, are found all across the bottom two-thirds of the United States, and predominantly in Arizona, California, Texas, and New Mexico.
Dabney Frake
May 4, 2019
Can’t Sleep? 5 Reasons Why Your Bedroom is Keeping You Awake
Sleep is a key building block of health and happiness, yet it’s often hard to get and stay there for one night, let alone a string of several nights at a time. Here are five common reasons your bedroom isn’t working, and eight small changes to help you fall asleep, keep snoozing throughout the night, and ultimately function better the next day. PROBLEM #1: ALLERGIES Is your stuffy nose keeping you from getting shut eye?
Dabney Frake
May 4, 2019
5 Chores You Should Never Skip (Even If You’re Busy)
Pressed for time? Running late? Didn’t finish your Sunday morning “to clean” list but need to head out the door to brunch right now? Whenever you’re pressed for time — or have an extra heavy schedule a certain week — don’t let all your chores and cleaning duties slip into disarray. Keep your house functioning by being choosy with which chores you skip and which ones you tackle.
Adrienne Breaux
May 4, 2019
How To Make Your Own Lavender Laundry Detergent
Homemade laundry detergent isn’t just about saving you money (although it’s definitely a budget friendly move). In this day and age, when most of us are so far removed from the process of how our necessities are made, there’s something thrilling about making something that you need. If you’d like to try your hand at it, here’s how I made mine.
Shifrah Combiths
May 4, 2019
6 Dumb Household Rules You Hated Growing Up, but Now Totally Understand
When you’re young, it’s your job to not worry and to push limits. It’s all about you, you, you. It’s up to your parents to firmly establish boundaries and rules. And while you live under their roof, it’s either their way or the highway. Sound familiar? Here are six seemingly arbitrary household rules that drove you nuts at the time, but make so much more sense today. Then: Why bother? I’m just going to use it again tonight!
Dabney Frake
May 4, 2019
How To Definitely Get Your Deposit Back: 10 Things To Do Before You Move Out
Moving is the worst, I get it. But not getting your rental deposit back? That is the worst of the worst. Make sure it doesn’t happen to you with our ten-tip guide. Clean the kitchen appliances. This is often one of the places people will look at first to gauge a home’s cleanliness, so scrub out the oven, wipe down the inside of the fridge, and clear the dishwasher drain. Clean the windows.
Eleanor Büsing
May 4, 2019
How To Clean and Care for Wooden Utensils
Wood utensils date back to ancient Egypt and are still one of the most common tools found in the kitchen today. Wood is a great material to cook with for a variety of reasons, and with the right care wood utensils and cutting boards can last decades. After many years of new materials such as silicone dominating the kitchen tool market, wood is making a comeback thanks to its timeless functionality.
Claire Bock
May 4, 2019
How To Clean & Maintain Countertops: From Corian to Quartz
The kitchen is the heart of a home, and the countertops are where all the action is: chopping, prepping, plating, snacking, leaning, and, if you’re anything like me, even sitting. We break down, by material, how to keep those counters clean and happy for years to come: MARBLE Martha Stewart advises applying a protective sealer annually, cleaning gently with warm water, and avoiding dusting sprays (like Pledge) and abrasive cleaners.
Tess Wilson
May 4, 2019
The Lazy Person’s Guide to a Happy Home: More Sneaky Cleaning Tips for People Who Hate to Clean
Earlier this year I wrote the Lazy Person’s Guide to a Happy Home, full of cleaning tips for people who hate cleaning. Many of you read it, and commented, and added cleaning tips of your own, and your ideas were so good that I couldn’t help re-sharing them. Read on for cleaning tips from some very wise people, aka: you. Make cleaning easier by doing a serious purge. misterrious: One day, I just decided I had too much crap in my house.
Nancy Mitchell
May 4, 2019
Take It Outside: 8 Spring Cleaning Projects That Are So Much Easier Outdoors
Ah, spring: when a young man’s fancy turns to beating rugs and scrubbing the crisper. And no, those aren’t euphemisms, but chores that are infinitely easier to accomplish now that going outdoors won’t result in certain death. Some of these require access to a hose, but there’s hope for apartment-dwellers, too… I am stupidly excited about finally getting to scrub down the recycling can we keep in our pantry.
Tess Wilson
May 4, 2019
The 10 Commandments of a Clutter-Free Life
Maybe you see beautiful, clutter-free spaces in magazines or on the web, and think: my home could never look like that. But it can! Freeing your space — and your life — from overwhelmingly huge amounts of stuff doesn’t take superhuman effort. All you need is a little commitment to some basic principles. This isn’t a new idea, but I think it’s a wonderful place to start if you’re aiming for a simpler, less cluttered life.
Nancy Mitchell
May 4, 2019
How To Downsize a Kitchen: 8 Tips for Owning Less in the Most Space-Sucking Room in the House
Lately it seems that I’m hearing the word “downsize” everywhere. From friends buying their first bijoux apartments after years in shared and spacious rented accommodation, to my parents’ generation selling multi-bedroom suburban houses and moving into city condos, to articles about living more minimally, owning less is trending. Obviously, downsizing is going to be different for everyone.
Eleanor Büsing
May 4, 2019
20 Interesting Household Uses for Old Pantyhose & Stockings
If you wear stockings or pantyhose, don’t let runs and snags ruin your day. And definitely don’t throw old nylons away. Because, while they might have fallen short in their promise to keep your legs looking smooth, they have a whole other future existence as versatile household helpers. Turns out nylon is pretty handy, so check out these twenty ways to reuse all your worn out hose: Locate small objects on the floor by covering your vacuum nozzle with some hose.
Dabney Frake
May 4, 2019
How To Keep the Laundry Mountain Monster from Eating You Alive
Anyone else at war with piles upon piles of laundry? It never occurred to me how much motherhood and laundry go together, but here we are! While it’s still an uphill battle, I have learned that some things (when I actually do them) help keep the relentless laundry situation under control.
Shifrah Combiths
May 4, 2019
How to Ask for Help Around the House
Last week I had a cold. Nothing too serious, but I needed lots of bed rest and a break from the mile-long to-do lists that normally make up my daily routine. While I felt better from taking much-needed time to rest, it also meant a huge pile-up of stuff around the house that didn’t get done, from laundry, dishes and weekly vacuuming to a bunch of home maintenance tasks that all seemed due at once, like changing filters and testing smoke detector batteries.
Adrienne Breaux
May 4, 2019
Implement a One-In-One-Out Policy — Now
Once the joy of giving and receiving has died down, we often find ourselves with, shall we say…more things than we had last month. While you may not be ready to do an all-out purge, it’s the perfect time for a mini-purge through implementing a one-in-one-or-more-out plan.
Shifrah Combiths
May 4, 2019
6 Smart Ways to Actually Use Orphan Socks
Don’t toss those orphan socks — the singles who get mysteriously separated from their pairs between washing and drying can be helpful. Put them to use in a variety of smart ways to help keep your home a bit cleaner. Slip a couple of damp socks on your hands and give the leaves of your favorite plants the gentle touch for a dusting that won’t damage. Toss the sock in the wash when you’re done.
Adrienne Breaux
May 4, 2019
The Best Cleaning & Organizing Rules I Learned from My Mother
Now that I have my own home and family to care for, the things my mother taught me about cleaning are not only valuable because they came from her, but because they are nuggets of wisdom probably passed down through more than two generations. They’ve stood the test of time and they sure make my life easier and my home cleaner. From my home and family to yours, here are the best cleaning and organizing rules I learned from my mother.
Shifrah Combiths
May 4, 2019
4 Household Management Apps I Can’t Live Without
Using technology to help manage the household can add up to a good amount of time and money saved—not to mention a significant reduction in things (paper calendars and planners) and clutter (all those papers!). Here are the top four apps I’d hate to live without. YNAB stands for “you need a budget.” And let me just say: You do. You can read more of my thoughts in Basics of a Household Budget that Works.
Shifrah Combiths
May 4, 2019
Before & After: Organizing the Kitchen “Sad Drawer”
Almost every kitchen’s got one. They go by different names: my old flatmate and I called ours the Drawer of Doom, and with my current one, The Sad Drawer. It’s that one place in a kitchen, be it drawer, pantry shelf, or simply an unfortunate corner, that attracts random debris like nobody’s business. From the actually useful (tupperware, kitchen foil) to the barely-used (madeleine pan, anyone?), the Sad Drawer is where things that don’t go anywhere else find themselves.
Eleanor Büsing
May 4, 2019
4 Easy Home Habits That Let You Be a Little Lazy
If your favorite part of cleaning is when it’s over, then listen up, lazybones. You can do less work and still have a clean and tidy house if you set up these strategies ahead of time to diminish dirt, wrangle clutter and keep yourself on track. It’s sooo much easier to prevent dirt from coming inside than it is to clean it up afterwards.
Jennifer Hunter
May 4, 2019
The Great Big, Real-Life Pantry Cleanup (& How To Do Your Own)
Try as I might to achieve that perfect pantry look (you all know what I’m talking about), I still have errant boxes of cake mix and plastic bags of who-knows-what-anymore from the bulk bin. Recently, the hodge-podge of things I knew I had but couldn’t find and the creeping lack of space drove me to the point of yet another Great Big, Real-Life Pantry Cleanup.
Shifrah Combiths
May 4, 2019
Get More Cleaning Done: How to Reorder Your Chores So You Finish Feeling Energized
Do you dread the job of cleaning home? Rather pass on tackling chores? Do you view such tasks as scrubbing and mopping as the most boring and unappealing things ever? Do you either fail to get started (putting cleaning off until things are really bad) or do you run out of energy before finishing everything on your to-do list? You might need to rearrange the order of what cleaning tasks you tackle first. Have you ever heard of something called job crafting?
Adrienne Breaux
May 4, 2019
How To Clean Velvet Upholstery
I don’t buy into the I-can’t-have-nice-things-because-I-have-a-pet hype. This is especially true when it comes to textiles in my home. So when I spotted a gorgeous velvet sofa on Craigslist for a song, I did my research and went for it.
Ashley Poskin
May 4, 2019
The Great Debate: Cloth or Paper Towels?
Newcomers to my home can’t ever find my paper towels. That’s because they’re hidden in the pantry so the cloth towels and rags I have are the first line of defense against spills and messes that need to be wiped. Here’s how I use cloth and when even I reach for a paper towel. When and Why I Use Cloth I use a rag for wiping off the kitchen counters and the table.
Shifrah Combiths
May 4, 2019
The Absolute Best Way to Clean Grout
I vacillate, when it comes to grout. Sometimes it’s que sera, sera, and sometimes it’s all-out war: baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, OxiClean, toothbrushes, grout brushes, elbow grease, and five million moppings to clean the residue with fans to speed drying times in between rounds. But ever since I’ve discovered this completely awesome way of cleaning grout, I almost look forward to doing it, and really, it’s another kind of life-changing magic.
Shifrah Combiths
May 4, 2019
The Broke Person’s Guide to a Clean Home: The Cheapest & Most Effective Tips
One doesn’t always factor in cleaning when thinking about your home’s budget. But all those cleaning tools, cleaners, supplies and more can add up if you’re not careful. If you’re on a tight (or non-existent) cleaning budget but want an always-tidy, always-fresh space, consider these ideas for staying clean without a lot of green.
Adrienne Breaux
May 4, 2019
5-Minute Fix: How To Make Your Kitchen Look Better (Almost) Instantly
There are a lot of places stuff can pile up on in the kitchen. From the counters (bills, kitchen supplies, dirty dishes) to the sink to even the floor, there’s one place that doesn’t often get considered when it comes to kitchen decluttering. However this spot, when cleared off, can have a profound effect on your kitchen feeling a lot less hectic and a lot more controlled.
Adrienne Breaux
May 4, 2019
Try the “Complete the Cycle” Cleaning Method for Instant Results
Having a home that’s generally in order pretty consistently— not to be confused with “perfect all the time”— is in large part a matter of habit. One such habit which has tremendous impact is one I call “completing the cycle.” Here’s how you can practice it at home. Completing the cycle is a synergistic mix of Leaving Things As You Found Them and Not Leaving Things That Can Be Done Now For Later.
Shifrah Combiths
May 4, 2019
A Minimalist Manifesto: How To Simplify Your Style at Home
Sometimes, our homes can overwhelm us. What should be a place of retreat and comfort becomes bloated with items not needed, styles experimented with and abandoned, and projects started but never completed. While a good Spring Clean (whenever it happens) is always welcome, sometimes you want to go even further than that and streamline your style, too. Read on for our Minimalist Manifesto, and for ideas on how to simplify your home.
Eleanor Büsing
May 4, 2019
The Things Everyone Should Clean Every Day (No Matter What)
Whether you’ve got a trusted cleaning routine that keeps your home in tip-top shape or not, there are six things you should never let go uncleaned, not even for a day (barring vacation and illness, of course). Every day, take a few moments to tackle this handful of cleaning tasks — you’ll live in a cleaner home for it! You’ve heard it said before — don’t let those dishes pile up.
Adrienne Breaux
May 4, 2019
How To Strip Paint From Hardware
Not all painters are created equal — especially those who ch0ose to slop paint over beautiful, antique hardware. It may seem like a daunting task to return those beautiful bits to their original glory, but don’t be fooled. Homeowners and renters alike can remedy this problem with just a few supplies, none of which are toxic. If you live in an old apartment building you’ve probably got interesting design details hiding in your hardware just beneath a few layers of paint.
Ashley Poskin
May 4, 2019
Need-to-Know Tips on the Proper Care and Storage of Your Sweaters
We’re coming up on sweater weather, y’all. While you’re slowly changing out your closet – pulling those cool-weather clothes out of under-bed storage and trying to sartorially navigate between the seasons – you might find your closet getting a bit tighter with all your bulky knits. The solution? Slim down your sweater collection to your most favorite and best-built pieces, then take really good care of them.
Taryn Williford
May 4, 2019
The Guilty Art of Stealth Purging
I have a pair of beloved sweatpants that has a hole in them. I would still continue wear them — in spite of said hole — IF I could find them, but I have a sneaking suspicion that my partner boxed them up and toted them off to Goodwill. She is curiously mum on the subject, feigning perfect innocence in the face of my pointed questioning and unblinking stares, but it’s been months since I saw them last. I am quickly losing all hope of ever seeing, let alone wearing, them again.
Dabney Frake
May 4, 2019
Post-Swim Recovery: How To Get Chlorine & Sea Salt Out of Your Swimsuits, Skin, and Hair
There is nothing more glorious than jumping into the water on a hot summer day, and while the crispy hair, dry skin, and faded swimsuits are more than worth the relief that chlorinated or salty water provides, they can be avoided by following these 14 tips. My personal tip would be to wear your suit into a cool post-swim shower. Once you feel thoroughly rinsed, take off your suit and turn the water up to a comfortable temperature.
Tess Wilson
May 4, 2019
The Top Clutter Hotspots in Every Home (and How To Conquer Them Quickly)
A friend you haven’t seen in a while calls to let you know she’s in the area and would love to stop by. You say: “Of course—come over!” You think: “Just give me three hours to clean up, please!” Ideally, we’d follow the “tidy up a little every day” routine, but despite our best efforts, there are certain spots in our homes where the chaos just tends to build.
Katie Holdefehr
May 4, 2019
Clever Laundry Tricks You Should Learn Now (Before You Need Them!)
Preparation is the key to success. The next time your favorite sweater shrinks or you smear sauce on your sleeve at dinner, instead of furiously Googling for a solution, you’ll remain cool, calm and collected because you committed these five in-a-pinch laundry hacks to memory. No garment steamer? No problem. If your clothes are just a bit more wrinkled than you’d like them to be, don’t break out the iron, just use your dryer (if you’re lucky enough to have one at home).
Taryn Williford
May 4, 2019
Clean Like an Athlete: 3 Tips to Help You Reach the Finish Line
If you’re feeling the spring clean and refresh bug, but haven’t yet made any progress on your goals, consider applying some performance boosting methods adapted from spring training to your home field. A clean, refreshed, and re-styled space is a serious mood boost. Carving out the time and energy to tackle it all, however, can make you want to throw the towel in before you even get started.
Carrie Bluth
May 4, 2019
9 Things You Should Always Take to the Dry Cleaners (And 5 Things You Really Don’t Need To)
Instructions are important to pay attention to, especially when it’s laundry time. You might think that measly little tag inside your favorite sweater doesn’t offer any sound advice, but in reality, the future of your wardrobe might depend on it. You see, many of us take the words “Dry-Clean Only” as a slight suggestion, when they need to be read literally (should you want to preserve the life of your garments). And yet, just because a tag recommends dry-cleaning (i.e.
Caroline Biggs
May 4, 2019
Design Matters: Truly Beautiful Dust Pans, Brooms & Other Cleaning Tools
When you’re living in a small space there’s always that difficulty of where to put all the stuff. Especially if you don’t have a broom closet, finding a place to store all your cleaning supplies and tools can be a real issue. One of my favorite solutions to this problem is a fairly simple one: just buy cleaning tools you won’t mind leaving out. Perhaps you never thought that a dustpan could be beautiful, but that’s because you haven’t seen these dustpans.
Nancy Mitchell
May 4, 2019