This week there is a THEMED Edition of Works for Me Wednesday – Cleaning Tips!! Make sure you check out the link at the bottom to see tons and tons of cleaning tips.
Let me begin with the fact that I am awful, can you say HORRENDOUS at cleaning. It is not just that I hate it and procrastinate – which I do very well!! I have tried to be good at it and truly believe it is a gift. For example, I cannot clean the tub. No matter what I do, I cannot seem to get it as clean as I like it – ENTER, STAGE LEFT, my cleaning lady!!
Now this is my ONE luxury – actually I guess you could call it the What I have Done for ME!! I do not have my whole house cleaned. I would have to spend so much time cleaning in preparation for the cleaning lady, I may as well do the cleaning myself. However, I quickly found with all the kids, dog and hubby, that the kitchen and baths NEED to be cleaned, not only for the gross factor, but for sanitary reasons. When I was teaching, I found a fabulous woman to clean JUST my kitchen and 2 baths twice a month.
Even though I do not teach anymore, I cannot seem to let her go. Even as we look at budgets, I cannot let go…
Check out my microwave – It is so clean, you could use it as a mirror for your make-up!! If you look close, you can see my reflection taking the picture. HOW CAN I LET THAT GO!!
That is really why I coupon, so I can KEEP my LUXURY!!
OK, enough of my blabbing and on to my real tip – other than get your self a kitchens/bath cleaner. I really have found a great tip.
SMELLY TOWELS or clothes in general!!
Do your clothes, especially towels, come out of the wash SMELLY?? I hate that moldy smell. There is nothing worse than getting out of the shower and grabbing a clean towel, bringing it up to dry your face and EWWWWW, that STINK.
I know, TIP #1, do not leave your wet clothes in the washer for days and days. I really have been getting better at that. That is also a saving on your water bill tip. It costs a lot if you keep having to re-wash all your laundry because you leave it in the washer too long!!
Even with my VAST improvement getting them on the dryer, all my clothes still smelled. I did some research and found out that it is a HUGE issue with front load washers in particular, but there are some things you can do.
“Turns out that in front-loading washers, mold and fungus builds up in the “boot,” which is that rubbery thing you see around the edge of the washer opening when you open the door. If you pull back the rubber and look underneath it, you’ll see mold – wipe it out with bleach.” Also, follow manufacturer instructions to run a cleaning cycle with bleach every now and then.
Then start leaving your washer door open so that it can dry out between washes.
We are also using FAR TOO MUCH detergent and fabric softener in out front load washers. Over time soap residue can accumulate within the fibers of the towels ensuring that not only do they fail to absorb as much water as they can but they also don’t dry as effectively as they should. When your towels seem to get a funky smell immediately upon getting wet again, failure to dry completely thanks to soap residue is usually the culprit.
My main problem was towels. I had dreams of buying new towels if this did not work, but alas, it did so my old towels are still hanging in there, for now.
The Vinegar Method
- Put your towels in the washing machine, using the hottest water available. Add one or two cups of white vinegar. Do not add detergent, fabric softener, or any other products at this time. Run the washer.
- Leave the towels in the washer and wash the same load again just as you would normally with laundry soap. Again, use the hottest water available. Don’t use fabric softener or any other products.
- Dry the load in the dryer using a high heat setting. Towels should be thoroughly dry when you pull them out. If they’re not dry, put them back in, or move them immediately outside and hang them in the sunlight.
Others recommend using 1/2 cup of baking soda with hot water for the 2nd wash (not detergent).
I may still get some new towels – when there is a SALE of course!
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Reader (and my pal) Juliette sent me this GREAT tip:
“Fels Naptha” Yellow bar soap found in the Laundry Aisle (usually on the top shelf) Very old fashioned soap my grandmother used. IT gets stains out of almost everything. I have used it to clean stains out of rugs, baseball hats and Sneakers. I love this stuff. I use it on the kids soccer shin guards and the grass stains rinse out immediately. Old Grease stains come out. Fels Naptha has also been known to help with Poison Ivy. It dries it up pretty quickly and helps to speed up the recovery time.
THANKS Juliette, I will keep my eye out for them!
Do you have any other good cleaning tips??
Check out all the other WFMW Cleaning Tips!
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Have you found any great deals?? I would love to hear from you!! Post a comment & share your thoughts!! If you like this post, share with a friend or Subscribe to Maven of Savin’ by Email or feed!! THANKS!
