I don’t know about you, but I hate to clean my oven. I am always trying new homemade concoctions to do the job since I hate the smell of commercial oven cleaners. In my opinion, they smell so bad that whatever they are made from can’t be good for you. So, here are a few ideas that I have tried and them seem to work.

Kathy Zengolewicz

The first process calls for a mixture of baking soda, water and dish detergent. Fill a spray bottle with water, spray the entire oven and sprinkle with plenty of baking soda. Let this sit over night and then use a sponge with hot water and a little bit of dish detergent to scrub the inside of the oven. Rinse with cool water.

Another home made method is on the same lines as the first. Spray the inside of the oven with water and take a cup of baking soda and 1/3 cup of table salt, mix them together and sprinkle them in the water. Let this sit over night. The next morning, scrub the inside of the oven with hot soapy water and rinse.

You can clean your oven racks by soaking them, if they’re not too grimy, in hot soapy water and then scrub them clean with a paste made from baking soda and water.

Here is a handy recipe for  a homemade cleanser, a softscrub. Mix ½ cup of baking soda and ½ cup of liquid dish detergent (any kind will work, choose what’s on sale). Gradually add 1/8 to ¼ cup of vinegar until you get the consistency you like. Vinegar is an abrasive and works very well on grimy surfaces.

I hope that you can use some of these tips to help with cleaning your oven.

Take care. I’ll talk to you soon!

While you are taking steps to clean up and get organized keep in mind that one man’s junk may be another man’s jewels, so to speak.  When I clean out a closet I always look for things that I can donate to others.
For instance, Animal shelters very often need used blankets, towels and sheets. They use these items to create a soft sleeping surface or for cleaning up messes and for bathing the strays they help.
Women’s shelters can always use women’s and children’s attire, toys, books, etc. If you have it to spare, why not buy some disposable diapers and …read more

Keeping the grounds and sidewalks of your property in good shape is as important as managing the inside of your home.  For all of you readers on the East Coast you know that “clean up” time is now. The East Coast just got blasted with a winter storm, a Nor’Easter, breaking records for snow fall in the month of December.  Aren’t we lucky?
Here in Philly we got 23.2 inches. Looks like we’ll have a white Christmas after all. All of this snow is not going to melt in the next couple of days, so let’s deal with it. The first …read more

I was just reading about Dawn dishwashing liquid. It has so many uses it had my head spinning. My daughter emailed me a list of the things that you can do with Dawn dish liquid. I don’t know if they are all true, but we do know that it has been used on wildlife birds to clean them up when they are exposed to oil spills.
It has also been used as a repellent for fleas. After removing the fleas from your pet with a fine toothed comb, you should drop any fleas that you removed into a solution of Dawn …read more

I don’t know if I should admit to this or not, but when I first got married I had a regular porcelain tub and could get any stain out of it with an abrasive cleanser. Not so with the newer fiberglass tubs. The worst marks in my tub were made from a non-skid sticker. I think if was a butterfly or something like that. Rust has also been a problem.
Anyway, I have come across a few things that seem to take the stains out and I thought I would share them with you. Please let me know through the comments …read more

I love the holidays, but when it comes to decorating it is sometimes overpowering. I do it anyway, but I am always trying to find shortcuts. When it comes to the kitchen I like to make it look as creative as possible simply because I spend a great deal of time there.
I know that the kitchen should remain practical, but there are a few things you can do to make it look as decorated as the rest of the house.
Start by putting up a cheap pair of curtains. They don’t have to have a Christmasy design, you can use …read more

Painting or re-painting your walls can be a fun and inexpensive way to decorate a room, but make sure to take the necessary steps to assure a great look.  I know once I get a thought into my head I want to jump right in and start, but make sure to prepare the walls first, before you start painting.

The walls will need to be clean and dry and, most importantly, oil free. The first thing you will need to do is lightly sand any imperfections that you see, but make sure that there is no lead paint on the wall. …read more

Replacing the carpeting in your home can be a very expensive project. Why not try to save your self some money and remove the old carpeting yourself.  By not having the new carpet installers do it, you may save hundreds of dollars.
Professional carpet installers like to get in and out of your house as quickly as they can. Installing a new carpet is a process better left for the professional, but removing the carpet isn’t quite as hard.
You will need to have a utility knife, a hammer and crowbar, a flathead screwdriver, sturdy scissors and a heavy pair of gloves. …read more

If you are thinking about redecorating your walls that are already wallpapered, the best way to start is by stripping off the old paper.  It can turn into a real headache, but it’s worth it in the long run. The first thing to do is determine what type of paper is on the wall. If your old wallpaper is vinyl, you won’t be able to use a wallpaper stripper until you peel away the top coat of the vinyl.
Most times the vinyl will pull off in a clean strip, but thin vinyl will rip, in that case try to pull …read more

The secret to creating a successful holiday party is organization.  Keep the guest list to a minimum. Holiday parties are much nicer when you keep them on the intimate side, that is unless you have a huge family in which case just do the best you can.
If the crowd is small you can do a sit down, but for a medium or large crowd it’s much better to do a buffet style meal. Set your table accordingly. Remember, you don’t have to invite everyone to a single party. You can plan several small get togethers as long as you keep …read more