Kathy Zengolewicz

I love to listen to music and dance, well it’s what I call dancing, while I dust and straighten up. I am sure that you have mismatched socks around the house so put on aside for dusting. Spray the sock with furniture polish, put it on like a mitten and dust your lamp tables, chair and table legs, knick knacks, etc. When dusting always dust from the top down.

Use a bucket of bleach water (but be very careful, you don’t want a spill) and a clean cloth, or Clorox disinfecting wipes for cleaning down you light switch plates, phones, door jambs, etc. In winter months it’s especially necessary to wipe your door knobs to rid them of virus and flu germs.

Save the vacuuming for last. Using a handheld vacuum for the chair and sofa cushions is a lot easier than dragging the larger vacuum around. Handheld vacuums are great for picking up crumbs and dust in between cleanings. Some housekeepers vacuum multiple times during the week, especially if there is a pet in the house, but once or twice a week should be enough in most circumstances.

Keep the clutter to a minimum on the coffee table, keep books and magazines in a neat pile. Fold afghans or sofa throws when you finish with them and give any pillows a quick fluff. Throw out old newspapers and put video equipment away after playing. If you do these things daily, you home will never be in a state of disarray.

Finally, make sure to have a good sturdy door mat for wiping your feet. The mats made of artificial grass do the best jobs of getting debris from shoes so you track less dirt inside.

Take care. I’ll talk to you soon!

Post from: Keeping the Castle

sxc.hu

There are plenty of commercial product on the market to extinguish offensive smells, but I would rather use ordinary everyday solutions.

If you have an offensive smell in your house you will need to first find out where it is coming from before you can dispel it. Lots of times that is easy to do, especially when the odors come from cooking. The worst cooking smells come from broccoli, cabbage and fish. If you set a small bowl of regular vinegar on your kitchen counter it will absorb those odors. I have a cooktop range so I place the bowl of vinegar close to the range top.

Make sure that your garbage is emptied daily. Rotting garbage is one of the worse smells. Clean your trash can regularly with a strong detergent and rinse. After drying place a sprinkling of baking soda in the bottom, before putting in a bag, to keep it stench free.

To keep your kitchen cabinet smelling fresh, place a couple of vanilla extract soaked cotton balls in a sachet bag and place in the back of the cabinet. I also place a sachet bag in my freezer. Don’t like the smell of the vanilla, then use lemon, orange or peppermint extract. It will keep your cupboard fresh for weeks.

Take care. I’ll talk to you soon!

Post from: Keeping the Castle

Image: sxc.hu

I just found what seems to work best. I made a tray of vinegar ice cubes. Fill up the ice cube tray with vinegar and a tiny bit of water. When frozen, push them down into your garbage disposal and turn it and the water on. When the ice has been crushed and melted throw in a couple of lime and lemon peels to give it a fresh scent.

The next step is your sink. I have a stainless steel sink and it always looks dirty to me. Again, I have tried everything on the market to clean it and I was still not satisfied. I have a cure for this. Clean your sink as usual with regular cleaner. Rinse all of the cleaning residue off and take some white vinegar on a clean cloth and wipe the entire sink. You will be amazed at the results. You will have a fresh smelling, clean and sparkling sink.

Take care. I’ll talk to you soon.

Post from: Keeping the Castle

* Marye, at Baking Delights, made some Old Fashioned Cloverleaf Rolls

* Cyndi shares her gelato experiments at Busy Family Meals

* What can you do with s’mores? Find out at Chocolate Bytes.

* Jennifer wants to know whether you’d toss unfolded towels in a pretty basket, to save time. Let her know at Declutter It.

* Simply Thrifty Katelyn shares how she keeps her grocery budget at $40 a week.

* The Tree Hugging Family tells us how to turn old sneakers into a playground.

* Linette at Mother’s Earth Garden shares some tips for planting fruit trees in the fall.

* MomGadget Gayla gives us a look at the handyman’s helper magnet wristband, a very useful gadget for DIYers.

* Too much zucchini in your garden? Robust Cooking has 21 ways to use them up!

* Get your hot raspberry cider recipe at She Knows Parties!

* One Book, Two Book has been giving out prizes everyday for several days now. Today’s giveaway is a package of three books! Hurry, the deadline is midnight tonight, August 31.

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* tenderize meat? Rub the meat with baking soda and let is sit in the refrigerator for 3-5 hours. Rinse before cooking.

* bake better beans? A pinch of baking soda will reduce the bloating and gas that results from consuming baked beans.

* make omelets fluffier? For every 3 eggs, add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda.

* deodorize your garbage can? Use a a wet paper towel dipped in baking soda to clean the inside of the trash can. Rinse with a clean damp towel or rag, and let dry. Sprinkle some baking soda inside the can before putting in a new liner.

These tips and many many more are in Reader’s Digest’s compilation of Extraordinary Uses for Ordinary Things. This is a mega-list that is sure to provide with hours of reading, and tons of useful information. I haven’t even begun to scratch the surface of this treasure trove of tips. Take a peek and share your most surprising finds with us!

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I have two go-to types of storage containers, both of which are made by Sterilite.

* Ultra Basket. I have these in various sizes to accommodate different storage needs. I use one as a temporary catch-all for socks that are missing their partners; to corral baby diapering necessities; to keep my sons’ snacks on a shelf in the kitchen; and to hold cardstock and paper for making cards. These are great in every room of the house.

* CD/DVD Mini-crate. These are labeled as CD/DVD crates but I use them for everything! What I love about these is that they are stackable in every direction. It’s easy to see what’s inside so I don’t need to label them. I use them for storing travel-sized bath items; cake-decorating tools; bags of ground coffee; CDs and DVDs; craft supplies and so on. I get them for $1 at Walmart.

Whatever it is that I need to keep organized, I’ve found that these baskets in different sizes, and this crate are all I need to do good job.

What organizing tools do you turn to most often?

Post from: Keeping the Castle

There have been reminders going my way about the coming school year: back-to-school sales, which I’ve been taking advantage of, as you should; my son’s list of things to bring to the first day of class. Everything he needs would fit nicely in a backpack. Not so for the college student, especially one who will live away from home for the first time.

To help you along, here’s a list of basic essentials:

For your comfort:
bedsheets (at least 2 sets, one to use and one to launder)
pillows
blankets
bed risers (to increase under-bed storage)
mattress pad/cover
alarm clock
fan
night light
pajamas
storage containers

For your nourishment:
silverware
cups/glasses/mugs
plates/bowls
dishwashing liquid
microwave
paper towels
mini-fridge
breakfast food
snacks
water bottle
juice
energy drinks
quick meals
(If you are able to cook, you’ll also need cooking utensils and cookware.)

For cleaning and laundry:
laundry detergent
fabric softener
hamper
vaccum
dusting supplies
iron
ironing board
trash bags
disinfecting wipes
paper towels
multipurpose cleaner

For your hygiene:
towels
washcloths
shower caddy
shower shoes
toothbrush
toothpaste
mouthwash
soap/body wash
shampoo and conditioner
deodorant

For your health:
pain reliever
allergy relief
cold/sinus relief
bandages
antibacterial ointment
contact lens solution/eyeglass cleaner

For studying:
desk lamp
calendar/planner
pencils/pens
notebooks/binder
notebook paper/filler
calculator
desk organizer
highlighters
dictionary
tape
stapler and staples
three-hole punch
backpack
surge protector
computer and accessories

For your social life:
cell phone and charger
digital camera
memory cards
batteries
address book

adapted from Sam’s Club newsletter; Creative Commons image by Conor Lawless on Flickr

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I picked the winning comment using random.org. And the number that was picked was:

#85! Congratulations to Patti!

Patti
Jul 30, 2008 at 6:26 pm

This magazine is wonderful. I’ve picked it up a few times, but don’t subscribe! Thanks for the chance!

I hope you enjoy this magazine as much as I do. I will send you an email about the details.

Post from: Keeping the Castle

* 101 green changes to save some green (written for small business owners, but totally applicable to the home) at Greener Assets

* No-bake Mango Griddle Scones from Baking Delights

* Turn old uniforms into a cool diaper bag, at Craftster (thanks to Tangled Thread!)

* 30 ways to use baskets for storage at Declutter It

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Even coffee-makers are smarter these days. As example is the Braun Tassimo Coffee Maker can deliver coffee, tea, espresso, hot chocolate, cappuccinos and lattes. Discs containing measured ingredients for your drink of choice are brewed perfectly each time. The secret are barcodes in the discs. The machine reads the barcode and knows the temperature, amount of water, and brewing time needed for the perfect beverage.

Products like this take the guesswork out of the perfect cup of coffee, or tea.

Spotted at Macy’s.

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