Today I am here to help you with all those small, seemingly insignificant cleaning tasks that can build up to something BIG if you don't manage them.

The first suggestion I have is to not sweat the small stuff. Sounds easy enough but if we take the time to clean then we don't have to stress about when people are coming over to our house. The sooner you tackle messes the easier they will be to clean.

Here are my 5 Cleaning Tips of the Day:

Tip #1: Cleaning Mini-Blinds.
When cleaning your mini-blinds (no matter the style or type), use one of your single socks that is hanging around in your laundry area that you can't find a match to. Place it on your hand like a puppet and between your thumb and fingers and gently rub the blinds clean.

Tip #2: Removing wax from walls, floors, etc.
For this trick you will just need your blow dryer and a paper towel. You want to heat the wax just long enough for it to start beading up and then dab it with the towel. On Wood furniture you will want to test it in a non-showing area so that you don't completely ruin the finish on your furniture.

Tip #3: Removing the baked on debris that gets left inside your oven.
Fill a dish with a half cup of ammonia. Don't breathe it in. Set it on the middle rack of your oven. Close your oven door. Go to bed. The next morning, after opening ALL of your windows and turning on the vent fan on your hood, carefully open your oven, remove the bowl of ammonia and wipe the debris off with your usual cleaning rag.

Option #2 - mix a 1/2 cup of baking soda, 2 tbsp of water and 1 tsp of liquid castile soap together. Smear the past on the interior (& exterior) of your oven. Let it sit overnight. Wipe off in the morning.

Tip #4: Removing stains (old and fresh) from your carpet.
All you need is your iron, a rag and some window cleaner (non blue preferred). First, spray your stain with the cleaner. Then place your towel down on it. Place your previously heated up iron on the stain and move it around on it. (Only place iron over the towel NOT directly on the stain) While it won't work on EVERYTHING, it does a great job on most stains.

Tip #5: Removing permanent marker from Wood Surfaces (like floors)
For this tip you need some WHITE NON GEL toothpaste and a rag. All you need to do is spread some of the toothpaste on the marked area. Then you take your rag and wipe it off. You *could* use an old toothbrush if it is requiring more muscle than you would like to use. Then just 'rinse' off the toothpaste with some water and buff dry!



Make it a great one!