Cleaning Newsletter
Good, clean ideas for a good, clean home
By Kathryn Weber, BellaOnline Cleaning Editor
IN THIS ISSUE....
Clean Thoughts Editor's notes on Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook
Playtex Rubber Gloves features my article "Holiday Cleaning"
Featured Product Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, an inexpensive miracle-worker!
Featured Article Dishwashing Detergents -- How to Handle Dull Silverware and Hazy Glasses
CLEAN THOUGHTS
Happy Friday!
Well, the BellaOnline Cleaning Newsletter continues to grow. Welcome to our circle. Many of you have generously shared your thoughts and comments with me. From that I know that we all experience many of the same problems in our homes regarding cleaning. And I'm convinced that sharing information about cleaning dilemmas that we all commonly share helps make our home lives better and more enjoyable.
Everything you ever wanted to know about housekeeping
Martha's done it again in her hefty tome, Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook: The Essential Guide to Caring for Everything in Your Home. Sometimes, I get frustrated with the detail that Martha goes to in her descriptions of everything from selecting countertops to stain removal. But that excruciating (and what I would call nails on the chalkboard) attention to detail is what, well, makes Martha who she is. She's the princess of perfectionism and the diva of detail.
In fact, Martha's book is on my Christmas wish list. I perused it at my local bookstore and, once again, she covers just about all the homekeeping questions anyone could have -- even ones I hadn't thought of or cared about. It's a great present for a good housekeeper, a bachelor, a young couple, or a terrible housekeeper. It's just one of those books every home should have -- like a physician's desk reference and simple home repair book. It's not a must read... but it is a must have for your home's library of reference books and that's why I'd recommend buying it.
SNAP! Goes the rubber glove...
Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I like rubber gloves. They signal down-and-dirty clean to me. I even wrote about putting them on in my article titled Holiday Cleaning. And guess who else noticed? Playtex Living Gloves.
They liked my holiday cleaning article so much they asked to put it on their website. You can check it out here. Should you use rubber gloves? Yes, especially if you are using harsh chemicals -- they can really damage your skin and your nails. In fact, I knew a life-long cleaning woman whose nails were all black from using a particularly well-known all-purpose cleaner. Yuck, right? I also scrub harder and longer when I use rubber gloves.
This week's article
The article this week focuses on alternative cleaners, specifically dishwashing detergents. In an effort to battle my dulling dishes, I went from one grocery store brand of dishwashing detergent (powders, gels, and tabs, oh my!) and the problem kept getting worse. The dishes got duller by the moment and I got angrier. Then, an alternative cleaner manufacturer contacted me and asked if he could send me a pack of cleaners. I was skeptical and I was doubtful, but I was fed up of awful-looking dishes -- hazy glasses, dull silverware, spots on everything. After three days, I thought my eyes were deceiving me. Then my HUSBAND commented on how shiny everything was. After a week, everything looked brand new (except those permanently etched glasses, but even those were sparklier and cleaner).
As a test, I gave a friend some of this dishwasher soap and asked her to try it. Her silverware was as dull as pewter. In two weeks, her silverware was SHINY. I could not believe what I was seeing. What's the moral of the story? You'll have to read this week's article to find out!
Happy Cleaning,
Cleaning Editor for Bellaonline
cleaning@bellaonline.com
Everydayclean.com Calender -- the calendar that helps you end the power struggle with your house. Keeping a clean home is about knowing what to clean when. Virtually everything that needs to be cleaned is on this calendar in a year-round cleaning schedule that helps you keep your house clean easier and faster. Order here and you can have it in minutes!
FEATURED PRODUCT
The products featured here are ones I use in my own home, that I can personally attest to, and that I L-O-V-E. I want you to try them, too, because I know you will also enjoy them and they will help you keep a cleaner, more comfortable home.
Mr. Clean Eraser
Dirty
marks on your flat paint walls? Don't even try to wipe them off because
they'll only smear. White rubberized handles on your refrigerator or stove
that no amount of scrubbing can clean? Enter the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.
The word "magic" is perfect for this little wonder. It can clean walls in
a snap and never leave a mark and turn those grayed, dirt-encrusted rubber
appliance handles ermine white again. No home should be without them. To
purchase go to
http://tinyurl.com/yewpfy
FEATURED ARTICLE
Dishwashing Detergents -- How to Handle Dull Silverware and Hazy Glasses
Many grocery store cleaning items aren't formulated well and do a poor job. Dishwashing detergents are one of those items. If your sparkling silverware has a dull aluminum look, you'll want to read this article.
Click here to read the article: http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art47884.asp
ABOUT KATHRYN
Kathryn Weber is the cleaning editor for BellaOnline, Living Space newspaper columnist (Victoria Advocate, Beaches Leader, et al), and publisher of the Red Lotus Letter feng shui E-Zine (www.redlotusletter.com).
RADIO, TV PRODUCERS & HOSTS: Do you have a radio show and need an entertaining guest? Kathryn is a popular guest on radio and television shows. Witty and entertaining, she can talk on a variety of subjects -- from feng shui to cleaning to our aversion to housekeeping.
NEED CONTENT OR A SPEAKER? Contact Kathryn for information about speaking opportunities, radio or television interviews, and content. If you have a need for feng shui, lifestyle, home and garden, or cleaning information or content for your E-zine, website, or publication, Kathryn would be delighted to speak with you.
P.O. Box 531, Cuero, Texas 77954
Telephone: 361.676.8800
FAX: 361.277.8391
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