Welcome to the NEW BellaOnline Cleaning Newsletter. Each week you will find tips, tricks, and cleaning facts. Reader suggestions are always appreciated and if you have any questions, I will try to answer them in each newsletter. This newsletter is in text format only to avoid causing problems with email services that do not handle HTML mails well.

This week:
Odd Cleaning Facts
Unexpected Uses
De-Clutter: Bathroom
Cleancycle
Homemade Cleaner: Soft Scub



This Week’s Odd Cleaning Fact:
Television remotes in hospitals spread more infection than toilet brush handles. Most people forget to clean theirs, so if you or a loved one need to spend time in a hospital, wipe the remote with an alcohol pad, disinfectant wipe, or spray with a product like Lysol before using. You may just protect them from a Staph infection.


Unexpected Uses:
The next time your Great-Aunt Martha comes to visit, check to see if she forgets some of her denture cleaner. If so, you have a powerful cleaner in tablet form! Toss two in the toilet to help clean the bowl. Let sit until dissolved, then scrub (or not). Denture cleaner is also great for cleaning coffee cups. Drop in, let dissolve, rinse. The best contain whiteners.

De-clutter: Bathroom:
Ah, the bathroom. You know, I hate cleaning this room more than any other. To make it easier to clean you should organize it from top to bottom. I know, I know, this is harder than it sounds. Trust me, I understand. For your first step in de-cluttering the bathroom, go through all of your shampoo and body wash. Often we end up with tons of bottles, but never use them all. Toss anything you haven’t used in the past month. If it has been there a month, more than likely it will be there unused next month, too. Keep only what you will use and arrange them in easy reach. A shelf near the shower works well or you can use a clean wastebasket.

Cleancycle:
Re-use cleaner bottles for your homemade versions of cleaners. Almost any container with a screw on cap or tight fitting lid can be used to hold cleaners. Making your own soft scrub with the recipe in this newsletter? Why not use an empty ketchup or mustard bottle? It will allow the cleanser to flow easily.

Homemade Soft Scrub:
1 cup baking soda
1/3 to ½ cup dishwashing detergent

Mix the detergent into the baking soda a bit at a time until it is smooth. You want a consistency that is a bit like thick wall paper paste, but will fall off of your spoon (or whatever you are mixing with) in a solid stream. Use anywhere you would use a soft scouring powder. Will not scratch!


And on to the obligatory cleaning info!


Here's the latest article from the Cleaning site at BellaOnline.com.

Urine Stain Removal
Whether you have small children or are a caregiver to someone who is incontinent, this article will help you remove urine odor from your home.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art56961.asp

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Julie E. Fletcher, Cleaning Editor
http://cleaning.bellaonline.com

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