March 2009 Archives

White distilled vinegar. This is a powerful deodorizer. And that’s exactly why I use it as a base for just about every cleaner. It also works well to dissolve soap film, as well as any mineral deposits from evaporated water. Baking soda. The word “miracle” is bandied about so much these days. But I’m going to add it to this discussion on cleaning as well. Baking soda is, after all, truly a miracle natural cleanser. Baking soda does more than just absorb odors. It’s also a very effective mild abrasive that can be safely used to clean sinks, bathtubs and counter tops. But what makes baking soda so welcome as a cleanser is that it’s non-toxic. Liquid soap or detergent. What kind of liquid soap? I prefer to purchase mine at the health food store. It’s called liquid castile soap. If you can’t find it easily, ask a clerk. He’ll be able to direct you to it. And if not, I’m sure the store would be willing to order it. You can also find it on the internet. Now you can make the vinegar smell a little less like vinegar. I use a variety of scents from lavender to tea tree. Tea tree oil, in fact, is an effective disinfectant. You may want to keep this mixture handy for such places as the bathroom and kitchen. Not only will your house smell good, but you can be sure that you’re removing many, if not all of the germs, at the same time You may be able to find essential oils at the pharmacy counter or grocery store. If you can’t, you can always buy them online!

Look around your home. If you could reduce one category of item lying around, what would it be? In my house, it would be the mail. I get very few letters that are personalized any more. Most of the mail I receive falls into two categories – junk or bills. And knowing that actually makes it easier to do something about it. If you find that your junk mail is taking over your dining room table, and your bills are getting lost on your living room floor, then I’ve got a system for you. You start by retrieving your mail from the box. But as you enter your home, don’t put it down on the dining room table without looking at it. Go directly to the waste basket. Now, sort through everything you know you don’t want and will never look at. Toss them in the basket. Now, take all your bills and place them on your desk – not your dining room table! Preferably place them in a basket that you’ll use come next payday to pay them! Look at what you have left. You may have a few personal items. But mostly you have ads that you’ll eventually look at before you go grocery shopping the next time or other items of interest. Place these in a separate basket to be glanced at later. And if you don’t get a chance to look at them later, they’re contained in a basket so they’re not cluttering up your house. My junk mail – before I instituted this practice – would end up under my couch and various other places. It’s been great sharing these 10 secrets to speed cleaning with you. But they only begin to give you the real feel for a quick and efficient cleaning method. To learn even more about my speed cleaning secrets, visit {www.speedcleaningcopy.com}. There you can learn even more about how to effortlessly and painlessly clean your house in record time.