cleaning hacks Archives - Mother 2 Mother Blog

More Uses for a Car Vacuum Cleaner

October 10, 2018 by Rhonda Gales Leave a Comment

cleaning hacks

Your vehicle is your treasure, right? Why not take good care of it by using the right equipment? Using a car vacuum cleaner is the best method for removing dust fast and efficiently. Our friends over at bestvacuumexpert have listed 3 additional uses for a car vacuum cleaner:

Using a car vacuum cleaner as a home cleaner

Did you know you can transform your car vacuum cleaner into a home cleaner? However, you will be required to change the adapter to a 12 Voltage AC to DC power adapter. You also acquire a converter to avoid cutting wires leading power to the vacuum. This way you can use the car vacuum as a home cleaner as well.

Using a car vacuum cleaner for seat maintenance

Cleaning indoor seating requires extra suction power at times. If you have children snacking or doing crafts on your sofa, cleanup can be required. A car vacuum cleaner is just the right piece of equipment to remove dust and debris from seats. One advantage of the car vacuum is that it provides the mobility need when cleaning seats. Long cords on a regular vacuum can become tangled or get in the way of moving around when trying to clean seats. It also good for cleaning up dry dog food spills

Cleaning shelves

The car vacuum may not be powerful enough to tackle harder tasks. However, it’s ideal for removing dust on shelves. You can use the car vacuum in any environment, from the office shelves to the workshop.

Last, make your work easy and fast by exploring more uses for this wonderful cleaner. Take advantage of modern technology to make cleaning a piece of cake.

Liz Buckley is a part of the Content team at Best Vacuum Expert, sharing expert knowledge and best tips on how to have a clean house.

How to Care For and Clean Your Mattress

June 6, 2017 by Rhonda Gales Leave a Comment

First, if you’re one of those fussy people who worries about dust mites, bed bugs and other gross little things that might live in your mattress, you’re not alone. Sleeping in a bed that’s dirty or even worse infested with creepy crawlies can affect your sleep. We’re pleased to present a few simple mattress care tips and effective methods that can make your sleep time nicer. Check out our mattress care tips:

Refreshing a mattress

Next, start with a great mattress and keep it as clean as you possibly can. Furthermore, be sure to peruse a reliable mattress buying guide prior to making your purchase. Take as much time as you need to make a wise decision regarding which sort of bed frame and mattress to buy. You will, after all, be spending a significant portion of your life in your new bed, so go for a mattress and frame that feel perfect right from the start.

Additionally, once you bring your new mattress home, remove the wrapping and give the top and both sides a thorough vacuum cleaning. Vacuum the top and sides of the mattress every time you change your sheets. Use a crevice tool to reach tight spots. And allow the mattress to air out for an hour or so before you remake the bed with fresh linens. Sprinkle the mattress with baking soda and vacuum after several hours to remove lingering odors, says Lifehacker magazine.

Also, reduce bedroom temperatures and lower humidity to keep dust mites at bay. Bay leaves under the bed may keep pesky bed bugs away, as well. Baking soda with a few drops of essential oil added may reduce the attractiveness of your mattress, as far as both tiny bedroom pests are concerned.

Spot-cleaning and odor elimination

If your mattress becomes soiled, dab slight stains with laundry detergent diluted in warm water. For bigger stains, you may need to use a stronger detergent and water solution. Be careful not to saturate the mattress, but do use enough solution to lift away soil. Press with towels to blot up excess moisture before allowing the mattress to air dry.

Lingering perspiration problems are best removed from mattresses with an enzyme based odor-eliminating cleanser. Enzymes remove other biological odors, too.

Mattress maintenance

Another mattress care tip to prevent uneven wear, rotate your mattress at least every six months. Remind yourself to do this on the day clocks are set forward or backward. This is a good day to check smoke alarm batteries in the bedroom, as well. If you can remember to flip your mattress more often, even better.

A few words about bed bugs and dust mites

Highly used sleeping spaces are more likely to be visited by bedbugs. For example, dormitories, hotels, hospitals, buses, homeless shelters and cruise ships are at high risk for bed bug infestation, explains Mayo Clinic. People who can afford to travel the world often arrive home with bed bugs hitch-hiking on their luggage. Cleaning the mattress in every hotel room you visit is impossible. Tossing the bedspread on the floor is not. Whatever you do, do not place suitcases on the bed until you remove the spread. Do this simple trick every time you enter a hotel room, and you may avert some measure of bed bug danger.

Fortunately, the little bugs known as dust mites don’t bite. The thing mites eat is human skin flakes. Unfortunately, your bed is generally full of them. Dust mites are everywhere, and there’s not much you can do about them except clean your blankets, pillows, and sheets often. And thoroughly vacuum your mattress on a regular schedule. Let your bare mattress air out for several hours on laundry day, too. Sunshine is, as they say, a great disinfectant.

Last, before you rush out and purchase a brand new mattress, do your homework. Also, ask your friends about their beds. Visit brick-and-mortar bed stores and sit on a number of beds. Read, read, read reviews and see what other people are saying about different mattress brands and styles. Most importantly, the time you spend selecting the perfect mattress now is sure to spare you years of bedtime unhappiness later on. We hope that our mattress care tips will help you maintain a healthy mattress and get a good night’s sleep.

Chloe Summers is a Mom who enjoys writing about her experiences to share with others online. Look for her posts on a number of home and family blogs today.

Filed Under: Cleaning Tips, Life-Thoughts Tagged With: cleaning hacks, house cleaning tips, mattress clean

Get Your Kids Involved in Creating Clean Air

April 18, 2017 by Rhonda Gales Leave a Comment

Kids usually don’t want much to do with cleaning the house. They’d rather be outside playing, and who can blame them? But the lessons they learn in childhood last a lifetime. So, teaching children lessons in house cleaning can include the importance of creating clean air in the home. You can teach them this lesson through different tasks.

For example, turning a chore into a fun activity can help eliminate the perceived boredom that comes with cleaning. Here are a few activities to teach kids about creating clean air in the home and keeping it clean:

Changing the Air Filters

Air filters are easy to change. Most are located in a safe and accessible spot. This makes it safe in getting teens involved in removing and replacing them. They’re also a perfect teaching tool to show just how dirty the air filters can get. Dirt caught in the filters is dirt that doesn’t make it into the rest of the home. Change filters regularly.

While you may not want your children actually doing the task on their own, you can write the date of installation on the filter. Additionally, mark the replacement date on the calendar. When the due date arrives, the kids can remind you to change the filter. Furthermore, they can accompany you to see how much dirt was collected. It’s a simple, yet important task that gets everyone in on the action.

Turn off the Lights

Lights by themselves don’t do much in the way of generating pollution. It’s at the power generation level where the pollution occurs. The act of turning on a light bulb creates a power demand from the power plant. That demand requires fuel to generate the electricity. Encourage the kids to turn off the light when they leave a room for any length of time. It’s a great way to instill the idea of keeping the air clean without nagging. When kids are shown that their lack of action has a greater consequence to their world, they’re more likely to turn out the lights.

Energy producers are turning more and more to renewable sources instead of burning coal and wood. But this doesn’t change the need to turn out the lights. The less energy needed from any source, the better.

Open Windows at Night in Warm Weather

Air conditioning during the warmer months helps keep the home comfortable, but it also traps dust and other air pollutants inside. Open windows at night and use fans to circulate the air. Air is cooler at night and helps the home exhaust the heat. If the AC gets turned on during the day, it won’t work as hard to cool down the home because the internal temperature is already low.

These are some of the ways you can get your family to participate in tasks that keep the air clean in the home and atmosphere. Teaching kids to become energy and pollutant aware when they’re young helps them turn into responsible adults.

We hope that you found our tips on creating clean air beneficial, and you will implement a few ideas.

Filed Under: Health, Parenting Tips Tagged With: cleaning hacks, cleaning tips, kid's activities

How To Keep Your Home Tidy and Save You Time

December 13, 2016 by Rhonda Gales Leave a Comment

Having a hard time managing everything in your life? You’ve likely got a family to run, a job, pets to walk, cooking, and at this time of year rushing around gift shopping. After all, everyone wants to ensure Christmas lands with a bang. The list goes on and on. So, how do you balance everything? If finances allow, hire external experts to do the job for you. They can help bring balance into your life and make the that you need. Your home can benefit from their expertise and they can save you valuable time. Here are some great outsourcing options you should consider to make your life easier:

Hire A Window Cleaner

Cleaning the windows is a time consuming process. Furthermore, sometimes getting to the upper floor windows is almost impossible. You can hire a local cleaning service for a monthly fee. However, if you just want a one time cleaning, it is best to pay a one time payment. This way your windows will be fine for the season, especially the top ones. You can find window cleaners here.

Hire Someone To Cut The Lawn

It’s fairly easy to get a teenager or someone similar to cut the lawn. For those of us who are proud of our yards and gardens, having the lawn cut incorrectly is not acceptable. If you are particular, you should consider professional lawn care. This will allow you to enjoy a cared for lawn, and gives you one less thing to worry about.

Source

Use Professional Power Washing Services

A professional power washer can make your home, patio and drive area look new again. Power washing your home will remove dirt, mold, and mildew. It also helps to preserve your driveway, walkway, porch and patio. It’s especially effective if you have color in your drive and it can save you a good day’s worth of work. You’ll only need it done once or twice a year, depending on how dirty it gets. When they’re there you could also ask the operative to give your car a quick wash, the power of the jet wash can remove grime missed in a car wash.

Employ Professional Cleaners

Hiring home cleaners can be extremely beneficial. Cleaning the house is what takes the most time. Usually families tend to have a big clean before Christmas so the house is ready for the decorations and scores of visiting friends and family. If you have a hectic work schedule then this can be a great benefit to . Decide if you want to make it a weekly thing. If you don’t want the added expense you could consider doing it when you really need a break or more time.

Check around for the best prices, and work whatever service you need into your budget. Keeping your home tidy will free up time and give you a little energy for other things. It’s less expensive than you think.

Filed Under: Cleaning Tips, Life-Thoughts Tagged With: cleaning hacks, cleaning tips, house cleaning tips

Is Your Bed Clean Enough

September 27, 2016 by Rhonda Gales 2 Comments

The bedroom is somewhere we like to retreat in search of calm and peace, as well as, rest after a day’s hustle and bustle of life. It should feel like a sanctuary. However, it won’t feel like one until we recreate it. One of the major steps to achieving a sanctuary-like bedroom is proper cleaning. Unfortunately, we clean other parts of our bedroom and forget about some important aspects of the bed. The sheets, pillowcases, and mattress cover may be clean, but what about the pillows, mattress, and the blankets?

Your bed is not clean enough until you have thoroughly dealt with everything on your bed. Of course, some of the items will be cleaned more often than others. The most important thing is to make to make sure you do not forget about them completely. What are some of these items that should not be forgotten?

Blankets

We are reluctant about taking our fluffy companions to the washer. However, their material can harbor a lot of dust and form proper breeding grounds for germs. This makes it necessary to clean them at least once a month, or by their sixth week of use. A frequent cleaning schedule is required. Many fabrics used on blankets are safe to clean at home with the washer.

Before putting it in the machine, do a color test to see if the dye used runs. You will know whether to launder it separately or if you wash it with other items. Set your machine to the gentle cycle and use a mild detergent with cold water. Warm or hot water, agitated beating, and strong detergents can cause your blanket to shrink, stretch, or fade.

Pillows

You may have heard that pillows are better cleaned at the dry cleaners. However, that doesn’t mean you cannot maintain them in tip-top shape from home. Most pillows can be washed at home. They can either be washed by hand or machine. Check the tags to see if there are any washing instructions. To keep off molds, dust mites, sweat and dead skin or scales, clean your pillows every three to six months. You will also improve the quality of your sleep.

Front loading washers are great for washing bedding. Load a reasonable number of pillows in your machine and distribute evenly. Using warm water and a mild detergent, run the machine on the gentle cycle. Rinse thoroughly and allow them to air dry. You can also use a dryer depending on the fiber material.

Comforters

Comforters are often forgotten; however, they collect a lot of dust, body fluids, oils and any cosmetic products. For you to make your bed clean and fresh, consider cleaning your comforters regularly.

Check the washing instructions given for the kind of material. Comforters can usually be cleaned in a washing machine with warm water and a mild detergent. Kill any remaining bacteria by exposing them to UV sunlight during drying.

The Mattress

Even if your mattress has a cover, some body fluids, dust particles, hair and other dirt still find their way onto its surface. Unfortunately, we tend to overlook it and that allows bacteria suitable ground to breed. This creates a hazardous sleeping surface where you can easily contract allergy related infections such as flu, asthma, and respiratory tract illnesses, among others.

Invest in a washable cover. Wash regularly. An effective way to get rid of even the notorious bugs is by using baking powder and a vacuum cleaner.

Vacuum the surface to collect any loose dirt. Then dust the surface generously with baking powder. Allow it to sit for about 20 minutes then vacuum again. Wipe away any remaining marks with a damp cloth. Flip the mattress and repeat this process. If possible, set the mattress up and allow both sides to dry.

What other bed items do you think you are overlooking? A clean bed is not only comfortable but also safe to sleep on, but healthy to sleep on. Use the above ideas to purge any dirt and bacteria that could be endangering your health during your sleep.

Beverly Jenkins is proud of her staff at The Tidy Maids house cleaning service in Raleigh, NC. She has 24 years of experience in house cleaning, customer service, and business operations. She knows all the tips and tricks and do-it-yourself hacks when it comes to cleaning and her clients’ homes are the best proof for that.

Filed Under: Cleaning Tips, Life-Thoughts Tagged With: bedroom ideas, cleaning hacks, house cleaning

Home It Cordless Fabric Shaver Review

August 31, 2016 by Rhonda Gales Leave a Comment

I received this product at a discount for an honest review; however, all opinions are my own. This post may contain affiliate links. If this item is purchased, I may receive compensation. Funds will be used to sustain Mother 2 Mother Blog.

I received the Home It Shaver, and with anticipation I opened the box. I was pleased with the packaging. It was nice to not have to retrieve scissors or a machete to open the box or remove the shaver from the packaging. When you have items that are nailed down so tightly that you have to spend an hour getting it out the box, you become frustrated. That may be an exaggeration, but you get my drift.

You will need a C battery. It does come with a power cord if you don’t keep batteries on hand and a small cleaning brush. When you have children around, keeping batteries on hand is important. I pulled a battery out of the junk drawer and inserted it into the shaver. Let the work begin.

My favorite sofa has a tendency to pill, so I decided to remove the fuzz from my cushions. I love using the shaver without the cord. It makes cleaning so much easier.

I purchased a shaver previously, and I like this one much better. The large tray catches more lint and fuzz, which is great. It allowed me to complete the job without stopping to empty the tray. Also, I love the longer handle on this shaver. As a result, moving the shaver back and forth is much easier. It’s important to be able to get a good grip. The shaver does an excellent job removing the fuzz. The fabric looks as good as new.

Finally, I highly recommend this item. It’s a quality product at a good price, and it does an excellent job. I glad that I was able to give a positive review for the Home-it fabric shaver . Head over and purchase yours today.

Filed Under: Product Reviews Tagged With: cleaning hacks, cleaning products, home cleaning