spring cleaning Archives - Mother 2 Mother Blog

How to Remove Allergens From Your Flooring

June 3, 2019 by Rhonda Gales 3 Comments

Today, we’re sharing tips on how to remove allergens from your floors.When the warmer breezes of April and May prompt you to open your windows and get all the gunky and stuffiness of winter out, it’s time for your spring clean. You may have many annual traditions when it comes to cleaning in the spring such as washing windows, dusting the ceiling fans and beating out area rugs. However, it’s important to pay special attention to your flooring in order to keep allergens and related particles from building up.

While spring means lovely trees and flowers blooming, it can also cause terrible allergies to invade your home. By cleaning your floors properly, you can avoid some of the worst of the pollen or mold incursion.

How to Remove Allergens from Flooring:

For Hardwood

Cleaning your hardwood floors regularly is the best way to remove allergens from your flooring. Make sure you sweep and mop with a damp (but not saturated) cloth mop. Most hardwood floors just need a quick wipe with water, and for some you can use a vinegar and water mix or a very light soap like Bona. Before you clean with any of these, make sure you test a part of your flooring in an out of the way place.

For Carpet

Wondering how to remove allergens from your carpet? While carpet likely traps the most pollen of all your flooring options, it can be cleaned easily with a vacuum that has a quality filter. The filter keeps the allergens from spreading into the air. If, at the same time, you’ve been avoiding really scrubbing out carpet stains, there are many methods for eradicating various stain causes. You can try using this trick on most stained areas:

Get a bucket of warm water, some baking soda and some dish soap.
Sprinkle the stain with baking soda and then add about 1 tablespoon of dish soap for every 6-8 inches of stained carpeting.
Use a rag to move the mixture around until bubbles appear.
Gently scrub with a brush or towel using the warm water. Keeping the floor damp but not soaked.
Once dry, vacuum again.

For Cork flooring

While you might worry that cork would harbor more allergens because of its porous texture, cork is naturally antimicrobial, making it able to combat allergens like mold and mildew. If need be you can add a finish the further repels potential allergens. To keep your cork floor clean, use a damp mop once a week on it. If you want to use a cleaning product occasionally, make sure you use only recommended cork floor cleansers.

For Tile Flooring

Allergens do not easily adhere to tile, so simple cleaning with warm water is usually a good way to make sure you don’t have to worry about accumulation. That said, old grout can build up mold, so if you notice this happening, it might be time to re-grout.

Still Worried About Breathing Easily? Be Aware of Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC)

Unfortunately, many finishes and some flooring can contain volatile organic compounds that can affect your allergies as well. These are particularly prevalent in synthetic carpeting and vinyl as well as most industrial coating like varnish. These can give off particles that become vaporous and are known as pollutants that cause breathing trouble for some people. While off-gassing from these products is most prevalent directly after installation or refinishing, it can go on for months or even years. To avoid this on your floors, you can use water-based products or apply an encapsulating sealer designed to trap VOCs and prevent them from off-gassing into your home.

You want to be able to soak all the beauty of springtime and to have a clean house without sneezing every few seconds. By keeping your floors clear of allergens, you’ll be able to enjoy spring (and all that other cleaning) so much more.

You may also like: 4 Simple Ways to Prevent Allergies.

About the Contributor – Sarah Archer

Sarah’s a writer who’s passionate about evaluating everyday home products to help consumers save time and money. When she’s not putting a product’s promise to the test, you’ll find her hiking a local trail or collecting new stamps in her passport.

Sprucing Up Your Home In Spring

March 16, 2017 by Rhonda Gales 2 Comments

Spring has finally sprung unless storm Stella has caused a few problems for you. In which case you have our condolences because you will have to wait a little longer. Spring makes getting off your couch and out of your blankets easier. It means sprucing up your home after spending all of winter hunkered down. We have a few spring decorating tips to help you spruce up your home this spring.

Declutter

First, go room by room and start getting rid of things that you no longer use or need. Either throw it away or donate it. Put three bags in place – one for items that you plan to keep, one for things that will be donated, and a third for things to be trashed. Lose as much sentimentality as you can. And remember that if you haven’t looked at r used something in a few months, you probably won’t miss it.

The Outside Of Your Home

You’ve probably spent the whole winter hurrying to and from your car without taking much of a look at the outside of your home. It’s time for that to change. Take a good look at your back yard and see what you can do to make it a pleasant area for you to relax in this summer. Furthermore, add seasonal fruits and vegetables that you can grow yourself. Also, make sure there’s a patch of shade where you can relax with a good book or without fear of sunburn.

Check out companies similar to www.treeservice-fortworth.com. Look for companies who will help you cut back any errant branches. Make sure that your yard looks neat and tidy. Additionally, check for any paint cracking and peeling. If found, pick new paint colors and start painting when the weather is warm enough.

Let The Light In

It’s time to turn off your heating and add a little natural warmth to your home. Open curtains and let the sunlight flood in. Not only will the natural light give you a little extra vitamin D, but it really will warm up your home. If you have a pet cat, you’ll absolutely see it lounging in the pools of sunlight on the floor. The only problem with filling your home with sunlight is that it might just illuminate patches of dust. Get out the duster, and remove any dirt and dust that has accumulated over the winter months.

Update Your Décor

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During the winter, we go for darker colors like red and green. But spring is the time of new life, of rebirth and nature. It’s time to ditch those Christmas colors and go for apple green, periwinkle blue and pale yellows. You don’t have to redecorate your entire home, but why not buy some new art prints. Paint an accent wall in a couple of your rooms. You could also add new pillows and rugs to your living room in bright, fresh colors. Add a spring-like quality to your decor. Finally, why don’t you add some plants? They’ll add some greenery to your home along with plenty of fresh clean air.

Finally, we hope that you enjoy our spring decorating tips, and will implement a few ideas into your décor.

Filed Under: Cleaning Tips, Life-Thoughts Tagged With: spring, spring cleaning, spring decorating

Guest Post – 5 Frugal Ways To Update Your Home

April 20, 2015 by Rhonda Gales

Spring is here – finally! And with all of the new life and green breaking through the gray of winter, it’s time to celebrate. Spring brings a fresh perspective, a new beginning. Jump on board by freshening up your own surroundings. It’s time to update your home for the season. There’s no need to spend a lot of money. Take on a few
simple projects to enjoy a brightened home and a brightened future.

Here are five frugal ways to update your home for spring:

1. Hit the Yard Sales – There’s nothing like scanning a good yard sale on a crisp Saturday morning in April. Yard sales are the perfect places to score a big ticket item at a fraction of the price. Be on the lookout for hidden gems among the clutter. Vintage dishes make great wall art, and mirrors add light and depth to any room. Glance at your local paper for upcoming sales and plan your route to get the most bang for your buck. Don’t forget to take cash, and have a vehicle for hauling all of your amazing finds.

2. Freshen With Paint – A new color for your front door or your favorite decorative accent can add a little life back into your home. Don’t be afraid to go bold with your choice; you can always repaint it later. For a more dramatic update, try a new color on the walls or kitchen cabinets. All white is trendy now, but you can spice it up with an unexpected pop of color, like a bold green or fiery red on an accent wall.

3. Plant Some New Greens – Plants can be an inexpensive way to add color to the outside (and inside) of your home. Annuals tend to be a little cheaper than perennials, but a combination of both will mean you’ll be investing in your greenspace for years to come.

Try hanging a planter from your front porch, and you’ll see an instant boost in your home’s curb appeal. If space is a little more limited and a full garden isn’t your calling, try adding a few flowers to some pots at the front entrance of your home.

4. Move Things Around – One of the easiest and least expensive ways to get a new look in your home’s décor is to switch some things around. Move artwork to a different room or try a new arrangement of your favorite collection. Swap out pillows on your couch or bed, and weed through your bookcase.

If, through this process, you find that pieces of your décor are in need of replacing, you can make a list of what you need and start to budget accordingly. For extra savings, check out home décor wholesales online for some fresh spring décor.

5. Your Pictures – If the pictures on your walls haven’t been changed out in a few months – or a few years – it may be time to display new ones. Break out your digital camera so you can go through pictures of events that happened in the last year.

Ordering prints online is easier than ever now, so you can customize your prints to fit the frames you have on hand. No pictures you’d like to print? Do an impromptu photoshoot with your family.

Updating your home for spring doesn’t have to wreck your
budget. Try these five frugal ways to boost your home’s décor in no time!

Savannah Hemmings is a personal stylist and lifestyle blogger with a
passion for beautiful spaces and great deals. To read more of her tips on home
decor and fashion, check out her blog SincerelySavannah!