Cleaning Tip of the Day: Clean Out your Dryer Lint

Hello everyone!!  I am so embarrassed about this post…

Yesterday, when I was doing laundry, I noticed that I wasn’t really getting any lint in my dryer lint bucket.

I thought about it and I realized that I didn’t need to clean out my link bucket in a while because it wasn’t getting full.

I took the bucket out and unscrewed the screw to find a TON of lint stuck in there.

 

 

This is what I found!  Ewww!

 

 

 

I am ashamed to admit to this but that was my first time cleaning out the inside of my dryer.  I told my husband that and luckily for me, he said he has done it several times.  Yay, what a good man! :)

I think I need to add this to my cleaning routine and clean it out at least a couple of times a year!

Do you clean your dryer lint?

How often?

Have a great day! :)

Check out our June Shaklee New Member Special:

Join Shaklee with $70 Product Order and Get a FREE Sports Nutrition Pack!

Click HERE for more info!

I will post more about these products soon!  They rock! :)

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How to Organize your Cleaning Schedule

Welcome to Week 3 of our Organize your Life series!

To read the 1st week’s post, on Organizing your Mind, click HERE!

To read the 2nd week’s post, on Organizing your Schedule, click HERE!

If you are just joining in, please link up your blog here so we can all help motivate each other…PLUS, there is still time to win the book, Organize Now!.

I am reading and using the book called Organize Now! by Jennifer Ford Berry to help me organize my life.

This week is…

Why Make A Cleaning Schedule?

• No More Crazy Cleaning – You will not have to worry about cleaning or run around cleaning it before someone comes over.
• Less Stress – When my house isn’t clean, I always feel relaxed. I know what day I am going to do each chore so I can relax and know there is time in the schedule to get it done.  This allows me not to be thinking of cleaning while I am playing with my kids!!  This is the greatest feeling EVER!!! :)
• Better Time Management – You can manage your time because you are on a schedule.  With this being said, I call fall off or jump ahead of my cleaning schedule and not worry. Remember, it is only cleaning!  (Oh, did I just say that?)  If I miss a week at something, life goes on.  Please don’t obsess over your schedule.
• Control Procrastination – It is easy to put off cleaning but a schedule can keep you motivated and on track.

How to Make a Cleaning Schedule

• List your tasks. Make a list of everything that you can possibly think of that needs cleaning.
• Determine frequency of tasks. To determine the frequency that you need to do a certain task, think about what makes sense and what is reasonable for you.  Do what makes the most sense to you. I love having sparkling floor to start my week, so I do them on Monday.  Then, I like to clean my bathrooms next, so I do those on Tuesday.  Then I make my week a little easier and dust on Wednesday (which is also my shopping day) and vacuum on Thursday.
• Gather your cleaning supplies.  Not having your cleaning supplies ready is a big waste of time  and distraction.  So before you get started make sure you have what you need. This is what my cleaning bucket looks like.

My kit includes…

Basic H spray bottles filled with Basic H and water

Basic G (Germicide)

Household wipes

Disinfecting wipes

Scour Off

Sponges

Scrubber Pad

Microfiber Mirror Cloths

Microfiber Cleaning Cloths

• Use an all-purpose cleaner.  I use Organic Basic H for almost everything in my house!  I don’t need to carry a different bottles around for each surface.  You can use Basic H on all washable surfaces plus it will save you time because I believe it gets the job done quicker and it will also save you money because it is concentrated.
• Control your Clutter. There is nothing worse than a bunch of clutter. Get rid of ALL clutter!!! Do don’t need STUFF!!!
• Assign people to tasks. Give each family member a chore if they are old enough.  I even have my kids do little chores.  You cannot start them too young, right? :)
• Put it in writing.  You can document your schedule however you like. You can make your own, buy one or get a free printable online.  (Below, I will show you Martha Stewart’s printout.  I love Martha!)  Use whatever works for you. 
• Stick with it.  Feel free to reward yourself for staying on track!  This is not an easy thing to do so please do something for yourself!!!

Below are great checklists for things that you should do everyday, weekly and monthly around the house!

CLEANING 6 THINGS TO DO EVERYDAY

CLEANING WEEKLY CLEANING

CLEANING MONTHLY CLEANING CHECKLIST

Here is my My Cleaning Schedule

Daily

• Wash/Disinfect the counters
• Sweep/Vacuum the hardwood
• Vacuum the family Room (most days)
• Laundry (I try to do at least one load a day)
• Pick up the family Room toys
• Wipe down appliances
• Dishes/Dishwasher
• Stovetop
• Pay bills (I try to pay them, the same day we get them)
• Make the beds

Weekly

• Wash the hardwood floors- Monday
• Bathrooms- Tuesday
• Dust house - Wednesday
• Vacuum – Thursday
• Organize the kids rooms- Friday
• Organize the fridge- Wednesday (when I shop)
• Garbages- Tuesday

When Needed

• Shampoo the carpet (about 4 times a year)
• Dust fans
• Wash walls/doors
• Dust baseboards
• Wash the couch
• Wash the Windows
• Wash the mirrors the house
• Wipe down furniture
• Vacuum lamp shapes
• wipe down lamps
• Wipe down cabinets
• Dust/Wash vents
• Dust blinds
• Deep clean appliances

How I Clean

I named this post A Different Way To Clean because I have NEVER bought  a Fantastic, a 409, a Pine Sol,  a Lysol, Clorox Wipes, a Tide, etc.  I have never used a toxic cleaner since being married!!  I clean differently than most people.  I only clean with ALL natural products.  I did this even before it was  cool to be green!  At first, my only reason to do this was because it was cheaper.  I used and still use Shaklee Get Clean products.  Now, after being more educated on why it is so important to be toxic free,  I am really glad that I have been using these the whole time!!!  Toxins are dangerous, as in hurtful, as in not very clean at all.
When most people think of green cleaners, they think: expensive or lack of quality.  With the Get Clean products that I found, nothing is further!  These are CHEAP!!!!  And they WORK!!!!  '

Let me tell you what I use and how!

Kitchen

Let’s begin with with the  Kitchen because we spend most of out time in there!  I feel like I am in there all day!  As soon as I am done cleaning up a meal, it’s snack time!  Does that happen to anyone else?  I run my dishwasher everyday and I always  try to wipe the stainless steal appliances down every night.   I HATE going to bed with a messy kitchen!!!  I love waking up and coming down to a clean room.  I am in a better mood when there are no dishes out, the stove is clean and their are no fingerprints on the fridge!  I also like to sweep or vacuum the floor everyday (several times a day under their high chairs).  
In the kitchen I use…..

Basic H2 Organic Super Clean Concentrate and my super microfiber cleaning cloth for the appliances, cabinets, counters and walls.

Scour Off Heavy Duty Paste  for my sink and my appliance deep cleaning.  Click

HERE to see how I clean my oven!

Basic G- Concentrated Germicide for disinfecting my sink, counters, knobs, floor and whatever else I want germ FREE!

Dish Wash Concentrate for washing pots, pans or anything else by hand.  I only use 1 drop per dish!  This stuff is really powerful!!!!

Dish Wash Automatic Concentrate for my dishwasher.  I only use 1 teaspoon of this stuff and I NEVER pre-rinse  my dishes.  CHEAP!!!!

Here is a before and after of the fridge…

Here is a photo of my polished sink using Scour Off…

Here is a before and after on my window…

Bathrooms 

Next,  I’ll tell you about the bathrooms because everyone likes start with the grossest area and get it out of the way.   I use…

Basic H2 Organic Super Clean Concentrate for the windows and mirrors.

This stuff works…..with NO streaks!!!   I mix 2 drops of the concentrate to my 32oz. water spray bottle. (It costs $.02 per 32oz.  That’s right, it costs me only a 2 PENNIES  for a 32oz. bottle)  CHEAP!!!! I told you. 1 bottle of Basic H²equals the cleaning uses of 5,824 bottles of 26 oz. Windex. WOW!!!!

Here is a picture of the awesome window and mirror super microfiber cleaning cloth that I use.

Here is a picture of my mirror.  NO STREAKS!!!!

Basic G- Concentrated Germicide for the sink, toilet, floors and bath/shower.

I really like to disinfect!!!  I have three kids who put there hands everywhere and I don’t want germs everywhere!!!

I wrote more about Basic G HERE!

Here is a picture of my bathroom cleaning bottles. I put this  on the door.  I have these bottles in every bathroom.  It is simple , neat and easy!

Scour Off Heavy Duty Paste for the bath/shower, floor and sink when needed.

This stuff takes off rust, mold, hard water residue and other build up.  And it SMELLS like cherries!!! And totally safe!

Here are before and after pictures of some hard water residue on my sink drain. (I know it’s gross!  Don’t hate me!)

WOW!!! Look at that sparkle!!!

I think that is pretty much it for the bathrooms, lets move on to floors

Floors

I try to vacuum or sweep everyday.  I don’t know if it is just my family but we REALLY need to do this everyday!  We get kinda totally dirty here!  I found a floor duster that I really like and the dusts the baseboards too!  YAY!!! 

It is by o-cedar.

Here is a picture of it at work!!!

I also love to use my BFF aka my Dyson vacuum.  I love it!  Now that my son is crawling and trying to eat everything he sees, I have just been leaving it out all the time.  Anytime I see something on the floor, I just turn on my Dyson and suck that baby up before my son finds it!

I use the attachments to get baseboards, lamp shades and furniture.

I have the Dyson Ball Slim and it’s great because it is so easy to move around and it’s lightweight!

For washing my floors, I use…..guess…..

Basic H2 Organic Super Clean Concentrate

This awesome no rinse, no residue, streak-free formula works great on any floor!  It seriously makes my wood shine.   For floors,  mix 1 tablespoon of Basic H + 1 gallon of water.  Apply to floor with sponge or mop.  I just put it in a spray bottle, spray it on the floor and wipe it with a microfiber mop.

Here is my little helper!  Look at the floor shine!

Dust

Now, how do I dust?  I don’t!  LOL, I wish!  This family makes a lot of dust or at least we see it more because of all of our dark wood  floors and furniture.  Usually I dampen my super micro fabric cleaning cloth with my Basic H.  I also use a really long duster to get my fans, vents, light fixtures, stair railing, walls and ceiling.

Here is another picture of my helper.  I find it best to give the kids their own set of cleaning tools to keep them busy.  It’s never too early to teach the art of cleaning!

Laundry

Laundry for 5 is not an easy thing to do!  I have a system that works for now until I can get the kids to do their own.  Right now I put ALL the the dirty laundry  form everyone in our family in my side of our closet.  I have 3 laundry baskets for  whites, lights and darks and 1 basket on my hubby’s side for his work clothes.  I also keep a laundry basket in my laundry room for hand towels, wash cloths, etc.  All of my laundry products are concentrated and NON-Toxic.  It is totally safe for your skin.  It is great for sensitive baby skin!

I use…

Fresh Laundry Concentrate
Soft Fabric Concentrate
Soft Fabric Dyer Sheets
Nature Bright

I can’t say enough about the laundry products!  A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!!!! They get the stains out EVERYTIME!!!

Here is a picture of the baskets in our closet…

Here is a picture of our laundry room basket…

Extra Tips

Have your kids ever drawn on your furniture with pen?!?!?  Mine have,  a normal mom would probably freeeak out! But not me.  Basic H gets it right out!!!!  AND in less than ONE MINUTE!!!!!  I just put in on straight and scrubbed in right out!

Here is a before and after of my chair with pen on it…

I also really like the Magic Eraser for scratches on the furniture. 
Here is a before and after of white paints scuffs on my dresser.

And that is how I clean and what I use!!!!

I also showed you ALL MY CLEANING POSTS OF 2010 HERE!!!!  Go check them out for more cleaning ideas and tips! :)

For more tips, please read this book!

 

I can’t wait to read about your cleaning schedules!!!!

Have a great day!

 

Also, don’t forget that you can get a FREE SHAKEE CINCH SAMPLER KIT (over $100 value) with the purchase of a Shaklee membership (a $19.95 one time fee to save you 15% off ALL orders including your first order) or ShakleeDistributorship ($39.95) AND a $70 order at member price (MN).  To get this special,  place the products in your cart, and then it will tell you that you qualify for the free Cinch Sampler Kit at the top.  After that, sign up as a member or distributor. You DO NOT need to place the sampler kit in your cart…it is automatic, just make sure to check if you qualify.   Please note, if you become a Gold Ambassador, you do not need to place an order to get the free kit.  Please email me at donahuewellness@hotmail.com for any questions.  ***Plus, I will let you know of ALL OF MY NEW MEMBER SPECIALS!!!***  You can read about my Cinch results here and my sister’s amazing story here.

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HOW TO CLEAN WITH SHAKLEE’s GET CLEAN LINE

I had such a great response with my BEST OF 2010 BLOG PARTY that I thought I would show you my cleaning posts all summed up into ONE HUGE (the longest post you ever read) POST!  I think this is all anyway, lol, I might of missed some.  Anyway.  I provided links to the actual post.  As you probably already know, I am a Shaklee Distributor.  I have been using Shaklee products since I was younger because my mom started us on them.  I LOVE SHAKLEE so now I share it with others.  I showed you my TOP 10 SHAKLEE products here but I want to show you the different ways to you the non-toxin cleaning line called Get Clean.  I am still impressed with these products after all this time, plus it’s saves us money and helps keep our home toxic free. 

WARNING: LONG, LONG, LONG POST!  LONGEST EVER!!!

I showed you how I clean, what I use and how often.  This is one of my most popular posts!  I showed  how I clean my kitchen, bathroom, laundry, etc.

I showed you how I  used Shaklee's all natural Scour Off Heavy Duty Paste to clean my oven.  (I love this stuff, I use it in my shower, bath and sinks too!)

Here are some before pictures.....

After.

I also want to let you know that you can put your range hood vent in the dishwasher.  Here are some pictures of that...

BEFORE

AFTER

I showed you my spring cleaning list.

I showed you how I clean my refrigerator.

I showed you my secret and favorite cleaning product!  I guess the secret is out now…lol.  Seriously,  I LOVE this stuff and use it for EVERYTHING!  We mom used it when I was younger and that’s ALL we use now.

I showed you how I clean my kitchen sink.

I showed you how I wash my floor with Organic Basic H.

Before.

(It doesn’t usually get this bad EVER, so it makes a great before)

After.

Before.

After.

It’s even safe enough to let your little ones help!

I showed you how to deep really dust your house.

I showed you how I clean my tea kettle.

Ewww!  Gross, sorry to show this to you but it gets better.  (and this is after I put it in the dishwasher.)

I just wiped it down with my scour off.

And now it looks brand new again.  And within less than a minute!

I showed you how I get off grass stains easily and naturally.

Before.

 

After.

I showed you how I gave my van a spring cleaning.

I showed you in my under the sink makeover how using Shaklee’s cleaners are simple and clean looking.  You don’t have to use a whole cabinet of stuff to clean your house.  You only need an all-purpose and scouring cleaner!  That’s ALL!

I showed you cleaning green in general can save you money.

I showed you the cost comparison of Shaklee’s Get Clean products vs. leading  and other green brands.

Get Clean Cost Comparison 2009 -- MN

I also posted some green tips.

I showed you my HOT household tips.

This first before and after is obviously my oven door.  I took a wet sponge and dipped it into my Scour Off Paste and scrubbed for about 5 minutes…..and…….

  it turned out beautiful!!!  Just like new, without any harsh fumes (oven cleaners are one of the worst for your health) and it only took 5 minutes!!!!

Here is my fridge. I have no clue how it got this bad.  My kids are learning to get there own water this summer and they are always making a mess with the water, plus, if I don’t keep it locked, my 18 month old can push the water button and make a huge mess and FAST!!!

I just sprayed this with my all-purpose formula of Basic H and wipe with my window and mirror micro-fiber cloth.

Here is another example of doing the same thing on my dishwasher.  Basic H work awesome on stainless steal and it leaves no residue.

Ok, here is my kitchen table after a party with a lot of kids (we have those often.)

I just sprayed my degreaser formula of Basic H and wiped with my all purpose  micro-fiber cloth.

That turned out great except now you can see that I need to paint over that cup mark, lol.

I did the same thing on this chair.  Basic H is totally safe to use on furniture and painted furniture.

I does a great job of cutting grease.

   Ok, this is a little embarrassing!!! I was in my bathroom getting ready and the kids were quiet….I little too quiet, so I opened the door to find my boys drawing on my chair with a PEN.   ARGH!!!!

So I sprayed my degreaser formula of Basic H and let sit…..

  and wiped and it ALL came out perfectly.  Basic H is safe to use on fabrics.

Here is a picture of both so you know that I didn’t just switch the chairs, lol!

This is another example of Basic H on wood.   (It also works GREAT on HARDWOOD FLOORS-see here for pics)

I just sprayed all-purpose Basic H and wiped down with my all-purpose micro-fiber cloth.

Basic H works GREAT on windows, mirrors and glass.  Do you see how foggy this lamp is here?

I sprayed with my windows and mirrors formula of Basic H and wiped with my super window/mirror microfiber cloth and it turned out beautifully!  I can also make a gallon of window cleaner with Basic H for LESS than 1 cent!!!!

         Here is  a picture of my sink with a huge rust stain on it.  Yup, I came home from my vacation to Canada to find that I left my cast iron pan in the sink.  It was there for a WHOLE week.  I had the whole house spotless before we left, don’t ask me how I forgot this one!  Anyway, Scour Off was there to save my day (and my sink!)  I did have to scrub a little harder than normal but it only took a couple of minutes until it looked like…..

this!!!!  Look at it shine now!!!!

Here is a full view, if you look carefully, you can see the Scour Off that I used.

I showed how I dust my refrigerator coils.

I showed you what and how to disinfect your house naturally.

I showed you how I wash my cabinets.  I usually wipe them down weekly or when needed but they were pretty bad today so I got out my Basic H and went to work.  I just sprayed on the all-purpose solution and wiped off. 

Before:

After:

I showed you my fall cleaning schedule.

Fall Cleaning Schedule

 

I showed you how I wipe down my walls.  After I wiped it down, It looked like I just painted again!

I show you how I got crayon off our doors.

I was so impressed….it only took a minute or two for each door and it was all off!

I showed you how I clean my garage for winter.

I showed you how I clean my carpet.

Last one..I promise!

I showed you how I get permanent market off my granite countertop.

Before.

After.

I sprayed Basic H and G on it and it came off in 30 seconds! 

OK, Are you still here? lol

I know that was a LOT of info! 

I hope that you learned a couple of things…or at least got motivated to clean!

If you liked what you saw and and are thinking about investing in some of your own Get Clean products.  Here is link to my website.   Shaklee is offering FREE LIFETIME SHAKLEE MEMBERSHIPS with a order over $70 (member price) until December 31st.   A Get Clean Starter Kit qualifies! Although, if you get this kit, I would recommend adding Scour Off and Basic G to your order.  A membership gets you 15% off all Shaklee products and there are no minimums to keep your membership!

START GOING GREEN AND SAVING GREEN THIS YEAR WITH SHAKLEE!!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!

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