Many of you know that I’m a former teacher, but did you also know that I used to work with infants? During that time, I discovered that baby wipes were helpful in many ways besides the intended use. And, now as a new mom, I’ve found a few more.
1. Make up remover. I used to buy facial cloths to remove make up before going to bed. One night, I decided to try a baby wipe and it worked like a charm. They are soft and remove face paint easily. The bonus is that they are more cost-effective than the facial towelettes I used to buy.
2. Stain remover. Back when I was an infant teacher, I found out that baby wipes worked fabulously to remove spit up from clothing. Fast forward several years later and now I also use them to remove stains from clothing (think deodorant streaks and food spills), furniture, and carpet.
3. Picker-upper for every day spills. Food spills on the counter or the baby’s high chair don’t stand a chance against the power of a baby wipe. Because they are already moist, there’s no need to spray down the surface first. Very efficient.
4. Cleaner for frequently used items. They are tough on stains and gentle on things like your keyboard, mouse, and remote control. Germs like to congregate on those areas (including the handles of shopping carts and your refrigerator, door knobs, etc.) and using baby wipes are a great way to keep them at bay. Another great use: cleaning off dusty shoes and flip flops and wiping down toys.
5. Cleaner for just about any surface in your home or car. For your home, think blinds, window sills, shelving, microwave, and top of the refrigerator. In your car, use them on your steering wheel, dashboard, door handles, and cup holder pockets.
6. Cleaner of four-legged friends. Dirty dog paws are quickly eliminated with the swipe of a baby wipe. So are messy whiskers and bushy tails.
Those are the top six ways I use baby wipes. If I come up with a few more, I’ll let you know. Until then, leave a comment with the creative ways you use them.
OTR friend, Lauren Brown of Maid Brigade, is back with tips on how to deal with dust mites.
I’ll admit, it’s pretty gross. Dust mites feed off of dead skin cells and as long as there are humans and their furry friends in the mix, there will be an abundant and constant food supply for dust mites. They can create allergic reactions and trigger asthma attacks, but, fortunately, there are things you can do to get rid of them.
Key Problem Areas in Your Home
Dust mites will congregate close to the feast, i.e., where already-shed skin cells are concentrated. Textiles trap dead skin cells. Mattresses, pillows, linens, carpet and rugs, drapes, upholstered furniture, towels and plush toys can harbor dust mites. Your bed is the perfect environment for dust mites. Your mattress may house between one million and ten million of them. It is estimated that one ounce of dust can house 42,000 dust mites.
What You Can Do
- Bedding
Vacuum mattresses on 5 sides as often as you can but at least monthly for the allergy sufferer.- Use a specialized HEPA filter closed-canister vacuum to remove 99.9% of all particles 1 micron or greater.
- Flip mattresses every 3 months and vacuum all 6 sides when you flip.
- Launder linens and covers in water that is 130° F or hotter to kill dust mites.
- Vacuum the pillows as often as weekly, and launder in water that is 130° F or hotter every 3 months (organic) or replace every 6 months (synthetic).
- Direct sunlight kills dust mites. On sunny days (winter and summer), hang blankets and covers outside on the clothes line. Leave the beds unmade and open the window dressings during the day.
- Carpet & Rugs
- Vacuum your carpet and rugs with a specialized HEPA filter closed-canister vacuum at least weekly, or every few days in the rooms where an asthma or allergy sufferer spends most of his or her time.
- Drapes
- Vacuum your curtains with a specialized HEPA filter closed-canister vacuum at least monthly, but more often in the bedroom of an asthma/allergy sufferer.
- Beneath the Bed
- Dust mites like dark places. Be sure to vacuum under the bed frequently. Doing so will also reduce an abundant food source for moths.
About the Author
Lauren Brown is the Grass Roots Marketing Specialist with Maid Brigade. Lauren has been with Maid Brigade for three years, educating the community on the importance of going green for the health of the environment and our families. She emphasizes the value of using safer alternatives and how easy and affordable it can be to go green!
Maid Brigade is a residential cleaning service that uses only Green Seal certified cleaning solutions and green methods to clean homes. This ensures a safer work environment for their employees and a safer, healthier home for their clients.
“The troubled economy has prompted a need for empowerment, and they’re finding that the acts of cleaning, organizing and decluttering the home can provide that much needed sense of control. In a survey of our IconoCommunitiesSM panel, 25% of respondents acknowledge that they’ve been more active and interested in cleaning their homes since the start of the recession.” [Spring Cleaning · IconCulture.com · Nissa Hanna · March 2, 2010]
- ScanSnap Takes You Paperless in One Step [Stuff We Like] (lifehacker.com)
- Declutter as You Spring Clean – Just in Case (1-2-3getorganized.blogspot.com)
- Spring Cleaning 2010 (sobeorganized.blogspot.com)
With a great weekend behind me, what better way to start my week than by being interviewed by my friend and WUSA9 journalist, Lindsey Mastis! Today, Lindsey featured me in a story about women who love to clean. Now, cleaning is not organizing but they do go hand in hand…and guess who likes to clean? Remember my post on a few months back about my cleaning frenzy?
Click Here to See the WUSA9 Interview
Loading ...
Related Articles
- Domestic Delight! (organizetorevitalize.com)
- Domestic Delight, Part II – Can You Be Too Clean? (organizetorevitalize.com)
- 8 Ways to Kill Clutter in 5 Minutes (lifehack.org)
Today, I was the “Queen of Clean” and basked in domestic delight! I started my day determined to clean everything in my house and even sent out this tweet…
“I am in clean mode today. Everything in my path is getting dusted, washed, or rinsed…except the dog. It feels like spring in November!“
I was motivated to attack every nook and cranny AND I also had the greatest desire to rearrange my living room. It must have been the conversation I had with a new friend yesterday about her quest to get her space just right. There really was nothing wrong with my living room the way it was. I just wanted a change.
Does it seem strange that someone who loves structure and routine also loves change? Some of you might remember from my recent profile on Rubbermaid that I started rearranging rooms at a very young age.
My new plant stand.
Today’s room redesign was just as fun as it was back then. There was even a little bit of creativity – a stack of books became a plant stand for one of my orchids.
I’m sure I’m not the first person to come up with this idea, but I was particularly proud of myself. I also put my ladybug pot feet under the books to keep the plant theme going. I’m pretty tickled that Dean Koontz, James Patterson, my orchid, and the ladybug trio are all living nicely with each other. Perhaps a bit odd (like me), but it works.
I love these pot feet!
Have you ever gotten so caught up in domestic delight that you created a whole new way to use something you already had? I’d love to know, so leave a comment about your own creative re-creations.
