Cleaning Tips
A mix and match bunch of quick cleaning tips. Vamp tested and approved.
Easy homemade handy wipes:
Eating cookies on the go? You can make your own hand wipes by dampening paper towels in a mixture of lemon juice and water. Keep them in a sealed ziplock baggie in the fridge until you’re ready to go and then just stick them in your bag. They’ll leave your hands feeling fresh and clean!
Dryer sheets for wax cleaning:
If your houseguests include little ones, you may find some unwanted artwork left behind on your walls after they’ve gone. Rubbing a dryer sheet on crayon drawings will rub the wax off without affecting your paint job.
Silver polish quick fix:
If you have guests arriving soon and still need to polish your silver, line a baking dish with aluminum foil, add a couple spoonfuls of baking soda, and then fill it with boiling water. Place your silverware inside and let sit until shining.
With all this cleaning, it’s important to remember to protect your hands! While I know wearing latex gloves isn’t the most earth-friendly thing you can do, I wanted to recommend Gloveables because they last longer than any others I’ve ever tried (and they’re SUPER cute!). The cute sleeves keep your whole arm dry and prevent water from trickling into the gloves (causing gross mold).
Easy cleaning for your microwave:
Vamp Deidre shared this great tip with me for how to clean a microwave, which will come in handy if you've had to reheat a bunch of appetizers before your guests arrive. Wrap half of a lemon in a wet dishrag and microwave for 40 seconds. The steam from the dishrag will loosen any grime, making it easy to wipe down afterwards. The lemon will leave your microwave with a great citrus scent!
Care for your cast iron:
Cast iron pans are some of the best pans you can cook with, and they transfer from the stove top to the oven to the dining room table with immense grace. If you've just bought a new cast iron pan, it's important to first season it before using, as cast iron gets better with age, the smooth surface becoming non-stick once seasoned. Some pans are now sold pre-seasoned, but seasoning is so simple that I think pre-seasoned pans are unnecessary. To season a new cast iron pan after first washing and drying it in hot, soapy water and thoroughly drying in an oven pre-heated to 300 or 350 degrees, simply take about a tablespoon of a neutral oil (like vegetable or grape seed) and use a paper towel to cover the pan with the oil. Bake in the oven for an hour and run a paper towel over the surface to remove any excess oil that still remains after it has cooled. The pan is now seasoned.
Caring for your cast iron pan after using is also pretty easy since, as I said, the pans get better with age. You should always first try to clean your pan with water only; if there is still food stuck, try a soap-free dishwashing brush or scouring pad. Martha suggests boiling water in the pan to break up especially stubborn food pieces, as soap can hurt the surface of the pan. However, if you do use soap, just re-season the pan when you're done. The Times had a great article about cast iron pans which I've included a link to here: http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/07/dining/07mini.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&oref=slogin
Dust like a pro:
Vamp Susie wrote me about her favorite dusting trick: microfiber detailing cloths which can be bought in the auto-section of Wal-mart for 10 for $5. You can use these in conjunction with your favorite cleaners (I love Pledge for my wood coffee table, dining table, and chairs) and they do a great job on any surface--Susie says they leave no streaks on mirrors or windows. These are great for the pet hair (and other dust) that gets everywhere un-upholstered! And the eco-friendly part is that they go in the washing machine and dryer (without dryer sheets) when you're done!
Love Your Pets, Not Their Fur:
The best way to take care of pet hair on your upholstered furniture and your rugs is with rubber--rubber gloves, a rubber broom, or even a rubber squeegee! Dampen the gloves or broom slightly and then run it over the upholstered surface, taking the fur off the gloves or broom as you go. Rubber gloves should also work on clothes, but lint brushes or simply wrapping painter's tape sticky-side out around your hand should also do it. Her majesty Martha also has two suggestions: to remove pet hair, Martha recommends a dry sponge which you can find at a pet supply store and use dry (it can be washed with soap and water); and for prevention, remember to groom your pets. She suggests brushing long-haired pets once a day and short-haired ones once a week. This should keep shedding to a minimum and keep your pets happy!
