Home with the Kids Newsletter December 12, 2006

The Editor's Desk - From Beneath the Clutter
Feature Article - 7 Spotless Holiday House Cleaning Tips
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The Editor's Desk - From Beneath the Clutter

It's good to be back. It felt really strange being away from working as much as I was, but good too. Everything went as you might expect at my grandfather's funeral and I was very pleased to see how well my grandmother appears to be coping much of the time.

Ariel has had some trouble with it all, especially having to stay with her grandparents for 4 days while my husband and I were away. None of it was not an easy thing for a 4 year old to deal with, and I hated leaving her behind. However, we had discussed the options and that had been her preference. She didn't know her great-grandfather very well anyhow, having only met him perhaps 4-5 times at most. But if I had realized my cousins would have daycare for their kids up there I might have checked to see about adding mine in.

We're all steadily getting back into routine and doing pretty well. Thanks for all your sympathy and prayers... they were appreciated.

Don't forget, you can contribute your articles or tips anytime for consideration. Just use the contact form.

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Feature Article

7 Spotless Holiday House Cleaning Tips

The holidays are full of festivity and fun. Here are some fast and free household cleaning tips.

Cleaning a spill on the carpet

It's inevitable. No matter how careful everyone tries to be, someone is going to spill some food or drink on your nice clean carpet. To keep the spill from doing damage try to dab it up as quickly as possible. Mix one tablespoon of mild liquid dishwashing detergent in 1/2 cup of warm water (note: you can also use 1/2 cup of white vinegar). Grab two clean white towels. Use one to dab at the stain with the solution, and the other to alternately blot the area to soak up the spill.

Keep frost away from windows

If you live in a cold weather area, it's nice to be able to look outside and see the pretty winter snow and holiday decorations. If your home windows fog up in cold weather, there's a solution. Wipe windows with a solution of 1/2 cup rubbing alcohol (or antifreeze) per 1 quart of water. Another tip is to moisten a cloth with glycerin and wipe the insides of the windows.

Cleaning your precious knickknacks

If you have a great collection of knickknacks that you love to display, but hate to clean, here's some good news: there's a quick and easy way to clean your figurines. Simply place your knickknacks inside the kitchen sink and spray them with window cleaner. Move them to a paper towel to air dry. This works for glass, china, and glazed figurines.

Cleaning candle wax drippings

Candlesticks - to clean hardened wax off of candlesticks, place the candlesticks inside the freezer for an hour or more. Remove candlesticks and the frozen wax should easily peel off. Wash and dry candlesticks. If you're pressed for time, run the candlesticks under very hot water, cover your hand with a soft towel and gently push hot wax off the candlestick.

Tablecloth - to remove still warm candle wax from a tablecloth, rub the wax with an ice cube to harden it, then scrape the wax off with a spatula. Place a paper towel over and underneath the remaining wax. Press wax area with a warm iron. Keep changing paper towels until all remaining wax is absorbed. Sponge off the remaining residue with dry cleaning solvent. Rub the area gently with heavy duty liquid detergent. Put tablecloth through the washing machine as soon as possible.

Fireplace cleaning

To prevent lots of ash dust from spreading around the room when you clean out your fireplace, sprinkle damp tea leaves onto the ash first.

If you have a slate hearth, you can make it a glossy showpiece by washing it every six weeks, letting it dry, and wiping it down with lemon oil.

Wash brass fireplace tools in warm sudsy water.

Clean sticky fireplace tools with a cloth moistened with kerosene. Let tools completely dry before using again.

Quick clothing stain removal

Don't panic when you spill something on your clothes. Pour a glass of club soda. Dip a clean white cloth or handkerchief into the club soda and sponge off the stain.

Cleaning up after a big party

Step 1: gather up all the cups, bottles and glasses. Empty any partially-filled containers into the kitchen sink. Look around for spills and clean them up immediately.

Step 2: Fill kitchen sink with soapy water and soak dishes and utensils. If you have a dishwasher, run your first load of dishes.

Step 3: Grab a large garbage bag and begin picking up party garbage in the outer rooms, work your way towards the kitchen.

Step 4: Dust furniture and clean floors and rugs. Work your way towards the kitchen.

Step 5: Clean kitchen. Take out garbage bags.

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