Cleaning Tips/Products

[Thirteen]

I think it's awesome that so many of us use Method products. Great minds think alike (?)
On carpet: baking soda, scented with a few drops of your favorite essential oil. Sprinkle on, leave for 30 minutes, vacuum. Excellent!

[Deebs]

Also, microfiber cloths are a miracle. On everything. I would get different colors for different purposes (just like my cleaning company does). One color glass/windows, one for counters, one for bathrooms, one for floors. All I use to clean my mirrors most of the time is water on microfiber.

[OrionGrad]

I second the Flylady recommendation. I've adapted her system to what works for me (because she can be a little over the top), and I like the fact that you can get a daily Flylady email reminder with a list of all the chores that should be done.

[DCJenn]

After one week of flylady I was ready to buy an Uzi and track her down.

J.

[Pollyanna]

After one week of flylady I was ready to buy an Uzi and track her down.

J.

I keep trying to like her and follow her ways but she drives me crazy. Leave me the hell alone if I want to spend the day in my jammies and not put on my shoes

[MrsK]

I agree, the flylady can be a pest (hence the name "flylady") and overwhelming if you try to jump in and do everything right away. I like her philosophy though -- Break down larger projects into small projects. In this way, her system is not unlike Michele's. She suggests building habits and routines. Do it now. Work in small time segments. Most of the time, good enough is good enough. The concept is to start small and build from there. Spend 15 minutes uncluttering one space and add one new habit per month. From an organizer's perspective, she's brilliant. Like dieting or budgeting, cleaning/decluttering is a lifestyle. For me, dieting, budgeting, and cleaning are all tied together as a series self-discipline and lifestyle choices.

[OrionGrad]

One of the most helpful things I've learned from Flylady is to keep cleaning products in the rooms where you use them. I keep cleaning spray and paper towels under all the bathroom sinks, for example, so I don't have to go up and down the stairs looking for products when I'd ready to clean.

[corn poffi]

Brief tangent: Does anybody use Method dishwasher detergent? I've been using stuff by Seventh Generation and I find that it doesn't clean or dissolve in water well. I've been considering picking up some Method stuff once this box is gone.

[SoonerTexan]

Corn Poffi...I actually gave up on the "natural stuff" for the dishwasher. I HATE buying name brands or non-enviro friendly products, but nothing seems to work except Cascade Complete for me. Worth it, because DH doesn't check the dishes when he unloads them and is liable to put away ones that weren't cleaned well enough!

[oceanchild]

We use the Method tablets sometimes. They have occasionally left white streaks on some of our dishes. I've yet to find a dishwasher product that I love.

[corn poffi]

Corn Poffi...I actually gave up on the "natural stuff" for the dishwasher. I HATE buying name brands or non-enviro friendly products, but nothing seems to work except Cascade Complete for me. Worth it, because DH doesn't check the dishes when he unloads them and is liable to put away ones that weren't cleaned well enough!

I've kind of been thinking of doing the same...I beginning to think that the "natural stuff" has an issue with grease. I've noticed that with the liquid detergent I use for hand washing, so I reverted to something else that I can't remember...it's been a while!

I used to use Cascade but switched to the eco-friendly stuff...I think I might switch back as well. I'm always in a hurry, and hate grabbing a dish only to find it's still nasty.

oceanchild, I'm the same way, I haven't found anything that I love. So frustrating!

[Michele]

flylady created her site based on the ideas from the SHE people. That's why they are so similar. Where flylady annoys me because someone else is telling me what to do, the cards encourage me because *I* made them and deemed them worthy of my time.

[ladymoreta]

I second the Cascade Complete, and I use Jet Dry, too. (Even though it says you don't need to.) DH will just not check the dishes or will put them up knowing they're dirty ("if it's been through the dishwasher, it is clean"). Yes, even if there are food particles, he still uses that argument. The frustration is just not worth it to me. I recycle the container once it's empty.

[Thirteen]

We use the Method tablets sometimes. They have occasionally left white streaks on some of our dishes. I've yet to find a dishwasher product that I love.

This.

[Michele]

Not sure how this relates to all silverware, but the kind I have strongly recommends against any citrus detergents because it can pit the stainless. I only mention this because of the "pinning" of the homemade dishwasher soap on pinterest, which contains citric acid. It also advises against using the drying cycle on the dishwasher. Of course, YMMV.