Giant Kitchen Rags

Have you ever had a bad spill in the kitchen, like an entire pitcher of juice falling out of the fridge and spilling across the entire kitchen floor? No, neither have I. And when you tried to clean up the juice you realized that none of your rags were sufficient and not even your mop would soak up the mess so you used bathroom towels that ended up with pink juice stains on them? No, neither have I. And I'm sure that a nice juice coating is good for wood floors.

Anyhow, here's my solution to the giant kitchen spills, since I'm not a fan of paper towels. When you have bath towels that are wearing out or have holes, turn them into giant kitchen rags. Don't cut them up into normal rag sizes. Keep them their original size and accessible. The next time that pitcher of juice spills you'll be prepared. Or I'll be prepared. Whatever.

Snow Yourself In

Why snow yourself in, you ask? I've found that this is a great solution to drafty doors. I realize that not everyone has doors that aren't being used, but my house has several doors leading outside. Drafts can be a problem in the winter, particularly with the sliding doors. A great solution (in addition to stopping the draft from the inside) is to pile snow in front of the door. I do suggest that you keep at least two outside doors accessible - in case of emergency you don't want to be stopped by snow! This is just a quick fix if your house if more summer-oriented.

Moving-the-Furniture Bug

Finally, here's a real post for you instead of just a link!

I got the moving-the-furniture bug the other day. It started out innocently enough. We bought a new bed. It arrived and I was putting it together. As I did so it occurred to me that it might look better facing the other direction. That caused me to move the end tables, dressers, hampers and every other piece of furniture in the room. The new furniture arrangement meant that some of the picture needed to be moved. And the hooks on the walls. Basically, it's like a whole new room. And I love it! Now I'm looking at our tired, old bedding and thinking maybe it needs a spruce as well...

Do you ever get the moving-the-furniture bug? I do, a couple of times a year. Perhaps that's why I like the unpacking part of the moving process. There's something very satisfying about finding the perfect place for every piece of furniture. Or maybe I just have issues. Regardless of whether or not you like moving furniture, I think it's good to do once in awhile to get in some nice, deep cleaning!

Now I wonder which room will be next...

I Love My Roof

After living in several houses with less than adequate roofs, I'm really appreciating this one. What I mean is, our last two houses had roofs that lacked good drainage. One was very flat and one had poorly designed gutters. The result was that at least once each winter we had to go up on the roof and knock down some of the snow. Now we have a wonderfully slanted roof with excellent drainage. For the past week I've been watching giant icicles form around the house. Now that the snow is starting to melt our fabulous roof is encouraging those giant icicles to come crashing down, a few at a time, sending me to jump several feet in the air each time. I don't mind, though, because there'll be no climbing on the roof this year! :)

Dry Boots

Snow piles up regularly in the winter where I live. Boots can often be a problem - they get wet in the snow and don't dry in time for their next usage. No one enjoys putting on wet boots! The obvious solution is to put them near a heat source. Here's what I do:

I have (yet another) basket by the front door. This one is actually a small clothes basket with a towel at the bottom of it. Anyone who comes in the house with wet boots can put them in the basket and then put the whole basket in front of a heat vent. This dries the boots quickly and keeps the floors dry and clean!

Mildew Help, Please!

I need some suggestions for removing mildew from wood floors. I have an unfortunate spot where water and rug had a party that I wasn't invited to. There's a small patch of mildew on the floor. I know it hasn't been there for long because I clean the rugs regularly, but I'm concerned that just plain scrubbing won't entirely remove it. I prefer to use natural cleaners, but any suggestions you have will do. Help!

Painting

A quick tip about painting:

The next time you paint a room in your house, don't just save the extra paint in the original cans in your basement or garage. Fill a small jar or similar container with a small amount of the paint. Don't forget to label it! If the wall gets scratched or damaged in some way you can quickly touch it up without having to open large paint cans.

I also find it useful to keep a log of when rooms are painted and the exact shade of paint used to paint them. This can really come in handy in the long run!

Cheaper Heating Bill

As the weather gets colder and heaters get turned on, bills suddenly go way up. No matter what form of heat you use, those cold winter months mean shelling out more money. Here are a few things I do to save on heat costs.

• Turn the heat down at night. An obvious one, I know, but think about how low you're setting the thermostat. If you keep your house between 68 and 70 degrees during the day and turn it down to 65 at night you won't save a whole lot. Try 55. How much heat do you really need at night? That's what warm pajamas and blankets are for.
• Block vents in underused rooms. If you have a room that's used primarily for storage or as a guest room you don't need to pump heat into it regularly (unless you keep temperature-sensitive materials in it.) Some vents turn off easily, others can be blocked with a piece of cardboard or plywood.
• Start baking! If you use the oven (which I do frequently in the winter) take that into account when you set the thermostat. If I plan on baking in the morning I often don't turn the thermostat up right away. If I bake during the day I usually turn the thermostat down. Ovens produce a lot of heat. Use it!
• Check for cold air. If you have windows or doors that could use new weather stripping your heating bill will show it. Even a little fabric can help in those situations.
• Dress for the weather! Just because you have the option of turning the heat up doesn't mean you should wear t-shirts around the house. A sweater and warm slippers can lower the heat bill, too.

If you're in a colder area, enjoy these wintry evenings!

Wood Floor Cleaner

There are a variety of ideas out there for natural wood floor cleaners, but the bottom line is they all include some combination of vinegar, lemon juice and olive oil. Vinegar is the main cleaning ingredient, olive oil is the main polishing ingredient, and lemon juice adds that lemony good scent. I mix this in small amounts in a squirt bottle and gently mop with it after sweeping. The best part to me is that if you have small children crawling on the floor you don't have to worry about any bleach or other chemicals being left over from cleaning. You're basically cleaning your floor with a salad dressing solution and it works incredibly well!