Cleaning & Organizing

store loyalty card holder/organizer?

MrsJKH610 — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 03:17:01 GMT

I swear I saw this online somewhere, now I can't find it. Have any of you seen this anywhere? I'm getting sick of fumbling with the few I leave on my keychain and handing it over to the store clerk. I'd really appreciate it!

Or maybe I should invent it and patent it :)

Cat owners..what brand litter tracks the least??

hellykitto — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 23:24:22 GMT

Besides Feline Pine (my kitties hate that stuff), is there any other brand that doesn't get all over the place We are using Tidy Cats right now and its terrible! thanks!

DS drew on couch with marker- how to remove?

MauidAims — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:24:30 GMT

My artist toddler drew on our microfiber couch with a marker. Any ideas on how to remove it? I have tried rubbing alcohol, soap and water, the cleaner it came with. Any other ideas? TIA!

out of laundry detergent...what can i use??

lil_scorpio1985 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:00:03 GMT

i have one more load of laundry to do and just ran out of detergent. is there anything else i can use until i can go to the store this week?? thanks!

Reddish stuff in shower

salbert79 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 03:37:58 GMT

Has anyone ever seen a reddish residue in their shower? Mine's been forming on the sealant between the tub and tile. The only thing that seems to take it off is the Magic Erasers. Does anyone know what causes this or how to prevent it? I use a daily shower spray.

Front loader and towels question...

Sara&Keith — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:09:47 GMT

I have a front loader and my towels have that not so clean smell when we use them. What can I add to wash to make my towels smell cleaner. I use a clear free detergent b/c of my kids. TIA!!!

HE det vs. 2X det

kbtoreador — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:08:22 GMT

Hey ladies! I have a lot of extra 2X detergent leftover, and we just bought an HE washer. Does anyone know if you can use 2X detergent in an HE washer? Perhaps just using a tablespoon or 2? Will it hurt the washer?

What do you prefer?

kjvogelsang — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:29:57 GMT

With all of these photo websites out there, what do you prefer?

Shutterfly, flickr, photobucket, what?!

If you work full time...

sgsl2009 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:22:50 GMT

What is your cleaning schedule like in the week to cut down on having to spend hours cleaning during your weekend? I just changed jobs to where I'm 9-5 M-F (instead of 9a-10p Sun-W), and I'm trying to figure out a cleaning schedule that will work for me now.

INSPIRE & MOTIVATE me!

JayElleGee — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:49:31 GMT

My goal is to head home after work and tutoring and do a MASSIVE clean. Okay, maybe not massive but dust, vaccuum, clean appliances, bathroom cleaning, some swiffer wet jet etcetcetc... it's a beautiful day here in NY and i am planning on opening some windows, blasting the music and scrubbing the house from head to toe ;) Seeeee my intentions are good but I know once i get home I will be distracted. I need some motivation, girls!

**Let me in on a cleaning secret of yours that I can use today while I make my place spic and span!

THANKS IN ADVANCE and HAPPY FRIDAY

I really like the cleaning checklist/schedule posts...

mrs.spunky1508 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:54:02 GMT

but I am curious as to the size of the houses the responders are cleaning. Are they small, medium, large? How does the size - of the house and the rooms - affect your cleaning schedule?

My house is, including the finished basement, about 3500 sq ft and has 4 bedrooms and 4 baths (3.5 for real estate listing purposes but 4 actual rooms) and then the "normal" kitchen, dining room, family room, living room, etc. While it's not a huge house, cleaning it can get overwhelming.

Would you clean ALL the bedrooms and ALL the bathrooms each week even if the guest/extra bedrooms and bathrooms are not used? Would you do every other week, just when it gets used or a different approach? What about the basement, used as a secondary family room and workout area? If I say Monday is my family room day do I now have to clean 2 rooms? If Tuesday is bathroom day, and I have to clean 4 bathrooms, that seems like a lot of time I'd have to dedicate to the task.

I'm curious as to how you, if you were living in a house similar to mine, would modify a cleaning schedule in this case. I'm trying to find a happy medium, one where I'm not spending the entire time I am home including weekends cleaning my house but not letting it get dirty and messy either. Thoughts?

Trying to find a blog...

KLSFAP — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 21:52:27 GMT

Hi,

My home computer completely crashed & I lost EVERYTHING on it. I always followed a particular blog that I found through The Nest. Her name was Molly & she was from Michigan, she always had great cleaning challenges & had good tips. Does anyone know this blog ? Can you post a link ?

Thanks !

Cleaning hardwood floors

tammy41208 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 17:20:39 GMT

Hey ladies, Hope you don't mind me stopping by with a question. Another nestie recommended me here. I want to start using the vinegar/water combo for cleaning. But I was curious if anyone has used this for natural hardwood floors? I think I've read this online but wanted to find someone that has actually done it. Just to make sure its safe!

TIA!

deep cleaning

mk1110 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:15:32 GMT

My fiancee and I are going to move in a month. I want to deep clean before we make the move. What's your favorite way to clean the microwave and coffee pot? How would I go about cleaning the vacuum, or is there a way? TIA!

Stainless Flatware Question

SNS812 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:06:01 GMT

We registered for this 18/10 stainless flatware set for our wedding. We've been using it for about 3 months now and I started notices little spots on several pieces that almost look like rust (brownish/reddish in color). They don't wipe off. We always pre-rinse before we put it in the dishwasher. Any suggestions on how to prevent this, or any ideas on what it actually is?

cleaning slate tiles?

joylee101409 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:33:16 GMT

How do you clean the slate tile flooring?

It is very uneven in texture, so it seems hard to mop.

Any tips?

Nursery Closet Organizer

Borst-Plotz — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:10:11 GMT

We are going to buy a closet organizer for the nursery this weekend. It's a big blank closet but we'll have to store everything in there because we have no open storage in the rest of the house. So we need everything from clothes/bath/diapering stuff. Anyone have a good website or picture of organizing the nursery closet? I just don't know what needs to go in bins/what should be in the dresser/what should be on shelves, etc! I was hoping for a helpful diagram or something :-)

Clothing question

HunnyBunny1009 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:22:55 GMT

I have some black dress pants that are yoga-like material. They accidentally got washed with a new teal towel. The fuzzies from that new towel are now all over the pants. I've tried re-washing/drying them hoping the fuzzies would leave - no luck. I just tried a lint roller - no luck. Any other tips?

bar keepers friend

evh31 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:17:31 GMT

can I use barkeepers friend to clean the top of my glass topped stove? I worry that it will damage whatever it is that makes the outline of the burners. (what is that, anyway??)

has anyone done this before?

TIA

Cleaning toilets?

ShoeFanatic614 — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 16:08:19 GMT

I've looked a bit but didn't see anything on here regarding this.

My toilets have water stains and it drives me nuts. I've used a pumice stone on them and it helps some but I want my toilet bowls to sparkle!

Any suggestions?

comparing dysons

Foodielicious — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:15:52 GMT

so we're moving into a new home, I feel like we have a clean fresh slate and I'd like to keep it that way, so one of the things we budgeted for is a new vacuum cleaner.

Does anyone here own the DC28 animal? How does it compare to the DC17?

Is that pneumatic head really worth the extra $200 or whatever?

I think I like it but I have reservations that it will beat up the carpet more and/or that it just doesn't work differently enough to warrant the higher price. I could use some help.

Thanks.

company to clean couch?

SMP21 — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:13:31 GMT

Any rec's for a mobile couch cleaner? (I.e. stanley steamer any good?)
I have a cotton duck fabric in beige on the couch that is filthy from the move that I desperately want cleaned. Sometimes when I throw the couch pillow covers in the wash, they come out discolored (like faint bleach marks for some reason). I don't want a pro to do the same to the entire couch.

Thanks

Closet Organization

rwhite — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 19:58:54 GMT

DH has a ton of clothes and shoes and we have a small 1950's semi-detached home with very small closets. It's starting to drive me crazy...like really. I need to get our closets organized and use them to the full. Have you guys used any closet systems that have really worked? Where did you get it? If you have any pictures, do you mind sharing?

please help me make the crickets go away

MrsJgriff092509 — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:48:10 GMT

This may sound crazy... but i am afraid of crickets. Every time i go down into the basement to do laundry there is a new one. I make DH go down with me to kill them but he is getting annoyed. Does anyone know anything that can help me to get rid of them?

pls recommend your carpet steam cleaner

catali150 — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 22:48:42 GMT

I don't know much about them and don't have a subscription to consumer reports. I'm scouring amazon.com and am overwhelmed!

Which are great? I have pets.

Some nesties mentioned having one that heats up the water to get the carpet extra clean. Which model? Hoover or Bissell?

TIA!