Spring cleaning: Kitchen

Hello everyone!

Today we'll take care of our kitchen.  I recently reorganized my pantry and let me tell you it feel so nice to know exactly what you have and find it when you need it!  You can find the whole process here and here.
And today my friend Anjie Cho is visiting again for another cool Feng Sui tip!

The kitchen is the place with most traffic in the house and therefore the one that gets dirty more easily.  You will want to make sure your countertops are disinfected as well as floors. 

1. Oven:  You can make a paste of baking soda and vinegar, apply to oven and let it do its work while you work on the rest of the kitchen.  Want to try something stronger in the oven?  Then you will love this paste, the only natural product I've found that actually works.  It is truly amazing!

2.  Refrigerator:  Make sure you throw away everything that's expired or you can't recall when you bought it (it's probably expired). Take all items out and wash trays and drawers with dish soap and warm water. 

3. Microwave: Put a microwave safe bowl with water and lemon and boil it for about 2-3 minutes, leave it for a few min after.  The steam will loose dirt and dry food. Then wash inside (sides and top) with sponge or microfiber cloth and little dish soap.  Wash the plate with dish soap and warm water.

4. Dishwasher:  Never wonder why the dishwasher smells weird?  Washing the dishwasher is probably something we never thought of doing.  It is very important that you keep your dishwasher clean because rest of food get trap in crevices making that weird smell and even worse, sometimes mildew.  Wipe the bottom with a soft sponge or microfiber cloth, you can even scrub it a little with baking soda.  Then pour a cup of vinegar at the bottom and run it on regular cycle.

5. Cabinets: Clean outside of your cabinets with a damped microfiber cloth and dish soap.  Wipe down or wash silverware tray as this tends to get a little dirty.

6. Small appliances:  Run the coffee maker with clean water only as if you were making coffee.  Clean the tray of your toaster, usually this is removable so it's easier to wash it with dish soap and warm water.  Also clean the tray of the toaster oven and rack the same way you would clean the regular oven.

7. Counter Tops:  Use a microfiber cloth or sponge with dish soap or degreaser to clean counters, don't forget to wipe under and behind appliances.  Make sure you don't use any abrasive or acid cleaner on marble as this will ruin it.  I posted about cleaning countertops here if you would like to get a detailed info on different surfaces.  

8. Vacuum and mop and you're all done!  Once in a while I like to wash my floors with vinegar to disinfect them.  Once it's dry the smell of vinegar is gone :)

{bhg}

Anjie's Feng Shui tip for kitchen:
What's your favorite burner on your stove?  Mine is located in front, on the right.  In Feng Shui, the stove is very important in your home.  It represents wealth and how we nourish ourselves in the world.  so next time you use a burner, try using a different one.  Don't automatically go for your favorite one.  Instead, open up your opportunities and try something different.  Also, be sure to keep your stove clean, and use it at least once every day.


{bhg}

How did you like Anjie's tip?!  I love it!  I keep using the same burner over and over,  I'll make sure I use the others as well :)  You can get more tips from Anjie over at Holistic Spaces.


Do you keep your stove clean all the time?  What's the hardest part of keeping up with your kitchen? Let us know!!

Thanks for reading!

xo,
Marcela

Spring Cleaning

Happy Earth Day everyone!!

This week we'll be focusing on doing some deep-Spring cleaning.  And what a great way to start a Spring cleaning on Earth Day using only non-toxic cleaning products, right?  I've been using Shaklee products for a while now and I'm in love with them!

  I know all of us love the idea of having a deep clean home, but not everybody likes to do it. 

This week I'll share some tips with you so you can do this like a pro.  You will love the results and the feeling of a clean home.
As a bonus, this week I have a special guest.  My friend Anjie Cho, an Architect, Interior Designer and Feng Shui Consultant.  Pretty impressive if you ask me!  She'll give us a few feng shui tips on each room we clean this week!

So let's get started!

First thing is to gather all your products together.  Nothing worse that going back and forth to the kitchen or broom closet to get that one spray you forgot.  I like to keep everything in a caddy or bucket or even a shopping bag so you have it handy.

{Martha Stewart}

You'll need:

Vacum
Mop

Microfiber cloths

Microfiber duster (or Swiffer extender)

Lint roller

Magic Eraser

Non toxic cleaning products:  Bathroom cleaner, all purpose cleaner, window cleaner, dish soap, (this are my favorite).  Also some powder cleaner for easier scrub, I like BonAmi.

Now that you've got all your tools, let's do the bathroom!  I'm not really going to tell you how to clean a bathroom, we all know how to do it, right?  But let me tell you a few tips so you can save time.

{bhg}

1. Run the shower for a few minutes with hot water, the steam will loose dirt and soap scum.  Then spray bathroom cleaner and add powder scrubber, like Bon Ami or baking soda and let it sit while you clean the medicine cabinet or other areas, that way the cleaners will do their own work and scrubbing will be much easier.

2. When cleaning the toilet don't forget to clean the water tank as well as sides and behind the toilet.  We always seem to forget this areas.

3. With the help of a small brush, scrub all corners, edges and shower shower head.
Tip: If shower head is getting mildew you can attach a thick bag with white vinegar and tight it around the shower and let it work for awhile.

4.  Clean inside medicine cabinets and cabinet under the sink.  Make sure you throw away everything that has expired or you no longer use as they are taking precious space. Use a small cup or container to gather small items such as nail clipper, twister, bobby pins, etc.

5. Vacuum and mop the floors and you're done!

Anjie's  Feng Shui tip for bathroom:
The bathroom is a place where water is always coming in and out of the home.  In Feng Shui, water represents wealth and money flow.  Make sure you keep the toilet seat closed, as well as the bathroom door.  This will keep the wealth from flowing away from you!
For more info visit: www.holisticspaces.com


That was a great tip, thank you Anjie!

Please make sure you visit Anjie's Holistic Spaces for more tips :)

And you my friends, how do you keep up your bath?  Please share your tips and ideas with us!

Thanks for reading!

xo,
Marcela

Scour it Off..

I recently cooked a new recipe which needed heated milk, so I heated the milk.  The problem is that my pot got like this...

So... I used my little secret weapon...

Scour Off Heavy Duty Paste, this amazing paste is made out of natural ingredients that won't damage your pots and pans nor your hands and it will do wonders in your kitchen and other tough areas of your home (like bathtub).

So my poor little pot got back to life...

Pretty amazing right?  Best part, it took only few minutes to do this so I didn't need to scrub for hours :)

Happy Monday!

XOXO,

Marcela

The Magic of Baking Soda

Stainless steel appliances are so pretty.  I love the sleek, modern look they provide to a kitchen.  However, finger prints don't look as pretty on them, do they?
Here's when the magic of Baking Soda begins.  There are lots of good products out there that work just great, but a great tip at a fraction of the price is Baking Soda+Dish Soap.

What you need:
Baking Soda
Dish Soap
Sponge
Microfiber Cloth (or clean/dry paper towel)

1. Rinse the sponge making sure is clean and free of oil
2. Put a few drops of Dish Soap and sprinkle some baking soda
3. Wash your appliance with sponge. NEVER use the scrub side of the sponge, only the soft side
4. Rinse the sponge and take all the soap and baking soda off your appliance. You might need to repeat this process few times in order to get it all off
5. Dry with Microfiber cloth


Before



After

Pretty cool, right?  There are hundreds of uses for Baking Soda, I love this little orange box!
How do you clean your appliances? Let us know.

XOXO,
Marcela

Caring for your Jeans

We all love a nice pair of jeans and probably have our favorite one.  Well it is important how you take care of them.  A little extra care will make them last longer.

(Please read care label and follow their instructions if different than these)

Wash them with care:




1. Empty the pockets.  Nothing worse than wash your jeans and realize that you had something it could stain them.

2. Turn your jeans inside out.

3. Set the machine on "Delicate Cycle" or "Cold Water"

4. If your machine has a top door, run water first and add detergent to dissolve before you put your jeans in the machine. My favorite detergent is this one, which it tough enough to remove dirt yet gently with clothes.  And it's completely free of chemicals which is good for your skin too!

5. Take them out promptly to prevent them getting wrinkled.

6. Turn your jean right side out and air dry them.

7. If you want to put them in the dryer, set the dryer in the lowest temperature.  I personally put mine for only10 minutes or less just to get the excess of water and then I hang them to finish drying.

8. Never use bleach when washing your jeans.

9. Never mix light colors with your jeans.  As they tend to fade and will stain the rest of your clothes.


Via Jcrew


Store them with Care.  Fold or Hang?


A) Fold:
Folding your jeans is one of the best ways to store them. And if closet space is an issue then this becomes an even better solution.
Make sure you lay your jeans on a flat surface, fold them in half with zipper inside the fold, then fold them again in half or three depending on the size of your shelf or drawer.
Place them in shelf making sure they don't get too close from your light color pants, as they might stain your other pants/clothes.
 


B) Hang:
Even though hanging jeans might save space, this method might be a little tricky if  hung incorrectly. Lay your jean in a flat surface, fold them in half with zipper inside the fold, then hang them on a thick hanger in half making sure they lay evenly across the center of the hanger .  Never hang them on a wire hanger you get from dry cleaners as they are too thin and will cause creases in the legs.

Via The Pink Peonies



Via Gap


Do you care for your favorite jeans? What's your method?  Let us know!

XOXO,
Marcela

Organizing... Broom Closet

How nice is to open a closet door and find everything your looking for?  I need to do some organizing in my broom closet so I can get my vacuum without moving five other things around :)  I will probably need to get some tools first.  How do you organize your broom closet?


  
Image via Container Store


Image via Real Simple


Image via Martha Stewart

 
Image via Decorology


Image via Martha Stewart


Best,
Marcela

Cleaning tools

Hope you all are having a great week and enjoying the beautiful weather in NYC, just beautiful!

Cleaning with organic, non-toxic cleaning products is a MUST.  But sometimes we forget about the tools.  Are we using Earth friendly tools to clean our home?  Here are some tools I've found that DO work and are safe for our planet too!


Cleaning Products

This are my favorite ones!  They do the work and are SO concentrate that they last for ever, meaning less plastic.  Speaking of which, all plastic bottles in this kit are BPA free.



Bucket

This is called Eclipse Bucket and it's made from recycled plastic soda bottles.  Now that's really cool!


Lint roller
Great for getting dust from delicate areas such as lamp shades.

This on is from Casabella and it's also made from recycled plastic bottles!


Sponges

This sponges are just so pretty and they are 100% plant based and compostable!


Gloves

I use this Gloves and Sponge at home.  The gloves are made of natural latex and the sponge is made with soy based foam.  Both are biodegradable and wrap in recycled packaging. Love them!


Do you have a favorite earth friendly tool to clean your home?  We would love to hear from you!

Hope you have a great day!

Best,
Marcela

Beautiful Spaces... Nursery Rooms

Last night I participated as a Speaker at  a Pregnant New Yorker event.  I spoke about my Cleaning Services and also about the importance of using safe cleaning products.  This is specially important if you have new born babies and young kids at home.
Seeing all those beautiful young moms made me think about nursery rooms. Here are some beautiful spaces I found around the web.


Image via Pinterest


Image via Pinterest


Image via Pinterest





































Image via Centsational Girl


Image via Emily Clark


Image via Made By Girl


Do you have a baby at home or are expecting?  I would love to learn about your Nursery ideas!


Hope you all have a great weekend!


Best,
Marcela

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Spring Cleaning - Room by Room

Hi! Hope you're having a great week and enjoying the beginning of Spring!

We'll continue with our Spring Cleaning and today we'll talk about...

Kitchen
It might sound a little overwhelming but once you start it's actually kinda fun!  And believe me, it pays off the hard work so here we go!
Make sure you have all your cleaning supplies with you: Vinegar, Baking Soda, Natural-Non Toxic All Purpose Cleaner, Degreaser, Oven Cleaner (you will love this one the only natural product I've found that actually works on oven), Dish soap, a Small Brush.

1. Oven: Spray Natural-Non Toxic degreaser or all purpose cleaner in oven and sprinkle baking soda creating a paste or you can apply this paste and let it soak while you do other areas.

2.  Refrigerator:  Make sure you throw away everything that's expired or you can't recall when you bought it (it's probably expired). Take all items out and wash trays and drawers with dish soap and warm water. You can do one tray at a time so you don't have your counter full of food and then you don't know how to get them back in the fridge.  Clean both sides and back of it too.
I like this drawers a lot, it makes your refrigerator look more organized specially when you have kids and there's a lot of snacks, juice boxes, etc.


Images via Container Store

3. Microwave: Put a microwave safe bowl with water and lemon and boil it for about 3 minutes, carefully take it out and wash inside (sides and top) with sponge or microfiber cloth and little dish soap or non-toxic all purpose cleaner. Wash plate with soap and warm water.

4. Dishwasher:  First clean bottom of your dishwasher with a damped microfiber cloth.  Put a cup of vinegar on the bottom and run it on a regular cycle.  This will clean and disinfect your dishwasher.

5. Cabinets: Clean outside of your cabinets with a damped microfiber cloth and soap.  Wipe down or wash silverware tray as this tends to get a little dirty.

6. Now you can go back to oven and scrub with a sponge or brush and warm-hot water.  Clean the rest of paste with a damped microfiber cloth.
Tip: Put some aluminum foil on the racks before you bake or cook next time to prevent spills.

7. Clean appliances:  Coffee maker, run the coffee maker with clean water only as if you were making coffee.  Toaster,  clean the tray that traps crumbs, usually this is removable so it's easier to wash it with some soap and warm water.

8. Clean Counter Tops:  Use a microfiber cloth or sponge with dish soap or Degreaser to clean counter top making sure you also wipe under and behind appliances.

9. Vacuum and mop and you're all done!  Good job!



Image Via House Beautiful




So tell me, is it really overwhelming cleaning your kitchen?  Do you have a system that you'd like to share with us?  Let us know, we'd love to here from you!



Best,
Marcela

Spring Cleaning... Part I

I hope you all are doing good and getting ready for a nicer, brighter, warmer weather! As we get closer to Spring we wonder what to do to keep our homes fresh and clean.  It's a great time to do a Spring Cleaning. Actually any time of the year is good for this :)
Here are some tips to get started and do it like a pro!

Dress for Success
Wear comfortable clothing and shoes. You'll be doing a lot of hard work and don't want your favorite top to get dirty.

Make a Plan
Set a day and time you will do your cleaning. If you say: 'Oh, I'll do it sometime next week' chances are you'll never get started.   Set goals on what you want to accomplish in terms of timing, how long you will need to clean each room, etc.  If you don't have time to do it all in one day set a specific time for a specific job (be realistic and work at your own pace). For example, Master Bedroom: Friday 10am to 12pm; Master Bath: 12-1pm; Kitchen: Saturday 11am-1:30, etc.  I recommend to do it in a short period of time (no longer than one week) and get stick to your timing so that way you will get the "mission accomplished" feeling and you'll see real results.

Get your supplies all together



Images 1-4 Martha Stewart; 5 MB Green Cleaning


Remember, you'll do this like a pro.  Gather all your cleaning supplies, tools and accessories together so you don't waste time going back and forth to the kitchen or broom closet to get that cleaner you forgot!
You can put them all together in a caddy, bucket or a bag. Here's what you'll need:

Plastic Bags (to organize small items)
Magic Eraser (Water activated, no need to add any sprays)
Bon Ami, Baking Soda or Paste
Microfiber Cloths
Microfiber Duster (or swiffer duster extender)
Small brush (a tooth brush will work great on corner and edges)
Lint Roller
Vacuum with attachments (see more about vacuums here)
Mop
Sponges
Non-Toxic Cleaners:  Bathroom cleaner , window cleaner, all purpose cleaner, degreaser. (Check out my favorite Non-Toxic cleaners here)


Coming soon.... Cleaning Room by Room.

So tell me, do you have a system to do your cleaning?  Share yours with us, I would love to hear from you!

Best,
Marcela

Cleaning... Bathrooms

Cleaning the bathroom is probably the least place we like to clean... I mean, it takes so much time, you don't want to deal with cleaning the toilet, etc.  Well, I have a little system that will leave your bathroom sparkling in just few steps.

First you need the right tools:  Bathroom cleaner, Baking Soda (or a natural version of Scrub Cream or Paste), Window Cleaner, 2 sponges, 1 Magic Eraser Sponge, some Paper Towel, Microfiber Cloth.

1. I start by spraying the bathroom cleaner AND baking soda on sink, bathtub and toilet.



2. Use one of the sponges and scrub sink and tub/shower. Use magic eraser sponge and water to get rid of soap scum of glass shower door. It will clean it without damaging the glass.
Use the other sponge to scrub toilet (you don't want to pass germs from toilet to the rest of your bathroom (eww!)
Note:  How will you know which is which!?  Cut one corner of one of sponges and leave that for toilet.



3. Rinse with clean water.

4. While that dries you can start cleaning inside medicine cabinet (Yes, that is something you need to do.  Believe me your guests WILL open it and look inside).



5. Start drying and make all faucets shine. Spray window cleaner to a microfiber cloth and dry and shine faucets, counter, shower wall and door, bathtub... Don't forget to clean around shampoo/conditioner bottles.  And finally dry toilet. Do it from top to bottom: water tank, cover, front, sides and behind.



And your good to go. Now enjoy a bathtub with sea salt, Ahhhh!

Images via: 1 BHG, 2 Scotch Bright, 3 Martha Stewart, 4 Pottery Barn

Do you have a system to clean your bathroom?  I'd love to know.  You can check my favorite cleaning products here.  If you have any questions about them email me.


Best,
Marcela