And by lost files...I just mean stuff I didn't cover in the previous post. For those wondering if I clean the floors, countertops and oven...my answer is of course I do!! I just didn't call it out as a ROOM in the first post. So let's get into what that looks like over at my house and hopefully, you can use some of these tips in your home as well.
Before I begin, I have to add this disclaimer. I've listed the names of products that I use in my daily and quarterly routines. I'll mention certain products in this series for reference, in case someone is curious about what I use. Most of my cleaning products come from Grove Collaborative or Amazon. I don't usually pick them up from the store, because I know I can get exactly what I need from one of these sites.
If you use the links below, I do get a small commission.
Now, let's talk about counters. We have granite countertops and if you know anything about them, any little thing can stain them. So to help prevent stains, we remove everything from the counters and give them a good wipe down with a warm soapy lint free cloth. We remove any crumbs or residue and give it a good clean. My husband seals the counters 4 times a year and he uses a product called Tenax. This is probably one of the few chemicals I use in my kitchen. But it's a great product to seal your countertops. It prevents water and oil stains. We've had many events at our house with wines, pizza and wings, dips and all sorts of staining foods. This stuff is amazing at preserving the longevity of your countertops. Once we seal, I usually use a granite cleaner, but nothing special and not often enough to mention. I tend to use my Mrs Meyers daily spray (see previous blog).
Floors - YAY!! LOL not so much. So, our home has hardwood floors. Not raw wood planks that have been finished, but rather engineered wood. Sometimes it just feels like the floors go on for days. I've tried a number of products to clean my floors and I've had mixed results. We a have dark mahogany finished floors...which when we built our home, I thought they were absolutely beautiful. But after living with the floors, I quickly realized dark floors are horrible and show everything. Shoe prints, sock prints, dust, bare footprints it doesn't matter. Dark floors tell all your family secrets lol. I found myself mopping quite often and I don't know about you, but mopping is not...and I repeat, is NOT something I enjoy. After trying a number of hardwood floor related products, I settled on something a bit unorthodox. A mixture of essential oils and hot water in a glass spray bottle. Yep, you read that right...I clean my floors with nothing but water and essential oils. I have two mixtures..Cinnamon and Sage and Lemongrass and Sage. Why? Because, Sage is one of those oils (and no I'm not an oil fanatic, but I like what I like); it's one of those antimicrobial/antiviral oils and so is Cinnamon. Together they leave a lasting freshness to your entire house. Lemongrass is another one of those strong scents that tends to last and by strong, I mean in a good way. I settled on Cliganic and Organic essential oils. They were the least expensive so I figured if I didn't like it, no harm no foul. I ended up loving it and my husband commented that he really enjoyed it and said the cinnamon reminded him of Christmas. A keeper! I use a mop pad vs the traditional mop. I like that a little better since I'm able to control how much water gets on the floor with the pad itself. I tend to get the water just shy of scalding hot, squeeze out the pad and then attach the pad to the mop. Yes, I wear dish gloves lol. Once I do that, I just use my glass spray bottle with my oils lightly spray and mop the floor. Simple enough. Once I'm done, the pads get tossed in the laundry...all in a day's work!!
3. Finally....The OVEN!!! DUN...DUN..DUUUUUUUUN - So let's be clear...My appliances are of this century, so cleaning the inside of the oven is quite honestly something I've never done as an adult. Maybe as a kid...but I don't know. There is a button on my console that says "CLEAN". I press it a few times a year. It does wonders. I'm not June Cleaver lol...as much as I love to clean, I do have my limits. But, even though I don't clean the inside of my oven, I do have a plan to make sure my griddle and burners don't have any icky sticky stuff on it. For that, my favorite product is a Vinegar Gel from Mrs. Meyers. Before finding this stuff, I used a mix of white vinegar and baking soda. So I will say if I ever had a major buildup of grease and stuff in my kitchen, I would definitely go back to the vinegar and baking soda concoction. But so far, the vinegar gel is working fine for me. You don't have to wipe it off because it doesn't leave a residue. Better still, it doesn't leave a strong vinegar smell in your kitchen. I use the same for the inside of my microwave. Another trick for your microwave is to put some water in a bowl with a little of the vinegar gel and set for 2 to 3 minutes. The steam will loosen any goo and make it easy to wipe down.
So there you have it. The lost files from my 4th Quarter Kitchen Cleaning tips.
Leave me a comment or send an email with your tips or if any of this has been helpful to you. You should be rested and feeling a lot better about your personal spaces. Also, if you decide to try any of these products, let me know how they work out for you.
As always, we're about both a career and life that you design (and keep clean).
Happy Fall...be well.
~ratedpg