I have found two blogs in the last week that I enjoy a whole bunch, and much to my surprise, the writers are related: Sarah, who is 38 weeks pregnant and still blogging (as opposed to me at 38 weeks, who pretty much sat around watching my feet and lips swell) and her mother, Bev, who has that laid-back confidence and wisdom that seems to just fall all over women in their 40’s and 50’s (see also: Sister).
And then today I found Bev’s sister, Barb (don’t you automatically like sisters named Bev and Barb? You can just imagine them talking on the phone, can’t you?), and apparently about four more of their family members are about to hop on the blogging train. It’s a blogging dynasty in the making! :-) Which reminds me: Sister, you have got to get that blog of yours up and running (Sister & Soph is almost as catchy as Bev & Barb. Almost.)
Anyway, Bev tagged me and several others to talk about how we clean and what we clean with – do we use 45 different products, or do we just use a few? And I couldn’t help but laugh, because Bev wasn’t around to witness BooMama Breakdown ’06 – when I literally cried for an entire afternoon because I was totally overwhelmed by my house.
In case you missed those three days-o-BooMama-fun, you can read about them here, here, here and here.
Since then, though, we’ve fallen into a little bit of a system around our house – it’s not perfect, but it has helped a ton.
So here’s how I clean, more or less.
The first rule is that the kitchen sink must stay clean at all times. And it’s amazing how well that works. Even David now wipes out the sink after he rinses a glass or cleans a pot…it’s the simplest little tip but totally transforming in terms of keeping the kitchen clean. I keep a clean dishrag by the sink at all times, and when the rag is ready to go into the laundry basket, I dampen it and use it to wipe along the baseboards in the kitchen. That’s another little tip that keeps the kitchen looking clean.
For countertops and appliances, I really like Windex because all our appliances are black and they show streaks really easily. I’m also a fan of the Method countertop spray. I like the liquid all-purpose cleaner, too, and you can find all the Method stuff at Target. My favorite splurge cleaning product (oh, leave me alone – some girls splurge on shoes – I splurge on ammonia-free all-purpose cleaners) is the brand I mentioned earlier this week, Mrs. Meyer’s, which I buy at Fresh Market. I like lavender the best…my sister-in-law, Janie, likes geranium. She’s the one who discovered how great this stuff smells and works.
I only use Windex on glass surfaces…panes on the doors, top of coffee table, mirrors, etc.
We have hardwood floors in every room downstairs except for our bedroom and bathroom, and I have tried every single product known to man. But even when I stray, I always come back to Swiffer for the day-to-day cleaning…and then about once a month I mop the wood floors with warm water and just the teensiest bit of Murphy’s Oil Soap. Of everything I’ve used, it seems to be the gentlest…the Pledge hardwood floor cleaner leaves a sticky residue. By the way, Emma Kate swears by some Bissell electric something-or-other that you can use on tile and hardwood floors, but the name of it escapes me.
For bathrooms, which I DESPISE cleaning, which I LOATHE cleaning, I use as much Clorox as possible (I literally fill up the tub with scalding hot water and about 1/2 cup of Clorox), and I wipe everything down with that mixture. Then I fill up the sinks with whatever all-purpose cleaner I’m using, and I clean the sinks and vanity with that. I mop the floors with the all-purpose cleaner mixture. Truthfully, David is great about cleaning the bathroom because he knows how much I hate it. Did I mention that I don’t enjoy it?
I dust with Endust about once a week, and I try to vaccuum twice a week. Nothing in-depth – just the parts not covered by furniture.
Now I know that there was a bit of an “oh sweet goodness, the woman has lost her mind” reaction when I mentioned in another post that I use Gain detergent, Gain fabric softener and Gain dryer sheets when I do laundry. And I even told myself that I would try using either fabric softener OR dryer sheets, as sort of an experiment, to see if it made any difference. But so far, I haven’t been able to do it. I think about it. I just. Can’t. So I continue my over-laundering / over-softening pattern. Is there a 12-step program to get me on the no-fabric softener wagon?
I will say that the whole FlyLady system has definitely helped. But the 15 emails a day I get from her? GOT TO STOP. DRIVING ME CRAZY. Anybody have a tip about how to deal with THAT?
In lieu of tagging someone else (I’ll post later about David’s funny reaction to this whole “tag” phenomenon), I’m going to send you over to see what Sarah, Bev and Barb had to say in their posts.
And if there’s a magical cleaning product I’m missing (what’s the deal with the whole Magic Eraser phenomenon?), please advise in the comments.
I have to say, I haven’t laughed so much over housecleaning! I was even inspired between you and my aunt to clean the bathrooms–which were already pretty clean. I just didn’t want to feel left out, I guess. Thanks for the family plug; my mom and aunt will love having some new readers who aren’t related to them! And hey, I love Mrs. Meyer’s, too! I think if it makes your house smell good, it’s worth the splurge. Shoes never make a house smell good, now do they???
Magic Eraser? It’s a cleaning elixir from God himself poured and hardened into a fantabulous little rectangle. Go right now and get one. No, seriously, stop reading and go. It takes everything your children could put on a hard surface right off. And as you use it, it just disappears. It’s the craziest darn thing I’ve ever seen. Why are you still sitting there reading this?….
Wow – cant believe the response I got on this – and its almost 11pm, my husband is back home from out of town and since im not ready to let him know my level of addiction to blogging/comments I, alas, cant stay up and reread every entry and comment. I seriously need to print some of these out – back tomorrow to go over it all again!
OK Boomama. I’m impressed. I think you have this under control. And Robin I plan to color all over my walls myself just so I have an excuse to buy a magic eraser.
O.K. — it’s the Bissell Lightweight 3-way Bagless Upright. I just can’t believe you didn’t remember all of that!!! I do love it on all hard surfaces!!! Also, loved the Simple Green idea from Bev, or Barb — one of those sisters. I’m going straight to Target for some Method products!!
Thank you for making me Smile!!!!!
I buy the Mrs. Meyers soap for the boys to wash their hands in and it does not dry out their hands. The counter spray makes the whole kitchen smell good. Janie swears by it and people always want to know why our kitchen smells so good. Since I am talking -tonight I cooked some whole chicken breast(on the bone) on the grill with greek salad dressing, best chicken I have ever eaten and you know I cook on the grill just about every night of my life. The dressing is called Gazebo Room and that chicken was unbelievable.
Did you get that dressing at Fresh Market? You know I love that marinade that you use on steaks…which reminds me that I need to try it on pork tenderloin, too. Anyway – is that where you got the dressing?
I like the Mrs. Meyers soap, too.
Okay, EK – NOW I remember the name. I’m sorta impressed that I even remembered that it’s Bissell. :-) You will love the Method stuff…and you might even want to pick you up a little Mrs. Meyer’s as a treat when you’re here this weekend. :-)
Just for the record, “Oh, sweet goodness” is not something you’d ever hear me say, EVER. So I KNOW you were not referring to me with that comment.
And the magic eraser is truly magic. I don’t even think it has any cleaning solution in it. It is just made of some space-aged material. And it gets crayon off of ANYTHING!
Lori – that cracked me up. No, the “oh sweet goodness” isn’t attributed to you. In fact, I don’t know anyone who says “oh sweet goodness” except for me, my mother-in-law, and a handful of other Southern crazies. :-) BUT, I haven’t forgotten that I told you I’d try to lose the fabric softener. And I really will. Someday.
Your comment setup wasn’t cooperating with me last night so that anonymous comment up there is from me. I really enjoyed reading this one. As determined as I am about sticking to my basic four cleaners, that counter spray is sounding very intesting…..
Hey there Boomama :-)
First Im flattered to death! Your plug of my sister and I. Barb told me I should share this – I truly think it was accidental on our mother’s part: Barb and Bev, Jerry and Gary, Dwain and Derrell. When shed get mad at us she’d start rolling down, in order. But truly, truly my whole life my mom has called me Barb. I never correct her. Nobody ever calls her Bev!
Also have to tell you – I think this is the issue? I use softener in the wash and then dryer sheets. Guess I just really like things soft, and I hate static cling, figure the more the better, right?
Flylady – those emails! They do make you crazy. I went into my email manager and told it to send the daily testimonies to my spam, so they quit coming to me, and you can do the same with the others that tell you to put on shoes, etc. I finally just started going to her website daily or even weekly to see what the challenge was, etc. That volume of email was way too much! But her method is great.
The Magic Eraser does work! Dont understand it but it does. When Sarah, In the Midst was young, she colored a white apt wall purple, I explained to her why that was wrong, and began to scrub scrub it off. Turned around she was coloring the wall next to it black… Great products seem to come out right after I stop needing them.