Mommy of Many®

This week’s Mom2Mom cleaning tip comes to you in video!

The cleaning professionals at Delight Cleaning have put together this tutorial that’s sure to help you keep your stainless steel gleaming!

~Mom2Mom tips are brought to you by the cleaning professional at Delight Cleaning and Mommy of Many, a professional mom~

Don’t forget to visit Delight Cleaning’s facebook fan page to ask your cleaning questions.

Spills, they’re part of every mom’s life and if you’re clumsy like me, they’re a part of life whether the kids are around or not!

Here are some tips on preventing the spills from reaching your carpet, protecting it when they do happen and helpful hints for cleaning them up when the 1st 2 suggestions aren’t enough.

Preventing spills-
Doormats and floor rugs are the biggest helpers in keeping both your carpets and your hard floor surfaces clean. I recommend using 2 mats per door-1st, a durable rubber or straw-like mat outside the door and second-a cotton, nylon or wool rug inside the door to absorb moisture and provide a place to remove shoes after entering the house.

Protect-whether its your children’s small feet, your pets or your guests, you can anticipate spills. Your carpets are automatically applied with a carpet protector when they are manufactured but with regular wear and tear that protection begins to wear off. It’s recommended that you have a reapplication done about once a year or when you have your carpets professionally cleaned.

Cleaning Up-
The first thing to remember when a spill has occurred to a carpeted area is to blot it, never rub. Rubbing can not only push the spill deeper into the rug and padding but can also fray the carpet fibers. Use a white, terry cloth towel to blot as much of the spill as possible. White paper towels can be used when terry cloth towels are unavailable.

If blotting doesn’t take care of the entire spill, here is a list of common spills and the best way to treat them-

*Blood-Yep, we’re moms, we’ve seen blood! The 1st worry is to take care of whomever is bleeding but afterwards, we’re left with the clean up. For light colored carpets (white, tan or grey) use a Q-tip dipped in 3% hydrogen peroxide. Dab the Q-tip on the blood spot until it changes color and is gone. Follow up with a white terry cloth or paper towel to dry. If your carpet is darker (blue, green, brown or dark grey), use a mixture of 1 tsp 3% hydrogen peroxide with 4 tsps warm water. Follow the same steps as above.

*Coffee or Tea-Ok, this is where I’m the biggest offender. I’ll grab my coffee in the wee hours of the morning and stumble through the dark house, dripping and spilling as I go. To clean it up-Use a mixture of 1/4 tsp laundry detergent and 1 cup warm water. Soak your white terry cloth towel in the solution and dab at the carpet. Continue dabbing for about 5 minutes (it would be easier and less time-consuming if I’d simply be more careful in the mornings!) and then switch to a mixture of vinegar and water (1/4 cup white vinegar and 1 cup warm water). Follow with a clean, dry, white terry cloth to dry.

*Soda, Wine and Sports Drinks- First of all, be careful! You’re a mom, you need that wine! But if you do happen to spill or the kids come tearing through the house with one of their drinks dripping along with them, blot up as much of the moisture with a clean dry, white, terry cloth or paper towel as possible and follow with the warm water, white vinegar mixture from above.

*Urine or Vomit-2 of the things moms end up dealing with more often than any human being would like. First of all, blot up as much of the offending projectile, bodily fluid as quickly as possible with dry terry cloth towels or paper towels. Next;

If the area is small (less than 6 inches), consider yourself fortunate and your own gagging may be avoided. Try the above white vinegar and warm water solution and follow the above steps.

If the area is larger than 6 inches, get a bowel for yourself since gagging is almost sure to occur and then sprinkle a small amount of baking soda on the area to absorb the odor. Then, give Delight Cleaning a call (if you’re not local, be sure to call in a professional carpet cleaner). If not treated thoroughly and properly, the stains left behind from these spills can spread and cause irreversible damage to your carpet and padding.

~Mom2Mom tips are brought to you by the professionals at Delight Cleaning and Mommy of Many® (a professional mom).

Be sure to visit Delight Cleaning’s Facebook Fan page to find more helpful cleaning tips and to ask your cleaning questions.

Wooden furniture pieces, they’re beautiful and we want them to stay that way. These tips will help you keep those pieces looking fresh and beautiful for years to come.

- There are distinct differences between hard woods and soft woods. However, all wooden pieces should be kept out of direct sunlight and humidity and should always be protected from direct contact with moisture.

-Hard wood furniture typically comes from mahogany, maple, oak or teak. These pieces are often heavier than furniture made from soft woods and can last centuries if properly cared for.

-Soft wood furniture is typically made from pine, cedar or redwood and requires a more delicate touch, as it can more easily be scratched and dented.

-Start by dusting. Use a microfiber cloth to pick up dust and keep from simply pushing the dust from place to place. There are great disposable cloths available that quickly and easily allow dust to cling to them.

-Start with touch-up cleaning. Use a product such as Weiman Furniture Cleaner to get rid of finger prints or smudges.

-For weekly cleaning a product such as Weiman Lemon Oil Furniture Polish will work beautifully. It’s not greasy and will not show fingerprints, while leaving your pieces gleaming.

-On occasion you’ll want to deeply clean the furniture by using a product such as Howard Feed-N-Wax. This will help prevent drying and cracking.

Now enjoy the beauty of your living space!

~Mom2Mom tips are brought to you by the cleaning professionals at Delight Cleaning and Mommy of Many® (a professional mom)~

Got cleaning questions? Visit Delight Cleanings Facebook page and post your questions to their wall.

De-cluttering a space…ANY space, can be overwhelming. Often we make mental notes of how badly the space needs to be cleaned and organized, long before we ever DO anything about it. Whether it’s your desk, your closet or your children’s play area, here are a few tips to help ease the anxiety of digging in and cleaning up;

-Survey the space. Make mental (or written) notes on what can immediately go and what you want to do with what remains.

-Make a pile. Seriously! Pile everything from the tops of your spaces in ONE spot so you can look at everything cleaned off and see what needs to be gone through.

-Go through your pile. This is going to require making smaller piles of like-itemed things or papers.

-REMOVE the piles from the room or space. Take them to the hall or onto a counter. Just get them out of there!

-Clean all the surfaces that are to remain. Wipe them down. Vacuum or sweep.

-Now resurvey your area. What’s coming back in? Where is it going? If you don’t have a space for it, get rid of it. Don’t be afraid to put that pile of papers that needs to be filed into a box or bag and tuck it neatly into the closet for the afternoon you designate for filing. At least you’ll know where they are and be able to still clean the space. And if you’re dealing with toys and games, get rid of those long-ago-forgotten items that take up space but are no longer used!

-Now that the space is cleared out and cleaned up, start putting things back. Do some items need to be replaced? If so, remove the old item and leave the space open for the new one. It’s ok that it looks sparse!

Now breathe deeply! Space de-cluttered! You’ll feel ready to make notes for your next project.

~Mom2Mom tips are brought to you by the cleaning professionals at Delight Cleaning and Mommy of Many® (a professional mom)~

Like Delight Cleaning’s Facebook page for more helpful cleaning tips. Got cleaning questions? Ask them on their wall.

We’re busy mamas. Sometimes all we can muster together is 10 minutes. Here are a few tips for making that, seemingly tiny, piece of time make a difference in getting something done. Just imagine what can get done if you can carve out 10 minutes 2 or 3 times each day!

* Set an alarm for 10 minutes and have the kids race to see who can get the most picked up before the timer goes off. This may seem like trickery and older kids are sure to catch on, so I suggest making sure you’re in on the race too. And if they only go for it once, at least you had that ONE time

*Gather up non-dish, washables such as; vases, stove-top burners, your dish sponges (I recommend throwing them in a few times a week), glass or plastic candle-sticks and the kids’ small, plastic toys (place in a mesh bag) and run them through the dishwasher.

*Keep those beloved, stuffed animals dust-free by tossing them into the dryer with a dryer sheet on the the “fluff” or “touch-up” cycle.

*Choose one room, set the timer for 10 minutes and get as much as you can done in ONLY that room. You’ll be amazed at how much can actually get done in that concentrated bit of time!

*Grab baby wipes (or disinfecting wipes if you have them on hand) and walk through the house wiping those hard surfaces as you go.

*Spend just 10 minutes cleaning the mirrors and windows. Sparkling glass goes a long way in making the house feel clean.

*Walk through the house with a Mr. Clean Eraser (a store brand will also do). Nothing’s better at getting the deep-set grime from appliance handles or scuff marks from floors and walls (yes, kids scuff walls!).

*Clean the kitchen. For some reason, nothing makes the house feel cleaner than a clean kitchen. In 10 minutes, you will be able to wipe down counters, load the dishwasher, clean the glass on the microwave and stove and sweep the floor. Voila!

A 10 minute tidy can actually make a huge difference and will leave you feeling accomplished! Don’t be afraid to mandate 10 minute tidies to each of the members of your family. Imagine what can get done if everyone takes just 10 minutes to focus on keeping the home a cleaner and more organized place!

Got 10 minute cleaning tips that you use? Share them! It’s not Mom2Mom if we’re not sharing what we know works!

~Mom2Mom tips are brought to you by the cleaning professionals at Delight Cleaning (check out their facebook page for more cleaning tips) and Mommy of Many (a professional mom)~

I’ve partnered with the great people at Delight Cleaning to bring you Mom2Mom, a weekly blog full of cleaning tips and tricks. Every Monday (starting tomorrow) you’ll be able to log in and find answers to tricky cleaning questions and tips for getting things organized. From time to time there will even be a video to share. As we move through each week, the blogs will be archived under the “Mom2Mom” tab for easy referencing. If you have a cleaning question, please don’t hesitate to send it in. You can send it to me, here or you can go to Delight Cleaning’s facebook page and ask your questions right there. Head over and like them and then keep your eyes open for some specials and giveaways coming soon!

It’s all some Good Stuff to share with busy moms who are trying to get it all done and want to do it quickly, safely and cleanly.

Delight Cleaning, a greener cleaning company with busy moms in mind~