Most Important Cleaning Rules

Rule #1: Get in a Good Mood

Good cleaning only happens when you're in a good mood. If you're in a good mood, you'll care more about what's around you. Surround yourself with positive people and stay close to what inspires you.

Rule #2: Keep up your Energy

You can't clean if you're exhausted. Drink water. Sleep. Eat. You know the drill. But also, don't get overwhelmed which can drain your mental energy. Getting overwhelmed means you're taking in too much into your mind. You don't have to accomplish everything in a day. Start with one task, make it your only focus until you're done and take breaks when you get tired.

Energy drinks and caffeinated 5-hour shots don't compare to green vegetables which clean out your insides and create natural energy that won't make you crash later. Eating leafy greens like kale, collards, swiss chard, spinach, mustard greens and dandilion will ensure that you'l have lots of pep to get through the chores. Of course, if you're not used to eating things like that, you can try powders sold at health food markets to get to that healthy state a little easier (they work well in smoovies).

Or if you still can't stomach eating something healthy you can use the Ron Swanson approach and hide it in a burger . . .

Sexy Facts About Dust!

Let's see some skin!

• Dust is made of fibers from your clothes, carpet and various elements from the outside world but a lot of household dust is dead skin. That means somewhere in the world, someone is vacuuming pieces of Beyonce and Zac Efron.
• Why is it grey? According to a website, Science Shorts, "[The reason it's grey] is because dry skin is a translucent grey matter. Humans come in all kinds of colors but the pigments are beneath the layer that we shed."

Sexy Tips to Reducing Dust Mites FROM MEDICINENET.COM

Dustmites are little bugs that live in your house that feed off of all those sexy dead skin cells. They are often the cause of asthma and allergenic symptoms. Vacuuming helps but here are more tips.

• Dust mites like warm environments. Use a dehumidifier or air conditioner to maintain humidity at 50% or below.
• Encase your mattress and pillows in dust proof or allergen impermeable covers.
• Wash bedding and blankets once a week in hot water. 140º Kills dust mites. You can also use a professional grade steam cleaner which can be used on bedding and furniture.
• Switch from carpets to hard wood floors if possible.

Has all this hot talk about dust got you feeling short of breath?

Toxins from cleaning chemicals and external pollution can be found in dust and their tiny particles can be absorbed into your lungs. "How toxins get into your body depends on the size of the dust particle," says Andrea Ferro of Clarkson University, a dust expert. "If you don't vacuum, "dust can stick around for a long time." She's found things like DDT in samples even though it's use has been banned decades ago, "It's still around."  Read more on NPR. All the more reason to keep your space tidy.

Dust will always slowly return, unfortunately. It will never go away completely but it's sure fun trying. Psychological studies have shown that the act of filling in a shape has a pleasing effect on people. Okay, I just made that up, but I think it's true. You know how coloring can calm down a child? Dusting is kind of like that. It's the same act of changing a surface's appearance through a series of repetitive motions resulting in a sensation of completeness and satisfaction. In other words, cleaning just makes you feel good.

Clean-spiration: Keeping Neat and Clean

Let's all time travel and re-learn some good habits keeping clean and leaving things neat. Enjoy this short film hilariously narrated by Mystery Science Theatre 3000 to get you in the mood for some cleaning.


I admire the 1950's so much for the simplicity in how information was delivered even if it was common sense things (Really? I'm supposed to dry myself with a towel? I was gonna use a cat.) These educational films from the time are so great. It's almost mathematically perfect the way everything seemed to operate, if that makes sense.

I mean, the actors are so precise in the way they move; even in the way they talk. Everything is so calm, evenly paced, so calculated and so simple. I love it so much. 

Are you in the mood for more blasts from the past before you get to your spring cleaning? Here's a few extra throwback videos for Spic-and-Span floor cleaner, Singer vacuums and Bab-O Soap.

Top 10 Mrs. Meyer's Scents

Mrs. Meyer's is the best cleaning company in the world. I love everything they do and I use them everyday. In fact this company is the reason I love cleaning. Their products work so well and make cleaning so fun and enjoyable. The ingredients are plant derived and made with magical blends of essential oils that create smells I didn't know could exist! As a loyal customer for 7 years (and counting!) here's a list of my favorites.

1. Honeysuckle
2. Orange Clove (too bad it's only seasonal - winter)
3. Basil  
4. Baby Blossom  (only in Laundry Detergent)
5. Lavender
6. Lemon Verbena
7. Bluebell
8. Geranium
9. Radish
10. Apple (only in Hand Soap)

I can't describe it but there's something that sets this brand apart from all other soaps. There's never a moment where it smells fake or overwhelming. It just smells . . . right. 

My favorite thing to buy is their Basil dryer sheets. I stick them in books or the car a lot  I put one in the side net of a polyvinyl lunchbox I use and the smell has lasted going on 2-3 months now.

The best part is that Mrs. Meyer is a real person which makes the brand all the more interesting. She even wrote a book filled with tips to keeping a clean house which you can buy on their website or your local bookstore. Her best advice: "You have to have a happy medium about perfectionism and happy home."

I'll admit about 50% of my love for them is the fact that I love their branding and the people who designed their logo, Werner Design Werks Inc. I mean look at this logo:

Once they put it on a towel and I had. to. have. it.

As you can see, I'm a big fan.

You can read more about all the scents available on their website, MrsMeyers.com, where I suggest you order yourself up a bucket of goods. And you really can order the bucket too! I have three!

Mommie Dearest's Guide to Cleaning

If you've never seen the unintentionally hilarious 1980's cult classic "Mommie Dearest" it's currently streaming on Netflix. The acting is so over the top and about half the movie is made of dramatic pauses. Let's all enjoy this scene where Joan Crawford played by Faye Dunaway shows us how to clean the floor the right way.

This is common sense but it's worth noting that the best way to clean things is to lift them up and move them. Don't get lazy and only clean around it. With appliances, you should take the pieces apart (as long as you know how to put them back together) to really get all the dust and debris in nooks. This is true of fans which collect a lot of dust.

No, not those kind of fans. Seriously, watch it!

Product Review: Bissell Steam Shot

Bissell® Steam Shot sells for under $50

This dirty talk is about to get extra steamy. Did you know there's a thing called steam cleaners? I sure didn't and all I can say is "Wow! Wow! Wow!"

The steamer is great for lifting stains quicker than anything from a bottle. I tried using a certain floor cleaner by a well known brand that rhymes with "wiffer" on the bathroom tile but it didn't get that much up. After all, the tile had over 10 years of dirt, makeup, dust and probably a few layers of hairspray to really seal it in. However, I'm happy to report, the Steam Shot BAHHHH-LASTED through it allllll like butter, and as you can see below the difference is night and day. 

I also used the Steam Shot to clean the area between and under the knobs on the oven that had layers of oil. It lifted most of it off but there was still a thin layer of oil in certain spots. That was because the oil built up in the bristles of the brush so it was spreading it around. Some counter top spray on a towel and a slow but forceful movement took care of the last bit.

These areas were the toughest spots in the house to tackle so everything else has been even easier. It's great for getting ground in dust that collects in the wall panels, window seals, window tracks and blinds.

Pros

1. Sanitizes.
2. Comes with a lot of attachments and the thick brushes work really well lifting dirt and oil.
3. Heats up quick.
4. Affordable.
5. No chemicals needed.

Cons

1. The lid can be hard to open the first few times you try to unscrew it. Eventually you get used to it and it becomes easier to take off but I forgot which way to unscrew it to take it off a few times and had to read the instructions. I think the company could put an open and close direction. 
2. The steam can run out quick when you're tackling really dirty areas that require extra scrubbing. You have to wait 5 minutes between cleaning sessions to allow the machine to cool unless you enjoy being steam shotted in the face when you fill the water.
3. There's a hot plastic smell that smells like melting toys (I'll smell it in my nightmares).
4. It looks . . . meh. (I wish Apple would tackle the steam cleaner market.)
5. This is not to say it doesn't get hot, but I'd like it to heat up to a higher temperature for more efficient cleaning.

I was a little unsure what to expect as I read mixed reviews of the Steam Shot online. Some people said that it stopped working after a few months. Hopefully that isn't the case and this steamer lasts until I can get a better one. So far I have no real complaints though. Like I said, this is an affordable version of a steam cleaner at just $40 on Amazon but there are certainly more powerful steamers out there.

Ladybug® 2150 sells for $1,095.00

The difference is that professional grade steam cleaners are well . . . professional. As in they don't mess around, heating up to almost 300ºF (ouch!). Also they have a bigger capacity for water and are able to be refilled without waiting for the machine to cool. However . . .  they can cost up to $2,000 (But hey, free shipping!) The best reviewed machine I've seen (and most attractive) is the Ladybug brand of steam cleaners that are actually so hot that it's vapor! The most affordable (haha) version is the 2150 that sells for 1 grand. I'm going to start saving up.

I'll leave you with this review I found which I think sums up the Steam Shot best . . .

Appreciating Space

I think the one most important thing that makes clean places look so good is nothing! Nothing . . . as in lots and lots and . . . lots . . . of space. 

Items are important to us. They bring us whimsy, inspiration and comfort but they have to be well chosen and well placed to do their part. What you surround yourself with perpetuates who you are.

The one enemy of space is clutter. Clutter is defined as things that impede movement or reduce effectiveness. Edna Mode from The Incredibles (2005) taught us a great lesson about capes and clutter. Watch this clip where she explains how they drag people down, literally in this case getting sucked into jet turbines, vortexes and snagging on rockets. 

Maybe most people's clutter won't result in such a dramatic outcome like tripping and falling into a volcano but the principle is the same. Sometimes the things we think we need or think look cool only get in the way.

Focusing now on Edna's house, did you get a good look at it? See how clear and open it was? Yes, I know it's a computer generated set but still! Space plays a huge role in your mood and efficiency. Keeping a space open makes it easier to move and easier to focus. You can certainly get somewhere quicker if nothing is in the way. Seems like there's a metaphor in there somewhere. Also, it's definitely easier to keep a place clean if it doesn't have so many things that can get dirty.

Don't take space for granted. It's healthy to look around and evaluate if you could reclaim some of it. I think Edna would be proud.