Magical Carpet Cleaner

Several weeks ago I was heading out the door to a dinner party. In one arm I held a big salad bowl. In the other was a glass jar of salad dressing I had just made. As I tried to maneuver open our heavy front door, the jar slipped out of my hand. In slow motion I yelled "Noooooo!" as the glass shattered on the wood floor and the contents splattered all over the wall and our cheap apartment carpet.

You guys, I was so upset. I was already late to this party and all I wanted to do was sit down in the middle of this puddle of oil and vinegar and cry. Instead I picked up the glass pieces, did a quick wipe up with paper towels and left the big clean up until later. Over the next few weeks I tried every carpet cleaner at my local grocery stores (yes, plural). Nothing was working. And my front entry way continued to look like this.

I didn't want visitors because it was so embarrassing. No, this condo is not our own but I like to live in cleanliness so I continued to try to clean it with no luck. Then my mom came to visit and suggested I try white vinegar. I didn't really give it much thought because it seemed either too easy or too smelly.

Well, this weekend I had enough. I searched for a remedy and found it! Of course, it contains white vinegar because my mother is always right. So I'm going to share with you my wisdom because I'm sure I'm not the first person to spill oil-based something on their carpet (right?).

1. Scrape up the liquid (I had already done this weeks ago).

2. Sprinkle baking soda or cornstarch on stain to let absorb for 10 minutes and then vacuum.

3. Mix one tablespoon clear dishwashing liquid and one tablespoon white vinegar with two cups of warm water.

4. Using a white cloth (I strongly believe in microfiber washcloths), sponge the stain with the detergent/vinegar solution and blot until all the liquid is absorbed.
5. Sponge off with cold water and blot dry.

CLICK HERE FOR MY TIPS

HOW TO DE-PILL YOUR CLOTHING

One of my most frustrating things that I encounter in the thrifting/refashioning/and clothing in general world is pilling. Pilling is the balling up of fibers on your clothing. Aka, these black jeggings and sweater vest. Just to make a point, were wore them both the same day and shaved my entire outfit. Yes, shaved! Just borrowed the razor from the shower and some masking tape I had laying around and went at it. Or you could go buy a lint shaver from the store, but I find this to much more successful since I have done both. Just make sure to do it slowly so you don’t accidentally slice a hole in your clothing. I have done that before, sadly.

1. Wash

2. Shave

3. Use a lint roller or tape to pick up the pilling

MORE TIPS

Cleaning Your Blender

Yeah, that’s right, you’ve been do this all wrong for years. But that’s ok because there’s no point in looking back on your past mistakes when you can start doing it the smart way moving forward. To really get your blades clean, fill your blender with soap and warm water, then turn it on! Fun to watch, too.

More Tips

How To Clean Your Kitchen Sink & Disposal

You would think your kitchen sink is relatively clean, considering the number of times per day you use it. But simply letting water run down the drain throughout the day just won't cut it with germs and bacteria—you need to sanitize! 

What You Need

Materials

• Liquid dishwashing soap
• Distilled white vinegar
• Baking Soda
• Sea Salt
• Lemon (or lime)
• Ice

Tools

• Old toothbrush
• Soft sponge

Instructions

For daily cleaning, a mild soap and nylon sponge or soft rag can be used to wipe your sink down. All-purpose or glass cleaner can be used in a pinch, but it's important to avoid ammonia, bleach, or abrasive cleaners on stainless steel. Abrasive sponges should also be avoided; all of these can alter the sink's finish.

1. Thoroughly rinse out your sink. If you have a stainless sink, salt and acid in food can potentially damage the finish, so it's important to rinse food and liquids to prevent pitting.
2. Sprinkle baking soda onto the surface. Working it into a paste, rinse thoroughly.
3. Line the sink with paper towels soaked in white vinegar. Allow it to sit for 20 minutes and then dispose of the paper towels.
4. Rinse the sink with warm soapy water.
5. For the faucets and handles, wipe with a mild soapy solution. The toothbrush can be used to get in the hard-to-reach areas. If spots remain, a cloth soaked in white vinegar can be used. Once you're finished cleaning, thoroughly rinse once more time and dry with a soft rag. Your sink should now be fresh and clean!

To clean the garbage disposal:

1. Sprinkle a half cup of baking soda down the disposal then add one cup of white vinegar. The mixture will fizz and make a bit of noise, allow this to work for a few minutes while you boil a kettle of hot water. Pour boiling water down the drain.
2. Fill the drain with two cups of ice. Pour a cup of salt (rock salt is great if you have it, I improvised with coarse sea salt) over the ice cubes. Run the cold water and turn on the garbage disposal until the ice is gone. The ice/salt mixture will help loosen the grime and debris from the grinding elements
3. Cut a lemon or lime in half. With the water on and garbage disposal running, add the fruit halves, one at a time, to the disposal. The fruit will help clean and deodorize your drain.

More great tips and tutorials: Relieve Cleaners

Image Credit: www.apartmenttherapy.com

TIP: HOW TO CLEAN A SHOWER HEAD

Can you believe the difference!? It looks brand new again. And all the little holes spray water now too!

To clean your shower head, pour distilled white vinegar in a plastic baggy and secure it to the shower head with a rubber band. Let it soak for 1 hour. Wipe clean with a wet cloth. Easy fix for a clogged shower head!

Afterwards, I dabbed a rag into the bag of vinegar and shined up the fixtures.

Read More

How to Remove White Heat Marks on Furniture

During the holidays we had some friends over for a dinner party. We served an extra hot meal that night and after everyone left and the dishes were cleared and the table linens removed, I discovered foggy white marks all over my beautiful new table. This one was the smallest, though brightest mark.

Click to continue

Tip of the Day: How to clean your Iron

HOW TO CLEAN YOUR IRON:

1. Sprinkle a generous amount of salt onto your ironing board
2. Turn your iron to the highest setting, ensuring that the steam option is set to OFF
3. When heated, iron over the salt--what happens is that the dirt sticks to the salt, leaving nothing but a wonderfully, shiny iron!

It is good to do this every so often to prevent debris or dirt from your iron melting or sticking to your articles of clothing!