CasaSugar

Get Your Home So Fresh and So Clean!

CasaSugar — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 05:30:47 -0700

Last week, I told you all about my new decorating community group, Lovely Little Vignettes, where you can post photos of your favorite, pretty corners of your home. As we all know, though, a house isn't a home by decorating alone. You know what I'm talking about: to keep our homes looking beautiful, we have to invest a significant amount of time in cleaning them. That's why I've established the group So Fresh and So Clean as a forum for CasaSugar readers to share cleaning tips with each other.

Do you have a great eco cleaning recipe? Or have you found a way to get your laundry looking whiter? Whatever your tips, join So Fresh and So Clean and share them with the rest of us. I'll even feature your best cleaning tips here on CasaSugar, so don't be surprised if your smart tip makes it to the front page here on the site. I can't wait to hear your best and brightest cleaning tips! Share them with the rest of us now!

How-To: Be a Groupie

CasaSugar — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:00:01 -0700

To Jonas Brothers fans, being a "groupie" comes naturally. But there's another kind of group love I'm rooting for, and it concerns our new CasaSugar Decor Community. Hopefully, you got the lowdown on it from my introduction on Tuesday and are ready and rarin' to join a group!

You probably all know (and love) my decorating group Su Casa, where you share photos of your home and latest design projects, because it's sticking around. From tiny nooks to entire bedrooms, if I dig your designs, your photos and projects could be featured on CasaSugar! Are you a Su Casa member yet? If not, join! Before you join, you should make sure you register though, if you don't already have an account.

Don't get me wrong, I love Su Casa, but I've got two brand spankin' new groups I'm super excited about. To "meet" them, read more.

Lovely Little Vignettes is the place to share photos of the small vignettes you create in your home, or those you see online or a friend's home. Be it a vase and a picture frame on your bedside table, a painting and a souvenir on your fireplace mantel, or a paperweight on a stack of letters, we want to see how you make the small beautiful! And again, I may feature your very own lovely little vignettes on Casa if I like them! Join the group here!

So Fresh and So Clean is dedicated to cleaning! From small tasks like drying glasses to tedious ones like powerwashing your deck, I want to hear your tips, trials, and tribulations on getting your house. Unforutnately, cleaning is one part of home living that's never going out of style, so let's help each other through it! Join here.

Casa Quickie: Coffee Stain Removal

CasaSugar — Thu, 29 May 2008 13:00:04 -0700

Spilling coffee on a freshly dry-cleaned shirt during the morning rush is unfortunately such a recurring mishap for many of us that it's almost a cliché. Seriously — how many Kate Hudson/JLo/Sandra Bullock romantic comedies can you think of where it's a pivotal scene to the plot? If these chick-flick chicks had just had a little advice from yours truly (well, actually from Do It Yourself), they'd have won the guy, the ring, and popped out a first born well before the popcorn intermission. To hear how to send coffee stains to the curb, read more.
Be it a coffee mug or a faulty Starbucks lid, whenever you spill, just make sure you don't allow the stain to dry. Blot the spill with a clean white rag or paper towel to soak up the liquid. Then, mix a teaspoon of dishwashing soap with a cup of lukewarm water, dab it on, and blot the area again. Then mix one-third of a cup of vinegar (white) with two-thirds of a cup of lukewarm water, dab it on, and blot the area again. Rinse, and then follow your normal washing routine for the item. Then, next time, try sitting down for your caffeine fix for a change.
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Casa Quickie: Window Streaks

CasaSugar — Wed, 30 Apr 2008 13:00:01 -0700

Got streaks? Use horizontal strokes when cleaning your windows inside, and vertical strokes outside. That way, if you wind up with streaks on your windows, you'll know automatically which side of the window they're coming from. You can also use household vinegar to get outdoor windows sparkling clean. But, don't wash them when it's really sunny; they'll streak if they dry too quickly. It's these little things that make life so much easier . . .
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Casa Quickie: Removing Deodorant Stains

CasaSugar — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 13:00:45 -0700

As you may know, deodorant stains are a big ole pain in the butt. But getting them out of that favorite top of yours is actually fairly elementary. All you have to do to get rid of those troubled stains is soak or sponge the fabric (if it's washable; i.e. not silk) in white vinegar for 30 minutes, and then wash it in the hottest water that's safe for the fabric. Or, mix a little dish soap and equal parts ammonia and water and soak overnight, and then wash. Voilà! Your laundry will look so fresh and so clean!
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Casa Quickie: Gum Be Gone

CasaSugar — Tue, 15 Apr 2008 15:00:58 -0700

Since I openly oppose gum chewing in the first place (smack smack), I find it quite frustrating when gum makes its way to my clothing, the soles of my shoes, or other fabrics in my house. My sister once wound up chopping off a chunk of her locks to rid herself of the goo — let's just say it wasn't a pretty sight, but she did her best to make it glam. Sticky and stubborn, gum is nearly impossible to remove by washing as usual.That's why I was so happy to learn a quick tip for removing it! All you need to do to get that gucky Double Bubble, Trident, or what-have-you out of your clothing or household textiles is brush it, using an old toothbrush, with egg white; let it sit for about 15 minutes, and then wash as usual. To get it out of your hair, hold ice cubes in a bag to it until it hardens, and then break it away. Or, massage it with some nontoxic oil (canola, olive oil), leave it for 20 minutes, and then comb it out.
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Casa Verde: Clean with Steam Vapor, Not Chemicals

CasaSugar — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 14:00:01 -0700

In her book Green Housekeeping, Ellen Sandbeck notes that one simple way to avoid using chemical products when you clean is to use steam vapor instead, which loosens dirt, grease and grime quite easily, so they can then just be wiped off with a clean cloth.

Here are some of her tips for the technique, according to the Housekeeping Channel:

"To steam clean a wood, vinyl or tile kitchen floor, attach a clean terrycloth towel to the floor brush, then put the floor brush on the end of the steamer's extension tube. Use a mopping motion to steam the floor clean, moving quickly to prevent heat damage. When the towel gets dirty, turn it over or replace it with a clean towel."
"Clean tile grout by using the steamer's detail brush, then use a towel-covered floor brush to remove excess moisture and residue. If the tile is very dirty, use the floor brush without a towel, then wipe the steamed area with a clean towel. You can use this technique for tiled counters as well as tiled floors."
"Strip off old paste wax by using the floor brush to steam a small section at a time. Wipe off the dissolved wax before moving to the next section. When the job is done, clean the brushes with hot water before the wax has a chance to harden. Wipe down the surface with a clean dry towel before applying new wax."

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Recipe For Clean: Silver Polish

CasaSugar — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 14:00:01 -0700

When getting our homes so fresh and so clean, don't overlook your silverware. If you've assembled your home cleaning kit you'll have most of the ingredients for this Recipe For Clean. Use it to make your silverware shine like the top of the Chrysler building.

Supplies:

3-in. square of aluminum foil
1 tbsp. of salt
1 tbsp. of baking soda
1 cup of warm water

To learn the steps of this recipe, read more.
Here's how:

Dissolve the salt and baking soda in the warm water.
Then, submerge the foil and your silverware in the solution.
Let it sit for one hour.
Rinse the silver under the faucet, and then wipe it dry with a cloth.

Or . . .

Rub any tarnished spots on your silverware with a non-gel toothpaste (white paste kind) with a soft cloth, and rinse.
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Recipe For Clean: Bleach Alternative

CasaSugar — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 05:15:03 -0700

Have you assembled your home cleaning kit yet? If you have, you're in luck, because I have a great Recipe For Clean for an eco-friendly bleach alternative. Use it to get spots and stains out of your laundry, so they look so fresh and so clean.

Supplies

1/2 cup borax
2 gallons of hot water

Hydrogen Peroxide (3 percent)

To find out the steps for this DIY, just read more.

Soak the borax in the hot water for at least five minutes.
Then, use as you would bleach.

or . . .

Spot clean with hydrogen peroxide.
Let dry.
Repeat if necessary.

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Casa Quickie: Permission Granted - Stop Washing!

CasaSugar — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 05:15:44 -0700

Hey! Drop the sponge and move away from the sink. That's right: it's time to stop washing dishes by hand. According to the EPA, using an energy-efficient dishwasher uses less water than washing dishes by hand. An energy-efficient dishwasher, such as an Energy Star certified washer, uses only 4 gallons per cycle, saving as much as 5,000 gallons of water per year compared with hand washing. By using an energy-efficient dishwasher, you'll also save an average of $40 in energy costs and 230 hours of washing time. Take all of those extra hours and do something fun, like wallpapering that extra bedroom.
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