Happy Slob Gazette "Housecleaning with a Sense of Humor!" Issue #22 June 7, 2006 --------------------- --GET YOUR COPY NOW -- The Happy Slob's Guide to Housecleaning... is available now! Only $12.95 for a cleaning guide that will change how you clean forever! Get yours today. The Happy Slob's Guide to Housecleaning Book ---------------------- Contents: - A Note from Christina (The Original Happy Slob) - On Our Blogs - New On Our Website: >>>Homemade Bug Killer Spray >>>Smelly Socks Cure >>>Carpet Refresher Powder - 3-Steps is All It Takes - Looking For...Your Best Decluttering & Organizing Tips - Readers Questions - Happy Slob Helpers - - Cleaning Recipes of the Week - Testimonials ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A NOTE FROM CHRISTINA Contact Christina at christina@happyslob.com with ideas, tips, lovely remarks or anything else you'd like to share! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hi everyone, It's great to be back! Hubby & I had a fabulous time in Nova Scotia, where we visited with family, attended the wedding of my cousin, and did a little sightseeing too. But, it's back to life now, and that means tackling the cleaning tasks that built up while (and let's be honest - before) I was away. :) If you're new to the Happy Slob Gazette and way of cleaning, head over to The 3 Step Solution - Explained to get instructions on how easy it is to get started! Big hugs to you all, Christina P.S. The MUST READ on our site today for ALL of us is this: 7 Tips for Cleaning and Organizing Your Closets . We happy slobs need all the help we can get, especially when it comes to facing our messy closets! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ON OUR BLOGS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ I LOVE blogging! :) Yes, you could go so far as to say that I'm officially a blogaholic...so please visit some of my blogs and find something wonderful to read and try! Click HERE for The Happy Slob Blog * Cleaning out the Fridge Click HERE for The Happy Slob's Greatest Bargains Blog * All sorts of goodies on sale! Click HERE for Kitchen Crafts 'n' More Blog * Lavender Linen Water Recipe * Cleaning the Car with Baking Soda * Copycat Recipes Click HERE for the Coffee Creations Blog * Copycat Starbucks Recipe: Java Float * Cleaning out the Coffeemaker * Coffee Ice Milk Recipe (Low in Fat) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >>> NEW ON OUR WEBSITE <<< ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Homemade Bug Killer Spray Yep, you can make this stuff at home using things you already have in the pantry and fridge! Bug Killer Spray Smelly Socks Cure It was a mom who sent this in to us -- having teenaged boys with stinky socks inspired her to come up with a very clever idea for banishing the funk! haha Smelly Socks Cure Carpet Refresher Powder An easy way to brighten up those carpets and add a great natural scent. Carpet Refresher Powder ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 3 STEPS IS ALL IT TAKES! Housecleaning in only 3 steps ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Remember, easy, stress-free cleaning starts with the Happy Slob's 3-Step Solution: 1. 2 fast cleaning bursts every day - budget the time you can spend - anywhere from 5-20 minutes or more. Set it on the timer. Tidy up as much as you can - focusing your attention on IMPACT areas (those areas that are seen the most and used the most in your home. Kitchens, bathrooms, and living areas are often impact areas.) 2. 1 Focus Room every day - A minimum of 10 minutes in one specific room or area. I like to add storage areas to my focus room list so that those nasty areas also get cleaned! (This is when I do some de-cluttering - just one small section in the focus room.) 3. One weekly Clean-for-All - You and the family get down to cleaning business once a week. This is where you get some of those other cleaning tasks done. But don't worry if you can't get everything done. Over time, and with the accumulation of your good efforts you WILL! These basic guidelines will help you keep your home cleaner and tidier than ever before. It's simple, it's not intimidating and it works! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ READERS QUESTIONS If you guys have some answers to these questions, please send them in to me at christina @ happyslob.com. :) Either myself or one of our readers will surely be able to help... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CLEANING/REFINISHING OLD BATHTUB Steve writes: "Dear Christina, My wife and I have 2 children and live in a house that was built in the 1950's. We still have the original tub with porcelain finish in our bathroom. Over the past 4 years that we have lived here, we have accumulated quite a bit of ground in dirt in the bathtub that I just can't seem to eliminate. A few years ago I did some plumbing work in the walls and used some glue(I don't remember what kind) to put the fiberglass shower panel back on the wall. Some of the glue dripped down onto the side of the tub near the drain area. Do you have any suggestions for how I may get rid of the dirt and possibly the glue without having to pay hundreds of dollars to have the bathtub professionally refinished? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time. CLEANING SLATE FLOORS Cindi asks: "I love your newsletter! Do you have any hints for cleaning slate floors? Mine is in bad shape, and I tried Oxy clean on it which is really cleaning it up, but it is also drying it out!!! HELP!Thanks so much!" CLEANING MYSTERY STAINS IN TOILET Carol asks: "I live in Albuquerque New Mexico where it is very dry and this is why I don't understand this problem I'm having. I have never seen this before and my husband was in the Army and we lived in many different places and I still never saw this or heard of anything like it until I moved into this house. In my main bathroom the toilet bowl gets black dot things all over in it, up the sides, down into the water all of it is just covered with these things. They aren't mildew because bleach doesn't touch them and they have no smell and mildew does have a bad smell. They are specks that vary in size of being just a very, very small speck up to about nickel size (they get this big when we go somewhere on vacation and we aren't home to clean it.) This looks very nasty and I am so afraid that someone might come for a visit and see it before I can wash it off. I try to wash it all off everyday but it can still get ahead of me. These dots are flaky and when I wash them with the toilet brush they flake off and I flush them away. I notice they are always under the rim and I try to get them all but they just keep coming back from under the rim and then spread to the toilet bowl and it looks as though I haven't washed the toilet out in a month. I hope it isn't that black mole that is so deadly. But I wouldn't think I would have that here in New Mexico where it is so dry? And I do have ventilation in the bathroom. Please, if you know, let me know what this stuff is and how to clean it and keep it away. Thanks in advance for any advice you may have." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Happy Slob Helpers - ANSWERS to Questions CLEANING & HOUSEHOLD TIPS Send yours to christina@happyslob.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ When my computer DIED last month, I lost a lot of the great replies readers had sent in! If you have some cleaning tips to share, please send them on in to me. :) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CLEANING RECIPES OF THE WEEK I'd LOVE to hear from you if you have a natural cleaning recipe to share! Send it to me at christina @ happyslob.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 10 Cleaning & Household Uses for Newspapers Who KNEW old newspapers could be so handy?? Uses for Newspapers Homemade Lavender Spray Our Lavender Spray Recipe is still MY all-time favorite. Using real Lavender Essential Oil means that this spray also has amazing aromatherapy properties. :) And shucks, it's so ridiculously easy that you'll never buy a commercial air freshener again... Homemade All Purpose Cleaners Two to choose from! All Purpose Cleaner All Purpose Cleaner II ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LOOKING FOR... YOUR Best Decluttering & Organizing Tips Send in uses to christina @ happyslob.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hi all, I need your help! It's spring cleaning time, and of course with that comes decluttering all the junk we've managed to accumulate over the long, cold winter. So, what are YOUR favorite decluttering and organizing tips? If you have one you'd like to share, please send it in to me so I can share it with everyone else! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TESTIMONIALS & THANKS Don't keep those sentiments to yourself - send them to me at christina @ happyslob.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ One Recent Review of "The Happy Slob's Guide to Housecleaning": Christina's book is one that I've been looking for a long time. She explains how and why the average lazy person, "slob" if you like, can make their home cleaner (and that means happier too), and keep it that way, while also having a life! I have been involved with cleaning products on-and-off as a user, reseller and demonstrator for years. Christina's advice rings true and I was pleased to learn several tips and short-cuts which were new to me. I highly recommend this book for anyone that wants to beat the dust bunnies and save money and time while while they do it.