Happy Slob Gazette "Housecleaning with a Sense of Humor!" Issue #18 March 23, 2006 --------------------- Get 3 beautiful books for $4.95 from Homestyle Books®. Choose from the latest titles in gardening, decorating and entertaining. Click for details. Click Here for Homestyle Books ------------------------ NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Sign up for great baking advice, recipes and SAVINGS! Find other free samples, coupons & discounts from top brands at Eversave. Click Here for the Baking Newsletter ---------------------- Contents: - A Note from Christina (The Original Happy Slob) - Get YOUR Copy - New On Our Website - 3-Steps is All It Takes - Looking For... - 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, How are you doing? A huge welcome, first of all to the (gasp!) 143 new subscribers who have joined us in the past week! :) Yay, there are apparently loads of us happy slobs -- all eager to 'clean up' (Hardy har har) our cleaning act and try to clean our homes a bit better. Together we can do it, I know it! So grab a scrumptious cup of tea, iced tea, steamy coffee - or drink of your choice - and enjoy every little bit of this newsletter. Remember - I LOOOOVE hearing from you, either on my happy slob blog at Happy Slob Blog or via email at christina @ happyslob.com. Hugs to you slobbos Christina ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ GET YOUR COPY of the HAPPY SLOB'S GUIDE TO HOUSECLEANING ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ...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 Or...don't want to PAY for your copy? Okay, fine, have it your way. ;) If you have 5 pals who'll join this free newsletter then you can EARN your copy of the Happy Slob's Guide to Housecleaning for FREE! Just email me at christina @ happyslob.com and I'll send you an email form to send to friends. Once 5 join, you'll get your book. Aren't I a generous slobbo? ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TODAY ON OUR BLOGS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Click HERE for The Happy Slob Blog * Amanda shares a wacky idea to scare off pesky (and peeing!) neighborhood cats! * Decluttering Challenge Update For all you fabulous slobbos who undertook the challenge! Click HERE for The Happy Slob's Greatest Bargains Blog * Tea Tree Oil at a great price! This is an oil all Happy Slobs really need - a great natural disinfectant. * Easy Dessert Cookbook With only 3 ingredients in each recipe! I love that concept...Dessert for every happy slob, but without the hassle! Yay! Click HERE for Kitchen Crafts 'n' More Blog * Herbal Bath Crystals with REAL Herbs * Make Your Own Chocolate Almond Coffee ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ >>> NEW ON OUR WEBSITE <<< ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ All About ME - the Original Happy Slob :) Not exactly NEW, but if you haven't read about me and my online book mission...please take a moment and find out more! All About Christina - the Happy Slob ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ LOOKING FOR... Your crazy cleaning tips ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Send in any ideas on cleaning or organization. :) The crazier the better! (Or at least, the crazier the MORE AMUSING!) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ CAT URINE ON FURNITURE - HELP! Carole asks: "I am wondering if anyone has had any success at removing cat urine from furniture. I have leather furniture and one cat that uses it as her potty on occasion. I have treated it with many different products, but can not seem to get the odor out of the fabric below the leather. I am ready to trash my furniture that is only 4 years old because of this. Please help!!" CLEANING STICK-DOWN TILE FLOORS Lyn asks: "We are getting our home ready to sell and have put in "Peal and Stick" tile floors in an number of rooms. To keep them look their best until we get the rest of our remodeling done I would like to know what to use on them for cleaning. Thank you for all the rest of the tips I have gained on your site." ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Happy Slob Helpers CLEANING & HOUSEHOLD TIPS Send yours to christina@happyslob.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Softer Yarn - Renewing Old Yarn Tammy wrote: "You can wash the whole skeins. If you put the skeins into the legs of panty hose (or leggings, just something to keep them from unraveling themselves) and wash/dry according to the manufacturer’s instructions, it should soften up nicely." Brenda wrote: " hey as a manic crocheter, i too buy cheap yarn by the boxful! i dont know what it is that causes that coarse sticky feeling, but ive found that after i make something with it all it takes to make it baby soft is to run it thru the washer and dryer most of the yarns are treated with stuff to keep it from shrinking, but still use cold water and the lowest dryer setting." CLEANER SHOWER DOORS Mary Ann wrote: "I used the vinegar on my shower door yesterday and it sure looks a lot better. I want to get away from using those powerful, smelly cleaners!! They are dangerous!!" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Rust Remover Easy Way to Remove Rust Fizzy Jewelry cleaner Do It Yourself Jewelry cleaner ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ TESTIMONIALS & THANKS Don't keep those sentiments to yourself - send them to me at christina@happyslob.com ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thanks for Site Montine says: "thanks for a great site Christina - I'm looking forward to more." Thanks for a Great Book Linda says: "Thank you Christina, for sending your book. I have read it and it has some nice tips in it. Thank you so much."