For those of us who find joy in perfectly plush, line-vacuumed carpet, stains are the bane of our existence. However troublesome and tedious, it’s also inevitable that a substance other than water will find its way onto your floors. There are plenty of commercial cleaners on the market designed for this purpose; but, many stains can be eliminated with products you probably already own. Here’s how to naturally eliminate those hard-hitting stains and return your carpet to picture-perfect. For most stains- including marinara sauce and soft drinks- follow these steps: Start with two bowls. Fill o ..read more

Refreshing Your Home for New Year Approaching a new year sparks both reflections and hope for change. It gives us an opportunity to celebrate the year’s accomplishments and, hopefully, forget about the monthly donation we’ve been making to the local gym. Understandably, lots of New Year conversation revolves around impending resolutions: ideas about what we’ll stop or start with a new calendar. For this upcoming year, consider making a different type of resolution. Keeping a clean and tidy home is a goal that will bring you daily serenity, and will create a sense of sanctuary for your family ..read more

In case you weren't listening in science class, hydrogen peroxide is water (H2O) with an added oxygen atom that creates H2O2. At recommended strengths, that makes hydrogen peroxide very safe to use. But that extra atom of oxygen gives the resulting formula some amazing capabilities for fighting dirt, grime, and germs. Hydrogen peroxide is a powerful cleaner, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, and natural bleaching compound. The common three percent solution found in drugstores is potent enough to cut through most stains and grime and disinfect a range of surfaces and materials. Learning ho ..read more

Humidifiers are a proven solution for combating the kind of cold, dry air that contributes to dry skin, chapped lips, and scratchy throats. They can definitely make your home a more pleasant place to live, especially as winter sets in. If you're thinking about buying one of these appliances (or you already use one), it's important to know how to clean a humidifier to make sure you get the most out of yours. Two of the most common units are warm mist and cool mist humidifiers. While both humidifiers increase moisture in the air and help minimize contaminants associated with colds and other ill ..read more

Cooler weather often means a variety of illnesses, from the common cold to the flu to the coronavirus, so you must know how to minimize the spread of germs. Over the last couple of years, we have all become more aware of the dangers that arise from viruses and other germs. During flu season, we must be even more diligent and know how to disinfect a house after the flu or a cold. If you’ve had the flu, you know how awful it can be. The muscle aches, fever, chills, and fatigue accompanying the virus affect roughly&n ..read more

No matter how often you clean and deodorize, you’re bound to run into unpleasant odors from time to time – even if you have a regular housekeeping service that keeps your home always guest-ready. As long as you cook, eat, sleep, and use the bathroom, odors will creep into your home, so you need to learn how to get that smell out of your house. From commonly missed cleaning areas to culinary experiments, foul smells can linger in specific rooms or throughout your home. That means wrinkled noses for you and raised eyebrows for guests unless you stop those odors in their trac ..read more

How to Clean Your Houseplants Houseplants are important accessories for your home. Bringing a little bit of the outdoors into your home can breathe new life into a room and add layers of texture to the overall design. Plants work to divide spaces or fill a voided corner, and for some plant lovers, they become important fixtures in a home.  Unfortunately, just like any other item in your home, plants will collect dust over time. But unlike non-living decor, plants need to be clean to thrive. Think of your plant leaves as skin. Our skin has millions of tiny pores that can become clogged if ..read more

We often use bleach as a whitener and sanitizer for laundry and for disinfecting surfaces, but it can be harsh on fabrics and users. It can discolor many fabrics, it can harm your skin and eyes, and it’s highly toxic. Even though many clothing labels don't prohibit the use of bleach, learning how to sanitize laundry without bleach is good for your laundry, family, and the environment. From good old steaming hot water to everyday products found in most households, learning how to disinfect clothes may be easier than you think. Before we get started, we want to mention that while most of us use ..read more

The Importance of Deep Cleaning Your Home: Why, When, and What to Do Cleaning is a habit that requires daily, weekly, and monthly routines. Most of the time, our housekeeping chores revolve around the obvious tasks: dishes, laundry, and tidying up. But let’s face it- month after month, this type of cleaning just doesn’t cut it. There are a couple of times a year when every home needs a really good deep cleaning. This means wiping, vacuuming, and scrubbing every nook and cranny; it’s attending to those easily-forgotten, deep cleaning checklist items that are often a little tedious. What is Deep ..read more

A Guide to Home Health During a Pandemic  Many months after the initial lockdown, COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the world. A glance at the news or some time spent looking at your county’s verified infection counts reinforces the reality that (for the time being) the virus is here to stay. The thought can feel both daunting and overwhelming to consider. So what can you do? While we don’t have control over the situation at large, we do have a say in what happens within homes. Our homes are our sanctuaries and should serve as happy, safe havens for our families. Even in the unpredi ..read more