Cleaning

I have to say with all the things that I have to do everyday, all day through the week typically cleaning gets pushed to the back burner. When I first got married I cleaned bathrooms once a week...how I wished that person was still around. Then again sometimes there is the choice of either playing blocks with my son or cleaning bathrooms. What would you choose? I choose blocks.

I was inspired on a recent Oprah show when I watched Oprah along with a few other well known names going back to their "roots" before they got big. I was inspired by Kirstie Alley's portion of the show talking about how she was a cleaning person. She gave tips on cleaning floors, such as using REALLY hot water, which I did not know. She also said that a great disinfectant cleaner is using really cheap vodka. Not the Grey Goose or Smirnoff kind, but the really cheap stuff you buy in a gallon at the local ABC store. It is cheaper then most other cleaners, non-toxic (unless you drink it..hehe), and has no smell to it. I am curious to try this one and certainly will one of these days when I get around to going to the ABC store. I just never thought of it.

Another cleaning product I used this weekend and LOVE is the clorox toilet bowl cleaners. My toilets (maybe TMI) were pretty bad in my house. The cleaning brush we used really had bit the dust so I was open to try something new. Seeing the clorox toilet bowl cleaner (came with stick, caddy and 6 disposable sponges)in Walmart for a reasonable price plus a three dollar coupon on the box you could use right at the check on line won me over. I went home and immediately cleaned three toilets and was done in less then 15 minutes. I think overall the toilets were much cleaner compared to the usual goo you spray around the toilet and scrub with a brush. The sponges that you use are not flushable, but that was okay by me since I had a plastic bag ready to throw them out.

Sometimes you just need a new little toy/cleaner to give a Mom some motivation. My house is clean but as clean as a toddler will allow. There will be toys strung about until I get around to picking them up and some areas will just be left a little longer then they should, but I think that is all about being a Mom. If you walked into a home that had children, especially young children, to me I almost expect some disarray. If I walked into a "perfect" home I'd almost wonder.

Do you have any great cleaning tips or things you use in your house that you found were really helpful and/or cut the time of cleaning down?