And then I cleaned the fridge…

I do pretty well with basic house keeping.  I mean, nobody is handing out homemaking medals to me, but I get by respectably in every area…except one.

The refrigerator.

*insert ominous chilly music*

I would likely to end up on a special fridge episode of Hoarders if the show producers ever caught wind of how long I have been storing single serve bacon (exp. date 6/08).

Every year around this time under the influence of resolution fever, I usually pledge to improve the quality of life for those residing inside my refrigerator.  Pity the poor produce that ends up in my drawer.

This year is the same…

EXCEPT I did something about it.

A few weeks ago Babyganics sent me a bunch of their cleaning supplies to try out (Please don’t forget the Messiest Mess Maker Contest which ends January 14, 2010).  I immediately grabbed the All-Purpose Household Cleaner named The Grime Fighter which is packaged in a nice sturdy spray bottle.  I regularly use a spray cleaner throughout the day in the kitchen.  It gets a lot of use on my counters – after breakfast, snack, lunch, snack and dinner…and maybe another snack…followed by my husband’s dinner/lunch/breakfast/snack or whatever you call a meal in the middle of a night shift.

I started using The Grime Fighter instead of my regular spray.  I really like it.  It sprays well and makes wiping the kitchen counters easier.  It is labeled “fragrance free”, but something about it makes the air smell kinda fresh.

So, there I found myself in my fridge.

*cue that ominous chilly music we heard previously*

I figured that I should try The Grime Fighter because truly this would put any cleaner to the test.  Also, because it is naturally non-toxic I wouldn’t have to worry about spraying it in a food storage area.  And so I sprayed, and wiped, and sprayed, and wiped…and threw away a bunch of fuzzy food.

The results were so incredible, I grabbed my camera and took a few pictures.

I then called my husband over to look.  He pretended to be impressed to make an easy kitchen escape.

The most shocking thing to the makeover was how LIGHT the fridge seemed…

Note to self:  I have clear fridge shelves.

Anyway, I am really proud of my effort and the end result.  If you stop by my house in the next week, you WILL be shown the fridge. 

It is that good.

BabyGanics is a maker of safe, natural and organic household solutions which keep your home squeaky clean but doesn’t harm your baby and your family. Visit BabyGanics.com to find out more about their products.

Fun in the Tub with Bathtub Paint

Kids love to painting.  Moms don’t love to clean up the mess.  What if you could combine painting with cleaning the bathtub?

This is bathtub paint.  You can make it thick and use it as finger paint, or you can dilute it and use it with paintbrushes.  This “paint” is washable, does not stain and will help you clean your tub.

…..

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup of Dish Detergent
• 1/2 Cup of Cornstarch
• 1/2 Cup of boiling water
• Food Coloring (liquid kind is best)

I used antibacterial, scented hand soap.  Know whatever soap you use, your kids will coat themselves with it – so be sure to pick something that won’t cause a reaction.

Directions:

Mix the cornstarch into the hot water until it is dissolved and the consistency is pasty.  Add the soap and mix until there are no chunks.  Add food coloring.  Store in an airtight container.

The paint may separate slightly when stored, stir before use.  Test the paint on a patch of your tub to ensure that your food coloring does not stain – and have fun!

This post was written by Rachel, mommy to three under three.  Bathtub time is fun time for the kids and quiet time for me!  Want more activities like this?  Check out my blog Quirky Momma!

Cleanliness has side effects

When we built our home a few years ago, it was with one main goal…

carpet-free.

Our house is a carpetLESS zone.

After years and years and years and years of extracting hairballs from carpet fibers I became hairball intolerant.

And then we had kids.

And then crushed cereal, sippy cup drippings, baby puke, peanut butter cracker remnants, and pea gravel tag-a-longs joined the cat gifts.

And then I devoted a portion of each day to scrubbing furry floors in hopes to return the carpet to an ever-dulling shade of beige. And I don’t even LIKE beige.

Fun times.

Solid surface flooring was the answer.

Concrete, wood, tile, linoleum, fiber floor – I embrace you.

Hairball? No problem! Let me get a paper towel!

Toddler vomit? Not a big deal! Let me get a wet washcloth.

Park pine bark? Who cares? Let me get a broom.

And a set of earplugs.

Earplugs?

Yes, because cleanliness comes with a price.

A home sans-carpet is a home void of sound deadening fiber.

A cough in the night echoes through the halls…

*COUGH*
*COUGH*
*cough*

Footsteps on the second floor sound like a herd of angry elephants.

Three boys fighting sound like…

three boys fighting to the third power as broadcast in THX.

*insert impressive THX testing music here*

It is like going to an elementary school band concert in the fall. You sit there smiling in a crowded auditorium whispering behind your program until the festivities begin. The music starts and you inwardly cringe under your smile, but when the sound bounces again at you from the back wall mingling with the out of kilter notes blasting from the stage you want to cover your ears in horror and run for the nearest auditorium double door…but you can’t. You have to sit there. And smile.

And that is what I am doing at home.

I am trying to enjoy my clean floors over all that noise...