It’s been a long time since I’ve written something for Home Neat Home. I’ll say though, that my home is probably neater and cleaner than ever. First and foremost because I have a bigger house and less stuff (“room to breathe” as I like to say) but also because time has allowed me to find products that work well. I think all three of these were recommended to me by some of you (why I love blogs so much!) so I wanted to do a post for those who might not have noticed a comment of mine buried deep in another topic.
Bar Keepers Friend Cookware Cleanser
This was recommended to me years ago, by one of you, to get the stains off of my pans. It will make anything stainless, aluminium or copper cookware shine like new. My kettle lives on the stove and was covered in splotchy brown oil spots. I really wish I had taken a before photo but it was the after that inspired this post idea! I had tried cleaning the kettle twice with a sponge and dish soap and remembered I had Bar Keepers Friend under the sink. Now that worked!!
I’ve been using Bona since I moved into this house, and it does the trick. You may recall I have written about hardwood floor cleaning several times before, and what works in one house hasn’t always worked in another. The Bona system makes the floors here look great. But the real reason I am sharing this is because I discovered that there is a Bona mop with the sprayer attached! I must have gotten a cheapie version the first time because I always had to use a hand sprayer and then put it down to mop. This combo version is so much more efficient. I also now have two pads so I can put one in the wash while using the other a few days later.
MY OTHER RECIPES
I asked a while back on social media how you guys get stains out of your kids’ clothes. Regular laundry detergent fades them, but the stains persist. One person swore by Amodex, and when someone swears by something I usually give it a try. Karen recently bought Mazen a pair of pinstripe pants to wear to a wedding this fall. I had him try them on and as usual he didn’t want to take them back off. Add in a ketchup-heavy dinner, and you can imagine where this story is going. I spoke to Karen that night and she casually said “Don’t let him ruin those pants.” Uh oh. I immediately washed them (and even sprayed on some OxiClean) and started to sweat when the stain was still visible. I then remembered the Amodex and applied that next, washed the pants again, and…..the stain was gone! Whew. Saved the day.
Because I always learn about “swear by” products from you guys, please share the one cleaning product you can’t live without!
This might be ridiculous, but my favorite cleaning product since the early 2000s is unscented Febreeze! It has so many applications and helps to freshen things up as part of a regular cleaning routine.
Everyone makes fun of me for buying a Roomba and a Bravaa (I like to sprinkle a bit of Mrs. Meyers Lemon Verbena multi-surface every day cleaner on the cleaning cloth). They are worth every penny and I love coming home to clean floors. I’ve got a messy toddler and husband and it’s hard to keep up!
Loved this post! I have a heck of a time with my daughter (and husband) regarding stains so I’m excited to try the stain remover. To clean our hardwoods I just mix equal parts vinegar and water in a spray bottle. I do like this all in one though like a swiffer. Bar Keeper’s friend is wonderful! I love a clean house, so all products are probably my favorite… however I really love my Dyson vacuum. Does that count? 🙂
YES! My cordless Dyson was worth every expensive penny I paid for it. Use that thing every single day.
Vinegar! I use vinegar for all types of cleaning around the house but it is SO effective at removing undesirable odours from towels. I just wash the towels in a warm or hot cycle with a cup of vinegar (nothing else) and it works like a charm 🙂
Btw I’m so gonna get me some amodex!!!!
That’s great advice about the towels! Hate stinky towels.
Someone already beat me to the Dyson vacuum, so then my next thought was immediately VINEGAR! I kept reading the comments, only to see that one was already “taken” as well. So I will go to my ‘default’ for everything… baking soda! It absorbs odors from smelly sneakers to carpets, and can polish anything without scratching.
Original blue dawn– works well for grease stains on clothes. Also a cleaner called “Simple Green” all-purpose cleaner that we use on everything (bug splats on the car bumpers, clothing, spills, etc.).
Magic Erase sponge 4LYFE. They’ll take marks off your walls, including shoe scuffs, crayon, paint, food…and worse. And I use them to shine my cookware too. I mix up a spray bottle of blue dawn soap and white vinegar and spray it on my dishes as I wash. Any tough spots or cooked-on oil film comes right off with a spritz of that and a rub of the magic erase sponge!
Yesss!
I love windex!
Kath and other readers – Any advice for what to use to mop marble floors? I’ve tried water + baking soda + rose oil, but I think the baking soda leaves a bit of a residue. Any advice would be much appreciated!
Good question. I have no idea – hopefully someone else will chime in.
How do you keep the black surface of the stove clean and shiny?
Just regular counter spray and a microfiber cloth
I use the liquid bar keeper’s friend and a micro fiber cloth…works like a charm
I’ll tell you what works:
Hiring a cleaning lady.
Yes, please.
I second this. And I’ll add a good nanny to get the stains out.
I second the vote for blue Dawn. I make a mix of 1 part Dawn and 2 parts hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle. It is amazing on stains. (Even things that I packed away for the summer and took out only to discover mystery stains!)
I can totally vouch for and verify that Bar Keepers Friend is AMAZING!
Hydrogen peroxide is my go to for stain removal. It has taken out blood, ink, chocolate, tomato sauce, you name it. It’s a must have for me and it’s cheap. 😉
Love your Home neat home posts, they remind me of Real Simple Magazine :)! I second or third my Dyson and Vinegar. Looks like I’ll be adding Bar Keepers Friend and Amodex to my lists. I love Method Products too, everything smells so great!
I loved this post- it reminded me I needed to clean my floors! I love vinegar to clean my stove and my windows/mirrors. Vinegar mixed with dish soap is one of the best cleaners I’ve ever used for porcelean stuff.
Whitening toothpaste! If you have white cabinets or furniture that gets a stain (marker, pen, etc), put some whitening toothpaste on it and let it sit for 15 minutes or so. Wipe away and the mark is usually gone! Figured this one out 20-something years ago when I accidentally got sharpie on my mom’s new white dresser. Was trying to get the stain out without her knowing and thought to use toothpaste and it WORKED! Been doing it ever since.
Mr clean magic erasers! I don’t know what they’re made of but they get out stubborn marks on walls, countertops, stoves, shower walls … you name it – with minimal effort.
I need Amodex! I’ve tossed a few toddler clothing items over the past year because I can’t get stains out! Is it in the detergent section of a store? I also sweswear by vinegar…again, I was throwing out sports bras because I couldn’t get smells out of them after wearing them for 6+ months. Now I presoak in vinegar before washing – it was a miracle!
I also love the magic eraser for removing wall scuffs and cleaning the bath tub!
Oh yay! I love hearing about the products that actually do work! I always seem to get the ones that do a poor job!
Kath, I’ve always wondered — how do you wear such beautiful clothes and keep them nice with a toddler? I feel like I’m always afraid to wear my “nicer” clothes because my toddler gets food/gunk ALL OVER me. How do you get rid of stains, or do you not have that issue? Thanks 🙂
I’ve always been pretty strict about wiping hands and face before leaving the table, but when he was younger I did have a few things stained pretty badly
I LOVE my shaklee bright white clothing stain remover. I started using it after a post you did Kath several years ago. It has taken out some really tough stains over the years!! Right now I have a bucket of hand me down baby clothes soaking in the stain remover. The clothes had spit up stains on them- we will see what it does! Do you still use shaklee products Kath? Also,I would love to hear more about how you got rid of clutter!! I really miss your home neat home posts!
I do still have some Shaklee cleaner, but I don’t use it as much because I am such a smell person. I’ve been buying Method or Mrs Meyers instead. I do still use the cherry pit scrub!
For “smell” you can add a couple drops of your favorite essential oil to the mixing bottle when you mix up a batch of Basic H2. 😉
I am FOREVER cleaning toddler handprints off my full length mirror and windows.
Never buy Windex again, once you finish your current bottle fill it back up with:
1/4c Vinegar
1/4c Rubbing alcohol
1 tbsp cornstarch
Water to fill to the top.
Shake well prior to use. The cornstarch will settle to the bottom in between uses, just shake it up again!
My go-to swear-by product for stain removal, especially oil based stains, is Fels-Naptha!! It is a bit old fashioned but it does the trick!! I even use it after gardening to wash my hands and arms when I suspect that I might have been exposed to poison ivy!!
Would love to know people’s favorite laundry soap. Method has failed me. Dealing with a busy 4 year old & newborn so breastmilk poop stains!
Not the most natural but I love good old Tide
I’m going to attack my tea kettle with some Bar Keepers friend right now! I have a different blend of Bar Keepers so it may not work but it’s worth a try before I toss my kettle in the trash. Thanks for sharing.
Sunshine is the best stain remover…..put the garment outside wet and the stains will disappear. It especially works great for tomato based stains like ketchup and spaghetti sauce.
Norwex!! Pretty much all their stuff is awesome. The window cloth is fantastic!
I ordered the Bona one of the last times you blogged about it — and love!!
Biokleen’s Bac-Out is a staple around here. It removes biological odors easily, my favorite use, but is also a gentle but great-smelling all purpose cleanser. Because it can be diluted, one bottle lasts forever. I also use a tiny amount instead of other cleaners when I steam clean the carpets and they smell so fresh and have no residue.
It’s important to me to purchase cruelty-free cleaning products so I use mostly Method products for bathroom, spray cleaners and floors.
But my best purchase to date is my Dyson vacuum! With 2 toddlers and 4 cats it’s the best cleaning item I own 🙂
Great post! Please do more Home Neat Home! My favorite post you ever did was the one where you showed the insides of drawers, etc. and how you organized everything around the house. Would love to see an updated post like that!