Monday

Cleaning a House That Cleans Itself, Part 2

Why do I talk about deep cleaning in a blog that's primarily written to help your home stay clean with less work, not more? Last week, I gave you one reason. Now, here's another.

Reason #2: Never forget that there are newer, better housecleaning products coming out all the time, and that those of us who are domestically impaired would do well to keep our eyes and ears open for anything that might make our job easier. When something new does come down the pike, we also need an open mind and a willingness to consider new ways of tackling old housecleaning problems.

Remember, there are companies out there spending millions of dollars on research and development, their primary goal being to help you keep your home cleaner in less time with less work. When I spot some new product that I think might do just that, I'm going to test it out. If it works, I'm going to be telling you about it right here.

Sometimes, of course, what looks new and different can end up being just one big (and possibly expensive) disappointment. But when a product ends up being equal to even exceeding its hype, I'm always eager to shout it from the mountaintops.

And that's why I can't shut up about exciting cleaning products (like the Magic Eraser) on a blog that's about not cleaning. Check back next time for my third and final reason.

6 comments:

  1. I just found this book over the weekend at our local christian bookstore and I am so glad i did! It is exactly what I need to get my chaos in order and make things a lot easier around here! Thank you so much for writing it!

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  2. You're welcome, Jamie. Best wishes on your conversion! As you turn your home into a House That Cleans Itself, feel free to post questions to this blog. I'm always happy to brainstorm solutions to specific household mess issues. In fact, I often use those questions as fodder for future blog posts--so feel free to ask away!

    Mindy

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  3. I have hidden a small garbage can in our entry so that we can immediately purge any incoming things from making it into the rest of the house. It is an old metal milk box that used to sit outside on the porch for the milk man to fill each week. I absolutely love the way it looks and the way it conceals the garbage but it is scratching the wall..bad. I have tried putting sticky felt on the part that scratches but it doesn't seem to help. Any suggestions?

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  4. Hi Charity, great question. I have a similar issue with a clothes-drying rack in my laundry room. My solution is to paint the wall the exact same gray color as the scratches that the rack makes. (No kidding, I actually held paint samples up to the scratches till I found the closest match!) I haven't painted it yet, but I've purchased the paint and hope to get around to it soon. I'll be sure to post about how it goes once I do. I doubt the scratches will disappear completely but at least they should be less noticeable.

    Any chance you could do that in your entryway?

    If not, I wonder if it might help to paint the metal box the color of the wall (or at least the part of the box that makes the scratches.) Hmmm, not sure if that would do any good or not, but it's worth a thought. Or perhaps there's a varnish that could be used on the box to seal in the surface and eliminate some of the discoloration that the scratches are making. You might ask someone at a local home repair store about this approach.

    How about hanging a tapestry or curtain or other fabric item on the wall behind the can? I'm surprised the felt idea didn't work, maybe you just need to try that again but use thicker/better/different colored felt this time.

    Finally, if it were me and none of the above worked, I would consider buying a small, square seat cushion or similar and hot-gluing it to the back of the box. (Unless the box is a valuable antique or something.) That way, the only thing hitting the wall would be the padded fabric.

    These solutions are just off the top of my head, but they might get you thinking in the right direction. In fact, this is such a great question that I think I'll duplicate it as a blog entry and not just leave it here buried among the comments.

    Thanks again for asking, and best wishes on your own House That Cleans Itself!

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  5. Awesome book, Mindy, a real answer to prayer. Great for those with ADD. You have set it out in a way that can be understood and enjoyed - not over complicated, well done.

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  6. Mindy,

    After trying your suggestions my husband said," Why can't we just screw it to the wall" and I said, " YES!" The box IS an antique but I love where it is, it hides the garbage can, looks cute and best of all, my family actually USES it to toss trash into!I won't be able to lift it to clean under but I will sacrifice cleaning around it for the convenience it offers my family.

    Charity

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