Article By: Mirna Cacic

Cast iron skillets are one of those things that not many people know how to clean. You’ve all heard the stories about how you’re not allowed to use soap, or any other harsh chemicals. All you need to clean your skillet are a few basic items like salt, oil, and a sponge. Check out our tips and tricks below to get your skillet looking fresh and new!

Supply Checklist:

1) Cast iron skillet

2) Salt

3) Sponge

4) Vegetable oil

5) Paper towels

6) Kitchen towel

Step #1:

It’s important to clean the skillet each and every time you use it. This way you’ll prevent gunk from building up, making the job much easier. Don’t soak your skillet to get rid of stuck-on food, as it can make it rusty.

Step #2:

To wash your skillet, simply scrub it with a sponge under hot water. Avoid soap or steel wool, as it can strip your skillet of its seasoning.

Step #3:

To get rid of burnt or stuck-on food, sprinkle salt over your skillet and add a bit of water. Swish it around with your sponge to make a paste, and then scrub it.

Step #4:

Rinse the skillet and dry it with a kitchen towel.

Step #5:

Grab a sheet of paper towel and add a few drops of vegetable oil to your skillet. Wipe the skillet down, then get out a clean paper towel and wipe it again to get rid of any excess oil. To store your skillet, keep it in a dry place.

Photos: Sarcastic Cooking, Tori Avey, Lemons and Anchovies, Galley Kitchen Gal.

Dryer sheets can get pretty pricey, and they also make a lot of garbage. If you’re looking for an alternative to store-bought dryer sheets, this is for you! Keep your clothes smelling great and soft to the touch by making these homemade dryer sheets! All you need is a kitchen sponge and fabric softener to make these babies, and you’re ready to go! Take a look at the easy tutorial below and make your own today!

Supplies:

1) Fabric softener of your choice

2) A few kitchen sponges

3) A plastic container with a lid

4) Water

Step #1:

Fill the container about 2/3 of the way full with two parts water and one part fabric softener.

Step #2:

Take your sponges and cut them in half. Place them inside the container to soak up the fabric softener.

Step #3:

Place the lid on top of the container. Store your homemade dryer sheets in the fridge to prevent mold from forming.

Photos: Hometalk.

Save those coffee grounds from your morning coffee and put them to good use! From fertilizing your garden, deodorizing your fridge, to cleaning your pots and pans, there are so many ways you can use coffee grounds! So next time you make a cup of hot coffee, save the grounds! Take a look at our top 10 ways you can use coffee grounds around your home!

1. Get Rid of Scratches on Wood Furniture

Furniture a bit banged up? Steep some coffee grounds and dip in a q tip. Dab the q tip on scratches to hide them.

2. Clean Your Pots and Pans

Place a spoonful of coffee in a dirty pot to help scrub away grease. The coffee acts as an abrasive to get rid of stuck-on food and oil.

3. Give Seedlings a Coffee Boost

When planting seedlings, stir some coffee grounds into the dirt to raise nitrogen levels in the soil. You can also add the coffee grounds to your watering can to give them a boost that way.

4. Age Paper

This one is great for craft projects! If you want your boring white paper to have an aged look, dip the paper into coffee diluted with water. Leave it to sit for a minute, then take the paper out and dab it dry.

5. Get Rid of Insects

Sprinkle coffee grounds around plants to keep bugs at bay. Make a ring around the plants to ward off slugs and ants that want at your precious flowers!

Photo By: Trusty Joe

6. Deodorize Your Fridge

Fridge smelling funky? Put a small amount of dry coffee grounds in a cup at the bottom of your fridge. The coffee will absorb any odors that are lingering in your fridge.

7. Give Your Blue Hydrangeas a Boost

If you’re trying to grow Blue Hydrangeas, add coffee grounds into the soil before planting. The coffee will increase the acidity level of the soil and it will also help the flowers absorb any aluminum in the soil, which helps keep them a vibrant blue!

8. Keep Ashes From Flying Around

If you’re trying to keep ashes from flying all over your floor as you’re cleaning out your fireplace, sprinkle damp coffee grounds over them. The damp grounds will help keep the dust down.

9. Get Rid of Cockroaches

Get rid of these unwanted visitors by filling up a jar with an inch of damp coffee grounds. Take out some sticky tape and wrap it around the jar’s neck. The coffee will help draw the cockroaches into the trap.

10. Clean Your Hands

To get rid of onion or garlic odors from your hands, rub coffee grounds on them before washing them with soap.Photos: Yankee Magazine, Cleanipedia, Well and Good, Brandon and Shelby, Black Down Garden Centre, Working Mom Adventures, Deborah Silver, Passion Potager, Pest Control Toronto, Home Food Safety.

If you live in an old home you might have noticed rotten wood in certain parts of your home. This problem can crop up anywhere, like in door frames or stairs. If it’s a big problem, your best bet would be to replace the wood completely. If it’s only a small patch, there is a way to fix it easily. Keep reading for instructions!

Step #1:

The first thing you need to do is to remove the rotten wood. You can use a sharp tool like the sharp end of a hammer.

Step #2:

Fill the area with High Performance Wood Filler. If there is a lot of work to be done, you can also use a two-part auto body polyester like Bondo, which is less expensive. The High Performance Wood Filler with strengthen the wood fibers. Once you apply it, you have around 10-15 minutes of time to work with it before it begins to harden. If you’re doing vertical repairs, the polyester can sag. To prevent this, build a form and line it with plastic sheeting. Press the form against the filler and attach it using screws. Take the form off when the filler hardens. Another way to do this is to wait until the filler hardens to a soap consistency and then carve it using a putty knife, or shape it using a rasp. Most wood repairs will require 2 layers of filler.

Step #3:

To finish off the repair, sand and prime the area before painting.

Photos: This Old House, Family Handyman, Home Depot, Fine Art America.

If you find ironing too stressful, or aren’t sure if you’re doing it right, we’re here to help! We’ve got 9 tips to help you make peace with your iron, and make ironing your clothes a piece of cake!

1. Position Your Ironing Board

Proper ergonomic alignment is a laundry tip that will speed up the ironing process and you’ll avoid the dreaded backache. Adjust your ironing board until it’s at hip level. Your elbow should be bent at a 90-degree angle and your shoulder should be able to move easily.

2. Clean Your Iron

This cleaning hack will make your clothes sparkle! Before turning on your iron, check for any built-up residue. Remove any residue before you start ironing or it can transfer to your clothing.

3. Read Clothing Labels

Read your clothing care labels and match your iron’s temperatures to them. If in doubt, set your iron to a low temperature.

4. Clean Clothes Only!

Only iron clean clothes, never dirty clothes! The iron’s heat will set stains and also intensify odors on the fabric.

5. Keep it Misty

Keep a spray bottle filled with water handy. If you find yourself battling stubborn creases, spritz the crease with water and it should flatten nicely.

6. Go With the Grain

Iron your clothes with the grain, never against it. Ironing across thread diagonals will cause the fabric to stretch and buckle.

7. Get a Press Cloth

A press cloth is something everyone needs when ironing. This piece of tightly woven cotton cloth is used as a barrier between the iron and your clothes. It will guard against shine on your clothes, and help protect delicate clothing from the heat of the iron.

8. Keep the Iron Moving

Never hold the iron in one place for too long, you could burn your clothes! Keep the pressure light and don’t press too hard.

9. Hang Up Your Clothes

When you’re finished ironing your clothes, hang them up right away. In the first few hours since you’ve ironed your clothes are extra sensitive to wrinkles. Allow your clothes to cool and dry completely before placing them back into your closet or drawer.

Photos: The Organised Housewife, Peglanje Servis, Huffington Post, Metro News, Ullapool Laundry.

Frankincense has been in use for thousands of years, and it originally comes from the Middle East. People have believed in the magical uses of this incense for years, believing it to cure just about anything, and bring them closer to the gods. Frankincense comes from Boswellia trees, which are widely known for their aromatic resin and healing properties. Frankincense can be bought in its original resin form, or as an essential oil, and is available in most health food stores. Frankincense is actually an ingredient in most popular perfumes, and is a highly valued product.

As an essential oil, it can be used for almost anything you can think of. Cuts, scrapes, burns, and even joint pains. When the resin is burned, the smoke actually helps repel mosquitoes and other insects. This is a great way to keep mosquitoes at bay, and it’ll make your home smell great, too! Forget about dangerous bug sprays, frankincense smoke is actually good for you! Can’t say the same for the mosquitoes, though! The smoke is also a mood-booster. It can help people with anxiety and depression, and an overall sour mood. Burn a small amount of frankincense before a get-together or a party, and everyone will surely have a good time!

Photos: Ferrell Jenkins, BBC.

Germs are invisible to the naked eye and letting these grow inside your home can put your own and your family’s health at risk. Germs carry illnesses and diseases that can make your entire household at high-risk for common coughs and colds. Over time, these health conditions can worsen and weaken your family’s immune system. In fact, coughs, colds, and upper respiratory infections are one of the most common reasons for people needing to seek urgent care in philadelphia and other care centers across the U.S.

The effects of germs on human health are one of the most obvious reasons why you should exert time and effort in cleaning your home. The money you spent on buying a new home will be useless if the entire space is only covered in germs. This is especially true if you are living with kids, seniors, or people who have highly sensitive skin. 

More often than not, you already clean most areas around your home. These areas are often used by the people living in your home. But aside from the obvious places that germs lurk in our home, like the toilet, kitchen counters, and floors, there are more areas that you must clean. These areas or items are also used by the entire family, but usually, not everyone realizes how dirty these are.

Cleaning and disinfecting your home is part of everyone’s daily routine. Washing dishes and mopping floors are part of everyday life. But did you know that the places we least suspect of being dirty are actually the dirtiest? Read our list to find out!

1. Reusable Water Bottles

A study of students’ water bottles found that they were so dirty, that if the water came from the local tap it would be declared unfit to drink! Talk about dirty! What you can do to prevent your water bottles from becoming a breeding ground for bacteria is soak them in bleach for a few minutes once a week. Make sure to wash your bottle thoroughly after each use, too. You can also put it in your dishwasher on the hottest setting.

2. Keyboards

These days we’re always tapping away at our keyboards at all hours of the day, making them ideal for bacteria – especially for those that don’t wash their hands! Since our keyboards are in constant use, cleaning them regularly is a must. You can wipe down your keys with rubbing alcohol a few times a week to keep germs at bay. Nail polish remover can also be used as a disinfectant. Simply use a cotton swab to gently clean the keys, taking care not to get any remover between them.

You can also clean the insides of your keyboard by disconnecting it from your computer, pulling the keys off using a screwdriver (if the parts are removable), and soaking the keys in warm water. Make sure to also clean the faceplate of the keyboard using soap and warm water. Let the keyboard dry for about 24 hours before you start using them again.

3. Cutting Boards

Cutting boards, especially those made of plastic, are a hotbed for cross contamination. Meat and vegetables are cut on them daily, and without proper cleaning, can become a breeding ground for bacteria. You can keep your plastic cutting boards clean by running them through the dishwasher after each use. Wooden cutting boards can be microwaved to remove germs.

4. Bath Mats

Bath mats get soaked with water every time you step out of the shower, and they usually sit there on the floor of the bathroom, which slows water evaporation. This becomes an ideal space for bacteria to form. Wash your bath mats once a week on the hottest setting of your washing machine to keep germs under control. Make sure to wash them separately from clothes and bed sheets.

5. Knobs and Handles

The knobs and handles on doors in our homes are in constant use by everyone who passes through them. Bacteria gets transferred from our hands to the knobs, then is picked up by someone else using the same knob later. To prevent the spread of bacteria throughout your home, spray the knobs and handles down with rubbing alcohol regularly.

Photos: Bottles Mall, 551 East Design, Cleanipedia.

In Conclusion  

Regularly cleaning your home is an important responsibility among all homeowners. Investing in a home that is worth thousands or millions of dollars will be useless if you don’t know how to properly take care of it.  

If you don’t have the time and knowledge on to properly clean your home, have your home cleaned by SwiftClean. These pros have the necessary equipment and experience to clean all the areas of your home and ensure that everything is germ-free!