Clean and Simple

I know it's not always easy to keep a clean house.  If you've got kids and/or pets it's even harder.  If you live in a big city like New York, then sooty dust if your #1 sworn enemy.  But a clean house feels so wonderful, so healthy and just more livable, doesn't it?

We often over-complicate the process with an abundance of products.  The spray for the shower is different than the spray for the counters which is different than the wash for the floors.  Over time you've compiled a small army of plastic spray bottles filled with mysterious chemical solutions for every single cleaning task in a home.  But, what if it were simpler.  What if only a small handful of ingredients and old-fashioned methods were all it took to get a sparkly home?

Thanks to my wonderful friends in the world of Pinterest, I've amassed a small list of some of the wonders that simple cleaning ingredients can do to keep your home germ-/grime-/stain-free and happy. 



Ah ha!



Source: thriftyandfabuless.blogspot.com via Connie on Pinterest

 

Clean old paintbrushes by soaking in boiling in vinegar for an hour or until paint floats off.





Source: re-nest.com via Whitney on Pinterest



Baked on grease and who-knows-what-else on your burners? 
Take about 1/4 cup of ammonia and seal it up with one of the burners in a large ziploc bag. 
You only need a little ammonia in the bag; not enough to soak the burner... you just want to seal it up with the ammonia fumes. Let stand overnight or longer.  Burner will wipe clean with a moist sponge.

TIP: Never, EVER mix ammonia with anything that has bleach in it.  It creates toxic fumes.



Source: viv-spot.blogspot.com via Whitney on Pinterest



Lemons can help whiten dingy linens on the stove. Fill a pot with water and a few slices of fresh lemon; bring the water to a boil. Turn off heat, add linens, and let soak for up to an hour; launder as usual.



Source: marthastewart.com via Whitney on Pinterest

Coat the inside of your dirty appliance with a paste made from water and baking soda.
Let stand overnight. Then, don gloves and scour off that grime. Make spotless with a moist cloth.

Source: thedailygreen.com via Whitney on Pinterest



To polish silver: Wash items, then place on sheet of aluminum foil in the bottom of a deep pot.
Add a ¼ cup baking soda, a few teaspoons salt, 1 quart boiling water and cover the pot for a few moments. The result is a chemical reaction that gets tarnish off even the grimiest gravy boat.



Source: realsimple.com via Gail on Pinterest

Unclog and clean drains with 2 parts vinegar to 1 part baking soda.

Source: tidymom.net via Cindy on Pinterest

Mix one part Dawn dish washing liquid with two parts hydrogen peroxide.
Pour or spray it directly on fabric stains, and watch it disappear like magic!

Source: glamour.com via Cindy on Pinterest

Fill a spray bottle with a mixture of 1/3 shampoo to 2/3 water. Swirl to mix.
Spray the shampoo mixture on the walls, doors, floors, counter top, curling irons, etc.
Let it set for a minute or two then use a sponge scrub to scrub the mixture off. 
Use a dry clean cloth to wipe clean. 

Source: somewhatsimple.com via Whitney on Pinterest

Happy cleaning, my friends!
Cheers,
Whitney

Magic Carpet Ride ... and cleaning tips!

I was taught that a 'carpet' was a wall-to-wall floor covering while a 'rug' was an area-specific/movable floor covering. But lately I've noticed how much the terms are used interchangeably in the industry.  Apparently the terms are the same in many languages, so the trade industry has long been using carpet/rug to identify either product.

This irks me, doesn't it irk you?  I'm a nitpicker with design vernacular, and it gets under my skin that there isn't a definitive solution to this English-language-terminology problem.  Nevertheless...  I stick to the old-school American terms, and when I'm chatting with a sales person about an ''area rug" while they call it a "throw carpet," we still get business done and my client gets a floor covering. 

Kermanshah "Tree of Life" by Claremont Rug Company

Aman & Carson collection by Stark Carpet

Many people get nervous about rugs when it comes to wear & stains.  Don't be.  If you have quality rugs made from natural fibers you are way better off than synthetics when it comes time to clean.  Wool rugs, especially, are extremely resilient.  If you've got an area rug with a tough stain, send it to a reputable cleaner.  If you have an installed carpet with a major accident, call in the professionals as well.  But if the accident is bad, you should act fast for best results. 

Recently I got an email from a client about a horribly massive RED WINE accident on her oatmeal-colored wool carpet we had installed in her California home about five years ago.  She wrote me and explained...  (BTW, I've omitted the details about the innocent-because-he's-young-and-adorable family member who may have directly-but-accidentally caused this carpet catastrophe.)

I had a large gift basket sitting on an end table in the living room waiting to be put into the car.  I ran into the room when I heard it tipping over.  And, of all the things in that basket to have broken, it was a whole bottle of California Cabernet Sauvignon that was smashed and gurgling out onto the floor.  The pretzels and cheese and the pretty dischcloth were fine, but all the broken glass in a 750 ml puddle of red wine was a terrifying sight on my pristine carpet!

Tribal Afghan rug available on Etsy

Color Refom line by ABC Carpet

So, I picked up everything I could, including large pieces of glass.  Then, I cried.  Then, I called some friends of mine who own a commercial carpet cleaning business (I had her cell number!)  So I followed their advice to a T......

I ran to the garage for my wet/dry shop vac.  I took out the paper filter in mine (black & decker), then started vacuuming slowly to get as much as the 'wet' as I could.  I probably spent 15 mins doing that over and over.  Then, I poured a bottle of California Chardonnay (yes, I'm not kidding.  If no white wine is available, skip this step) over the entire stain.  Then I repeated the vacuum step for another 15 mins or more.  Then, I got cool tap water and did the same process in small sections of the spill.  It's very important to suck up all the liquid in each spot to get it as dry as you can.  Then, I got as many white rags and towels as I could find and blotted any remaining dampness.  


Brindle Stripe by Dash & Albert

1880s Agra rug by Beauvais Carpet

Then, I ran to the grocery store and bought $20 worth of kosher salt.  I rushed home and covered the entire area with a thick pile of the salt.  Left it for 24 hours, then swept and vacuumed.

There is still a shadow of a stain, but my carpet cleaning friends are coming on Tuesday to work out the faint shadow-y stain that remains -- my fingers are crossed.

In Aubrey's case, acting fast was paramount to her success with this major stain.  Having access to professionals who gave her such specific and unusual advice (an entire bottle of white wine on top of the red wine stain? Seriously?!?) helped her as well.

Note: there was no seltzer water involved.  And no chemical solvents.  Just a wet vac, white wine, tap water and kosher salt.  Oh, and a ton of elbow grease!


Warp & Weft

Kelly Wearstler for Patterson, Flynn & Martin

The Rug Company

Persian Tabriz rug on eBay

In honor of my wonderful client Aubrey and her grace under pressure during this carpet catastrophe [and the TWO bottles of wine lost to this mess], I'm raising my glass tonight to the carpet professionals out there.  Whether you weave them, import them, or clean them, you are an important part of this industry and your product makes our homes softer, richer and happier.

Go forth, my friends.  Love your carpets.  Live on them and enjoy the textural depth they bring to your rooms.  And if disaster strikes, bring out the white wine. 
Cheers,

Whitney