Category: Maid Service

How to Clean White Converse All Stars

How to Clean White Converse All Stars

by Engineered Mama ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

Although I love how white Chucks look with a multitude of clothing options, white is not kid friendly. Or accident prone friendly. So, off I searched for a great way to clean these babies. Well, it turns out there isn’t really one great way, so I combined a few that seemed to work well for me, so I hope this method works well for you, too!

Ingredients/Supplies Needed

  • Rubbing alcohol (or nail polish remover-just be careful of the red and blue writing… nail polish remover can remove it!)
  • Cotton Ball
  • 2 Tbsp baking soda
  • 1 Tbsp hydrogen peroxide
  • 1 Tbsp warm water
  • Old toothbrush
  • Oxy Clean White powder laundry detergent
  • Lingerie laundry bag or pillow case
  • Toilet paper
  • Paper towels

Directions

  1. Remove shoestrings from both Converse.
  2. Soak a cotton ball with rubbing alcohol and rub scuffs or marks on the rubber toe or around the sole to remove any stains or marks.
  3. Rinse shoes well with cold water.
  4. Prepare the cleaning solution/paste by mixing the baking soda, hydrogen peroxide, and warm water in a bow. Mix this solution well and add water slowly until it forms a paste. The full amount of water may not be needed or you may need more to create the paste. Apply the paste to each shoe and shoelaces, covering the entire surface of the shoes. Let the shoes and laces sit for 30 minutes with the paste applied.
  5. Rinse the cleaning paste off of both shoes and shoelaces with cold water.
  6. Place shoes and shoe laces into a lingerie bag or pillow case and place into the washing machine. Add Oxy Clean White and wash per package instructions in a cold, delicate cycle.
  7. Promptly remove shoes from the washing machine. Hang the shoelaces to dry.
  1. Stuff paper towels into each shoe to keep the shape while drying. Wrap a thin layer of toilet paper around each shoe. The thin layer absorbs water, allowing the shoes to dry more quickly, which prevents yellowing of the shoes. Replace the paper towels and toilet paper after a few hours and repeat this process 1-2 more times throughout drying.
  2. After shoes have dried at least 12 hours, remove the toilet paper and paper towels and allow to fully air dry. Replace laces and wear those beautifully white shoes!
Advertisement
A Force to be Reckoned With

A Force to be Reckoned With

by Engineered Mama ♥ 1 Comment

Force of Nature

Alright, guys… I fell for a Facebook ad.  Ok, so it’s not the first time, but hey, it’s worked out well every time I’ve fallen for one, so that’s a good thing, right (just nod your head in agreement… it will make me feel better)?  Maybe I’m a good skeptic and only fall for the ones I know will work out in my favor or maybe I’m just lucky, but back to the original reason I fell for the Force of Nature ad.

No, I’m not talking about a hurricane, tornado, or any other natural disaster: it’s a cleaning product.  One you make AT HOME.  Weird, right?  Now, if you know me well at all you know I hate bleach.  So much so I don’t even know if we currently have a bottle of bleach in our house right now <gasp!>.  But seriously, guys… bleach has been proven to be more harmful than beneficial (don’t just take my word for it… do your own research. No, really.  Do it… you’ll thank me later) and there are other cleaning products out there that disinfect as well or better than bleach.  This ad claimed that the cleaning product is proven to be more effective at disinfecting than bleach, is completely safe around infants and pets (yes, Rem the chiweenie… it’s safe for you, too, buddy), doesn’t stain or discolor fabrics, deodorizes, is cheaper to produce, does your laundry, and cooks breakfast for you.  You can’t just blow up my Facebook feed with these claims and not pique my interest, sneaky marketing people.

Since they had such a “great deal” with a Facebook discount code I decided what’s the harm in just trying it.  I mean, I’m getting a good deal!  Yeah… just let me believe that, k?  So… after it arrived, here’s what happened…

I. Love. It.  No joke-this stuff is amazing!  I’ve been using it for about a year now and I have to tell you… it’s my go-to for cleaning almost anything.  Here’s why I love it:

  • Safe around kids and pets
  • Disinfects better than bleach
  • Doesn’t stain my fabrics
  • Deodorizes (hey… I know you have stinky shoes, too… don’t act like you don’t)
  • Cost effective
  • Refills may be ordered on Amazon… AMAZON, YOU GUYS.  If that doesn’t sell you on this product, I don’t know what will…

How it Works

Force of Nature uses only salt, vinegar, and water that uses electricity to create electrolyzed water making a product that disinfects and deodorizes in a safe, non-toxic way.  A starter kit includes a spray bottle, a mixing bottle, a 5-pack of salt and vinegar mix refills, and the device that electrifies the salt, vinegar, and water to create the Force of Nature cleaner.

The Verdict

The Good…

So far, so good.  I’ve had great luck with it as a cleaner and deodorizer and it is far cheaper than purchasing multiple products.  My favorite part is that it is so safe I sometimes spray down my child’s pacifiers, rinse, and they’re good to go!  It is now my everything cleaner from counter tops, sinks, bathroom counters, stinky shoes, wet dog smell (looking at you, Rem), and any general messes  I come across.  I’ll have to confess I always forget to try it out on carpet stains.  We generally don’t have massive stains in our carpet, but what I do come across I find myself grabbing the Resolve and forgetting all about my handy-dandy cure all on my counter top.

It’s really simple to make the cleaner and even easier to order refills.  I purchase mine on Amazon, because, well… Amazon.

The Bad…

The negatives here aren’t even really completely negative.  They’re more minor annoyances I’ve found, which to me don’t outweigh the perks of having such an effective non-toxic every day cleaner.

My spray bottle has somehow managed to become defunct, which, to be brutally honest didn’t disappoint me, but gave me a reason to purchase a super cute new spray bottle from Target with “So fresh and so clean” emblazoned on the front of it.  Who wouldn’t want one of those???

More on the bottles… the bottle system used to create the solution is, well, leaky.  Maybe it’s just me, but it leaks like CRAZY when I pour the finished solution into the spray bottle.  What do I see when it leaks all of my brand spanking newly created cleaner down the sink?  Literal $$$ down the drain, people.  However, I never use all 12 ounces created in a 14-day time frame anyway, so it’s not that devastating.  It actually just now occurred to me that their customer service may have a solution or a replacement, so… contact them I did.  I’ll update you on how that turns out when they respond.

What’s with 14 days, you ask?  Yeah… there’s another negative.  The ingredients in the cleaner break down over time, so its maximum effectiveness has a 14 day window before it becomes much less effective of a cleaner.

But What Do I REALLY Think?

Totally worth replacing many other cleaners!  My selling points: easy to make, safe, cleans effectively, competitive price.  I found myself cleaning A LOT of things in my house with vinegar.  While that’s fairly effective, vinegar isn’t necessarily safe on many surfaces and stinks.  Like, smells horrible for days. Overall, I can’t say enough good things about Force of Nature as a safe, effective cleaner.  You’ll see it on my counter top ready to kill germs and squash the stench for a long time to come!

Homemade Spray Disinfectant

Homemade Spray Disinfectant

by Engineered Mama ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

SONY DSCI know what you’re thinking… seriously?  I’m not making my own cleaner.  I don’t have the time and I would rather just go pick some up at the store.  Normally, I would wholeheartedly agree, but this time I have found a cleaner that is mild, easy to make, and easy to use.

What You’ll Need:

  • 1/2 cup white vinegar
  • 3 cups water
  • 1/4 tsp tea tree oil (approximately 10 drops)

Mix all of the ingredients in a large spray bottle, or if you’re like me and don’t want to take up space with an ugly, large, industrial spray bottle, mix the contents in a storage container and fill a smaller spray bottle when it runs low.

Easy peasy!  Check out more detailed instructions from the Detoxinista.

White Sinks are [Im]possible to Keep Clean

White Sinks are [Im]possible to Keep Clean

by Engineered Mama ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

  We have a white kitchen sink.  I’m really not sure who in their right mind would think that would be a good idea.  Although, the area we live in is notorious for extremely hard water, so stainless steel may be just as painful to keep looking squeaky clean.

There are a few products I have found to remove stains from our white sink that always seems to mock me.

  • Mrs. Myer’s Clean Day Kitchen Scrub or Comet scrub
  • Soft Scrub
  • Fixodet denture cleaning tabs

Below is the process I use to clean and remove stains from our sink.

  1. Give the sink a good scrub using any scrubbing cleaner of choice.  I like Mrs. Myer’s Clean Day products, but I sometimes use Comet if I want the power of bleach.
  2. After using a scrub and a sponge and rinsing the sink thoroughly, I pour Soft Scrub over stained areas and let it sit for several hours.  Once the Soft Scrub has dried, I scrub the area and rinse thoroughly.
  3. Before heading to bed, add one to two Fixodent denture cleaning tabs to the sink, plug the drain, and run hot water.  Let the sink soak overnight.  Drain the water and rinse thoroughly in the morning.
  4. Voila!  Clean sink.
Dirty Washer? Clean it Up!

Dirty Washer? Clean it Up!

by Engineered Mama ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

  I’m sure you know what I’m talking about… your high efficiency washing machine.  You know what I’m talking about, all you HE washing machine lovers.  I’ve had a love/hate relationship with mine for about four years now.  Never has four years seemed so long.  I love my HE washing machine, don’t get me wrong, but the smell… the gunk… the washing machine cleaners.  Really??? I need to WASH the appliance that washes my clothes?  No… I’m not ok with that.

So, after just tolerating the stink for four years and using the washing machine cleaning tabs (yeah… those things that are full of promise but always leave you disappointed, kind of like all of the chocolate that could’ve been dark chocolate that didn’t quite make it there), I finally found a few methods that actually cleaned my washing machine.  I mean ALL of the gunk and stink gone.  Want to rid yourself of the stench?  Follow these simple steps:

  1. Throw away all of your washing machine washing tablets… they don’t work.
  2. Run a tub clean cycle (if your machine doesn’t have the cycle, use the hottest cycle your washer has) with 1/2 cup of white vinegar in the detergent dispenser and 1/2 cup in the tub with 1/2 cup of baking soda.
  3. Grab a deep baking pan and an old towel.  It’s time to clean that nasty filter and drain pump tube thingy (yes, that’s it’s technical name).  There should be a small door toward the bottom of your washer.  If not, you should be able to take the bottom panel off of your washing machine to access the filter that can be removed (righty tighty, lefty loosey).  Rinse the filter and remove all of the gunk from the inside of the filter portion.  Next, remove the stopper from the drain pump tube thingy (there’s that technical name again), and drain it into the pan.  Doing this once a month (let’s be honest, do it whenever you can… ain’t nobody got time for that) should prevent a lot of buildup or stagnant water from backing up.
  4. Keep your washer clean so you don’t have to do the previous steps (yes, this IS possible!).
    • Add 1/2 cup of Borax to the tub with every load of laundry.
    • Whenever you wash towels (I usually do this about once a week), use the sanitary cycle with 1/2 cup of Borax.  If your machine doesn’t have a sanitary cycle use the hottest cycle your machine has.

I noticed a white film after using baking soda and vinegar in my machine.  If this happens, use a sponge dampened with white vinegar to rub the film away.  Sometimes laundry has a funny smell even when the washing machine is clean.  If this happens, add 5-10 drops of tea tree oil to a washcloth and toss it in the dryer and add the stinky culprits.

Happy cleaning!